Runnels to Rip Ford, March 10, 1858
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ders, officers or as having anything to do with
the affair. You will have the right to pick your
men. This you must attend to. I have nothing to
do with giving men the preference nor have you,
because they have been in service, or because they
have contracted debts expecting to be kept in service,
our action is not expected by the public to be based
on private or individual interests, but for the good
of the service and in due regard to the interests
of the whole State.
Dispense with the service of any por-
tion of the men whenever you are satisfied they
are no longer needed and consider this your or-
der for doing so. I am responsible, one thousand
men on the frontier would not give satisfaction to
many, and as loud a cry would be raised against
the dismissal of any portion of them, as is now
attempted to be raised by some of Hells hounds
who are noising about Conner and his men
being dismissed.
To justify the keeping of a force on the
frontier, the people will want to hear of some
thing being done, to hear of Indians and of
their being whipped.
If men living on the frontier loose
a cow or a Jackass occasionally, only it is be-
cause they have placed themselves in a posi-
tion where they might expect it. It would
be better however if that is all the damage
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Runnels to Rip Ford, March 10, 1858, Records of Hardin Richard Runnels, Texas Office of the Governor, Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Page last modified: March 30, 2011