The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1875-06-11
TIIE PARKER CAPTIyEs.
interesting "Reminiscences Letter
from captain L., \, ROsS-Ihc Fort
Parker massacre,
Waco Rcportcrl


Waco Rcportcr,l
The following letter was written
by General Ross to John Robinson
and sent TO the Galveston News lol
publication, some four or five years
since to correct II statement which
appeared in the Texas Almanac
about that time, giving the credit
of tho rccapturc OF the Parker cap
livcs to United States officer; but
for somo reason, best known, per.
haps, to tho proprietors Of the Ncws,
the article was never published I'm.
Ill tho third instant, Since the
writing of the letter Mrs, Ross has
returned from California, but "lIiz
zic" il still there with General Ross
sister, Mrs, Harris:
"In 1858 | returned from school
and found Major Van Dorm was ut
Bclknap organizing an expedition
against tho Comanchos, then sup
posed to be somewhere on the head.
waters Of the Arkansas and Cana
dian rivers. | went vt once to the
Indian agency and raised one hun
dred and thirty.fve Waco, Tohua-
cana, Tonk and Caddo warriors,
and with them reported to Major
Van Dorm for cooperation in the
expedition. lie sent me in advance
to tho Wichita mountains, while he
followed with trains, supplies, and
troops, expecting to establish de.
pot there for supplies, etc When
! reached the mountains, | sent Il
Waco and n Tchuaeana Indian to
the Wichita village, seventy five
miles cast Of the Wichita river,
hoping TO learn through them whore
the Comanchcs wcro to be found.
When tho scouts came in sight Of
the village they found, to their sur
prise, "Bullalo Hump with his band
of Comanchcs (thc very ones we
were hunting), oncamped there,
trading and gambling with the
Wichitas. The scouts concealed
themselves until after dark, and
then stole two Comanchc horses
and returned to me to report the
facts. With difficulty | convinced
Major Van Dorm that the Indians
could be relied upon, and induced
him to turn the direction Of his
columns, and by forced march we
reached the village at sunrise Octo-
Der LIST, 1858, surprising and almost
completely destroying that band of
the Comanchos, capturing their
horses, tents, supplies and several
prisoners, among whom captured
the white girl named "Lizzie,"
subsequently, raised and educated
by my mother. and now with her in
California, and of whose family or
parentagc no trace has been discov-
cred. For their services Major Van
Dorm gavo tho Indians of my CON-
mand the spells captured, horses,
etc. 1 received for my pay dan
gcrous gun shot wound, still apain-
full reminder of the occasion, to-
gcthcr with y petition, signed on
the battlefield by every United
States officer present. requesting
my appointment by the govern
mcnt in the regular army, for distln-
guished galIantry, and after due
time came complimentary order
from General Winfield Scott. which
documents | still have, but have
never made or attempted TO make
use of thom.
This led to my constant service on
the frontier, in command OF ranging
companies, until the year 1850,
when, under u commission from
Governor Houston, | was stationed
near Belknap with ranging com,
pany for frontier protection, ana
about the last of November party
OF COmanCheS came lnIO luThcl
county and committed serious de-
predatlons, cffecting their escape
with many stolen horses. This ere
ated great excitement on the from
tier, and, in cooperation with a body
of seventy volunteer citizcrs, under
the command of Captain Jack Gu
ington, of Palo Pinto, and in com,
mand of forty of my own men, and
sergeant and twenty men OF the
United States cavalry, sent at my
request by Captain N. &. Evans,
commanding at Camp Cooper, l
determined TO follow those Indians
to thoir villages and punish them.
On the 18th day of December,
early in the day, on the headwaters
Of Pease river, near some CEDAR
mountains, came suddenly upon a
village which they were preparing
to abandon, having the horses
packed, etc. The citizen company
was several miles in the rear, ana
~ ~ n tn0t