The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-05
Was A QUEEN IN TEXAS.
Ellen Quinn, Pioneer SChOOlma'am Of
the Lone Star State.
Strange Career and Tragic Death of a
Woman Who in the Sixties Practi-
cally Ruled Automatically Over
Large Territory.

Large Territory.
From the ST. Louis Globe Democrat
Four miles northwest of the little city
of Bowie, in Northern Texas. there is a
sharp point of land rising abruptly above
the prairie, and known to all the sur
rounding country as Queens Peak. It's
| history is closely associated with that of a
woman who is declared to have come
pretty near to being queen in reality as
well as in name
1t was in 1866 that Ellen Quinn went
from western North Carolina to this part
of Texas. AS would be judged from her
name, she had Irish blood in her veins,
but it was mixed with a copious strain of
Indian, derived from the Cherokees that
still lnhabit reserve among the Carolina
mountains. just under what circum-
stances she left her native state no one
seems to remember, but soon after
she announced her intention to
open a school for the benefit
of the surrounding country 1t
seemed as if the school would likely ben
eft the country" literally so called, as
| there were very few inhabitants to get
the good of it. What few men there
were, however, got together and put up a
house for her. 1t was the first school
house ever put up in Montague county,
and was made of rough logs cut from the
| timber surrounding the base of what ais
now known as Queens Peak. 1t was
situated about half way up on the south
ern side in order to protect it from the
| cold northern winds of winter There
were several reasons why this sight was
chosen. Wood was near at hand for build
ing the house and supplying the fires in
! winter, which items were very important
ones TO the Texans of those days Water
| could be obtained from spring close at
hand, and this also was not to be sighted.
| Moreover, the Peak, though only hun
| dred or so feet above the surrounding
| prairie, was the highest point for miles
around, and from its summit a watch
| could be kept for the approach of Indians
or other hostile characters. From it sig
nails could be given in case of danger.
FURNISHING A REFRACTORY sIx-Foor PUPIL.
School opened with four pupils, all of
whom came from the only house within
two miles of the place. Soon, however,
it began to increase as the fact of its ex-
istence began to be noised abroad through
the country. Grown men who had come
to Texas when boys and who had lived on
the frontier without educational advan-
tages would come to school to Miss Quinn
in order to redeem their lost time They
came from anywhere within 100 or 200
miles. Most of them could come for only
few months COnsecutively, at times
when there was little to do on farm or
ranch, but they put in good work when
they did come. For some months the at
tendance would run as high as thirty, and
then again it would drop down to three
or four. Tuition was uniformly 50 per
month. 1t must have been an interesting
sight to see the little room crowded with
big, bearded cowboys porting over their
books. They probably had spurs iingling
at their heels and big six-shooters
dangling from their belts, but the black
haired little Indian-Irish woman was mis-
tress for all that. On one occasion a big
Six-footer refused to obey some command
she had given him. Going to the -four sack
in which she kept collection of her mis-
| cellaneous belongings, she gathered up a
handful OF black pepper. She had prob
ably prepared this for just such emergen-
cies, and before her recalcitrant pupil
knew what was coming, she threw the
pepper square into his eyes The bully
| sprang to his feet with roar of pain
| while the rest of the school shouted
qproarious approval of the act of
discipline. Then dozen of the
| devotees Of learning grabbed and carried
! him bodily to the foot of the Peak He
| was then informed that if he ever entered
! the schoOlroOm again or IN any way mo-
Tested the teacher there would be a feast
for buzzards and coyotes.
For a while Ellen Quinn was troubled
by occasional travellers who, in passing
through the country, would use her
! school house as a lodging place for the
night One night, just as such a party
were pushing in the door, a roar like that
of a cannon startled them, and on investi-
cation it was found that a rusty old
musket had discharged about a double
| handful of slugs into the roof with force
enough to have killed a dozen men had
| they been in the way From that time on
no nocturnal intruder ever entered that
school house by the door, and as windows
had not yet come into fashion in that part
of Texas the house was free from intru-
sion.
The teacher always had loaded rife
sitting in the corner of the schoolroom
during school hours, and had it slung be-
hind her saddle as she rode She was
fearless rider, and an unerring shot
There was one loud mouthed BLACKBOARD
named Starke, who was once heard to
make filthy remarks in regard to the
teacher and to boast of his personal DOW
ers of fascination for women generally.
One night, shortly afterward, his rider
less mustang came up to the ranch where
Starke had been working. Nobody ever
AAhPIShOO W IluI bIC DOUy anu NOBODY
cared to look for it.
After the school at the Peak had been
going on for about two years a singular
state of affairs began gradually to come
into being. The fame of her school had
gone out over all the surrounding coun-
try. She had exactly those accomplish
menJs and exactly that turn of mind cal
culated to win for her the respect and ad-
miration of the men of the frontier. The
result was that they respected, trusted
and almost worshiped her. By degrees
she acquired almost unlimited influence
over the men for over 100 miles around.
They would come to her to settle all dis
putes, and would always respect her de-
clslon. If any given man felt inclined to
resist her decision such feeling was use
less, as every other man felt honor bound
to help enforce it. If question arose as
to the ownership of stock the parties
would bring the cattle or horses in
Volved up to the Peak. Each claimant
would state his side of the case and call
on anyone else he might choose to sub
stantiate it. Then came the decision
from which there was no appeal If a
man was suspected of stealing stock or of
committing murder the process was the
same. A case could be disposed of com
pletely in thirty minutes. On one occa-
sion mere boy was brought up under ac-
. ~ ngNf