Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1890-09-18

My horse then becoming more quiet, /
shot the 8hief twice through the body,
WhereUpon he deliberately walked TO
small tree near by. the only one in sight.
and, leaning against it, with one arm
around it for support, began to sing
Wild, weird song the death-sOng Of the
/ savage. There was q plRintiYe melody
IN 1t which, under the dramatic CiFcum-
stances, filed my heart with sorrow.
At this time my Mexican servant, who
had once been a captive with the Conan
/ ches and spoke their language as fluent
~ as his mother tongue, came M in
company with others of my men. Through
him 1 summoned the chief to surrender.
but he promptly tire tied every overture
with contempt, and signalized his refusal
with savage attempt to thrust me
through with his lance, which he still held
IN his left hand. I could only look upon
him with pity and admiration, for de-
pIOrable as was his situation, with no
possible chance of escape, his army utterly
destroyed, his wife and child captivss in
his sight, he was undaunted by the fate
that awaited him, and, as he preferred
death to life, directed the Mexican to
end his misery by a 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.
Taking up his accOuterments, which I
subsequently, delivered to General Sam
Houston, as Governor of Texas and
CommandeF-in-ch chief of her sOldiery, to
be deposited in the State archives at Aus
IN. We rode back TO the captive woman,
whose identity was then unknown, and
found Lieutenant KelleFheir, who was
guarding her and her child, bitterly
cursing himself for having run his pet
horse so hard after an old squRW." She
was very dirty and far from attractive in
I,r,zs -Evp- h
son, but as soon as looked on her face,
said; Why! Tom, this is a white
woman; Indians do not have blue eyes"
On our way to the captured Indian vile
4age where our men were assembling
with the spells Of battle and large cav
alcade of Indian ponies which we had
captured, I discovered an Indian boy
about nine years old secreted in the tan
grass. Expecting to be killed. he began
to CRY, but made him mount behind me
and carried him along, taxing him to my
home at Waco, where he became an
obedient member of my family. When,
in after years, 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
Amp, Our then unknown captive, kept
crying, and thinking it was caused from
Iear 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. It 50 happened, however, that
both escaped, and one Of them-Ouanah
is now the chief of the COmanche tribe.
The other son died some years ago on
the Mains IFhFGU oh nv MavrfaaT7
prefer 1 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 a
very intelligent manner, and as the
facts detailed by her correspond
with the massacre at ParkeT's
Fort in 1885, was impressed with the be-
lief that she was Cynthia Ann Parker.
Returning to my post, I 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 I dispatched a messenger to
Col. Isaac Parker, her uncle, near
WeatherfOrd, Parker County, named as
his memorial, 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 Next
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 8 cap
tive just tWenty-fOur years and seven
months, and was in her thirty-fourth
year when recovered.
The fruits Of that important victory
can never be computed in dollars and
cents. The great COmanche cOnfederacy
was forever broken, the blow was deci-
siVe, their illustriOus chief slept with his
fathers, and with him we're most of his
4 T~rg
taken, $50 horses, their camp eqUlpage,
accumul ated winter supplies, etc.
II could spare time from my Official
duties, and had patience, / could furnish
you with many thrilling incidents never
published relating to the early exploits,
trials and suferings of the pioneers. My
father was appointed Indian Agent in
1856. He had an excellent memory and
treas ured these until later in life listen
cd by the hour to their recital. remain,
my dear General, sincerely your friend,
But little of this sad episode remains
TO be told. Cynthia Ann and her infant
barbarian were taken to Austin, the CAPT
tai of the State. The imm Ortsl 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 Withdrawing
from the Federal compact. Cynthia Ann,
cOmprehending not one word Of hex
mother tongue, concluded It was a cOun-
ell 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 Parker's
Bluff, Anderson County. was a member
Of the Legislature from that county and
a COLLEAGUES Of this VT. 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 and enjoyments Of civilized life. to
which she had been so long a stranger. !
But as thorough an Indian in manner
and looks as if She had been native born,
she sought every opportunity to escape |
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