History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families, Part 33

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing co., 1895
Number of Pages: 1532

USA > Texas > Harris County > Houston > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 33
USA > Texas > Galveston County > Galveston > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 33

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point, and, riding to the top, to my inex- pressible surprise, found myself within 200 yards ,of a Comanche 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 busy packing up prepara- tory to a move. By this time the Indians mounted and moved off north across the lovel of the plain. My command, with the detachment of the Second Cavalry, hind out- marched and become separated from the citi- zen command, which left me about sixty men. In making disposition for attack, the sergeant and his twenty men were sent at a gallop, behind a elmain of sand hills, to en- compass them in and cut off their retreat, while with fifty men I charged. The attack was so sudden that a considerable number were killed before they could prepare for de- fense. They fled precipitately riglit into the presence of the sergeant and his men. Here they met with a warm reception, and finding themselves completely eneompassed, 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 repnte, with a young girl abont fifteen years of age, mounted on his horse behind him, and Cynthia Aun Parker, with a girl child about two years of age in lier arms, and mounted on a fleet pony, fied together, while Lieutenant Tom Kelliheir and I pursued them. After running abont a mile Kellileir ran up by the side of Cynthin's horse, and I was in the act of shooting when she held up her child and stopped. I kept ou after the chief, and about

half a mile further, when about twenty yards of him, I fired my pistol, striking the girl (whom I supposed to be a mau, 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 covering his back. When the girl fell from the horse she pulled him off also, but he caught on lris feet, and before steadying him- self my horse, running at full speed, was very nearly on top of him, when he was struek 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 escaped several arrows coming in quick succession from the chief's bow. Being at such disadvantage he would have killed mne in a few minutes but for a random shot from my pistol (while I was elinging with my left hand to the pom- mel of my saddle), which broke his right arm at the elbow, completely disabling him. My horse thien became quiet, and I shot the chief twice through the body, wherenpon he de- liberately walked to a small tree, the ouly one in siglit, and leaning against it began to sing a wild, weird song. At this time my Mexican servant, who had once been a captive with the Comanches and spoke their lan- guage 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 con- tenipt, and signalized this declaration with a savage attempt to thrust me 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

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was undaunted by the fate that awaited him, and as he seemed to prefer death to life, I directed the Mexican to end his misery by a charge of buckshot from the gun which he carried. Taking up his acconterments, which I subsequently sent to Governor Houston, to be deposited in the archives at Austin, we rode back to Cynthia Ann and Kelliheir, and found him bitterly cursing himself for hav- ing run his pet horse so hard after an ' old squaw.' She was very dirty, both in her scanty garments and person. 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 dis- covered an Indian boy abont nine years of age, secreted in the grass. Expecting to be killed he began crying, but I made him mount behind me and carried him along. And when in after years I frequently pro- posed to send him to his people, he steadily refused 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 nt our hands, I had the Mexican tell her that we recognized her 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 Indians, and the circumstances attending hor 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 Cynthia 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 accompany Colonel -Parker to Cooper as interpreter. When he reached there her identity was soon discovered to Colonel Parker's entire satis- faction aud great happiness." (This battle broke the spirit of the Comanclics for Texas.) "Upon the arrival of Colonel Parker at Fort Cooper interrogations were made her through the Mexican interpreter, for she re- membered not one word of English, respect- ing her identity; but she had forgotten abso- lutely everything apparently at all connected with her family or past history.

"In despair of being able to reach a con- clusion, Colonel Parker was about to leave when he said, 'The name of my niece was Cynthia Ann.' The sound of the once fa- miliar name, doubtless the last lingering memento of the old home at the fort, seemed to touch a responsive chord in her nature, when a sign of intelligence lighted up her countenance, as memory by some mystic in- spiration resumed its cunning as she looked up and patting her breast, said, 'Cynthia Annl Cynthia Annl' At the wakening of this single spark of reminiscence, the sole gleam in the mental gloom of many years, her coun- tenance brightened with a pleasant smile in place of the sullen expression which habitu- ally 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!

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" But as savage-like and dark of complex. ion as she was, Cynthia Am was still dear to her overjoyed unele, and was welcomed home by relatives with all the joyous transports with which the prodigal son was hailed npon his miserable return to the parental roof.

" A thorough Indian in mamer 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 section. Mrs. John Heury Brown and Mrs. N. C. Raymond interested themselves in her, dressed her neatly, and an one occasion took her into the gallery of the hall while the convention was in session. They soon realized that she was greatly alarined by the belief that the assemblage was a council of chiefs, sitting in judgment on her life. Mrs. Brown beckoned to her husband, Hon. John Henry Brown, who was a member of the convention, who appeared and succeeded in reassuring her that she was among friends.

"Gradually her mother tongue eame back. and with it oceasional incidents of her child- hood, inelnding 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 primitivo arts, sho learned to spin, wenve and perform the domestie duties. Sho proved quite an adept in such work and became a very useful member of the household. The ruling passion of her bosom seemed to be the miaternal instinet, and cherished the hope that when the war was concluded she would at last sneceed in reelaiming her two children, who were still with the Indians. But it was written otherwise and Cynthia Ann and her little barbarians were called henco ere the cruel war was over. She died at her brother's

in Anderson county, Texas, in 1864, preceded a short time by her sprightly little daughter, Prairie Flower. Thus ended the sad story of a woman far-famod along the border."

Only one of her sons, Quanah, lived to manhood. He became one of the fonr chiefs of the Cohoite Comanelies, 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 enstoms. A letter written in 1886 this described his surroundings: " We visited Quanah in his teepe. He is a fine specimen of physical manhood, tall, muscular, straight as an arrow, gray, look-you-straight- through-the-eyes, very dark skin, perfect teeth, and heavy raven-black hair-the. envy of feminine hearts-he wears hanging in two rolls wrapped around with red cloth. His hair is parted in the middle; the scalp loek 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 thousand 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, latoly devastated by prairie tiro.

" Ile has three squaws, his favorite being the daughter of Yellow Bear, who met his death by asphyxiation at Fort Worth in De- cember last. Ile said he gave seventeen horses for her. His daughter Cynthia, named for her grandmother, Cynthia Parker, is an in- mate of the agent's house. Quanah was attired in a full snit of buekskin, tunic, leg- gius and moccasins elaborately trimmned in beads, and a red breech cloth with ornamental

... .

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ond hanging down. A very handsomo and expensive Mexican blanket was thrown around his body; in his ears were little stuffed birds. Ilis hair was done with the feathers of bright plumaged birds. Ile was hand- somer by far than any Ingomar the writer has ever seen, but there was no squaw fair enough to personate his Parthenia. His general as- peet, manner, bearing, education, natural in- telligenee, show plainly that white blood trickles through his veins. When traveling he assumes a complete civilian's outfit-dude eollar, watch and chain, and takes ont his ear rings. IIe, of course, cannot eut off his long hair, saying that he would no longer be ' big chief.' Ile has a handsome carriage, drives a pair of matched grays, always traveling with one of his squaws (to do the ehores). Minna- a ton-cha is with him 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."

A COMANCHE PRINCESS.

The following beautiful story is from the pen of General H. P. Bee:

In the spring of 1843, the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston being president, dis- patched Colonel J. O. Eldridge, Commis- sioner of Indian affairs, and Tom Torrey, Indian agent, to visit the several wild tribes on the frontier of Texas and induce them to make peace and conelude treaties with the Republic. General II. P. Bee accompanied the expedition, but in no official capacity. At the house of a frontier settler, near where the town of Marlin stands, the commissioners received two Comanche children who had been captured by Colonel Moore, a famous and gallant soldier of the old Republic, in

one of his forays on the upper waters of the Colorado in 1840. These children had been ordered to be returne.l to their people. One of them was a boy fourteen years old, uamed Bill Hockley, in honor of the veteran Colo- nel Hockley, then high in command of the army of the Republic, who had adopted the boy and taken care of him: the other was a girl eleven years old, named Maria. The parting of the little girl from the good people who had evidently been kind to her was very affecting; she eried bitterly and begged that she would not be carried away. She had forgotten her native tongue, spoke only one langnage, and had the same dread of an In- dian that any other white children had. Her little nature had been enltivated by the hand of civilization until it drooped at the thought of a rongh Indian life as a delicately nurtured flower will droop in the strong winds of the prairies. There being no exense, however, for retaining her among the white people, a pretty gentle Indian pony, with a little side- saddle, was procured for her, and she was taken from her friends.

On arriving at a camp in Tanaconi, above where Waco is now located, the party met the first Indians, a mixture of Delawares, Waeoes, etc. The appearance of the little girl on horseback created great amusement among the Indians. She was so shy and timid, and the very manner in which she was seated on the side-saddle was different from that of the brown-skinned women of her race. The next morning after the arrival at the camp, Ben Hockley came out in full In- dian costume, having exchanged his citizen clothes for bnek-skin jacket, pants, etc. He at once resumed his Indian habits, and from that day, during the long trip of montlis, Bill was noticed as the keenest eye of the party. He could tell an object at a greater distance,

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for example, a horse frem a buffalo, a horse without a rider, ote., quicker than an Indian in camp.

The journey proceeded with its varied scenes of excitement, danger and interest fer four months, and the barometer of the party was the little Comanche princess. The ob- ject of the expedition was to see the head chief of the Comanches, and of course, as the search was to be made in the beundless prai- ries, it was no easy or certain task; yet they could tell the distance from or proximity to the Comanches by the conduct of the little girl. When news came that the Indians were near, the childish voice would not be heard in its joyens freshness, caroling round the fire; but when news arrived that they conld not be found, her spirits would revive, and her joy would show itself in gambols as merry as those of the innocent fawn that sperts around its mother en the great bosom of the prairie.

At last the goal was reached, and the party was in the Comanche camp, the village ef Pay-ha-hn-co, the head chief of all the Com- anches. Maria's time had come, but the little girl tried to avoid notice and kept as close as possible. Her appearance, however, was the cause of great sensation, and a few days fixed the fact that she was the daughter of the former head chief of the nation, who died on the forks of the Brazos, from wounds received at the battle of Plmin creek in 1840. Thus, unknown to her or themselves, they had been associating with the royal princess, No- bt-co-vi-ach, the long lost and beloved child of the nation. This extraordinary good Inek for the little girl brought no assnagement te her grief. ller joy was gone. She spoke not a word of Comanche, and could not recip- rocate the warm greetings she received.

On arriving at the village, Bill Hockley

determined that he would not talk Comanche, although he spoke it perfectly well, not hav- ing, like Maria, forgotten his native language. During the week they remained in the village, Bill, contrary to his usual custom, kept close to the party, and did not speak a word to those around him; nor could he be induced to do so. On one occasion a woman brought a roasting ear, which was of great value in her eyes, as it had come probably 150 miles, and presented it to Bill, who sat in one of the tents. The boy gave not the slightest at- tention to the woman or her gift, but kept his eye fixed on the ground. Finally she put the roasting ear under his eyes, so that as lie leoked down he must see it. Then, talking all the time, she walked off' and watched him. But Bill, from under his eyes, noted her movements, and not until she was out of sighit did he get up and say, "That ugly old woman is not mammnie, but I will eat her roasting ear."

When the chief came home (he was ab- sent for several days after the party arrived), he asked to see the children; and when they were presented he spoke to Bill in a very peremptory tone of voice, and Bill at once answered, being the first word of Comanche he had spoken since his arrival. This broke the ice, and the boy went ameng his people, net returning to his white friends until he was wanted to take part in the ceremony of being finally delivered over to his tribe, and afterward never going to tell them good by. So there and then Bill Hockley passed from the scene.

The day before the grand council with the Comanches, the skill and ingenuity of the party of the three white men were taxed to their fullest extent to make a suitable dress for the Comanche princess, whose clothes, it may be supposed, had become old and shabby.

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Their lady friends would have been vastly amused at their efforts. There was no erin- oline, corset, pull-back, wasp-waist or Dolly Varden to be sure. Whether the body wns too long or too short, we are unable to say; but it was one or the otherl The skirt wns a success, but the sloeves would not work: so they eut them off at the elbow. The next morning they dressed the little princess in a flaming-red ealico dress, put strings of brass beads on her neck, brass rings on her arms, a wreath of prairie flowers on her head, tied a red ribbon around her smooth, nicely plaited hair, and painted her face with ver- milion, until she looked like the real princess that she was. All this, however, was no pleasure to poor Maria; she was like a lamb dressed in flowers for the sacrifice.

Finally the time came when, in the full council, Colonel Eldridge stood holding the Imnds of the two children in front of the chief, and said to him that as an evidence of the desire of the great white Father (Hous- tou) to minke pence, and be friendly with the grent Comanche nation, he sent them two children, captives in war, back to their peo- ple. After these words he attempted to place the hands of both in the extended hand of the chief; but at that moment the most distressing sereams barst from Maria. She ran bohind Colonel Eldridge, and begged him for God's sake not to give her to those peo- ple, to have morey, and not to leave her. Then the poor child fell on her knees and shrieked, and clung to him in all the mnad- ness of despair. A death-like silence pre- vailed in the council. The Indians stood by in stern stoicism, the voices of the white men were silent with emotion, and nothing but the eries of the poor lamb of sacrifice pierced the distance of the bloom-scented prairies. Her white friends, as soon as possible, at-

tempted to quiet the chill. Of course the comforting words were spoken in their own language, but they were evidently understood by all, for theirs was the language of nature. Finding their efforts nseless, the chief said: "This is the child of our long-mourned chief; she is of our blood; her aged grandmother stands ready to receive her; but she has for- gotten her people. She does not want to ' come to us; and if the great white chief only sent her for us to see that she is fat and well cared for, tell him I thank him, and she can go back."

This was an opportunity; and General Bee suggested to Colonel Eldridge to save the' child; but, although the latter's heart was bursting with grief and sympathy, his sense of duty told him his work was finished, and he replied to the chief, as follows: "I have been ordered to give up this child. I have done so, and my duty is fulfilled. But you see she is no longer a Comanche. Child in yenrs when she was taken from you by the stern hund of war, she has learned the lan guage of another people, and I implore you to give her to me, and let me take her to my home and care for her all the days of my life." "No," said the chief; "if she is my child I will keep her." Ile swung her roughly be- hind him into the arms of the old grand- mother, who bore her screaming from the council tent; and thus the princess was de- livered to her people; and the last sound the party heard on leaving that Comanche eamp was the wail of the poor, desolate child!

Years afterward General Bee received a message from Maria, and sont her a few pres- ents by way of remembrance. She had be- come the main interpreter of her nation, and met the white people in eouneil. So it ended well at last. She became an instrument of good, and fulfilled her destiny on the stage

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of action for which she was born. But the remembrance of the bright but desolate child, and her prayers and tears when sho was foreed to be left with her stranger people, is fresh in the memory of at least one of the party, and will last him through life.

We presnme that the princess was captured in the fight by Colonel Moore on the Red fork of the Colorado.

GAME ANIMALS.

George J. Durham, of Anstin, a number of years ago enumerated the following as the chief game animals of Texas:

Buffalo (formerly), elk, black-tailed deer, antelope, hare, rabbit, red and fox squirrels, turkey, prairie chicken, quail (" partridge "), the whooping and the sand-hill eranes, the American and trumpeter swans, the bay goose, braut, snow goose (common or Cana- dian), etc., blue-winged teal, the shoveler, widgeon, green-winged teal, pintail, gray duck, ring necks, canvas-back, mallard and possibly some other species of dneks, wood- cock, plover, enrlew, tatler, sanderling, etc.

It would scarcely be appropriate here to enminerate the habits of these varions animals, their seasons of immigration and emigration, ete., as such matters come more properly within the domain of scientific and sports- men's works. IInnters' stories constitute interesting reading, but are not properly the matter of the history of a State; but we will venture to relate one, as follows:

FEARFUL ENOOUNTER WITH A BEAR.

" Returning home from one of my monthly tours under the burning sun of August," says Elder Z. N. Morrill, " I fonna myself greatly exhausted in consequence of a ride of

100 miles from Providence Church, Navarro county, north of Chambers creek. After a little rest I mounted my horse, gun in hand, with a view first to look after the farm, and secondly, if possible, to get a deer or turkey, as fresh meat was called for. The farm was in the Brazos bottom, and at this season ot the year the weeds were from four to six fe. t high. Passing around the field, I watched every motion of the weeds, expecting to see a deer or turkey. Presently my attention was called to my right, and about thirty steps from my path my eyes rested upon the head of an old she bear, standing upon her hind feet and looking at me. My horse was wild and I dared not shoot from the saddle. Leap- ing to the ground as quickly as possible, I leveled my riffe at the fearful object, which then suddenly disappeared. Immediately the weeds nearer by began to shake, and two enbs, not more than ten feet from me, ran np a hackberry tree. Resting among the limbs, they turned their anxious eyes on me. The old bear was gone; and very deliberately ! tied np my horse, and with a smile on my face and none but the cubs and the God of the nniverse in hearing, I said, I am good for you, certain. As I was about pulling the trigger the case of Davy Crockett flashed into my mind when he shot the enb and the old bear came upon him with his gun empty. With that distinguished hunter I had gone on a bear chase in Tennessee.

" Well was it that I thought of him at this moment, for I had not even a knife or a dog to help me in my extremity; and as, unlike the king of Israel, I did not feel able to take the bear by the beard, I lowered my gun and unsprung the trigger. Just then an angry snarl fell upon my ears a short distance away. The old bear was after me. The weeds cracked and shook, and she stood upon her

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hind fuet, walking toward me, swaying her body right and lett. Her hair was all stand- ing on end and her ears laid back, presenting a frightful appearance. Life was pending on the contest. Either Z. N. Morrill or that bear had to die. The only chance was to make a good shot. The bear was now not more than forty feet from me, and steadily advancing. Remembering that I had but the one slim chance for my life, depending on the one gun-cap and the faithfulness of my aim, I found I had the ' buck ague.' I

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Author: Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing co., 1895 Number of Pages: 1532

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing co., 1895
Number of Pages: 1532