Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-03-24
INDIAN WARS In TEXAS
Judge Martin and His Negro Servant
Tortured TO Death by the
Pawnee indians.
His Little Son, Matthew. Carried Into
Captivity and Finally Rescued
By Col, Dodge.

Martin with his little son and a negrt
man servant went out on a buflAll
hunt high up on the False Washita.
Alter enjoying several days OF excit'
Ing sport in this delightful region
| The little party were suddenly sur
sounded by company of eleven
| = ,wnee indians. After n desperate
struggle Martin and the negro were
oveTpOwered and tortured to death
| the Indians piercing them with their
lances until life was extinct. After
horribly mutilatiDg the slresdy per.
forsted bodies OF the two men ard
scalpiDg Martini the Indians t"ok
the lad prisoner, carrying him to their
village on the Red River
The news OF this sho hing tragedy
soon re, chtd the set lsments and MIR.
Martins brotber-in.law, Travis @
Wright, withlthree companions started
TO recover the csptive boy. Tney for
tunately fell In with = company OF
United States soldiers unOer Colonel
now General) Dodge, who was on his
way to the Pawnee village to negutia'e
treaty with them After a fou =
days march they ar lived at the Paw
nee village. The day after their arri-
val Col. Dodge opened council with
the chief In thu ir council-h1use where
he had the most Of his officers around
him. He first explained to them the
friendly views with which he came
TO see them, and OF the wish Of our
government to establish a lasting
peace with them which they pretendeh
TO appreciate and highly estimate
Teh-toot.suh, the head chlri
OF the tribe, very old
and venerable looking man, several
times replied TO Col. Dodge In very
eloquent manner, assuring him OF thu
friendly feeling Of the people towards
the pale-faces in the direction from
whence he came, TeNss. Afer ex-
planning in general the objects of his
visit, Col. ID dye told the Indians that
lie should exptc t from them some &C.
count of the foul murder of Judge
Martin and bis servant on the False
Washita, which had been perpe'ra' ed
but u few weeks before, and which the
Comanches had told him was done by
the Pawnees. The ccfontl told them
also that he learned Hom the Coma
ches that they had ! little boy, the
son Of the murdered gentleman, In
their possession, and that he snuul
expect them to deliver him up TO his
friends who were present. They posi-.
lively denied all knowledge OF the
murder or of the boy. Tho
demand was repeatedly maze
and as often denied, until
at length negro man who was living
with the tribe, and who spoke goon
English, came into the cOuncil-hOuse
and stated that such boy bad recent
iy ben brought iEio their village and
was now prisoner among them. This
excited great surprise and indignation
In the council, and Col, Dodge then
informed the chiefs that the council
would rest here, and certainly nothing
more Of peaceable nature would
trnnspire until The boy was brought
In In this alarming dilemma all re-
manned in gloomy silence and stoical
indifference for several minutes, when
Col. Dodge further stated to the chiefs
that, as an evidence OF HE friendly In
tentions toward them, he had on start.
ing purchased at u very great price
from their enemy, the Osages, three
two Pawnee aud one KiOwa) girls
who had been stolen from them several
years before, and whom their enemy
had held as prisoners for high ran
som. He sta ed that he had the
girls with him, but would not give
them up until the boy was produced.
He also made another demand which
was for the restoration of Texas ran.
ger by the name OF Able, who had
been captured by the Indians during
the previous summer. They sc-
knowledged the seizure Of this man,
but all declared that he had been taken
by q party OF Comanches. over whom
they had no control, and carried b.-
you'd the Rio Crude river into Next
co where he was put to death After a
long consultation about the boy. see.
log their plans de ftated by the evi.
dence Of the negro, and also being
convinced OF the friendly disposition
OF the whites by bringing home their
prisoners from the Osages, they sent
out and had the boy brought In from
the middle OF corn field
where he had been bid. When
brought In he was entire.
ly naked with the exception of the
scas ~ dress worn by the children of
the tribe. He Was very bright and
intelligent little fellow If nine sum-
mers HIS appearance caused consider
able excitement and cOmmotinu In the
council and as he passed among the
crowd he looked around and exoiaim.
ed In great surprise, "What, are there
white men here2" TO which Dodge RI /.
piled by asking him his name. lie
PROMPTLY answered, MY name Is Mat.
thew Wright Martin" He was then
received into the arms OF Dodge, who
embraced him with tears In his eyes,
Tho three little Indian girls were then
brought In aud soon recngni2 d by
their oveI-iOyed friends and relatives,
who embraced them with the most ex.
travngant expressions Of Joy. The
heart OF the venerable old chief was
melted at this evidence OF the white
mans friendship He at once en-
braced Col, Dodge and all OF the other
officers In turn with tears streaming
down his cheeks. From this
moment the council which be-
fore had been a very grave
and uncertain one took a pleasing aud
friendly turn, The stoical old chief
now ordered the women to supply the
dragons with something to eat. This
kind aud generous hospitality was
! highly aDDTeciatpd nv tha hungrx, anl.