Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-08-29

and sugar l2l cents per pound. Seven
pounds OF coffee cost 81, while coffee AZ
houston sold st G cents per pound bv
the sack. Calico cost i2l cents 4
yard, and domestic shifting Is cents
Brogan shoes cost from 81 60 q .2B. axes
~ and wooden hats 50. Alpaca cost m
cents per yard. Tobacco was cheaper
Than at present. In the timber on the
river, game was abundant, consisting of
deer, bears, panthers and wildcats. On the
prairie south OF the Fort were several
hundred head Of Wild horses, while there
were antelope by the hundred. The
grass was fine. Cattle and horses were
Ia! the year round
! SECOND AND THIRD FIRCTIoNs.
The second election was held at Bird
vile, November, 1852. Seaborn Gilmore
was chosen probate Judge; Ben Ayres,
county clerk John York, sheriff; j. A.
hurst, assessor and collector, and A. G..
walker, surveyor. Judge Martin died
and j. II. Reagan was elected district
Judge al the age OF thirty.four years.
crowley and Rogers were the county
commissioners and Isaac Thomas was
Justice OF the peace. The lawyers attend
ing on the bar were mostly from Dallas,
Reagan, Mccoy, Nat Burford, Goode,
Ten. Tarrant and others, all able and
gentlemanly men.
In the election in 1854 at Birdville Nat
Burtord was elected district Judge; More
nead OF Grapevine Prairie, probate Judge
| Ben Ayres, county clerk; W, Quayle, dis.
trict clerk John York, sheriff; j. A.
! Hurst assessor and tax collector; Will
son Of Birdville, justice of the peace, and
Col. Isaac Parker, representative.
FORT WORTH THE COUNTY SEAT.
| In 1854 the soldiers were removed from
the Fort. M. I, Johnson laid of the
town and the Fort began to improve.
Several buildings and store.houses were
erected la the November elections Of
1856 the county had an exciting time. II
was Fort Worth against Birdvtle. A
good deal of bitter feeling was manifest
ed. Birdyille had her candidates and
Fort Worth hers. Fort Worth gained the
victory and became the county seat. Nat
Burford vas elected district Judge; S.Gil-
more, probate Judge; G. Nance, county
clerk John York, sheriff; j. A. Hurst,
assessor, and Bennett and Bowen, county
commissioners. This brings the history
up to the location OF the county seat at
| Fort Worth. The remaining history is
well known TO many actual settlers at
the Fort.
FIGHT WITH NEAR.
AS Frank Jordan, the beef contractor
| of the fort, was riding along the bluff
road leading TO the Clear Fork, he met
entering into the town. q big black bear.
The bear was poor. Frank got excited,
| jumped off his horse, pulled off his stir
rup-leather, attached heavy iron stirrup,
made for the bear and struck him heavy
blow on the side of the head Then there
was q fight. Frank took out his pocket
knife and cut and slashed into the bear.
The fight became lively. Finally Frank
killed the bear and skinned IL. The
writer helped to carry In some OF the
bear, and had good dinner out OF It.
Frank was stout and active, brave but
excitable. He acted foolhardy. He said
he had enough OF bear lighting; In the
next fight he would take the gun.
FIGHT WITH WILDCAT.
Old DR.. Brown. was walking along the
road one day. Lying in the grass beside
the road was a wildcat or catamount.
! The cat seemed not to notice the doctor.
| The doctor looked at the cat and said
"Confound the thing; I'll lump on him
and choke him in minute" The doctor
| jumped on the cat, caught him right by
the throat. There was hght. The
spunky doctor held his grip. They both
rolled round and round The sweat
poured down the doctor. His clothes
were torn TO tatters. Finally he choked
the cat to death. The old doctor was a
greenhorn. He had Just come into the
state.
THE INDIAN HISTORY.
In 1slS there were but very few set
/ ipad oil 60 no
were Gilmore, John York and old man
Little with his sons. In lS4s the Indians
made raid and stole Gilmore's and
Little's horses. On the northwest side
| OF the river, near the Ventioner farm,
about nine miles from the fort, party Of
surveyors OF the Peters Colony company
! were camped. They had been surveying
several weeks. While lying asleep in
their tents at night party OF Indians at
tackled them and killed and scalped the
whole party OF eight men. They carried
off all the plumber they wanted. Those
] who saw them sayit was shocking sight
as the bodies lay there lcalped and multi
ated. After that we had little or no Indian
| disturbance In 1850, while Major Ar
mold and his company were scouting In
Denton county on Denton creek, they
came across an Indian camp, and there
such sight they saw. Staked around
their wigwams, IN the form OF semi
circle, were eight human legs, cut of
about six inches above the cap OF the
knee. A stake was driven through the
leg and firmly planted in the ground
The soldiers drew their pistols but were
restrained from shooting by the officer.
The major rode up and the old Indian
chief came out in great glee, and cried ::
cough, ough, me good ME had big
fight. Me fight and kill. Me kill, cut up,
roast and eat. Good, good, good" and
the old red devil jumped up and danced
with Joy. The case was this, party Of
Caddo Indians came across a party of
Caws encamped up Denton creek They
attacked and fought. They had bitter
fight, the Caddos were victorious and
took some prisoners. OF those they
killed, cut up and roasted
four. They had big feast Oh the car
casses OF their prisoners. They ate and
had a big war-dance around the legs,
which they staked IN a semi-circle. The
major gave them big talk and told them
10 leave.
The big Caddo village was situated ia
/ a bip bend on the east side Of the BrazOs
river. about five miles east Of the town Of
! Pslo Pinto, IN large, rich BOTTOM shout
| alty-six miles from Fort Worth west.
The Indians were peaceable, but would
steaI and fght They had another large
VILLAGE on Village creek, lying northeast
from Fort worth, IN Tarrant couAtY
Abont lsi7, in 3 raid, they TOOK TWO