Publisher urges Texans never to surrender

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the May 9, 1865 edition of his newspaper the Houston Telegram, publisher Edward Hopkins Cushing encouraged his readers to keep on fighting and never to knuckle under to the Yankees.

Throughout Lone Star history, the most zealous residents have often been those who were Texan by choice rather than birth.  A prime example was Vermont-born and Dartmouth-educated Cushing, who became a naturalized citizen of Texas in 1850 at the age of 21.

The educated New Englander came to teach but soon gravitated toward journalism.  Seeking a forum for his strong opinions, in 1856 he bought the controlling interest in the Houston Telegram, the most influential paper on the mainland.