The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1871-03-03
Frightful Indian Massacre in Texas.

In December gentleman at settle
ment on the northern border of Texas,
called Montague, wrote the following
account of horrible murder of fam
ily at that place:
"Last Friday with a couple of com
panions started from the pleasant lit
tie village of Decatur TO this place
about two o'clock p. m. We logged
along until about one hour after night,
when we arrived at the residence of
William Freeman, an old pioneer, where
we spent cheerful night, and again
pursued our journey.
We had not travelled further than a
mile, when we received the sad intelli-
gence that family had been massacred
about two miles above. We hastened
on to the place of the awful tragedy
and may God forbid that my eyes
should ever again look upon such an
other scene as / there Witnessed. The
first victim was little boy some eight
or ten years old, about forty yards from
the house, stone dead. His left arm
was cut out from his body, exhibiting
to full view his heart and lungs; his
bowels cut out, and then scalped.
We then repaired to the house, and
the first victim that met our gaze, near
beside the entrance, was a girl of nine
or ten years old wrapped, or rather
tumbled, in mass of old bedding, &C.,
with one naked hand and arm elevated.
I took hold of her hand, but to find that
she too was dead and wounded In sew
ersl places. Next was lady, some
sixty years of age, by the name of
Keenan,, shot through her breast with
two arrows that passed through her
body, suffering all that humanity could
suffer. Her scalp was taken of, too.
Next was lovely little girl, three
years old, nursing babe; and when it
was taken from her arms, the poor child
said she "did not want Dolly to
starve." On examination il was found
that she (the little girD had been lane
ed through the breast, the weapon en-
tering on the Left and passing through
the right. Near by her was another
girl about ten years OF age, with her
head beaten and bruised in a most bru-
tai manner, stiff and cold, almost life
less. The Indians had beaten her head
until she was probably thought to be
QeaQ, anQ pltcneQ nef out ab tne VIII
dow, where she had lain all night in a
senseless condition. Then We turned
to little boy calling for water-he was
lanced, the wound entering above the
breast bone and passing out below.
The next and last was Mrs. Paschal
laying beside the bed on her face, welt
ering in gore. On examination she was
found to be dead, with several wounds
that had been inflicted in different por-
tions of the body. One little boy was
lanced in the breast, who made his
escape during the night and after day
light made his way to a neighbor's
house about one mile of. Two little
children were left in the bed unhurt.
One of the wounded has since died.
This leaves four dead and four wound
ed; two of the wounded viii probably
recover. Mrs. Keener says there were
eight or nine Indians that entered the
house about two hours after night
after they had retired for the night
committed this brutal massacre. There
were no men about the place. The dead
were promptly buried in as decent q
manner as possible, and the wounded
moved towhere they could be cared for.