[Marshall] Texas Republican, September 15, 1860
[Note: The recipient of this letter, Reverend William Buley, lost it and, after fleeing Texas, was arrested in Missouri by an Arkansas vigilance committee and sent back to Fort Worth, where he was hung. MpG 10/20/20]
The following document appears in a recent number of the State Gazette, without note or comment.
Denton Creek, July 3, 1860.
Dear Sir:—A painful abscess on my right thumb is my apology for not writing at Anderson. Our glorious cause is progressing finely, as far South as Brenham. I there parted with Bro. Wempler; he went still further south; he will do good wherever he goes. I traveled up through the frontier counties, part of the time under a fictitious name. I found many who had been initiated, and understand the Mystic Red. I met with a good number of our friends near Georgetown; we held a consultation, and were unanimously of opinion that we should be cautious of our new associates; most of them are desperate characters, and may betray us, as there are slave holders among them, and value poor negro much higher than a horse. The only good they will do us will be destroying towns, mills, etc. which is our only hope in Texas at present. If we can break Southern merchants and millers, and have their places filled by honest Republicans, Texas will be an easy prey, if we only do our duty. All wanted for the time being, is control of trade. Trade, assisted by preaching and teaching, will soon control public opinion. Public opinion is mighty, and will prevail. Lincoln will certainly be elected; we will then have the Indian Nation, cost what it will. Squatter sovereignty will prevail there as it has in Kansas; that accomplished, have at least one more step to take—but one more struggle to make—that is, free Texas. We will then have a connected link from the Lakes to the Gulf. Slavery will then be surrounded by land and by water, and soon sting itself to death. I repeat, Texas we must have, and our only chance is to break up the present inhabitants, in whatever way we can, and it must be done. Some of us will most assuredly suffer in accomplishing our object, but our Heavenly Father will reward us for assisting Him in blotting out the greatest curse on earth. It would be impossible for us to do an act that is as blasphemous in the sight of God as holding slaves. We must have frequent consultations with our colored friends. (Let your meetings be in the night.) Impress upon their clouded intellects the blessings of freedom, induce all to leave you can; our arrangements for their accommodation to go North are better than they have been, but not so good as I would like. We need more agents, both local and traveling. I will send out traveling agents when I get home. You must appoint a local agent in every neighborhood in your district. I will recommend a few I think will do to rely upon, viz: Bro’s Leake, Wood, Ives, Evans, Mr. Daniel Viery, Cole, Nugent, Shaw, White, Gilford, Ashley, Drake, Meeks, Shultz, and Newman. Brother Leake, the bearer of this, will take a circuitous route, and see as many of our colored friends as he can; he also recommends a different material to be used about town, etc. Our friends sent a very inferior article: they emit too much smoke, and do not contain enough camphene. They are calculated to get some of our friends hurt. I will send a supply when I get home. I will have to reprove you and your co-workers for your negligence in sending funds for our agents; but few have been compensated for their trouble. Our faithful correspondent and industrious agent, Bro. Webber, has received but a trifle, not so much as apprentice’s wages, neither have Bro. Willet, Mangun and others. You must call upon our colored friends for more money; they must not expect us to do all; they certainly will give every cent, if they knew how soon their shackles will be broken. My hand is very painful, and I close.
Yours truly,
W. H. Bailey.
N. B.—Brother Leake will give you what few numbers of “Impending Crisis” I have; also Bro. Sumner’s speech, and Bro. Beecher’s letter, etc. Farewell.
The State of Texas, }
County of Tarrant }
Personally appeared before me, the undersigned authority, Paul Isbell, a man to me well known, who, being by me duly sworn according to law, says that the above, and foregoing letter, was found by George Grant and himself, near the residence of said Grant, six miles west of Fort Worth, near where a horse had been fed, stealthily as it seemed, and that the said letter has not been out of their possession till now, and has not been altered in any respect whatever.
Given under my hand, and seal of the county Court, this tenth day of August, 1860.
C. M. Matthews, Dep. Cl’k,
for C. Vance, Clerk; C. C. T.
I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the original letter, now in my possession, excepting that some of the spelling has been corrected.
Witness my hand and seal of office, this Aug. 18th, 1861.
C. M. Matthews, Dep. C. C. C. T.
We should like to know something of the character of the men who found, or pretend to have found the foregoing letter. While all the evidences elicited in this State point to the existence of an abolition plot such as is here detailed, it is not very probable that a man engaged in such business, would be so careless as to drop a letter revealing it with such minuteness. The affair looks suspicious.