The National tribune., 1908-07-23
IN TEXAS AFTER THE WAR.
stormy Times for veferaS.-Estnbllsh.
ment of First q. "A. N. Post.

|
Editor National Tribune: have now
passed my seth birthday, but am in
good meath mentaltyf and also physi-
cally, save that an attack. of rheuma-
tism some years ago left me nervous, SC
! that L cannot use a pen. but am COM
PEELED to use a typeWSiter-in all of my
\ correspondence. I am the Oldest of all
of the comrades living, in Texas, as well
as the oldest In membership in the Or
der: am twin brother in the GA. r.
| of Corp'l Tanner, as we were both mus
tered in, under the old Ritual. by Conn
mander-in-Ch JohniiiA Logan, stand
ington. Logan commissioned me as an
Aid-de-Camp on his staff. and I bought
rituals and blanks, etc. and was en-
powered by command to muster COM
rades and establish Posts In 1869 a
flourishing Post of over 200 members
was in existence at Jefferson. Tex. Gen.
A. G. Malloy being Commander. De-
partment meeting was held at Austin,
and Gov. E. J. Davis was elected Com
mander. and I installed him in COM
mand of the Department of Texas.
could give you in detail a great amount
of information of suffering inflicted
upon us In those perilous times. but
You would not publish 1t now. The G.
A. r, is now reclining on fowery beds
Of ease, while hundreds of our early
comrades of those days lie in unmarked
graves, unwept and unsung to this day.
Nearly 100 of them lie buried in the
Jefferson Cemtery, but our Post, No. So.
is too weak in number to even plant
flags upon their graves. We have by
great effort done what we could. but
death and removals have so reduced
our numbers that only three members
live in the city. and the other five
members live. three of them 20 and
two others six and eight miles away.
We are all old veterans. who saw Sc
we're battle service at the front during
the SOS. a.and have gone. thru some
rough hardships since we located in
the South.
On May 4, 1866, I landed in Texas.
was met by three men. who demanded
to know if I had been an officer in the
United States Army during the war,
stating that if I had been they wanted
me to accept the Office of Deputy Col
lector of Internal Revenue, for which
they were prepared to make my bond in
] could assist my wife and children out
of the carriage into the hotel. Judge
Bonfoy. the newly appointed Revenue
Collector. stood by and urged my ac
ceptance, as I could take the test oath
then required to be taken. These men
were large business men. had been Off
GERS in the Confederate army, and were
now engaged in business, dealing in
cotton. and could not ship pound of it
until It was Inspected and the tax paid
and it was properly. branded. They
were so urgent that / accepted and set
tied at Canton. Van Zandt County.
where they wished me to go to aid
them. served as such Deputy for
seven years.. and saw but one of my
bondsmen during that period to know
him as such. It was dangerous BUSH
ness. I had to travel over five Counties;
was publicly ontlawed in a mass meet
ing in one of those Counties, and by a
resolution formulated and signed by
the Chairman and Secretary it was
made the duty of all good Democrats
to kill me wherever found. Two of
their own men fell victims. by mistake.
for me, but none came within reach of
my gun.-Horace WEIGH, Jefferson.