Page:Life and Select Literary Remains of Sam Houston of Texas (1884).djvu/562

 the testimony of gentlemen who were then here as witnesses in this case from Texas.

"But Judge Watrous resisted my right to make these charges, and the committee felt themselves bound by the action of the House on the Alexander memorial, as these were a part of the charges contained in that memorial, and declined to hear the charges. I then gave notice to Judge Watrous, and his counsel. General Gushing, that when the House came to act on the report of the committee I should bring these things to the attention of the House, so that if, by such means, he should elude a trial and escape justice, the Representatives of the people, and the people of the nation, through our proceedings, should know how it was done."

Here I might rest on the proofs already submitted of Judge Watrous' deep and dire offenses in connection with the land company, to the extensive operations of which I have but briefly referred. But I conceive that the just interests of my State, and those of some of her most valued citizens, who have been injured, misrepresented, and betrayed by the machinations of this conspiracy, require that I should extend the narrative to other principal facts.

I have already made brief allusion to the operations and designs of the conspiracy in the direction of the Rio Grande. This branch of the speculation deserves, on account of its great importance, a fuller development of the facts connected with it.

The Cavazos grant was one of immense value, and constituted a tempting prize to the grasping and rapacious spirit of these land speculators, with whom Judge Watrous was actively connected. It lies about sixty miles on the Rio Grande; about forty miles on the Gulf of Mexico and the Laguna Madre, and about sixty miles on the Sal Colorado. It contains about two hundred and fifty thousand acres of land. It embraces within its limits, as claimed by Cavazos, the town or city of Brownsville, also Point Isabel, which is the site of the Custom-house, and the port of entry for the Rio Grande country; besides numerous villages or ranches, and also valuable government sites and improvements. With the expectation of occupying the upper portion of the Rio Grande country, "an empire worth fighting for," it was necessary for the company to have this coast outlet to complete their gigantic scheme. Point Isabel was the only coast outlet for the great salt lake of Texas that lay within sixty miles of it, and that constituted an inexhaustible source of wealth. This great principality that commanded the outlet of the Rio Grande country, and that so abounded in all the elements of wealth, was reputed to be owned by some eight Mexican families.

The salt lake I have referred to was another grand prize, which the land company was seeking to grasp through the aid of Judge Watrous. I shall presently show how this underplot, too, was conceived and conducted in the progress of the sweeping and overwhelming designs of the vast combination.

Returning, however, to Galveston, to watch the progress of these honest gentry, with reference to the Cavazos grant, we find John Treanor and William G. Hale meeting there. It appears they there concoct a suit. This suit is represented by John Treanor, as the agent of all the Mexican families, or parties represented to be owners of the Cavazos grant. It is instituted by Allen and Hale; and the allegations of the complaint are verified by the affidavit of John