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therein detailed. I also urgently requested to him a force of mounted men stationed at such points on the Rio Grande as will enable them to give adequate protection to the lives and property of our Citizens and allow them to prosecute their ordinary avoca- tions in security. I also wrote to Genl Smith requesting him, if there are any mounted men under his command, that can be spared from other service, to have a portion of them stationed in the vicinity of your town. The inquiry that the meeting asks to be made respecting the guilt or innocence of the Lipans properly belongs to the Judi- cial officers of the State, and this inquiry can only be instituted by them upon information under oath charging the commission of the officer and the person supposed to have committed it. I have no doubt that the Lipan Indians as well as any other residents of the State may be tried and punished by our Courts for robbery and murder, and if upon proper proceedings before our judicial, warrants should be issued for the arrest of any of them and the Civil power should prove insufficient for that pur- pose, I would most cheerfully call out the Militia to aid in their arrest. I have also written to Maj R S Neighbors who I believe is the agent for the Lipans advising him that their depredations have been charged upon that tribe and requesting him to en- deavor to ascertain the truth of the charges and to take meas- ures to have their excursions from their present location re- strained for the future. Very respectfully Your obt servt. EM PEASE [Endorsed:] Copy of Letter to E J Davis Laredo 24 March 1854 Re• corded No. 126 LETTER FROM H. W. MERRILL TO ROBERT S. NEIGHBORS Head Quarters Fort Belknap Texas March 30 '54 Maj. R. S. Neighbors Indian Agent Dear Sir, I hasten to inform you that Lieut. Tree returned yesterday from his 3rd Scout. I am most happy in informing you
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