Frontier
Times Magazine
Vol 1 No. 1 - OCTOBER
1923
Contents
of this volume:
Jack Hays, the Famous Texas Ranger
By Rex Wertenberg. Among the prominent
men who made themselves conspicuous by their talents
in the days qf the Republic of Texas, none were more
active or had a more interesting career than Captain
Jack Hays. On the western border he fought the enemies
of civilization in more than forty engagements when
he was protecting San Antonio and Southwest Texas against
robbers and savages. This article provides a brief sketch
of his life and a description of his personal appearance
and character.
Further Mentions: Colonel Hays was born
at Fort Haysboro, in Wilson county, Tennessee, on the
28th of January, 1817, his mother's brother, Abner Gage,
Colonel Travis from the Alamo., Deaf Smith's spy company,
Dawson's company; Colonel Karnes. Bexar county, President
Lamar, the Somerville expedition, Bandera Pass; Walker's
Creek, above Seguin, the Agua Dulce; Paint Rock, General
Taylor, Ben McCulloch, Tom Green, the battle of Monterrey,
General Worth, Colonel Hays married Miss Susan Calvit
of Seguin in April, 1847, Ex-President Lamar, Generals
Burleson, Ben and Henry McCulloch and Tom Green, Judge,
Governor Bell, Colonel Walker Capt. Ad Gillespie, Big
Foot Wallace,
The Trail of Blood Along the Texas Border
By John Warren Hunter. Early in 1855,
Mathew Taylor and Joe McDonald, each having large families
moved from Illinois and settled on Sprint Creek, fifteen
miles west of Fredericksburg in Gillespie county. At
that period Fredericksburg was the chief seat of the
Prince Solms Colony of Germans and was a mere village
of pole cabins and the settlement formed by McDonald
and Taylor was on the extreme border. The government
maintained a small garrison of regulars at Fort Martin
Scott, two miles below Fredericksburg, also at Ft. Mason.
McDonald and Taylor engaged in stock raising and farming.
This is the account of their struggle to settle in this
region and the trouble they encountered. It is a very
sad story, but also good early Gillespie & Kimble County
history.
Further Mentions: Fort McKavett, the
Upper Llanos, the Conchos and the Guadalupe regions,
the forks of the Llano, Junction City, the Nixon and
Joy families who moved out from Arkansas, Squaw creek,
Beaver Creek., Matthew Taylor. Tobe Joy, who later made
a brilliant record as an Indian fighter. Captain John
Banta, the Joy ranch, the Taylor ranch. the region from
the Guadalupe to the Colorado, the pioneer village of
Schoenbruff, the first settlement in the ,Northwest
Territory near New Philadelphia, Ohio,
The Massacre of John Webster and Party
Story of the John Webster family, who
came to Texas from Virginia in 1839. Webster knew of
the danger from Indians, for the brutal Comanches were
in control of the country north and west of Austin.
For protection from Indians and to assist him in improving
his place, he induced eleven young men to accompany
him, and tradition says he bad with him a Negro man
servant and his wife, making the party consist seventeen.
Between the 10th and 15th of August, 1839, this party
took up the line of march, having three wagons, drawn
by oxen.. There being no roads and none of the men familiar
with the country, their progress was very slow. According
to Mrs. Webster’s account, at about sundown on the third
day they reached an elevation that overlooked the spot
that Webster intended to make his future home. But to
their horror a large number of Comanche 1ndians were
encamped on the spot intended for the Webster home.
What follows is the story of their horrific experience.
Further Mentions: Webberville, the South
San Gabriel. the town of Leander in Williamson County,
the Cashion farm and the Wilson farm, the Brushy Creek
Valley, the Llano branch of the Houston and Texas Central
Railroad, Henderson, Mr. Upchurch, George Alley, who
afterwards lived and died in Georgetown and Rev. Jack
Atkinson, a pioneer preacher of the Cumberland Presbyterian
church., Mr. Atkinson, Pilot Knob, a few miles north
of Austin. Mrs. Maverick, the name of Strickling, Washington
Perry Reese and William Parker Reese, Kartha V. Strickling:
Charles Reese and Thomas Reese."
History of Fort Inge on the Leona River
Miss Bertha, Dalton. Speaks of Mt. Inge,
situated about three miles south of Uvalde on the Leona
River, and of the Fort establish there on March 13,
1849. Captain Seth Eastman, of the First Infantry first
commanding, and in a short time, he gave way to Captain
William J. Hardu, author of a book on military tactics
that was used by both the Federals and Confederates
during the Civil War. On April, 1851, the troops were
withdrawn but the Fort was again occupied in July of
the same year. This is an account of it’s establishment
and early history.
Further Mentions: Captain James Oakes,
Captain Richards of the Ranger force, Captain Robert
P. McClay, Robert E. Lee, who carried Scott into the
City of Mexico, Judge J. F. Robinson, Captain Edmond
K. Smith; General E. Kirby Smith, General O. B. Hood,
Thomas Duncan, Brigadier General Joseph Wilson, General
J. Duncan,
Taming the Savage Apache Followers of Geronimo.
Of all the American Indians it is conceded
that the Apaches were the most bloodthirsty and cruel.
They were so cruel that it is said of them that they
tortured simply for the pleasure of giving pain, and
young Apache boys took keen delight in tearing to pieces
live birds, mice or game which fell into their clutches.
Growing into men their cruel natures were emphasized.
Their outrages increased until the whole country was
terrorized. Settlers were murdered, ranches were burned,
men, women and children slaughtered and scalped. Sometimes
they would strip the clothing from prisoners and bury
them close to an ant hill so that the ants would eat
the flesh from their skulls. Their outrages on the frontier
shocked the whole world, and until captured by Miles
and Lawton they terrorized the whole border and carried
their warfare into Mexico. This is an account of their
cruelties, and eventual taming.
Further Mentions: Geronimo, depredations
in Sonora, San Carlos, Arizona, George Crook, Chiricaliua.
General Miles, Captain Emmett Crawford, General Lawton,
their mountain retreat in the Sierra Madres, Meteorites
in Texas. – a brief but interesting article on meteorites
found in TX.
A Bunco of the Eighties-the Diamond King.
During the year 1886 San Antonio was
electrified by the arrival of a most singular individual.
Many people remember clearly the furor he caused at
the time. Coming unheralded and unknown, he blew into
town one day, a blaze of diamonds. His Mexican sombrero
was thickly powdered with immense gems. His coat and
vest bore as many as could find room. His sleeve buttons,
and the buttons of all his garments, were sparkling
with diamonds.
To the curious throng that crowded his
tent he had pitched a canvas home or a vacant lot near
Alamo Plaza. His servants announced that their master
was a diamond king. This man took San Antonio like a
storm, and left in his wake….
Population of Texas Seventy-Five Years Ago
The first census record for the State
of Texas was the enumeration of 1850, the republic having
been accepted as a State in 1845, at which time its
total population was 212,592, or more than one square
mile for each person enumerated. The city of New York
that year had a few more than 50,000. When Texas was
admitted as a State in 1845 it claimed considerable
territory not now within its confines. In 1850 it sold
to the Federal Government for $10,000,000 all claimed
outlying area which reduced it to the size as shown
by present-day maps. Article goes on to provide details.
Gives population figures for early towns such as Bonham,
211; Comaltown, 286; Corpus Christi, 533; Eagle Pass,
(then in Bexar county) 383: Fredericksburg, 754; Galveston,
4,177; Hortontown, (Comal county), 139; Houston, 2,396,
Indianola, 379; Lavaca, 315; Marshall, 1,180; McKinney,
192; Nacogdoches, 468; New Braunfels, 1,298. Palestine,
212; Richmond, 323 - San Antonio, 3,488; etc
Article further enumerates demographics,
origins of settlers, ethnic distinctions, public schools,
etc. Further Mentions: David S. Kaufman, of Sabinetown.
and Timothy Pillsbury, of Brnzoria, Kaufman, Volney
E. Howard, of San, Antonio, Surveyed by Austin. Stephen
F. Austin surveyed and laid out the town of Columbus
in August, 1823, and planned to make it the capital
of his colony. But he found that the Indians frequented
the territory along the Colorado River and to the westward,
so he abandoned his plan and moved back to the Brazos
River and located his capital at San Felipe de Austin.
But the work started by Austin was carried on by two
other men, who actually were the first settlers of the
place that is now Columbus. These were W. D. Dewees
and Leander Beeson. These men lived on opposite sides
of the river and each was two miles from the proposed
town, but moved to it after Austin's survey.
Arizona Indian Wars.
Thomas Farrell. Mentions fort McLean
on the road to Pinos Altos, half way between Rio Mimbres
and the Santa Rita copper mines., Rough and Ready station,
20 miles west of Mecelle. Bob Sackett, a girl of the
Pennington family, the Apaches had carried off a boy
of Johnny Ward's. Capt. Reel., Neil Davis, Owen Trellor.,
Neil Croker, Croker of California, Lieutenant Bascom,
with a company of the 7th infantry, Apache pass, Cochise
and his half brother, with two Pinal chiefs, Paddy Carroll.,
Lorato, Mickey Free.
Rangers
Meet at Menard. (brief story) The ex-state
rangers met at Menard: Mentions rangers: W. M. Green,
Major commanding, Meridian; J. B. Gillett, Captain,
Marfa; Norman Rogers, First Lieutenant. Post; W.W. Lewis,
Second Lieutenant, Menard; A. T. Richie, Adjutant, Comanche
– Henry Sackett, Orderly Sergeant and Secretary, Coleman;
W. H. Roberts, color bearer, Llano - John O. Allen,
chaplain, Cookville.
Further Mentions: Weatherford, Sam Bass
and Nep Thornton. Jack Hays, Ben McCulloch, Ad Gillespie,
Big Foot Wallace. Also has B&W photo of J. B. Gillett.
The Cry of the Death Bird Served as a Warning
By Isaac Motes. Speaks of owl-like bird
who was supposed to have given a cry of warning when
danger approached. Especially was it believed to be
the protector of officers of the law and women and children.
Many old plainsmen will tell you of cases where the
death bird was believed to have saved their lives, and
woe to the man who heard its cry and heeded it not.
To quote Mr. Motes: "About midnight I was awakened
by thunder and occasional flashes of lightning. There
was a feelng of deep uneasiness in my heart, as though
something else had helped to wake me: Almost immediately
I heard the hooting of an owl up the river a hundred
yards or so. Three times I heard it. At first I paid
no heed to it, but the next time I noted it more intently
and thought it sounded unnatural. The third time I felt
this more strongly. I knew it was a habit of Indians
to imitate the hoot of an owl or howl of a wolf as a
signal to others of their band when they were creeping
upon white men from different directions. Not more than
a minute after I heard the owl the third time I heard
another over to the east of me. I lay still, listening
for a repetition of the sound, that I might tell if
possible whether it were really an owl. The lightning
occasionally flamed in zigzags across the black sky.
I must have waited half an hour, straining my eyes every
time the lightning flashed, when all at once I heard
the scream of the death bird overhead. From the sound
of its cry it seemed to have been sitting on one of
the topmost limbs, and cried as it started to fly away,
as I could tell by the long drawn out wailing sound.
Immediately after this cry a flash of lightning filled
the whole river bottom with a white blinding light,
and I expected every second to receive a shower of arrows
in my body from some band of lurking savages"
Further Mentions: Clear Fork, Indian
Jim
The Lipan Indian Tribe
Among the Indian tribes whose friendship
for the white settlers in Texas was steadfast and faithful,
was the tribe of Lipans of which Flacco was the chief.
This tribe was not of the more numerous of the Indian
communities-it was just the other way - it was a small
tribe. But it. was a valuable ally of the settlers and
on more than one occasion gave valued assistance to
the hard-pressed settlers in their fight.
Further Mentions: Seguin, Gen. Burleson,
Senor Antonio Navarro, a friend in whom the Lipans had
unbounded confidence, Gen. Houston, the San Gabrial,
fifty miles from Austin, Col. John H. Moore, La Grange
and Bastrop.
The Hunt for the Bowie Mine in Menard
By John Warren Hunter. In 1756 the Franciscan
Missionaries erected the San Saba Mission on the north
bank of the San Saba river, one mile above the site
whereon now stands the flourishing town of Menard. At
the same time they built a mission four miles below
the San Saba mission on the south bank of the river.
A year later this mission was destroyed by the Indians,
but the upper mission continued to enlarge and flourish
until 1790, when it was also attacked and destroyed
by the Indians. Sometime during the occupancy of this
mission the Spaniards discovered and developed a silver
mine which was said to be of exceeding richness and
which in the end, led to the downfall of the mission
and the close of missionary effort in the San Saba country.
There has always existed a doubt in the public mind
as to whether the Spaniards ever discovered a silver
mine on the banks of the San Saba. Geologists find no
indications that would warrant even a remote supposition
that silver had ever existed in paying qualities anywhere
in all that region, yet notwithstanding all this, history
and tradition attest the existence of a, silver mine
so often referred to by old Spanish chroniclers as "La
Mina de las Almagres," and "La Mina de las Amarillos,"
and in modern times as ''the Bowie Mine." This
is the story.
Further Mentions: James Bowie, The battle
of Calf creek, where Bowie encountered a large force
of Indians, the Almagres mine, Ben F. Gooch, a one-time
wealthy stockman, "Gooch's Folly.", W. T. Burnam, A
man by the name of Fischer.
RANGER OF THE SIXTIES
(This article is excellent genealogy, if you have ancestors
who were rangers in San Saba, Mason, Llano and Burnet
counties during 1860’s)
W. T. Linn, Texas Ranger of the 60's
and Confederate veteran with a commendable record, was
a citizen of San Saba and one of the Texas Rangers who
made up that noted frontier company that was organized
at the outbreak of the Civil War and was composed of
men from San Saba, Mason, Llano and Burnet counties.
This brief article mentions numerous names of rangers
whom he recalls from those counties. An excerpt:
From San Saba county; J. B. Pyatt,
B. M. Hamrick, T. F. Hamrick, B. Gammenthaler, W. T.
Linn, Ben Linil, Henry Farrer, A. J. Hubbert, Allen
Taylor, J. A. Taylor, Henry Woods, A. J. Brown, R. G.
Binnion, Joe Hanna, Jack Hanna, Dick Nelson, Tom Potts,
Lewis Mulky, B. G. Cook, John Hall,
Burnet County:
First Lieutenant Woods, Newt Lawler, Mose Bolt, Zan
Fisher, William Stokes, Zane Stokes, Charles Vandiver,
John Olney, William Seawood, Sam Olney, John Aultman,
Joe Aultman, Thomas Fry, William Brooks, William Bauntley,
Al Brooks, Dr. Hansford, Bill Standifer, Jake Standifer,
Tom Wolf, Rickman Holland, Jeff Bresbeale, Robert Flippen,
Duke Snow, Matt Allen, John Lord, Jim Ward, Seott Pankey.
Mason County:
John O. Hair, James Crosby, Robert Cavness, Thomas Lindsey,
Kit Woods.
Llano County:
Code Charles Haynes, Ben Gibson, John Russell, Hardin
Russell, Robert Hardin, Cal Putman, Lib Rainbolt Nathan
Noble, Brooks and Barker.
Further Mentions: The company went into
camp on the Hall ranch, three miles from where the town
of Richland Springs now is, on Richland Creek. The company
afterwards went into camp at Old Camp San Saba, between
Brady and Mason. This company of mounted men, with their
own fighting equipment, was mustered into the Confederate
Army in 1863, and retained their individual equipment
until mustered out of the army. Col. McCord commanded
the regiment and N. D. McMillin was company commander
with T. P. C. Hambrick and James McDowell lieutenants;
Dr. Hansford was the company physician. At the close
of the war this company was mustered out at Velasco,
at the mouth of the Brazos River.
Descendants of these men make up a large
percent of the citizenry of San Saba, Mason, Llano and
Burnet counties. Mr. Linn believes Lewis Mulkey, Charles
Vandiver and William Seawood are the only…
Pioneer
Is Dead.
Brief article mentions August Cline, one of the best
known pioneers of Texas and founder of the town of CIine,
Uvalde county. Mr. Cline, who was a native of Prussia,
came to the United States at an early age. He was a
companion and co-worker with Kit Carson in the early
days of the New Mexico Indian campaign. He served as
a scout for the United States Army, working under many
famous generals of the army. Mr. Cline was chief scout
for General McKenzie in his last campaign against the
Indians in Western Texas.
Not only did he take an active part in
the campaigns of the United States against the uncivilized
Indians, but Mr. Cline had several personal encounters.
The story is told of how…
Remarkable Life Story of Quanah
Parker
Quanah Parker, the celebrated Comanche
chief, who died suddenly at his home on the Comanche
reservation four miles west of Cache, Okla., Feb. 23,
1911, had a most remarkable history. Parker was the
son of Peta Noeona, one of the most ferocious and daring
Comanche chiefs known in the annals of Indian warfare;
his mother was Cynthia Ann Parker, a white woman of
a pious and God fearing family that lived near Groesbeek,
Limestone County, Texas, where she was captured in 1836
by a band of Comanches and Kiowas led by Peta Nocona.
At the time of his death Quanah Parker was 67 years
old, having been born in 1844, eight years after the
capture of his mother by his father. Prior to 1847 when
the Comanche tribes were compelled to live on reservations
prescribed by the Federal Government, Parker's life
had been spent among scenes of rapine and bloodshed,
and many deadly struggles had he witnessed and participated
in between the red race of his father and the white
race to which his mother belonged. The story of Quanah
Parker's life really begins with the emigration from
Cole County, Illinois, to Texas in 1833, of his
mother's grandfather, John W. Parker, and her father,
Silas Parker and numerous relatives who settled in Limestone
County, on the west side of the Navasota River, and
near the present site of the town of Groesbeck. There
were nine families in the Parker colony. The account
goes on to detail the events in the remarkable life
of Quanah Parker.
Further Mentions: Parker's Fort, Elder
John W. Parker, Benjamin F. Parker Mrs. R. Russell,
L. M. T. PLummer, his wife and son James, aged 2 years;
L. D. Nixon, his wife, Robert, a grown son, and another
son; G. E. Dwight, his wife and two children, and Mrs
Duty and Mrs. Elizabeth Kellogg, Samuel M. Frost and
Robert Frost, David Faulkenberry, Captain L. S. Ross,
William Donohue, Colonel John S. Ford, Captain S. P.
Ross and Captain W. A. Pitts, the battle of Antelope
Hills. Major Van Dorn, Captain Jack Cureton of Bosque
county, Lieutenant Killiher, the little daughter of
Cynthia Ann, "Prairie Flower,", Hon. J. L. Birdsong,
A. C. Birdsong, the daughter of Yellow Bear.
Belief in the Efficacy of the
Madstone.
Belief in the efficacy of the madstone
as a preventive of hydrophobia is beginning to wane,
though there are still many intelligent men, some of
whom are learned in science, who believe the application
of the madstone will, prevent rabies. The madstone,
according to physicians who have studied the subject,
was first used by the Indians. The genuine madstone
is a hard substance usually taken from the stomach of
some animal…
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