Frontier Times Magazine Vol 3 No. 5 - February 1926

Frontier Times Magazine

Vol  3 No. 5 - February 1926

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Contents of this volume:

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Moore's Defeat On The San Saba
In consequence if the repeated and continued inroads of the Indians through 1837 and 1838, at the close of, the latter year Col. John H. Moore, of Fayette, already distinguished for gallantry and patriotism, determined to chastise them. Calling for volunteers from the thinly settled country around him, he succeeded in raising a force of fifty-five whites, Forty-two Lipan and twelve Toncahua Indians, an aggregate of one hundred and nine. Col. Castro, chief of the Lipans, commanded his warriors, assisted by the rising and ever faithful young chief, Flacco whose memory is honored, and whose subsequent perfidious fate is and ever has been deplored by every pioneer of Texas.
Among this little troup of whites was Mr Andrew Lockhart, of the Guadalupe, impelled by an agonizing desire to rescue his beautiful little daughter, Matilda, who had been captured with the four Putman children near his home.
The advance scouts reported to Col. Moore the discovery of a large Comanche encampment, with many horses, on the San Saba river, yet the sequel showed that they failed to realize the magnitude in numbers. Here is the sad account of what happened.
Further Mentions: the wily old Castro; William M. Eastland; S. S. B. Fields, a lawyer of LaGrange; James Manor, Felix Taylor; Leffimgwell, and Martin; Cicero Rufus Perry; Gonzalvo Wood;
He Soldiered With Henry M. Stanley
John Sharpe. Account of Col. James Henry Faubion, of Leander, Williamson County, farmer, pioneer, statesman, patriot, war prisoner, newspaper man, etc, etc and great Texan. Col.. Faubion was born at Newport, Cocke county, Tenn., Aug. 20, 1844, and arrived in Georgetown, Texas, Dec. 24, 1865, coming to TX from Greenville, S: C., after having been paroled from the Confederate army at Kingston, Ga. He later went to Milam county where he spent one year and then moved to Leander, Williamson county where he made his permanent home. He married Miss Margaret C. Mason, December 30, 1869, had seven children, E. M. Faubion, of Houston; 0. E. Faubion, of Temple ; Mrs. Lelia McBride of Leander, Mrs. W. B. Stanfield, of Fowlerton and Misses Maud and Kate Faubion.
Col. Faubion joined the Confederate army immediately on the declaration of war and served throughout that struggle taking part in many of the battles. He was sergeant of Company C, 26th Tennessee Infantry, and is the only survivor of his company when the division was shot to pieces in a number of fights and at one time only a handful escaped and Col. Faubion being one of them joined a pick-up company and followed on in the running battle which followed. He was captured at. Fort Donaldson, Tenn., and was taken to Camp Morton as a prisioner of war, remaining eight months. After the battle of Vicksburg, he was exchanged and re-entered the service. He was again captured at Bluntsville, Tenn., and there he escaped from his guards before reaching prison. He rejoined his regiment and served through the campaign which swept through Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, being the fifth Tennessee regiment at the close of the war. The account goes on to describe his resettlement in Williamson county and his interesting life there.
Further Mentions: Judge Sidney Seymour; L. L. Fester, John H. Cochran, and Speaker Alexander; He at one time edited The Liberty Hill Curant and later The' Leander Times; the Williamson County Old Settlers' association; Col. W. K. Makemson; towns of Taylor and Grander; the battle of Murffershoro, Tenn;
The Buffalo Butchery in Texas
Don H. Biggers. Story of John W. Mooar, of Colorado City, Texas. Mooar was one of three men to first engage in killing buffaloes on an extensive commercial scale, and was in the business, when the guns of buffalo slaughter ceased to boom. The buffalo slaughter started in 1870, and practically ended in 1877. Previous to 1870, buffalo hunting was selective and had a marginal impact on the herd population, but when Mooar discovered a market for the capes at the sum of 2,000 hides at $3.50 each, then commenced the slaughter. Here are the details.
Further Mentions: James White; Fort Hays; Fort Griffin; Big Lake, near the boundary line of what is now Knox and Haskell counties; Denison; George Causey; Yellow House Canyon country; Sam Carr; Charles Tasker; the Capitol Freehold Syndicate;
The First Election in Texas
Describes the unique political, social turmoil that existed in Texas when Sam Houston was the first elected executive in the state. The situation in the new born republic at the time of this first election in the fall of 1836 was one of discord, there were malcontents in every settlement, and there was that general condition of confusion and independence and the the birth of a State. A temporary government had met with opposition in many quarters and had not been allowed to pursue a consistent policy. The citizens were flushed with the victory of San Jacinto, however, and among the masses (if one may call the population "masses") of Texas in 1836 disorder that always follows a war for there was the proper spirit and the right purpose, even though they were divided over many details. The constitutional convention which had met at Washington in the previous March had made provisions for an election, when the way became clear for such proeeedure, and accordingly the temporary government authorized the holding of an election for the choosing of a president. There were two candidates, Stephen F. Austin and Henry Smith. Immediately many of Sam Houston's friends importuned him to become a candidate, but he declined to to seek the office until twelve days before election day. This story details the event.
LAST OF TERRY RANGERS DIES.
Brief account of the life of David S. Combs, an original recruit in Terry's Texas Rangers, and thought to be the sole survivor of that world famous band of guerilla warriors that fought through the Civil War. Combs was prominently identified with Texas ranching, establishing the Combs ranch at Marathon in 1900. Prio to that he lived in San Antonio and established extensive ranching interests in the Big Bend district. In 1880 he formed a partnership with W. D. and J. M. Kincaid for ranching near San Angelo. He joined Terry's Texas Rangers in 1861, when he was 22 years old. He joined Company D, then known as the Eighth Texas Cavalry, which organized at Bastrop. Combs married in 1873. His wife died in 1916. Surviving are two daughters, Mr's. Nora C. McGhee and Mrs. Lila C. Matthews and son, Guy S. Combs, all of San Antonio. Burial was at San Marcos.
Thrilling Adventure On The Texas Frontier
Account of George Andrew Gordon, who, on the TX frontier in 1846, was seperated from his hunting companions and spent a fateful and eventful season without gun or provision in the face of marauding Indians and storming herds of Buffalo. Wounded and lonely, Gordon nearly perished when confronted by a monster buffalo bull, but…
Old Fort Croghan
Fort Croghan, Burnet county, was needed to protect the settlers from Indians long before there was any certain indication that the States would go to war. Here is a story of an Indian attack in the early days of 1861 in the section the Fort Croghan troops were guarding. Account mentions some particularly brutal Indian attacks and atrocities. This account is good, early Burnet co. history.
Further Mentions: Cap Croghan, Gen Robert E Lee, Van Dorn, Kirby Smith, John Hood, Chalmers, James McClellan and A. R. Johnson. Thomas Dawson, Lampasas; John H. Stockton and James a son of John N Gracy of Lampasas; George Baker and Mrs. Baker. Post Mountain; Thomas Espy, two miles east of the Dawson place; Dempsey Pace, John Greenwood, George Weldy and Newton. Knight; the house of Mr. Epsey;
A Pioneer In West Texas
By Wyatt Anderson. Anderson, prominent West Texas cattleman, was born in DeWitt county, Texas, June 4, 1864. His father, Wat Anderson, moved to DeWitt county in 1848, and lived there until 1870; and was also a native of Texas. Anderson eventually settled for most of his adult life in Tom Green county on the Middle Concho river west of San Angelo, where he built up a substantial ranch. This is his story.
Further Mentions: Miss Lou Bailey; Buck Taylor; Tom Bailey; The Taylor-Sutton Feud; Miss Milly Davis; Junction City, Texas; Yorktown; Jack Davis, an old Indian fighter; John and Zack Light; Pontoon Crossing on the Pecos; round-up boss was Jess Lewis; Gus Thomas; the Half Circle Six outfit; W. F. Anderson;
AN OLD PISTOL FOUND.
In 1878 Andy Runnels, a stockman who lived near Castroville, was running cattle in the rough region in the upper part of Bandera county, and one day he lost his pistol from its holster while riding out on the range. Dilligent search was made for the weapon, but Mr Runnels, failed to recover it. He reported his loss at the Hillman ranch nearby, and John Hlliman, who was then just a boy. looked for the pistol for weeks, but he was unable to find it. Forty-eight years have passed, and a few days ago John Hillman, who, still lives on the old place and is the father of a large family of children, found the, pistol where it was lost so many years ago. It is one of the old cap and ball Colt's revolvers, and, while the wooden handles have decayed and fallen off, the old pistol is in a good state of preservation, despite the fact that it has lain on a hillside exposed to the elements for almost half a century. It is fully loaded and the caps are still on the tubes of the cylinder. Mr. Hillman: brought the the relic to the editor of Frontier Times and we are very proud of it.
DR. FRANK PASCHAL DEAD,
Dr. Frank Paschal, a pioneer citizen of Southwest Texas, and president of the State Association of Texas Pioneers, died at his home in San Antonio December 20, 1925. All Texas mourns the passing of this noble, chivalrous, patriotic Texan, whose efforts to preserve the history of our glorious state were untiring and extensive. He was the organizer of the Texas Pioneers, of which society he had been president since its organization.
OLD TEXAS RANGER DIES IN ARIZONA.
Brief account of Henry Mims, born in Alabama in 1816, was was for some time a Texas ranger and afer that was a cattleman and one of the few men that ever survived a scalping, and no man living or dead was ever scalped more thoroughly than he was 60 years ago near Duncan Prairie, Texas.
Authentic History Of Sam Bass And His Gang
The following multi-installment narrative of the notorious gang of outlaws, is considered authentic and accurate. The sources from whence the facts are derived are regarded as being generally reliable with many of the incidents occuring in Denton and adjacent counties.
This notorious character was born in Lawrence county, in the State of Indiana, on the 21st day of July, 1851, near the town of Mitchell. His father, Daniel Bass, was an honest, industrious farmer, who by continued toil and rigid economy, accumulated sufficient property to insure himself and family the ordinary comforts of life. Sam's mother was named Jane Sheeks. She was married to Daniel Bass in 1841), and shared with him the privatilcns and prosperity of their married life up to 1861, when she died. The wayward Sam had many advantages in training as a youth, but spurned them all for a life of reuthless and wanton crime and notorious outrage against the citizens of Texas. This is an engaging account, and we can supply you with all the installments if desired.
Account details certain of his gang: Henry Underwood, Frank Jackson, Arkansaw Johnson, Sebe Barnes, and then contains the fiirst 3 chapters of the Sam Bass story:
CHAPTER 1: Beginning of Bass Career as a Robber; horse-Racing Operations With Joel Collins in Texas and Mexico Incidents, Etc.
Further Mentions: his maternal uncle, David L. Sheeks; Charles Brim; Mr. T. J. Egan; Marcus Milner; Bill Fry, the city tnarshal; hickory Creek, about six miles from Denton; Parson Sterling Johnson; Tom Gerren, the deputy sheriff; Julius Underwood; James Emory, of Labeck county, Kansas; Miss Mary Emory; Charley Carter; Jim Murphey; Robert Jackson; Dr. R. S. Ross; Ben F. Key; desperado named Henry Goodall; Jack Davis; Joel Collins who had formerly resided in Dallas county, Texas, where he was respectably connected; Bill Heffrige and Jim Berry;
CHAPTER 2: Robbery of the Union Pacific Express Big Springs, Nebraska.
Further Mentions: Joel Collins and Heffrige, Nixon and Berry, and Bass and Jack Davis; a stream called Duck Creek; Ogallala Station, Nebraska; Union Pacific railroad; Big Springs Station, several miles west of Ogallala; Red River Station;
CHAPTER 3: Death of Joel Collins, Bill Heffrige and Jim Berry.
Further Mentions: the Denton Monitor; Sheriff Bardsley; Buffalo Station, on the Kansas Pacific, sixty miles west of Hays City; Port Larned; Thompson's store; Sheriff Bardsley; Anderson county, Missouri;
(To be Continued.)
Pioneer Men And Women Of Texas
By Miss Sarah S. King San Antonio, Texas
Mrs. Hamilton F. Bee, one of the most interesting women of Texas. She was daughter-in-law of General Bernard E. Bee, of Civil War fame. She recounts many incidents of her life illustrative of the courage and character of those close relatives of hers and the times they lived in.
Further Mentions: 'General Rusk; Mr. Webster; Mr. Calhoun, Mr. Clay, as well as Harrison and Tyler;
The San Gabriel Mission
Phillip Mantor. If you go to Rockdale and from there, nine miles to the northwest along a winding road, you will see an old white house on top of a small knoll, overlooking a small patch of woods. In front of the house and slightly to the left might be seen a pile of stones. Among these stones you might see, if you look well, bones, occasionally an arrowhead or a few teeth, and other such remains. These are some of the remains of the old San Gabriel Mission.
In about 1744, Fray Francisco Mariano de los Dolores y Viana, a missionary at what is now the Alamo in San Antonio, while searching for the Indians, came upon a large encampment near the junction of what were then called San Xavier River and Arroyo de las Animas, now the San Gabriel river and Brushy creek respectively. These tribes of Indians were enemies of the Apaches who camped farther west. Despite the presents and coaxings of Dolores, they would not go into his mission at San Antonio, but promised to visit. When visiting San Antonio, they said that they would not go into the mission there but they would be greatly pleased if the padres would come and establish a mission for them in their country. Such is the founding of this mission, and this is the story.
Further Mentions: Mother Ortiz; Lieutenant Galvan; Rabago, the leading padre of the mission Candelaria; Father Canzabal; Celvallos; the Kolb Gin; Mr. J. M. McLeod;
SERVED ON THE TEXAS FRONTIER
Brief mention of John A. Shannon, Coleman county cowboy and Texas Ranger who belonged to Major Jones' Frontier Battalion, Captain J. B. Maltby, Company E.
Further Mentions: Mr. Brooks and family of Burnet county; Backbone Valley; had some experience trying to arrest John Wesley Hardin;
Texas Woman Keeps Skull of Indian
Ernest J. Parker, good early Grayson county history. The following account of the last Indian raid in Grayson county was written by Miss Kate Dugan, who was present and took part in the fight, which occurred at the old Dugan Homestead near Bells, eighteen miles east of Sherman. It was the last Indian fight in Grayson county. It is a thrilling story.
"Two shots were fired toward the beds, one striking Green and killing him instantly. Hoover sprang out of the bed, and sank to the floor with a bad flesh wound in the side, while Gordon, as quick as a flash, jumped over the bed, ran in behind the door and posted it to with such force that he fairly knocked the Indian out of the door. He fastened it with chairs and tables as best he could, threw water on the fire that was burning brightly in the fireplace and then went to the assistance of the wounded man. Not knowing that Green was shot, Henry sprang out of the bed and tried in vain to arouse him. He threw back the cover, and taking hold of his hand, told him to wake up, the Indians were upon them. - But no response came from the lips forever dumb, and they soon discovered the poor boy was wrapped in the slumber that knows no awakening.
Further Mentions: Oscar S. Gresham; Emily, George, William, Henry Dugan; William Alfred; Dr. Rowlett; Chachatta Bill; Rev. B. Taylor; Dr. D. Rowlett;
BALLAD OF SAM BASS
Old Texas ballad about the outlaw Texas legend.
Incidents of The Frontier
Account of Erath co. settler, W. N. Nicholas, born in Louisiana in 1838 and came to Texas when he was two years old and settled at Salado, Bell county. His father built the first house ever erected on that site and shortly after his arrival, two other families came and located at that place. The names of these were Dr. Ogle and a Mr. Willingham. Some ten or twelve years later he moved to what is now Hamilton county, which was then attached to McLennan county for judicial purposes, Waco, a distance of sixty-two miles. When Hamilton county was finally organized, Nicholas was one of the chain carriers in making the survey and helped run every line and establish every corner of the county. Their place was on the head waters of North Meridian Creek. This is good early Erath co. history.
When I was sixteen years old, I went to Stephenville, Erath county, and entered a school taught by a Mr. Allard. I had been in school only two weeks, when a runner brought word that the Indians were in the country and had murdered the Woods family and that of Mr. Brumley and had burned their houses. Two of the Brumley girls and the two Woods girls had been carried off by the savages.
At the time of this occurrence all the available men were out in pursuit of another gang of Indians that had raided another settlement, leaving no man to take the trail but the teacher, Mr. Allard. In his school there were sixteen boys from 12 to 17 years of ago. He explained the situation to us and said: "Boys, I'm going after those Indians; who'll go with me?" Every boy in school, even to the small boys, lined up and told him to lead out, we'd follow him to the jumping off place. He chose sixteen of us and in less than an hour we were mounted and off.
But in this instance some of the boys had no guns. A Mr. Carter, who owned a hardware store in Stephenville, threw open his store - and told Mr. Allard to help himself to all the guns and ammunition we might need.
About 10 a. in. we started, all armed with double-barreled shot-guns and six shooters and after striking the Indians trail we came upon the dead bodies of the Woods girls. We wrapped these bodies in blankets and laid them side by side and stretched between two bushes and over the bodies a white shirt as a fright to keep the buzzards away until they could be removed. This was on the divide between Stephenville and Dublin. Here, I will digress in so far as to say that after being stripped of every thread of clothing the Brumley girls were liberated some time during the night or early that night, and made their way back to Stephenville.
Having cared for the bodies of these poor murdered girls to the best of cur limited ability, we pushed on with a firm resolve to avenge their brutal murder…
Further Mentions: Copperas Creek; Captain George Nelson's company; two fights worthy of mention, one on the south prong of Palo Pinto creek, and a heavy skirmish on Paluxy in Erath county; Buck Barry's company of Rangers; a large band of Indians that had made a raid into Parker county. We were 65 or 70 strong and followed the Indians up near the head of Pease river, fell into an ambush and came near being wiped out; In June, 1861, I joined Capt. Salmon's company at Stephenville; We overhauled them at Cedar Gap and had a running fight with them to Buffalo Gap; Mulberry Canyon, since known as Horsehead Canyon; John Gillentine, Jim Ragsdale, Lige Cahee, and Woods; George Gentry; Battle Creek cemetery;
THE PASSING OF THE OLD TEXAS RANGERS
By Uncle Dick Sullivan, San Saba, Texas. Poem of life as a Ranger, written by Sullivan, who was in Connell's Company.
Further Mentions: Brownwood, Texas; Charlie Webb;
Brown County from 1856 to 1870
HERE IS ONE OF THOSE ARTICLES RICH IN GENEALOGICAL DATA HARD TO FIND ANYWHERE ELSE, FROM FIRST-HAND AND EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNTS. ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BROWN COUNTY GENEALOGY, THIS IS AN EXCELLENT ARTICLE.
Leroy Wise The purpose of this article is to give a full account of the horrible, the humorous, political, religious, and the social times of the early settlers of Brown county. First, the horrors, as the horrifying murder of pioneer families. Second, the humorous, as the things that happened in spite of their having to defend their homes against the invasion of Indians. Third, the political, as the forming of their dear country into a county and naming it after a brave, daring intelligent soldier, Captain Brown, who had defended the county from many invasions of the Indians; also the secession of the State from the Union and the beginning of the Civil War. The religious, as the camp meetings, and founding of churches. At the campmeetings, everybody came and took part in the services because the preacher preached the Bible and there was no creed to separate them. He was everybody's preacher, a kind, honest, upright man and everyone's friend. Then the social, as the many hours the ladies spent at quilting parties, and the men spent hunting or working together or the combined forces of men and women attending a dance anywhere in a fifty mile radius. This is the character of the pioneer of Brown county in the fifties. Hearty men and women, not afraid of hardships of any kind.
GENEALOGICAL EXCERPTS:
In 1856, David, John, James and R. M. Hanna came to Brown county and settled on the Colorado river, about ten miles below the place where the Frisco railroad crosses it now, in a valley that now bears their name. These men were upright, honest and fitted to develop the frontier of Texas. David Hanna had a fine personality and was well educated. He took a very active part in the county affairs and assisted in the development of the county. He was one of the first four commissioners elected in, Brown county. He also served on the first grand jury inn the county. Then when Mr. Hanna found it necessary, he joined the company of Texas Rangers that was commanded by Captain John. William, who was killed in 1868 at Babyhead Mountain in Llano county. Mr. Hanna was also the father of the first white child born in Brown Bounty. Miss Josephine Hanna was born in the Hanna valley settlement in 1857. She was married to Albert J. Rice of Athens, Tennessee, September 24th, 1881., at Cherokee in San Saba county.
In 1856, Welcome W. Chandler also came to Brown county and he was one of the wealthiest and, most influential men on the frontier.
In the year 1857 the following hardy pioneers came too the frontier of Brown county : J. M. Coggin, S. R. Coggin, Israel Clements, Charles Mullins and his sons, Issac, J. C. and William, Greenleaf Fisk, T. D. Harris, Jesse Harris, G. H. Ennis and Harvey Adams in company with Brooks W. Lee and family, also Marion Potter, J. B. Marshall, M. G. Anderson, L. P., M. W. and David Baugh.
Further Mentions: Coggin National Bank; Daniel Baker College; Brooks W. Lee was a noted leader among the early settlers of Brown county; In 1858 Richard Germany, Henry Webb, Al Kirkpatrick, Jay Kirkpatrick, D. F. Mosely, Richard Robbins and W. C. Parks came to Brown county; The first bale of cotton raised in Brown county was produced by W. F. Brown in the year 1868; The first cattle were brought to Brown, county in 1856 by G. H. Fowler; The first court house was built on the north side of Brownwood near the Swinden Farm; the Santa Fe bridge; The first school was taught in the county by Professor J. J. Gallop; The first church organized in Brown county was presided over by Reverends George Vest and William Mayberry, ministers of the Methodist Episcopal. Church. This was in…; the Hanna valley settlement; Miss Jane Chandler; The first Indian raid of which there was any record, was made in November 1857. On this raid the Indians killed a man by the name of Lewis who lived on Stepps Creek, and took…; Delaware Creek; Captain Connor, W.L. Williams and a Mr. Holman, all of the Ranger service; nine miles north of Brownwood on Blanket Creek; the Mosely and Kirkpatrick settlement; Mr, J. Kirkpatrick; Ft. Camp Colorado; In 1858 the county of Brown was organized out of Comanche, Travis and Coleman counties; The officers were elected as follows: Chief Justice, Thomas J. Kusee ; County Clerk, M. G: Anderson; Treasurer, Ichabod Adams, and Tax. Assessor and Collector, Israel Clements. Mr. 0. Eastland; Gail Borden of Texas and James Gordon Bennett.
Four Men Rout A Band Of Indians
In 1861, J. H. Chrisman, T. B. Saunders, Ambrose Lathen and Pat Gallagher, left Camp Colorado to go to Gatesville for the purpose of getting fire arms repaired. Saunders was their guide, and as he was riding in front of the others, he discovered, on ascending a high hill, a number of Indians driving a herd of stolen horses. This was between Pecan Bayou and Blanket creek in Brown county. Story goes on to describe the tactics used by the wily travelers in avoiding certain death by the savages. More good Brown county history.
Further Mentions: the house of Jesse Mercer; Mercer's house, on Mercer's creek, in Comanche county; Gatesville, in Coryell county; Gallagher; R. B. Wells; Santa Anna .