The Papers of Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, Volume III

288

TEXAS STATE LIBRA.RY

propensity for exclusive appropriation I followed the family to Texas and in September of 1832 was duly made a Catholic = and with all due formalities was made a useful member of society = nor have I as yet thought that I erred in so doing unless it be from the conscious- ness that I have a helpmate worthy of a far better man than I now am or am likely to be= But this is running a little ahead of the story aimed at in these notes which is to give a man as practicable a concise correct and impartial accou[n J t of the acts and doings first and last of my humble self in the heretofore and now existing difficulties be- tween the Mexican Govt. and the People of .Texas and in so doing I shall of necessity be obliged to mention others and their acts in their respective stations == nought however will I set down in malice nor . will I knowingly subtract from the sins or virtues of my contemporary actors in the Political Tragedy I crossed the Sabin river on the 14th. day of January 1832 and Temporarily Located myself in the Dist. of Ayish about thirty miles East of Nacogdoches at the house of Benjn. Lindsay then alcalde of said Dist. = It was in this year that the struggle betwen the Presi- dent Bustamente advocating centralism on the Plan of Xalapa and San Anna 100 advocating the Constitution of 1824 took place and the shock of civil war reached even to Texas = at that time weak in num- bers and weaker from want of Union or confidence in themselves = The Country was at that time divided into Austins ola Colony 1100 families filled De Witts 200 filled De Leons filled 150 families Austin & Williams 100 families not filled Powers 200 families ½ filled= The other Colonies were then known only in name =· East of Trinity on the red lands on both sides of the Old Kings highway or St. Antonio road had on it about 500 'families of American Origin and on the Sea board were about 200 families = In the same extent of Country were about 300 Mexican families = West of the Colorado & in the limits of Texas proper were at St. Antonio 500 families Vic- toria 100 Labahia 100 and on the La bacca 1 Guadaloupe St. Antonio, Mission and Nueces river was 200 families most all of Mexican origin, so that the numbe_rs were not very far from equal between the Col- onists and Mexicans in Texas at the time of this civil war The regular Troops of the Mexican Govt. were all of course Bus- tamente men and of them were quartered in Texas at St. Antonio 200 men at Tenxticlan 2 50 at Velasco 100 at Anahuac 250 at Teran 70 and at Nacogdoches 350 Troops = This was the situation and dis- position of the Central Troops in :i\Iay of that year and they had sys- tematically commenced accustoming the People of Texas to military rule by keeping order in society with the Bayonet and Calaboose and maintaing order and regularity at Elections by the same means & when expedient and necessary they would secure the Election of good Civil Officers by the requisite number of military votes = This course of proceeding had it is true maintained peace in society saving and excepting a few broken soldiers heads and universal discontent both among the citizen Mexicans and Americans = In this state of Public

100 Santa Anna. Spelled Sari Anna throughout the document. 1 Lavaca. 2 Tenochtitlan.

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