USA > Texas > Johnson County > A memorial and biographical history of Johnson and Hill counties, Texas : containing the early history of this important section of the great state of Texas together with glimpses of its future prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens of the present time, and full-page portraits of some of the most eminent men of this section > Part 14
USA > Texas > Hill County > A memorial and biographical history of Johnson and Hill counties, Texas : containing the early history of this important section of the great state of Texas together with glimpses of its future prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens of the present time, and full-page portraits of some of the most eminent men of this section > Part 14
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IN BRIEF.
Peter M. Herrell, in the eastern part of the county, and was soon eanght, as he did not endeavor to make his escape as briskly as he might have done. Deputy Sheriff Tom Conl- ter and a large foree of citizens tracked him to a point eight miles south of llillsboro, where they found him making some coffee over a camp fire. Ile was known to be well armed, and it was deemed advisable to use stratagem. It had grown dark, and the boys concluded to play drunk. With loud, maudlin- like talking they came up and one said, "Boys, 1 am bound to light my pipe." The others followed, and while the guilty wretch was over the fire with the new coffee-pot which he had robbed from his murdered victim, and unsuspicions of danger, he was covered by shot-guns and pistols in the hands of the men who meant not to be trifled with. He sur- rendered without a struggle. Ile was finally convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to the penitentiary for five years, but was killed in a railroad wreck before his time was out.
April 24, 1879, Shed Griffin was killed at a house of ill-fame just outside of the city limits of Cleburne, by officers Lowry and Cox, in the discharge of their duty in at- tempting to arrest him. Griffin received seven shot-wounds, probably any one of thein fatal, and yet he fought considerably after having received several of them!
On the morning of the 13th day of July, in the year of grace 1891, the three little children of G. A. Newberry were found murdered in the back yard of his residence,
In the month of July, 1877, II. M. P'harr, generally known as " Doe" Pharr, killed "a few miles north of Cleburne! Mrs. Mary
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Newberry, the grandmother of the children, was convicted of the crime during January following, and sentenced to imprisonment Tor ninety-nine years! Not even a plea of insanity was presented in court.
Oliver Perry Arnold, an honored resident living abont eight miles north of Cleburne, having been sheriff and collector from 1869 to 1876, ean relate many interesting inci- dents. Ile was a remarkably faithful officer, never failing to bring to trial a refugee from justice, although bribes were offered him and he has been shot at by the fleeing criminals. At one time he arrested a man named Thomas O'Conner, who had committed murder in Bosque county, capturing him on the county line and turning him over to the authorities of that county. Ile broke jail and was at large nineteen years, when Mr. Arnold again arrested him, aud ho was tried and sentenced for life. During all that period of nineteen years Mr. Arnold held in trust the money (8320) which he took from the criminal and for which he gave the examining justice a receipt.
William Jack, in writing upon the trite subject of the whipping-post, in the Chroni- ele for October 11, 1878, in order to call at. tention to his article, avoided a caption or any introduction to forewarn his reader what his subject was, commencing thus: " In at- tempting another article on this subject, I shall name the subject as seldom as possible. The word itself has become offensive to me, but the subject seems to grow in importance. Although I believe that something ought to have been written on the subject at the start,
and waited and wished that some one more competent would assume that duty, I feared there was not matter enough contained in it to make a respectable article." And thus he proceeds for a dozen lines or more, when he introduces a supposition and writes nearly half a column before the reader ean discover what the topic is.
JOHNSON COUNTY IN THE WAR.
The first company for the last war raised in Johnson county was organized immedi- ately after secession. on the ground where Cleburne now stands, on Henderson's land: hence the place was named Camp Henderson. It was organized by General W. II. Parsons, aid-de-camp to the Governor. W. J. Neal was elected its Captain. The sceond com- pany was soon made up, and this was com- manded by Captain W. R. Shannon; the third by A. J. Frizzell; the fourth by J. A. Forinwalt; the fifth by II. G. Bruce; the sixth by II. C. Childress; the seventh by Sam Caruthers; the eighth by -- Cathy, and the ninth by II. A. Hart. Of the above cap- tains, Shannon, Formwait, Caruthers and Hart are still living. Shannon is now in Califor- nia; Formwalt at Granbury, Hood county; Caruthers at Kimball, on the Brazos, in Bosque county; and Hart near Glen Rose, in Somervell county.
Altogether, during the war, Johnson county furnished about 1,100 men, -- a number equal to all the able-bodied men in the county, in- eluding boys and aged men. There was therefore no chance for conscripting from Johnson county; and on every battlefield of
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note the was represented by some of her brave sons, and she was never disgraced on any ground. How is that for patriotism? And those who did not go to the battlefield were at home, equally patriotic in raising the necessary supplies of life. Witness the anxiety of those left behind, and the kindness of mothers in their endeavors to send forward the essentials and even the comforts of life to their sons in camp and on the battlefield.
At this point the imagination is impatient to cast aside and repress the external noise and rush of material things, and hover, charmed, over the motherly significance of every little convenience and comfort for- warded to the son of war, as he goes forth to distant lands, with the chances against his ever returning alive. And when on the ter- rible battlefield, or in the tedious, lonesome, malarious camp, he receives from home a bottle of preserves or a package of knick- knacks, done up in clean napkins, as only feminine hands ean do them, ean he fix his mind, even but for one moment, upon the real significance of these things, which is in- deed more spiritual than material, without shedding a tear? And the longer the mind dwells upon it, the longer it wishes to dwell upon it, until it collapses into a vacuity of thought from sheer exhaustion. Let him feel these things who can; others cannot be made to feel them with ever so much rhetoric. This secret of life-and-welfare preservation, perceived only by true mothers, is too sacred even for poetry, or for words in any form.
PARSONS' BRIGADE.
Most of Johnson county's men in the war served in Parsons' regiment or brigade, and we therefore give here a somewhat detailed account of its career.
Parsons' Cavalry Brigade was formed about September, 1862, and was composed of the Twelfth Texas ( Parsons'), Nineteenth Texas (Burford's), Twenty-first Texas (Carter's), Morgan's Texas Battalion, and Pratt's Bat- tery.
The following is from the report of the committee appointed to prepare matter for publication, and was read at the fourth re- union of Parsons' Brigade, held at Alvarado, August 1 and 2, 1883.
"The 11th day of September, 1861, was one of immense moment to the .county, the northern portion of Ellis county in particular, and all the country adjacent. The companies formed under the supervision of W. II. Par- sons, by authority of Edward Clark, Govern- or of the State of Texas, had assembled at Roekett's Spring for the purpose of organiz- ing a regiment of cavalry for the service of the State of Texas in the war then imminent between the States, North and South. Early in the morning the people began to pour in to witness the election of officers to perfect said organization until the entire place was thronged with men, women and children, who awaited the coming of the hour with the eagerness of a curiosity sharpened by the novelty and magnitude of the occasion. At the hour of 10 A. M. the bugle sounded, and ten companies, comprising about 1,200 men,
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marched from their quarters and formed a hollow square in order better to perform the work in hand. This done, the marshal of the day (whose name is forgotten) de- manded to know their nominations --- first for colonel, when the name of Parsons was called by many voices, and soon a proud form on as proud an animal glided into the open space and made a brief address to the volunteers around him, after which the mar- shal called for the vote, and W. H. Parsons was unanimously elected. John W. Mullens was elected Lieutenant Colonel; E. W. Rogers, Major; John Hogan was then ap- pointed Surgeon; Dr. Embree, Assistant Surgeon; T. G. A. Willis, Quartermaster; Frank Ayers, Commissary; A. B. Burleson, Adjutant. These, with the appointment of Rev. J. Fred. Cox to the chaplainey, com- pleted the organization of one of the best regiments that ever went into the service of any country. Their subsequent history veri- fied even this strong assertion of present worth.
" The command was mustered into State service for one year, and when transferred to Confederate service, October 28, 1561, at Camp Grace near Hempstead, the term was for one year. The winter of 1861-'62 was spent in the camp of instruction on Sims' bayou, abont eight miles from Houston, on the railroad to Galveston, where a great deal of rain fell and the morning fogs were almost equal to an average rain, in consequence of which many sickened and died. Their names the future historian of the brigade will re- cover from the living or from records not in
the hands of this committee. In the carly part of the spring of 1862 the Twelfth Texas Cavalry was ordered to the East, the route being through the State of Arkansas. They were anxious to cross the Mississippi, but were retained on this side. On the 25th day of May, 1862, they were reorganized under the first conscript act passed by the Gov- ernment of the Confederate States, at which time a number of officers and men availing themselves of the opportunity left the com- mand and returned home; others were elected to fill vacancies thus occurring. Prior to this time a detachment from the regiment, under command of Major E. W. Rogers, had met the Federal troops at Searey Lane, May 17, 1862, where they were victorious. Soon after the reorganization, several regiments, to-wit: the Twenty-first, Colonel G. W. Carter; the Nineteenth, Colonel N. M. Burford; the Seventeenth, Colonel Fitzhugh; - , Colo- nel J. R. Taylor; -- , Colonel Darnell; Colonel Garley's and Pratt's Battery, reached Arkansas. On the 7th day of July, 1562, the Cotton Plant fight took place, under the command of Brigadier-General Rust, in which several men were killed and wounded. Shortly after this all these regiments were dismounted, excepthi the Twelfth, Nineteenth and Twenty-first. We think Morgan's Bat. talion became connected with the brigade about this time, but have to depend more on memory than any data in our possession. The history of the brigade from this time was quite variable. They met the enemy at various places, and constituted always a check to any of their advance movements.
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Success attended them at L'Anguille and at other points in the State of Arkansas. They were for the most part kept on out-post duty and in front of the main army. But to give even a brief sketch of the brigade, based upon the papers at command, would assume the appearance of extreme partiality, as only those of one regiment, the Twelfth, have come into our possession, except that we had the order book for the brigade and the com. pany record of Company E and Company 1, Nineteenth Texas Cavalry. Of the Twelfth Texas Cavalry we had only tolerably complete rolls of Company F and a few of Companies A and B. In order to perfect anything like an accurate report or history of these noble commands that did signal service for the Confederate States in an attempt to maintain the constitutional principles of States' rights, it seems imperative that we should secure the rolls of all the companies in all the regi- ments and battalions; the deaths, present postoffice, occupation and standing of her men; there should be collected the history of campaigns, incidents of the march, battle and encampment, all of which go to make up a complete narrative of the doings of the brig- ade. To further this end we recommend: 1st, That a committee of one be appointed from each company, who shall at a designated hour proceed to obtain, from the members present, such data as are indicated above or any other that may by you be thought worthy of record; 2d, That a committee of three be appointed by you to take charge of said papers, whose business it shall be to draft from them and such other sources as may
become available a connected historical sketch of the brigade from the organization of each regiment to the organization of the brigade and on to the end of the struggle.
[Signed] " W. H GETZENDANER, "J. F. Cox, " A. M. DECHMAN, Committee."
" Our regiment was stationed at Cache river, twelve miles east of Des Are, Arkansas. About midnight, the 1st of August, 1862, wo were aroused from our slumbers by what we supposed to be a volley of musketry. We formed line and awaited the coming in of our pickets, whom we supposed had been fired upon. At daylight it was evident the alarm was false, and that a falling tree in the swamp must have made the rumbling noise taken to be musketry. We repaired to our quarters to get breakfast, leaving our horses saddled, as we had orders to change camps after break- fast.
" In a short time we were again in line and then on the march, as we supposed, to our new camps. We had gone some several miles before we were informed that a scout was the real object. We traveled all that day (Sat- urday) until nine o'clock at night, when a halt was called. We were then on the banks of the L'Anguille river, six miles from the enemy's camp. About 10:30 o'clock, with- out anything for man or horse to eat, we lay down. At 1 o'clock ou Sunday morning we were again in our saddles ready to start. We crossed the river at our camps. The crossing was bad, and although we were careful, nearly a fourth of the horses bogged and fell with
.
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their riders, but would get out after a strug- gle or two. After crossing the river there was but a trail through the woods to travel in. We of course marched in single file, and it was necessary now to keep the tiles well closed. This, on account of darkness and the boggy places in the trail, was very difficult, and ere long the command became separated and lost. The first company of the main body had a pilot and kept the right road, but the second got behind, lost its file-leader, went off into another trail, leaving behind it the first com- pany in Fourth Squadron. The second com- pany of Fourth Squadron, at same place, also lost its file-leader, but happened to take the right trail and was followed by the other companies in its rear. After much anxiety the lost fraction found the main body, then came to a halt, and lost also. Lieutenant Getzendaner, having just come up to the main body with the lost men, was informed of the trouble about losing the way, and that there was much uneasiness among the men. IIe found a man who claimed to be a pilot and took him to the head of the column to show the way, riding close by his side, with drawn pistol to meet any emergency, for this pilot had offered his services and was not known to be sent to us by the colonel commanding; nor, indeed, was it known that he was a pilot. It was feared that he might possibly lead the command into an ambush. In a little while, however, another pilot who was known, ar- rived, and all then confidently moved on through the darkness along the narrow trail over bushes and logs, to overtake the advance. This was done about daybreak, on the main
road near Caledonia, O, what joy pervaded our hearts to know that all was yet sale! Much of the anxiety caused by the delay in the march was for the safety of the First Squadron, composed of companies A and F, and Johnson's spy company, which compa- nies, after crossing the river had been sent down the stream to take position in rear of the enemy, to respond to the attack of the main body in front and to cut off the retreat of the enemy. The attack was to be made about daylight, and if the main body failed to come the enemy would fall upon and eut to pieces this small force in their rear.
" The main body now being reunited, the troops were thrown into coluinns of fours, and were ordered to cap their guns. The command then moved forward at a sweeping gallop. The men, conscious of a coming con- fliet, sat on their horses as only well-trained troopers can, and the horses with bowed necks and distended nostrils were as much Derved up and as eager and as conseious of the coming conflict as the riders. It was a grand scene as that column swept down the broad roadway. Just before coming in view of the enemy's pickets, the command to walk was given and the column moved slowly and deliberately down the road toward the picket post, about three hundred yards from the enemy's encampment. But one picket was on duty at the time. Ile was so confident that the approaching column was one of the bat- talions of his own regiment ho did not wake up his comrades, four in number, but stood gaping at the column till the advance was within twenty yards and their guns brought
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to bear on him. He surrendered at once, but one of his comrades, on waking up and realizing the presence of the enemy, fired his gun in the air.
" The advance raised the Texas yell and at once moved on at a gallop followed by the main body at a charge, forming line within a few yards of the enemy's camp. The firing at once commeneed. It was our intention to take all of them prisoners, and it is said Major Eggleston, commanding, so ordered in response to the summon, but owing to the screams of the stolen negroes, of whom they hall about 200, no command could be heard. The men were driven from their pallets in almost a nude state, so great was their sur- prise. They seized their guns, however, and took to the trees and logs'and contested every inch of ground. We passed ou, driving them from tree to tree and from log to log, creating with our double-barrel shotguns fearful havoc among them, their horses, mules and the ne- groes. They were now struck in the rear by the force sent for that purpose, and the field was soon cleared. Never did men fight more desperately than this Wisconsin battalion. All except about fifteen, who escaped, were citlwer killed or captured. We took about ninety-four prisoners, most of them wounded, and killed about seventy. Some twenty or more of the wounded could not be moved and were left on the field in charge of their sur- grons. The enemy had about 200 men; we about 300. Colonel Parsons and Major Far- rar commanded the main division; Lieutenant- Colonel Burleson commanded the division sent to the rear of the enemy, and Lieutenant 8
Kennon commanded the advance. The regi- ment moved left in Front, and formed into line with Fifth Squadron on the right, Cap- tain Maddox commanding; the Fourth next, Lieutenant Getzendaner commanding; the Third next, Captain Hawkins commanding; the Second next, Lieutenant Morris. Lieu- tenants Wright, Ingram and James, com- manded the companies sent to attack the rear. We lost two men killed-W. T. Wise, of Ellis county, Company E; - Montgomery, of Johnson county, Company C; ---- Barber, of Company B, and W. M. MeTyre, of Com- pany E, mortally wounded; two others severe- ly wounded, and some ten slightly wounded. About fifty negroes were killed and some 230 re-captured. We took all the baggage, etc., that could be transported with ease, and burnt the remainder. The property taken and de- stroyed was estimated at nearly half a million dollars. J. Il. Bradley, of Company E, with some five men left on picket duty at L'An- guille, in following the command came across a squad of six of the enemy and captured and brought them in.
"The command left the field about 8 o'clock in the day and started for Cache river, where we arrived on Monday noon, having traveled some fifty-six hours, with not more than five hours' rest, and without anything to eat for man or horse. Well done for the Twelfth Texas,-officers, men and horses!
"ONE OF THE TWELFTH." " August 3, 1862."
The officers of the Twelfth Regiment Texas Cavalry were: Field and Staff -W. II. Par- sons, Colonel; L. J. Farrar, Major; A. B.
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Burleson, Lieutenant-Colonel; W. G. Var- dell, Adjutant; R. A. Terrel, Captain; Frank Ayres, Commissary.
Non-commissioned Staff and Band :--- I1. A. Highsmith, Sergeant- Major; Dan Price, Orderly Seygeant; W. A. Calfee, Chief Bu- gler; J. Lane Oldham, Second Major Ser- geant.
Many more particulars are given concern- ing Parsons' brigade, etc., on subsequent pages, in the history of Hill county.
On Decoration Day, 1890, after one or two great speeches had been made, at Cleburne, extolling the patriotism of the Confederate soldiery in general, with no special reference to what the new and self-sacrificing county of Johnson had done, Major E. M. Heath, after obtaining permission, took the stand, gave in a few words the principal facts and figures, and coneluded with the request that all those present who had been members of the 1,100 that had volunteered from Johnson county arise and come forward, when just eleven responded,-one to each hundred,- amid uproarious applause. Their names were: E. M. Heath, Jeremiah Easterwood, Bud Head, Bay Hart, John A. Chitwood, Ben Barnes, G. II. Maxey, A. C. Seurlock, Henry Powell, Jack Jones and A. Rivers.
(See under head of Alvarado for the Alvar- ado Camp of ex-Confederate Veterans.)
RAILROADS.
Johnson county is now well supplied with railroads. Among the first railroad meet- ings held in this county, where actual busi-
ness was transacted, the principal one per- haps was that which was held November 12, 1877, at the courthouse in Cleburne, of which J. G. Woodson was chairman and W. II. Graves secretary. Major E. M. Heath ex- plained the object of the meeting, and after dne deliberation a committee of five was appointed, consisting of Colonel B. J. Cham- bers, Major E. M. Ileath, S. B. Allen, Dr. T. D. Lorance and W. Poindexter, who re- ported the following resolutions, which were adopted:
That a committee of fifteen be appointed to confer with a committee of fifteen selected by the citizens of Dallas county, to devise ways and means for building a railroad from Dallas to Cleburne by way of Alvarado, and to investigate the proposition offered by the company known as the Dallas & Cleburne Narrow Gauge Railroad Company; said com- mittee to meet at Dallas November 20, 1877, at one o'clock r. M., at the courthouse.
2. That said committee from Johnson county report to the citizens of said county at the courthouse in the city of Cleburne on the 1st day of December, 1877, the result of the proceedings of the convention at Dallas.
3. That the chairman of this committee appoint the following named gentlemen to constitute the committee from Johnson county: George Cotter, I. A. Patton, S. B. Allen, N. F. Sparks, John Powell, Colonel Frio, W. S. Queen, A. D. Kennard, E. M. Heath, N. Il. Cook, B. J. Chambers, William Poindexter, Il. G. Bruce, W. Douglas and W. II. Graves.
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Afterward the following were added to the above committee: O. P. Arnold, John T. Leigh, Colonel S. Ewing, B. D. Simpson and T. V. Smith. These gentlemen had authority to appoint proxies.
At the convention afterward held at Dallas it was found that there was a difference of opinion as to the manner in which the road should be constructed, the Dallas men pre- ferring the joint-stock plan, while the John- son delegates favored donation and refunding. In order to etfeet a compromise, ten men were appointed from each county to open subscription books, with a view of organizing as soon as 825,000 should be raised in each county. The ten men appointed in Johnson county were L. B. Truelove, J. M. Ilill, Moses Barnes, O. P. Arnold, A. D. Kennard, I. A. Patton, John Powell, S. P. Hollings- worth and B. J. Chambers. But, although the Johnson county men did their duty, nothing much was accomplished under the above arrangement, the railroad companies playing hide-and-seek in order to obtain every advantage.
In 1879 it was determined to organize a stock company, with a capital of $25,000, to build a narrow-gange road from Cleburne to Dallas by way of Alvarado, and in June of that year opened subscription books; and meetings continued to be held to keep up a popular interest and to urge the people to subscribe.
But it is characteristic of human nature not to be enterprising except when excited; und soon after a rousing meeting was enjoyed the interest would die down and the meth-
od of the proposed enterprise be forgotten. This is the case every where and in all relations. Only the zealous few will carry forward any enterprise to success. It would be very tedious to give in detail all the movements and plans, hopes and fears, exhortations and expectations which afterward dragged their weary length along for years before railroad building actually began. Thus it has been in all communities in the introduction of the first railroads. Afterward great trunk lines from a distance will often rush through the county a feeding line to their system without consulting the people or asking aid, and almost unawares. The local papers, in nearly all their allusions to the progress of early railroad interests, exhort the people from time to time to subscribe stock or donations, answering the inquiries of those who wonder why the enterprise does not proceed and giv- ing the results of interviews of the principal railroad men of the locality with sundry ofli- cers of the company, generally to the effect that the officers of the company proposing to build were " pleased with theroute," " the pros- pects," etc., but with no definite information when they would commence the construction of the road or why it was delayed. For a long time the railroad companies were not protected by a law providing the right of way on reason- able terms, and thus they were left at the merey of greedy real-estate owners along the route who placed their property at exorbi- tantly high rates.
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