USA > Texas > Navarro County > History of Navarro County > Part 2
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CHAPTER II
INDIAN TROUBLES
S INCE the first written history of incidents, in what is now Navarro County, is so interesting it is re- produced herewith as a clear delineation of one of hun- dreds of such which the early settler was forced to ex- pect before he could make for himself a home in this strange new outpost of civilization.
This first record of events occurring in Navarro County was of occurrences in the spring of 1838. An account of it was published in 1860 in the Navarro Ex- press, the county paper at that time. The record was written by Col. W. F. Henderson, whom many now liv- ing remember, who died at his home in Corsicana not so many years ago. He came with a party of men surveying for the State of Texas with the purpose of organizing a new county. Following is his description of the expedition :
"Early in the Spring of 1838, having receiv- ed a deputation to survey and locate land in Robertson Land District, I started from a point soon after known as Old Franklin with about fourteen men and reached Old Parkers Fort, or Springfield, then a settlement of
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HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY
about twelve families. The Fort had been surprised and violently assaulted the year be- fore by the Indians, several Indians being kill- ed, while the wife and children of one of the settlers, Mr. Parker, were captured and held as prisoners.
"After waiting there a day or two for Col- onel Richard Sparks and party of Land Loca- tors to join us from Fort Houston on the other side of the Trinity (now Palestine) we started ; leaving word for Sparks to follow us, and ran a connecting line from the highest point of the Navasota River to Pin Oak Creek, striking it not far from its mouth where it runs into Richland Creek.
"Just before reaching Pin Oak Creek and as I was surveying said line we heard two ri- fle shots in quick succession. I remarked that Holland (a man in my employ) could hardly load and fire so rapidly. This aroused our suspicion of foul play; however, we sur- veyed on and reached Pin Oak that night, struck camp and with little degree of uneasi- ness awaited Holland's arrival but he came not. Next morning my surveying partner and I commenced surveying different tracts. This separated our little band in half with several miles distance between us in the course of our surveying during the day.
"The following night we met and camped to-
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INDIAN TROUBLES
gether without any alarming incident having occurred to make us apprehend danger from hostile Indians except the disappearance of Holland which alone should have put us on our guard but really we were so hopeful of his return that the suspicion of a contrary fate did not then arise.
"The next morning, after nearly starving on one turkey to fourteen men, we proceeded to work. My other hunter, Rogers, being now alarmed would scarcely venture a rod from camp, therefore our fare was limited and we were solely dependent on game and the exer- tions of our hunters for our subsistence.
"The next night brought us all to camp with Holland still unheard from, and only one turkey again with a little parched corn ground fine, sweetened, and flavored with ginger, had to suffice.
"The men became much demoralized at this state of affairs and greatly agitated about Holland's long continued absence. They came to me and said they would positively not stay any longer and must return to Springfield. We had consultation with Barry who was urg- ently advised to give up or suspend the trip and go with me as I had decided it was advis- able to go in and useless to continue without hands.
"This proposition met not his approbation
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HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY
and unhappily for him he declined, saying he would proceed with the work and that I could rejoin him as soon as I had obtained hands in Springfield. This I promised to do as early as possible and left him and started on foot as one of my pack ponies had killed himself by stampeding with an ax which became untied and cut his leg so severely that he died from bleeding.
"We had not gone more than five miles from camp, all my men on foot, (except an in- valid who was riding the only horse left) when we beheld some buzzards collected near a Cedar ravine.
"No sooner noticed than I remarked, 'There is Holland's body!' He was lying stripped of all clothing save one sock and so much mutilated by the buzzards that we could not tell whether he was scalped or not.
"Upon this sad realization of our forebod- ings I urged upon my employees the necessity of returning to Barry's Camp both as duty to them and the safety of our own party, as we had but two guns.
"But demoralization had set in upon their hearts like some terrible disease, only to be increased at the awful sight the harrowing spectacle of poor Holland's body presented.
"They would not consent to my proposi-
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tion and nothing was left for me to do but to move forward with them. We reached Springfield that night.
"Early the next morning I called for vol- unteers to go back with me and rescue Bar- ry's party. Only two men, (Lamb and Slug- lin) volunteered. We hurried back without molestation and reached camp that night only to find it deserted. We were at a loss what to do but hearing the barking of dogs (and knowing Barry had two), we followed the dir- ection and struck camp near ten o'clock on the further side of Pin Oak Creek. We found them in great consternation at the death of Barry who had been brutally killed that eve- ning by Indians whom Barry had discovered a mile distant on the prairie mounted on horseback and numbering fifteen. He and his three men, mistaking them for Sparks' party attracted their attention by waving their hats but alas! from the answering yells and rapid charge they were found to be Indians. Then ensued a fearful race for life, they being afoot and about as far from the timber as the In- dians were from them. Barry being in bad health was overtaken and slain. Being badly armed (not more than half of us having guns) and having decided to return to Spring- field immediately we took advantage of the moonlight and like the Arabs of old did we fold our tents and silently steal away.
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HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY
"Our party got separated during the night but by ten o'clock next morning we all reach- ed Springfield in safety where we found the little settlement in the utmost terror and con- fusion not only from our disaster but from the equally sad return of Sparks' party which having reached and left Springfield a few days previously had proceeded to and camped upon Richland Creek a short distance from Pin Oak. They then struck camp and proceed- ed to send out two men at a time to look for us.
"The second day while all were lying asleep in camp (except the two scouting men), they were surprised and attacked by Indians. Sparks was killed and the rest stampeded without horses, guns or provisions.
"These annoyances from the Indians con- tinued for a long time and although our plans were frustrated after the results of these ex- peditions we did not give up but in the fall made another attempt which proved more dis- astrous than all."
The author of the above historical document played a prominent part in the later history of Navarro Coun- ty. After the organization of the county in 1846 Col. Henderson practiced law in Corsicana and was for years a familiar figure in the community. His home was on what is now Seventh Avenue in Corsicana. His son, Calvin, was one of the first white children born in
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INDIAN TROUBLES
the present confines of Corsicana. Col. Henderson re- tained his vigor throughout his life. One of his greatest pleasures was to sit and talk over the early days with old friends during a session at a checker board.
During the early days of Navarro County the diary of any one of the inhabitants would have been very liberally interspersed with Indian warfare and Indian "scares."
One of the most fascinating of the early Navarro County frontiersmen was "Buck" Barry. He lived in Navarro County several years - and was a prominent figure. His home was where the present library now stands. He set out the large Bois d'Arc trees which still stand between the library and the Y. M. C. A. When he moved West A. Duren bought the home and reared his family there. In the recent volume "Buck Barry-A Texas Ranger" by James K. Greer, there are many interesting sidelights on early days in the territory which later became Navarro Coun- ty. He speaks of the fact that between the Trinity River and the Falls of the Brazos only three settle- ments and one Indian trading house were to be found but several camps of buffalo hunters, and in the same paragraph he mentions the fact that the buffalo were in greater numbers along Chambers Creek, ten miles below where Corsicana now stands, than at any other point in their varied travel. This neutral ground abounded in game of all kinds. Indian tribes from East and West hunted here, therefore there were frequent clashes.
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HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY
Until the Anglo-Saxon settlement reached consider- able proportions the Trinity River was considered the line of demarcation between the territory in which the whites were welcome and the Indians' hunting ground upon which no white foot could safely tread. This neutral ground was, however, particularly dangerous to the white man because the Indian tribes were always at enmity with one another and each felt the white man was a natural enemy and although the woodland Indians were supposed to be friendly to the whites, with the exception of the Tejas tribes, their friendship was somewhat undependable and any real or fancied wrong might provoke sudden danger to the white settler. The prairie Indian tribes, among whom were the warlike Comanches, resented the intrusion of the white man from the very first and at all times were on the lookout for more scalps to hang to their tent poles.
During the fall of the year the lands west of the Trinity River became good hunting grounds and from East of the Trinity there came the Cherokees, Shaw- nees, Kickapoos, Delawares, Caddoes, Ionies, and Ana- darcos to lay their traps and with guns purchased from the traders kill sufficient game to last them through the winter. From West and South of the Trinity on gaily decorated ponies and armed with bows and ar- rows, and lances came the Tehuacanas, Keechis, Wa- coes and Comanches and any white men found in this hunting ground were exposed to danger from any or all of these tribes whose hunting grounds were en- croached upon.
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INDIAN TROUBLES
The Indians felt intense animosity toward the set- tlers who came to the territory now embraced by Na- varro County to locate their claims for land given them as reward for participation in the revolution of 1836. These ex-soldiers formed into groups and usually had with them one or more surveyors and surveying instru- ments and it is easy to see why the Indian was anxious to put a stop to this encroachment which had a semb- lance of permanency and why these early surveying parties were met with animosity since the Indian realized it was the opening wedge in an effort to drive him off his hunting ground and take from him his means of livelihood. This feeling brought on such conflicts as the report copied in full on the preced- ing pages and if a complete history of all these conflicts were kept they would doubtless afford hundreds of sim- ilar instances which occurred throughout the central part of Texas during the years of early settlement.
Here is W. F. Henderson's description of the second attempt to survey Navarro County in the fall of 1838:
"The surveyors headed by W. F. Henderson and Walter P. Lane, who afterwards was Maj- or of Hayes' regiment in Mexico, Samuel T. Allen, Asa Mitchell, John Baker, Euclid Cox, James Smith, Thomas Smith, Richard Davis, Wm. M. Love, Wm. Jackson, William Trim- mier, Rodney Wheeler, and some other men by the names of Baker, Violet, Ingram, Neill, Jones, Fikes (about 80 years old), Hard, Mc- Laughlin, Thomas, Barton and Earle made
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HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY
another attempt in October of that same year. It is surprising that they were not afraid to do this, with so many Indians about and so soon after the other disaster, but they had the true spirit of the American pioneer and fear seems not to have been a part of their equipment.
"There was no commander but all went along either as chain bearers or locators and for mutual aid and protection.
-
"From Franklin the company, mounted on horseback, passed up by Tehuacana Springs on the Southwest branches of Richland Creek the scene of their labors. On their way they met a great many Indians in small squads sometimes a half dozen sometimes twenty or thirty all of whom professed to be friendly but all betrayed by look or gesture a feeling of dissatisfaction arising from their opposition to the survey of their favorite haunts.
"On the next morning the work was begun, several lines were run, partly in the timber, and partly in the prairie, the neighborhood be- ing divided into both, the country very broken with very many deep ravines.
"The first night was spent in that vicinity at the home of Dr. George W. Hill .* The next morning they went to work a few miles away.
*The home of Dr. Hill was located 150 yards from Indian Springs.
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Top: This home now occupied by J. A. Dickson and sister, Mrs. S. E. Gray, was built originally as a two-room cedar log house by Mish Clary. It was later occupied by Nelson Pittman and finally by the M. M. Dickson family.
Below: The site of Indian Springs (Spring Hill), long since dried up.
INDIAN TROUBLES
The compass proved defective at the outset and Henderson dispatched W. M. Love and William Jackson back to Parker's Fort for a magnet, reducing the company to twenty-two men. While the work was going on in the morning squads of Indians were seen in every direction moving to and fro, others in appar- ent consultation. It is strange that such indi- cations did not alarm the little party but it seems they had no idea of an attack up to that time. At eleven o'clock they struck fire and breakfasted on a spring branch. About fifty Kickapoos camped opposite them for the same purpose. Some of the latter crossed and told Henderson's party that they would be attack- ed that day by seventeen Ionies. When the survey was renewed they ran a mile into the the prairie and while making a corner twelve Indians passed through them and one asked in English 'Is that a mile ?' Another pointing to the compass on the staff said 'Is that God's eye ?" But all looked displeased.
"The next line was being run parallel with a deep ravine at about eighty yards ; the nearest timber being about a mile distant, when they were fired upon from the ravine-the enemy lying under the bank and also concealed by the bushes.
"Without the least confusion, for by now the surveyors were convinced there was dan-
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HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY
ger, they collected their instruments and form- ed so as to fall back to the timber. Before this movement began, however, the Indians appeared from every direction and immediate- ly surrounded them and poured bullets and arrows among them on all sides yet at such a distance as to do little execution. The sur- veyors fighting their way bore for the tim- ber but when a few hundred yards from it they discovered that it was already infested by about two hundred of the enemy. They then bore off obliquely to a ravine in the prairie and succeeded in making a lodgment just before the junction of the two ravines skirted by small bushes. Immediately at the point of the junction stood a Cottonwood tree and about eighty yards below them there was water and several trees but the enemy had made the position in advance of them. While on the retreat to this point the party in the midst of the bullets and arrows held an elec- tion and chose Neill as their commander. It was now about one o'clock p. m. Twenty-two men in a small ravine in the open prairie were surrounded by at least three hundred Tehua- canas, Ionies, Wacoes, Caddoes and Kicka- poos. Soon after reaching the position Neill was wounded and disabled and at his request Cox was made Captain.
"A general fire was kept up on all sides but the chief execution was done by Indians
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INDIAN TROUBLES
climbing the trees below and getting fair view of our men. In this way every little while someone was either killed or wounded. Cox was a resolute man and seeing the necessity of dislodging the enemy from the trees took an exposed position on the bank behind the lone Cottonwood tree. He was killed and again the band had no leader but it was mutually agreed that all would stay together and each man use his own discretion in the defense. When Cox fell the Indians rang a shout of exultation and the body made a charge but they met such a deadly fire from rifles and pistols they fell back, yet again and again amid hideous yells they made charges up first one bank then an- other and as often were driven back with killed and wounded. During this state of the engagement about fifty Indians on horseback made their appearance on a ridge about two hundred and fifty yards distant occasionally beckoning the Americans and calling to them 'Kickapoos good Indians, come to Kickapoos.' This was believed to be a ruse to decoy them but the old man, Fikes, exhausted and unable to fight determined to test their sincerity saying that his days were few at best. He mounted and rode toward them but was kill- ed, whether by some of the others our men could not tell.
"Davis being badly wounded pursued the same course and shared the same fate. In this
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HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY
manner the fight continued till eleven o'clock at night one charge after another followed by a repulse, many an Indian being killed and our party suffering considerably also. Twelve hours of intense and laborious excitement with increasing numbers of the enemy, the suffer- ing for water, and the certainty of final an- nihilation in that position had brought the gal- lant fellows to a state of desperation. A re- treat of a mile through the prairie in the bright moonlight was the only alternative. Most of them must fall but possibly a few, probably none, might escape. Ingram, Jones, Violet, Thomas Smith and John Baker were wounded up to this time in addition to the slain. They were mounted on horse and sur- rounded by the remainder on foot and thus trusting to stout hearts and a soldier's God they left the ravine and surrounded by three hundred Indians afoot and on horse and amid the most deafening yells they slowly advanc- ed but with firm resolve of brave hearts to- ward the nearest timber which skirted anoth- er of those ravines peculiar to that region.
"One by one their number was reduced by death. Ingram wounded before the retreat was shot in the head and fell from his horse. When they reached the timber but seven of the original number were alive. John Baker and James Smith escaped together at this point, eluded pursuit and got into the falls of
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INDIAN TROUBLES
the Brazos. Mclaughlin, a youth, instead of leaving the ravine with his brave comrades secreted himself in some bushes and when the Indians pursued the others he fled down the stream and finally reached the settlements on the Trinity boasting of his shrewdness.
"On reaching the timber Henderson, Lane, Violet and Barton still clinging together fell into a dry branch and were hidden from their pursuers by continuous bushes. Here they lay in silence for an hour during which time a portion of the enemy continued their yells around them but finally retired and all was still as death. To remain till daylight was certain death. Violet was so badly wounded that he could only walk by the aid of one man one of his legs being powerless. By persever- ance they descended the branch some two miles and in a thicket found some water. Pain- ful as it was, Violet was left there with a solemn promise that if the others should get in, relief would be hastened to him. The other three, Henderson, Lane and Burton had but two guns, two pistols and one Bowie knife left. They traveled till daylight in their measured pace, Lane resting an arm on each of his com- panions. They lay concealed all the next day without water. On the second day and third night having become bewildered and their tongues parched they traveled over hill and dale they knew not whither but no water was
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HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY
found. On the next day with swollen tongues and parched lips they suddenly came upon six Kickapoo Indians. By this time their clothes were torn in shreds, their emaciated bodies were covered with blood and Lane could not articulate while Henderson and Barton were not much better. Five of those Indians look- ed on them with frowns and asked how they came to be in such a situation to which they replied with some deception that they had fought with the Ionies. Henderson discover- ed an expression of compassion from the other Kickapoo and offered him his Bowie knife to take them to water. The noble son of the Forest looked compassionately upon him and lighting his pipe handed it to Henderson add- ing 'Kickapoo good Indian, smoke with Kick- apoo.' He then led them about five hundred yards and imagine their joy at beholding that lucious fountain of nature, the celebrated Te- huacana Springs.
"After indulging in this beverage and some meat prepared by the Indians, Hender- son offered him his gun, all he had left, if he would allow Lane to ride his horse and pilot them to Parker's Fort. He promptly accepted the offer and faithfully performed his engage- ment. They got in the next morning. With poor Violet this sketch, already too long, shall close.
t
"A party piloted by William Love was at
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INDIAN TROUBLES
once sent to the poor fellow and fortunately they touched at Tehuacana Springs also and what must have been their surprise to find the sufferer there! Incredible as it may ap- pear he had crawled on his hands and feet and by a mysterious Providence he had just reached the springs, when his deliverers ar- rived. He was taken in and finally recovered. The little stream at the extreme head of which this bloody tragedy occurred has been made to perpetuate it through the significant name of 'Battle Creek.'
"As soon as these men got to Franklin the news was spread and by next morning fifty men piloted by William Love started to the scene of the disaster. They supplied Violet with all possible help and went to the battle ground to bury the dead and to see if they could find any more wounded. When they reached the place the wolves had stripped the flesh off the bones and they were gathered to- gether and buried."
An account from the memoirs of Gen. W. P. Lane:
"A surveying party was being formed at Franklin, Robertson County, in October, 1838. I went with William Love and others from San Augustine to join it; all of us having lands to locate. We organized at Franklin, twenty- three of us, electing Neil as captain, Hender-
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HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY
son being our surveyor. We started via Park- er's Fort for Richland Creek where we intend- ed to make our location. The second day we camped at Parker's Fort which was then va- cated having been stormed a few months be- fore by a body of Comanches who murdered all the inhabitants or carried them off in capti- vity, the two historical Parker children being among the number. We passed Tehuacana Hill on our way to Richland Creek and cross- ed through a dense thicket to the other side of the Creek and encamped about a mile on another stream (later called Battle Creek) where we would commence operations.
"We found there some three hundred Kickapoo Indians with their squaws and pap- pooses who had come down from their reser- vation in Arkansas to lay in their supply of dried buffalo meat for the country then abounded with any amount of game and from the hills you could see a thousand buffalo at a sight.
"The Indians received us kindly as a great many of them spoke English. We camped by them three days going out in the morning surveying and returning in the evening to camp to procure water.
"The third morning at breakfast we ob- served a commotion in the camp of our neigh- bors. Presently the Chief came to us and re-
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INDIAN TROUBLES
ported to us that the Ionies (a wild tribe) were coming to kill us. We thanked them for the information but said we were not afraid of the Ionies and said that if they attacked us we would 'clean them out' as they had noth- ing but bows and arrows anyway.
"They begged us to leave saying that if the Ionies killed us it would be laid on them. We refused to leave but asked the Chief why, as he took so much interest in our welfare, he could not help us whip the Ionies? He said they could not do that as his tribe had a treaty with the Ionies. He begged us feel- ingly to go but as we would not do so they planned a little surprise for us.
"They knew where we had made a corner the evening before and knew that we would go back there to commence work, so they put one hundred men in a ravine we had to go by. We started out from our camp to resume our work, several of the Indians going with us. One of them stuck to me like a leech and succeeded in begging a piece of tobacco from me. Then shaking hands with me he crossed the ra- vine within fifty yards from his friends who were lying in ambush for us. We got opposite to them not suspecting any danger when about forty arose from the ravine and fired into us, killing some of our horses and wound- ing some of our men. Captain Neil ordered us
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