The San Antonio Ledger. (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 11, 1851 Page: 2 of 4
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the LED! ^ XT' "O ' CAPT. S. G. FRENCH AND HIS j train, fully sustaining the statements con-
- — * j TRAIX jtained iu the original communication.—
0jpr "K L0'!nsZ«frT%n™riy °rposUe lh£ j In oar paper of the date of August -28th From this it appears that no injustice has
--^n —. J we published a communication over the , °cen clone to Capt. French, and that mo >6
SAN ANTONIO, ¡signatures of fifteen persons connected might have been said without any reason
TfirRtSDW SPPTPAIRPli 11 icri with the Government train under the com- j °f complaint upon his part.
' ' J j maud of Capt, S. G. French, which has | Capt, French asserts that his brother
j John C. French was not the beef contrac-
The communication not being an anon- that Messrs. Lewis & Groesbeeck
ymous one, but signed by some of the men j were the persons who received the contract,
agrieved by the conduct of this officer, and It may be true that these gentlemen were
containing as we beiieved then, and still j the ostensible contraetors/ and that Mr.
iff u.uch that is said concern- recently returned from El Paso.
n:g the conduct of Mr. Owen, the Amer-
h an Consul at Havana, in connection with
t.ie late rua: acre, it is stated that he was
*. faíed by the £jranisb authorities any in-
fer
lation on ti.n «ubjeoi and denied all ^s^ove? matter proper for public informa- j John C. r rene. received alt tne benefits
intercourse with tie prisoners Did thc ! did not hesitate to publish it. If, of the contract. He was regarded by almost
Consul have such right ? If so was not' l^e c^arSe3 contained in the communica-; every one connected with the traínas be-
ti.e suj j.r sion of t! ¡t r!"ht a' violation fc*on°fpersons were true, the guilty j ing the real party in interest, and his acts
of our amicable relations with Soain ? part'es certainly merited public censure, appeared entirely inconsistent with those
1 and a dismissal from the service. We j of a mere agent. Capt. French ought to
iX/* A l;ííer in the Mobile Advertiser, • stated, however, in an editorial in the same ; have knowledge enough of these matters
fi oía X• \ orle, states that the Germans ; number of our paper that we knew noth-1 to be aware of the fact, that if Messrs.
'< «.lie latter place are forming associations. ing ourself of the truth of the statements ; Lewis & Groesbeeck were but nominal
Fr<v;¡Iv í.vr Gymnastic exercises; but j contained in the communication,but con-j contractors, that Mr. John C. French is
iroru the ten-r and k: irit of their speeches ' sidercd it our duty to publish it. This! not the first man who has shielded himself
«l'j.iv r. I at one of their meetings, it is ' left the question where it properly belong- j behind a power of attorney to secure the
apparent they have a higher object in view; ed, between Capt. French and the men j advantages of a Government contract.
that n;, to iiwal.cn their countrymen to .who preferred these charges against hiiu ¡ The annexed affidavits answer the bal-
the fiahjoct of liberty and self-government j over their own signatures. ■ ance of the Captains communication, and
and to co • norato with them in any step j But it appears that because w? exercis-1 prove the remainder of the charges alleged:
tending t<> secure their perfect political cd, what we iu our ignorance, supposed | I was a teamster in the Government
IpOepcnJenee. Í. „i spoed them ! j was our privilege, of determining what was 'train 011 its last trip to and from El Paso.
| propor matter for our colnm °we hayo j till on the return about two hundred and
'! twenty miles from San Antonio, where I
^ iCj* On li :i ¿a t tup from Indianola to , therefore, roused the ire and
New Orleans, the ; roil .f il.:. _ L.. r.__x . r t
, After rcri¡:ü!iinn:g on the wreck ture upon our duty as public journalists. ! Antonio. With my discharge my rat
nt twelve hour/-, th o ¡licor*. pa?sen- This interesting document will be found i were stoPPed i 1 applied to buy somet
resentment
i f , , i was discharged. I was without money or
tf.a «¡1 • r - , , " *" ° ' i0i tais worthy Captain, who has conde-1 provisions ; I applied for pay for my serv-
npontue Ship l,.,v.u.t .. ., .a, * and was total- scended to read us a very interesting lee-1 ices, but was not paid until I reached San
ly lost, 4 ' " • ' * 1 1 • 1
for abo
iitions
something
gers and crew were roffe
co, and taken to New Or
1 ' ¡ in another column. We feel extremely
; to eat, and was refused. During my serv-
rns.
H3* The editor of the Texian Advocate, , . . . . ,
has received a later from lion. Chas. ^ we desire A/i instructions in the perform
M.
ug. I St I
na-rs h
fact. The Ca
Creaner, date<l Havana. I
states that eighteen Tri:
*hot after the cruel ma
We will not be sur
sort o' inliumanity or barbarity since the Í , ...
cold U^.lcl muplor of ¡lio IGtli. The ¡ mcu['or- tl,6,r ond Ins om
¡ . , . ice. two rations of pork were issued to eight
! ooiiged to tae Captain for his suggestions,; of beef. I weighed a ration of pork on
but beg leave humbly to remark, that when j one occasion and it did not hold out; at
another time I weighed a ration of beef
and it likewise failed to reached the stan-
use language recognized by gentlemen, we ' IU'xaways.— JVe understand that a
| will peraaps notice him. We inform the ; ^argc camp of runaway negroes, on Morris
'.public however, that the assertion made ¡ ^£^an(^? numbering some twenty or thirty
! by that individual, that we were in posses-! ™'&ocs> I"any of ^ave been out
' «inn nf ít.o ; r f* il i- j for several years, was two or three days
sum of the information mentioned by him s¡„Ce suprisetf, and five of the partv cap-
J oetore tne publication of the communica-j tured ; two of them afterwards made their
¡ ^on alluded to, is false in every particular: j escape, the others were brought to the city
! and if this friend he speaks of made such a.nd lodg®d in tlie Work-house. We un-
an assertion, he deceived Mr. John C ™r$.ta"<1h #i«eD irt the habit
1 r , , . . __ . of visiting the city two or three times a
j • ren^rt. ^ v e aamit that Mr- R. A. Colby ; week, for the purpose of making purchases.
| informed us taat the communication we ¡ Liberal rewards have been offered for the
i published did not contain a word of truth 1 ar'"est °f most of the party, which we hope
I but as he informed us at the sametime'l^51 Phtan enf «fthis nest of
thr.4. ^,,*1 x- n ■ i va^;rants in our vicinity.— Charleston (S.
tuat he was the acting Commissary, we i Standard
| concluded that the assertion was rather ;
\ broad I Tiie Sunken Frigate Hussar.
I Some eighty years since, this frigate in
, , , J passing through Hurl Gate, laden with
ílJT Crittenden, v.* no was recently shot ? J? . C\- ..v.-
' - | supplies for tne troops of his most obstin-
j at Havana, was the nephew of J. J. Crit-| ate Majesty George XIL, struck upon the
j tenden, U. S. Attorne}*. He was a volun-' dangerous roek,known as the Pot,springing-
unteer aid on the staff of Gen Taylor at' so a leak as to make it necessary im-
i Buena Vista; ws one of the messengers! «h®re' "J"0'1
I , . c A , . attempted at Stony Point, and a cable
j sent to Santa Anna, and uttered, in the j raade fast to a iarge tree for the purple
| face of the Mexican Chief, on the eve of of warping her in. Such, however, was
| the battle, that - General Taylor never ! rapidity with which she was filled that
surrenders." " j before the arrangements were completed,
| she sunk in deep water, and a large num-
ttt . ,, . • m ' ber of her crew (including seveu ironed
\\ eobserve that the eccentric Tom : • s -,v ,
. , . ; prisoners) were drowned. .Lt was suppos-
.^arshall^ on being e.ected to the Legisla- poi;ed that a large sum in gold was in her
ture of Kentucky in the late exciting can- j hold, besides immense quantities.of arms
vass in that State, publicly renounced his ! ap-d other munitions of war. Several un-
allegiance to democratic principles, and | su('ccssful attempts have been made, by
. . ,i i • ty , ,, ' meansof diving bells and other machinery
returns to the wings. He is probably j . • , \xr i i ^ <
. ° l\ •' to raise her. We learn by tne >v estcnes-
satibfied with ooeymg halt the scriptural | ter Gazette, that Messrs. ílowe and Pratt.
injunction £:try all things." j who, in company with others, have been
j for some time engaged in clearihg away
The subscribers to the San Anton- i the rubbish by which the wreck has incuin-
io Heading Room are requested to meet bered. aro now iu a fair way to realize the
ance our duties, we will notify him of the
j I ^aptam seems to think, so far
,, ' , as we can infer from his whole article, that
■.3aercof the fifty. . . L r ;
, t lie is exempt iroin the censure of discharc;-
rprioc.t to hear of any! , , t , , , . ,
, , ed teamsters as he takes particular pains
rules
of civilized warfare, receives little
ice from a nation having a scared con-
:uce, v. henever it has the power to dis-
y its adherence to savage instincts.
' A direct line of steam communi- Government to wear a sword or an epau-
's i' >')ut to be established between lettc, but teamsters are generally regard-
dard, both by a material difference. I do
not pretend to say whether the scales were
right or wrong On our return the beef
was generally absolutely unfit for use.
M. C. INGRAM.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this
| 6th day of September, 1851.
JOHN WHEELER, j. p. b. c.
I was during the months of May, June
standing; and then sneeringly adverts to
! them afterwards as "American Freemen "
j [t may be true that they have not been , , , , , , ^
* T • l i , ■ ! and July,last, a teamster m the Govern-
| educated at W est Point, and are not enti-1 ment tr¿'n re00ntIy frora E, Pas0: under
tied bv a Commission from the Federal the conduct of Capt. S. G. French. I nev-
er received pay for said service until this
day. I was discharged on the 2d August.
but was never told the reason. When I
called for my pay. Capt. French replied
that he would send for me when he got
ready to pay me. I was then about one
hundred and ninety miles from San An-
tonio. My rations were stopped and I
was left without money or means of sub
sistence. Upon a settlement, instead of
deducting one dollar per month which was
levied to pay the physician's wages, four
dollars were deducted for the three months.
0 r ; ... While I was retained in the service, there
i1''' 1 •"'t tliC :3ealetl rate at wIli< !l thc hold-: attempt to show that he has no reason to weve two rations of pork issued to' eight
1 their certificate:^, and surrcn- ne ♦!,.. i oí" beef, and a portion of the time the beef
v V
i'hat i
■ rrn I
city and i.'alway, Ireland.— , ed as men, and so far as we know, their
it that American steam canotper- ! statements are entitled to as much credit
I as those of Capt. S. G. French. It was
The i'ubiic jíci>t I no^ our intention to have taken any part
rr! . n .... i • i in the controversy between Capt, French
^ im tunc allowed by law tor the credi- J 1
i r.{'t !■ .!.,(« t, i,m: '-i ii • • and his men, no further than by giving
i .. or tue lare ivepubliu to ule their evi-: 7 J ° °
r i ■ , , , both the use of our columns; but as Capt.
eir"rf" or' lhe f"'st . French has assailed us unjustifiably for
«' optember inst. Vv c learn from thc
Stat • Gnz.'tte that the amount, of the debt
unjustifiably
(taring to publish a communication re-
ficctiuir upon his public conduct, we shall
at the new house of Mr. Fisher on Main
street, on Saturday evening at half past
7 o'clock, to hear the reports of the com-
mittees appointed at the last meeting.
Steamboat Burnt—Loss of Ufe.
The old steamboat Torjan, which
ran between New York and Coney
Island, was burnt to the water's edge,
on the morning of the 17th, instant,
while lying at the footofVesey street,
New York. Three of the hands em-
ployed on board of the boat, named
Patrick Dnggan, William Fuller, and
Anthony McNnltv, were unable to
make their escape, and were burned
to death. Another man, name un-
known, and who was only a short
time employed on the vessel, is missing
and it is feared that he was either
burned or drowned in endeavoring to
make his escape
:1V
"V
had done s > the debt would not have
amounted to the former estimate of seven
¡ complain of that communication, and that ¡ „T. . , , - r.
1 ' I was absolutely unfit for use.
W. L. BREWER.
I tially correct. Mr. Lata, it appears, af Sworn to and subscribed before me this
| ter thc publication of this communication j day of September, 1851.
j in the Ledger, expressed his own opinion j JOHN TV HEELER j. p. b. c.
j thai, thc statements it contained were sub-1 The Captain after his attempt at ex-
u. t 01 igm.d < .j.m.i i less than j {jic statements contained in it aro substan-
i: rniluon- of dollars. Dawson and sev-
eral others declined filing their claims un-
der th¡? provisions of the 1 aw. If the
electt
stantially true. Mr. Lata accompanied
; the train as a waggon-master, aud has been
nrnc i of thc opinion, of the members ¡ in the employ of Ithe Government in that
o :;:.í!Íi!¿ Legislature, t.;:U the j capaeity ior a. lonar time. He is universal-
S.-.U rate will be rigidly adhered to. It; ,y regarded by all who know him ás an
* w - -'"yaúopícd upon principles of | b0noral>le and correct man: and has been
e a;; l has bccome the settled policy j rogan,ei, by tbe Goycrnmcnt authorities
' ; j' t!,i.so S™'-kmen who ! UorC) as onoof thc most efficient, reliable
Li..' i i ta.-Oil to file thtir claims still persist
in that
,lrv |)c
the ret
by the
t*'. .
JL lie
aceurnt
t-ic eir.
determination, so be it. The Treas-
partr.ient have already decided that
and competent men attached to the Quar-
ter master's Department.
We are authorized by Mr. Lata to say.
k I :i\e millions can only be paid tkat the communication complained of by
Capt. French, is "substantially true."-
cor ?en t of Texas.
rc- will bo that interest will he : That in his opinion, water sufficient could
.¡r.ncmtavor of the State, while hav0 bcen obtained at Eagle Spring for
■, - f these creditors may be treat-, ,ho m 0f the whole train-tbat helases
erred ovine terms of the law re- ¡ tUis op¡n¡on „pon (he f ^ Sm¡tb,8
lucin to h lined at the Comptroll ; train that fo„owod som after Ule „
live millions already at
ft s . ¡ce. l he
t!:e uispv.>al of the State will bo more
thin cuu.cicnt to pay o if at once those
ci\-..::crs v. ;.o have surrendered their lia-
bilities. and the creditors who have refused
to recede to this plan will soon be convin-
eed that it iif their best and only policy
to cor
uovern-
ment train, by cleaning out the Spring,
obtained a sufficiency for their use, and
that upon thc return of the Government
train they found a sufficiency of water at
Eagle Springs for the whole, in conse-
quence of its having been properly clean-
ed out by Smith's party.
plaining these charges, says they are pos-
itively rather ludierous than otherwise,"
and again asserts that he does not regard
the article at all. If this be true.we cannot
see the necessity or.sense of this labored
and unfortunate attempt for his own vindi-
cation,unless it was written by an honest de-
sire upon his part to teach us our duty as
public journalists, which he then attempts
to do. We desire that Capt. French and
and all the world should understand that
we conduct the Ledge)' according to our
ownjudgemet. We do not recognize the
right of Capt. S, G\ French, or Capt any
body else to dictate to us what is proper
for our columns. We claim the right and
shall excercise it, cf directing public at-
tention to any improper conduct of per-
sons in public emplo}rment, and of pub-
lishing any communication upon such sub-
jects, when the information they eontain
is proper for public censure. If we abuse
our privilege we are alone responsible, and
we shall conduct our journal with a full
knowledge of this responsibility, and with-
upromise upon the same principles, j . ,
Mr. Lata also authorizes us to say that the ¡out any hope or desire of avoiding it.—
The wo wings of the Whig party complaints of the men in regard to their ! Whatever opinion Capt. S. G. French
in New York have healed the breaches in rations were just. That upon their return ; may entertain as to the character of our
their ranks, and both agreed to adopt the ; beef was issued in regular quantities, but journal, isa matter of indifference to us. as
'• Wilmot Proviso " in its naked deformity all issued from Devil's River to San An-
a= ¿ r ile t f faith. 1 tonio, was entirely unfit for use.
They to d; earc not to avow this princi- j We also have thc authority of Mr. Lata
r!e until after thc election in the Southern and others to say, that upon the return of
Unites. the train, a teamster attached to it had his
TLov also Maim the right to discuss, re- collar-bone broken: that it was set in a
peal, or modify, any of the Compromise very bungling manner; that in consequence
melares of vho hist Congress. Notwith- j of the extreme heat of the weather, it was
standing the Rational Administration had considered dangerous to the life of the
adopted as a strict rule of party faith, j wounded man to transport him iu one of
that the Compromise was a final settle-; the confined baggage waggons, and that
ment of the whole slavery question ; yet application was made to Capt. French to
it gives in if
Platform "as
adhesion to the " Albany ! permit him to be placed in an empty am-
is called, and its organ the \ bulance that occasionally was used by the
it is doubtless as flattering as ours of him.
We ask no sacrifice of opinion from an}*
one in our employ or out of it. We shall
endeavor to pursue our business in such a
manner as will benefit our subscribers, and
shall not be frightened from our course
from fear of incurring the displeasure of
any man or set of men.
The Capfc. has said truly, that "the
press is an agent powerful forgoodor evil."
This is true. There are none in our free
Government so high as to escape mer-
ited censure through its agency, or none
so humble that should not be permitted
Vessel Libelled for Violation
of the Passenger Lav/.—The pack-
et-ship ¡St. George and Devonshire,
from Liverpool at New York, and
ship Athens and Living Age, from
Liverpool at New York, and the Fal-
con, from'Wexford, Ireland, and ships
Martha, Goethe, Adler, and brig Arion,
from Bremen, at Baltimore, have been
libelled by the Government officers for
non-compliance with the law regulat-
ing the carrying of passengers.
Saved torm Drowning--True Heroism.
The N. Y. Evening Post says that
on the 8th inst., as two brothers, one
of them six thá other ten years of age,
were gathering chips at the foot of
Market street, in that city, near the
river, the younger lost his* bal lance
and fell in. The other, without
hesitation, although he could not
swim, jumped into the water immedi-
ately, and seized his brother by the
neck, when both of them sank. After
a brief space they rose to the surface
when they were discovered by a brave
boy about eleven years of age. named
John Kelly, residing at No. 11 James
street, who plunged in as they were
sinking for the second time and seized
them .and pushed them on before him
till he readied the side of the pier,
where he succeeded in keeping their
heads above the water till they were
taken out by some persons who had
witnessed ihe occurrence. -A subserip-1
reward of their labors. Large quantities
of guns, amunition, ete., have already been
secured, and they are now in the close
proximity to the gold—if any there is.
of which, however, they admit no question.
Picked up at Sea.—Capt. Rowland, of
the "Caledonia Brander," arrived at New
York form New Orleans, reports, July 5,
lat. 25 30. long. 84. Picked up a boat con-
taining six men, who report that they
abandoned the British bark Mary Ann, of
Sunderland, in a sinking condition, two
daj s previous. She was from New Orleans
for Liverpool, ladened with corn- They
also say tliat the Captain, officers and the
balance of the crew left at. the same
time in the long boat, and they parted
company in the night.—N. Y. Tribune.
The Longest Sieaaier in the World.
The Louisville Ceurier says the Eclipse
Capt. E. T. «Sturgeon's new steamer, now
on the stocks, is to be three hundred and
fifty-nine feet in length. She is to have
eight of the largest sized boilers, and her
water wheel will be forty-two feet in di-
ameter. She will be completed in the
fall, and it is fully expected that she can
easily make the trip from N. Y. to Louis-
ville in foor days.
TIi2 Fracas between Footc aud Quitman
Since the collision between them, Gen.
Quitman has refused to fill appointments
in company with Gen. Foote. The Mem-
phis (Tenn.) Enquirer gives the following
corrected account of the difficulty between
them, and papers friendly to Gen. Quiit-
man confirm its satement:
" It would seem that Get. Foote in his
speech, in order to break the effect of
the appeals addressed to the people of
Mississippi on behalf of Gov. Quitman,
as a man presecuted, by the General Gov-
ernment in the Cubau prosecution under
took to defend thc administration by
showing thc grounds it had to suspect
and accuse Gov. Q. of a particpation in
the Cuban expedition. Among other
facts naturally tending to lead the Presi-
dent's mind to this conclusion, was the
fact of the State Arms of Mississippi hav-
ing been taken from Jackson for *ke use
of those engaged in the enterprise. But
as we are informed, Gun. Foote, took
occasion, when referring to the fact*hs na-
turally leading the Administration to the
conclusion that they could not have been
removed without the Governor's knowl-
edge or connivance, to distinctly add
that in his (Gen. Foote's) belief, Gov.
Quitman was not guilty of such conncction
with th^ir abstraction. Gov. Quitman
lion wis take., up on the spot for the I [".fl ^ to ¡^allegation
. ill jr i i said very cmphantically. that the-eliargc
brave lad, who seemed apparently | t|,at he'hsd * knowl/dM of theabslr£.
unconscious that ho had dune any-
thing particularly deserving of such
attention and reward. The parents
of this boy may well be proud of their
son.
■' Republics endeavoring to rally the j Captain's cook, but was mostly unoccupied. lts use to expose a public grievance. We
are not disposed to admit that the position
of Capt. French exempts him from this
rule. We have always endeavored to con-
duct the Ledger in a manner that will se-
cure the confidence of our readers, and our
patronage is an evidence of public appro-
val, notwithstanding tue opinion of Capt.
French to the contrary. The matter is
now before the public and we are willing
for them to decide whether or not we did
Capt. French injustice by publishing the
communication which appeared in our pa-
per of the 28th nit |
JC?" We have also in the last nnmber of j
the " Western Texan " been honored with j
a notice from Mr. John C. French. ^
When tbiíi person will eanÍeécén& to1
Whiii party to its support. The fact is, | This was refused, and the reply of the Cap-
President Fillmore has hauled down his j tain was, that "the ambulanee was not
Flaf and surrendered to Seward and his brought for the transportation of team-
'• higher law " followers. He has there- sters."
fore committed political suicide, and has! After it had been ascertained that Mr.
proclaimed th.it his administration has ad-1 Lata had expressed an opinion that the
opted the IVilmot Proviso." He has communioatio® in the Ledger «ras"sub-
stantially true," he was informed that if
he adhered to that statement he would
probably lose his situation as waggon-mas-
ter. 31 r. Lata consequently promptly re-
signed hispost, disdaining to sacrifice his
integrity or opinions, at the dictation of
any petty official. *
In addition to the statements of Mr.
Lata, we publish in connection with this,
' tiu= 3*davifs of .others attached to thif
therefore lost the confidence of the whole
Whig party of the South, aud has nothing
to hope from t¡he Democracy either North
or South. Hi) is politically dead and laid
upon the shelf* He has gone back to the
principles which his early predjudices and
affinities alwa/s approved ; and it may he
.truly said of ¿ira: "The dog has return-
ed to lis vomit and the sow that was wash-
e3iA Ur waffwriwf in the -
The Cuban Liberators are taking to
the stump to arouse the people of our
State in behalf of the Cuban patriots,
as appears by the following paragraph
which we copy from the Bayou Sara
Ledger of the 16th. Of course much
is expected from the zeal and eloquence
of such an apostile of freedom as Ben
Bynuin:—
"Ben Bynum Esq., from New Or-
leans will address the people of West
Feliciana parsh, in behalf of the Cu-
ban patriots, now strugling for tiie
acheivement of that Liberty which we
as a nation are in the enjoyment of, on
Monday, the 18th, and Thursday, the
21st August, 1851, at the Feliciana Ex-
change, Bayou Sara/'
We notice with bitter regret that
three of the soldiers who were murder-
ed in cold blood by the myrmidons of
Spanish tyranny at Havana, were
"Texians," and formerly residents of
Houston, Their names are N. IL
Fisher, A. Torres Hornandez and
George W. Arnold. The latter we
believe was quite a youth not more
than eighteen years old. Hernandez
was a Spaniard and an ardent friend
of liberty. The blood of of these vic-
tims, like that of the victims of Goliad,
falls to the ground only to produce like
the fabled dragon's teeth, an harvest of
armed men.
Register.
Telegraph and Texas
A pound cf beef looses one quarter
by boiling, and one ounce more by
roa^iinsr.
any
tion of the State Arms, or the insinuation
to that effect, come from what quarter it
might, was false, slanderous and coward-
ly. These words arrested the attention
of Gen. Foote, who rose and demanded
Gen Quitman if he intended them as
applicable to him, prefacing the demand
or accompanying it, with a distinct dis-
claimer of having, on that occasion or at
any time, believed or said that the Gover-
nor was guilty of any participation in the
affair referred to. Gov. Quitman replied
that he did not wish to be interrupted in
his speech. Gen. Foote renewed his de-
mand, declaring as before. Gen. Quitman
still declined to answer, (stating- according
to some, that he would answer him when
the speeking was over; but, as others al-
lege, making no reply; for the third time
he renewed the demand and disclaimer,
when Gov. Quitman said something that
was tantamount to an avowal that he did
not use the words as applioable to Gen.
Foote, who had, during the colloquy, ap-
proached the Governor, retorted—"You
are a liar!" accompanying the words with
a blow. One or two passes took place
between them, but they were so immedi-
ately separated that no injury whatever
was done on either side."
Custom-ijouse Receipts.—The amount
of the receipts of the Custom-house at X.
Y., for the year ending June 30, 1851,
was 8«> 1,756,199 : at Boston, 89,577,530:
at Philadelphia. 83,667.838; at Baltimore,
§1.047,178, and at JS'ew Orleans, $2,296.-
536.
France.—Mr. George Summer, in a let-
ter from Paris to a friend iu Providence,
says: "You ask about France. Pray be
assured all is agoing on well there will
be no revision—no re-election of Louis
Xapolion. The Republic «rillPstand—
the constitution will be respected. Two
good candidates will be brought forward
befóte next May, and retrbgradei and
' rrogeiilsas will try their •fort*'*??*
Sept. 3d, 1|51-
JOSEPH V\ 4I^ker> Lstj.
Sir :—My attention has been called to
an article in your paper, over the signa-
ture of a ntfmber of discharged teamsters,
which contains so many errors of fact
that I wish to call your attention to them.
I will take them up Somewhat in the order
in which thev appear.
First it is "stated that there was "water
enousli in Eagle Springs" for the whole
train, &c. Nothing can be more at vari-
ance with the truth. When the trains ar-
rived late in the evening, all the water had
been consumed by the animals belongiug
to the escort, and the few wagons that
reached there in the morning. I had men
engaged in digging in thc Spring all thc
latter part of the day and tnerc iras no
water in it for the train or even to fill our
otvu kegs. I do not believe any
men whose names appear to thc article,
save one (and lie never was iii my employ-
ment) ever saw the Spring when going up.
for the train did not pass within halt a
mile of thc place, but continued on by the
main road to the itio Grande. The iaea
of procuring sis or seveu thousand gallons
of water from out a dry hole where men
were digging is preposterous to all who
saw it, and that there was water there of
any import is a mere fiction of the braiu.
1 would it had been otherwise.
The next assertion made is in relation
to the rations. Before I left Washington
City for this duty, that was a matter duly
considered by some of. the authorities
there, and it was plain to them as it is to
any one who reflects at all, or has had ex-
perience in such matters ; that it would
be best and more wholesome to subsist on
fresh beef where no vegetables or antiscor-
butics could be procured, and besides it
would be more economical. Beef was
cheaper here than pork—aud then the
cost of transporting the pork for thc men
would have bcen an additional expense of
about/¿re thousand five hundred dollars.
These were the considerations that induc-
ed the commissery to have beef sent in-
stead of pork; and that any other reason
induced me to leave such provisions as
were not wanted on the return trip at El
Paso, than those of a proper regard for
economy is positively and maliciously false.
The employees were not entitled to any
salt provisions for the first eighty days, as
my returns in the office of the commissary
will show, yet notwithstanding this, I usu-
ally gave them some at every i ¿¡she. The
cattle furnished by the contractors. Messrs.
Lewis & Groesbeeck, were remarkably
fine, and the very excellent condition in'
which they kept all thc time, was repeat-
edly the subject of remark among the many
officers who went up with the expedition,
and of many gentlemen at El Paso. The
gratuitous assertion, that Jno. C French
was the beef contractor, appears like the
production of the mountain, when it labor-
ed and brought forth a mouse. It had its
origin in conjecture. That he was their
agent in this, and other affairs of theirs,
you can readily ascertain by a reference to
the power of attorney acknowledged before
Chief Justicc McLeod, not a iod from
your office, but that he was the contractor,
is an erroneous conclusion of the individ-
ual who wrote the communication for you.
and petitioned for signatures.
As regards the time of issuing rations
the language used is very obscure, and is
calculated to deceive. Small rations were
issued generally at periods of from six to
ten days, but fresh beef wa3 issued as it
w.as wanted, sometimes every day. or every
other day. depending on the size of the
cattle and the amount due. If, to-day.
the beef was large, more than full rations
were issued, when small, it would some-
times fall under the allowance, but in the
end every ounce that was due was given.
The next allegation is, that I dischargd
men, and that -those who were discharged
received no pay—that they were left in
an Indian country without provisions, and
to get to San Antonio as they could," &c.
Now, not only were these men paid, but
they had, previously to their being dis-
charged, been rationed up to the day we
reached Quihi, the Sth of August. These
men. and all other men who came with
the train, so far from being left to get
into San Antonio us they could, had all
their baggage, by my directions, as well
as themselves, brought here into 3rour city
the day after my arrival. But ft is true
that I discharged some men at El Paso,
and it's true that I refused to carry
them and their baggage, near 700 miles,
to this place. That was my " preroga-
tive ;" and I am sorry that it conflec-
tcd so greatly with the " prerogatives of
every American freeman" who claimed
the right of taking passage for himself and
^coaoe inJ train without money, and
without price and without provisions.—
On such reasonable terms I could have
haa a gre-at number of ' American free-
men'' along as passengers. No sir ! I did
refuse a good many, but always for cause;
and .tnose to whom permission were given,
were required to sign an agreement to
render to the government some services
iu return for the consideration of their be-
ing carried in the wagons: and further, to
prevent them, as far as I could, from call
ing on mc in the midst of hunger, I direct
ed that their provisions be inspected, to
see that each had enough for the journey.
But as it was, I had to furnish nine of
them with rations all the way. The road
so far as I know anything to the contrary^
has always been open to persons who fur-
nished their own transportation; and to all
who conducted tnemselves properly, mv
camp was always a protection.
I am now done with the trival charges
I have shown very briefly to you that they
have been founded on error, ignorance or
conjecture, and to me, they are positively
rather ludicrous, than otherwise; but they
have elicited one thing in the matter of
great importance to all the considerate
subscribers and readers of your paper, and
that is, t.¡e development of the character
of your journal.
lhe article that you have published can
be raade to furnish evidence that you re-
ceive communications and give them to
the public without the proper examination
or enquiry into the truths or error they
may contain, and that your columns are
open to advertisements of an objectionable
and abusive character. In my own case,
the facts and ait the attending circumstan-
ces are here on record, and by your not en-
deavoring to arrive at the truth in the
matter, T think you abused that high trust
jure
. , r the
llv) yet the
ins the
religion and
or caters for the corrupt passions
of evil^nd designi
I do not accuse you
me at all, or of havi
the article I don't r_0 ^ „ —
principal is the same, and 1 cau justly
blame you ft>r not ascertaining the correct-
ness of what you published, especially
when you knew the irresponsibility of the
source.
In conclusion, then, all I have to ask
of you is, that you will be pleased to cor-
rect the errors you have given publication
to, and save mc the trouble of doing it
myself through some other journal. And
I here wish you distinctly to understand,
that I do not send this tó you for publica-
tion, but merely to give you such informa-
tion as may enable you to endeavor to cor-
rect the untruths in the publication you
have already made, which I have no doubt
you will most cheerfully do.
I desire an answer by two o'clock to-dav,
as to whether you intend to make the cor-
rection in yourt own paper.
Respectfully, }'our ob?t serv't,
S. G. FRENCH.
From the Galveston Journal.
Should thc Journals of tlic Legislature be
Printed in a Pamphlet Form !
CX what practical use are the jour-
nals ! Who ever reads them? These
are questions that occur to all. Yret
thousands of dollars are expanded by
every L ^g.slature, for the purpose oí
printing them in a pamphlet form.—
Ii is a matter worthy of serious consid-
eration, whether this useless expendi-
ture should be longer continued.—
Could they not as well be printed, as
the session progresses,' in one of the
newspapers located at the capítol, and
thus at least one-half of the ♦expense
saved? A bound volume of the pa-
per could be sent to every member
which would supply him not onl\
with the journals, but with an interest-
ing. chronicle of the past.
Might not the money thus saved be
moitjudiciously applied to the publi-
cation of the Reported Decisions of our
Supreme Court ?
By taking such steps as may be
necessary to secure a prompt publica-
tion of the remaining volumes uf iVx-
as Reports, our next Legislatura may
do an important service to the public.
a
Lightning Hods.
No one appears to realize the num-
ber of lives and the amount of proper-
ty destroyed by lightning. The lives
lost by lighning last year were many.
•Víany may be destroyed this year.—
In some cases no precautions could
have been taken; no lightning rods
could be used in some exposures.—
But the lighting rods could be used in
ons'cáse íiTá TTmícTréfl vvlfei'o th<ry caw
be in the protection "of buildings, and
in the security in this way of property
and life ? Is the expense too great or
the property worth the insurance thus
effected, both in the city and in the
country? Is there not much yet to
be done, even after the attention arous-
ed io tiie subject. The principle on
which the rods should, be constructed
and erected is that they pass deep into
the earth, so as to terminate in moist
earth orwater. To prevent the rust-
ing of of the iroti let it be covered with
a good coat of lam black paint. This
paint is an excellent conductor of elec-
tricity.
F e Tvi ALU Labor.—! 1 o race Creel y
writes of hav ing seen women driving
carts upon the roads of Germany in
which men were asleep.
A corresponeent of the Boston Tran-
script says lie saw more than one wo-
man yoked in with a dog, dragging a
small cart between Munich and Dres-
den. Everywhere abroad, women are
doing the worst work of men, partly
because of the absence of real refined
civilization, partly that men arc dratt-
ed away to the army iu such numbers
that did no the females plow, hoe,
and manure, famine and starvation
would come.
BLOOMER IN A SlftjWER.
The editor of the Boston Saturday
Evening Gazette has seen a lady ar-
rayed in a new costume, caught in a
shower, and thus describes her pecu-
liarly unpleasant predicament :—The
Turkish trowsers lost there graceful
cantour, aud flapped araund the pe-
destals of the wearer like a wet ban-
ner round a flag staff, while the tunic
was deprived of its stiffness. The fair
Bloomer was in a most awkward pos-
ition, and reminded us of a seriously
indisposed hen, who had been caught
some way from her roost in a thunder
storm.
<:The beautiful have vanished and
return not," aii(í the thought that it is
so will sometimes overwhelm the liv-
ing with deep sadness! When we
reflect that so many ara called away
in the midst of their years and useful-,
ness, the profoud mysteries oí life and
and death will crowd oppressively up-
on the mind, and we fell that, indeed,
all is "vanity." In view of life's un-
certainty, the cheif of our pursuits ap-
pear sadly trivial; and we trifle,
though the proofs of its utter vanity
have been multi
astrous days of
"Teach us to
we may apply o
dis-
>ur days that
unto «
CoTJ*3TERF£!TER8
and three b
were
Bank. Boston -~Ib
¡SIÉlSlP
"*-21
L
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The San Antonio Ledger. (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 11, 1851, newspaper, September 11, 1851; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth179370/m1/2/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.