Memorial and biographical history of Dallas County, Texas, Part 30

Author: Lewis publishing company, Chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1128

USA > Texas > Dallas County > Memorial and biographical history of Dallas County, Texas > Part 30

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LIST OF ENGINE COMPANY NO. 1.

J. W. Wilson,

II. Walters,

J. B. Stone, Tom King,

W. J. Allen,

B. B. Cork,

HI. G. Bohney,

Dave Tichienor

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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.

Donald Hinekley,

(deceased),

Wmn. McKinley,

W. T. Peters,

T A. Pharis,

J. J. Good, Jr.,

(deceased),

Emille Ramonr, James Purnel,

J. N. Ogden, Jas. Hardy,

Rano Starr,

A. Dysterbach,

Bailey Patton,

J. II. Slaughter,

Jno. Thomson,

W. J. Shone,

G. M. Duncan,

Webb High,

C. Allen,

T. Hinckley Dan Bacon (deceased), Will Clark,

(deceased),

J. C. Greer, Thos. Wilkinson.

Jas. Proplet (deceased),

The condition of the fire department at present is first-class. It consists of a force of 44 members, inelnsive of the officers. It has several handsome buildings in differ- ent portion of the city. The apparatus of the department consists at present of three second-size Ahrens steamers, two of them new, and one in good condition; two new and three old hose carriages; 3,000 feet of new, 3,700 feet of good, 2,200 feet of ordin- ary, and 1,700 feet of common, 2}-inel rubber hose; one double sixty-gallon chem - ical engine, new; one hook and ladder truek, not in service at present; one supply wagon; one eart; one buggy for elief; and twenty-two horses.

VALUATION OF FIRE DEPARTMENT PROPERTY.

Apparatus, horses, etc. $48.000

Buildings. 19.000

Real estate. 25.000

Fire alarm system 19.300

Total $111.300

The following is the list of the present

officers and menibers: Thos Wilkinson, chief; T. A. Myers, assistant chief; John M. Oram, eity electrician.

MEMBERS OF DIFFERENT COMPANIES.

Engine Company No. 1, at the corner Caron- dalet and Market streets: Chas. Zumbrun, captain; Geo. Burger, engineer; D. Rainey, assistant engineer; Il. Rawlins, engine driver; W. Jarvis, reel driver; B. Franklin, supply driver; E .. Reeves, hoseman; H. Millican hoseman.

Engine Company No. 2, on Commerce street, near Hawkins street: J. Cox, eap- tain; F. Douglass, engineer; E. Daniels, assistant engineer; C. C. Crabtree, engine driver; T. Morrison, reel driver, G. Cary, hoseman; T. Boland, hoseman.

Engine Company No. 3, corner Gaston and College avennes: Ralph Jackson, cap- tain; J. C. Rahn, engineer; A. Lott, as- sistant engineer; J. Clifford, engine driver; L. Paxton, recl driver; A. Cooper, hoseman; R. Wilson, hoseman.

Ilose Company No. 1, on Bryan street, near Crockett street: A. E. Walbridge, cap- tain; R. Brady, reel driver; J. Kivlen, sup- ply-eart driver; J. Houston, hoseman; W. Brice, hoseman.

Chemical Engine No. 1, at the corner of Elm and Olivet streets: C. D. Swan, captain ; J. D. Cook, driver; T. Hurley, hoseman ; T. Miles, hoseman.

Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, Central Station: J. L. Marder, captain; Dennis Canty (the oldest firemen in the city), driver; O. Crowder, tillerman; J. Ryan, ladderman;

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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.

S. G. Anderson, lineman and ladderman; J. Gorman, driver buggy and ladderman; Geo. W. Hill, ladderman; W. Riddle, ladder- man: Chas. Longserre, ladderman; W. Mc- Daniels, ladderman.

John M. Oram, city electrician, is said to be one of the most talented electricians to be found in any country. He has a system of electrie communications to all the handsome buildings of the fire department, of which there are several, also to almost all the other departments, that works with perfect sym- metry and harmony. His success in this de- partment as an electrician is praised exten- sively, and very justly 60.

BURNING OF DALLAS IN 1860.

One of the most exciting events in the early history of Dallas county was that of the burning of the town of Dallas in July, 1860. Some of the citizens at that time differed in their opinions as to the origin of the fire. Below we give interviews of three pioneer citizens now living in Dallas, which appeared in the Dallas Daily News of July 10, 1892. These do not agree in their opinions of the origin of the fire, but a full account of the destruction is given. Uncle Billy Miller: "I am eighty-five years old," the venerable nar- rator began, "and my memory is somewhat defective; but those scenes and the startling revelations of an uprising among the blaeks ereated such an impression on my mind that I can never forget it. Crill Miller, now dead, who was a son of W. B. Miller of Dallas, who then lived west of the river five miles from

town, took the part of a detective and worked up the case. It is said that he had some Indian blood in his veins, and he kept his own counsel, saying but little, but he dis- covered the plot to burn, rob and murder. There had been a great deal of burning going on in the country: farmers' homes, their feed stacks and cribs were burned, and no one knew how.

"One day as Crill was at his father's a little negro boy, whom he called Bruce, eame run- ning in crying and saying: 'O, Mars Grill, three white men came and made me feteh them some water, and then they sot fire to the barn and the house' Crill could see the smoke issuing from his place, but he said nothing then. After he had worked on a few clews and put this and that together he one day took Bruce from the house and in the presence of a committee of white men told him that he would have to tell them who had burned his house else they would kill him, and he informed him that if he died lying the devil would get him sure. Bruce confessed that he himself fired the place, and that he had been put up to it by another negro. This led to the revelation of a plot, which in- cluded every negro in the county except three, and one of the three was old Unele Clayton Miller, Henry Miller's father, who belonged to Unele W. B. Miller. He knew about the plot, but under threatened penalty of death he dared not reveal it. A part of the plan was to poison Unele Billy (W. B.) Miller and his wife and divide their property among the blacks.

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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.

"When the scheme was fully diselosed it was shown to have been instigated by two white preachers from Iowa. They were in the county about two years prior to the outbreak, but they left and returned again, it was charged, to fully develop their plans, which were evidently laid during their first visit to the county. As soon as their connection with the seheme became known a committee composed of Judge Hord, Unele Billy Miller and Mr. Knight, Judge Burford's father-in-law, started to wait on them. One of them was seen. When the committee ap- proached the negro quarter where he was stopping, Uncle Billy Miller called him out to aequaint him with the committee's mis- sion. He was eating breakfast and he reached baek to get a gun which was standing against the wall near him. At that moment a shot was fired from the outside. The preacher then eommeneed erying and asked me to keep the men from shooting him. He promised to get out of the State in five hours, and the committee left, but before he could get away he was captured somewhere on Farmers' branch, brought to town and put in jail. The other preacher was captured and that night they were both taken out, whipped and told to get out of the State instanter. They left, but we heard of them during the war eireulating stories in the North about us.

"After the burning of the town, which oe- curred on July 10, 1860, when the mereury stood 110 degrees in the shade, we whipped every negro in the county one by one. One of the negroes whipped became very siek

afterward, and, thinking that he was going to die, he made a confession to his old mistress, telling her all about the plot, which eontem- plated the murder of herself and her husband. He confirmed the statement of other negroes that the two Iowa preachers had instigated the entire plot. Upon his confession he with two other negroes, one of whom was a preacher, was taken ont and hanged on the bluff just above where the Commerce street bridge now stands. Clayton Miller, Henry's father, was a good old negro. Henry was freed when he was a child. He was in no way related to Commodore Miller, or to Charlie Miller, who was sent to the peniten- tiary some time ago."

JUDGE NAT. M. BURFORD'S VERSION.

In his search for additional particulars concerning the burning of the town and the trouble with the negroes, the News reporter yesterday called on Judge Nat M. Burford at his home on Akard street. If Judge Bur- ford lives until the 8th of next October he will have been a resident of Dallas forty-four years. Although one of the oldest settlers and one among the patriarehs of the city, he is young in step and memory. The reporter found him mowing grass in the back yard. Showing the interviewer to his room he said that he could not recall dates with aeeuraey, but he had a vivid recollection of the seenes transpiring about thirty-two years ago in Dallas.

" I was then district judge," he began, "and I was then holding court in Waxahachie.

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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.

I adjourned court there Saturday and started to my home in Dallas, but I did not get here until Monday, the day after the town was burned. There were no railroads in those days, you know, and travel was slow. I then lived on Main street, where the St. George hotel now stands. When I got home I found the largest portion of the town in smoking ruins. Nearly all the buildings on the square, about fifteen business houses, were burned. One two-story brick house was left standing on the southeast corner of the square. It was a saloon and I believe a saloon is kept in the same building to-day. Residences as far as my house had been burned. I remem- ber that when I got to town everything was very quiet. It was almost a death-like still- ness. People talked in whispers, but they were determined-looking. They were des- perate. They gathered in groups and they were sure that nothing was said in the pres- ence of anybody who was not known to be with them. A little after dinner T. C. Hawpe, the sheriff, came to my house and told me that a meeting was being held in the courthouse. Ile was afraid they were going to hang all the negroes in the county and so entail a great loss of property. IIe said that three were known to be guilty and he did not think that any more should hang. He asked me to go down and address the crowd and do what I could to hold violence in check. I went and when I got to the courthouse door-it was a brick courthouse, the second built on the spot where the new one is being erected-I encountered a doorkeeper. The guards were

admitting only those whom they knew to be all right. The doorkeeper asked me if I would abide the action of the people's meet- ing. I replied that I would and I went in. The first man I found inside said: ' Now, we must vote to liang them three negroes, but it won't do to hang too many. We can't afford it. After we get the three let's call up some rieh man's negro and make a fight to save him. If we save the rich man's negro the meeting will not then turn around and vote to hang the poor man's negro.' I saw that he had an eye to business and I thought it was a good suggestion. I went up to the courtroom and talked about three- quarters of an hour. Being a judiciary officer I then left the meeting and took no part in subsequent proceedings. However, the three negroes were condemned to death by a jury of, I think, fifty-two men. The fourth negro brought out belonged to Billy Miller, the richest man in the county. Sure enough a fight was made to save him and succeeded, but Miller said that the negro shouldn't stay in the county, and he after- ward send him away. The moderation wing of the meeting compromised with the other faction by offering and voting for a resolu- tion to whip every negro in the county. The resolution was adopted and a committee was appointed to do the whipping. [ remember my cook was whipped, but she said they didn't whip her hard, and her husband at that time got the only whipping he ever had in his life. lle was a fine mulatto, a splendid blacksmith, and he would have noth-

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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.

ing to do with the negroes. Ile opposed the abolition of slavery and thereby engendered the ill will of all the negroes. He is living now on Elm fork, about seven miles from here. The public meeting in the courthouse was held Monday afternoon, and I think the three negroes condemned were hanged the following Wednesday in the forenoon. I was not at the hanging and I took no part in it, but most of the people had their negroes there to witness it.

" I am satisfied the town was fired by ne- groes. Mr. Cameron, who lived on the Fort Worth road, twelve miles from Dallas, had a negro boy about twelve years old who came to town every Sunday to get the mail. When he got back home that Sunday after being in Dallas his master saw the smoke from the burning town and asked him what it was. IIe replied that Dallas was burning. He was asked how he knew it. He said that as he was going to Dallas that morning Uncle Cato, who was then a notorious negro in these parts, told him to look out, that Dallas would be burning before he got back home. This to my mind was most convincing proof. Old Cato was captured and he implicated the other two negroes who were hanged with him. Their stories were corroborated by other negroes, so that there could be but little doubt that the negroes started the fire. They stated that two white preachers from the North put them up to it, and a committee waited on the preachers. I never saw them, but after the committee waited on them they were whipped and told to leave the country.

At that time there was a good deal of house burning all over the country, but the war soon came on with its exciting events, and that is the reason I reckon nothing was ever recorded about the burning of Dallas and the threatened slave insurrection. It almost passed out of the minds of the people."

A TALK WITHI ONE OF TIIE JURYMEN.

The News reporter ran down a member of the jury of fifty-two (Judge James Bentley), a majority of whom sent the three negroes to their execution. He declined to be inter- viewed, saying that this was a bit of Southern history that was not good. " The two white preachers," he said, " I believe to have been guiltless of the charge laid against them," and before the speaker knew it he was rat- tling away with an interesting narrative of the capture of the preachers, the burning of the town and the hanging of the negroes. " When the preachers were captured," he pro- ceeded, " one of them doubtless would have been shot in his buggy, but his wife threw her arms around his neck and threw herself in front of him, so that the vigilantes could not shoot him withont shooting her. She made such a piteons plea for her husband's life that they decided to spare it. The elder of the preachers was not wanted, but he re- fused to leave his brother of the cloth. He said that he would return to Dallas and go to jail with him. The preachers were afterward whipped and told to leave the country. I think that about the extent of their connec- tion with the negroes was that they had been

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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.

seen perched on rail fences talking with ne- groes several times, and once or twice they felt in their duty to preach to them. I don't believe they instigated an insurrection. In fact there was no insurrection. People became frightened and almost panic-stricken.

" When the town was burned it was a hot day-so hot that matches ignited from the heat of the sun. Wallace Peak had just fin- ished a new two-story frame building, and in the upper story that day a number of men were lounging and smoking. Piled up near the building was a lot of boxes filled with shavings, and I think a cigar stump or a match was thrown into one of the boxes, and from that the fire was started, about two o'clock in the afternoon. Several fires had occurred ; there was a great deal of excitement about the apprehended negro uprising; somebody had to hang; and the three negroes went. There was a merchant in the town of Hen- derson who wrote to a friend here that he would pass through Dallas on a given date. Incidentally in the letter he mentioned the fact that the day when Dallas burned a box of matches in his store took fire from natural heat and he barely saved his store from burn- ing. This incident was cited by those sup- porting the theory of accidental origin, but the merchant was denounced for being in collusion with the negroes. It happened that he originally came from the North and there were threats of lynching him in case he ap- peared in Dallas. His friend wrote to him to keep away from Dallas, and he did. At that time there was considerable wagon immi-

gration to this country from the North, aud the idea somehow gained currency that those Northern people were coming down here and supplying the negroes with firearms and am- munitions. People actually held up the wagons and searched them as they entered the town, but nothing was ever found to con- firm these suspicions."

In the language of the latter-day historian : " Things have changed since the events re- cited above transpired. A generation has passed, the shackles of slavery have been broken and Dallas has grown from a sınall hamlet to a proud city."

OTHIER ACCOUNTS.

A correspondent of the Dallas News of July 21 wrote the following:

" Some months ago 1 furnished and you published from the old Dallas Herald an ac- count of the burning of Dallas, July 10, 1860. Recently you have published several interviews with surviving citizens of that date in regard to that disaster. Some of them leave the impression that the calamity may have been the result of the spontaneous ignition of matches on that hot July day. As I believe in no such theory (like Mr. William H. Beeman, then and now a citizen of Dallas and a native of Illinois), I beg leave to make pub- lic through the News the letter which follows. This letter, found as sworn to by two reputa- ble citizens, if made public at the time woukl have rendered the people of north and south- western Texas desperate. Wiser counsels prevailed, and to a number of the most intel- ligent citizens of Fort Worth the country

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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.

was indebted for the prevention of scenes of blood, and doubtless the summary execution of some innocent men, simply because they were recent comers, or possibly came from certain States. These wise and just men of Fort Worth adopted a wise and just course. They withheld the letter from publication, but had certified copies made and sent to con- fidential men in the various counties involved in the threatened dangers, to be communi- cated to a number of good men to put them on their guard. One of these certified copies was communicated to me and at least two other citizens of my then county. I have ever preserved it in my scrap book of special matters touching the current history of the country in those troublous times. Here is the letter:

" DENTON CREEK, July 3, 1860.

" Dear Sir :- A painful abscess on my right thumb is my apology for not writing at An- derson. Our glorious cause is progressing finely as far south as Brenham. There I parted with Brother W. He went still fur- ther Sonth. He will do good wherever he goes. I have traveled up through the fron- tier counties,-part of the time under a fic- titions name. I found many friends who had been initiated and understood the mystic word. I met with a good number of our friends in Georgetown. We held a consul- tation and were unanimously of the opinion that we should be cautious of our new asso- eiates. Most of them are desperate characters and may betray ns, as there are slaveholders among them and value a negro much more

than a horse. The only good they will do will be destroying towns, mills, etc., which is our only hope in Texas at present. If we can break the Southern merchants and millers and have their places filled by honest Repub- licans, Texas will be an easy prey if we will only do our duty. All we want for the time being is control of trade. Trade, assisted by preaching and teaching, will soon control public opinion. (Public opinion is mighty and will prevail.) Lincoln will be elected and we will then have the administration, cost what it will. Her sovereignty accom- plished, we have but one more struggle to make, that is free Texas. We will then have a connected link from the lakes to the gulf. Slavery will then be surrounded by land and water, and will soon sting itself to death. I repeat, Texas we must have, and our only chance is to break up the present inhabitants in whatever way we can, and it must be done. Some of us will most assuredly suffer in ac- complishing our object, but our Heavenly Father will reward us for assisting him in blotting ont the greatest curse on earth. It would be impossible for any of us to do an aet that is as blasphemous in the sight of God as holding slaves. We must have frequent consultations with our colored friends. (Let your meetings be in the night.) Impress upon their clouded intellects the blessings of freedom. Induce all to leave you can. Our arrangements for their accommodation to go North are better than they have been, but not as good as I would like. We will need more agents, both local and traveling. I

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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.

will send ont traveling agents when I get home. You must appoint a local agent in every neighborhood in your district. I will recommend a few whom I think will do to rely upon, to wit: Brothers * * * * L., W., 1., E., MeD., V., C., N., S., W., G., A., D .. M. Brother L., the bearer of this, will take a circuitous ronte and see as many of our col- ored friends as he can. He also recommends a different match to be used about town, etc. Our friends sent an inferior article. They emit too much smoke and do not contain enough camphene. They are calenlated to get some of our friends hurt. I will send a supply when I get home. I will have to reprove you and your co- workers for your negligence in sending funds for our agents. But few have been compensated for their trouble. Correspondent and industrious agent, Brother W., has received but a trifle -not so much as an apprentice's wages. Neither have Brothers W., M. and others. You must call upon our colored friends for more money. They must not expect us to do all. They certainly will give every cent if they know how soon their shackles will be broken. My hand is very painful and I must close.

" N. B .- Brother L. will give you what few numbers of the "Impending Crisis" we have; also Brother S.'s speech and Brother B.'s let- ters, etc. Farewell.

" State of Texas, Tarrant county .- Person- ally appeared before me, the undersigned anthority, Paul Isbell, who, after being duly sworn according to law, on oath says: The

above and foregoing letter was found by George Grant and myself near the residence of said Grant, six miles west of Fort Worth, near where a horse had been stealthily fed, as it seemed, and that the said letter has not been out of our possession till now, and that it has not been altered in any respeet what- ever.'

" Given under my hand and the seal of the Tarrant county court on this the 10th day of August, 1860.

" THOMAS M. MATTHEWS,

Deputy Clerk.

" If the old citizens of Dallas, who knew nothing of this letter to dear brother and have had doubts as to the origin of the fire in Dallas July 10, 1860, as well as those in Bren- ham, Georgetown, Milford and twenty other places about the same time, inelnding over thirty mills and gins-if, we say, these ehar- itable doubters will compare the dates and facts, all their doubts will be removed and they will see that the burning of Dallas was but a part of the plan inaugurated by the gang to which * * * co-workers be- longed to " destroy the present inhabitants of Texas.

" Had this letter been published at the time it would have erazed the people of north and central Texas and caused the death of many mnen-doubtless many innocent men ineluded. That it was not published was owing to the extreme eantion of men who feared a great crisis was impending-men of the class who a few months later sustained the secession movement.

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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.

"After a delay of thirty-two years the letter is now given to the publie without note or comment. A SURVIVOR OF 1860."

HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

Dallas is classed as one of the healthiest eities in this country. The death rate here during the last two years has been only one and one-tenth per cent. The rate in the Northern cities is mneh greater, and in Eu- rope the average annual death rate is two per cent.

Dallas has never been visited with any raging epidemies. While some serious cases of epidemies have been in her borders, they failed to exeite any alarm or to spread the disease. A hospital is provided for the sick, and the services of a physician are also pro- vided free of charge. Any subjects thrown upon the city receive prompt and efficient attention. Dr. V. P. Armstrong is at present the health officer.

STREET RAILWAYS.

The street railways of Dallas, amounting to forty-six miles, are run chiefly by elec- tricity, affording thereby as delightful and convenient accommodations in this respect as can be found in any eity. In addition to the electrie lines, a company of capitalists have partly constructed, on one of the leading business streets of the eity, a cable railroad, which when completed will be, it is said, the only street cable railroad in the South.

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Memorial and biographical history of Dallas County, Texas, Part 30

Author: Lewis publishing company, Chicago, pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1892 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 1128

Author: Lewis publishing company, Chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1128