Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas Page: 424 of 894
762 p., [172] leaves of plates : ill., ports. ; 30 cm.View a full description of this book.
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INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.
355
school at the time. This finally mortified Samuel
and, after brooding over the matter, he told his parents
that he was determined to go out into the world
and try to make his own way in it, and asked his
mother to give him money to start with. In reply
he was told by her to go to his father. This he
did and his father said to him: " My son, go out
among my customers and collect the money you
need.' This did not suit the young man, as he
knew from experience that the chances for raising
funds in the way proposed were very slim and that
the only probable result of following his father's
advice would be to delay his departure. Resolving
therefore to set off at once, he returned to his
mother and asked her for his clothes. These she
brought to him tied in a small bundle, and handed
them to him together with several loaves of bread,
saying: "Here, Sam, these will last you some
time." He remained firm, however, refused the
bread and taking a change of clothing, bade the
family good-bye and walked out of the house and
down the road. After proceeding some distance,
he came to a halt not knowing which way to bend
his steps, as he had no idea what to do or where to
go. After reflecting for a few minutes, he picked
up a stick and tossed it into the air, resolved to
journey in whatever direction it might point
on falling to the ground. It pointed toward
Syracuse and he made his way to that place.
Upon his arrival there he went to the canal and
took passage on a boat bound for Lockport. He
had no money with which to pay his passage, but
hada vague idea that he could be of some assistance
in running the boat, and settle the score in
that way before reaching his destination. With
this hope he staid near the steersman and asked to
berallowed to steer the vessel, a request that was
granted by the man, who proved to be a goodnatured
fellow and seemed to take pleasure in
showing him, and at the end of the first day he
could manage the boat as well as his instructor. At
Rochester the steersman stopped off and the
YOugster applied for and was given the place at a
for sxf $14 per month. He filled the position
for ix rmonths, during which time he practiced the
moet rigid economy and then, longing to see the
dear Ones at home, he dressed himself in a handotme
new suit and returned to the old homestead
with is Pockets well filled with silver dollars.
His parents had not heard from him since the day
fdd hi departure, and upon again beholding him
Shortlyded h to their bosoms and wept for joy.
Sortl thereafter the family moved to Chittenango,
NhmeYork, where his father established a triphammer
business in which he employed a largenumber of workmen. Samuel followed these men
in their labors and soon learned to make all manner
of edged tools, blacksmith's vises and screwplates.
At the age of twenty he went to
Baldwinsville, N. Y., where he borrowed money,
erected two handsome granite-trimmed, three-story
brick business houses, purchased a large stock of
goods and engaged in merchandising with William
R. Baker as his clerk. He carried on the business
for two years and then sold the goods and turned
over the buildings to pay the money used in their
construction. His brothers had been back from
Texas several times and had given such glowing
accounts of the country that he decided to try his
future there. In due time he accordingly started
for Texas in company with Mrs. Charlotte M. Allen,
wife of his brother Augustus C. Allen (who was then
living at San Augustine, Texas), and Mr. Kelly, a
friend of the family, and traveled by boat down the
Ohio and Mississippi rivers and up Red river to
Natchitoches and from that point to San Augustine
on horses purchased by him. The party
reached Natchitoches on the fourth of July and
were regaled by a sumptuous dinner prepared in
honor of the occasion by the patriotic proprietor of
the hotel at which they stopped. The vegetables
served were large and fresh and the fruits and
melons so delicious and so far superior to any
grown in their home in New York, that they thought:
"Verily, we have reached a paradise in this Southern
clime." The desserts and wines were also excellent.
Many patriotic toasts were proposed, responded to
and drunk in flowing bumpers of champagne by the
guests seated around the festal board. The stay
of the party in Natchitoches was much enjoyed and
long pleasantly remembered. The first day's ride
from Natchitoches brought the travelers to Gaines'
ferry on the Sabine river and the next to San
Augustine. The two brothers soon moved to
Natchitoches, where the subject of this memoir remained
until September and then returned to New
York to wind up certain business matters preparatory
to establishing himself in Texas. He also desired
to settle a little affair of the heart which was
causing him some anxiety at the time. Business
matters disposed of, he called upon his sweetheart
and had an interview that resulted in terminating
their courtship.
She accepted him and promised to become his
wife upon the condition that he would forego his
intention of locating in Texas and agree to live in
New York. This he would not do. He thought,
as a majority of men would have thought, that if
she loved him truly she would go wherever it was
to his interest to go, even if that were to the ends
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Brown, John Henry. Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, book, 1880~; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6725/m1/424/: accessed May 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.