The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-05-09
MOTHER OF A CHIEF.
A Border Romance Narrated by
One Concerned In It.
Cynthia Ann, White Girl, Captured in
Childhood and Adopted by the CO.
manches-She Pinned for the Saw
age Life She Led.

age Life She Led.
The agitation of the Indian land uues-
ton brings to mind the tragedy and ro-
nance connected with the well-knoWn
Comanche chief, Quanah. His mother
was a white woman, captured in her
Young girlhood by the Comanches, and
taken from her home in Texas over into
New Mexico Her family, one of the
most prominent of Texas, resided in
Anderson County.
lived in Eastern Texas at the time,
my parents home being near that of
Captain Parker. This is near what is
now Palestine, then composed of few
cabins. 1t was away back in the days
when Texas was arepublic-a few years
before she joined the sisterhood of
States.
| was a wee bit of a barefooted
boy, attending my first school in the
pine woods. l can still see, in my mem.
DRY, that old school-house and it's sur.
roundings. Some of the boys and girls
who attended that old school are now
men and women of prominence, known
made of pine logs with the bark on.
This bark served as home for the
scorpions, which made themselves free
and easy in livening up the
pupils, and the ''tsek. tsek,
t.ek' of the sawyer worm work.
ing in those logs was the constant
music of the day. The great wide
chimney, made of cross sticks covered
with clay and MOSS was not the least
picturesque of the surroundings. The
inevitable spring branch was just under
the hill where we got water from the
spring and waded in the brook with our
little juvenile sweethearts, pastime for
which we inevitably received the good
Old1Style thrashing. The desks were
simtF rough pine boxes with the lids
slOping toward you, held on by strips of
leather for hinges. The seats were pine
slabs, hewn smooth on the straight sur
face, holes bored in the under side and
pegs driven into them for legs. Each
bench extended the length of half the
room. The floor was what was called
puncheon. This was made of pine slabs,
split and put together as closely as pos
sible, and pegged to the sleepers. Pick
ing splinterS out of the bare feet of the
"scholars,' as the pupils were called,
was regular business, the puncheon
floors furnishing splinters every day
and every year, from generation to gen
Grafton. Many tender little feminine
heart was captured while it's owner,
playing the surgeon, was picking the
of tbn Of h
full Romeo, who bravely kept back the
tears, when it was plain to the tender
hearted surgeon that he was suffering
mortal agony.
There was in this school very pretty
blue-eyed little maiden about my own
tenderage. She was named Cynthia Ann,
daughter of Captain John Parker. Cap
tain Parker was quite "a big man. in
the neighborhood; lived in large
plank house with real glass windows
and green blinds. Favored, indeed, was
the boy who could win a smile from or
claim the favor of sweet little Cynthia
Ann. Wasn't her father member of the
Texas Congress? So | was the envy of
all the boys, as Cynthia Ann and be-
came fast friends, and, of course, | was
the cause of many fight. In short
time we acknowledged, without blush
Ing, that we were sweethearts, Cynthia
Ann and /. In fact, she was not back
ward in letting it be known herself
This settled the dispute, but resulted in
more fights and some few lickings for
me.
One dark night the Comanche Indians,
irrr hot NJ IF
announced in our neighborhood. Every
body took shelter in the block house
nearest his immediate abode. Captain
Parker's family took refuge in the great
Foster block house, near where Pales-
tine now is. The Indians attacked this
and killed and scalped every one of the
inmates, including all of Captain Par
ker's family except Cynthia Ann. They
carried her into captivity away into the
barren hills of New Mexico. AS many
men as could be spared from the neigh
borhood followed the Indians for several
weeks, hoping to be able to retake Gym
thia Ann, but they were unsuccessful
In 1861 Colonel l.. Sui. Ross, of Waco,
then commander of the Texas Rangers,
afterwards distinguished as dashing
cavalry General at the head of the
Texas troops during the late war, who
Is now Governor of Texas, gave battle
TO an invading band of Comanches in
the Northwestern part of the State. He
utterly routed them. killing and captur-
ins many of their warriors. Among the
latter vas an exceptionally fierce little
brave who refused to surrender until q
Ax-shooter was pointed at him and was
On the point of being discharged. He
men threw up his hands and in a SOFT
eihlnlne voice cried out:
americana! Americanaw
throwing back the red covering of
sAlhs he revealed to the astonished
1eAans the neck, throat and breast of a
woman, and, though she was Drowned
v exposure, they Immediately saw that
que was undoubtedly of white parent
aye She was dressed as were the other
warriors, aud was fercer and more skill
? 'u1 tnan any of them. Colonel Ross