The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-08-25
PIONEER LIFE I'm CENTRAL
FLORIDA
FLWRIWA

and give them grub" to last tnem
home, and he did not have full lar
der to fall back on. After he got set
tied and as soon as he could do so,
he ordered few suppnes from Sa-
vannah, Ga, which were shipped TO
near where Sanford is now located.
Ny Uncle John was with us then. lie
and Wash" toook the team and drove
TO MelonvIlle for a load OF the sup
plies. Melonyiue was about as miles
from our place. and it took two DAYS,
each way, 10 make the trip. They had
TO camp on the road. Aney got >4eir
load and started back, and when il
was about dark saw q fire kindled
up ahead of them. This made my IN
Gle feel good, for he thought he would
have company TO camp with. -aey
drove up TO the little fire, which had
just been MADE with newly split
lightwood splinters, but there was no
one in sight. He hollered, and, GET
ting no answer, it dawned on him
that the other fellows" were Indians.
He didn't tarry very long for further
investigation, but put the whip to the
horses, and did not stop until they got
home The Indians, no doubt, were
hiding behind the pine trees watching
them, and if they had let out a war
whoop or two it would have scared
my uncle almost to death. At mat
time the Indians were perfectly peace
able, and only occasionally a small
party would pass through the country
But even at that time some OF the old
pioneers were doing all they could TO
stir up strife between the Indians and
the whites. Such people wanted war
because it brought in soldiers and
money, and some of them would get
contracts for furnishing the army
with supplies, especially beef. These
people who wanted war would make
moccasins out Of green cow-hides, like
the Indians wore, instead OF shoes.
and in walking through the woods
would occasionally step on a salaman-
der mound in order TO leave the i'm
preston OF their moccasined feet.
They would kill COW that was no
good and make away with part of it,
and few days later they, with some
others, would find this newly killed
COW, and away the news of --~4an
depradations wouio be sent to Wash
ington.
Ny uncle, James (your wife's faith
err was visiting his brother (Uncle
Wllliam) in Tampa, and while there
mail-rider came in full tilt and told
wonderful story OF a party OF IN
dians, about twenty miles out, shoot
ing at him. he exhibited several bull
let holes through his shirt and coat,
and an abrasion of the skin, where
he claimed a bullet had s.Anced
around his body" Uncle James made
an examination of the holes in his
clothes and the abrasion on his body,
and showed 49, taat if MS body -ad
been in the coat when the shots were
, fired that he wound not have lived 10
tell the tale. He made him own I'D
f, that he put his clothes on a stump
and shot them himself, and that he
made the abrasion on his body with
his knife. Many such tricks as these
were resorted to in order 10 make the
authorities in Washington believe the
iAG4ans were on e war-path. The
only instance that I know about
where the Inolans did anything was
on Indian river Two OF General Bull
locks brothers-in-law, named Russell
and Barker, and his sister. Minerva
Bullock. were living on Indian river.
and Russell and Barker agreed with
some OF the Indians that for so many
ponies one Of them could have Miner
va for his wife. The Indian delivered
. the ponies and wanted his wife. when
they laughed at them. which made
the Indians mad, and they killed Bar
ker and shot OF one OF Russen's
arms. Such acts as the above actuauv
brought on the Indian scare OF 1856.
Ny father joined with some others
and built log fort about twenty
niles from cur place. and 'forted up"
for awhile. About two months after
we were in this fort my grandfather
in Georgia heard of it and took a
negro man and a two-horse team and
came down and took mother and we
three children back with him TO Geor-
gia, where we stayed for fifteen
months. Father and the negroes
would go back to the place occasion
ally to work the crop. About the only
people we would see would be an &C.
. - r4~T