Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-02
THRILLING BORDER STORY.
Joseph Doyle OF Blossom Prairic TaIls of Some
Stirring Scenes In WhIca He
Was q Participant
Special Correspondence of the Gazette.

! Special Correspondence of the Gazette.
| PARIS, Tex, March There is many a scrap
OF the history of this state yet unwrtten that is
alike interesting to the pioneer and the newly
| arrived immigrant. 1t has been only few
! years since Texas had a daily paper like THE
| GAZETTE to keep people appraised OF current
! events. In conversation to-day with Joseph
Doyle, citizen OF Blossom Prairie. the writer
| was told OF some stirring scenes in which he
| was q participant from 1872 to 1876. Doyle
| Joined the rangers at the age of sixteen, and
! was IN many fights with Comanches who
| times.
In May, 1873, sebe McGair. who settled on
! jim We'd river IN Runnels county, left home one
! day and went fifteen miles 10 mill. He was de
tanned over night and did not reach home until
the next oay at noon On his return he found
! his Vile and daughter, who was nine wears of
| age, IN the cow lot murdered and scalped. His
| little boy of three years had been taken avav
Inc rangers were then in Coleman county, about
| thirty miles away. and Mccain, after summoning
! the rangers TO bury his dead, fastened their
camp ana informed them OF his dreadful mis-
| fortune. The rangers were then under
command OF Capt. J. d. Blackburn. McGair
Joined taem, saying that he had nothing to live
Tor except to kIll Indians. About seventy miles
west of where McGair's wife and daughter were
murdered they found the body of his little boy
lying on rock with his head cut of. Near by
on sapllng, which had been trimmed up, the
Savages had placed the head. BY forced march
ing the rangers (thirty-five in number) soon
overlook nineteen OF the OOmanches, and in q
short time killed ell OF them without the loss Of
man. Soon afterward they were attacked by
about fifty Comanches and 4 hard battle was
Fought, IN which the rangers lost nine and
the Indians thirty Seven
The whites kept pushing their settlements
westward, and, the Indians continuing their
depredations, the rangers were kept busy In
August, 1875, the COmanches again raided the
settlements in Runnels county, and fifteen citi-
zens snd flfty-fve rangers, under the command
OF Sebe McGair, started in pursuit On the
Concho river, where deep creek ran into it from
q nrfh hnU avyA ID,
Tine rangers gave chase, and the Indians crossed
the creek at narrow ford and ran into an open
rangers rushed. When they did SO
they found themselves surrounded by at
least hve hundred well-armed Comanche war
riors. There was but one avenue by which thev
could escape, and that was by the ford they had
come in at. Being overwhelmed thew started
out, but had to literally cut their waT t5rongh
the enemy with their huge h2ck-knives. As FIR.
Doyle started across the stream q brave young
him. At that moment Comanche rushed upon
Doyle and plunged lance into his left shoulder.
and hung in the flesh and skim Al the 9 9sGs
time another n1ian grasped his horse by the |
bride relns. Doyle struck him down with his /
knife, but the other savage swung on to the |
lance, trying to pull him from his horse. After
dragging the Indian about fifty yards, another /
ranger came up and shot the savage DOVE |
rode about four miles with the weapon in his |
back, the long handle Hopping about as he ram
When the rangers halted, they found that of the
SEVENTY men WHO natl entered the tataI arlDuS-
csde only nineteen came out alive and half of
these were wounded. The lance was cut from
Doyle's back by Capt. McGair with his pocket
knife Mr.. Doyle thinks this old lance is now
at Jacksboro, which was then the headquarters
for the rangers.
McGair, after the murder of his family never |
let opportunity pass to kill an Indian. He
never took one prisoner, and if anyone else did |
he killed him if he had chance. Once himself
and a party OF rangers ran nine Indians men
and women, into lake on Pecan bayou and |
McGair stood on the bank and shot them all. |
AT another time FIVE Indian prisoners
were left in his charge and he deIiber-
ately killed all of them. He was of an excel
lent family and went from Collin county to |
RunneIs. Mr.. Doyle does not know whether he
is yet living or not. He speaks in the highest
terms OF him as gentleman, but says the
sight of an Indian would transform him into a
demon of fury
These scenes enacted so recently seem strange,
as the country that witnessed them is now |
cultivate the soil and tend their herds without
fear of molestation.