Southern Broad-Axe [West Point, MS], February 8, 1860
A friend of ours writing from Nacogdoches, Texas, says: “Texas avails herself of every opportunity of showing her patriotism, her respect for the constitution, the South and the blood of her ancient heroes, by elevating the humanitarian emissaries of the Seward and Brown stripe, sent down here by these ‘grande gringoes’ (big Yankees) on a piece of timber about four inches in diameter and ten feet long, in common parlance called a rail—and marching them around for a ‘spell’ on the brawny shoulders of about four sable gents, while the general cry is, ‘hang him! hang him!’ he don’t care for that, he was raised on such gymnastics.’ Even the Mexicans seem to have caught the inspiration and cry out amid the excited crowd, “Carraho el grongoe, ferro del inferno, no bueno hombre, Viva la Texas! Of course Northern humanitarians will say this kind of patriotism bears the impress of savage, more than civilized people. But Texas says that she and her sister Slave States have made compromise after compromise, until nothing is left to be given up except their liberty—and these emissaries are sent to steal away that. It is for this that they are so roughly handled, and not through malice. So Mr. Emissary had better tread lightly on the soil of gallant Texas, for some of them have already learned the ‘failing’ of Texans, when their rights or liberties are invaded. If such cattle look to their future welfare, they will stay in their own congenial clime, nor again pollute our soil with their slimy tread. Our merchants and planters have said that they will do all their shipping and trading at Southern cities in future.”