The Beaumont enterprise. [volume] (Beaumont, Tex.) 1904-current, 1904-10-09


establishment of the southwestern ne,
public.
So, without being able Ia confer with
Burr, who was somewhere in the
north, Williamson set Out from New
Orleans and, having landed at Natchi'
iuehes, proceeded tn march his soldiers
TO the Sabine.
A few miles west 81 NaiehilOehes
and near where ,hc town al Ruheline
now stands, the advance guard 1T The
two armies met and, as lhe Americans
continued tn advance, the Spaniards
fell back and look posI on the west
hank of the Sabine,
p, The Americans reached the rive"
late In the evening aal went into camp
on the east hank, The armed forces
OF the United States ana Spain thus
confronted each other, AMI IL looked
as If war was inevitable.
But during the night Wilkinson
summoned Herrera Ia cross the river
and repair 10 MS tent un important
business matters,
Herrera did so. and early the next
morning. oct. .. 1906, Gen. Wilkinson
issued orders To counter march To
Natchitoches. During the night n
treaty had been ntcred into between
Wilkinson and Herrera, by the terms
of which all the territory between the
Sabine river and the Arroyo llondo
was to he considered neutral ground
and neither to be claimed nor occupied
by the United States nor Spain till
diflnite boundry treaty could be ar.
ranged between the two countries.
The Arroyo liondo is large creek
that rises north of Natchitochcs and
flows into the Red river. The continu-
alton of this line since has been under
stood as being Calcasieu river from
its source to where it empties into
Lake Calcasieu, and thence into the
Gulf of Mexico.
The neutral ground therefore in
cluded all of Sabine, Natchitoches and
Vernon parishes and large part of
Calcasieu and Cameron-vast area of
country which, thus abandoned by all
became at once the most
prolific breeding ground for crime of
any country perhaps on earth at that
time.
II was vertiable mo mans Land
IL which criminals high and low from
the United States and Mexico sought
and found safe refuge. GuiteraZ the
Mexican revolutioniSt, lived
there quite awhile, and assisted Lieut.. |
A. w. Magee in organizinh the famous
republican army of the North in 1872. !
This was the first attempt on the
part of Americans to wrest Texas from
Nd aCtol,1ich 1
ment in place of despotism. And this
was organized in the neutral
ground, in the present State of Louisi-
ana.
In addition to the treaty entered
into between Wilkinson and Herrera. |
il has since been ascertained that
Herrera, on his own authority, and
without waiting to consult his govern
ment. agreed to pay Wilkinson $780, |
900 if the latter would use his influence |
ii. thwarting the designs of Burr.
The offer was accepted and 100000 |
il cash paid at once. Walter Burin@
was sent by Wilkinson to Mexico to |
get the remaining $lS0,0OO. There is
an old-time legend connected with
mission to Mexico that is !,
still remembered by people now liv-
ing in East Texas. 1t is to the effect |
that Burling received the money,
which was all in coin, and on his re-
turn trip was followed by robbers. On
reaching the Attoyac river, small
stream in NacOgdoches County, Texas,
md seeing he was about to be over
taken, he threw the money into the
river, making. as well as time would
permit, a rough map of the locality.
He then escaped and finally reached
-chitOches.
In 1916 Dr. John r. Sparks of Nacog-
1Oches hired n number of hands and
having turned the course of the At
toyac at the place where the treasure
was supposed to have been buried. Sc,
to- work digging in t.le dry bed. When
about twenty-five feet below the sur
face he struck an old-time Spanish
pack saddle in a good state of repair
othing else was found. however, and
the search was finally abandoned.
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