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    Texas | Columns | "Wandering"

    Judge Isaac Moreland Interviewed
    or
    Here comes the judge
    on ‘See It Now and Then’

    by Wanda Orton
    Wanda Orton

    What if we’d had TV in the era of the Republic of Texas.

    Imagine Edward R. Tomorrow as a chain-smoking talk show host and pretend that he’s interviewing Isaac N. Moreland.

    Ed: (smoking) Good evening. Welcome to See It Now and Then. Our guest tonight is Judge Isaac N. Moreland, an important figure in the era of the Republic of Texas.

    Isaac: (coughing) Thanks for having me. Frankly, I’m surprised you picked me to interview because I’m not really that important.

    Ed: We think you are, Judge Moreland, and that is one of the purposes of this show, to spotlight our unsung heroes who contributed greatly to the progress of Texas but without much honor and recognition.

    Isaac: (grinning) If you say so.

    Ed: Where did you come from and when did you arrive in Texas?

    Isaac: I’m from Georgia, moved to Texas in 1834, first lived in Anahuac and then relocated to Liberty.

    Ed: Didn’t you have a lot to do with writing the Anahuac Resolutions in May 1835, protesting unjust taxation by customs officials?

    Isaac: I can’t take all the credit. Others who helped with the document were Andrew Janeway Yates and Augustus Chapman Allen.

    Ed: When did you stop writing and start fighting?

    Isaac: Joined the Texas Army in October 1835 and fought at the Siege at Bexar in December that year. Afterward, Gen. Sam Houston appointed me as captain of the First Regiment of Infantry and ordered me to Harrisburg to set up a recruiting station.

    Ed: With posters pointing at prospects, exclaiming, “Uncle Sam Houston wants you!”

    Isaac: Wish I’d thought of that. Good slogan.

    Ed: You fought at San Jacinto.

    Isaac: Yep, worked those cannons called the Twin Sisters. After the war, I was assigned to command Fort Travis at Galveston. Stayed in the military until discharged in April 1837.

    Ed: And on May 29, 1837, you and David G. Burnet became law partners in Houston.

    Isaac: Sure did and that’s when I moved to Houston.

    Ed: (smoking again) I heard Burnet was a grumpy old man.

    Isaac: (coughing) We got along fine. He was just set in his ways. It was either his way or the waterway.

    Ed: When did you become chief justice of Harris County?

    Isaac: In 1840 and later on that title of chief justice was changed to county judge.

    Ed: I heard you told Sam Houston a very interesting bit of gossip from the battle of San Jacinto.

    Isaac: Wasn’t gossip. It was the truth.

    Ed: That …

    Isaac: Now I see why you wanted to interview me. You wanted to talk about the Yellow Rose of Texas, didn’t you.

    Ed: Well, yes, I did want to pick your brain.

    Isaac: Listen up. I told Sam Houston that an indentured servant, Emily West, also known as Emily Morgan, kept Santa Anna preoccupied in his tent when the Texans attacked at San Jacinto, thus changing the course of history. That’s all.

    Ed: That’s a lot. Anything else?

    Isaac: That’s all I know. Except I did help Emily get a new passport to go back to New York in 1837. She’d lost her papers.

    Ed: How did she lose them?

    Isaac: You know how. She lost ’em at San Jacinto when all hell was breaking loose. Wonder that girl didn’t get killed.

    Ed: Did you ever have any idea that a Texas-size legend would grow out of her story?

    Isaac: It’s true. It’s not just a story.

    Ed: And may I add, it’s also a song. (“Yellow Rose of Texas” background music starts playing.) … Think we could ever get Emily to come on our show?

    Isaac: If you can find her. We never heard from her again after she went back to New York.

    Ed: Thank you, Judge Moreland, for being with us tonight, and thank all of you for watching See It Now and Then … Good night and good luck.


    © Wanda Orton

    Baytown Sun Columnist
    "Wandering" October 15, 2012 columns

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