The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 40, July 1936 - April, 1937 Page: 222
348 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
fluently, kept posted on the latest developments.l9 Whatever the
reason, the Anglo-Americans were caught unprepared to meet the
deadly attacks of cholera. Between April 10 and 12, 1833, out
of approximately twenty settlers living there, eleven were attacked
by the Asiatic disease; seven of these died by April 16. Stephen F.
Austin, although he was thirty leagues from the danger point,
did not feel absolutely safe from an attack of cholera. On April 20
he wrote a letter to J. F. Perry and, among other things, he
remarked :
I have just heard of the Colera at the mouth of the river and
that there have been 5 deaths-dreadfull indeed-how I tremble
for you all-pray be carefull and use all possible precautions-if
you were over on the bayou you would be safer I think-I have
my will in my writing desk.20
Perhaps he had a premonition of impending danger for, only a
few months later, while in Mexico City, he was attacked by cholera.
He reported the tragic event as follows:
What are considered promonitory simptoms of cholera gave me
warning since monday of last week. I was then much engaged
in trying to get the 11 article of the law of 6 April before con-
gress in a favorable shape and it was to have been sent in on
wednesday, but the cholera prevented a meeting and has done
so ever since that day I fatigued myself much indeed. This
brought my simptoms to a crisis, for I was taken about 3 o'clock
P. M. with excessive purging of a white mucos character, great
pain in bowels, cold feet, legs, hands, etc., pains over the body-
no cramps-moderate vomiting-this was evidently the first stage
of this desease and would probably have passed into the collapse
in a short time. It was at this moment I closed a few lines to
you by the last mail and applied cholera remidy-in about % of
an hour I was releived by a fine perspiration which I think saved
my life, for others have died in less than one hour whose simptoms
were similar to mine. This disease prostrates the strength to a most
astonishing degree. I find that I sensibly feel the effects of the
billious attacks I have had in Texas and the quantity of calomel
"Stephen F. Austin to Political Chief, May 3, 1833. Spanish Archives,
University of Texas.
2"Stephen F. Austin to J. F. Perry, April 20, 1833. Barker, E. C.:
Annual Report of the American Historical Association for the Year 1922.
In Two Volumes and a Supplementary Volume. Vol. II. The Austin
Papers. United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.
1928. Hereafter this citation shall be given as, Barker, E. C., The Aus-
tin Papers.)222
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 40, July 1936 - April, 1937, periodical, 1937; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101099/m1/244/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.