Atascaceto District January 3d, 1830
Dear Sir, being at this time by the wish of my district appointed
to the discharge of the duties of Alcalde and being totaly destitute of
the laws of the Republic I have presumed knowing your zeal and
devotion to the interest and welfare of your adopted country to
intrude so far upon your patience as in this way to ask in behalf of
my fellow citizens what some of the prime duties and powers of the
Alcalde are but the principal object of this letter is to obtain of you
a sleight account of what course should be taken with such
individuals as are a constant annoyance to our settlement on account
of their habitual habit of stealing and other wrongs at this time
there are two men a certain Yocum, and Grosvenor who for the
basest of crimes to wit—The kidnapping of a whole family of
colored persons and attempting to sell them after they had murdered
the father as is supposed, were driven across the Sabine and their
houses were burned by Col. Manning of the USA Garrison, now
these same men are attempting to locate themselves in this district
and I have thus far presumed to trouble you with the hope that you
will have the goodness to give me in your answer such necessary
information as will afford us some clue to the method by which we
may rid ourselves of such persons as are so great a pest and annoyance
to our settlement.
Matthew G. White Alc[ade]
Poscript these men have a number of Negroes in the settlement
and I am not advised what I should do with them,
[Addressed:] Stephen F. Austin St, Phillippi