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WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON~ 1858
of your Father, I have no doubt. I know that you had great trouble and was indefatigable in your attention to the business. I do regard it a w1·ong and a shame if the heirs refuse to pay your expenses. I know that serving you, as the daughter of my old fellow soldier, and bosom friend, caused me to use my utmost endeavors, to have the Pension obtained for the heirs. If Lawyers have advised the course on the part of those who are annoying you, I must think and say that they reflect as little honor, on the profession, as they evince a nice sense of Justice. I do hope that the heirs of my departed friend Genl. Nat Smith may extend to you fairness, and justice and thereby do credit to their Father's memory, who was an honest, just and noble man. If you are not allowed your expenses, I will always believe that you have suffered injustice, from those whom you have served, to an extent that no one, under other circumstances could have done. Mrs. Houston unites in affectionate regards to you, and, we will be happy to see you at our cabin. Sam Houston [Rubric]. Mrs. Mary Carr, Palestine. 1 The original letter, donated by Miss Kate Hunter, of Palestine, Texas, is in The University of Texas Library. EXTRACTS FROM A SPEECH AT HEMPSTEAD, AUGUST 17, 1858 1 [A correspondent of the Galveston News reports as follows con- cerning General Houston's speech at Hempstead, August 17, 1858.] He commenced by saying he felt it his duty to give some ac- count of his stewardship, and he then proceeded at once to speak of the service he had rendered to Texas, and this subject em- braced the chief part of his speech. He spoke at length of the advantages that Texas had derived from the $10,000,000 ob- tained by himself and General Rusk for the sale of our territory. He abused President Pierce--said he was a small man, very small-and that Pierce fainted on the battle field in Mexico, &c. He also came down on Marshall of the State Gazette-said that he had been kicked out of some house in Mississippi, which kick- ing had sent him to Texas, and he had thus been kicked into being the Autocrat of the Texas Democracy. He spoke of the Mexican protectorate which he had advocated -regretted the defeat of his bill-said that if he were a younger
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