749
THE AUSTIN PAPERS.
RANDALL JONES TO AUSTIN
Fort Settlement
5th March 1824
CoL STEPHEN F. AUSTIN Sm I received your note including the copy of an account of Mrs. Jane H. Long widow of Gen 1 • James Long and having a tolerable long story to communicate have thought proper to do it in this way that you might think over it at your lesiure I became acquainted with the relations of Mrs. Long in the year 1820 near Ale[x]andria Louisiana and in the fall of that year I traveled with her to her husband then in Nacogdoches I received the thanks of Gen 1 Long for my attention to his Lady on the road. On my return from the trip in exploring the Coleraclo I unclerstoo~l that Long had gone on to Labahia and had left his wife at Galveston without provision or friends to suffer. Some time in the month of May Mrs Long arrived near the mouth of the river Hyacinth and was living with a family by the name of Smith the old man was taken in a short timo with the fever and died. Mrs. Long about that time had a difference with some of the female pa1t of the family and left the house and hired a negro to build her a palmetto camp where she was exposed to the sun ttnd rain and without ·any provision except a small quantity of milk and some times a little venison. I calld on her and she very franldy told me her situation stated that she had written to her friends but had received no answers that she and her family must certainly suffer that she had no provission but a very scanty supply that she drew from the family she livd near. I told her that if she would move up to the Tuscoseto crossing of the rirnr I would do every thing in my power to prevent her and family from suffering to which she agreed. About the same time I purchas'1 goods from her to the amount of fifty Dolla.rs not to be paid in money but a horse. Before I movd her I built her a vary comfortable cabin I then went down can·iecl a negro with me and hired two others and movd her up to the house I had built for her some time previous I had purchased some corn meal pork, and salt my Brother and myself hunted and found her and family in plenty of ment I movd her up early in the month of July. During the time she was there she wishd very much to f!O on to St. Antonin I persun.ided her to go first to her :friends and then if she found it necessary she could be better prepard to go on to the Spanish country. About t.he middle of August a negro a·rrivd from Alexandria with n horse and mule for her service he also brought letters leaving it entirely with herself whether she should return to her friends or go on to sec the
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