The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-08-13

n
whereupon he deliberately walked to q
small tree near by, the only ono in sight.
and, leaning against II, with one arm
around il for support, began to sing
wild, weird song. the death song of the
savage. There was n plaintive melody
in 1t which, under fhe dramatic circum-
stances, filled my heart with sorrow
At this time my Mexican servant. who
had once been captive with the Conan
ches and spoke their language as fluent
ly as his mother tongue, came UP in
company with others of my men. Through
/ him i summoned the chief to surrender
but he promptly tire ted every overture
with contempt, and signalized his refusal
with savage attempt 10 thrust me
through with his lance, which he still held
in his left hand. could only look upon
him with pity and admiration, for de-
plorable as was his situation, with no
possible chance of escape. his army utterly
destroyed, his wife and child captivrs in
his sight he was undaunted by the fate
that awaited him, and. as he preferred
death to life, / directed the Mexican 10
end his misery by n charge of buckshot
from the gun which he carried, and the
brave savage, who had been SO long the
scourge and terror of the Texan frontier,
passed into the land of shadows and
rested with his fathers.
| up MS which i
subsequently delivered TO General Sam
Houston, as Governor of Texas and
Commander-in-ch chief of her soldiery, to
be deposited in the State archives at Aus
tim We rode back 10 the captive woman.
whose identity was then unknown, and
! found Lieutenant Kellerheir, who was
guarding her and her child, bitterly
cursing himself for having run his pet
horse so hard after an old squaw. She
was very dirty and far from attractive in
her scanty garments, as we'll as her per-
son, but as soon as j looked on her face,
/ said: Why Tom. this is white
woman; Indians do not have blue eyes.
On our way to the captured Indian vil-
lage where our men were assembling
with the spells of battle and large cav
alcade OF Indian ponies which We had
captured, L discovered an Indian boy
about nine years old secreted in the tail
grass. Expecting to be killed, he began
to cry, but made him mount behind me
and carried him along, taking him to my
home at Waco, where he became an
obedient member of my family. When,
| In after years, l tried to induce him to
return to his people, he refused to go.
and died in McLennan County about four
years ago.
When camped for the night, Cynthia
Ann, Cur then unknown captive, kept
crying, and thinking it was caused from
fear of death at our hands, had the
Mexican tell her, in the Comanche Ian
! guage, that we recognized her as one of
our own people and would not harm her.
She replied that two of her sons in addi-
ton to the infant daughter were with her
when the fight began, and she was dis
tressed by the fear that they had been
killed. 1t so happened, however, that
| hot aeOanaI aud nf than Onapah
is now the chief of the Comanche tribe.
The other son died some years ago on
the plains. Through my Mexican inter-
prefer | then asked her to give me the
history of her life with the Indians and
the circumstances attending her capture
! by them, which she promptly did in q
very intelligent manner, and as the
facts detailed by her correspond
with the massacre at Parker's
Fort in 1886, was impressed with the be-
| lief that she was Cynthia Ann Parker.
Returning TO my post, / sent her and her
child TO the ladies at Camp Cooper,
| where she could receive the attention her
sex and situation demanded and at the
same time | dispatched messenger to
Col Isaac Parker, her uncle. near
| Weatherford Parker County, named as
his mem orisl, for he was for many years
a distinguished Senator in the Congress
/ of the republic and in the Legislature of
the state after annexation. When Col.
Parker came to my post / sent the Mexi-
| can with him TO Camp Cooper in the
capacity of interpreter. and her identity
was soon discovered to Col. Parker's
entire satisfaction. She has been a cap
tive just twenty-four years and seven
months, and was in her thirty-fourth
year when recovered.
The fruits of that important victory
n never be computed in dollars and
cents. The great Comanche contederacy
was forever broken, the blow was deci-
siye. their illustrious chief slept with his
fathers, and with him were most OF his
doughty warriors, many captiyes were
taken, $50 horses, their camp equipage,
accumulated winter supplies, etc.
If / could spare time from my official
duties. aud had patience. / could furnish
you with many thrilling incidents never
published relating to the early exploits,
trials and sufferings of the pioneers. My
father was appointed Indian Agent in
1856. He had an excellent memory and
treasured these until later in life listen
ed by the hour to their recital. / remain,
my dear General, sincerely your friend,
J.. S. Ross.
But little of this sad episode remains
to be told. Cynthia Ann aud her infant
barbarian wore taken to Austin, the CAPT
tai of tho State. The immortal Sam
Houston was Governor, and the Seces-
SION Convention was in session. She
was taken to the State House, where this
august body were holding grave discus
sion as TO the policy of withdr lwing
from the Federal compact. Cynthia Ann,
| comprehending not one word OF her
mother tongue. concluded it was a coun-
Gil of mighty chiefs, assembled for the
trial of her life, and in great alarm tried
TO make her escape. Her brother. Hon.
Dan Parker, who resided near Parkers
Bluff, Anderson County. was member
of the Legislature from that county and
a colleague of this VIZ ter, who then rep
resented the Eleventh Senatorial Dis
trict.
Colonel Dan Parker took his unhappy
sister to his comfortable home, and es-
saved by the kind offices of tenderness
and affection to restore her to the COM
forts aud enjoyments of civilized life, to
which she had been so long stranger.
But as thorough an Indian in manner
/ and looks as if she had been native born,
she sought every opportunity to escape
and fejoin her dusky companions. and had
TO be constantly and closely watched.
The civil strife then being waged be-