The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-08-14
CYNTHIA Ann PARKER.
"A Tragic Episode of Early Life in
Texas.
nY eEN. 1GRoReE p. AElFoRD.

In 1881 small colony was formed IN
illinois, moved to the then Mexican
province, of Texas, and settled IN beau
tiful and fertile region on the Navasota
River, abou5,t two miles from the present
city of Groesbeck, the county seat of
Limestone County. The colony consisted
of nine families, of which Elder john
Parker was the spdtrisrchal head; his
aged wife; their son James w. Parker,
his wife and four single children; their
married daughter Rachel and her hus-
band, j. II. S. Plummer, and infant son
fifteen months old; another married
daughter, Sarah and her husband, l.. d.
Nixon; Silas NJ Parker fanother son of
-ElderJohn9, his wife and four children;
Ben B. Parker (another son of Elder
john, unm rried; Mrs. Nixon, ST..
mother oof Mrs. John w. Parker; Mrs.
Elizabeth kellogg, another daughter of
Mrs. Nixon, Sr.; Mrs. Duty; Sam M.
Frost, his wife and two children; Geo.
G. Dwight, his wife and two children; in
all thirty-four persons.
They erecteda block house, which was
known as Fort Parker, for protection
against the assault of hostile Indians.
This structure was made of solid logs,
closely knit together and hewed down so
as to make a compact. perfect square,
without openings of any kind until 1t
f6dCQGQ n a6lRuG Oh b6u 'OI 'lW6Ib0 4OOCS
Whenithe structure widened on each side,
forming projection impossible to climb.
The lower story, reached only by an in
terror ladder was used as a place of
storage for provisions. The upper story
was divided into two large rooms, with
portfolios for the use of guns, which
rooms were used as living rooms, and
reached. only by ladder from the out
side, which was pulled up at night, after
the occupants had assembled, making a
safe fortifcation against re ssonable
force, unless assaile by fire. These
hardy sons of toll tille1 their adjacent
fields by day, always taking their arms
with them, and retired to the fort at
night. Success crowned their labors, and
they were prosperous and happy.
On the morning of May Is, 1886, the
men, unconscious of impending danger,
left as usual for their fields, mile dis
tant. Scarcely had they left the lin
closure when the fort WAS attacked by
about seven hundred Comanches and
Kiowas, who were waiting IL ambush.
gallant and most resolute defense was
made, many savages being sent by swift
bullets to their happy hunting ground"
but it,was impossible 10 stem the terrible
assault, and Fort Parker fell. Then be-.
gan the carnival of death. Elder John
Parker, Silas M. Parker, Ben F. Parker,
Sam NJ. Frost and Robert Frost were
killed and scslped in the presence of
their horror stricken families. Mrs. John
Parker Granny Parker and Mrs. Duty
were dangerously wounded and left for
dead and the following were carried into
a captivity worse than death: Mrs.
Rachel Plummer, Jas. Pratt Plummer,
her two year old son; Mrs. Elizabeth kel-
logg, Cynthia Ann Parker, nine years
old, and her little brother John, aged six;
both children of Silas NJ Parker.
The remainder of the colony made their
escape, and after incredible suffering,
being forced even to the dire necessity of
eating skunks to save their lives, they
reached Fort Houston, now the residence
of Judge John H. Reagan, United States
Senator, about three miles from the
present city of Palestine, in Anderson
County, where they obtained prompt
succor, and relief party buried their
dead.
We will now attempt briefly. to follow
the fortunes of the poor captives. The
first night after the massacre the savages
camped on an open prairie, near water
hole, staked their horses, pitched their
camp and threw out their videttes. Then
4hey brought out their prisoners and
stripped them and tied their hands be-
hind them, and their feet closely together
with rawhide thongs, SO tightly as to cut
the flesh, threw them upon their faces
and the braves gathering around with the
yet bloody dripping scalps of their mar
tyred kindred, began the usual war
dance. alternately dancing. screaming,
yelling, stamping upon their helpless vic
Tins, beating their naked bodies with
bows and arrows until the flowing blood
almost strangled them. These orgies
continued at intervals through the ter
rible night, which seemed to have no
end, these frail women suffering and COM
PEELED to listen to the cry of their tender
little children.
Mrs. Kellogg, more fortunate than the
others, soon fell into the hands of the
Kecchi Indians, who, six months later
sold her to the Delawares, who carried
her to Nacogdoches, where this writer
then lived. a small child with his par
ents. Here she was ransomed for $50
by General Sam Houston, who promptly
restored her to her kindred.
Mr. Rachel Plummer remained a captive
for eighteen months, suffering untold
agonies and indignities, when she was
ransomed by a Santa Fe trader named
William Donahue, who soon after es-
corted her to independence, Mo-, from
whence she finally made her way back to
Texas, arriving Feb. 10, 1888. Her son,
James Pratt Plummer, after remaining
spr soner six years, was ransomed at Fort
Gibson, and reached his home in Texas
in February. lS43. then aged years.
During Mrs. Plummer's captivity she
a2ain became mother. When her child
was months old, finding it an impedi-
sment to the mental labors imposed upon
her as slave, a Comanche warrior forci-
bly, took it from her arms tied larlat
around its body, and, mounting his horse,
dragged the infsnt at full speed around
the camp in sight of the agonized mother
until life was extinct. when its mangled
remains we're tossed back into her lap
with savage demonstrations of delight.
Such atrocities have forced me to the
belief that %al good Indians are dead In
dams.
This leaves of tine sOrpOwing captives
only Cynthia Ann Parker and her little
brother John, years Of age, each held
by separate bands. John grew up to
athletic young manhood. married beau
tiful night-eyed young Mexican captive,
Donna Juanita Espinosa, escaped from
the savages, or was released by them,
joined the Confederate army under Gen.