The Papers of Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, Volume IV, part 1

246

PAPERS OF MDU.BEAU BUONAP.ARTE LAMAR

to be enquired into, which proved almost the ruin of the flourishing village of CapianiasJ out of which 80 good robbers & true were ta.ken, all of whom by a decree of the Govr. were banished, from the town, but very few left the state, Among the unfortunate exiles was found the hero of my story, he had recd. a wound in the fight & this betrayed him, He went to Monclova in the same State, & settled, and after conducting himself in an orderly manner he got an appointment in the post office department which he filled no doubt with honor, It is a singular fact and worthy of notice that very few ro\)bers in Mexico, & those of the lowest class of their fraturnity will [not] commit an act of theft or Robberv out of his own district - The next time I heard of my friend & hero was on my way to Mexico, Latona was dead & he was again permitted to return to hiR native city, He was dressed rather splendidly than otherwise, & was figuring in the first society - He recognized me on sight, was glad to see me invited me to his house & showed me every mark of attention, When he understood that we were going to Mexico, he said that he was glad. that he had learned the fact for that he could be of some service to 11s - He sat down & wrote out a way bill from Saltillo to Mexico a distance of upwards of 700 miles, giving us a particular discription of the road, and the places we should stop at saying - at such a place you will be safe & yr. horses attended, at another you must keep guard, and another avoid if possible &c &c, &c- all of which we found to be perfectly correct, . I have not heard from Floris since but hope he is now an hon• est man - & may live long to enjoy tl\e fruits of honesty No. 2439 [184-f, M. B. LAMAR, RICHMOND? TEXAS] "INDIAN DIF- FICULTIES FROM COL. PETTUS"' 5

Indian difficulties From Ool. Pettus.

In 1822 - The coast was inhabited by two small tribes of Indians- the Cokes and the Carankaways - the Cokes ragened [sic] from Gal- veston to Matagorda to Matamoras - They were quiet, for 8 or 10 months, loirted about where vessels landed and there learnt the use of ardent spirits, which they had hithereto never known - also they saw flour & bacon for the time - During the summer of 1822 many emigrants landed at the mouth of the Colorado - they suffered much sickness, which made them ascend the Colorado to the rolling country, in the neighborhood of Columbus - leaving their provisions at the mouth of the river, un- der the charge of four young men, to wit the son of old Mr. Clopper & 3 others from above in December, they found no traces of the boats, young men, or stores all had disappeared; and no doubt was enter- tand that it was the work of the Indians - No white inhabitant lived

41 A. Df.

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