Bravo 12th day of June 1826
Dear Sir
I am sorry to say to you that I have been disappointed in Sims
more than any man I have yet met with you know that he has
allways professed a great deal of Friendship for me and I have
been vary friendly to him about the time that you left here I
discovered a change in him but could not tell the cause but at length
believed the change in him to be in consiquence of the certainty of
an Indian war this I have at length good Reasons for he at once
determined to move below and wished It Kept a secret from me
and I never heard of his Intention to Remove untill 2 days before
the army arrived at this place and then I found that he had been
making preparations and that It was his Intentions to have moved
about the time the men came on But he thought by not going out
probably he wood show himself too plain—and his move was deferd
I then asked him If he was determined on going below he informed
me he was But that he wood not Leave here untill the Indian
difficulty was over. I saw in him the coward from the commencement
you may Rely on It he can not stand Indian fighting If you think
so you are decieved he does more harm here and made more
confusion among the people than he can attone for. Every act of
his here from the commencement evinced a cowardly disposition
and he has now made a precipitate Retreat from as he thinks danger
his whole conduct here since the commencement of this business as
an officer has been Ridiculous. I am completely deceived in Sims
in Every shape about the time he left here he stated to Mr. Hope
that he was very much displeased with me and that I owed him
Eight Hundred dollars and that he Intended to hand me my acct
and as soon as he arrived below at your place he wood sue me he
has now left here without handing me any acct. Sims Bot of me
Two Labours of Land which I allways considered paid him for
surveying my Land this is well known he took possession of the
Land surveyed It himself and has Improved on It I charge him
with It. and he must take it and pay for It. I have charged It at
the price we agreed on as you will discover from the Inclosed act.
I have witness Enough to prove all this there is fiftysix dollars and
seventy five cents which I paid Edwards and Brown for him
seventy dollars I agreed to pay you on Curtises Note Thompsons
and Millers notes I agreed to pay you for him which you will dis-
cover is charged in my act. against Sims I wish you to credit Ola
curtis' Note with $70. and I pay the above Note of $247.50 which
you will also charge me with this was an understanding amongst
us all in consiquence of the Trade I made with Brook. I doo not
know what Sims act. is But have some Reasons to believe I should
object to some part of It and I wood further state to you that Sims
conduct toward's. me Recently authorises me to say that he is
unworthy of confidence or the Friendship of any decent man and these
things I mention to you that you may be on your guard If you doo
not you will be deceived My object in sending you the Inclosed
act—is to show how he wishes to treat me and to Rebut his
Yours Sincerely
Jno P Coles [Rubric]
P S. My compliments to your Brother—as Regards the affair of
young Woods I can say to you that they did apply to me to many
them and I Refused to doo so and they are not married at all
J. P COLES
I must say further of Sims he has be lied and slanderd almost
Every man and woman in this part of the country It was well for
him he got off from here when he did the whole settlement is at outs
with him and as I now find he has for a Length of time been Trying
to Injure me with the people in this district by saying that I was
Loosing Ground vary fast he wood state to the people below that
all the people above was damning me he wood state to those above
that all the people below was cursing me and this he wood doo slyly
and has been at this for some time and at the same time making
unfriendly Remarks himself the thing is now Explained to me what
doo you think of such conduct It is more than I once thought Sims
caple. off I am now acquainted with him he left here without Ever
hinting a settlement to me but stated to the people about here that
I owen him and he Intended to sue me.
Jno P Coles [Rubric]
[Addressed:] Col. S. F. Austin Sanfilepe de Austin