The Civilian and Galveston Gazette. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 15, Ed. 1 Friday, January 11, 1839 Page: 1 of 4

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THE CIVILIAN AND GALVESTON
VOLUME 1.
GALVESTON, TEXAS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 1839.
Si
vi ,
¡ In Tallehassee, Flfltfle^be saw a traveller pay bis
bill. Discovering be had money, be told the stranger
be was travelling his route, and, as it was a dismal
' road, would be glad of bis company. The stranger
EDITED BY II. (iltABT.
PUBLISHED EVEllV FItlDAV MORNING.
TERMS—Five dollar* a year, in advance.
AltVEKTISING—Oue «¿W,one dollar forlhe first .nscrt.on-cnc h «ubsfquc,
•A>*-rtion, fiftv cents. .. ¿ <- • . _ w
rr aii letter on bMinesi of the offi. t-must i.t po.tpa.a or ih«ywi Uot ,c takeu tanked him, and they travelled together about 17
mmm—a miles, when Cook proposed that they should drink to-
CSALTBSTOIV, WEDIflWDAY, JANIJABY 9, 8139*
gether; and while the stranger was drinking out of the
branch, Cook shot him through the back of the head,
and robbed him of $662.
Cook and his brother-in-law, Charles Hollis, killed
A Monster.—Cook, the individual described iu the
J cni following letter, has been detected and apprehended by
ic at CoJ. Wilson, Sheriff of this county, and is now in close the ferry-man of St. John's river, on the Augustine
nor* confiuement in this city. Information has been trans-. trail, a Frenchman, and rpbbed him of $1700 or $1800,
'Í'.? mined to the governor of Mississippi of his capture, the flat loose, to evade the possibility of
foi tiial in that Cook murdered a man not far from Tallahassee, and
robbed him of upwards of $4000—a check on the
bank for $2500, and $18 in cash.
He then went into the Indian country, and purcha-
sed a pony, and stole 17 more, and hired an Indian to
assist him. When he got out into the white settle-
ments, he then made the Indian drunk and cut his
lent* and he will doubtless be demanded
> ©fc state so soon as intelligence is received.
Ialc<. tViA wav. we would remark for the benefit of
•X-
By the way,
criminals in the United States, that Texas is the very
worst place to which they can fly in order to escape
the punishment due their crimes. There are men
ltor" from every state in the Union scattered throughout throat.
b the ' - 1 — ■
Id, * Texas, so that a criminal is almost sure to be recogni-1 Cook and Capt. Minny (a celebrated pirate,) went
s.
8 to-
I 1 # V 1
sed by some former acquaintance, and such is the pre- Srnake Island understanding that a vessel was com-
, J . . . 1 . . . . - . mgfrom Key West—murdered the crew, consisting
judice existing here against this class o emigran s,, 0f seven or eight men and three ladies—-plundered
- — ma* >««• 11 n w ft tnnlaoa tlinm in tViA Vianila .1 i . _ C Aiwaaa I-í.1 ! _ - .^1. 1 j i_ «.1
iwaj that no pains will be spared to place them in the hands
of justice. Galveston is an avenue particularly gtiar-
S.
t ded in this respect. Sheriff Wilson preserves copies of
Ch¡. the advertisements for all villains published in the prin
the boat of $17000 iú'specie, scuttled and sunk the
vessel.
Cook was taken in irons to Tallehassee, but was
released, by force, from the civil authorities, and the
irons knocked off. The names of two of his friends
are Augustus and Willis Austin, now of Texas.
Cook then went to Bainbridge, Decatur county, Ga.
where he killed a jailor, and threw him in a well, first
haH cipal papers in the United States; and as the main
S. j route to Texas is by New Orleans and Galveston, per-
~fil sons in the United States feeling an interest in the
apprehension of criminals* would do well to furnish ¡n *nS 18 P°^ 610 ^50.
3. ' . Cook and Capt. Mmny came across a vessel going
j""8 copies of advertisements, or have them pub- from St. Marks to Almony Lake, laden with provis-
i 54 lished in the papers here. j ions; murdered*the white. persons on board, sold the
' Moreover, we would inform the patrons of the dirk provisions and seven negroes that were on board, and
. and pistol that there is no place where justice is more ^,e vesse^ Capt. Minny died in St. Marks, last
11 * # , .
P* surely or rigidly administered than in Texas since the
9. courts have been organized, several muiderers have
. been arraigned, condemned, and hung, without having
>xei time enough to write a florid confession for the edifica-
8.
g°B tion of their brethren of the craft, and with scarcely
enough to repeat " God bless us," the prayer of the
bis. drunken groom in Macbeth.
Brandon, 10th Nov., 1838.
A. R. Johnson, Editor Southern Sun : *
at« Drab Sir,—Through the exertions of John J.
Smith and Mr. White, Sheriff of Scott county, the
?• murderers of the unfortunate Silas D. Hives, which
jm* occurred on the 19th September ult., have been de-
fur tected, and one of them now in close confinement.—
3. John W. Carter, calling himself John W. Collins was
—— taken a few r:days ago, in Lauderdale county, and
brought to this place on yesterday by Messrs. Smith
g | and White. ~ ~ .«.in
winter.
Cook then left for Columbus, (Ga.) his residence,
where he saw a traveller pay his bill, headed him,
took deliberate aim at him—his gun snapped, which
the stranger heard and fled.
Cook met with an acquaintance from Texas in May
or June last, in Clarke county, Ala, whose name was
Wm. Green. And Green told him that bis old fiends,
Augustus and Willis Austin, were then in Texas, and
were anxious that Cook should go there, whose servi-
ces they particularly needed.
Oook thought there was no more harm in killing a
man than there was in kilting a hog—-did not believe
there was either hell or heaven; has killed and robbed
40 or 50 men, and would this winter murder and plun-
der as many more.
Johnson Cook is between 26 and 30 years of age,
weighs about 110 lbs., has keen blue eyes, and is very
narrow V>fttwpp<T| ffaf aya . Hin fare and hands are
It seems that Carter and Cook had been ¡badly scarred with dirks and knives, which he got by
a short time previous to the murder of prowling | fighting; has been stabbed through the muscle of his
g * about Hillsborough, in Scott county, see&jig, ,epiploy- left arm twice with a dirk, also in the hip; his hair is
ment well^digers; that for a week preceding the
murder, they absented themselves, with provisions
pufficient to last them eight or ten days. Those provis-
ions were found in the swamp where Rives was killed.
Suspicion resting upon them, they were immediately
pursued, and were not heard of until Cook, calling
^himself Johnson, got within ten miles of home, in Jas-
Tn per county, where be hired a horse, and gave 30 dol-
l fars to ride ten miles.' Cook witji his wife and chil-
dren, that night started for Mobile, and from 'thence
ta Texas. Carter was pursued and taken, at his resi-.
¡na. dence, in Lauderdale county, where his property had
thej previously been levied- upon by the sheriff, and upon
bis return he paid up the executions and released it.
1,^ Some of the money he paid the sheriff has since been
th«* identified to be Rives' It is unknown what amount
nod of money Rives had at the time he was killed, but it
-is supposed that he had about ten thousand five
dollars. Cook, who is now probably in Texas, has, no
k*e doubt, the major part of this sum. From the charac-
,i,0vter Carter gives him, he is as bad or a worse rob-
onn* oer than JoAn A. Murrett, now in the penitentiary at
,ee. Nashville. He once lived in Florida, but was com-
sdf pelled to leave for his crimes. The following are
;0.n some of the crimes he committed, according to his
coufeseion to Carter, who related them to me, in pre-
tiere aence of Mr. Smith, at whose reqüest I wrote them 'it for along while!
t-A down, and send them to you for publication, so that | The messenger, upon this, demanded ten ^balers
the good citizens of Texas may be on their guard, and for the carriage of the packet, which was readily paid
sandy, and one of his fingers is broken.
Society is deeply interested in the detection and
punishment of such a villain. From this statement,
the Governor should not hesitate to offer a heavy re-
ward for his apprehension.
Carter denies knowing any thing of the murder of
Rives, although the chain of circumstances connecting
him with Cook, in his tragical deeds, are strong, and
would go far towards bis conviction before an intelli-
gent jury. He is an illiterate man, and no doubt was
led on by Cook, who is a keen, shrewd and intelligent
fellow. 0
The Biter Bitten.—A man in the dress of a work-
man was lately walking in the streets of Berlin with
a packet in his hand, sealed with five seals, with an
address and a note that it contained 100 tharlers in
treasury bills,
As the bearear appeared to be at a loss, he was ac-
costed by a passenger, who asked him whom be was
looking for.
The simple enquirer glanced the packet in the inqui-
rer's hands and requested that he Would read the ad-
dress. The reply was made, as if with en agreeable
surprise—
Why, this letter is for me—I have been expecting
if possible, bring this tfemon to justice.. From this
short history of Cook, he was, no doubt, the main in-,
stigator of the Seminole war in Florida. Carter does
iud not recollect the precise date when these murders and
try. robberies were committed, but said it was about the
commencement and during the Seminole war. Carter
states that Cook and a man by the name o£ Bryant,
who lives on Lake Pontchertrain, killed a man by the
name of Allen, in Tallahasse, Florida, and robbed
him of $1850 each.
Cook painted himself like an Indian and headed a
ind
nay
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np*
th«
if«
Women make their advances as time makes his. At
twenty, when the swain approaches to pay his devoirs,
they exclaim, with an air of languid indifference—
"Who is hel" At thirty, with a prudent look towards
the Ways and means, the question is, "What is he?"
. large number of Seminóles, and butchered one of the j At forty much anxiety manifests itself to make the
* most wealthy families of white people on the front- an^ mmrv rhanon# itao.lf intn
with a liberal addition to the porter.
The new possessor of the packet hastened to an ob-
scure corner to examine his prize; but, on his break-
ing the seals, found nothing but a few sheets of blank
paper, on which was written, "Done."
iers of Florida. After killing the whole family, except
a young man who stood over and fought for his sister
until he was wounded by a shot from an Indian, Cook
then stuck an axe in his head, and left it there stick-
ing, robbed the house of $1100 in paper money and
$70 or $80 in specie. He kept the paper and gave
the Indians the silver.
Cook then went to Appalachicola Bay, and from
.'¿'r thence to Bainbridge, Decatur county, Georgia, and,
ifJ in company with a Virginian with whom he had been
* travelling in the stage, and supposing he had money,
at Cook's instance walked to the spring, there killed
the Virginian, threw him into the river, and robbed
him of $1119—two $16 pieces of gold and three smal-
ler pieces. This crime was committed in December,
1836. From Bainbridge lie returned to Columbus,
(Ga.) his residence.
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hymenial selection, and the query changes itself into
" Which is he]" But at the ultima Tkule of fifty, the
anxious expectation prepares to seize upon any pry,
and exclaims, " Where is he ?"
A Difficulty Settled.—A gentleman residing in
the country during the summer months, observed, one
morning, a large quantity of dirt and rubbish lying in
the yard in front of his house. Enraged, he called
one of his servants-*
" John, why is thif dirt not taken off," said he.
" Because we have no wagon ou the premises," re-
plied John.
" Then dig a ditch back of the house, and put it in."
" But what are we to do with the earth which will
be dug out?"
" Fool, don't bother me ; make a ditch big enough
to put earth, rubbish, and all in," i
THOU ART NOT HERE.
The long, long uights are coming on, the time for mirth and >ong,
The gathering round the household hearth of all the happy throng,
The meeting place of parted friends, whoae light hearts glad the year,
And atrip it of its loneliness a d yet thou art not here. I
Again the winter fire illume* the scene* of other day*,
And well-remembered faces beam before it* cheerful blaze;
It throws it* wild and fitful gleams around the pictured walla,
And there, upon a vacant seat, in atartllng brightness falla,
I :
There is a tone in music gone, a star from out our sky,
That left as with thy gentle words, and with shy kindling eye,
And sadly youthful voices fall upon oar aching ear;
Our lonely spot m desolate, because thou art not here.
Four weary year* have fled away, since last that racaat chair
Was as a throne of joy to as, for thy glad form was there \
Those long and weary years have diaam'd the freshness of oar youtV
Bat tightened round oar loving hearts, their early ties of truth.
|'
The sunny summer of our life hath hat Us shiaing baa,
And sombre aatuaua clouds have veiled its morning's asare blue,
But yet for thee the heart's young buds shall bloom 'mid winter drear,
That wither in their soikude, because thou art not here.
Come to as, brother, o'er the wave itfr pare white crest of final
Shall waft thee, like the wings of hope, bock to thy native heme.
The voices of familiar friends, an answering nato thine,
Shall whisper to tbee throaghthe wiade, and laretbee o'er Use brine.
The long, long nights are coesiag oa, the tiate foraüitb end song, #
The galbtfiag round the hoasehoM hearth of all the beppy throng—
The meeting place of parted friends, wboae light hearts glad the year,
Awl strip it of hs lonsBnem id yot tboaart not bare.
The Devil's Lake.*—In the northern portion of In-
diana there are many beautiful little lalles which give
great interest to a country that is somewhat open.
About twenty-five miles from Logansport, and in
the vicinity of Rochester, there is one of these lakes
about two miles in length, balf-a-mile in width, and of
unknown depth. Soundings were once tried with a
line of thirteen fathoms, but with no effect.
This lake is called by the Indians, " Man-i-too," or
the" Devil's Lakeand such is the terror in which
it is held that few Indians would even dare to venture
in & canoe upon its surface. The Indians would net-
thet fish nor batbe in the lake, such is the nowerful
contriction (that Man-i-too, or the Evil Spirit dwells in
the chirystal waters.
It may elicit a smile from the incredulous to assert
gravely the fact that soine very extraordinary creature
claims monarchy of this beautiful lake. But the ex-
isteace of a monster in this lake is not an objject of
more surprise to us than the remains or the MtutoSo^
whose teeth measure eighteen inches, ai>d which we
found but two miles from town hi a prairie through
which the canal runs. Were there not assurances from
men entitled to credibility, that a monster had been
seen within a few days in the Lake Man-i-too, il might
be supposed that tlte íBwe stotj originated; i*r dm ««•
persutious fears of the Aborigines.
When the Pottawattamie Mills wero erecting*rK«ie
ten years unce, at whát is called tfcej, outlet of the
lake, the monster was seen by those men known to
Gen. Milroy, under whose directions^ I believe the
mills were erected. There are persons in Zsoonspoct
who questioned closely those who lately saw tW mys-
terious occupant of the lake, and are -now convinced
of the reality of Man-i-too being founded on some-
thing more substantial than the basis of snake and fislb
stories generally. ' S
But two weeks since, some men* by th* name of
Robiuson were fishing in the lake, when they beheld,
with surprise, the even surface of the water ruffled by
something swimming rapidly, and which they suppose
must have measured sixty feet.
The Robinson's are respectable men, whose fears
are not easily excited; yet suCh #aa the terror^rhtch
this nondescript caused, that thejr made a hasty retreat
to the shore, much frightened. j
Since this circumstance took place, and but a few
days since, Mr. Linsey, who is well known here, Was
riding near the margin of the lake, when ^e saw, at
the distance of two hundred feet from him, some ani-
mal raise its head three or four feet above the level of
the water. He £lt the security) of the shore, and view-
ed the mysterious creature many minutes, when it dis-
appeared and reappeared three times in succession.
The head- he described as being tKtoe feet across the
frontal bone, and having something of the contour of a
beef's head; but the neck tapering, and having the
character of the serpent; color dingy, with large bright
yellow spots. It turned its head from side to side
with an easy motion, in apparent survey of the sur^-
rounding objects. Mr. Linsey is entitled to credibi-
lity. ' - I ' . !
So convinced are many of the existence of the mon-
ster, that some gentlemen in town have proposed an
expedition to the lake; and, by the aid of rafts, to make
an effort to capture the mysterious being which is a
terror to the superstitious, but which becomes an ob-
ject of interest to science, the naturalist and philoso-
pher.—Logansport (III.J Telegraph.
The Sanctity op Home.—On the maxim that "ev-
ery man's house is bis castle," Lord Chatham made
the following beautiful remarks:
" The poorest may, m his cottage, bid defiance to
all the forces of the crown. It may be frail—its roof
may shake-—the wind may blow through it—the storm
may enter—but the King of England Can not enter!
All his power dare not cross the threshold of the ruin-
ed tenement."
Cause and Effect.—Two, persons meeting, one
observed to the other—
" So our old friend, the Counsellor, is dead; and I
am surprised to hear that he has left so very few
effects."
" Not at all to be wondered at," replied the other,
" as I understand that he had very few causes
LIFE IN GOTHAM.
By John Jone*.
A fig for-your poetical description of éSuwtm sce-
nery—your singing birds and runnin^brooksilyour
clear skies and clearer air! Away, Tsay, with tour
poetry ! I am for real life. DosHfcfcu iaqu^e where
it is to be found? I-Will answer, at' Fulton asarket.
Hast thou never visited Fulton MsskeC, at ahM the
dawn of dayt If not then let us take a stroll there
together.
A fresh day is just struggling into existence. A few
straggling clouds in the east ire flushed with die bees
of the early sun. How silent, how deathlike doy
ery thing appear! Naught save the nutMing of* dis-
tant wheel breaks upon the stillness that rsígás
around. The city appears dead. Its iiiihsliijipli at*-
buried in sleep. Pompeii and Herculanenm ttay b*V J
called the cities of the dead; but New~Yod, at the
dawn of day, is the city of the living dead. I«e| us
jog along. The morning begins to show itself distinct-
ly, and we shall be late. Just see bow that fellow Who
has overslept himself, is belaboring his poor old aag t
be is new endeavoring to "raise a trcrt,'' btftk is Mnb
go." His chance for a load of sweet potatoes thai
morning is a small one, and I satis he begins *e fMak
so himself.
But here we are, near the market.
<4"¿
of " good feed,'
jf bj the
,vily laden butchera'
fe***
As you srp-
you w " *
arelo
tie drawn
proach this
from your
some peores
ing, by their
hum that arisoi
yon conscious of
you turn' the corner ef
the very, theatre of
strife.
either side of Hie way, the hones
standing quietly, with their bead, mouth afld ears tied
up in a sack while they quietly enjoy a ~
fast Their masters in the jaeeñ5uue
of their loads, consisting of dhnua 1Mb of Ub
strung upon twiga selected for th#; " ^ ^
luxuriating on beds of stra#|
kno wn aiumal ycleped ¿o* ;
direction are some twenty or thirty vehicles
called clam-carts.
baga and boxes, filled with the
rounding cow try. Here is tfceJi
^t| sw^ isjiawií Ifiiii n nnn the Lor
¿he New York. ftrestaOer;
aádtbeEasttovérf
from Communipaw,
from the northern lakes* «Í4 fcnison
of toe Mississippi; onions from
bottermrat from Red-Hpok, pigs,
backs—all is confosk* nd bustle.
era-^the New York sharper and the a
lesn, lank Yankee, and the fet Vufej
here ló be seen in afl their glory.
No wonder thttthe sncu
from the market placearse'
ad the market place to
ed Caesar, and to rttr op tbe people j
np was a sagacious man andriartfol
early riser.
But look yonder; diere is something^^Éti hasÜ
not shown you. See thai cfcap with a white apeén,
brushing o^ his table, his cups standing Hke so asasrr
sleepy sentries round a. huge dn ketde. ^eistba
man "wot" sells coffee and cakes. Than* sit two re-
sy-cheeked damsela who have bete up tese two
hours, bou^up Aheir stock mitrada, and are no>W
enjoying a beany breakfiHt, fee whicfc t&iy wfl!
dialled six-pence. --¿v
But hens comea another early cosftoaie^
from a butcher's stall, or a neighboring
here he comea, happy aa shii net k '
ther not caring that ha ha loft his hit at
his linen fluttering in die wind, hiseoel
to his chin, having in é i"
vest. But these are trifles^' st least to hhai1,
proud, thofUffh mayhap he has seen bettor da
now lives like a prince, reama abool all d«r, aaéiód-
ges just where die night overtakes Bin* Thoughtless
and unconcerned, he yields 1e his fete without h'aaaftt
mer. To him the ^sub-treasai r, Biddys isilMa;
Abolitionism, or what not, afe subjects beosath hfts*
philosophic mind. Though he is stigmatiséd by Ae>
worldly race of the
days of Diogenes he would have received dbehooftge
due to the man who sosred above e& éuthly^ eares."
But alas for him! he hep Man «paaÉil timea. Of
this fact he is perfectly conscious ;1m4s aware that his
appearance is rather againat hire; for see him, as he
approaches the coiee-inan/balance on hia fingeren
few coppers, thus showing, before he calla fea breaks
fast, that he has the In this little mUtor be
proves himseif a man of the world, a snminihajlif a
financien Tbia display, of.his speda^aédaji^K^Oé
his deportment, jrirni rrmfidrinrn tn his donianiTj and .*
he seats himself for breakfast with the nnnnraam ef
one who knows his calls will be quickly replied to;
be knows too that without this proffer of his afgjkg re-
pay, his reception would have been a cold one;> nay^
more than probable he would hiave been repulaed by
an application of shoe-leather, which would have been
unpleasant. Alas! the degeneracy of the times!
New York Mirror. **
"Can a man's pocket be empty, (inquired a Hiber-
nian,) when it's got any thing inlt?"
" Surely not," was the reply.
" Then, (exclaimed Pat,) my pockets are not e^p-;?
ty yet, for they've got thundering great boles in 'cm."
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