Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-06

Bird and his party hau lndue
settlement at Bird s Fort, between here
and Dallas, This was just after the
fight at Village Creek, in which John b.
Denton had been killed and Henry stout
wounded. In November, 1871, the
speaker had settled in Collin county.
The progress of Texas in the last fifty
years forms a remarkable epoch III the
world IS history. The Pioneer association
should be kept up to preserve the his
tory of Texas The actors in those
early scenes are rapidly passing away,
and those that remain should do what
thev can to have the incidents of early
DAYS recorded so that they shall be
handed down to future generations that
they may know the race of men from
whom they are sprung.
Kentucky is known as the Ozark and
Bloody Ground, - and the deeds of
Boone and his companions form an IN
teTesting feature Of the history Of that
state. And there is nothing in it all that
compares with the acts and achievements
Of the early Texas heroes. In the his
tory or human proves, the deeds Of
those men are not surpassed.
THE ALAMO AND SAN JACINTO.
The battle of the Alamo has but one
companiou-piece in history. The story
Of ThermOpyl9e has been told by hisrO-
rians and sung by poets, and orators have
delighted to roll Il as a sweet mOrsel
under their tongues. And yet the cour-
age and fortitude displayed at Their
mopylB went not an inch beyond that
Of the men who, with Travis
and Bowie and Crockett, defended
the Alamo against the attacks
of an overDOwering force Of MeXicans,
and who fell surrounded by the enemies
their own hands had slain.
Another battle fought upon Texas soil
was so remarkable that the man seeking
a comparison for II was also sent 10
Grecian hiSrorv-San JacinUo can be
compared to none Of the world great
battles bat that Of Marathon. Indeed,
in the ratio Of men killed by the vic
torious side. san Jaciuto is beyond Ma
rathon or any other battle ever fought
on any soil.
The Alamo and Thermoypl9! San
JaCiuto and Marathon? The world knows
Of them. But there are many minor in
cidents connected with the pioneer days
in Texas that are not known, and il is TO
bring them out and fasten them in his
tory that the Pioneer association is in
tended.
SOME INCIDENTS.
Gen Mccullough : reference to the
expedition into Mexico reminded him
that in Fannln county, which was then
the frontier, FIVE young men, all under
twenty, and one but sixteen, had v0luu-
teered to go. They proposed to carry
nothing but their guns aud ammunition
and little parchgd corn, the remainder
of their food TO be killed on the plains.
They were deferred from going by HOus-
ton 5 proclamation fOTbiddiug those on
the frontier TO 60, as they could not be
spared.
These FIVE Young men were Martin D.
Hart, now dead; BSnham Il. HOgghton,
now living in Terrell: William r. Gar
nett, now living in,Collin county; Thou
Is 4 Roberts, now living III Fanhin
county, and J w. Throckmorton, now
living in Collin c9unty.
The speaker aIsb remembered six
tcen-year-old boy who cried to go on
SniveIev's Santa Pc expedition.
The Meir expedition, he said, though
unfortunate, typifed the character of the
Texan of that day-he feared neither
man nor numbers. Injured to Hardship,
familiar with danger, ana fond Of aG1I+
venture, nothing was too great for them
to undertake.. OF too dangarous~fGr them
10 chalange IT is Of this hardy race
that tha,fEexan of to-day.~is sprung, and
If is these magnificent, characters whose
memories it5t45ts3a.ebject of this 4associa-
ton 10 Perpet6a5e. &
At RIFD s FORT.
In 1871 about the time Capt. Bird and
others tried to make settlement at
Bird $ Fort, the Indians had been Tavag-
ing the country, and fires lighted
bv them had swept over the country and
driven ont all the game. Not being able
10 Graw on the prairies and forests for
the supplies expected of them, BIRD sent
part of bis force back TO Fannin county
for provisions They were detained
much longer than expected, and during
their absence those remaining at the fort
were reduced almost to starvation. The
last cow and calf had been killed, and
hunters secured the woods in vain for
game. one day a young man Tamed
Riley found calf 5 foot which had been
thrown about for some time. He
boiled it and made soup Of it. When
he tasted IL he found it so paIatable that
he was ashamed TO consume it himself
while there were hungry women and
children in the fort, and so gave it all to
them.
one man killed and ate a hawk, than
Wnlrn ne Ne'laTtI ne uGu never eaten
more delicious meat.
Record Is not left of anybody s having
eaten crow in those days, though good
deal of crow has been eaten since.
The history Of almost every county
would form an interesting book, and the
pioneers should see that these things are
correctly recorded.
Governor ThTockmortOn closed with
very eloquent peTOration.
OTHER SPEECHES.
After brief speech by Capt zeal,
Gen. Cabeu was introduced, and ad-
dressed the meeting briefly. He said he
was not an old veteran, but might he
allowed to speak as a young veteran,
He had first come TO Texas Is a young
lieutenant, 20 guard the frontier, thirty
eight years ago. lie realized the i'm
r0rtnuce OF preserving the territory of
pioneer days in Texas, and exhorted the
members of the association TO h8ke
known those Things Of interest which had
occurred within their knowledge, that
they might be properly recorded.
Capt Veal made 2 few remarks, and
was followed by Col. J = smith, who
was loudly called for. Col. Smith said
he had come to Texas in 1853, and told
~ -ra ~-a1,,1a " no lived i'm tho vicinity of