USA > Texas > Montague County > History of Montague County > Part 2
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HISTORY OF MONTAGUE COUNTY.
some in another. Contrary to their custom, the In- dians did not take time to scalp their victims, but turned their attention to the rest of the party. All the members of the company managed to reach the home of John Wainscot in safety, with the excep- tion of Cash McDonald and Mrs. Bob Wainscot. Mr. McDonald held in his arms his two-year-old daugh- ter, Mary (now Mrs. Andy Jackson of Bowie). He was shot in the arm with an arrow, but fortunately little Mary was unhurt. Notwithstanding this, he walked twelve miles, shunning the road, for fear of Indians, still carrying the child in his arms, reach- ing Bill Freeman's house in the night. They pulled the arrow from his arm, which had remained there all of these hours, and was very painful. Mrs. Bob Wainscot also had a thrilling experience. In the confusion following the attack by the Indians she became separated from her husband. Looking back, she saw an Indian shoot her husband, who fell with their four-year-old daughter in his arms. She sup- posed both were killed, but the Indians passed on and they made their way to safety. She proceeded on her way, running with her six-weeks-old baby in her arms. (Now Mrs. Huse Wainscot of Denver.) She came upon Mr. Cash McDonald, who, as has al- ready been told, had his little daughter with him. The child was sick, and crying aloud for her mother. They could not quiet her by any means, so Mr. Mc- Donald said, "If Mary continues to cry this way she
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HISTORY OF MONTAGUE COUNTY.
may attract the Indians, and they will come and kill us all. It is hard for you to start out through the woods alone, but it may be the means of saving your life and that of your baby." It was a fearful moment, but the half distracted woman decided to take his advice and started through the woods alone. Having just come into the neighborhood the day be- fore she was wholly unacquainted with the coun- try. Her one thought was to travel in the direction of the old home she had left. On and on the terror stricken woman went. She traveled all the after- noon and that night over stones and hollows, through briars and thickets ; the next day found her between Bradin's Bluff and Clear Creek, having traveled in her wanderings about thirty miles. In all this time she had eaten but two wild plums. About 12 o'clock that day, hungry and almost exhausted, she paused to rest for a short time near a hollow. In the begin- ning of her flight she had lost her sunbonnet. Her hair had become loosened and fell about her face in such a manner that her features could not be dis- cerned without close scrutiny. A band of white men, who had heard of the raid and started out to aid in the capture of the Indians, came upon Mrs. Wain- scot quite suddenly. Seeing her long black hair fall- ing in Indian fashion about her face they mistook her for an Indian squaw and paused an instant. be- fore approaching, not knowing what might await them. She caught a glimpse of the men, and be-
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lieving them to be Indians, she ran with her baby clasped to her breast. She hid in a washed out place in the hillside. The men found her there, and she was overjoyed to learn they were white men. She poured out her story to them between sobs. One of the men took her behind him on his horse, while an- other carried the baby in his arms. They took her to the home of Mr. John Wainscot, where to her great joy she found her husband and little daugh- ter.
The remains of the two men who were slain by the Indians were removed to the home of Anderson White. As his house was the largest in the neigh- borhood the entire settlement was invited to come there and stay until after the funerals of Jack Kil- gore and Daniel Wainscot, which they accepted. The next morning they were both buried in the same grave, in what is now known as Frank Bigger's field. They had to be wrapped in blankets as there were no coffins nearer than Gainesville, or Decatur, many miles away, and with the way beset by perils on every side. They laid them to rest 'neath two wide- spreading trees, and the summer sun shines and the winter snows fall softly upon the graves of two of the martyrs to the civilization we now enjoy.
This was one of the first massacres by the Indians to occur in Montague County that we have record of. After the Indians left the scene of the killing of the two men just recounted they came up on Mr. Bud
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Morris of Montague, who was out hunting cows. He was riding a fine horse. He outran the Indians and escaped without injury. This same band of Indians went on to Hardy, about four miles from Forest- burg, and stole forty head of horses from Doctor Polly. Dr. Polly was one of the pioneer physicians of Montague County. He was also the first county judge of Montague County. He is described as be- ing a natural leader and a useful citizen. The coun- try was to thinly settled at this time that his ju- dicial duties in no way interfered with his practice of medicine.
After the killing of Jack Kilgore and Daniel Wainscot the people of the settlement stayed in families for protection from the Indians. Many of them packed up their belongings and moved near Gainesville to be out of reach of the Indians. They came back the following November to the same homes. Nothing had been molested,'but things were just as they had left them. The woods at this time were full of wolves, some bear, deer, wild cats and panther. Wild turkey was plentiful, and it has been said that nothing was more appetizing than slices from the breast of a turkey (they never thought of eating any other portion of it), broiled or fried a delicate golden brown, with rich brown gravy ; a hoe cake of corn bread and a cup of steam- ing hot coffee. There was also an abundance of
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HISTORY OF MONTAGUE COUNTY.
wild duck, geese and prairie chicken, which was much relished.
So the settlers had no scarcity of meat, so far as wild game was concerned.
EXAMPLE OF INDIAN CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.
On the tenth of May, 1858, there moved into the community of Victoria Peak, now known as "Queen's Peak," Uncle Johnnie Roe and a man named Cryner. They had not had time to build houses, so were camped in tents and covered wagons. They turned their horses out to graze that night. Mr. Cryner had a lariat rope on his horse, and Mr. Roe had iron hobbles on two mares and colts. In the night the Indians came and stole Mr. Cryner's horse. Not knowing how to take the iron hobbles off the other horses, and not wishing to leave them for the bene- fit of the white men, they cut their legs off, taking the iron hobbles with them. They did not molest the campers.
In a few days followed the killing by John Bradin. A party of men hearing how the Indians had muti- lated Mr. Roe's horses, started to search for them. There were five white men in the party, among them John Bradin. When about four miles northwest of where Montague now stands, at a place called "Bar- rel Springs," they came up on two Indians with a
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HISTORY OF MONTAGUE COUNTY.
bunch of stolen horses. In the encounter which fol- lowed, John Bradin killed one of the Indians. They scalped him and the other Indian ran away, leaving the stolen horses. Mr. Bradin had an old British yagur (now called musket), with which he slew the Indian. He himself was killed after the war.
THE KILLING OF LITTLE HENRY DAVIS.
In February, 1859, Bill Davis, who lived in Gray- son County, came to this county to visit at the home of his stepfather, Anderson White, who lived on Denton Creek. He brought with him his little son, Henry. They had previously known Mrs. McFar- land and her children, and as they passed the house on their way to Mr. White's, Henry begged to be al- lowed to stop and play with the McFarland children. His father consented to this, but told him to go to Bill Taylor's about 2 o'clock to feed and water some mules he had left there. When the hour came Henry obediently started on his way. When about half way there the little fellow came up on a band of Indians. The boy, like any other child under like circumstances, started to run. The Indians gave chase, and ran him over a steep bank into a hole of water. He made his way to the opposite bank. They followed, killed and scalped him. On this same morning a man named Truelove had gone with
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HISTORY OF MONTAGUE COUNTY.
a band of men to help trail a band of Indians. In the afternoon he separated from the party and started for his home in the Perryman settlement. Without warning he suddenly came upon this band of Indians killing little Henry Davis. He ran with all his might, crying loudly for help. As he neared the McFarland home, Mrs. McFarland ran out with a gun to assist him. Together they succeeded in frightening away the Indians that had followed him. He then told of the boy the Indians were killing as he came up. She at once thought it was Henry Davis. A searching party went to see and found it to be only too true. When they found him his small boyish face was turned toward the setting sun, his mutilated body bearing evidence of an- other innocent little life being sacrificed to gratify Indian cruelty. He was buried on the Wiley B. Savage place, on Denton Creek, seven miles south of Montague.
DEATH OF SPENCER MOORE AND HIS SON, IRA, AT THE HANDS OF A BAND OF INDIANS.
In a lonely cabin, near Pittman Hollow, in Feb- ruary, 1863, lived Spencer Moore, his wife and large family of children. Life, to this good pioneer man was a stern reality.
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It had been a problem with him as to how he would provide for so large a family in this frontier country.
Only one son, Ira, was large enough to be of any assistance to his father in the labor of breadwinning for the family. They had succeeded in getting some rails to maul from Lewis Davis of that neighborhood. On the day of which I am about to tell you, Mr. Moore and his son were busy with their work. As they worked they talked cheerily together, for that evening Mr. Davis was going to pay them for their entire work, and that meant money enough to buy plenty of corn for bread for the remainder of the year. How the burden rolled away as the father realized that by his labor he would be enabled to provide for his dependent family in this simple though necessary way. The noise of mauling the rails could be heard quite a distance through the woods. About 2 o'clock in the afternoon one of the neighbors, Mr. Cash McDonald, noticed that the sound had ceased. The continued silence alarmed him, for in "Indian times" everything of this kind
was taken notice of. The silence finally became op- pressive, for the ringing blows of the rail makers were not heard again. Thoroughly aroused Mr. McDonald and others went to the field to find their fears to be only too true. Spencer Moore and his son had both been killed and scalped by the Indians. They supposed the boy had tried to fight with his
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axe and perhaps wounded some of the Indians from the quantity of blood scattered about.
John Wainscot brought a wagon and took the bodies to his house, where they remained until burial. Ike Wainscot, just a boy, but with all the manliness and kindly spirit which characterized the older pioneers, insisted that Ira be buried in his Sunday shirt. And Sunday shirts were hard to get in those days. Father and son were buried in the Denver graveyard. The good people of the commu- nity provided for the widow and helpless children. They gave her provisions enough to last a long time and cared for her until she moved to Denton County, where she was in no danger from the Indians.
It transpired that the Indians who did the killing had been raiding through Jack County, stealing horses from the wheat fields. A crowd of men deter- mined to surprise them, and secreted themselves in a near by wheat field. It was a bright moonlight night and the Indians could be plainly seen by the waiting men as they rode up bent on stealing their horses. They opened fire on the Indians, wounding one and possibly more, but they were carried away by their companions, who, seeing their disadvantage, turned and fled with the white men in pursuit. They lost their trail and the Indians crossed over into Mon- tague County, and on their way stopped long enough to murder Spencer Moore and his son, Ira.
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HISTORY OF MONTAGUE COUNTY.
ATTACK ON JIM BOX AND FAMILY BY THE INDIANS.
Mr. Jim Box, together with his family, lived in Montague County, at the "Head of Elm," where the town of St. Jo now stands. In August, 1866, he was returning home from a visit in East Texas, accompanied by his family, when they were at- tacked by a band of Indians.
It was the custom in those days for men, before starting on a journey, to get up on some high place and look out over the surrounding country to dis- cover if Indians were near. On this occasion Charlie Grant, Bill Grant, John Loving and Zeke Huffman rode up on what was known as Wheeler's Mound, about a quarter of a mile from the road, to see if the coast was clear. To their horror they saw a band of Indians surrounding the wagon in which were Mr. Box and his family. Mrs. Box, who held her baby in her arms, managed to get out of the wagon and, followed by her three daughters, started to run, They were so badly frightened they scarcely realized what they were doing. While the Indians were slay- ing Mr. Box they ran first from the wagon, then back again two or three times. Resistance was use- less, so they were captured and carried off by the Indians. The men who witnessed the killing were unable to render any assistance, as they were un-
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armed and far outnumbered by the Indians. To at- tract their attention meant certain death to them. They went to the home of Charlie Grant's father for arms and reinforcements. They returned to the scene of the killing that night to search for the body of Jim Box, accompanied by a man named Cherry and a one-armed negro called Old Jack Loring. Mr. Box had purchased a large quantity of leather, which he had with him. They found the leather, together with the other contents of the wagon, scattered over the prairie. It was a dark misty night, making it hard to distinguish objects. The Indians had torn open a large feather bed and scattered the feathers everywhere. They clung to the wet broom weeds, and were scattered over Mr. Box's fallen body. The men rode around the wagon several times before they found him. He had been scalped. They did not remove the body until the next day, but rode the rest of the night getting up a posse to follow the Indians. Jim Coursey and Captain Brunson and others followed them and found the dead body of Mrs. Box's little baby. Mrs. Box and her three daughters were held as captives on the Canadian River for some time. Friends intervened in their behalf and they were finally bought back by the government and returned to their home in Mon- tague County. They were accompanied home by Lieutenant Harmon and his company of Fort Sill. Mrs. Box, who afterwards became the wife of Cap-
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tain Brunson, told the following story of their thrill- ing experience with the Indians :
After killing her husband they tied her on a wild horse and speared him to make him plunge. The plunging of the horse caused her to drop her baby. The Indians picked the poor little thing up and killed it before her eyes, and took the party on across Red River. There were nineteen Indians in the band. They refused to give Mrs. Box water, although she was so thirsty her tongue was swollen from her mouth. One of her daughters took off her slipper and filled it with water as they crossed a stream. She gave it to her mother. Her mother managed to drink it before the Indians could dash it from her lips. They took a leather quirt and beat the daugh- ter almost to death for this act of kindness to her heartbroken mother. The Indians separated the family, putting them in different camps. The little girl, eight years old, would cry and run after the other members of the family when she would see them. The Indians held her feet to the fire until they were blistered, so she could not follow her mother and sisters. It is hard to realize that such barbarous acts ever took place in this county, but all the cruelties the early settlers suffered at the hands of the Indians will never be known.
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HISTORY OF MONTAGUE COUNTY.
EXCITING CHASE AND FIGHT WITH INDIANS.
About this time there were numerous small depre- dations by the Indians and the settlers were in con- stant dread of their coming. On a certain morning in September, 1866, another band of Indians came into Montague County. They passed the fort at the head of Elm and exchanged shots with the men stationed there.
They went east about four miles and killed a man named Jim Harris. The Indians then passed on in the direction of Gainesville, killing Andy Powers, a citizen of Montague County. Near there this band was joined by another band of Indians.
They passed up the ridge between Clear Creek and Elm Creek, back into Montague County, with about five hundred stolen horses. Charlie Grant, with a posse of forty men, followed them into Clay County and on to the Big Wichita River. The night before a band of men had started from Red River Station in pursuit of this same party of Indians. They had crossed the Big Wichita River and had a battle with the Indians, there being about twenty-five white men against more than a hundred Indians. The white men, when they struck the Indian trail, the day be- fore, knowing that Charlie Grant and his men were coming behind, stuck a stick in the ground, in a place where they would be sure to find it, and tied a
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HISTORY OF MONTAGUE COUNTY.
note on it bearing these words: "Come on, boys ;
they have passed this way." The determined men pressed on, but were soon confronted by different orders. They found this message tacked on a tree on the banks of the Big Wichita River: "Turn back, boys; they have given us a warm reception."
After their battle with the Indians, the whites, finding themselves to be far outnumbered by the enemy, decided to retreat. When the last party of white men came to the place where the orders were tacked on the tree, they followed the advice and returned to their homes.
ยท THE FATE OF ONE INDIAN.
After the killing of Tom Fitzpatrick and his wife, and the capture of their two little daughters by the Indians, the father of Tom Fitzpatrick continued to live at the old home place alone. He was very deaf. One night a band of Indians surrounded the house. They fired quite a number of shots into the house, as was discovered next day, before they succeeded in arousing the old man, who was sound asleep. When he awoke and finally decided that the Indians were attacking the house he began firing at them. This frightened the Indians and they turned to run. In their path was an old abandoned well, about forty yards from the house. One of the Indians rode into
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the well. His horse plunging head foremost into the well, carried his unfortunate rider with him. Some of the neighbors came next day and succeeded in getting the Indian out. The fall had killed him. The horse was left in the well. . This farm is north of Forrestburg two miles and is now known as the Ben Steadham place.
DEATH OF TWO YOUNG BOYS.
In 1867 there was a little settlement on Sandy composed of Moses Ball, C. B. Ball, Archie McDon- ald, James Green and Chesley Marlett. It was near this settlement that the Indians killed Brake Green and Billy Bailey, two boys of the settlement. The two boys went off together one Sunday morning, in the fall of 1867, to hunt for a pony that had strayed away. They expected to find him on Sandy Creek somewhere, so went in that direction. They were only about eighteen years old, and we can imagine them talking with each other of when fishing is good, where the best pecans and wild grapes grow ; where to find the wild turkeys and the squirrels; occasionally casting furtive glances into the woods as they discuss in lower tones the probability of In- dians being near-by. When about one-half mile from Mr. Green's house, suddenly right at them ap- peared a band of eleven Indians.
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HISTORY OF MONTAGUE COUNTY.
Shortly after this Archie McDonald was passing near there and found a small looking glass, squirrel skins and some red paint, and he knew the Indians were in the country. He did not know that the band had met the two boys. He turned back toward home and on to Mr. Ball's, where he reported what he had found.
Mr. C. B. Ball and Mr. J. Marlett, feeling certain that the boys had been overtaken by the Indians, started out to search for them. Sure enough, when the men reached Sandy Creek they found the dead bodies of the two boys. They had been horribly butchered. Appearances indicated that when the Indians surprised them both boys started to run. Young Green had run into the bed of the creek and was shot on the south bank, after he had crossed over. He was shot with three arrows. Two lodged in his breast and one in his back. When the two men found him his face was in the water. His pock- ets were turned wrong side out, and any money or valuables he might have had were taken. He was not scalped. Young Bailey was wounded before - he got to the creek. He had stumbled along for about fifty yards, trying to get out of the way of the Indians. Indications showed that he had been cruelly tormented after they had scalped him. A wound in his arm seemed to have been made by a lance that had been thrust entirely through it. The Indians had shot him nineteen times. Mr. Ball and
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Mr. Marlett were not sure that the Indians were not watching them when they found the bodies of the boys, but they tried to appear calm and indiffer- ent. The sun was setting as they found them. It was impossible for the two men to carry the bodies home alone, and there was so much danger of being fired on from ambush by the Indians that they were forced to leave the bodies there until morning. The next morning kind hands bore them tenderly to their heartbroken parents. The coffins were made for them out of planks or boards, or anything they could use-material was so scarce and so far away.
Both boys were buried in the same grave. They were the first people ever buried in the "Selma. Graveyard," which is only a few miles from Bowie. We are thankful that such days of anxiety and danger are over, and that the dreadful Indians will never trouble Montague County again. I have no doubt but what many of our boys have gathered pecans and walnuts and hunted squirrels near the same spot where these two boys met the band of Indians.
INDIANS KILL NATHAN LONG AND CAPTURE MISS PARALEE CARLTON.
In the fall of 1867 Nathan Long moved to what is known to old settlers as the "Chunky" Joe Wil- son place, located four miles east of Forrestburg.
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HISTORY OF MONTAGUE COUNTY.
On January 5, following, known as Old Christmas, the Indians made a raid into Montague County. They committed a series of crimes that day and that night. The first was the killing of John Leather- wood. He was on his way home. When he reached Clear Creek he was killed by the Indians. After scalping him they left him there and went on down the creek to Nathan Long's place. On the way there they burned Charles McCracken's house to the ground. Passing on to the home of Wash and Alf Williams' they went through the house, robbing it of such things as they wanted. It was afterwards thought their reason for burning the McCracken home was because they found an Indian's scalp hanging in the house-a sight which always incited them to great fury. Their next move was to go to the Carlton home, situated in the Clear Creek Valley. Here they captured Miss Paralee Carlton, taking her with them.
Miss Carlton had an exciting experience. The Indians had a fight with the whites the night of the day she was captured. In the confusion following the flight of the Indians she managed to slip from her horse unnoticed by them. She laid down in the tall grass and remained in hiding until they were far on their way. The Indians drove the horses on, thinking she was along. Miss Carlton had walked about a mile, when she came to the home of Dr. Davidson, where she found refuge until she could
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be conducted to her home. Miss Carlton's nieces are teachers in the public schools of this county now.
The Indians next went to the home of Austin Perryman. They surrounded the house and pre- pared for an attack. At this point Mr. Perryman and his wife made a strategic move. Mrs. Perryman donned men's clothing, and thus attired assisted her husband in frightening them away. The Indians were in deadly terror of a gun in the hands of a white man, and they liked to know that they had the advantage before inviting an attack. By these maneuvers Mr. Perryman and his wife succeeded in causing the Indians to think there was a number of men in the house, so they departed without doing any harm.
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