The Cavalcade of America, presented by DuPont. The Raven Wins Texas, the story of Sam Houston. Produced for radio from The Raven, the four surprise winning biography by Marquis James. Starring Walter Houston in the role of Sam Houston. Tonight, the DuPont Company, makers of Better Things for Better Living through Chemistry, again has the privilege to present Walter Houston in an original Cavalcade of America drama, the story of Sam Houston. In a brilliant career in the American theater, Walter Houston is noted for his performances in the Barker, Dudsworth, and Nickerbacher Holidays. He has been acclaimed for his roles in the motion picture version of Dudsworth, as well as in Road and The Lights That Fade. This week, he returns to Broadway in a new play, Passenger to Bali. Tonight, he appears for the second time in this series of the Cavalcade of America in the role of Sam Houston in The Raven Wins Texas. It is the end of a summer day in the year 1832. In the White House in Washington, two men face each other, President Andrew Jackson and General Sam Houston. Sam, remember you spoke to me a long time ago about Texas. Yes, I do, Mr. President. You said you weren't ready to talk about it then. Well, I am now. I've been keeping my ear to the ground, hearing a lot about what's going on down in Texas now. And here it is. They were promised statehood in the Mexican Confederation eight years ago. And by the time of Sam, that promise ain't been kept. Of course it hasn't been kept. Didn't think it would be, did you? Here's what I'm thinking, Sam. Texas shouldn't belong to Mexico at all. Certainly it should. It should belong to the Union. It's going to have a walloping fight to get it in. Well, who's afraid of a fight? No, more on a fight, Sam. Bigger things than that in Texas. Powerful big things. It's the whole Southwest. There's got to be only one civilization down there. One. The American civilization. Amen to that, sir. Sam, you go on out there to Texas. You'll find Steve Austin there, the things out there. He's a good man. It'd be too good to be dealing with that Mexican rattlesnake, Santa Ana. Watch out for his fangs. He's got them in his use. That's a big job, General. Sure it is, Sam. But I tell you, Texas should be in the Union. Should be by the eternal itself. That's what I promise you, General. By the eternal. Mind if I walk you to your horse, Mr. Austin? Why, no, General Houston. I'm glad to have a few words with you, if you'd like. What's on your mind? Mr. Austin, ever since I came to Texas, I've been telling you, Santa Ana is a split tongue reptile you can't bust. And I'm asking you for the last time, don't go down to Mexico City to see him. It won't do any good. General Houston, I've got to go. You were at the convention. You know they sent me down there to ask Santa Ana to recognize the rights of Texas. I know. I fought the plan all through the convention, and I still say it won't work. I tell you, you can't rely on Santa Ana. He's got every reason to be grateful to us. Texas helped make him president of Mexico. Listen, General, you've been paying too much attention to the hot-headed elements down here. I trust Santa Ana, and I believe he'll give us our way in Texas. You can't trust him, sir. He's a tyrant, and you'll find out you're just wasting your time. Well, I'm the best judge of that, General. Goodbye, sir. Goodbye, Mr. Austin. Then you are president. Yes, El Monte. What is it now? It is this, Senor Stephen Austin is still waiting to see you. You must wait, El Monte, until I am ready to see him. It is now six months that he has been here waiting for an audience. May I remind you that... Enough, enough, El Monte. You can remind him and yourself, too, that I am the Napoleon on this continent. Then you will actually be pardoned. Senor Stephen Austin is ready to leave. Leave? He just told me so, he's that. He's waited six months, he says. Six months. He too saw the time, El Monte. Senor Stephen Austin will stay with us a little longer. But he'll still be with us. I need no help from Senor Stephen Austin. I have discovered a letter here, a letter Senor Austin wrote to friends in Texas. It was too bad, he wrote. I shall make Senor Stephen Austin pay for that mistake, I hear you. I do not quite understand it. Senor Stephen Austin was indiscreet enough to write that Texas might have to separate from Mexico. Separate from me? You're here and joined the United States. He is a traitor to Mexico. Senor Stephen Austin will find it his mistake to oppose me. El Monte, you go out there. You arrest Senor Stephen Austin. You give him a beef and a solitary cell. When you have done this, El Monte, you come back. Tell me about it. Yes, sector. Well, sir, will the president see me now? I am sorry, Senor Austin, I have told you the president will not. But I have been trying to see him for six months. Surely... I have said, Senor Austin, you will not see him. Senor Austin, you are under arrest. Arrest? What for? You have no right to arrest me. I represent Texas. And General Santa Anna represents Mexico. Did I trust him? Sam Houston was right. Tell your Santa Anna he can imprison Stephen Austin. But there are Americans in Texas who will make him pay for it. You can't stifle the cry of liberty. No man ever has, no man ever will. Mr. Speaker, General Sam Houston. Mr. Speaker, gentlemen, we all know what we are up against. Santa Anna still holds Stephen Austin in the dungeon. And what have our people done? Driven a few Mexican garrisons out and what's the result? These thoughtless flaps at Mexico have done more harm than good. Santa Anna will be back any day with an army for revenge. And gentlemen, Texas is not ready for it. We have no government. We have no army. We better organize both and be quick about it. Mr. Speaker, I move that Sam Houston be given command of the Army of Texas. Gentlemen, you have heard the motion. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? The motion is carried. Mr. Speaker? General Houston. Yes, what is it, gentlemen? A message from the boys at the Alamo. Santa Anna has attacked us. Mr. Speaker! Mr. Speaker, just a minute! What's wrong, General? I've got a message here from Colonel Travis and David Crockett at the Alamo. In ten days getting to it. It reads, I'm besieged by Mexican troops. Santa Anna demands our surrender. Otherwise our troops will be put to the sword. I call upon you in the name of liberty, patriotism, and everything dear to Americans to come to our aid with respect. I move this convention immediately adjourned, arm, and march to the aid of the Alamo. Gentlemen! Gentlemen, please listen to me. This isn't the time to go off half-cocked. That's in our trouble. If we've got to save the Alamo, we've got to have an army to do it. Your place is here. Mine is to find an army. And God willing, we'll save the Alamo. General Yosemite. Oh, Firefly, oh. What is it, Major? Scouts up ahead found a woman riding by herself looking for you, sir. You're bringing her back here. Well, who do you suppose she is? Her said her name is Mrs. Dickerson, General. Oh, here they come now, sir. Well, I wonder what's up. Give the order to Hogg. Yes, sir. I'm Hogg. I'm Hogg. Is General Houston there? I'm General Houston, ma'am. What's the trouble? General, I have a message for you. The Alamo has fallen. Fallen? We're too late. Colonel Travis, David Crockett, they're all killed. Butchered, slaughtered by Santa Anna. The Hogg got us. Yes, General. We set them off for 12 days. Only 180 men against 4,000. Then at dawn on the 13th day, the Mexicans put scaling ladders against the walls. And that was the end. So only six of us left. We watched Santa Anna come into the Alamo and cross the square to where we were. He came prancing up on a pony and his men's tears and sang until I thought I'd never seen so many men. Well, there he is. The great Santa Anna. 13 days. Well, it took him that long to ride inside these walls anyway. What'll I do? What'll I do to him now? Keep up your nerve, Mr. Thickenpool. Don't let him think you're scared. Remember, we showed him what we could do for 12 days. We're not going to quake the farm now. Make way! Make way for our Presidente! At ease! At ease! Well, Almonte, the victory is mine. Yes, Senor Presidente, but another one like it will ruin you. Silence, Almonte. Yes, Senor Presidente, these are the prisoners. These five men here, Senor, the women there. Prisoners are a nuisance, Almonte. I do not wish to have them. Good. You bloodthirsty beast! Haven't you butchered enough of it? Oh, there is a flash of spirit for you, Almonte. I shall show you a little mercy. Senor, come here, Senor. No! No, I won't! When Santa Anna orders, he's a fiend. No! You are a tender Senor, very easily broken. Proceed, Almonte. No! Oh, no, don't! Don't! Almonte, what are you waiting for? Yes, Senor Presidente. Ready! Aim! Fire! You see, Senora, what my mercy spares you. Now you can do something for me. You know this General Sam Houston? No. You will find this Senor Sam Houston. You will take a message to him. Almonte, you have a horse made ready for the Senora. Listen well, Senora. Give him my compliment. Tell him what you have seen. Tell him to remember the Alamo. That will be the fate of every man in Texas who opposes my authority. Now, find this horse, quickly, Senora. Up, go, go! So, Santa Ana sends a message. And here's our reply, Mrs. Dickinson. We'll remember the Alamo and Santa Ana will never forget it. Hartley. Yes, sir. Tell the men we'll have to eat cold rations tonight. I want no campfires burning. Too easily spotted by Santa Ana's men. Yes, sir. And they'll wipe us out anyway if you ask me. I tell you, General Houston, it's no good. We haven't a chance. I'll throttle you if you keep up that talk. Very well, sir. But tell me how 900 men are going to drive off 7,000. That's my problem, Major Smith. The Mexicans haven't captured yet and I tell you they won't. Texas is a powerful big place to fight in. And there's lots of room for one big blow. What's going on there? What is it? What is that? What's the matter there? Dogs picked up a rattlesnake ridded it into camp, General. Come on, you speak up, you spy. Santa Ana, why on earth did you expect me to... Yeah, no, no, we don't serve the Mexicans around here. English, you know English. All right, tell them just what you told me. Go on. Santa Ana, you go this way. 40 vision. 18 on. Right behind. Yes? Santa Ana right back of us? Shall I hang him or shoot him? You prefer who? No, no, no, there's no hurry. Major Smith. Yes, General. Well, you're right, Smith, it's no use. We can't fight 7,000. I thought so. Yes, we'd better get out of here. Make for the border of the United States before it's too late. I guess it's all over, boys, we're licked. All right, sir, makes sense to me. What's this spy doing in here? Take him out of this camp before I change my mind and have him strung up. Get out, get out of here. We'll see. Come on. Go on, get out. We have to hurry before it's too late. Where are you going, Major Smith? I'm going to carry out your orders. Major. Yes, General? Do you think I'm a lunatic? Didn't you just say it was all over? Sure I said it. Sure we're going to retreat. When that spy tells Santa Ana he'll come chasing after us and we'll give him a run. A run he'll never forget. Then boys, we'll strike. We'll hit him when he least expects it. All right, go ahead, but you're making a mistake. I'm commanding this army. I give the orders. Sound at its feet. Captain Baker. What is it, Major? Follow me down the road. Yes, sir. Yes. Oh, there. Oh, Captain Martin. Yes, Major? Follow us. Hurry. Yes, sir. Oh, there. Major Hartley. Yes. You follow us off the road here, over in those cottonwoods. What's the matter? Come on, you'll see. All right. Yes. Come on. Hurry up. Oh. Now listen, men, we've got to take a stand. Houston's kept us retreating for 38 days. Santa Ana's still hot on our trail. The officers of his staff, I vote we demand an explanation. He'll give us an explanation, all right. Sure he will. But if it isn't satisfactory, he should be removed from command. Who'll succeed him? You, Major? Well, that's beside the point, but this isn't. We're licked, men. The army's deserted. Hundreds have gone across the border in state. About time we did too. Raps getting their hives off a sinking ship, huh? You all heard what General Houston said about this retreat being part of a plan? Yeah, we heard him. We heard him say a lot of things. Victory is certain. Remember the Alamo. I say he ought to remember it. Instead of backing us up to the border and then swinging us east over this way, he doesn't know what he's doing. Kind of a general, is he? All right, men. He's had his way long enough. We can get along without him. Now, we all agreed to take a stand that way. Wait a minute. Somebody's riding through the woods. Who is it? It's alone, whoever he is. Houston. Well, how did he find out we were meeting? Never mind. Too late now. Oh, oh, boy. Well, we sort of missed you boys. Letting the army get away ahead of you, aren't you? Well, um, General Houston, I... Yes, what's the matter? Oh, come on. Out with it. Go ahead, Major Smith. Well, how much longer are we going to retreat? We have a right to know. It's over the men, the ones who haven't deserted you. Yes. Is that the way you all feel? Baker? Martin? Hockley. No, sir, I don't. Thanks, Hockley. The trouble with you men is you don't know what's going on. Instead of going off in the woods here, you should have stayed with me and learned a few things. The scouts have reported that Santa Ana has gone into camp just beyond the Sanyo Center there, only one of his four divisions with him. What are you going to do, General Houston? General Houston, it's almost three o'clock. An hour from now, they'll still be taking their fiesta. Hockley, is my imagination playing tricks with me again? Playing tricks, sir. That eagle. See it up there? Yes, sir. But say there was an eagle above my head when I came into Texas. Now this one at Sanyo Center, an eagle again, sailing toward Santa Ana's camp. All right, boys, the retreat's over. Now we attack. Here, here they are. Here are the orders. We'll assemble in these woods. Four o'clock when I raise the sword, we'll advance to catch them and catch them asleep. Don't fire until I give the order. Remember now, no firing until I give the signal. All right, men, quiet. Got to catch them sleeping during the fiesta. No sign of life in their camp yet, sir. They've seen us, sir. Hold your fire, men. Hold your fire, Hockley. Yes, General. We're almost to Mexican best. I know. It's about 20 yards, sir. Everything ready? Yes, sir. Can you see our artillery? Men are looking this way. They're waiting for the signal, sir. All right. Wave your hat. Siglentons to fire. Right, sir. Now give it to them. Remember the alamo, boys. Hockley! Here, sir. Sit down and lead against this treachery. All right, Hockley. Try not to move that leg any more than you have to, sir. I'm afraid you'll shatter the bone. Never mind it, Hockley. Have they found Santana? Where is he, Hockley? Well, the men have been searching all night, sir. I guess we missed them. Missed them? And we've failed, Hockley. Santana will be back with his three divisions and wipe us out. We've got to find him. Well, we can't even tell who is an officer, who isn't, the way these Mexicans have ripped off their epaulets. What's going on back there? Major Hockley, Major Hockley, they've caught Santana. Caught him? Where is he? They're bringing him in now. That one there. Oh, that can't be Santana. Robeson got him, but he didn't realize who he'd caught till the other prisoners began shouting out President Day. What are you laughing at, Hockley? Wait till I raise you up, General Houston. You'll have to. He's wearing a blue smock and red carpet slippers. This is the great Santana. I guess we interrupt that he's his siesta. What's that? What's that? Great work, boys. Go ahead now. Quiet, here he is. I am General Antonio Lopez de Santana, President of Mexico, Commander in Chief of the Army of Upper East. Indeed. Take a seat, General. Sit down. Sit on that box there. I place myself at the disposal of the brave General Houston. You don't have much chance choice, do you? The man who has conquered the Napoleon of the West may consider himself born to no common data. It now remains for him to be General to the bank. You should have thought of that at the Alamo. I propose that General Houston. You propose what? I propose an armistice. Armistice? Well, I'll do all the proposing, understand? As you wish. You'll write an order instructing your troops to leave Texas soil forever. Could I? Could I have? Has anyone a piece of opium? Opium? So? I, I would be very grateful. Now I see you in your true color, the Napoleon of the West. It is not a great thing I ask. No? Nor I. Merely that your armies leave Texas, you'll write the order of evacuation. Yes, Signor. Yes, I will do so. Take him away, boys. All right, General. Come on, now. Hotley. Yes, General. Get me a paper and a quill. I'm going to write to Andrew Jackson. Yes. He's won our freedom. Now all that remains is for us to join Texas with the Union. When that day comes, and someday it will, I'll tell all history myself. By the eternal. The eternal. General Hughes. I'm sorry, Hannah. We got here too late. I'm sorry, too, Jimmy. He asked about this very land. It is my son, Hannah. How do you do, Hannah? How do you do, Mr. Sands? We left as soon as we heard. Could we see him? Yes, sir. You can. This way, Jimmy. You come too, Sam. My son. Yes, father? My son. Always remember you've looked on the face of Andrew Jackson. He was a great man, wasn't he, father? No man alive. No one will ever be his equal. Father, he sent you to Texas, didn't he? Long time ago. Now he's gone without knowing that Texas belongs to the Union. No, dear. He knew. Word came this morning. Did he say anything? He smiled all over his face. Then he looked up and said, Texas in the Union. My old friend has been true to his son. He said he smiled. Come along. We're going home. The raven's flight is ended. But the heritage he left us lies in the greatness of the Lone Star State. And tonight, Sam Houston, the foremost Texan of his time, and all time, takes an honored place in the cavalcade of America. Thank you, Walter Houston. We are happy to have you as our guest on the cavalcade of America. And now, before we hear from Dr. Monahan about next week's program, we have a story from the Wonderworld of chemistry. Picture a room with rows of green apples hanging from hooks on the wall. One green apple hangs from each hook. Sounds foolish, doesn't it? But it isn't. It's just a part of the careful research to find a better and safer way of controlling the coddling moth and preventing wormy apples. Coddling moth worms love apples. They cause heavy damage to apple crops and make you pay more for the fruit. Materials now used to protect apples from these pests must be washed off at harvest time in order to protect your health. You can see what a fine thing it would be to have a safe protection that wouldn't need to be washed off. Some years ago, Yopon scientists began a search for a material that would defeat the insects and not harm humans. So they built a dining room for the coddling moth worms with tempting green apples hanging on hooks. They provided comfortable little cages for coddling moths to live in and lay their eggs. Month after month, they treated green apples with various chemicals and watched the moth worm. It was a long search, but those DuPont men kept plugging at it and finally they found a promising chemical with a long name, phenothiazine. Anyway, the name isn't half as important as the fact that it does protect apples against the coddling moth when sprayed properly on the fruit. It also protects grapes against the grapeberry moth and a disease called the black rock. It stops Japanese beetles from feeding on plants and fruits and is proving effective against other insects too. There's another queer angle to this story. Zoologists of the United States Department of Agriculture have tried out the same chemical as a remedy for certain internal parasites as sheep. They found it to be the most effective known remedy for this purpose. A single dose does the trick. It didn't take long for the news of this experimental work to travel to the great sheep raising countries of Canada and Australia. Scientists there have had equally good results. And now similar trials are being made with cattle, hogs, and other animals. So you see, the benefits of chemical research travel far and wide. Whether you grow apples or raise sheep or merely buy lamb chops and enjoy apple pie, chemistry has been working to protect your pocketbook. And there you have the essence of the DuPont pledge, better things for better living through chemistry. Now the Cavalcade of America's Historian, Dr. Frank Monahan of Yale University. Sam Houston, the founder of the Republic of Texas, was a great man molding a great event, and so his name is written large in American history. But it is true that frequently a great event can be approached and understood through the hopes and actions of the little people, whom history does not headline. The Cavalcade program for next week, entitled On Jordan's Bank, is the story of an unknown youth named Sam Davis. Sam Davis was a Confederate spy, a spy who was caught. But Davis, during his brief career, seems to me to represent the highest devotion to a cause, the most complete loyalty to an ideal. And these are qualities that have given strength to the fabric of American character and greatness. Music Next week, when the Cavalcade of America presents On Jordan's Bank, our star will be Elliot Reid. Radio listeners everywhere will recognize Elliot Reid and remember his outstanding performances on many radio programs. On Broadway, he's been a talented and versatile member of the Mercury Theater, appearing in Julius Caesar and The Shoemaker's Holiday. Next week, he will be starred in the Cavalcade of America's drama On Jordan's Bank in the role of Private Sam Davis. On tonight's program, the orchestra and musical effects run the direction of Don Voree. It is Basil Rysdale saying good night and best wishes from DuPont. Music This is the National Broadcasting Company. Music
