The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-04-03
THE MURDER OF MRS. SHERMAN
And tho Capture Of Esnthca Ann
Parker.
nv Alico Moss Joyner.

Away back In tho latter part OF the win
, Ter OF 1860 there lived near Weathcrford
in Parker county, Texas. family while.
consisted OF Mr.. and Mrs. Sherman AM
two small children. One day, lust as thel
were sitting down to dinner, they welt
surprised by band OF Indians, who quick
~ surrounded tho house. and several o.
them rushed in. After having taken pos
session OF all the arms about the plase The
Indians grouped themselves around III;
table and began to cat the dinner whi
had been placed thereon.
| Up TO this time the Indians had seemed
not TO notice the family. which was hud-
! uied together IN one corner OF inc ioOA.
| MR. SHERMAN. thinning II now tac Dest
| time TO make an escape, took his llttie
children in his arms, and DecgonIns his
| WHO TO follow. quietly shipped out at t.e
! back door and started toward their nearest
| neighDors. they had gone but short
distance when they were overtaaen ny
| three Indians who had followed them. They
| took Mrs. sherman by the arms and stare
| cd to lead, or rather. TO drag her. back To
| tho Rouse at the same time saying TO her
| husband IN broken English go on, we
don't want YOU.
But this MIR. Sherman had no intention
II
path and started back after his wife, but
feeling now powerless be was to defend her
in his unarmed condition, he yielded TO her
pieadings TO first take the children 10
place oil safety and then return Tor her.
When he reached their nearest neigh
hors. about three-duartefs OF u mile away,
the lady mad just come out in the yard 10
meet her husband, who had been hunting.
Seeing Mr.. Sherman coming in run, with
gate to meet him.
'Why, what rs the matter. MIR. Sher-
MANI" asked the lady. The poor man did
not answer, but handed the children over
the fence and snatcbing the gun from the
gentleman's hand cried out as he turned
to run back: My God! They've got
herl"
The neighbor (whose name | have for
gotten) soon learned from the eldest child
that the Indians were nj their home and
had their mother. As soon as the gentle
man had made some provision for the
safety of his wife and the two little Sher-
man children he armed himself and went
to the homo of the Shermans.
When he reached the place the house
was in flames and there was no sign of any
human being. The Indians had done their
work and gone. The gentleman then be-
gan a search for the dead bodies o. Mr..
and Mrs Sherman, believing that both had
been murdered.
After search OF some length he found
his neighbors by little pool of wafer
about quarter of mile from the ruins
of their home Sherman had only fourd
his wife little while before. and now, al
most frantic with grief was trying 10
wash the blood from the bleeding face ana
head OF his horribly mangled but stil liv-
ing wife.
Mrs. Sherman had been scalpod only
..,. MI, a
temple. Ny grandmother. who helped TO
nurse her during the few days she fingered
In agony and helped to prepare her body
for burial after death had released her. Il
my authority for the statement that you
could not have placed silver dollar any
where OH her body without touching cut
or brulsc. This. tho unfortunate woman
said was done by the Indians after havi'g |
outraged her again and again, tying .
of sharp stone In the ends Of their rdilg |
whips and holding kind OF tournament by |
riding their horses over her PROSTATE body |
and trying who could strike her ofteuest
Mrs Sherman's murder was with one ex-
ceptlon the most fiendish in all It's details !
that ever heard of on the frontier OF |
Texas After death her body. with the |
bruised and hlackened form of her newly |
born baby In her arms, was brought 10 |
Wchtherford and placed in the corridor of
the court house.
ono can rendily imagine that with such |
n SIGHT "a this before them it was not hard |
TO raise company of men to 70 after |
the saVnges who had committed the decd |
The company Of citizens. which was |
quickly raised, followed the Comanchcs far |
up into the Panhandle Then some oil the |
more prudent, becoming alarmed at the !
evidences OF the Indians strength, pro- |
posed that they return To Weathcrford. An !
ono evening the question WAS discussed |
md a a
Next morning an agreement had not w. |
been reached, so two men rode out onn on ,
either side of tho little ravine on which |
they had camped tho night before, and one /
called out AN those who are in favor of |
going back join me-" Then the man on
Tho other side said: "Thoso In favor o,
going on will join me-"
When they had divided M there wcro
but two who were in favor Of attaching
me Indians. Naturally, some OF the mon
IN the larger body could not refrain fiom
suying their companions, who represented I
SO hopeless minority. They wished them
suecoso In their attack upon the Cnmapehe
village. and turned toward home CON
tdently expecting that their late comrades |
would follow on and join them before
Tho two men FAINT Bail and W. 4
Moss--who wero left on the bank of ,he
lavine. watched their companions unnj I
they. were out OF sight aud then began 10
think about what they themselves vera
to do. They felt considerably nettled, am
had no desire to be laughed at a. "a 4
tghtlng minority, all the way home; aud
yet Tor two men TO travel through tia.
Wiid country. infested by the savage In.
aians' was dangerous in the extreme.
Let us so 10 Camp Cooper for sui
ROSS, proposed one. 'He Il no. afraid
TO fight This was quickly agreed 10 by
the other and the two started on thle
rerious journey.
General Ross, then scarcely moro than
. youth, had already won the reputation OF 1
hsing one of the most daring ANA sue
cessful Indian fighters on the Texas fron-
tier, When Messrs, Ball and Moss reached
camp Cooper and told Captain Ross tAeir
STORY, he WAS not only willing, but anxious
10 80 after aud punish the Commences.
immediately taking his company. plotted
py the TWO men who had como after him,
ne Followed The Indians 10 their winter +,
camp on Prairie Dog river where, orc
neening. Just alter daylight. he attacked
them In their camp
Tba