The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 31, July 1927 - April, 1928 Page: 47
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Committee on Texan Declaration of Independence
director of two companies of men from the frontier settlements,.
which supported Sepilveda.130
The next act in this farce, though it was undoubtedly serious,
for most of those engaged at the time, was the offering of a re-
ward of one hundred dollars for James Gaines, and the seizure
and court martial of Sepilveda and Norris by a small company
of men on November 22.131 It is not necessary to go into this
story here, familiar to Texans, and well told elsewhere.132 The
story of how Austin tried to prevent Edwards' rash proclamation,.
and then loyally aided in its suppression is inimitably related in
The Life of Stephen F. Austin by Dr. E. C. Barker.
In a letter to Saucedo on December 4, 1826, Austin explained
the difficulties existing at Nacogdoches between Gaines, Norris,
and the insurgents:
Dear and Respected Friend: Two men who have just arrived
make the following report to me. The party who went to Nacog-
doches was led by Martin Parmer, who took the title of Colonel
of the militia between the Trinity and the Sabine. Burril J.
Thompson is one of his captains. The party was composed of
forty men, mounted and armed; some of them of very bad char-
acter. They arrested the alcalde Norris . . ., put them in
arms, and declared the powers of the Alcalde Norris null and void,
in consequence, they said, of his unjust proceedings . . .
Parmer convened a court martial, composed of himself, as presi-
dent and his officers; they remained a few days at Nacogdoches
and withdrew to Ais creek, and thence betook themselves to their
respective homes, after having released Norris and Sepulveda.
. . . It is said they are preferring charges against Norris, and
will present them to the Government, to justify their violent pro-
ceedings.
From what I could learn of that occurrence, it would seem, that
the principal cause was the hatred of those people toward Gaines
and Norris, and not any ill feeling against the Government.
With an intelligent and impartial man to administer justice in
that locality, no difficulty need be apprehended on the part of the
"'0Norris to Saucedo, March 22, April 11; Sepilveda to Saucedo, March
23, Naoogdoches Archives, State Library, Austin.
131E. C. Barker, The Life of Stephen F. Austin (Dallas, Nashville, 1925),
189.
1"Wortham, A History of Texas From WVilderness to Commonwealth, II,
chapter 12, 15; F. W. Johnson and E. C. Barker, A History of Texas and
Texans (Chicago and New York, 19.16), I, chapter 4.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 31, July 1927 - April, 1928, periodical, 1928; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101088/m1/53/?rotate=270: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.