Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-08-28
DEAF t DUEL.
The Kind of Men Sam Houston
Employed as Messengers.
San Francisco POst.l


San Francisco Post.l
When the adventurous and ire
pressible ~frontiersmen on the out
skirts of civilization in Mexico, and
aggressive acts which resulted in the
massacre of the Alamo where fell
some of the most heroic spirits that
ever graced the annals of any land)
and eliminated in the victory of San
Jacinto, by which Texas became an
independent government under the
administration Of General Sam Hou-
ston, known as the Lone Star" re-
public, and afterwards admitted as a
state into the Union, such was the
heroic daring, the cool courage of the
actors in that drama that the heroes
Of antiquity compared to them were
but as overgrown children. 1t is sad
to think that the march of civilization
so called, will pass over the territory
wrested by their valor from the mon
grel Spaniard, and its very occupants
will consider the names of Travis,
Bowie, Crockett and other kindred
souls as nothing but myths.
The machinery of the young repub-
lie was running in Austin, its then
capital, situated on the east bank of
Rio Colorado, with the usual multi
tudinous mixture of humanity, such
as senator's, saloonists, representatives,
roughs, lawyers, lobbyists and those
Of every grade and calling who earn
their bread by the sweat of other
peoples brows. These people were
thrown into a violent state Of excite
ment by an order from President
Houston to move the government ar
chives from Austin to Houston, as
there was a large force of Comanches
not many miles from Austin, laying
waste the ranches, and it was thought
they might make a descent on the
government and destroy the archives.
Hence, the presidents order for their
removal, according to an act of the
legislature, "for the preservation OF
public archives, so made and pro-
vided."
The citizens of Austin, seeing in
this measure the decadence Of their
city and their homes, kicked against
the measure at once, swore it was a
trick of the president to enhance the
value of his property in Houston at
their expense, that they were fully
able to protect the city from the Co.
manches and from President Houston,
also, and they would not allow any one
to move one picayune's worth of pub
lie property out of Austin, as long as
one of them lived to defend it.
And they set about making their
word good by enrolling and equipping
three hundred men at once, and con-
sidering the personnel of this force,
and its being organized at the capital
for their own existence as holding the
seat of empire, it seemed to get Presi
dent Houston in a tight place. The
man who was to command this force
was a singular person-Colonel Nor
ton, a gentleman in southern accepta.
ton Of the term, chivalrous to a fault
fearless as the Numidian lion, quick
as a fash at his weapons, of which he
carried the surest and deadliest
Strong, wiry and muscular was he, and
there was a latent %ferocity underlying
his calm demeanor that when reused
was truly terrible. 1t meant instant
death to his opponent. Within the
year previous to our story he had
fought a duel with rifles and killed hi
man at the first fire, and twice in an
encounter with bowie knives literally
cut his opponents to pieces. This
Colonel Morton was appointed to com.
mand this battalion of desperadoes.
The colonel, with Judge Edward.
and other prominent citizens, occupied
a hall in which they were holdinl
council with closed doors, barred
against ingress, and to devise mean
how to counterfeit the scheme O
Houston.
A crowd stood on the sidewalk out
side discussing the situation in no yer,
gentle mood when their attention wa
attracted by a stranger coming up will
long, steady stride toward the building
within which sat the conclave. Fl
was dressed in the garb Of a hunter,
heavy cOonskin cap with the tail dang
ling down over the broad and t~asselet
collar of his buckskin hunting shirt
which was secured at the waste by
strong belt of buffalo hide, in which
we're conveniently stuck, ready t
grasp at an ~lnstant's warning, a heav,
pair of silver mounted pistols and
hunting knife. His neither limb
we're incased in leggings of buckskir
and m~Occasins, and in his hand h
carried a long. heavy rife.
He appeared to pay no attention t
the inquisitive looks of those he mel
but walked straight up to the inclo
sure in which the house stood, an
without seeking admittance at tn
door, he sprang with the agility of
cougar, and grasping the pendant lin
Of a tree, that grew near the wall 9th
house, carrying the rife with him, h
Eclimbed the tree which was but
short distance t. the second story, an
there was an open window throug
which he swung himself, and he wa
in the council room of the disturbe
denizens of Austin. Had an incend.
airy shell Of the most modern inver
tiOn landed in the room, it could ne
i have ouoofad uora &c n srrnrseo Al,