PAPERS OF MIR.ABE.AU BUON.AP.ARTE LAM.AR 261 members fell out amongst themselves, and then commenced mutual recrimination; they branded each other as plunderers &C. They quar- relled it is said about the division of the spoils- As a specimen of their conduct the following circumstances will serve as illustrative of the condition of society &C- A man by the name of Norris, the brotherinlaw of Gains was Alcalde; he was ignorant & brutal and tho' an american, possessed all the vices peculiar to the mexican character- it was their policy to oppose the influence & introductin of american population. A trader brought some goods into the county to sell to the Indians & entrusted the business into the hands of his agent Mr. Basset 1'he Alcalde demanded 20$ to be paid to him for license to trade with the tribes; this was refused, as being against all law, he had no right to demand it-Basset went among the Indians, sold out his goods & on his return called upon the alcalde for some certain papers which had been intrusted to his caN. The Alcalde replied that the papers had been returned to his employers. This satisfied Basset who took his leave; but he had hardly left the house before he was followed and brought back by order, of the Alcalde; no charge of any kind was against him, yet this offic:er ordered him to be tied on a mule and carried across the Sabine & there to have his throat cut. The sentence with the exception of the latter part was executed. But no sooner was Basset released than he entered the territory again and went to his employers and told them the history of the affair. But this amounted to nothig- there was no remedy for such wrongs. These & such acts of outrage and oppression rendered Norris popular with the Govt. as he was odious to his own Countrymen- His term of servise was now exping, [expir- ing] and a new election was ordered for Alcalde--it was decided that the americans should vote; a man by the name of Chaplain was norris opponent & was elected- But in a map.ner peculiar to the Mexican way of conducting government a few of them, a squad, got together in secret concla Ye and re-elected Norris; they had decided among them- selves that american votes were illegal & consequently the election was void-& holding another, they elected Norris-sent on their procedings to Govt. & got a commission for him. This man was in office when Edwards arrived at Nacogdoches- Edwards had been there but a short time before the Regulators demanded to know of him whether he would sustain them in their mode of administering justice--Edwards replied, tha,t there were laws by which bad men were to be tried for their offences agaist society, and there were tribunals appointed to de- cide upon their guilt & punishmt-he could not do anything that was calculated to destroy this order of Govt.; But that if there were in the county any band of desperadoes who should stand in open defiance of the authorities of the County, he would cheerfully aid in subduing them by any means which their obstinacy & violence might render necessary to be employed- This answer did not satisfy them- They immediately saw in Edwards the frind of order and justice and his distruction became essential to their policy-accordingly they com- menced plotting against him, but before they could mature their plans, t~ey had rendered themsel-res so obnoxious & offensive to a large por- tion of the people that a company headed by Parmer rose up against them, and persecuted them so vigorously that their leader Gaines had to make his escape out of his own house thro' a winuow in his shirt tail,
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