NOTES AND FRAGMENTS.

“The Whip-Handle Dispatch”: In the “Escape of Karnes and Teal from Matamoras” (Quarterly, October, 1900) R. M. Potter has told the story of the “whip-handle dispatch.” He did not know its date, and was uncertain about other details. It reads like this:

“Matamoras, State of Tamaulipas,  “June 9th, 1836.

“My Dear friend.—I am sorry to inform you of our unfortunate situation. We are detained here for nothing but to keep you ignorant of the enemy's intention; they will soon be down on you in great numbers; four thousand will leave here in four or eight days for La Bahia, it is supposed via Nueces or San Patricio, and so many more by water, in 15 or 20 days from Vera Cruz, to land at Capano or Brazos, not yet ascertained at which place. They make a war of extermination and show no quarters. My dear friends, you see what treating with a prisoner is, but you must make the best of it, you can fall back to the Colorado; and call all the men to the field, for if you do not Texas is gone; they have heard that the President is at Velasco, with a very small guard, and say they will have him in less than two weeks, I think you ought to send all the prisoners through to San Augustine for safe keeping.

“You will have from 7 to 10,000 troops to contend with, many of them cavalry, to be well mounted, to murder women and children. Now soldiers, you must not spare any pains for the sake of saving us; we are willing to be lost to save Texas. Dear soldiers! march to the field, and there defend your rights, they say that you are rebels; but you must show them that you are soldiers, and know how to defend your rights—send all of the prisoners to the East. We are not in jail yet, but tomorrow demand our passports, as soon as that is done, we shall have quarters in the calaboose. We have good friends, which prudence at present forbids me to name for fear of detection.

“Urea is commander-in-chief of the Mexican army, and says he will not stop short of the Sabine river.

“You must now work head work as well as fighting. Blow up Goliad and Bexar. You must have a sufficient force in the field at once, and we will whip them again;—be united—let the people of the U. S. know what kind of a war they make of it, and they will certainly come to our assistance. I do not consider our lives in danger if in close quarters. To give you as much information as possible my letter is in this small hand. I bid you adieu in haste,

“Our cause forever, Your friend,  “Henry Teal.  “I concur with all that has been stated above and foregoing,  “Your Obdt. servant,  “H. W. Karnes.”

Captain Potter was of the opinion that the dispatch fell into the hands of irresponsible persons, “for,” says he, “one letter went speedily to press, which it would never have done through the hands of General Rusk.” This inference, however, is incorrect. All the letters contained in the whip handle were forwarded to the War Department, and copies of the one above, with another from Major W. P. Miller—both over the certificate of Alexander Somerville, Secretary of War—were published in a circular on June 20, 1836, with a proclamation from President Burnet, ordering all citizens between the ages of sixteen and fifty to enroll in the militia. Several copies of this document are found among the Austin Papers in the collection of Hon. Guy M. Bryan.

Eugene C. Barker.

The Texas Republican.—In his article on “Newspaper Files” (Quarterly, October, 1900), Alex Dienst says the Texas Republican, “was discontinued in August, 1835.” Mr. A. C. Gray, in his monograph, “The Texas Press” (A Comprehensive History of Texas, II. 369-70), says that an intermittent publication of this paper was kept up until “August, 1836;” so it appears possible that Dr. Dienst may have been following this account,—though he does not say so—and that the date given by him is a misprint. There is reason to believe, however, that Gray is in error, too; for in the Telegraph and Texas Register, January 18th, 1837, one may read this: “* * * in our last two papers published at San Felipe, on the 17th and 24th of March [1836]. Before the last date the presses at Brazoria [of the Texas Republican] and Nacogdoches had ceased their publications.” This seems to fix the date pretty closely, and, being an almost contemporaneous publication, it is valuable historical evidence. Mr. Gray does not mention the authority for his statement.

Among the Austin Papers, in the collection of the Hon. Guy M. Bryan, there are many copies of the Republican, dating from June to November, 1835. The latest is for November 14, 1835.

Eugene C. Barker.