San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1886-08-26
Thn Nnrt Gorrrnor Of Texas.

Lawrence Sullivan Ross wss born
in Bentons Port, Ia, ON the 2sth Of
September, 1888. and was brought
10 Texas in tho same yenr The
Tho greater portion Of his life wa'
spent in Milan and McLennan conn
ties. where no was raised, and in each
of which counties he lived, more oi
lasa, until no was nineteen years oil
ago. After this no went 10 Florence
Wesleyan College, in North Alabama
where no graduated with honors in
tho year 1858. During his vacation
nj this time he conceived the idea oi
going upon tho frontier in nm oxpe-
dition against tho Comanches, and
aftor first spending n while at his
homo, he undertook tho expedition
against this band Of warlike Indians
who were then committing innumer-
able atrocities and depredations upon
settlers. Not long after striking
their country he and his regiment be-
came engaged in q deadly conflict
with tue Comanchoa, though he sub
seauontly came ont victorious, after
destroying one of their villages, kill.
ing seventy-five Of their number and
capturing 400 hoad Of horses. IL
would seem that very little romance
could DO attached 10 such mn ezpedi-
ton, fraught with so much stern
reality, but such is not the case. I'M
mediately after routing the redskins,
General Ross reconnoitered aud re-
covered from tho ruthless hands Of
tho savage maraudcrs a little white
girl who had long been their captive.
Her parents were never found nor
heard of. The general undertook
subsequently to rear and educate the
little recovered captive, and sent her
to n popular female seminary, where
she acquitted herself creditably in
every respect, She ia at present re-
siding in Los Angeles, Cal, married
to wealthy merchant, prosperous
and happy. Though gaining VIC
tory over the Comanches in the above
battle, the general did not
como out of tho ARRAY unscathed.
He was badly wounded in the arm
by rifle ball, and also in the eide.
He lay upon tho battlefield for five
days, and was subsequently carried
by four men distance of forty miles
10 the nearest United States post,
Camp Rodi;nski. As soon as he re-
covered he went to college, where he
again graduated with high honors.
When be went home once moro, in
1859, he wss put in command of the
frontier by Sam Houston, with sixty
men under his charge. The year
previous the state of Texas had ex-
pended $4,000 on regiment com
by Colonel M. It. johnson,
who made an expedition against the
in the frontier war, but
accomplished very little. AS soon as
General Ross established his post he
made another expedition against the
,ame tribe of Indians and scored an
other victory. He surprised them
n their village on the Pease river,
which he destroyed, and killed q
great number of them, capturing
again some three hundred head OF
horses, and driving the surviving In
aians ont into the cold winter, groat
many of whom persisted for want OF
sustenance. In this battle General
Ross also recovered q captive in the
person of Scynthy Ann Parker, who
had been in captivity for over thirty
i've years, having been taken from
her people at the destruction of Par
Sers Fort, near Crosby, when she
was but 10 years of age. The war
between the States then broke out,
and General Ross, resigning his com
mission, entered. the company of
Captain Peter f. Ross as a private.
While in this company it became at-
tached to regiment, and he was
first made major, then colonel, and
in 1862 was made brigadier-general.
He participated in 1876 engagements
Of more or less Importance. During
the war he had us many as seven
horses shot from under him. In
1878 no was elected sheriff of McLen-
nan county; in 1875 was elected a
delegate TO the Constitutional con
,ention, and in 1881 was elected to
he state Senate. He was in the ran
yer service for space Of three years
from 1858 to 1S60-Galvoston
News.