Year: 1861




"Waseeea Citizen" over the sigma,
ture of Mary Crawford, in which
am accused Of being a principal In
the hanging other husband near this
place, about the 10th of July last


For various reasons wish to make
some statements in regard to that
affair, which | hope you will allow
TO be published in valuable and
and widely circulated Journal.


In the first place, communlea'
ton so circumstantial and specific
calling SO many names of citizens
resident here, aud SO much appar.
cnt candor in the writer is calculated
to greatly mislcad the people Of the
North, in regard to the moral and
social condition Of our community
Mrs. Crawford talks very flippantly
of men being shot down in Fort
Worth, and no notice being taken OF
it us if it had been an every day oc-
currencc, during herstay here; when
the truth is that not once during her
stay here did anything of the kind
ever occur. She says that We have
only two classes here socially, she
is right in henumber of classes, but
most egregiously mistaken in the
definition ofwho constitute them
We have white folks and black folks,
in our community, and we know no
other social distinction, only such
MS moral worth and intelligence may
confer, as TO there being any feeling
of inferiority felt by the poor de-
graded white folks she speaks Of it
is altogether news to us and most
utterly false, as social intimacy
among us is regulated by any or ev-
cry other consideration more than
mere wealth, as several ofyour own
citizens who have visited Texas and
Fort Worth, can testify.


] have one other reason for wish
ing to be heard, have many per-
sonal friends in the cities Of New
York, Chicago and elsewhere in the
free States, that | am not willing
should judge me by the standard of
Mrs. Crawford's statement; and l
wish to give statement ofthe facts
as they occurred as far as l know
personally, or can have them sub
stantiated by good and true men,
l will state what know of the mat
ter personally, beginning at the be-
ginning,


Ihad left Fort Worth with drove
of cattle for Chicago about April
14th 1860, and having business that
recalled me to Fort Worth, | re-
turned home about the 10th of July
and was at home about 20 days.
A few days afterI came home one Of
my negro boys whohad beer raised
by my father, came to me and told
me that nearly two months before, a
Mr.. Crawford had come to him and
negro boy in the field, and
had long talk with them and told
them how easy it would be for them
to make their escape to free State,
and offered to go with them; and
Crawford had named the subject to
him several times since. Now l
have reasons to believe that Craw-
ford came to this State for no other
purpose than to act as unde- ground
railroad agent, for some Abolition
society.


When he first came to this county
he very soon made the acquaintance
of Capt. Daggett, (my fatherin- law
instead of my son-inlaw as Mrs. O.,
has IT'D and myself, and we furnish
ed him with employment and cash
to buy provisions, as he said he was
out of means. He also
frequently consulted us about the
way he ought to conduct himself to-
wards negroes, as he said he was
altogether a stranger to Southern
customs. l advised him to have
nothing to do with negroes at all,
and especially not to trade with
them without a written permission
from their masters. But all his con-
duct in the matter, must have been
the rankest hypocracy, as is evil
denced by his attempts to run Off
my negroes as above stated.


When the negro named the sub
iect to me it was only a few days
after the burning of Dallas, a town
80 miles east of us, and | had heard
of the attempts to burn other towns
on the same day, and it was sus-
pected that it was by design that
all these fires occurred on the same
day, and about the same hour. ].
named the subject to some citizens
of Fort Worth, and told them Ihad
reasons to believe the negro spoke
the truth. This was about the 18th
of July. Some of the citizens re-
quested me to allow the boy to visit
Mr.. Crawford that night, that they
might verify the truth of his state,
ment. The boy went that night


but had no conversation with him
out of doors, until he was leaving


when he told the boy he must bring


him some corn or cotton or bacon


when he came back on Monday


night, SO the boy stated to me-


The negro told me when spoke to


him next morning, that Mr.. Craw


ford told him he was going to Dal


las, with a load Of goods for Mr.


Peak, and would bo back on Monday


night. On Monday night the 16tf


of July his house was watched, ant


the negro was seen to come to th'


house, Crawford met him at tn


door, and all that squabbling abou


the masters permission to sell th


bacon, as related by Mrs. c., is per


fectly apoohryphal as it was takel


possession of by Crawford, withou