PAPERS OF l\IIRABEAU BuONAP.\RTE LAMAR 547 day he was visited by the same party, who demanded of him why he had •fled the day previous. He denied having done it- he told them that he was not at home, tbat he was abs~nt at a neighbors after corn with which he had just returned; at the same time pointi[n]g to a small bag of grain sitting in the piaza. The Story wa believed. And who was it said the :Mexican if not yourself that fled? They were two spies replied Fields. We aw but one said the others. Fields insisted that there were two; that there were at the tin;ie many more in the swamp but only two came up to the House. This tale alarmed Pedraz; He concluded that the American force was close upon him. Bean was dispatched with a small party among which was an Indian to scour the swamp; whilst engaged in this there came up a tremendous shom lasting a few mintes only; which as soon as over, Bean discov- ered fresh horse tracks in a few steps of him. To be so near a foe of whom he was in search & yet-not see -him, being himself all the time observed & narrowly watched had rather a tendency in con- • junction with the shower to cool the ardor of the vali[e]nt Colonel The .'Indian proposed to follo,v the fresh tracts and overtake what they properly conceived to be american spies, but Bean feeling uneasy in h'is situation, immediatly left the swamp & returned to camp. His report satisfied Pedraz that the american forces were between him & Bradburn & that he could not advance with [out] encountering them or retreat without being persued. In this dilemna dreading persuit, not caring to persue he sent some of his officers with a flag of truce to the ame[ri]ca[n]s inviting them to a conference, with a view to an amicable adjustment of the difficulties. . Afte,:-wards when it was ascertained that two or three americau [s] only were in the swamp at the time ,Bean left it, the Indian reproached Bean openly before his face of cowardice, and Padraz had him under arrest. This created hostilities between them, so that when Pedraz was aftcr\vards beseiged at Nacogdoches, Bean refused to a sist him. The soldiers from Teran however marched to acogdoches. Bean joined the Americ[.a]ns and went to St Augustine to gather forces; he was taken sick and was not at the fight. [Endorsed] Information got from Fields
and a portion of it from B,elt- concerning Pedraz & Bradburn & Bean
I TO. 548 1837 Apr. 24, D. S. RICHARDSO TO E. H. BAXTER
Republic of Texas
April 24th 1837
county of San Augustine Dear Ellis
I met Genl Iirabeau Lamar this ev[e]ning on his way to Georgia cannot refrain (from] droping a line, Well I am in first rate • (This was told me by Fields himself when I tarried one night at his house about 18 April 1837)-[Note in docume.nt].
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