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TEXAS STATE LIBRAllY
(calaboose) by Bradbune, without even the charge of having com- mitted offences- persons were banished by military force from the Town; and whenever (which was frequently the case an injury was received by a citizen from a soldier; the soldier was protected and screened from punishment by the military power-w[r]its of habeus corpus were issued by the courts of Justice requiring citizens who were imprisoned to be delivered over to the civil authority-which writs as well as the officers of Justice were treated with contempt Such con- tinued to be the state of things till about the the [sic] first of April 1832 when, the arbitrary and despotic measures of Bradburne became too grevious and tyranical to be longer borne, and three young men, (W B Travis P C Jack and Monroe Edwards, were by the military ar- rested and thrown into prifmn- no charges were attempted to be brought against them till after they had been confined for more than four weeks; Bradburne had openly avowed his determination about this time to send them down to J\1atamoras for a trial upon the charge (which was now for the first time brought against them, of rebellion or treason against the Govt Their imprisonment was followed by the arrest and confinement 0£ .several other american citizens-till the in- dignation of that part of the province and a large portion of Austin's colony became so strong as to induce them to attempt the rescue of those in confinement-and accordingly about 300 Americans princi- pally from San£clipe Brasoria Harrisburgh and Liberty were organised under Francis W Johnson who took possession of Anahuac- (The fort in which the Mexicans were stationed excepted) about the first of June- on their march down to Anahuac four or five of the advance Guard 0£ the Americans captured 18 of the Mexican cavalry- The morning after this was done, an exchange of prisoners was proposed by the Americans and agreed to by Bradbu[r]ne, and propositions to cease hostilities were made and accepted- In pursuance of these stip- ulations the Mexican prisoners were given up upon the faith of Brad- burne and his officers that the next morning at sun rise the Americans in confinement in the fort should be discharged, but so soon as. the Americans trusting to the sacred character of a treaty had dispersed and started home Bradburne shamefully refused to comply with his stipulations- The Americans then retire[d] up to the neighbourhood of Liberty 30 miles above Anahuac, to await the return of capt John Austin who had been sent round to Brasoria for artillery to attack the Mexican fort with-while they were in this situation, Col Piedras from Nacogdoches was on his way with 300 men bound to the succour of Bradburne, but suffered himself to be entrapped by Johnson and when it was too late to remedy his misfortunes he found himself in a situation to be cut to pieces with the American rifles and was forced to negociate- the bases of this treaty were that the American prison- ers then in confinement under Bradbn[r]ne should be set, at liberty- that Bradburne should be arrested, and sent to Mexico for a trial, and that the military should never again interfere with the citizens for offences- It is due to Col Pieclras to observe, that upon his part he promptly and honourably complied with his engagements It is worthy of mention also, that while these young men were in confinement they were treated, with the most barbarous inhumanity....!...
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