WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1853
450
1834. On November 4, 1845, he was appointed one of the commissioners to settle the disputed northern boundary of Florida. His wife died of yellow fever, July 14, 1841, at St. Joseph and in May, 1843, he moved his residence t.o San Augustine, Florida, but in 1848, he followed his sons who had long been citizens of Texas. At the time of Governor Duval's death, which occurred at Washington, D.C., he was a resident of Texas. He is buried in the Con- gressional Cemetery at Washington. Two of his sons were members of Colonel J. W. Fannin's ill-fated army, at Goliad in the spring of 1836. Captain Burr H. Duval, one of these young men, was one of the unfortunate victim's of the massacre of Fannin's men; his brother, John C. Duval, escaped. Another brother, Thomas H. Duval, settled at Austin in 1839. When the Western Judicial District was formed in 1857, he was appointed United States District Judge. See Washington Irving's, Ralph Ringwood; Thrall, A Picto1-ial History of Texas, 531; Z. T. Fulmore, The Geography and Histo1·y of Texa.s as Told in County Names, 144; Biographical Dfrectory of the Ame1·ican Congress (1928); Dictiona1·y of American Biography, V, 357-358. TO WASHINGTON D. MILLER 1 Huntsville, 30th June 1853 My Dear Miller,2 Your favor came safe to hand, and I need not say I thank you for it. I was amused at your great caution and your notions about the auxiliary for us, which you wished me to have should I go to Austin. No risk, no Merit! Well, I may, if spared, be at Austin in the fall, and hope Rusk, will be with me. I want you, my friend, to have suit brought against my friend Col. Ward.. You can select any Lawyer who you deem best, and get him first to propose to settle the matteir with the Colon~l under your supervision, and if the Colonel does not do it, forth- with, sue him. He assured me in the presence of Genl Rusk in Washington, in the Generals Room that he would pay me if it was not done. Now let him pay the principle and Interest, on the money since he had the use of it. When he is prefered to a situation worth $20,000 per annum, he ought to pay small debts! Be kind but energetic in the affair. Let the Gillispie fee go! It is all well ! Now, my Dear Miller, it was the intention of the Delegation to do all they could for you & Peter W. Gray,3 tho. he was not an applicant for anything. Well, the first thing we knew was Genl. R. B. Campbell· 1 to an appointment, for which he was not' an applicant, as he assured Rusk & myself, and without, our knowledge he was sent to the Senate.-Nay we had not even a suspicion of the fact, and he assured us he had not. Well, this was set down to Texas, and She as Mr. Hunter of Va. 5 said "had a good share of spoils." In the meantime, I discovered,
;
"
j
i.
I I I I I I
! I : I I
Powered by FlippingBook