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TEXAS STATE LIBRARY •
No. 1447 1839 Sept. 13, J. BROWNE, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, TO A. S. JOHNSTON, [HOUSTON, TEXASJ 73
San Antonio Sept 13th /39 Post Bexar
To the Hon
A Sidney Johnston Secy of War Sir
I have been requested by a number of citizens of Carlo's [sic] Rancho Goliad and San Antonio to make a report of their condition to the Government I now comply with their request because I conceive it to be my duty under the circumstances When I arrived in Victoria I found it filled with a set of men who have given themselves the title of a band of Brothers I soon found that what they said was Law they are all in the cow stealing business and are scattered all over this frontier they pretend to say that they only steal from the enemy but I am convinced to the con- trary that they steal from the Texians as well as Mexicans, I think it well to mention the names of some of the promonent [sic] persons en- gaged in order that the Government may be better acquainted with the character of some of its officers; Mr Hughes the Custom House Officer for Copono· headed a party not long since and drove in four hundred head of cattle a 1\Ir. Price formerly a Lieut in the Army also heads a party Mr. Van Ness says he thinks Judge Allen at Carlos Rancho is silently connected with them I have been told that they drove off from Carlos Rancho a Caballarda belonging to Alderetta and Seguin that the owners know well where their property is but dare not proceed to recover it also that the cow stealers when on the New Aces [Nueces] the other day (some of them badly mounted) took from a party of Mexican traders all their property and killed eight - of them- While I was in Goliad one of the Gang asked me in a com- manding way if I belonged to Ross' company or if I was a commis- sioner sent to enquire into the state of the frontier, to this I said that I did not belong to Ross nor was I a commissioner but that I was on my way to San Antonio at the same time acquainting myself with the frontier and then report to the Government he then said that he was one of the band of Brothers and wished me to understand that they could defend themselves against any force the Government could send to oppose them to this I said I would acquaint the Government of their indipendence and save him the trouble of setting the Nation at defiance publicly- The Government can have no idea of the deplorable condition of the citizens on the San Antonio River the consta_nt dred of being murdered obliges them to receive the Rober as a friend they dare not say a word in their defence- while I was in Goliad about twenty of this band assembled in front of a public house and declared that in
"L. S.
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