Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-03-25
INDIAN WARS In TEXAS.
The Wacoes and Tehuacanas Chas.
tised by the Whites "A Hunting
Party Massacred.
0ne Of the Whites Burned OF the Stake
A Party Of Surveyors overpowerea
BY the Redskins.
written for the Gazette.


dams were very troublesome, and were
constantly depredat along .he IRON.
tier, killing the unprotected and help
le' settlers aud stealing their horses.
For the purp Sc of recovering large
number of horses and to punish the
Indians, a large party of volunteers
under Col. John H Moore. with Cap.
tains X. Nj Williams (Three legged
Willie, Phil Coe, and q. w Bennett
went ON "A long aud somewhat fatigue
| ing scout against the Wacoes and Te-
huacanas The indians we're surprised
aud severely chastiseu, and many of
the stolen horses were tecoy cred Hav-
ing accomplished their object the men
returned 10 the settlements with their
booty.
ABOUT the 18th OF September party
| Of twelve men from Clay county went
out on hunting and prospecting tour.
| After travelling for about eight or nine
days without being molested or seeing
any Indians they encamped on small
river, supposed ~ be Little RIVER
between he Brszos ana Colorado.
Soon after retiring for the night To
rest from the fatinues OF the day, and
while the party were little dreaming Of
danger from lurking savages they
were suddenly surrounded by y large
party OF Comauche indians who had
followed their trail during the past
day. The men were overpowered and
all but two were massacred on the
spot. Mr.. How ara Netherton, young
man, WAS taken prisoner The other
gentleman, mr. Silas Lapham,
escaped without being observed 10y the
willy Comanches, and after wandering
about for several days he arrived at
the settlement near BastrOp In an
almost exhausted and naked condi.
iion Lapham made his escape IN his
night. clothes, WITHOUT hat or SHOES,
and without singleqrearm or weapon
with which TO defend hlmeelf or to
kill game for food, and while he could
see. as he would express II, 'Just
coolies OF turkeys, deer, etc he had
to content himself with few berries
and grapes. His feet soon became
very sore and iuiiamed, aud IL was
only by wrapping them with a part OF
is scanty dress thai he was enabled to
walk In this condition Lapham ar
rived in the settlements, when the sad
story OF his sutlerings aud the fate of
his companions was told. Lapham
was unable To return to the scene Of
the massacre, and the settlers, fearing
they would share the same fate that
befell the unfortunate party or hunt
ers, did not go out to bury the MUIR
dered men, leaving their bones TO be
picked by the wild beasts and bleaohed
by the sun.
The, immigrants way DER the West I'm
nnEart mark
Camp fires 10 ( c,nsum'd and bones that
hlea h in the sunshine.
The young man above mentioned
who was taken prisoner by the In
cians was aiterwnrd burned at the
stake for attending 10 make hi'
escape.
A few weeks after this small party
of surveyors from Austin's colony met
with a similar fate while out surveying
on the San Gabriel near Georgetown
1t always agitated the Indians TO see
the whites surveying their lands. II
seems that u small party OF indians
mad gone TO the surveyors and warned
them to leave the vicinity or they
would be killed, This the party
promised to do, but as soon as the In
, dians had gone, as they thought, they
) again resumed work, when the in
. 1 iuIiAltd FdNaEtb hlOfi NhShAs ~
desperate hand to hand light ensued
: the Indians coming out victorious IN
the end. Not one OF the surveyors
escaped to tell the story OF their fate
: The Indians being jubilent over
} their virtory,prOceeded TO hold scalp
8 dance, as is their custom on eucn oc
! casions. After the dance had beer
carried on until far into the night ant
: the painted dancers had been drowsy
and fatigued, they were In turn sur
prised by party of buffalo hunter
r who were encamped few miles above
The hunters were attracted 10 tbs
: place by the campfire OF the Indians
: and after looking on the dance fol
! several hours from neighbOTing hill
-. top. they suddenly fell upon the red
8 ekins, killing nearly all OF them. Only
!. few escaped.
r The struggle now became general
: and for some time the settlers and the
y Indians kept 10 constant warfare
along the border. Volumes might bI
: written giving the particulars Of depre
! datisns and bloody battles fought
!, Almost every hill and dale between
: the Colorado and the BRACES Is tn
scene Of some tragedy enacted between
p the contending foes, between the year
y 1884 and 1886. To give the reade
7, faint idea of our Indian troubles a
- that period we will here insert lette
Z on that subject written at that event
:, full period IN our colonial history:
CoLoHADo RIVER, Tax, oct 81, 1874.
= "DEAR FRIEND: since last wrOt
YOU the first storm OF Mexican wratl
:. has lulled, but the indians VINO hav
y ever been our enemy, slill Continue I
annoy us. They are continually com
y ing in from every side and committin
Is depredations The Cherokees hay
G lately received grant Of land on tn
= north of us from the Mexican govern
u ment. Then the Wacoes and Tehus
u canas are residing above as, tn
- Comanehes west OF US and the Japan
= Lipans), whom the Mexicans ca
send in at any time 20 annoy US, dive
II upon our frontier Were II not for ID
n. constant expectation Of someihin
n FAR more dreadful meaning ihei
: Mexican troubles), we should eonside
y. the ineurslons Of these savage tribes
~ no small molestation. But they seldom