UPON MY RETURN FROM THE ARMY I FIND MY BUSINESS AFFAIRS IN BAD SHAPE.
I returned from Johnston’s army, surrendered in North Carolina in the
summer of 1865, to my home town, Hempstead, Texas, where I found my
brother, six years younger than myself, who had also just returned from
the army, and a younger sister, who had been boarding at a friend’s
house during my absence in the army. We were orphan children.
On my return I found the business of Faddis & Graber, which I left in
charge of R. P. Faddis, the senior partner, totally vanished. I had not
even a change of clothing, of which I had left a trunk full. Brother had
given them to needy Confederate soldiers.
After resting and recuperating for some months, a guest at the homes of
different friends, awaiting an opportunity for business, I was persuaded
by an old friend, Mr. Leander Cannon, to make my home at his house at
Courtney, Grimes County, until I could secure something to do. Mr.
Cannon before the war had the largest general mercantile business in the
interior of the State, while I kept his books for him at Hempstead
before I entered into business on my own account with Faddis, Mr. Cannon
having sold out in the meantime.
After the return of the Confederate soldiers from the army, the first
year, they were engaged in peaceable pursuits, trying to rebuild their
lost fortunes and also to recuperate their health, which, in many
instances, had been sacrificed in the army.
While so engaged, the Federal Government organized its Freedman’s
Bureau, establishing its agencies in all the populous negro districts in
the State, supported by the army. As heretofore stated, among these
garrisons were a lot of desperate and bad men, bent on rapine and
plunder, and they had the sanction of their officers, notably in the
case of the town of Brenham, which they sacked and burned.
This aroused the resentment and desperation of the best people of Texas
and very soon a thousand or more of the best citizens of the State
collected and determined to wipe out this garrison. General Sheridan, in
command of Texas and Louisiana, with headquarters at New Orleans,
telegraphed Governor Throckmorton to proceed there at once and beg the
people to desist and not to take any action until he could send a
commission to investigate and secure the guilty parties for punishment.
Governor Throckmorton succeeded in dispersing this avenging host, and
General Sheridan, instead of sending a commission, reinforced the
garrison and arrested some of the best citizens of the country.
The Hempstead garrison also had a band of marauders, headed by a
desperate character, who occasionally attacked citizens at night and
robbed them. This was the condition at Hempstead.
In the meantime I started a small general merchandise business at
Courtney, with the assistance of my friend Cannon. While boarding at
Cannon’s house I occupied a room with a Mr. White and son, from Tarrant
County, who were there, ostensibly, to trade a flouring mill he had in
Tarrant County for one of Cannon’s Brazos bottom plantations. I soon
concluded that Mr. White had no flouring mill to trade and was imposing
upon Mr. Cannon for his and his son’s board and also to recuperate his
horses.
I also met at Mr. Cannon’s ex-Governor Morehead of Kentucky, who was
then a refugee from the General Government. While rooming with Mr. White
and his son, we had frequent discussions about the battles in Virginia,
he claiming that he had served in that army, and his son on General
Johnston’s staff. I noticed that Mr. Cannon showed these gentlemen a
great deal of attention and frequently these three were seen in the
woods, sitting on a log, talking. I was puzzled to know why it was that
Mr. Cannon could be so easily imposed on by this man White.
Some months or more after they had left, and I had moved to the hotel
down in town, I met Mr. Cannon on the street and he said to me, “I have
just heard from Mr. White.” “Well, has he sold his flouring mill?” I
asked. Cannon said, “No, you knew he had no flouring mill. You knew that
it was General Wigfall and his son, Holsey.” I told him no, that I was
unaware who he was, having only met General Wigfall one time at Raleigh,
North Carolina, at a hotel, when he wore a heavy black beard, and at
Courtney he was clean shaven. Cannon told me, when he heard from them,
they were in Havana and would take a steamer the next day for Great
Britain. I never knew what became of ex-Governor Morehead after he left
Cannon’s, but do not think that he was ever arrested.
While at Courtney, I was called on by an old comrade, Ben Polk, in
company with a friend of his by the name of T. J. Thorn, who were
looking for a large plantation to lease. This they failed to find. Both
had their old family set of negroes to work for them. Ben Polk went over
on the Trinity, where he rented and cultivated a plantation, and Captain
Thorn rented the Stevenson’s Ferry plantation, about six miles from the
town of Hempstead, where he pitched a large crop of cotton and corn.
Several months after I happened to meet with Thorn at Hempstead, when he
made a proposition to me to join in the cultivation of this crop, as he
felt financially unable to carry it through.
After investigating his proposition, which was most liberal, and
considering the further fact that the location presented a better
opportunity for business than Courtney, I decided to accept and moved
down there with my stock of merchandise, boarding my family in a
friend’s home in Hempstead, as the house on the plantation was in bad
repair. Captain Thorn also boarded his wife and two children with his
father-in-law in Hempstead.
It was our custom to spend Sundays with our families in town, sometimes
going in on Saturday night, returning Monday morning, and occasionally
going in on Sunday morning.