El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-04-06
TEXAS PIONEERS.
A Sketch of Unwritten History on the Earl,
days OfTexas.

l
A Sketch of Unwritten History on the Earl
| days ofTexas.
| The following from the pen of A. j
SOwell on "Fexas Pioneers is clippe,
from the Dallas News. Mr.. .Sowell
known to several Ell Pasoans and ha
contributed many articles on earl,
Texas history, which is very interest
ing:
On the Patterson irrigation ditcf
near Rio Frio pos toffice, in Frio canyon
lives Mr.. John w. Patterson, and O
the early settlers OF west Texas. HI
was born in Smith county, Texas, il
1919, and came west with his father
| Mr.. Newman Patterson, when quite
young, and first settled on the Sabinal
| river, six miles below where Sabinal
| station is now on the Sunset road
While Mr.. Patterson has had quite an
experience on the frontier, the most
important was the part he took in
| rescuipg little white girl who was
| time of this raid Mr.. Patterson was liv-
ing in Frio canyon not far from the
spot where he now resides. The In
dams on this occasion, which was about
1876, had been down the Guadalupe
river on big raid, aud between Kerr
Vile and Center Point came upon Mr..
w. r. Terry who, with his family,
"oIe III caup, ouC luIonoluR W SoG'le
there, and Mr.. Terry was shaving
shingles to cover his house. The on
s'aught of the savages was so sudden
that no time for defense was given and
the husband and father soon fell, leav-
log toe helpless wife and her children
at the mercy of the savages. Mrs. Ter
y ran toward high bluff, and leaping
off, made her e>cape. The Indians fired
at her, and when she had
ime to take notice, she counted nine
bullet holes and arrow cuts in her
lothing. Her little girl, 8 years of
age, was taken captive. The Indians,
after s.alping and mutilating Mr.
Terry, continued their murderous
Journey and succeeded in capturing q
negro boy and then started in a south |
west course to the Sabinal and Frio |
canyons. The next place |
they were heard from was at the mou h |
IF Cherry creek, where it empties into |
5he Frio. Here they came upon the !
and William Pruitt. The men were
gone on COW hunt and the Indians
robbed the camp and took off all the
horses that were there. They then
5urned and travelled northwest, cross
ng the Frio river about where Mr..
Joseph Van Pelt now lives. The cow
nen on their return to the pillaged
amp LOOK up Ine tfdlI anu were JOIN |
ID by other settlers, one of whom was
Ir. joe Van Pelt and man named
Martin. The upper Frio men, who
ived on the Patterson ditch, did not at
his time get the news. but received it
ater in the day and began collecting
o join in the pursuit. Before they
OF ready to start the negro boy, who
ad made his escape from the Indians,
anne to them. He said the Indians had
Id IL n he a |
d high mountain overlooking the
rio valley, and seeing houses in the
istance, stopped to look at them,
eglecting for the moment to keep
-atch on the negro hoy, who was rid
1g pony up the mountain in their
ear. Seeing their attention attracted
D the white settlement, the sable cap {
i've slid of his horse and made his es-
ape, being concealed by rocks and Il
-hite girl, and said they were taken
'om the Guadalupe. He was going to t
ill, he said, when the Indians came |
p behind him yelling. He thought it {
'as cowboys trying to scare him, and
, show them how brave he was, he did
OF look around until two of them I
anne up, one on each side, and grabb-
d him. The negro had many stripes :
q his person where his captors had S
/
tarved. The tale of the negro and I
pc little white girl still being a cap I
i've with the Comanches, lent new q
npetus to the men who were going, /
nd they mounted their horses with 6
lacrity and set off determined to res
ue her or perish in the attempt. Night t
IT in dark and fogey before the trail
as reached, and the settlers had to ,
amp. Next morning they found the
rail on the divide at the head of s
'uffalo creek, between Main and Dry
rio The trail led one mile west and I
hen turned north, Now they could I
ee to their left ever into Dry Frio V
auyon, and to their surprise and salts u
action d scovered the Indians over in /
hat valley going down Mare creek. {
The men now quit the trail and went
own the mount sin as best they could
nd took it up again in the valley, as
hey had lost sight of the Indians One
eason why they came SO soon upon the
indians the fact that they had
raveled all night and had lost theirl