Along the Neutral Strip the inhabitants catered only to hard money, that is gold and silver coins, and Murrell asked that fees for his service be paid in coin. Murrell would place a set of balancing scales where everyone could see, on one side he placed the Bible, then he said, “this Bible will represent the Book of Judgment and I place it on this side of the scales, it will represent your mis-deeds or de-sets. Now, we are all going to stay here until you people give enough to tip these scales to the asset side.” While the collections were being made, Murrell would be expounding of the good things he intended doing with the money, he even had a few henchmen in the audience to begin the contributions and to urge the others to do the same. Murrell becomes another legend of Los Adais and of his hidden treasures, it is believed that he had many hidden treasures which he called large banks and small banks. No one is certain how Murrell’s death came about. Murrell’s gold and silver, and he must have had much of it, with nearly a decade of preaching, lying, robbing and murdering in the strip, could have been the cause. XIII THE BREAK-UP OF THE NEUTRAL STRIP There were rumors in 1806 that Aaron Burr was attempting to organize the settlers of the Neutral Strip and that an actual Free State of Sabine was to be established, Breastworks at Sabine-Town and a Block House with two companies of the United States militia were established near the confluence of Bayou Negrett and the Sabine River on the El Camino Real. The establishment of the Block House by General Wilkinson resulted in the Spanish bolstering their strength in the western part of the Neutral Strip by giving presents to the Indians and thereby establishing an Indian barrier in the area. The gifts amounted to two thousand seven hundred-nine pesos from the Mexican Government to be given at Nacogdoches. The Indians received muskets, lead, powder, shot, knives, razors, scissors, combs, mirrors, glass beads, war paint, copper and iron pots, ribbons, coats, bells, needles, belt buckles, ramrods, cotton goods and rum. The Indians asked for tobacco which was not available, but five hundred eighty-nine pounds of tobacco twists were smuggled from Natchitoches through the Neutral Strip to Nacogdoches by orders of Manuel de Salcedo, the Governor. Although trade was forbidden on El Camino Real by the Spanish from French Louisiana there was a continuous stream of contraband goods being smuggled into Texas. The “Contraband Trail” ran parallel to the El Camino Real about four miles distant from the El Camino Real, but crossing it intermittently in areas that were uninhabited. The Americans retaliated by supplying the Takuays and the Towanoni with articles of trade and a blacksmith shop so they could sharpen the knives and scissors obtained as presents from the Spanish.