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Excerpted from an Original Copy of the April 9, 1836 Edition of the "Niles'
Weekly Register"
From the New Orleans "True American."
Natchitoches, 15th March, 1836
Editor of the True American.
Sir: I send the copy of a letter received this morning by express from Texas.
In haste, &c.
Committee room, Washington, Texas, March 6th, 1836.
Dear wife: I am well and we are getting along very well. We have three or four committees
who are preparing a constitution, and we will soon have it ready. I shall be at home in ten or fifteen days, we have
alarming news continually from the west; Frank Johnson's division is all killed, but five, it is supposed. We saw two
shot begging for quarters. Dr. Grant with a company of men is supposed to be all slain.
Travis' last express states San Antonio was strongly besieged; it
is much feared that Travis and company are all massacred, as despatches have been due from that place three days and none
have arrived here yet. The frontiers are breaking up, Gonzales must be sacked, and its inhabitants murdered and defiled
unless they get immeditae aid. The last accounts, the Mexicans were to a considerable number between Gonzales and San
Antonio. Fanning is at La Badia with about 500 men, and in daily expectation of a visit from Santa Anna.
Texas has been declared free and independent, but unless we have a general turn out and every man lay a helping hand
too, we are lost. Santa Anna and his vassals are now on our borders, and the declaration of our freedom, unless it is
sealed with blood, is of no force. I say again that nothing will save Texas but a general turn out. You all know
my views with regard to our conditon; I have given you the facts, judge for yourselves. I wish a copy of this letter
sent immediately to capt. Baily Anderson and col. S. A. Lublett, and publicly read in San Augustine.
Travis closes his last expresses with these words--Help! O my country.
MARTIN PALMER.
To the committee of vigilance and safety, San Augustine, Texas.
This letter was scanned from an original copy of the April 9, 1836 editon of the
"Niles' Weekly Register" published in Baltimore, Maryland. It is interesting to note that this edition was published
12 days before the Battle of San Jacinto which occurred on April 21, 1836. This is the letter that Martin Parmer sent
his wife on March 6, 1836 from the Convention at Washington where the independence of Texas had been declared 4 days before.
The Alamo fell on March 6, 1836.
Parmer and his fellow delegates would not know this for several more days.
Click on the link below to see all of page 99 of the April 9, 1836 edition of the "Niles'
Weekly Register." It is a very large file. The scan of the entire page is 504,454 bytes and is 1394 x 2108 pixels.
It is however worth the time to down load. On the same page, there are orders of General Sam Houston, a famous old story
about Davy Crockett and part of the Texas Declaration of Independence. It is rather amazing to see just how much information
a newspaper in Baltimore, Maryland had regarding Texas within about a month of the events.
Niles Weekly Register April 9, 1836 Page 99
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