Our Catholic Heritage in T ezas
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by the young republic and the success of Moses and Stephen Austin had brought a crowd of destitute pioneers, scattered from the Sabine to beyond Nacogdoches. By 1825, when Edwards obtained his grant, the population of the border district had reached approximately sixteen hundred. "Such a motley mixture of races, social classes, and good and bad characters has never since jostled elbows on the stage of American history except in the mining camps of California and Arizona--criminals of the old Neutral Ground, Spanish and French Creoles, rough American frontiersmen, substantial planters accustomed to a gentler environment, and fragments of a dozen Indian tribes in varying degrees of civiliza- tion."50 Such were the settlers already within the Edwards grant. Haden Edwards and his family arrived in Nacogdoches in September, 1825, full of hopes and plans. Anxious to clear all confusion respecting the rights of settlers within his grant, but with little tact and even less understanding of the provisions of his contract, he shortly afterwards posted a notice to the public as "empresario and military commandant" of East Texas. He called on every "individual, or family, or resident" within the limits of his jurisdiction to present himself immediately to him to produce proof of title or right to the lands occupied. Failure to comply at once would result in the sale of his lands to the first bidder "without distinction." The cost of validating legitimate titles was to be borne by the claimants. A second proclamation was issued on November 12, repeating the demand for presentation of proof of title and warning squatters that the law gave "no preference" to them. 51 The posting of these peremptory notices was the beginning of Edwards' troubles. Ordinarily, his assumption of the title of "military commandant" would have gone unheeded. But in the light of the arbitrary tone of his proclamation it could not fail being viewed with grave apprehension by Mexican officials, when it was later called to their attention. More important in arousing an immediate and deep resentment among the occupants of a good portion of his grant, however, was his demand for proof of title anq the threat of dispossession. Nacogdoches and its environs buzzed like an aroused beehive. Edwards' impatient demand is understandable. For three years he had spent time and money to obtain the grant. He wished to find out as quickly as possible who had legitimate title in order that he might begin to derive some profits from his venture. To the old settlers, however, many of whom had SO/bill., 171. SIAppendix to Empresario Contracts (Ms.), Vol. 3, pp. 130, 145, StaJe Lond Office.
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