St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-13
ustoms. This gentleman erected custo

if from being flooded. On top was
cupola, the lantern in which served for
long time as lighthouse. A flag wa
hoisted and, to the great satisfaction of tn
authorities at w ashington. public proclama
ton or announcement was made that
A PORT IN TEXAS
was open to trade. No mention was made
of the fact that the depth of water on the
bar was but very few feet, and in poin
of fact, the deputy collectors labOrs were
confined to endeavors to keep his safe and
himself from being washed away.
Fortunately the authorities ''builded bet
ter than they knew when they established
custom house on Brazos Santiago. Ii
gave them pied terre from which went
forth, secretly and silently certain inf1u
ences bidding fair to produce momentous
results.
Before the date of Banks expedition
loyal Texans had moved heaven and earth
to induce the president and Mr. Stanton to
divide their state.
mo better course could be TAKEN" they
pleaded Eastern and Western Texas
are wholly different The former is coun-
try fitted for cotton aud other tropical pro-
auctions: the latter is adapted to stock rails
ing. Divide the state at the Colorado or the
san Antonio river and call the new one
BeXar. Hold the river line with sufficient
force; let all the Union men take refuge
west Of that lne-and the thing is done. +"
Mr.. Lincoln was pleased with this idea.
ut is much better plan than that West
Virginia one' said he; but Mr.. Stanton's
energies were concentrated nearer home
and he declared that the forces could not
De spared The loyal Texans. y cast down
but not discouraged took their departure
from Washington and bided their time.
At intervals they saw the president again:
and it was doubtless in consequence
of what they told him and his
reflections thereon that Gen. Banks
expedition was sent. After its withdrawal
things in Texas went from bad to worse.
During the occupation OF Corpus Christi
and Indianola the inhabitants had been re-
quested to take the oath OF allegiance; then
again they were left to the tender mercieS
| Of the Confederates.
ANARCHY GREW APACE.
A man named Black managed to secure
| from Banks a commission as captain. He
| raised company of 100 men assembled the
river, crossed it near Eagle pass OF Laredo
| and became the terror OF the border. How
many lives he took. how many cotton trains
| he captured none can tell. He was but one
of many. People in Texas became more
and more discontented and restless. The
past history of their state was that of a
| grand struggle for freedom. Men who had
fought with Houston, and Fannin, and
Crockett, and Stephen Austin, chafed at
military rule and forced levies. Cui
bono, they began to ask themselves
and each other. Just then from the
| federal flint and steel at Brazos
Santiago. there went out sparks which
reached this ready finder in the state. With
wonderful skill, care and discretion, COM
munications and overtures were conveyed
to willing recipients, and at last one of the
;iiost prominent loyal Texans appeared at
| the White house with news of the greatest
| Importance for the president.
| Mr.. Lincoln ardently longed for peace
| Day and night the horrors of fratrcdal
strife weighed on his mind. Under the
surface he was a profoundly melan-
choly man, with each year of the
war the somber shadow deepened
on his weary spirit; with deep earnestness
| he sought for means to stop the shedding of
| blood. What the Texan told brought him
a ray Of hope; and his mind, fertile in re-
sources, grasped the situation in an instant,
and suggested the thing to be cone.
THE Confederacy" said he. lis like a
| bunch of matches tightly tied together with
a string. Pull out one and the rest will fol-
low"
| There were earnest conferences at the
| White house and when they We're concluded
| the loyal TeXau again departed charged
| with the details of
STRIKING AND ORIGINAL PLAN
as follows: Texas had once seeded from
Mexico; let her now secede from the the
confederacy; let the question Of her re-entry
into the Union await the dealings of the
federal government with the other seeded
states. All Mr.. Lincoln asked for the pres
ent was that he should own and hold the few
former United States posts which he needed.
This arranged he would keep hands off"
| Not only would he Interfere in no way with
the interior economy OF this free and indie
| pendent commonwealth. but he would raise
| the blockade From SABINE Pass to Point lisa
| bel ingreSS and egreSs should be free
| as air. The crops. cotton. sugar and all
| should go out to the world, supplies of all
kinds would be poured in; state courts and
officials should make and administer the
laws and peace and prosperity would once
| more prevail. Even if the Richmond gov
eminent wished to coerce the "errng
sister, land how would this comport with
| the cardinal principles of the secession
movement = they could not do it. They
| had no navy, and. as for troops, they had
already begun, as Gen. Grant tersely put
| it. to rob the cradle and the grave" to re-
sist the power of the federal armies.
Such was Nh. Lincolns ingenious, states
manlike and benefcent program, and
this proposition met with a ready response
Once again the Jealous negotator appeared
in Washington. His message was brief:
LET officers Of high rank, he said, ''be
sent to treat"
With what care and skill the final steps
of this remarkable movement were man
aged, one may learn from the fact that to-
day. after tWenty-One years have elapsed
NOTHING Is GENERALLY KNOWN
of it. On certain day. early in 1865, a
party consisting of a federal major general,
brigadier general, other military officers
and the loyal Texan. who services had been
so useful, left New Orleans on the steamer
Clinton for Brazos Santiago. After few
prelilninaries they started, in boats rOwed
by United States sailors, and took their
course up the Laguna de la Madre. When
they had covered nine or ten miles they ap-
preached bluff. They stopped and made
a signal. After time it was answered.
How f0rtunate. tney SAID, III the nearing
of the sailors. I'VE shall at last be able to
arrange, as we have long. desired. for the
exchange of prisoners
They landed and mounted the bluff. 1t
was lonely spot. the nearest ranch being
twenty or thirty miles away. On the level
in a beautiful grove of mesquits were
pitched some tents. and near them were a
group of well-known and dist.nguishable
Confederate officers and some fifty soldiers.
The meeting was hearty and cordial. Old
comrades, thinking only OF past days and
forgetful of intervening estrangement, joy
fully clasped hands. The comnissariat
was abundant and varied. and convivantly