Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1917-11-16
OLD VETS RECALL
RAIDS BY INDIANS
TWO AGED wEsrERNERs TELL
OF THRILLING DEEDS.
AZ Boys They Suffered esatlnos Q,
Hands Of savaoss, While Friends
Were Slain.

Were Slain.
Rock Springs, Texas. - Two old
timers met here q few days ago. w,
c. Riggs. now of Colorado, who
struck 1t rich" and 10 now touring
Texas hunting up his old friends and
relatives, came to see his friend. D.
. M. Elms. or, as his friends call him,
Indian Davie."
Mr.. Riggs, who was born in lizard
County. Arkansas, came to Texas
when small boy with his parents
John and Jane Riggs, who settled near
Sugarloaf Mountain, Is miles from
Belton, in 1857. Mr.. Elms said:
II also am an Arkansawyer. My
parents came to Texas. settled in
Washington County in 1s47. moved to
Bell County in 1850, and of all Of the
things / have seen the murder by the
Indians of Mr.. and Mrs. John Riggs
is most indelibly stamped on my
memory. / was ICY aboIt IL years
old. John Riggs and ! started after
some cedar posts to fence our field.
We had only gone short distance
when we were overtaken by fifteen
Indians.
The first one that came UP spoke
to us in Engis and said, 'Ho'~ do you
dor As the others came up they
formed circle around us and began
to club US with cow tails. holding che
bush of the tail In their hands. We
stood the punishment; quite a while.
Mr.. Riggs started toward his home in
a run, followed by lumber Of the
Indians. Some of the Indians con-
tinued to punish HIM, the others
laughing d shouting, evidently very
much amused. The three left with me
8 emed to have just lots of fun, pun
hing me in various ways. took on
my clothing and divided the garments
up among themselves.
1--WE could hear the other Indians
yelling and those left with me went
of In that direction. | then became
frightened and ran my level best In
the opposite direction to Alex Reids
place, three and half miles away.
When about halfway, I met Mr..
Reid's brother riding a horse and
leading another, which / mounted:
and we went TO Mr.. Reids and re-
ported what had happened.
"Mr. Riggs had a brother at home
and, being unarmed. ran for help.
When the few neighbors gathered at
the Riggs home they found the dead
bodies Of Mr.. and Mrs. Riggs some
200 yards from the house-the baby
crawling over its dead mother.
"W. G. Riggs, then a small boy, ran
and hid In the tall grass. The two
girls. Roda and Margaret. were car.
ried away prisoners. In the afternoon
the girls witnessed the killing or
George Pevsy at Douglas Mountain.
near where the town Of Killain now
stands. In their haste to get away
they dropped the girls and left them.
The girls spent the night alone ON
the prairie, but next morning went to
q vacant house and were found By
John B. Slack. Just prior to the kill
ing of Mr.. and Mrs. Riggs the Indians
killed Young Pierce"
Uncle Davie" timidly removed his
hat and exhibited scars. the result Of
the beating he received.
After the death of his parents, the
baby and the present Mr.. Riggs and
two sisters made their home with
their grandparents and uncles -
Grandma Roda and Grandpa Thomas.
Branick and James Riggs. They nrst
settled near Salado. then in Bandera
County at Cave Mountain near Me-
dina Dam. The old home Is now
owned by Mrs. John Leboldt
The Indians gave them a great deal
of trouble. stealing their horses and
killing their cattle. So the Riggs Ia
mily. assisted by Frank Fox. built q
large stockade. commonly known a.
Fort Riggs. The walls were double.
filled between with dirt. and on top
they planted cactus. They had no
wagons OF horses and the stone was
hauled on slides pulled by oxen.
Grandpa Riggs was drowned In the
Medina River and is buried near
where Lee d. Montell now lives.
The hair OF these old-timers 10 now
whitened by the many winters, but
their minds are clear, and many are
the stories OF hardship and adventures
OF the early settlers and their person
al experience and observation; and
not many summers will pass until
they cross over the river to join their