Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-01-09
INDIAN WARS In TEXAS.
Bloody Encounters in the Early Days
of the Lone Star State.
The Fight with the Pirates on Galveston
Island-An Indian Massacre,

written for the Gazette.
Here mid the groves by time 80 sacred
The poor oSrY lost indian plumbers In the shade;
lie, whose canoe with urrOwy sWlltness
In ancient days yon pure oerulean wave; :.
Methinlss again with reddening Eplfe
The groves reflect their council fre.'
Our relation with the aboriginal in
habitants Of Texas forms a very inter-
esting and important chapter in the
history Of the Lone Star state.
Unfortunately, for the most part 1t
Is a record of bloody wars. horrible
massacres, cruel and pitiless cap
tivitieg, etc. Most Northern resders
OF Indian literature have the erroneous
impression that the long and bitterly
contested warfare carried on in New
England, along the Ohio valley,
around the lower lakes and in the far
West between the white and red man,
constituted the entire struggle. They
think that the ssvages of the
Southwest especially those of
Texas, were peaceful, innocent
and happy, and that every times pale
face came along the noble red man
generously gave him league or 30 OF
land supplied him with food, raiment
and the other necessuIies and luNuries
OF life, aud az the settlers became more
numerous and encroached more and
more upon the game Of the lords of
tho forest and surveyed new lands the
latter INTERESTINGLY withdrew farther
and farther towards the setting sun.
This notion is false. On the contra
~, the entire state, from the gulf
to the Red river and from
the Sabine to the Rio Grande,
was for nearly fifty years the scene Of
the most relentlessly cruel and blood.
thirsty warfare known in the annals
OF Indian wars. If possible the saw
ages OF our state were more hideOus,
more passionate, more cruel, more re.
vougeful and bloodthirsty than their
more Northern cousins. AS an Illus
tration of this we will attempt to give,
in plain, unvarDlshed style, brief
and necessarily incomplete sketch Ear
ranged in ChrOnol ogical order Of the
Indian wars in Texas,
lSlS-THE BATTLE or THE THREE
TREES
While Galveston island was occu-
pied by the celebrated buccaneeT and
freebooter, Jean LATTE, some OF his
men stole and carried away by force 8
young CaTanchua squaw, the chiefs
daughter. This bold ana rash act so
enraged the wRrlike sons of Anak
that, through revenge, they killed
some of the pirates. At this time
a party of 500 Caranchus Indians
were encamped near what has since
been locally known as the "Three
Treesn LATTE with company OF
2OO men and two cannon hastily
marched down the island to dispense
them. The pirates commenced a heavy
fire upon them with cannon and email
arms. The Indians promptly respond
ed with shower after shower Of arrowe.
The fight continued for three daye,
the Indians losiI & thirty of their
number. After suffering severely the
Cannchuas abandoned the island,
withdrawing to the mainland.
1921.
In 1920 LATTE was forced to aban-
/ don his "little Kingdom by the
| United States naval force sent out for
| that purpose, II was known that the
! pirates possessed large amount o.
treasures and many supposed that In
! their hasty retreat they had buried
their gold on the island. In 1891 DR.
Parnell with company Ofmen visi teC
| the island 10 hunt Tor the supposed
treasures. Parnell found small mum
her OF Indians still occupying
the island, and without any caus
attacked aud killed the most Of them
only few escaping, lie IL said tina
the Caranchuas never again venture.
on the island, thinking that 1t woul
be certain death. Mr.. Yoakum sul
gests that 1t was these attacks thG
1 ID. ,..1,V 4
[ wards Austin's colOnists in after year
! A .rartr t,tatgtbIa lttuUaatfon tya tI,g,, 1