Nacodoches March 14 1828
Dier sir
yours of the 29th of Jany has been over looked in the post office
until this morning otherwise I should have immediately complied
with your request I do assure you I am at all times ready to check
when in my power any thing like perturbattion of the inhabitants
not only of your Colony but any other part of the Country my
sincere disire is that the Country prospers and any thing which would
have a contrary effect would be repugnant to my feelings
That Dayton has made an attempt to raise a party there is no
doubt though from the best information we can get on the subject
there has not more than eight or ten men been so base as to join
him—Dayton's respectability in your Colony is much more
extensive than in any part of this country and the general opinon is
that the only revenge he seeks is to practise villiany be it of
whatsoever nature or at whatsoever place that opportunity may serve a
few men have been provoked to connive at his attempt from the
treatment they have received in this country because that Dayton
declared he would commit outrages upon this country would bring
down the Indians upon them and other threats to that purport.
In December last there was a [daj] designated for the inhabitants
[to meet for the] purpose of swearing allegiance [to the State
Constitution?] Burril Thompson and Demi . . . ed and Burrel mani-
fested [some reluctance to] take the necessary oath and ... his hand
to assign his name a[nd] ... the day when Piedras who w[as
presiding?] . . . snatched the list from his [hand. Piedras ordered?]
him and Hase to march forthwith for the uni-?]ted States without
any charfges being made] against them? or any oportunity [given
them for any] kind of defence it is unnecessary to say to you that
such a course was productive of displeasure among the inhabitants
and until this day the cause of their banishment is unknown. The
Alcalde who accompanied Piedras for the purpose of cooperating in
his measures was applied to in order to ascertain the motives or the
crime of which those men were charged his reply was that he was
not consulted in the matter nor was the cause made known to him
and he himself disapproved of the course.
Piedras has persued an arbitrary course during his time here and
the civil authorities of the place have hitherto been no obstacle in
his progressions though the extreme weakness of the individuals
in whom those authorities are reposed serve in some measure as an
apology for his doing so provided he proceeded correctly himself.
For some imprudent conduct of the Coles and others to Elisha
Roberts and family which conduct amounted to nothing more than
hooping and howling as aparcel of blackguards frequently do and
killing a dog of Roberts's they were arrested by the Military put
in strings conducted to Nacogdoches commited to prison bail refused
without a trial for something like ten days when the trial
commenced by the Military and the prisoners asked [for] permission
to interogate the witnesses who replied in [a harsh and?] haughty
manner that he would proceed ... or custom of the country
and during their [trial] frequently was heard say that it seemed
[to him that] americans were accustomed to treat the [officers? with]
disrespect though he had brought [a guard with?] him and would
sustain him self that . . . had acted cowardly in consequence
of . . . was now in disrepute and many other . . . vincing
that he wished to awe or [intimidate the] inhabitants into obedience
. . . kind were productive of nothing good . . . Ahumado is
still venerated among us and he could effect more here with his
walking staff than Piedras with all his bayonets. It is to be regreted
that Piedras brought with him to this place prejudices against the
American inhabts which will be difficult to remove.
Another circumstance which produced considerable excitement
was two men engaged in a combat when an old gambler by the name
of ward interfered in order to make peace at which time a soldier
arrived with his bayonet in his hand and observing a pocket knife
in Wards hand and he engauged peremptorily ordered him to put
the knife in his pocket Ward did not understand only from his
manner which was menacing and did not obey the order until spoken by
an American who explained to him what the soldier had said Ward
immediately put the knife in his pocket though by this time the
combatants had retired the soldier proceeded to call a guard who
arrived Ward was pointed out by the insulted soldier to the guard
who without any thing like an inquiry proceeded to beat Ward with
their muskets in a beastly manner broke his arm in two places in that
situation conducted him to prison. Piedras observed he would make
a fit subject for sweeping the streets for the next six months and it
was with difficulty that he could be prevailed upon after being
informed of the circumstances to let Ward out of prison these
circumstances I witnessed myself and if Ward had been a respectable
m[an] . . . the excitement which prefvailed] . . . would have been
serious ... He is now punishing a citizen . . . ducting from this
place . . . giving him a certain num[ber] . . . making him carry
a chai[n] . . . man deserves punishmen[t] ... to do so the truth
of . . . There is nothing like money . . . inhabitants Piedras has
been borrowing on the faith of the Gov1 for some time past and his
paper is in circulation for the amount of several thousand dollars
still the inhabitants are satisfied that he has a quantity of money
on hand and are at a loss to know his motive for retaining it some
of us are rather suspicious of his principles and rather doubt his
attachment to the Govt though we may not be justifiable in so doing
it is a thing which we by no means make publick
I should be glad to hear from you relative to your trip to the
interior the probable success of our Ayish Byou petición when we
may hope for relief of those who are in suspence in this quarter
Thomas F McKinney [Rubric]
Col. S. F. Austin