Tragedy and Robbery at the Close of the Civil War, by Lori Duran*

Pendleton Murrah, Texas' 10th Governor

Texas’ tenth governor, Pendleton Murrah had his life get off to a bad start and it was regularly marked with tragedy. He lost both parents as a small child. Then he contracted tuberculosis as a young adult. That disease would later claim Murrah’s life. But not before he led Texas, through the tumultuous last 16 months of the Confederacy. And not before one violent criminal act shook Austin to its core.

Murrah’s gubernatorial inauguration, during the civil war, was at a time of great hardship and had to be celebrated with cornmeal cakes. And wartime stress was not the only crisis he faced. Sadly, his marriage proved unhappy. And his lovesick nephew committed suicide in the governor’s mansion over a romantic rejection of his own. That death spawned ghost stories.  Meanwhile Texas farmers and planters, who had no desire to exchange their cotton for depreciating Confederate currency, pressured Murrah for relief. Life in Austin, by this time was difficult. Austin was isolated and not receiving consumer goods on a regular basis. Ordinary items were in short supply and runaway inflation made products more expensive.

When the surrender of Lee’s forces in Virginia reached Texas, civil government devolved, and Austin experienced lawless turmoil. And it was known that Union forces would soon occupy the state and its capital city. Murrah reluctantly fled Texas while leaving Lieutenant Governor Fletcher Stockdale in charge back in Austin. Murrah put on his old gray uniform and headed to Mexico along with other shattered remnants of the confederate forces. Murrah knew he was dying from his tuberculosis. He succumbed to his miserable ailment in Mexico and reportedly was buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in Nuevo Leon. But he wasn’t forgotten. In 2015, a cenotaph was erected in Murrah's honor at the Texas State Cemetery.

As the Confederacy collapsed and law enforcement began to disappear, while disgruntled army deserters were moving into Texas, a local volunteer force was formed to protect the state treasury. This continued at least until Union forces arrived June 24, 1865. During this brief interlude between Murrah’s departure and the arrival of the Union forces, lawlessness was at its height in Austin. And in this window of time, the treasury was robbed in a violent gun battle.  It was one of the boldest robberies in Texas history. This robbery took place immediately following the evacuation of most Confederate state government. And it would be accomplished before the arrival of Union occupation forces just days later.

Approximately 40 outlaws rode silently into town up Congress Avenue to the Treasury Building which was to the right of the old limestone capitol. Fortunately, the local volunteer force found out the treasury robbery was imminent just before they heard what sounded like blows being delivered to the safes inside the treasury building. One of the volunteers beat the call to arms on his drum. And in short time the good guys were entering the Capitol grounds to defend the treasury. They were met by heavy fire before the outlaw lookouts finally retreated. Then there was another gun battle inside the building until the criminals fled town.  The gunfight battles ended with the death of 1 robber and the rest of them escaped never to be caught. The outlaws dropped some of their plunder in their hasty escape. But they made off with $17,000 in specie which was more than half of the gold and silver in the state treasury at the time. This loot was never recovered.  One hundred and fifty-five years later the tragic life of Pendleton Murrah and the violent postwar treasury robbery remain some of Austin’s most notorious civil war stories.

Photo from Waterloo Scrapbook 1975-1976 published by Friends of the Austin Public Library. Photo part of the Austin-Travis County collection. Caption reads "TREASURY BUILDING WAS SCENE OF NOTORIOUS ROBBERY: Denoted by arrow, it was located east of old Capitol".

 

* About the Author

With a Master’s Degree that combined Latin American Studies with Masters of Business Administration classes from the University of Texas, Lori Duran researches interesting historical stories of social changes. This has been her life-long passion. Duran serves on the board of directors at the Austin History Center Association. In her spare time she writes free-lance magazine articles and pictorial books about local history. Her current book Austin’s Travis Heights Neighborhood describes the rich and fascinating history of the original south Austin. Her next book, The University of Texas at Austin: The First One Hundred Years will be released later in 2020.