262
TEXAS STATE LIBRARY
and in this condition had to lurke about in the woods 2 or 3 months almost freezing to death- Parmer was from the Irshe 43 Bayou; his company was 40 strong well mounted; he entered Nacogdoches at night; put the party to flight & Gaines made his escape as above stated. When Parmer was thus triumphant, he came to the house of Edwards and told him that he was his prisoner. Edwards submitted demandig upon what charge he was arrested. Parmer told him that Norris had recd. certain letters from the govt. charging Edwards with high crimes & demanding his confinemt- These letters, Norris had sent to the Irish 43 Bayou to be [ex J hibited to the citizens there; Parmer had got them there and now felt it to be his duty ,to arrest Edwards. He how- ever let his prisoner go on parole of honor. A court of enquiry was ~oon formed to investigate the matter, and on investigation it turned out that the letters were forgeries. Norris confessed that his clerk, Sepoulver, had forged the letters by his order & under his direction- The Court at once decreed that both Norris and Sepoulver should be hung- Edward however interposed in their behalf and had the pnn- ishmt commuted; he had cause afterward to regret it-They were sus- pended from office & made to take an oath never again to hold any office under govt. Alarm was now spread among the followers of Palmer by the report that they were all to be expelled from the country for their _proceedings against Nonis. Representations had been made to Govt. and it was said that all engaged were to be punished or banished. This created much excitemt. A man by the name of Hunter, an imposter from the Cherokees, had been on to l\Iexico to make a second effort to ac- complish what Fields & Bowles had failed in in their visit to that City, that is, to procure a grant for the Cherokees-He met with no better success than his predecessors.. Returning horn exasperated against the Govt. he was ready to seize on any & every opportunity to oppose it. Now he thought was a favorable time to aim a blow. He volunteered his aid to stand by Parmer and his men in defending themselves against any oppressive mandates. 'rhey had all resolved not to be expelled 44 the county [country?] without a fight. Hunter met with Edwards at Trish 45 Bayou and labored to enlist him in the cause, but Edwards replied that he could have nothing to do in such fueds, that situation required him to attend exclusively to the Colonizig his terri- tory-Thus , stood matters when Edwards reached N acog.doches with Hunter- Edwards had been on Louisiana to make anagmts with colonists &C-and was now on his return- On reachig Nacogdoches what was his surprize on receving a letter from the Gover. of Cohula & 'l'exas, announcing to him that his grant was annulled & taken from him-that he muf<t instantly depart the country-that his brother Benj. Edwards [who l had written defying letters to the Govt. must likewise leave-that the officers were imtrncted to enforce the decree and that if he had any bminess to arrage with the govt. it must be done after he should have left the Country- This letter thunderstruck the Empresario-he knew not the cause of it- He was in a peaceful
"Ayish. «The meaning would be clearer if the word "from" were inserl/.!d. 45 Ayish.
Powered by FlippingBook