The Writings of Sam Houston, Volume VIII

171

WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1860

TO JACK WATERHOUSE 1

Executive Department, Austin, October 13, 1860.

Mr. Jack Waterhouse, Esq., Dea1: Sir: Your letter of the 5th in relation to your pay for ranging service, has just reached me. Replying I would say that I can give you no definite answer, as the Comptroller, up to this time, presists in violating the law, positively refusing to issue his warrants upon the Pay Masters' certificates. So soon as the Comptroller determines to comply with the law authorizing the issuance of ten per cent warrants, I presume the public will be notified of the same. Sam Houston.

1 Exee1,tive Rec.orcls, 1859-1861, pp. 237-238, Texas State Library.

TO WASHINGTON HA¥METT 1 Executive Department, Austin, October 16, 1860.

Lieutenant Washington Hammett Sir: Immediately upon receipt of these orders, you will pro- ceed to Belknap and deliver into the hands of the officers to whom they are addressed the accompanying dispatches. Should the animals of Colonel Johnson's command not be dis- posed of as indicated in my orders of September 12th, you will take charge of them and bring them to this place without delay. You will report to this Department with promptness and dis- patch so soon as you have executed this order. Sam Houston. • 1 Executive Records, 1859-1861, p. 238, Texas State Library. Little bio- graphical materials have been found concerning Washington Hammett. He lived at Austin in 1861, and on May 6, of that year organized the Capital Guards. He was elected captain; Cal. Bonner and M. C. Bonner, first and second lieutenants respectively, 0. S. Oldham, third lieutenant, and there were about eighty privates (see Frank Brown, "Annals of Travis County and of the City of Austin," Chapter XXI, p. 42). Frank Brown, ll>id., Chap- ter XXXIV, 18, tells that in 1875, Washington Hammett, at great expense, constructed a good crossing on the Pedernales River a short distance above Hamilton creek, a work that added materially to the trade at Austin.

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