Atascaceto District January 3d, 1830

Dear Sir, being at this time by the wish of my district appointed to the discharge of the duties of Alcalde and being totaly destitute of the laws of the Republic I have presumed knowing your zeal and devotion to the interest and welfare of your adopted country to intrude so far upon your patience as in this way to ask in behalf of my fellow citizens what some of the prime duties and powers of the Alcalde are but the principal object of this letter is to obtain of you a sleight account of what course should be taken with such individuals as are a constant annoyance to our settlement on account of their habitual habit of stealing and other wrongs at this time there are two men a certain Yocum, and Grosvenor who for the basest of crimes to wit—The kidnapping of a whole family of colored persons and attempting to sell them after they had murdered the father as is supposed, were driven across the Sabine and their houses were burned by Col. Manning of the USA Garrison, now these same men are attempting to locate themselves in this district and I have thus far presumed to trouble you with the hope that you will have the goodness to give me in your answer such necessary information as will afford us some clue to the method by which we may rid ourselves of such persons as are so great a pest and annoyance to our settlement.

Matthew G. White Alc[ade]

Poscript these men have a number of Negroes in the settlement and I am not advised what I should do with them,

[Addressed:] Stephen F. Austin St, Phillippi