The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-01-30
THE LONE STAR STATE.
A Visit to the Texas Capitol and the
State Officers.
The Monument 10 the Alamo Heroes-A
Talk With Governor Hubbard
Sociable PeopIe-A We'd
ding i'm High Life.
Irregular Correspondence of the SENTINEL

tuition of Texas, ratified by the people Feb
ruary 10, 1876, appropriates 3, zoo, 900 acres of
the public domain for the erection of new
state capitol and other necessary public
buildings. As yet nothing has been done in
the way of the location and survey, and
nothing can be done until an appropriation
of money by the legislature shall have been
made covering the expense of the work that
will have to be done In that behalf.
The present state capitol might very well
stand aside and give place to new one
having architectural merits more in keeping
with the claims to consideration of
the biggest state in the Union.
And yet, for young and newly
settled state, the present editice known as
1.-THE CAPITOL"
has a very respectable appearance. 1t is
something after the architecture of our own
old state house, and occupies an elevated
position at the head OF the principal business
street, proudly overlooking the entire city.
Nature has certainly done everything for
Austin, and the beautiful plateau on which
the capitol stands would indeed seem a work
of art had we not so many evidences of Dame
Natures beneficence all around us. 1t would
be very cold heart or a critical eve, who
could dwell amid such scenery as we have
here and it not appeal to his admiration.
The. capitol grounds are not only
spacious but charmingly and beauti-
fully adorned with flowers, bor-
ders. fountains and a natural growth
of live-oak grouped here and there as il to
produce the best effect. The leaves of these
trees are glossy and wax like, and their
drapery of Spanish moss gives them a weird,
mournful look. The only green house in
the city is within this enclosure. Running
up long flight of stone steps we reached
the front entrance to the capitol, and the
first object that met our eye at the landing
was the monument erected in grateful
remembrance to the gallant heroes who
fought and died for their liberty within the
Alamo. The monument is enclosed by
neat iron railing, and brief but beautiful
memoir is inscribed on each of
its four sides. On the north we
read the following appropriate inscription:
ITO the God of the fearless and free, we
dedicate this altar made from the rrins of
the Alamo" Below this in large letters,
Crockett, March 6, 1885," On the east side,
"Blood of heroes hath stained me; let the
stones of the Alamo speak that their immo-
lation be not forgotten" Below this Bon
ham," On the south. "Thesmopyle had her
messenger of defeat, but the Alamo had
none" "Bowie;" west, BE they enrolled
with Leonidas and the host of the mighty
dead, /" Travis" Below this beautiful in
scrption, and near the base of the monument,
are recorded the names of that small but
gallant garrison who fought bravely, but
the Mexicans.
WITHIN THE CAPITOL.
But let us look within the capitol and
tell YOU whom we met and what we saw.
The state offices are in this building. and
our first call was upon the treasurer, whom
we found pleasant, entertaining and ar
dent admirer of Governor Hendricks, Pen
dIeton, and others of our leading politicians.
A brief glance into the comptrollers Office
convinced us that things were here adjusted
much as they are by our own state auditor.
We come now to the secretary's office, and
in here were shown some interesting relics
of the days when the Lone STAR was a
republic, and had the pleasure of examining
the coat of arms of different foreign nations,
and saw treaties made with the United States,
England, Germany and France, to which were
attached the original signatures of Van Buren,,
| Queen Victoria, Wilhelm and Louis Philippe.
| The latter was especially fine, and we adj
| mired most of all this sovereign's signature,
because of the beauty and boldness that
| characterized it.
We were now ushered into another apart
ment and introduced to Governor Hubbard,
and felt almost intuitively we had known
him always. The governor is portly, CHEEKY
and good natured mot the least bit POM
pous) and has a delightful way of sntici-
| pating a tlmId visitors questions. He is
| chatty, witty and humorous, and we are
always pleased to meet one OF his tempera-
ment. To put the finishing touches
| to this pen picture we will tell
you that the governor is five feet
seven and a half inches high and weighs
about 800. He remarked to your correspon-
dent. you may tell the people of Indiana
| that the governor of Texas fills his chair
WE'LL" and as he said this, how could we
| help contrasting him with our own governor,
ope so fat and jolly, the other so tall and
4 n L.. l. 81 H. @f4so
hangs a life sized portrait of Stephen F..
Austin, taken IN Mexico in 1888, and his
memory is held sacred to every true patri-
| otto Texan for he was the founder OF their
former republic.
GENERAL HoUsToNs PICTURE.
But we turn from this to stricdngly life
like picture on the opposite wall, one who
| looks like a leader of men, and are
told that it is the valiant General
Houston, who won so much distinction upon
the battle field of San Jacinto. Like many
other great men General Houston had his
peculiarities in dress; he always wore a
broad brimmed, light felt hat, and cloak
lined with red. one corner of which was
thrown back over his shoulder. We now
babe the governor adieu, and, climbing a
| long fight of stairs, reached the library,
| where we found too many things of interest
to enumerate. There were case after case OF
specimens of ore and minerals peculiar TO
Texas; a large collection of Indian relics; q
meteorite weighing five hundred pounds,
and resembling pure rusty iron more
than anything else; a bust oil
General Houston, which, judging from
his portrait, must be strikiugly
accurate; and rare, valuable old book:
enough to interest a student a lifetime, some
of them gotten up at immense expense.
few steps northwest of the capitol and
you reach an old building erected in 1850
and previously provided by the state as q
depository of its land archives, and for the
transaction Of its land business. This old
structure is now used by the supreme court
of the state for its sittings, offices, etc.
A little south of the capitol on Congress
avenue stands the court house. Its walls are