A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens, Part 42

Author:
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 954

USA > Texas > Henderson County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 42
USA > Texas > Freestone County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 42
USA > Texas > Leon County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 42
USA > Texas > Anderson County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 42
USA > Texas > Limestone County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 42
USA > Texas > Navarro County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 42

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

" In the autumn of 1860 the indomit-

able and fearless Peta Nocona led a raid- ing party of Comanches through Parker county, so named in honor of the family of his wife, Cynthia Ann, committing great depredations as they passed through. The venerable Isaac Parker was at that time a resident of Weatherford, the county seat; and little did he imagine that the chief of the ruthless savages who spread desolation and death on every side as far as their arms could reach, was the husband of his long lost niece, and that the commingled blood of the murdered Parkers and the atrocious Comanche now coursed in the veins of a second generation - bound equally by the ties of consanguinity to murderer and murdered; that the son of Peta Nocona and Cynthia Ann Parker would become the chief of the proud Comanches, whose boast it is that their constitutional settlement of government is the purest democracy ever originated or administered among men. It certainly conserved the object of its institution-the protection and happiness of the people- for a longer period and much more satis- factorily than has that of any other Indian tribe. The Comanches claimed a superi- ority over the other Texan tribes; and they unquestionably were more intelligent and courageous. The reservation policy-neces- sary though it be-brings them all to an abject level, the plane of lazy beggars and thieves. The Comanche is most qualified by nature to receive education and for adapting himself to the requirements of civilization of all the Southern tribes, not excepting even the Cherokees, with their churches, schoolhouses and farms. The Comanches, after waging an unceasing war

334

HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

for over fifty years against the United States, Texas, and Mexico, still number 16,000 souls,-a far better showing than any other tribe can make, though not one but has enjoyed privileges to which the Comanche was a stranger. It is a shame to the civilization of the age that a people so susceptible of a high degree of develop- ment should be allowed to grovel in the depths of heathenism and savagery. But we are digressing.

" The loud and clamorous cries of the settlers along the frontier for protection induced the Government to organize and send out a regiment under Colonel M. T. Johnson, to take the field for public de- fense. But these efforts proved of small service. The expedition, though at great expense to the State, failed to find an In- dian until, returning, the command was followed by the wily Comanches, their horses stampeded at night, and most of the men compelled to reach the settlements on foot, nnder great suffering and exposure.

"Captain 'Sul' Ross, who had just. graduated from Florence Wesleyan Uni- versity, of Alabama, and returned to Texas, was commissioned a captain of rangers by Governor Sam Houston, and directed to organize a company of sixty men, with or- ders to repair to Fort Belknap, receive from Colonel Johnson all government property, as his regiment was disbanded, and take the field against the redoubtable Captain Peta Nocona, and afford the frontier such protection as was possible with his small force. The necessity of vigorous measures soon became so pressing that Captain Ross soon determined to attempt to curb the insolence of these implacable enemies of

Texas by following them into their fast- nesses and carry the war into their own homes. In his graphic narration of this campaign, General L. S. Ross says: ' As I could take but forty of my men from my post, I requested Captain N. G. Evans, in command of the United States troops at Camp Cooper, to send me a detachment of the Second Cavalry. We had been inti- mately connected on the Van Dorn cam- paign, during which I was the recipient of much kindness from Captain Evans, while I was suffering from a severe wound re- ceived from an Indian in the battle of the Wichita. He promptly sent me a sergeant and twenty men well mounted. My force was still further augmented by some seventy volunteer citizens, under the command of the brave old frontiersman, Captain Jack Cureton, of Bosque county. These self- sacrificing patriots, without the hope of pay or regard, left their defenseless homes and families to avenge the sufferings of the frontier people. With pack mules laden down with necessary supplies, the expedi- dition marched for the Indian country.

" On the 18th of December, 1860, while marching up Pease river, I had suspicions that Indians were in the vicinity, by reason of the buffalo that came running in great numbers from the north toward us, and while my command moved in the low ground I visited all neighboring high points to make discoveries. On one of these sand hills I found four fresh pony tracks, and, being satisfied that Indian vi- dettes had just gone, I galloped forward about a mile to a higher point, and, riding to the top, to my inexpressible surprise, found myself within 200 yards of a Co-

335

LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

manche village, located on a small stream winding around the base of the hill. It was a most happy circumstance that a piercing north wind was blowing, bearing with it a cloud of sand, and my presence was unobserved and the surprise complete. By signaling my men as I stood concealed, they reached me without being discovered by the Indians, who were bnsy packing up preparatory to a move. By this time the Indians mounted and moved off north across the level of the plain. My com- mand, with the detachment of the Second Cavalry, had outmarched and become sep- arated from the citizen command, whichi left me about sixty men. In making dis- position for attack, the sergeant and his twenty men were sent at a gallop, behind a chain of sand hills, to encompass them in and cut off their retreat, while with fifty men I charged. The attack was so sudden that a considerable number were killed be- fore they could prepare for defense. They fled precipitately right into the presence of the sergeant and his men. Here they met with a warm reception, and finding them- selves completely encompassed, every one fled his own way, and was hotly pursued and hard-pressed.

" The chief of the party, Peta Nocona, a noted warrior of great repute, with a young girl about fifteen years of age, mounted on his horse behind him, and Cynthia Ann Parker. with a girl child about two years of age in her arms, and mounted on a fleet pony, fled together, while Lieutenant Tom Kelliheir and I pursned them. After run- ning about a mile Kelliheir ran np by the side of Cynthia's horse, and I was in the act of shooting when she held up her child

and stopped. I kept on after the chief, and about half a mile further, when in about twenty yards of him, I fired my pis- tol, striking the girl (whom I supposed to be a man, as she rode like one, and only her head was visible above the buffalo robe with which she was wrapped) near the heart, killing her instantly, and the same ball would have killed both but for the shield of the chief, which hung down cov- ering his back. When the girl fell from the horse she pulled him off also, but he caught on his feet, and before steadying himself my horse, running at full speed, was very nearly on top of himn, when he was struck with an arrow, which caused him to fall to pitching or ' bucking,' and it was with great difficulty that I kept my saddle, and in the meantime narrowly es- caped several arrows coming in quick suc- cession from the chief's bow. Being at such disadvantage he would have killed me in a few minutes but for a random shot from my pistol (while I was clinging with my left hand to the pommel of my saddle) which broke his right arm at the elbow, completely disabling him. My horse then became quiet, and I shot the chief twice throngh the body, wherenpon he deliber- ately walked to a small tree, the only one in sight, and leaning against it began to sing a wild, weird song. At this time my Mexican servant, who had once been a cap- tive with the Comanches and spoke their language fluently as his mother tongue, came up in company with two of my men. I then summoned the chief to surrender, but he promptly treated every overture with contempt, and signalized this declar- ation with a savage attempt to thrust me

336

HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

with his lance which he held in his left hand. I could only look upon him with pity and admiration. For, deplorable as was his situation, with no chance of escape, his party utterly destroyed, his wife and child captured in his sight, he was un- daunted by the fate that awaited liim, and as he seemed to prefer death to life, I di- rected the Mexican to end his misery by a charge of bnekshot from the gun which he carried. Taking np his acconterments, which I subsequently sent to Governor Houston, to be deposited in the archives at Austin, we rode back to Cynthia Aun and Kelliheir, and found him bitterly cursing himself for having run his pet horse so hard after an ' old squaw.' She was very dirty, both in her scanty garments and per- son. But as soon as I looked on her face, I said: ' Why, Tom, this is a white woman: Indians do not have blue eyes.' On the way to the village, where my men were assembling with the spoils, and a large caballada of ' Indian ponies,' I discovered an Indian boy about nine years of age, se- creted in the grass. Expecting to be killed he began crying, but I made him monnt behind me and carried him along. And when in after years I frequently proposed to send him to his people, he steadily re- fused to go, and died in McLennan county last year.

" After camping for the night Cynthia Ann kept crying, and thinking it was caused from fear of death at our hands, I had the Mexican tell her that we recog- nized ber as one of our own people, and would not harm her. She said two of her boys were with her when the fight began, and she was distressed by the fear that they

had been killed. It so happened, however, both escaped, and one of them, 'Quanah,' is now a chief. The other died some years ago on the plains. I then asked her to give me the history of her life among the the Indians, and the circumstances attend- ing her capture by them, which she promptly did, in a very sensible manner. And as the facts detailed corresponded with the massacre at Parker's Fort, I was im- pressed with the belief that she was Cyn- thia Ann Parker. Returning to my post, I sent her and child to the ladies at Cooper, where she could receive the attention her situation demanded, and at the same time dispatched a messenger to Colonel Parker, her uncle, near Weatherford; and as I was called to Waco to meet Governor Houston, I left directions for the Mexican to accom- pany Colonel Parker to Cooper as inter- preter. When hereached there her identity was soon discovered to Colonel Parker's entire satisfaction and great happiness.' This battle broke the spirit of the Co- manches for Texas.

"Upon the arrival of Colonel Parker at Fort Cooper interrogations were made her through the Mexican interpreter, for she remembered not one word of English, re- specting her identity; but she had for- gotten absolutely everything apparently at all connected with her family or past history.

" In despair of being able to reach a conclusion, Colonel Parker was about to leave when he said, 'The name of my niece was Cynthia Ann.' The sound of the once familiar naine, doubtless the last lingering memento of the old home at the fort, seemed to tonch a responsive chord in

337

LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

her nature, when a sign of intelligence lighted up her countenance, as memory by some mystic inspiration resumed its cun- ning as she looked up and patting her breast, said: 'Cynthia Ann! Cynthia Ann !' At the wakening of this single spark of reminiscence, the sole gleam in the mental gloom of many years, her countenance brightened with a pleasant smile in place of the sullen expression which habitually characterizes the looks of an Indian re- strained of freedom. There was no longer any doubt as to her identity with the little girl lost and mourned so long. It was in reality Cynthia Ann Parker, but oh, so changed !

" But as savage like and dark of com- plexion as she was, Cynthia Ann was still dear to her overjoyed uncle, and was wel- comed home by relatives with all the joyous transports with which the prodigal son was hailed upon his miserable return to the parental roof.

" A thorough Indian in manner and looks as if she had been so born, she sought every opportunity to escape and had to be closely watched for some time. Her uncle carried herself and child to his home, then took them to Austin, where the secession convention was in session. Mrs. John Henry Brown and Mrs. N. C. Raymond, interested themselves in her, dressed her neatly, and on one occasion took her into the gallery of the hall while the convention was in session. They soon realized that she was greatly alarmned by the belief that the assemblage was a council of chiefs, sit- ting in judgment on her life. Mrs. Brown beckoned to her husband, Hon. John Henry Brown, who was a member of the conven-

tion, who appeared and succeeded in reas- suring her that she was among friends.

"Gradually her mother tongue came back, and with it occasional incidents of her childhood, including a recognition of the venerable Mr. Anglin, and perhaps one or two others.

"The Civil war coming on soon after, which necessitated the resumption of such primitive arts, she learned to spin, weave and perform the domestic duties. She - proved quite an adept in such work and became a very useful member of the house- hold. The ruling passion of her bosom seemed to be the maternal instinct, and cherished the hope that when the war was concluded she wonld at last succeed in reclaiming her two children, who were still with the Indians. But it was written other- wise and Cynthia Ann and her little bar- barians were called hence ere the cruel war was over. She died at her brother's in An- derson county, Texas, in 1864, preceded a short time by her sprightly little daugh- ter, Prairie Flower. Thus ended the sad story of a woman far famed along the border."

Only one of her sons, Quanah, lived to manhood. He became one of the four chiefs of the Cohoite Conianches, who were placed on a reservation in Indian Territory in 1874, and became the most advanced of Comanche tribes in the arts of civilized life. Quanah learned English and soon conformed to American customs. A letter written in 1886 thus described his sur- roundings: "We visited Quanah in his teepe. He is a fine specimen of physical manhood, tall, muscular, straight as an ar- row, gray, look-yon-straight-through-the

338

HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

eyes, very dark skin, perfect teeth, and heavy raven-black hair-the envy of femi- nine hearts-he wears hanging in two rolls wrapped around with red cloth. His hair is parted in the middle; the scalp lock is a portion of hair the size of a dollar, plaited and tangled, signifying: ' If you want fight you can have it.'

" Quanah is now camped with a thou- sand of his subjects at the foot of some hills near Anadarko, Indian Territory. Their white teepes, and the inmates dressed in their bright blankets and feathers, cattle grazing, children playing, lent a weird charm to the lonely desolate hills, lately devastated by prairie fire.

" He has three squaws, his favorite be- ing the daughter of Yellow Bear, who met his death by asphyxiation at Fort Worth in December last. He said he gave seven- teen horses for her. His daughter Cyn- · thia, named for her grandmother, Cynthia Parker, is an inmate of the agent's house. Quanah was attired in a full suit of buck- skin, tunic, leggings and moccasins elabor- ately trimmed in beads, a red breech cloth with ornamental end hanging down. A very handsome and expensive Mexican blanket was thrown around his body; in his ears were little stuffed birds. His hair was done with the feathers of bright plum- aged birds. He was handsomer by far than any Ingomar the writer has ever seen, but there was no squaw fair enough to personate his Parthenia. His general as- pect, manner, bearing, education, natural intelligence, show plainly that white blood trickles through his veins. When travel- ing he assumes a complete civilian's outfit -- dude collar, watch and chain, takes ont

his ear rings. He, of course, cannot cut off his long hair, saying that he would no longer be ' big chief.' He has a handsome carriage, drives a pair of matched greys, always traveling with one of his squaws (to do the chores). Minna-a-ton-cha is with himn now. She knows no English, but while her lord is conversing gazes . dumb with admiration at ' my lord,' ready to obey his slightest wish or command."

It will be with some difficulty that the reader will turn from so thrilling and ro- mantic a tale, extending as it does far be- yond those middle May days of 1836, and look back to those days to see not only Limestone deserted, but all central Texas making helter-skelter movements eastward to escape the Mexicans and the aroused Indians.

When the war-storm that culminated in San Jacinto broke upon the frontier the confusion and terror was "beyond the power of pen to give anything but a faint idea," says W. B. Dewees in his " Letters on Texas," describing the now famous "runaway scrape." "Tongue cannot tell nor words reveal the horrors of that pe- riod. It seemed as though the whole country was panic-stricken. Every family in the country immediately left their homes as soon as the army commenced its retreat. Those who lived farther east, and who were of course in the least danger, seemed to be the mnost alarmed, and fled with the greatest haste. Here we saw the old say- ing ' It grows as it goes' verified. Those who were the most easily frightened, and the first to fly without knowing the truth of the situation, had gone on and in their flight had given exaggerated accounts of

339

LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

the danger, which passed from mouth to mouth till the people of eastern Texas be- lieved the whole force of the enemy were close upon them. The panic and fear in- creased; the roads were literally crowded with wagons, men, women and children hurrying on with the greatest speed to a place of safety. On they went one after another, through woods and across prairies, seeming to have nothing in view but to go eastward. Here might be seen delicate ladies wading through mud and dirt try- ing to hasten their footsteps and free them- selves from the marshes; but at every step bogging deeper and deeper, till at last after toiling long they would succeed in getting out tired and wearied; yet still they would press on, hoping to reach a place of safety. Again, loaded wagons rolled on one after another in the greatest haste, till they came near the crossing of a stream. * *

* So great was the alarm that families, seated in happiness at their meals, on hearing that the Mexican armny were approaching, wildly rushed from their houses, and, leaving all their property ex- posed to the incursions of the enemy, fled from their homes to save themselves from the approaching danger. Every manner of crossing rivers was resorted to at the time, there being but few ferries and the water-courses very high. We were fre- quently obliged to tax our inventive facul- ties to find methods of crossing."

The revolution finally settled down into permanent government of the republic of Texas, with no more trouble from the Mexicans direct, but the Indians still held sway above the old King's Highway to San Antonio. "Fort Parker was never

rebuilt," said John Karner recently, as he told low in 1839 minute companies or rangers began to be organized down in Leon at old Fort Boggy, and at old Frank- lin to cover the Brazos-Navasota-Trinity region above the old road and win it back from the now hostile savages; also how these gave place to one command organ- ized in 1841 at old Franklin under Cap- tain Eli Chandler, the captain of the last of the rangers in this region, and how the Indians were fully cleaned out or tamed down by 1844; but all this is fully told in the settlement sketch of Freestone county, which was so long the home of Mr. Kar- ner, that there need be no repetition of it here. That, however, should be glanced at by the reader of this sketch, that he may see with how much difficulty the ter- ritory was recovered.

These rangers, many of whom were vet- erans of San Jacinto, scattered about in the territory they had recovered, and among those of both kinds wlio settled in Limestone's territory were Alfonso Steel and John Karner, who are still here, in and near Mexia, two of that small band of about forty remaining veterans of San Jacinto, and the latter the only remaining survivor of Millard's Battalion.

By 1844, when the Indian treaty made it safe to do so, settlers had located about the site of old Springfield -- many of the old Parker settlers, such as the Anglins, the Bates, Davis, Polk, Love, Wolverton, Henry and many others.

And at Tehuacana Springs there located the Whites, the Caruthers and a numerous settlement, these two being the main ones in the county.

340

HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

In 1845 and 1846, the period of annexa- tion, the influx was so great that there were far more than the necessary 100 peti- tioners to get a new county cut off from old Robertson, in whose territory this now lay, and had laid since 1838. There was no more Indian trouble and the people just came in, although they did not take so fully to the prairies as they do now, but clung closer to the old " Navasot," as local parlance lias it, and the sparse woodland. Of course until 1850 Freestone was a part of the new county, but reference here is had only to Limestone's later limits.

By 1855 she had five settlements witlı post offices; there was Springfield, the county seat, and really the only town in the county, for a long time, practically down to past the war's close; then there was Tehuacana Springs, that may be said to have always been a sort of settlement- village, for no one knows when it first be- came an Indian village, and no wonder, eitlier, that it should be an easy first choice for any who came within hearing of the beanty of its scenery and the excel- lence of its springs. Then there were the post offices of Piersonville, Mount Vernon and Alta Springs. All of the present vil- lages, outside of the old capital and the "Springs," are railway post-bellnm crea- tions of the last quarter century, and will be mentioned in their appropriate chapter.

By this time -- 1855-also, there was a fair amount of taxable land -- 100,246 acres, that was valued at $232,280; its horses numbered 1,799, valued at $90,- 420, and its cattle property much larger, totalling 21,360 head, covering a total value of $142,560. Its slave property,

while nothing like so great as that of Freestone, whichi ran up above a million dollars, was still Limestone's greatest single property, almost as much as lier two next great properties-land and cattle -- combined. They numbered ouly 680 negroes of all ages, not a third of the nnm- ber held in Freestone, but they were val- ued at the round snun of $385,000. This branch of her property had not increased much, for but five years before-1850- she had 618, which in five years had now become but 680, while every other county, in the Trinity star of counties about Free- stone, had trebled or even more greatly multiplied this feature of its wealth.

By 1859 the increase was still not very marked in comparison with the other counties. She then had a slave population of but 953, while hier entire population thien scored 4,043, with a vote of 721. She then had but 17,641 acres under cultivation, chiefly in the bottom and woodlands. The black, waxy soil of the prairies were still largely a mystery-good enough for past- ure, but not like the reliable old bottoms.

The war decade is generally a decade of loss of both population and wealth to a southern county, but Limestone found that decade to be the real beginning of her greatness in all lines. The first great in- land railway of Texas made for her prai- ries, and her prairies began to show what a mine of wealth lay on their black surface with proper treatment, and with it all a good, strong population, so that by 1870 her numbers had doubled up to 8,591 in 1870, when the railway terminus had reached her territory. Her total wealth then rose to $1,468,856.

341

LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

The '70s had hardly well started until the railways had traversed the entire length of the county, and the splendid black, waxy prairies proceeded to again double the population up to 16,240, with only nineteen per cent. colored, and to more than double her total assessed wealth up to the rich, round figures of $3,419,853.

During the past decade of the '80s she was loth to give up her doubling habit in the population and scored 21,678 as a compromise; but in her wealth she lias been less willing to compromise, and now scores a total assessed valuation of $6,- 681,160.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Author: Publication date: 1893 Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 954

Author:
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 954