The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-06-06
ute dead, The Indians had scal,ed him

| quite dead. The Indians had scaloed him
having torn off the entire scalp. This
| shows the treachery of the Indian chatac-
ter. They were permitted to come and 70
| under treaty of peace. l well remember
| being blocked IN in our own house the
male members running bullets all day from
| melted bars of lead which then was the
| only method. How crude does it seem at
| the present time We were hourly exIect-
| ing an attack. but fortunately escaped that
| time.
one night. which almost frightens me
| more now than then. as | was too young to
| realize the gravity OF the situation the
FIRST inttmation of Indians approaching
| was the bowling of wolves and loud hooting
Of owls which did not long deceive us My
mother. who was a widow then. put out all
the lights. kept everything still except the
watch dog which was frantic with fear and
rage. My mother opened the door and
| let him in. No doubt We owe our lives to
| her discretion.
| Women had to be brave IN those perlous
! times. There was not a man on the place.
| Had the Indians known this. l very much
doubt II / would be here to tell the story.
| They came into the yard looking for horses
NV brothers had that very day carried all
| our horses TO the Colorado river to winter
on the wild rye which grew in profusion
| in the botiom; also 10 keep them safe from
| the Indians Knowing a horses terror Of
Indians we knew they We're safer there
| than In stables. The Indians went a mile
above our house and cut loose some horses
tied at the very door of the mans house
They We're pursued the next day but cs-
capped. They found several OF the horses
which had given out and had been killed
ny the Indians This is another example
of their cruelty.
Mr.. Giheland whom the Indians thought
they had killed and scalped, lived some
time afterwards. | remember seeing him
once with his head tied ZIP.
My father was killed by horse which
was called moon sighted, whatever that
may he. There lived an old hunter near
us named Ike Harris, who was n perfect
Nimrod. and captured nearly all his meat
supplies by killing all kinds of wild game. |
he came one evening and urged my father
10 accompany him a torcrlight hunt |
IN ascending steep ravine the horse fell
oack on my father. crushing his lunes, |
and causing him to bleed to death inter |
nally.
lhey used to form companies of men to
go on a big bear hunt They would be |
gone sometimes for weeks, returning with |
bear meat. dried buffalo venison and Wild !
money, cased in deer hides which had been |
stripped OFF the deer. sewed up and filled
then thrown across pack horses and thus
conveyed 10 their homes. This would be
o. novel sight TO the present generation
Another great jolilicaton WAS going
on a mustang hunt or chase. The men
would md the range OF wild horses. build
mustang pens, throwing out what they
called wings, surrounding n group of wild
horses, drive them into this pen and lasso
as many as possible ere they could find
thoir way out. In this way many kept
supplied with mustang ponies
he 1t remembered Indians kept n sharp
lookout for all available horseiiesh. They
stole all my fathers three different times
Good horses were designated as American |
In contradistinction to Wild. | have seen
antelope. deer and large wolves near the
house The prairie grass grew very high
and at haying time looked like large
fields Of waving grain
Our house was the only one between
cameron on Little river and Austin, a
distance of forty miles, where traveller
me postal service was conducted in the
most primitive style Postof.ices were
placed Mt private houses along the route.
Ny brother qualified as postmaster but
ala most OF the work. Postal letters re-
quired duplicate way bill. one to be re-
lained and the other to 60 with each let
ter, Letter and way bill had to he wrapped
It's place of destination Ten cents was
the postage paid for each letter sent any
where in the United States.
Remember hearing annexation songs.
though too young TO take any interest In
such matters. Texas suited ME quite as
well as republic. How hard TO realize
the wonderful progress OF the Lone Star
state as compared to that day. ! write
from tradition as well as from knowledge
Or memory The broad uninhabitod State,
then the home of the red man, Us now the
home OF a civilized and cultured race.
Melsey A. Booth
Houston, Texas. May 90.