WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1860
50
I.
Now, some one will have to be prosecuted for obtaining money under false pretenses, and as I am assured that Mr. Whitis is not obnoxious to the charge, I wish, by his affidavit, to fix the guilt upon the right party. I wish to know of him, upon oath, if Captain Ford did pur- chase such a horse of him, and if he did give him a requisition stating that it was for two mules, in payment thereof, and whether or not he, Mr. Whitis, knew that the requisition made specifica- tion for two mules instead of a horse, when he received it. You will please attend to this as soon as possible. Sam Houston. 1 Executive Records, 1859-1861, p. 154. Texas State Library. Edward Bailey has not been definitely identified. While biographical data have been gathered for ~ve Edward Baileys who lived in Texas in 1860, all of them had middle names or initials, and the data for none of them seems to describe this man to whom Houston wrote, for he evidently lived at Lock- hart, or environs. ~Charles W. Whitis was a native of New York, who came to Texas dur- ing the 1850's and settled at Lockhart. He later moved to Austin where he engaged in the cotton business. After the Civil War he bought out the interests of the Swenson Brothers, and engaged in a private banking busi- ness in partnership with James H. Raymond, until his death in 1877. His wife was born in Tennessee, but was reared and educated at Lockhart, Texas, where she met and married her husband. They had nine children. Mrs. Florence R. Whitis died in 1905 at the age of sixty-six. See Johnson- Barker, Texas and Texans, III, 1412.
To CLEMENT R. JoHNs 1 Executive Department, Austin, May 9, 1860.
General Houston's compliments to Major Johns with the re- quest that he will furnish the Executive Department a copy of the contingent account for the Executive Department for the years 1858 & 1859, as he does not know what items should be charged to that account and what has been customary heretofore. Sam Houston. By W. J. Pendleton, Private Secretary. lFinancial Papers, Texas State Library.
To AsHBEL SMITH 1
Austin, 10th M_ay, 1860. Dear Smith, Get some one to watch my timber until I can be down, about the 15th of June. See, or please send word to
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