Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-23
CARONKAWAY INDIANS.
A Race That Sprang From Different
Stem Than That of Other Indians.
How the Race Became Extinct-The Women
Stolen by the COmanches-A General
Butckering by Night.

| For the Gazette.
In conversation with Col. Thomas
Kinney, of Corpus Christi, Gan old Tex
an honored and respected by all who
knew him) in the spring of 1852 on the
subject of the Indian races of North
America, and the probabilities of their
emanating from the same parentage, he
said: 81 cannot believe that all the In
dian races of America sprang from the
same parentage, for the reason that they
are SO unlike in their habits aud dlspo-
sitions. For instance, he said: The Car
onkaway Indians were unlike any other
tribe of Indians he had ever met with,
and he was familiar with nearly all the
tribes west of the Mississippi river.
The Cronks were at one time, numer-
ically speaking, one of the largest
tribes in America. They at one time
controlled all the coast country between
the Rio Grande and Sabine. They were
lazy and indolent tribe, living princi-
pally upon fish, which were easily OBJ
tanned by killing them with sticks on the
bars at the mouth of the rivers, where
LuOg SIupLy AuLO luS LUG usH
in with the tide every twenty-four
hours. Several years before the Mexi-
can war with the United States these In
dians were in Corpus Christi, on their
way to Mexico, as their chef informed
me. 1 believe his name was Velasoo.
Some three weeks after their departure
some MeXicans came into Corpus Christi
and informed our citizens that about
thirty miles down the beach they saw a
number of graves, and from the size of
them. they were satisfied that there had
been a number of persons murdered and
buried in the sand. We at once sent
four or five men to the place described
by the Mexicans, and upon their return,
four days after, they informed US that
they found the graves, and the parties
murdered were the Cronks, and from all
appearances, they were murdered by
Mexicans. Here the matter rested until
the fall Of l847 Col. Kinney was an officer
in the Mexican war and had been or
dered from Gen. Taylor's headquarters
to Matamoras, and on his way, when
near Camargo just before shutdown, he
saw three Indians about fifty yards from
the road eating their suppers. He rec
ognized them as Cronks and rode out to
their camp. They proved to be three |
Col. Kinney and were overjoyed to meet |
him. The colonel stayed with them until |
the next morning, and during the night |
tn ey related to him the following story: /
They said 200 years ago quite q number |
of Comanche Chiefs visited our tribe, as
they said, to get help to drive the Span
iards out of Mexico. Our fathers re-
piled to them: No, we are not a warlike |
people. We wish to live in peace with |
all the world; and besides, we have /
have nothing to war with. These chiefs
were much pleased with our women.
They were in their estimation bet
ter formed and handsomer than
their own. A short time after that
some 200 Comanches made raid on one
Of our villages and carried off every
young woman belonging to that village.
Dur fathers were powerless to protect
their families, as the Comanehes were a
race and good horsemen, and
We were neither. They continued to
make these raids, robbing US of our prop
srty and our women until our tribe was
'educed to the number you saw in Cor
1us. We had decided to move into Mex
co where we could get protection, and
we're on our way when you saw US last.
After we had travelled about thirty miles
q the direction of st. Isabel our spies re-
urned and informed Us that w;s had been |
betrayed and that there were 200 CO.
nanche warriors in camp between as and ]