The National tribune., 1901-08-01

TEXAS 5s..l. a,:.. % u
MAP OF RESERVATION.
trepid in war, bold in their enterprises,
and impetuOus in action. They are at
peace with no other people than the Span
iards, and maintain constant war with
all the other neighboring nations"
The ComanchcS We're true nomadS, fol-
lowing the buffalo, which furnished them
food, clothing and shelter, and they
claimed that the center of their domain
was marked by a stone sent down from
above by the great spirit. This huge me
teorite was near the Double Mountain
Fork of the Brazos, but is now in the
Smithsonian Institution. The COmanches
reverenced it very highly, and bitterly op-
posed its removal, and their principal
Medicine Man, when he saw it removed,
predicted that the end of COmanche dom
ination in that region was near, in which
he was correct.
The Comanches, being close friends Of
the Spaniards, were not only protection
10 the eastern border of the settlements,
but gave them all information regarding
the country and guided their exploring
parties.
There was but one tribe of Indians be-
tween the Rio Grande and the Sabine
River and these-the Tonkaways-ca
by the French the Tuniscas-had their
villages along the coast, mostly in the
vicinity of Matagorda Bay. These were
the fierce. savages who had conflicts with
La Salle's party after he landed at San
Fernando Bay in 1854, and from their
habit of eating part of an enemy killed
in battle were called by the Comanches
'Techkas," or eaters, cannibals.
UNDER SPANISH DOMINION.
The region they inhabited became
known to the Spaniards, from the Co
manches, as the ''Techkas" country,
Texas, as in 1851 a Spanish Governor of
"Coahuila and Texas" was appointed, and
missions of very short duration estab-
| lished on the Neches, Guadaloupe and
Red River. From 1T15 to 1850 the Span
iards established numerous fortified mis-
si0nS III Texas, principally near San An
tonic, but neither COmanche nor IOnka-
way would submit to be corralled in them,
and therefore large numbers Of Tlascalans
were brought from Mexico to labor iii the
| field for the holy fathers.
Emgrants from Spain and the Canary
| Islands settled Eear these missions, pro-
tected by the garrison, for the COmanche
was not always peaceably disposed and
often cantered up to the mission gates in
quest VI lluilttI VI StdiDS. III LOO tIbl
assaulted the mission at San Saba, Sacri-
| ticing priests, sOldiery and labOrers, both
at the mission and the wonderfully rich
/ silver mines which had been developed
near il. Not a soul was left alive to bear
the news TO the trembling occupants of
/ the other missions. and the exact location
Of the San Saba mines has long been lost
/ TO the knowledge of the white races.
! Most Of these mission buildings, how
/ coIli hid defiance IN any Indians
1 they were so strong, as well as extensive.
! The old Alamo in San Antonio in which
! Lieut.-COl. Travis, with $50 men, fought
to the death in 1896 against Santa Anna
with 1900 MeXicans, extended over
nearly three acres. \ thousand men would
hardly have been sufficient to man the de-
| fcnses. 1t contained chapel, long stone
| barracks. barrier walls and intrenchments,
fortified with cannon. The barracks We're
| lOOpholed. and the doors were barricaded
with seiTii-circular parapets, made Of dOu-
! BILE curtains of hides filled with earth. The
walls We're so tremendously thick ana
! strong that batteries playing upon them
night and day produced but little effect
| After the ceSSiOn of Louisiana the rapid
! settlement of the country drove the In
dian tribes farther west. The Caddoes,
| with whom were the remnant of the
Natchez, the I0nies, Anadarkas and
other tribes, moved into Texas, where
already the Wichitas, WacOes, To-
wOcconies and keechies were located at
different points. The raidng of hostile
! Indians from the north, and the aggres-
sions of the Texans produced friction and
the Texans made no distinction between
Indians-hOstile or friendly. So in 1861
the Indians mentioned were gathered mt
Camp Cooper, on the upper Brazos, under
Maj. NeighbOrs, and Fort Beknap estab-
lished in the neighborhood.
The Tonkaways were also brought to
the vicinity, Notwithstanding the hatred
al. other Indians had for them. for every
Indians hand was against them. But
trouble occurred at Camp Cooper. and in
lS59-GO the Indians were all removed to
near the Washita River. in the Indian
Territory, on the present Comanchc res
eryation. and Fort Cobb established in
their vicinity. | had omitted to state
that the "Pend-techka" UIoncy eater)
band Of Comanches had settled at Camp
Cooper, where the United States fur
nished them all with rations and clothing
The Tunkaways had their village and
farms in the Eureka Valley. pretty cove
extending from the Washita River up
into the keechi Hills Below them, on
the WaShita, were the villages OF the
Wichita bands, and still farther east, ex-
tending TO the ChickaSaw line. were the
Caddoes. The Pena-tech-ka Comanches
were near Fort Cobb.
LOYAL CHEEKS.
Col. Leiper, Of Sherman, Tex, was the
Confederate agent for all these Indians
and as Albert Pike had been through the
territory enrolling Indians in the rebel
service, he found some loyal Indians, and
determined to suppress them The loyal
Greeks, under their Chief, po-hleyhOlo.
nearly 100 years old had ta fight their
way back to Fort LeavenwOrth in the
Wi1tHr of 1861, and in October, 1862. q
joint force of Texans, Comanches, Wichi-
tas and others attacked the Tonkaways
slaughtering men, women and children in.
discriminatory. The old Chief, Jose Ma.
ria, died fighting brayely and hut n rom