The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-11-05
LET EVERYBODY READ.
1t is Touching Story Of self-saoriice for
Texas.

Texas.
TIE STATESMAN copies from the
Houston Post story so pathetic that
it must touch every heart. 1t is a
case in which help is needed, and it is
not needed next month OF next year,
but now. What will Austin do to-
wards smoothing the road of this old
hero down to the grave? Let every
body read and then answer:
LEXINGTON, Tex, Oct. 2i.-An in
tensity of feeling, amounting almost
! to n sensation, was exhibited at an eX
perience meeting conducted at th(
Baptist church the other evening, il
connection with a series of revival
meetings. An old man, bowed with
age and infrmities, arose and tOttered
forward toward the minister's stand,
then pausing, with the deliberatiOn OF
Il gentleman familiar with parliament
tary usages, he said: Brethren, l
rise to say that don't think anything
about it, / know that God answers
prayers. Old, blind and infirm that
am, during the past five years stood
for days, weeks, months and years
over the supposed deathbed Of my
wife there pointing to an elderly la
dy); watching for her spirit to take it's
flight. With my means exhausted,
my eyesight gone, bereft of my chill
dren, shOm of my strength, l stood
with the wolf of want at my door and
the black raven of death lowering
over the last object Of my affections.
Yet there was never, during these
darkest days Of my life, a desire for
temporal relief whispered to heaven,
but an answer came. The choicest
delicacies, the most tempting viands
TO be found upon the best tables in
Texas were placed daily at my dispO-
sal, not alone by church people, but
often by the darkest skeptics in our
land"
With these words the old man sank
into a seat that was offered him. The
audience sobbed, the preachers said
amen, and the skeptics scratched
their heads. Learning that the
sneaker was an old Texan and an eX-
member of the congress Of the Repub-
lie Of Texas, we sought an interview
with him later.
Col. Willett Holmes, for that is his
name. came to Texas in 1888 and
settled in stephen f. Austin's colony.
Tn 1891 he went to Kentucky and
worked there with Gen. Thomas ).
Chambers, soliciting recruits and
means to assist the infant colonies Of
Texas in their struggle for liberty
AGAINST the millions of Mexico. Listen
inc to the eloquent appeals OF his ad-
venturous son, Capt. James II. Holmes
raised q company of volunteer cavalry
for the service of Texas. Horses could
not be procured with Texas scrip, and
ths Younger Holmes executed his
notes which the farmers accepted III
pavment for the horses. Transpor-
iation for the little army was the next
object of concern. The steamboat
companies refused to take the "scrip,"
the Young Texan not being able topay
for the passage of both troops and
horses. sold the latter at great sacra-
flee and discharged his obligations to
the farmers. He then paid half the
MASSAGE of his father and the troops
70 Texas. All during the dark days
of the revolution young Holmes was
travelling in his native state, assisting
General Chambers and other patriots,
with his eloquence and his purse, in
forwarding troops and ammunition to
bleeding Texas. -,
In 1886 he returned to Texas with
his family, and joined an expedition
sent out by President Sam Houston to
drive marauding bands of Mexicans
from Texas soil. When the eXpedi-
ton had reached a point about thirty
three miles south of San Antonio they
had a fight with the Comanches, and
WoImes was sent back with some
,rOnnded comrades to San Antonio:
\ norton of this expedition crossed
tha Rio Grande, and were captured by
the Mexicans at Mier, and became the