The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1882-04-14
DAYS GF AsLD LANG sYSE.
a Texas journal of 1854 and
Its Items.


style OF type, etc, We became deeply in
terested IL the news it contained and
the names Of peraons who have since be-
came famous IN the annals of Texas
history, most of whom have passed
away, few of tie number still remain
ing. Among other paragraphs the fol-
lowing absorbed our attention:
THE Houston Star learns from gen
tlenan from the upper Brazos that
Munroe Black was killed recently, near
the falls of the Brazos, by persons who
attem ted his capture. He first killed
one Of the party. He is the same man
who murdered Barnes, near Fort Ora
ham, and subsequently robbed Thos.
Harrison, Esq
The older residents OF the city will
recognize the Thos. Harrison, Esq, re-
ferred to III the Red-Lander as Gen.
/ Tom Harrison, then and still a resident
Of Waco. To assure ourselves that he
was the party referred to, we called at
his office yesterday and found him
seated among his books and papers.
After exchanging compliments, we
handed him the paper and after
reading the paragraph, he said he
was the party referred to but the
statement that Black was killed at the
falls of the Braz0s was incorrect. Gen.
Harrison then went on to state some
thing of the history of Munroe Black
and got to the interesting part of it
when he spoke of his own adventure
with him. He said he had heard great
/ deal of Munroe Black as a desperate
man, but had never seen him. One
/ evening he was riding along in the sad
/ die about Il mile from Fort Graham,
Hill county, though he did not know
how far he was from the place, as it was
/ the first time he had been in that cOun-
try, when all at once he was accosted
in the road by man on foot
who. with cooked pistol, de-
manied that he dismount, give
up his horse, saddle and money. Gen.
Harrison had a pistol in his saddle bags
which were strapped behind him, but to
get to it would have proved fatal, and
possessions. Black departed and Gen.
Harrison went on to Fort Graham where
he learned that the man was Munroe
Black, and that he had just killed a
young man named Barnes. He went
out to look for his horse on which to
make his escape, and, meeting Gen.
Harrison, thought he would be better
aided in his flight by taking his horse.
Gen. Harrison said before
he left him he thought he
would ask him his name
/ but refrained as he thought he would
| get an evasive answer, or if given the
name would be a fictitious one. The
murderer and robber did, however, ask
/ General Harrison his name After the
/ killing of Barnes at Fort Graham the
! young mans father. who was a man of
means, sold out IN Tennessee, brought
his family to Texas, and located about
thirty miles above Graham, his avOwed
intention in coming here being to avenge
the murder of his son. For a number
of years he thought to find Black, and
General HsrrisOn aided him for a long
time He was heard of in several places
and old man Barnes sent to Louisiana
and different points in Texas where it
was reported he had been captured to
see if the right man had been found
but it always turned out to be the wrong
party. Things went along this way I'M
til General Harrison had almost forgot
ten all about Black, when at last he
heard he had been ptured in northern
Texas, and being about to be hung, he
begged the mob to desist, as he had
done nothing there for which he de-
served hanging, but told them that he
had in Hill county, and asked them to
take him there. At his request he was
/ taken to Hillsboro under guard
and lodged in Jail, q log building
with the cells on the upper
| hoOr and Il stairs leading up, with a
! smell platform on the Outslde. Shortly
after being jailed Gen. Harrison re-
ceiyed a note saying, 1--WE have got
MunIoe Black, come up" He paid
no attention to the note About the
same time old man Barnes got a similar
note, and getting two young friends, he
proceeded post haste to Hillsboro. As
he afterwards told Gen. Harrison, he
fired the old charges out of his shot
gun and loaded both barrels afresh,
putting fourteen blue whistlers in each
and Il fresh cap on the tubes" They
got to Hillsboro at midday, and pro
ceeding at once to the Jail, went
up the stairs and were on the lit
tie platform on the outside only few
minutes when they had battered the
door down. Stepping III, old man
Barnes saw prisoner chained to the
floor, and said to him, You are Nun
roe Black, are you?" To which the pris-
oner responded, Il am" My name"
said the old man, is Barnes, and you
killed my son at Fort Graham few
years ago, and now l have come to kill
you" Black asked that he be allowed
a few minutes, which he wished to de-
vote to prayer. But old man Barnes
said, "No, you did not give my son
minute;' and raising his gun, he
sent twenty-eight blue whistlers
through Blacks body, death ensuing
instantly, Barnes was indicted and
gave bond. He retained Gen. Harrison
rs counsel and obtained several con-
tlnuances. The war then came on and
Gen. Harrison entered the army and the
case was continued from term to term in
the hope that counsel would return. At
the end of four years Gen. Harrison did
return, but had quite forgotten the case
when ne was one day called upon by
Barnes who said the case was still on
docket, and court being about to sit he
asked that he have trial. Gen. Har-
rison told him he had better try for a
continuance rs it was q clear case of
murder and he had no defense to make.
The old man, however, insisted
on trial, saying if he was hung they
could take only few days from him at
best, and if acquitted he wanted to go
back to Tennessee and die at his old
home. General Harrison made all the
defense possible, and the ssmpathies of
every one being with the old man he
was acquitted and returned to Tennes-
see. This, said General Harrison, was
the kind Of man Munroe Black was.
and the manner in which he came to his
end, III tead of being killed at the falls
Of the Brazos.
I he entire first page of the Red-Lander
Is taken up with Il report verbatim of
B. T. Benton's addressbefore the stu
dents OF Milan Masonic Institute
On the second page is lengthy leader
on The Pacific Railroad" and numer
Gus editorial paragraphs, such as the
following: Our thanks are due Hon. |
sam. Houston for late pub. docs.;" "P. /
Z. Rogers will please accept our thanks |