Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1870-04-23
Letter Roaa Deeaiur.
DEclTUE, TsxAs,
April oh, leIe,

. To the EiiiOTs sf the Dallas Herald
GEsTLEsEs II discover in the
"DentOn Monitor" Of the "a inst,
an article, taken from the New Or
leans Pieayuhe, headed, "indian
/ DepredaliOns in Texas" in which
the writer states that tho infOrma-
ton which no publishes was OBJ
tanned from a friend who resides
about eight miles from Denton, who
says that most deplorable eOndi-
ton of affairs exist in his section
Of the country, that the people live
! in m0mentary dread Of the Indians,
! that they come in from the reserya-
ton in forces varying from 100 10
800, that they dash into towns In
open day, capturing horses, and
shooting those citizens who may
come in their way, aud then return
back TO tho reservation with their
booty, &c, &c. Now, Messrs, Edi.
tors, the writer feels some curiosity
TO know the name of the gentleman
who gave that information to the
Picayune, and who resides eight
miles from the town Of Denton and
in what direction from the town no
resides, rs he has failed TO designate
his immediate locality, but seems TO
be in possession of information that
We, citizens OF Wise county, are
wholly ignorant Of, so far rs relates
to the raids of from 100 to 800 In
dians, as tho only raids Of any con-
siderable number Of Indians that
We have heard Of was one made
into Cook county late in the fall Of
1867 or tho early part of tho year
lS6S-that raid was estimated at
about 1O0-and again in the month
of August, 1868, another raid came
down into Denton county-by some
estimated at about $50, by others at
q smaller numbcr-and also in the
month of November, 1868, another
raid visited Denton county, num-
bering about the same as the former.
With the exceptions of those above
mentioned that visited Cook and
Denton counties, we have neither
seen nor heard Of any large parties
of Indians coming into the country,
it being now almost two years since
the last of these raids took place.
We of Wise county know of no
such raids as reported by the Den
ton county gentleman to the New
Orleans Picayune, and as no date is
given by the informant as to when
tho raids he speaks of took place.
He must have been dreaming of
the raids made into Denton county
a year or two since, and upon ava
king from his dream must have
been so deeply impressed with it
that he imagined that the occur
rcnce had just taken place, and
fastened to put this startling state
of affairs before the country while
it was fresh in his mind, but l
think it very probable had he given
the subject that calm and sober re-
Election that few glasses of ice
water would have induced, that the
world (and especially tho people of
Northern Texas) would never have
been enlightened to the extent that
our Denton county friend has done
it. had forgotten to state in its
proper place that We in Wise coun-
ty had never heard of the Indians
rushing upon any of our towns in
open day, stealing horses and shoot
ing down the citizens, as stated in
the article taken from the Picayuno
and published by tho Denton Mon
itor of I'd April, inst. l leave that
part of the story with tho Monitor
and his dreaming neighbor to settle
and to inform the public as to what
town the occurrence took place in,
and how many citizens were shot
down on tho occasion. We feel
anxious to bo informed what town
in this section of the country has
suffered such a distressing calamity.
We certainly should sympathisc
deeply with them, and presume tho
Monitor can give us the desired in
formation, Notwithstanding he tells
us at the close of the article, that
the above (referring to the state
ments in iD is true of Wise, Mon
tague and Parker counties, but the
Indians do not trouble the people
of Denton county, thus making a
direct issue Of veracity between
himself and his dreaming neighbor,
(eight miles from Denton, who
says that the people of his section
of Denton county live in moment
ary dread of the Indians. Now, if
the statements of this citizen to the
New Orleans Picayune be true, then
the donial of the Monitor is false,
that the Indians do not trouble the
citizens of Denton county. The
conflict in their statements are so
pointed that it is hard to reconcile
them. The one says the citizens of
Denton live in momentary dread of
the Indians; the other tells US that
the Indians do not trouble the citi-
zcns of Denton. How is the public
10 decide? The citizen who gave
the information was evidently
dreaming Of facts that had existed
two years ago, and imagined that
the occurrence bad just happened,
while the other, knowing that the
occurrence in the main did take
plbce in Denton near two years ago,