Year: 1861

About two years after the Texan Rev.
olution, difficulty occurred between
the new Government and portion of
the people, which threatened the most
serious consequences, even the blood
shed and horrors of civil war. Briefly,
the case was this:


The Constitution had fixed the city Of
Austin as the permanent capital, where
the public archievs were to be kept,
with the reservation, however, of a
power in the President to order their
temporary removal in case of danger
from the lnroads of foreign enemy, or
the force of sudden insurrection.


Conceiving that the exceptional
emergency had arrived, as the Canaan
ches frequently committed ravages
within sight of the capital itself, Hous-
ton, then residing at Washington on
the Brazos, dispatched an order COM
manding his subordinate functionaries
to send the State records to the latter
place, which he declared was pro tenn
pore the seat of Government.


1t is impossible to describe the stormy
excitement which the promul cation Of
this fiat raised IN Austin The keepers
of hotels, groceries, boarding houses,
and faro banks, we're thunder
maddened to frenzy; for the measure
would be death blow to their prosper
|ity in business; and accordingly they
determined at once to take the neces-
sary steps to avert the danger, by op-
posing the execution of the mandate of
Houston. They called mass meeting
of the citizens and farmers Of the cir
'umjacent country, who were all more
or less interested in the question, and
after many fiery speeches against the
asserted tyranny of the administration,
it was unanimously resolved to prevent
the removal of the archives by open and
armed resistance. To that end they or
ganlzed a company of four hundred men,
one moiety of whom relieved the other
at regular periods of duty to keep con-
slant guard around the State House un-
til the peril had passed by. The COM
mander of this force was one Col. Nor
ton, who had achieved considerable re-
nown in the war of independence, and
had still more recently displayed des-
perate bravery in two duels, in both of
which he had cut his antagonist nearly
to pieces with the bowie knife. Indeed,
from the notoriety of his character for
revenge. as we'll as courage, it was
thought that President Houston would
renounce his purpose, touching the
Iarchives, as soon as he should learn
who was the leader of the opposition.
Morton. on his part, whose vanity
fully equalled his personal powers, en-
courased and justified the prevailing
opinion by his boasting threats. He
swore that if the President did succeed
in removing the records by the march
of an overpowering force, he would then
himself hunt him down like a wolf, and
shoot him with as little ceremony. He
even wrote to the hero of San Jacinto
to that effect The latter replied in a
note of laconic bravery:


'If the people of Austin do not send
the archives I shall certainly come and
take them; and if Col. Morton can take
me, he is welcome to wear my cap"
ou INC icGeptloh vi tllS answer Ine
guard was doubled around the State
House. Chosen sentinels were sta
toned along the road leading to the
capital, the military paraded the streets
from morning till night, and select
caucus held permanent session in the
City Hall. In short, everything be-
tokened coming contest.





One day, while matters were in this
precarious condition, the caucus Of the
City Hall was surprised by the sudden
appearance of a stranger whose mode of
entering was as extraordinary as his
looks and dress. He did not knock at
the closed door-he did not seek admis-
sion there at all; but climbing. unseen,
a small bushy topped live oak which
grew beside the wall, he leaped without
sound or warning, through lofty WIN
dow. He was clothed altogether in
buckskin, carried long and very heavy
rife in his hand, wore at the bottom of
his left suspeudfr huge bowie knife,
and had in his leathern belt a couple of
pistols half the length of his gun. He
was tall, straight as an arrow, active as
a panther in his actions, with dark COM
l.