The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-04-18
Condition of Texas.


ed the following from the officers and men
composing a portion of the Texan army,
which were landed at New York City on
the llth jnst from the steamer Coatzacola-
US. They present an awful condition o
things on the Texan frontier, and show up
the treason of Gen. Twiggs in the most ag-
gravated light:
The officers are very decided in the
opinion that if the President should send
such troops as he could command to Texas,
to assist Gov. Houston in regaining control
of the State, it would not do any good.
The desperaGoes, who now have the control,
would overpOwer any force which Houston
could rally to his standard. As an evidence
of the rapidity with which these Secession
lists succeed in overawing and winning over
the people, it IS stated that in Cameron
county, on the Rio Grande, one week before
the vote was taken, careful canvass dis
closed only % for Secession. Subsequently,
Mccullough and his crew came among
them, and when the vote was taken, there
were 600 for Secession, and only 81 dared
to vote for the Union. The latter were the
most wealthy citizens of the county. Those
who could not vote Secession could not
safely vote against it, SO they remained at
home. A reign of terror exists in Texas.
Northern men dare not avow their birth
place even, much less their convictions, I'M
less they profess the rankest sort of Pro-
Slavery principles. Even officers of the
army from the North have to be very eau
tious. They do not know who to trust
Confidence between officers of the same
regiment is destroyed, so great is the in
fluence of Secession.
The loyalty of the Second Cavalry was
pretty we'll tested in Texas, by JEFF. Davis
The head of the Sambo Confederacy sent
one of his Colonels who had formerly been
a Major in the Regiment, to Green Lake,
where ten Companies were stationed, to en-
deaVor to seduee the officers and men from
their allegiance. Tt was supposed, and in
deed confidently stated in the New Orleans
papers, that, from his former position, he
would have sufficient influence to carry the
Regiment over bodily to the Confederate
States. Although armed with the opinion
of Mr.. Walker, the Secretary of War of the
Confederate States, that the surrender of
Twiggs absolved the officers and men from
their allegiance to the United States, he met
with such poor success, though offering them
all advanced positions in the Confederate
Army, that he did not care to lead the
struggling half dozen who agreed to join
him, into the traitor camp.
In regard to the condition of Texas, we
learn that the frontier settlements back of
San Antonio have been entirely broken up
since the withdrawal Of the troops. Two
large companies of Indians had come in,
one from the north of Red River, and the
other from the Rio Grande, numbering a
great many settlers, and driving everything
before them. Some OF the frontier towns
terly ruined, traders were clearing out at
any price preparatory to leaving the State,
and good judges said that the population
would decrease one-third within the next
three months. There is nothing but desti-
tuition staring the people in the face. At
present, they are subsisting on the stores
stolen from the army; when those are gone,
they must starve. The Ell Puso Road being
left defenceless by the withdrawal of troops,
the chihuahua trade, upon which the peo-
pie depended, is gone, and in place of its
profits, they have Indian forays, which
sweep everything before them. Several of
the personal friends of our informant among
the citizens had been killed and scalped
within fifty miles of San Antonio, while he
was at Camp Verde. San Antonio and
most of the frontier towns were for the
Union. The people say that there was not
q proper expression OF opinion upon the
question; that too many were influenced by
iear of persecution, and even banishment, to
vote contrary to their inclinations, or other
wise not to vote at all.
Another officer, who was stationed on the
Rio Grande, says along that frontier Mexi-
can population have nearly all crossed over
into Mexico and the Rancheros, and other
property holders, between the Neuces and
the Rio Grande, were concentrating in the
towns or at central points to protect them
selves against the raids and depredatons
committed by bands of Indians, Mexicans
and lawless whites, of the most depraved
class, who taking advantage of the defense
less condition of the frontier, were robbing
and numbering all before them They had
been within so miles of Corpus Christi,
and threatened its destruction. The run
away negroes living on the Rio Grande had
all gone back into the interior, fearing a
raid upon Mexico by the X. e. C's Texas
scrip was 80 to 35 cents on the dollar; real
estate which had cost S3, 600 to So, 500 was
being offered freely at 81 ,0OO the proprie-
tors of the Morgan line of steamers said they
would be compelled to withdraw their boats