The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-03-12
BROWN INDIAN RAID CLAIM
Has at Last Passed Congress and
Been Signed by the President,
Thereby Becoming Law--ln'
terestina story Of Raid.

san Antonio, Texas, March TO-
CONGRESSMAN A. 5. Burleson has writ
ten Miss Elizabeth V. Brown of this
city tnat the famous Indian depreda
tion bill of her father. John b. Brown,
passed congress and has been signed
By the president, thereby becoming a
law.
John B. Brown was native of Ire
land who came to Texas In 1887 and
bought large ranches and many head
OF cattle About 1868 the Comanche
Indians made raid, killing or taking
off many hundred head of horses and
cattle. besides killing several per-
sons. MIR. Brown filed a claim in the
United states court of claims and the
case dragged on until 1891, when the
question came up as to whether or
not ne was citizen of the United
States. BY this time Mr.. Brown was
old and had practically lost his mem
DRY, so that he could not remember
having been naturalized, but Con-
gressman Burleson won the case In
the house on the ground tnat John b.
Brown vas citizen of the republic
of Texas and that he had held Office
under the Republic. II was thereby
established that the Republic
of Texas made every man who had
held Office under its government a.
citizen, and as when Texas was ad-
mitted to the union all of its citizens
became citizens of the United States,
that John B. Brown was citizen OF
the United States.
MIR. Browns ranch was on the Glib
olo. It consisted Of many hundreds of
thousands OF acres and extended from
the mountains into the lowlands,
which was the principle cattle range.
In the mountains he had a man
and boy cutting cedar poles and
negro woman was employed to cook
for them. One morning the man went
in a wagon to the nearest town.
which was distance Of about fifty
miles. to get supplies. The boy went
TO his work of chopping cedar poles
about half mile away from the
house. About 10 o'clock in the morn
ing he heard the Comanche war
whoop and before he could escape
they were upon him and speared him
to death. There were about 800 in
the band, and they went on down
the valley at full speed, yelling their
war cry Evidently they expected to
find some one in the house to murder
but the old negro woman was too
shrewd for them. She heard the war
whoops in the distance and knew
their meaning. Immediately she rip
ped open the feather mattress, scat
tered the feathers over the floor III
order to conceal the cracks ana
crawled under the house.
The. indians arrived and went into
the house with drawn spears, but
found no one, and so they departed as
fast as they came, but drove many
head OF horses and cows with them
When they reached one OF the
ranches on the lower Cibolo they
came In sight of a man and boy
the man on a horse and the boy on
mule. They charged At full rum nut
az the two Americans were unarmed
they fled The horse was swift and he
ESCAPED with its rider but after run
ming only little way the mule balR-
ed. The boy, whose name was McGee'
tried TO urge him on, but TO no avail.
The Indians we're soon upon him, ana
while he stood helpless before them
they spearca him through. He was
scalped and left upon the groupc'
while his mule was carried away.
The Comanches rode OF short dis
tance to Lapan creek an1 campei'
They remained there for few days
and continued their raid, during
which they killed a MeXi,'n aud drove
away many cattle.
Young MCGEE was buried in shall
low grave under a small oak tree
near where he fell. The tree stili
stands but only a small rock marks
the grave OF the dead boy.
i