The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-06
"A FACE HE KNEW"
ROMANTIC STORY OF TEXAS IN
PIONEER DAYS.

Deed Was Not Forgotten-A Savage
Who Was Grateful - A Pioneer
Woman Tells Some Interesting
Things.
From the 81. Lo uis Republic.
Among the visitors to the city Is a lady
who is the guest OF a well-known and popu~
lar family on Olive street. The new conner
was seen yesterday by a reporter who had
heard that there was much that was ro-
mantle as well as many things that were
startling in her history. he found her an
extremely small woman, with an abundance
Of snQw-white hair parted smoothly over
her forehead, and with some Of the indrmi-
res OF age, but with face as bright and an
eye as dauntless as when she faced the first
dangers Of the wild west. so many years
ago.
20 yes, have passed through soenesp
she exclaimed when questioned. at seems
| 20 me that about all the accidents and Incl
dents which could be crowded into one life
| have beeA crowded into mine. | lived in
Texas in the early times, you know. That
means Indians, wild animals and a little of
! everything.
"Onoe. IN my childhood, another little
| girl and myself were playing among the
| trees-lt was in Austin, which was only
village then, and we were on the hill where
| St Mary's College is now. That was all
thick woods at that time. While we were
| playing we heard the tramp Of horses feet,
and peeping out amid the trees we saw five
| Indians riding over the ridge right where
| the First Methodist and the Catholic
| churches now facs each other. Quick
as thought we tumbled behind a log
and lay hidden there, scarcely dar-
ing 10 breathe, until they had gone
on down The slope and out of sight. We
| beard after ward that they were Conan
ches-members Of that cruel and savage
tribe that, together with the Llpans, terror
| lied Texas in those days. just before they
| came within sight, they had killed a man
| on the very hill that is now crowned with
the magnificent new state capitol. Just
after theY left our sight, they rode up to
house where a little baby girl was sitting on
| the porch. They dasheda toward her, in
| tending to snatch her up as they rode by,
but the mother was a frontier woman and
she caught up gun from the corn er and
ran out SO tiger-liK in look and action that
the Comanches fled. I'll tell you they had
sure-enough women in those days and not
any such dolls as you have now.
THE INDIAN DEPREDATIoNs.
From that point the Indians rode on out
of town. along what is now Sixth street.
| About two miles out they stole little girl,
and kept her, too. She was reared among
them, aud was rescued only few years ago
by Gov. Ross. You have heard that story,
| of COURSE
Did you have any other Indian exper-
iences| asked the reporter.
"Yes, several-and one of them came
near not having su9n fortunate ending
for me- You see | was married in Austin,
| and that was near enough to the frontier,
one would think, but John was a regular
crank on the subject of the wind West
Nothing would suit him but that we must
travel away out to West Texas somwhere,
and pre-empt claim where we would have
| plenty of elbow room. as he called it. So
that was the way took my wedding tour
in a covered wagon, with a few household
belongings, and with plenty of youth and
| health and courage. l looked on it all as a
kind Of frolic, you know. l don't think
wild horses could pull me Off on such an
expedition now. Think or the danger from
Indians alone! Every few days we would
come upon traces of them, and John would
exclnim with the utmost unconcern, Hello!
there's been Indians along here, and then
we would forget all about It.
| lone day, however, we had found a
very fine place to camp. with plenty OF
grass and water, and decided 10 stay over
till the next day and rest up. It was about
noon then. John took his gun after dinner
and went away over the hills to see if be
could find any game; and l wandered idly
toward a little clump of trees near by. It
was pretty place found on reaching it.,
and had walked around some time before
| | noticed that the grass was freshly tram
pied. l might have thought that this had
been done by the buffalo, but a moment
later l came upon abundant bloodstains,
dry but unmistakahle And before / re-
covered from that sight l almost stumbled
over something still worse-the body of
an Indian. At least l thought it was
AAN boz a
glance told me that he was still alive. His
right arm was broken, apparently, and the
blood had poured from a wound in his
shoulder until 1t had stained all the grass
around him. He had lain there long time,
suffering intensely. His lips and tongue
were parched. The eyes which he slowly
| turned upon me were the eyes of dying
man, l could see that. Now what do you
think dido just like womau-of course
you'll say that. Well, | ran back to camp,
caught up cup of water and the first piece
Of cloth that | came to, which happened e
be one of my aprons, and then flew
back to my dying Indian. | gave him
some water first, for he was almost dying
, of thirst; and held up his head while BIZ
drank. Then bound the apron about his
wounded shoulder the best L could, tC
stanch the blood, and then in flutter rar
{ back to the camp, afraid that he woult
die while l was looking at him. WheI
| 4
him about my adventure and we went t
see if my Indian was dead; but to my grea
| establishment he was gone. There was nC
t trace of him 10 be seen anywhere excep
3 the blood on the grass. II it hadn't beer
= for that, think John would have felt sur,
3 had dreamed the whole thing. At an
t rate, he was afraid to camp there tina
night, 50 we drove on eight or ten mile
further, and am sure that even then Johl
lay awake half the night.
! THE WILD WEST HOME.
4 "But at last we reached place that jus
suited John for home, after we had been
{ | on the road a month, and he went to worE
! | building house of logs and 'daubing' tn
r | cracks with a mixture Of black mud AM
prairie grass. We were not SO very far from
| people. 1t was eleven miles to our neares
1 | neighbors, and that was almostt like be!n,
, | crowded in those days, you know. o.
! | liked the life! Sometimes | was q Lttl
3 | lonely, but not often. John was soon hare
( at work turning over some OF the prairie
q sod, so that the winter frosts could mellow
! it. 1t was long way out TO the field, bu
n | | could see him plain from the door anC