The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1910-03-31

VIII names are given daily uttcrauce
by thos" for whom their deeds
have little meaning
IN tho beginning. after The Indian tribes
friendly at hrst-becamc hostile tho warfare
was almost solely with the sayages For n
fulI haicentury every settler who built his
campfire on the frontier did so ar the risk Of
mis- property and his scalp Those who estab
iishcd homes and settlements must have been
daring race indeed. for raids upon horses
and herds were always imminent, and massa
ores wcr" az regular AS the seasons
The mother OF Chief Quanah Parker Cstlll
tivihg) for whom the town Of Quanah Tex was
named, was Cynthia Ann Parker IA little white
girl captured by the TehauCanu Indiana during
raid on what was known as the Austin col.
ony, In 1896 A brief story OF that raid will
serve M an example OF a thousand others OF
Himllar sort The Austin colony settled In
what IL now Grimes county and cOnsisted OF
something more than a acore ~ persons in.
Guiding women and children The Indians
who dwclt in the neghborhood seemed friend.
ly enough until small party Of unknown set.
tlers came along and attempted to steal their
horses. Immediate trouble was the result and
IN" iusR VI fchauCanO friendship for the entire
settlement When the reader considers what
follows, ! believe | shall be forgiven for hoplng
that those newcomers who stirred up the first
troubi" received the sort Of n reward which
only an Indian would know how to confer
AZ the Austin colony consisted chiefly Of
the Parker family, a rude fertilization which
they erected was called Fort Parker a name
that to-day stil suggcsts something Of shud.
dCrnS horror to those who have heard us his.
tory
II was fair May morning when that his.
tory "aa made. The early rlsers noticed that
"A Yf tlnua fv,.It, hal
about 400 yards OF the fort. white flag was
hoIsed by tho savaEes to signify their peace.
able Intentions and "A warrior approached AS
" Tor conference BENJAMIN Parker com
mander OF the fort, went out to meet him lie
came back presently with the word that be
believed the Indians intended to fight He re-
turned. however, to the hostile camp whore
h' was al once set upon and literally chopped
tn pieces by the savages who then with Wild
yeils and hlood.curdling warwhoops charged
on III" fort Some Of the inmates had already
left the stockdde. Others were irving to
escape John Parker and wife ond "A Nr
Kellogg we're ONertakcu a mile away pafknr
was Killed and scalpcd. his wife was gpprod
ana Mrs Kellogg was made captive Oihor
members Of the colony were butchrrnd rigrt
and left and muttlated in the barbarous fash.
ION which seems to give an Indian low SiIas
tark'r was brutally killed and his two chill.
n'"h' ono 81 whom was the little girl Cynthia
Ann were carried away A Mrs pur,mor
daughter Of Rev. James W Parker att,mp,oi
~" escape, carrying her little son in her arms
mug" painted savage. bcgrimcd with dust
ana blood, overlook her. frcd her with a hoe
and sctaing her by the hair dragged her sim
chngne to her child. back amid the butcbprv
md torture OF her friends She and the others
who were living were beaten with cluhs and
'hSh'H WIN fawhide thongs That night such
o' 'h' capllFeS AS remained alive aud these
included three children were flung face down
IN the dust, their hands bound behind their
backs, while the Indians waving bloody scalps
and shrekng, danced about them and heat
Them with their bows until the prisoners were
Slfhhgling with their own blood Later thoy
took the infant child of Mrs Phlmmer and
SLOWLY chokcd It before her eyes When # WAS
nus quite dead they flung it again and again
into the air and let II fall on the stones and
earth Then they tied a rope around it's neck
and Threw It's naked body into the hedges Of
prckly pear. from which they would Jerk II
nercely with demoniacal yells Finally they
fastened the rope attached to fts neck tn tho
pommel OF n saddle and rode round and round
In circle until the body OF the child was III.
erAiiy In shreds, The poor fragments were
then thrown into the mothers lap For some
the little girl Cynthia Ann Parker re
ceived better treatment. and lived She grew
mp an indian, forgot her own race and tongue
married chief and became the mother of nm
other chief Quanah. surnamed Parker. TODAY
n friend of the white race
n was the massacre OF Fort Parker and
events OF a similar nature that resulted in tho
organization Of the Texas Rangers. The
Rangers were at first a semi.ofcial body
locally enlisted and commanded with regula
lions and duties not very clearly defined
Their purpose. however was not In doubt II
was to defend life and property. and their
chief qualifications were to be able to ride and
shoot and stand up against the warfare OF
bloodthrsty savagcs.
"Exterminate the indians" became a watch.
word in those days and the warfare that en-.
sued and continued for 40 years can be com.
pared with nothing in history unless It be
With the fierce feuds OF the ancient Scottish
,ians
Early in 1886 Texas fought for ard gained
Ter Independence. the only state In the Union
d achieve such a triumph In the following ,
ear the Texas congress recognized the Ran
er movement ana authorized several persons
D raise Ranger companies to scour the Coun.
~ and annihlate maraudng bands Indians {
nd low class Mexicans t'greasers') often {
and the work. desperate and bloody .
ontnued along the ever widening md wester.