Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-09-11

venture he kept close watch on his
daughter and assigned hor u room UNI
stairs, leaving hut little chance for her
escaping unseen.
Tho night was dismally dark, how
ever, and Davis. after procuring lad-
der, went 20 Taylor's house, He placed
thunder one of the windows OF Miss
Taylor's room and assisted her TO tho
ground and went Immediately 10 the
homo OF q missionary near by and wepe
married, When Taylor learned the
next morning Of their elopemont and
marriage he was very angry and forbid
either VI them ever entering his house
again.
~
During his soiourn in the Cherokee
nation no man OF the garrison was bot
ter known than Sam Houston. He spent
great deal OF his time NJ Fort Gibson
and many "reminiscences OF the Texas
hero worth relating are stlll to be OBJ
tanned from the old inhabitants Of the
place. On one occasion while at the
font Houston was suuhbed and insulted
by one OF the army officers named Hem
ny, who had but recently been pro
NOTED 10 caplaincy. Houston pro-
ccedcd to give the fellow good thrash
ing, after which he told him he didn't
know who he was fooling with.
why said Houston. 81 can and
will have you fired out of this fort in
less than two months
Aud so he did. He wrote 10 the sec
rotary Of warAt Washington and had
the offending officer removed
In those early days, when sam Hous-
ton was al Fort Gibson, great herds OF
buffalo were to be found within fow
miles OF the post almost any time, aud
he and the officers took many buffalo
hunts together. Houston delighted in
this sport above all other and no one at
the garrison understood the art of rifle
shooting from the back OF galloplng
mustang bettcr than he did,
One morning q young hali-hreed
Indian named Oo-wpla brought TO the
garrison wild mustang which he had
just captured, and offered him for sale.
Houston wanted to purchase the beast,
hut insisted that Oo-wnla first break
him TO ride Houston finally proposed
to the Indian that they go out buffalo
hunting that evening, una thnt " he
would ride the wild stood and
shoot a running buffalo from his back
without hoing unseatcd, ho would give
him good round price ior The animal.
Oo-wala, aftor some hosiuncy, accepted
tho proposition and the two started out
Ia quest Of the game.
They soon found fine herd aud
Houston took position on the summit
of little prairie knoll TO watch the In
dian perform the very questionable
feat Of maintaining his place on the
wild mustangs back and shooting u
lt. 81 .t al La
chased the clumsy bison round and
round on the prairie until he thought
he had both beasts pretty well exhausted
and then dropping tho rains loose
raised his gun TO his face TO take aim.
Ho was within a few feet of the huge
buiialu's side and as the report OF the
rifle rang out the terrified horse shot
! forward like lightning and, finding
his head free, wheeled Suddenly in I'm
/ opposite direction. The unfortunate
Indian was hurled like stone from a
| catapult directly In the way Of the
wounded buffalo and was killed almost
instantly, However, his aim must
have been very good for HouH.
ton said that he reached the
fatal spot he found both Oo-wHla and
tho buffalo mingling their gore and
| lying dead on the prairie together.
From Capt Jno L. Adair Of Table
quah, the writer obtained the following
romantic story Of the most beautiful
| woman that over lived al Fort Gibson.
/ Her name was Aisle Otterliftcr, and
she married young lieutenant named
! Graham. Graham was on duty at Fort
| Gibson while Taylor was commanding
| tho post Aisle Ottcrlliter was n quar-
| ter blood Cherokee and came 10 Fort
| Gibson from Georgia with her widowed
| mother, whose only brother was IN tho
| service Of Uncle Sam and doing duty
at that place The arrival al the gar
| risOn Of such stunning beauty as Aisle
| agrceably surprised everybody there,
| aud not few Of the handsome young
4 West Pointers tumhlcd heels over head
| In love with the urtless damsel mt first
| sight. For q year she was
| the central figure OF at
traction at tho fort with the gallant
| young officers, each Of whom paid hom-
age 10 her charms and pleaded for her
| hand. She was apparently not ON the
matrimonial market, however, for one
BY one one the suits Of tho handsome
! as well AS tho more h0mely officers
were rejected until finally all except
young Graham had abandoned the idea
! Of winning the fair Aisle for q bride.
| Graham, however WIS more determ-
ined than his rivals, and held on with
a remarkable teunciiy.
East Of Fort Gibson about n mile Is q
long prairie hill whore the soldiers
would repair occasionally 10 practice
target shooting, and the people Of the
village and the neighbOrhood around
would assemble there 10 witness the
| sport
One Saturday evening while Bragg's
company Of artillery was at Fort Glib
son the soldiers were having target
practice and large crowd Of specia-
4 tors were In attendance, Miss Otter
| litter included. She was quito a good
/ shot with a target gun herself and
/ boasted Of having beaten several Of the
/ ciack-shots at the post After the sol
dicrs were through with their prac-
| ticc she proposed TO young Graham
4 that they shoot for the championship,
and thai the winner in the contest
name such prize rs he or she might
/ wish 40 the expense Of the loser.
Lieutenant Graham did not readily
accept tho proposition, but after some
dalibcration told Aisle IN o whisper
that In consideration Of herself az tho
prize he would Try very hard 70 beat
her the two best shots out Of three.
I 1if,.fra ~ thfa lurf wnra Guaffy