173
WRITINGS OF SAl\I HOUSTON, 1842
To COLONEL JOHN H. MOORE 1 Executive Department, Washington, <;)ctober 6th, 1842. To Col. John H. Moore: Sir - You have doubtless seen the treaty lately concluded by Messrs. Durst/ Stroud,3 and Williams,4 with several of the Indian tribes upon our northern frontier. In the treaty there is an agreement that all the tribes bordering upon our territory shall meet commissioners from this government at the Waco Village on the Brazos, on the 24th of this month, for the purpose of entering into a general treaty with them all. It was agreed by both parties, that all prisoners heretofore taken from either should, at the time and place designated for the general treaty, be restored to their own people. To carry out this stipulation on our part it will be necessary that all the Indian prisoners amongst us should be sent up to the council to be held on the 24th instant. There are a good many prisoners in your part of the country, taken by yourself and others, in 1840, and 1841. I must ask the favor of you to interest your- self in the delivering of these prisoners to our commissioners, for the purpose of being returned to their people, in the event that the Indians comply with the agreeemnt on their part. Be so good as to have all the prisoners sent up to Mr. Stroud, between this time and the day designated for the treaty; as it is a matter of the last importance that we should be ready to fulfil the engagement on our part; and I have great confidence if we comply in good faith with our agreement, a general peace may be concluded with the tribes bordering upon our frontier, which will give permanent security to our border settlements and free them from all apprehension of the harrassing annoyance to which they have so long been subject; and enable us to direct all our atten- tion, concentrate all our energies, to operate upon our more formidable and implacable enemy beyond the Rio Grande. Thinking it probably out of your power to go with the prisoners yourself (owing to the present disturbances on the frontier) I have written to Major Chenoweth 5 to come down and take charge of them for that purpose. Please have them all collected by the time he gets there, as the time is growing short. I should have called upon you to act as one of the commissioners to .make the treaty, only that I had _learned that you contem- plated making a campaign over the Rio Grande; and I wish it to
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