The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 4, July 1900 - April, 1901 Page: 141
366 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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IVew O1 leans Newspaper Files.
lications; third, newspapers; fourth, biographies; fifth, works of
statesmen; sixth, co'nsti utional histories; seventh, general histories.
John Henry Brown, in the preface to his History of Texas,'
concerning the value of the newspaper sources of history, says:
"Much of interest, in the very nature -of things, resulting from the
want of official records,, the absence in large part of current news-
papler files, land thel failing; meinoly of many old and patriotic men,
must remain untold."
Admitting then the value of new-spapers, as a source of Texas
history, we come to the question, what newspapers were in existence
in Texas ,during the period from June, 1835, to. August, 1836,-
the actual fighting time of the Texas revolution, and a perio-d for
which in studying we should desire all the details obtainable. In
January, 1835, the Texas Republican was the only paper published
in Texas, and it was discontinued in August, 1835, when hostilities
had just commenced. In Bancrofit's enumeration of early Texas
newspapers, he says:2 "The fourth paper is of historic interest,
being the Telegraph, which was ,started by Gail and Thomas H.
Borden and Joseph Baker at San Felipe in August, 1835. When
that town was abandoned by 'the government in April, 1836, on the
approach of the Mexicans, the press was conveyed to Harrisburg,
and while the twenty-second number was being printed the forces
of Santa Anna entered the town. Six copies only 'had been struck
off when the printers, press and type were seized by the Mexicans.
The material was throw' into Bray's Bayou." One of these six
co-pies Mr. Bancroft mentions as still in existence; he does not,
however, inform us where.3 The Telegraph was not published ,again
until August, 1836. So, during this interval, fraught with such
stirring events, from April to August, Texas was without a news-
paper, and -the 'siege o'f the Alamo, Famnin's massacre, the battle of
"See Vol. I, p. 4.
'North Mexican states and Texas, Vol. II, pp. 548-549.
I3 have in mny collection Vol. I, ,No. 21, the last copy printed in Sian
Felipe. It is 'a very interesting number, and among much other historical
matter gives the 'details .of 'the Allamo fight and its participants so far as
then known, and the Last letter written by Travis. The files of the Tele-
graph, though very incomplete, aie very valuable.141
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 4, July 1900 - April, 1901, periodical, 1901; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101018/m1/155/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.