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January 2012 NORTH TEXAS STAR STORYTELLER & RAMBLER Page 2

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The following essay appeared in the February 6,1976, issue of the Mineral Wells Index. It has been

paraphrased.

T o live deep in the woods in a humble logcabin, a one-room affair, but large enough tohold ones favorite books, would be quite achange of pace, a cabin so deep in the hinterland itisnt bothered with lights, gas or phone (no cell phone,please).

There were many pioneers who would have jumped at this chance 35 years ago (when this essaywas published), but most of them enjoy creature com-forts today; it would take a determined pioneer, onewith self-reliance, to attempt living this lifestyle in theyear of 2012.

Its a shame we cant find time to do this bucolicthing; perhaps hardly anyone can and yet still find timeto eek out enough pay for lights and gas and water andphone on main street.

We ask for a few hours each week to do this sort of thing, while our friends are mesmerized with the littleblack box in the parlor, but now it seems to be a mas-sive flat screen.

Speaking for the few of us who are left, we cherishthe touch of a simpler lifestyle, our tenuous link withsanity. How many of us in the past year of 2011 actual-ly stopped one time to be awed by a glorious orangeorb? Nowadays, perhaps there are hardly more than afew who can actually know in which direction the sunrises. Maybe.

Someone owns a set of U.S. Corps of Engineers top-ographical maps of the West Texas area. Shockinglymany acres have been scarred, some for better, some

for worse. (This happened largely before land stew-ardship became a recognized shibboleth.) Its theindiscriminate harming of natures habitat; precious topsoil is not infinite.

Please see page 4

Potpourri by Don Price

J 2012 NORTHTEXAS STAR STORYTELLER & RAMBLER P 4


4/24


rom page 3Naturalist Henry David Thoreau (died 1862) gave us

is wisdom: If a man walks in the woods for the love of hem, half of each day, he is in danger of being regardeds a loafer, but if he spends his whole day as a speculatorhearing off those woods and making earth bald before

er time, he is esteemed as an industrious and enterpris-ng citizen.Laurance S. Rockefeller said that more and more peo-

le are coming to understand that man must live in har-ony with nature and not as its adversary.Mr. Rockefeller also stated that we do not have

oundless resources of materials and manpower and spir-t; we cannot afford waste. People are finding that a sim-ler lifestyle provides more satisfaction that pursuit of aterialism. Italics, mine.A simpler lifestyle means different things to different

eople, Mr. Rockefeller said.

It involves reducing waste, while increasing both phys-cal and spiritual capacities to the fullest. It means open-ng up some form of communication with nature, andeducing dependence on mechanical things.

Why not swing an ax with rhythm? Theres an art to it,nd its great exercise. Why do we have to grab a noisyhain saw?The ax brings about a sounder sleep. Until about 70

ears ago the cedar post cutters around Brad, Texas,argely used a double-bladed three-pound Kelly ax. Theseedar post cutters turned it into an art, the way they couldake chips fly, and the way they could side-step a coil-

ng diamondback, nonchalantly. Those were the days.

The following essay appeared in the Nov. 16, 1980,issue of the Mineral Wells Index. It has been para-

hrased.

Why is there so much month left at the end of themoney? Taxes and utilities and inflation are increasing,along with raw land and housing and gasoline. Youllsometimes feel as if its a conspiracy.

Were refocusing our visions, spot checking the gray

dawn, an awesome sight, for there will eventually be nomiddle class, only patricians and proletarians, as inFrance just before the revolution.

Someone said President Ronald Reagan holds a magicwand. Well soon find out if he can steer this ship safelyinto a peaceful harbor.

When you sit down at the old campfire to ponder overit, no other country in history has enjoyed middle-classstrength as long as we have. But restlessness can take theday if we brood over the shrinking paper dollars in ourpocket books.

Our own Eisenhower silver dollar is a stale sand-

wich; Susan B. Anthonys hard currency lacks strength. If a certain brand of plug tobacco skyrockets, Ill bellow. Itwont do one iota of good, but Ill holler.

Lets get our heads together. Weve got the senses wewere born with, enough to give thanks for our many nat-ural gifts, one of which is the Brazos River, the panaceabelonging to you and me. Why dont we tell others aboutour fortune?

What is it the Brazos holds, that certain yearning, pull-ing natives to return home time and again? Is it the reli-gion, stoicism, that countrymen seem to grasp as theystand rooted to riparian banks covered with Indian blan-

kets and Mexican hats?Some of it is pristine wood etched deeply yet, a forestyoull want to share with your children and grandchildrenas you talk them to sleep at night, having ridden rapids atthe Boy Scout Camp that afternoon, again dodging the

old rusty Ford pickup sunken down river from Dark Valley Bridge, remembering placid pools, a kaleidoscop-ic-like pepper of Claude Monets, shady cottonwoods andspicy cedars.

With a little delving into history youll be able to tellthe grandkids about the war grease with which the

Comanche and Kiowa braves smeared themselves, totinglances atop swift ponies while prowling this upper mid-dle Brazos region. Each bend will bring you high adven-ture and deeper meaning.

Upon remembering the time we camped on agrassy bank at twilight, I wasted no time unrolling asleeping bag near a purling rapids tail, the resonance of that particular stretch of river soothing my sunburnedbody as I simply drifted... .

Youll learn to be part of the river if youll hold it inreverence, to give natures sounds a chance to whisper itsmelodies; itll share some of its fondest secrets if youllslow down to feel its throb.

Are we worthy enough to grasp an inspiration on thiswinding river, meaning a sunrise of glory? Its happenedevery day of your life, but youve missed it becauseyouve been very busy making a living. Theres just notmuch time left, though.

If this is so, let us pack a dinghy with spare staples,cast off from low water bridge to while away a weekendwith a friend. Let us open our minds to sights and soundsof nature: a barking squirrel, even an ant, Gods half acre.

To inhale the aroma of river coffee perked on a bed of mesquite coals, while listening to a Chuck-wills-widow,is pretty tough competition for a TV advertiser. Nextmorning the orange ball will blow our minds, but it wontwork until we let its rays sink into our hearts.

January 2012 NORTHTEXAS STAR STORYTELLER & RAMBLER Page 5


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This is Part 3 in a series of articles onhe life of Kiowa Indian Chief SatantaWhite Bear) who played a significant role

in the history of the settlement of frontier Texas during the turbulent years of the1860s and 1870s.

D uring late May of 1871, eventsbegan to unfold at the Kiowa-Comanche Agency in Indianerritory following the Warren wagon

rain raid in Texas. Satantas and otheriowa bands had set up camps alongache Creek in the broad two-mile spaceetween the agency and Fort Sill to drawations. It was Saturday and Satanta knewhat agent Tatum would not issue rationso them the following day which wasunday, the day he observed his religion.atanta, with several of the chiefs and aew young men, went to the commissaryuilding to meet with Tatum.It was there on May 27 that Satanta

dmitted to Tatum his complicity in theassacre and that of other Indian leaders

e named. Agent Tatum knew he must actnd not let the atrocity go unpunished. Heent directly to Fort Sill and made a writ-

en request for Colonel Grierson to arrestatanta, Eagle Heart, Big Tree, Big Bownd Fast Bear for murder.

A trap was set to lure Satanta and somef the other guilty Indians to Fort Sill toeet with Colonel Grierson and Generalherman where they could express theirrievances for shortages in annuity goods,rms and ammunition they had beenromised. The Indians were to meet atolonel Griersons house, which sat justff the quadrangle. Squads of cavalry andivilian soldiers were positioned and con-ealed from view behind the walls of atone corral. As General Sherman pacedn the open porch, Tatum, Satanta, Satank nd 20 other warriors climbed the steps of riersons home. Sherman informed

atanta that he, Satank, Big Tree andagle Heart were under arrest and woulde extradited to Texas to stand trial forurder.Satanta began to change his story, say-

ng that he had only blown his bugle andiven the young warriors directions onow to fight. He then became enraged and

attempted to draw a revolver but was sub-dued as the shutters of the house flewopen revealing soldiers of the TenthCavalry with carbines leveled at him andthe other Indians. Following several nearvolitle confrontations outside the housebetween other Indians who had arrivedand soldiers guarding the house, calm waseventually restored without bloodshed.General Sherman had Satanta, Satank andBig Tree arrested, put into irons andplaced in confinement.

Sherman instructed Col. RanaldMackenzie, who had arrived from FortRichardson on June 4, to transport theIndian prisoners back there to stand trialin Jacksboro. This would be the first timeIndians would be tried in a civil court.

On June 8 Satanta and Big Tree wereplaced in one wagon and Satank in anoth-er as the military detachment began thelong trip to Fort Richardson. Satank, whowas well into his 70s, began his death

chant, having resolved to die beforereaching their final destination.Old Satank was soon able to free his

hands from their bindings and lunged atone of the guards, slashing him with aknife he had concealed under his blanket.As he and the guard tumbled from thewagon, Satank grabbed a carbine from thesoldier but was shot several times by theother guards before he could fire theweapon. His body was left by the side of the road and would later be retrieved and

buried in the Fort Sill cemetery. The col-umn arrived at Fort Richardson on June15 and Satanta and Big Tree were con-fined in the guardhouse until their trialdate could be set in nearby Jacksboro.

On July 4, 1871, Satanta and Big Treewere indicted by a grand jury in Jacksboroand the trial began the next day. For theirprotection the two Indians were escortedthe quarter-mile from Fort Richardson tothe Jack County courthouse by a group of 20 soldiers. The 30-by-30, two-story sand-

stone courthouse had been constructedearlier that year with the courtroom locat-ed on the second floor.

The pending trial created a circus-likeatmosphere in Jacksboro as spectators,newspaper correspondents and local citi-zenry filled the courthouse and over-flowed into the streets. Even the schools

were dismissed so children could experi-ence the events that were transpiring intheir town.

Accompanied by their appointed attor-neys Thomas Ball and J.A. Woolfork andFort Sill interpreter Horace Jones, theblanket-wrapped and manacled Indianswere marched into the building. Althoughthey likely had little understanding of theproceedings that were about to take place,they knew that their lives would dependon the outcome.

Judge Charles Soward, a state circuit judge from Weatherford, presided over thetrial. Samuel Willis Tucker Lanham, whohad been appointed District Attorney of the Thirteenth District of Texas in 1871by Gov. Edmund J. Davis, prosecuted thecase for the State of Texas. Lanham wouldeventually be elected the 22nd governorof Texas in 1902.

A motion made by the Indians defense

lawyers that the State of Texas had noright to try the prisoners who were wardsof the federal government was denied byJudge Soward, but he did grant a motionto sever Big Trees trial from Satantas.

Twelve jurors were quickly selected inthe hot, crowded courtroom as the trialbegan. After eloquent presentations by

both the prosecuting and defense attor-neys, the deliberation by the jury wasshort: guilty of murder!

In his own defense, Satanta promised tonever cross the Red River again and raidinto Texas, stating, I am a great chief among my people. If you kill me, it willbe like a spark on the prairie. It will makea big fire a terrible fire!

The jury condemned both Indians to thegallows and to be held in the guard houseat Fort Richardson until their executiondate.

Following the letter of the law, JudgeSoward set the execution date of Sept. 1.Gov. Davis, however, had misgivingsabout the legality of the court proceedingsbelieving ... the killings for which theseIndians were sentenced can hardly be con-sidered as coming within the technicalcrime of murder under the Statutes of theState, but rather as an act of SavageWarfare.

On Aug. 2 Gov. Davis commuted theirsentences to life at hard labor which creat-ed public outrage all across the frontier.

Satanta and Big Tree remained in theguardhouse at Fort Richardson until Oct.16 when one company of the EleventhInfantry under Captain H.L. Chipmanescorted them on the 17-day trip to thestate prison in Huntsville, Texas, wherethey arrived on Nov. 2, 1871.

Satanta was given the number 2107 andBig Tree 2108. They soon were assigned

to work in a chain gang of 100 convictsleased to Albert Denson, construction con-tractor for the Houston and Texas CentralRailroad.

After only a month on the chain gang,Satanta and Big Tree were separated fromthe others, chained together and taken toSt. Louis to meet a delegation of Kiowa,Apache and Comanche chiefs who wereen route to Washington. The trip had beenorganized by Captain H.E. Alvord, amember of the Indian service, to reviewthe obligations of the Medicine LodgeTreaty on both sides and in hopes of put-ting a stop to raids by the Kiowa that werecontinuing along the frontier. Alvord alsowanted to impress upon the Indians theextent of the power in Washington. When

Please see page 8

SATANTA: Orator of the PlainsBy Jim Dillard



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rom page 6 e promised to allow the delegation to seeatanta and Big Tree in St. Louis, theygreed to make the trip.Since there was no direct rail service

rom Huntsville, Texas, to St. Louis, MO,atanta and Big Tree were taken by train

o Dallas by U.S. marshals and from therecompany of cavalry escorted them to the

issouri, Kansas & Texas railhead attoka, Okla. They arrived in St. Louis onhe morning of Sept. 19, 1872, and wereaken to the Everett House Hotel wherehey met in the dining room with the otherndian delegates traveling to Washington,any who knew Satanta and Big Tree.There were greetings, talks and a

engthy oration by Satanta in which hencouraged the delegation to pursue theath of peace between Indians, the federalovernment and Texas citizens. The dele-

ation traveled on to Washington whileatanta and Big Tree were returned tountsville.Back at the prison in Huntsville, the

wo were assigned to work in the prisonhops. Big Tree was industrious in hisork but Satanta refused to do anything.nknown to them, there were already

umblings in Washington over their con-inued incarceration in Texas. Since thereas relative quiet among the Kiowa andomanche bands in Indian Territory near

ort Sill, federal officials believed theurrent peace policy of the governmentas working.During the summer meeting inashington the proposition was presented

o the Indians that if they were committedo stopping raids, perhaps the governmentould recommend Satanta and Big Tree

or executive clemency, even though itas a State of Texas matter. To that endecretary of the Interior Columbus Delanoetitioned Texas Gov. Davis, with the

lessings of the President of the Unitedtates, for the release of Satanta and Bigree.In reality, the Kiowa were quiet because

heir leaders were still processing whathey had seen of the power of the Unitedtates on their recent visit to Washingtonnd were planning their next move. Theomanches were quiet because many of

heir family members which Colonelackenzie had captured on a raid of their

amp in the Texas Panhandle were stilleing held hostage at Fort Concho inexas.To settle the matter, a conference

etween U.S. Commissioner of Indianffairs Edward P. Smith, Indian Agent

ames Haworth of Fort Sill, Enoch Hoagf the Friends Committee (Quakers) andov. Edmund J. Davis of Texas was held

at Fort Sill on Oct. 6, 1873.Satanta and Big Tree had already been

moved from the Texas State Prison inHuntsville to Fort Sill where they arrivedon Sept. 4 and were placed in the newlyconstructed guardhouse. Gov. Daviswould use them as a bargaining chip toforce the Indians to stop all raids intoTexas or face an all-out war by Texas

forces. If Satanta and Big Tree were to bereleased, it would be on his terms and histerms only.

At the meeting, Gov. Davis outlined theterms under which the release of the twochiefs could occur: 1) The Indians mustsettle permanently and convert to farmingwith agents placed in their camps; 2) nomore than three days rations to be issuedwith each man drawing them himself at aroll call; 3) Comanches responsible forrecent raids be arrested and extradited to

Texas for trial; 4) all horses stolen fromTexas be returned and all captives freed;and 5) Satanta and Big Tree to remain inthe guardhouse until the Indians weremaking a good faith effort to comply withthe terms outlined by the Gov. of Texas.

After two days of further negotiationsbetween federal officials, the Indians andGov. Davis, it was decided that sinceTexas officials could not enforce the termsof the agreement, the federal governmentwould assume that responsibility.

Gov. Davis reluctantly agreed thatSatanta and Big Tree would beparoled rather pardoned and sub-

ject to re-arrest if they did notput a stop to all future raiding.Satanta and Big Tree embracedDavis and were once againfree.

Gen. Sherman was outragedat the turn of events as werethe citizens of Texas.However, Satantas freedom

was short-lived and within ayear he would find him-self back in the TexasState Prison inHuntsville.AlthoughSatantadeniedhis

involvement in several raids conducted bythe Kiowa and Comanche during 1874, itwas reputed that he had at least been pres-ent, thus violating the conditions of hisparole. He was not present for roll call onAug. 13, 1874, having left with severalother Kiowa chiefs to go to the WichitaAgency. When the Kiowa were ordered toleave the agency, a fight broke out that

lasted for two days before they left thearea. Satanta claimed that he was notinvolved in the fight and left when hostili-ties started. The fact that he was eventhere constituted a violation of his parole.

Other engagements occurred during theyear including the Second Battle of AdobeWalls in the Texas Panhandle and anattack on Maj. Wyllys Lymans govern-ment supply train; it was reported thatSatanta was present. It was more likelyKiowa chiefs Lone Wolf and Maman-ti

led those raids. Guilt by assumed associa-tion with these bands of Kiowa wasenough to send Satanta back to prison inTexas.

On Oct. 3, 1874, Satanta surrendered toCol. Neill and by early November wastaken back to Texas State Prison inHuntsville.

Big Tree was eventually released towalk the white-mans road and was

instrumental in establishingthe first Baptist mission

on the reservation. Healso was a deacon of the RainyMountain BaptistChurch for the

next 30 yearsand died at

his home

near Anadarko, Okla., in 1929. He wasburied in the Rainy Mountain Cemetery.

At the Texas State Prison in Huntsvilleon Oct. 11, 1878, having been told hewould never again be released, Satantaattempted to commit suicide by slashingseveral of his arteries. An attendantstopped the bleeding and took him to thesecond floor of the prison hospital. When

the attendant left him alone for a shorttime, Satanta leaped from the landing tohis death. His body was placed in a sim-ple pine coffin and taken to a brushy hillknown as Peckerwood Hill where theprison system maintained squatters rightsfor use as a potters field. It was there thatthe once powerful Kiowa chief was bur-ied.

A gravestone arrived in December fromHouston on which an inscription wasengraved Satanta, Chief of the Kiowa.

Mark Auchiahs son, James, one of Satantas grandsons, initiated an effort toreturn Satantas remains for burial in theFort Sill Cemetery. In 1963, a joint resolu-tion was introduced in the TexasLegislature directing the Department of Corrections to accede to the wishes of the Kiowa Indians of Oklahoma, and totake whatever steps are necessary to allfor the removal of the bones of Satainteand for their return to his people.

Although this resolution met with some

opposition by several factions, it wasfinally approved by both Texas housesand signed by Gov. John Connally onMay 17, 1963.

Today, Satantas grave at Fort Sill ismarked by a standard military headstone.The old gravesite in Huntsville is stillmaintained and protected by an iron pipefence, since it is considered a sacred placeby the Kiowa people.

He lies beneath the sacred earth; no lon-

ger can he speak.Others now proclaim his name, hismemory they will keep.

Satantas bugle sounds no more, itsmetal cold and worn.

There are no battles left to fight, no oneto blow his horn. (to be continued)

Sources: Satanta, by Charles M. Robinson I; Heap Many Indian

Chiefs, by Roy D. Holt; TheWarren Wagontrain Raid, by Benjamin Capps; Handbook of Texas Online and other internet sources.



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Zachariah E. Coombes: Frontier Teacher on the Brazos Indian ReservationThis is Part 6 in a series of articles based on a daily

diary kept by Zachariah Ellis Coombes, school teacher at the Brazos Indian Reservation in Young County,Texas, between Oct. 7, 1858, and April 27, 1859.

C old weather continued during early February1859 at the Brazos Indian Reservation inYoung County as one cold spell after anotherblew through the area.

On Feb. 2, John B. Robinson arrived hoping to sellsome oats at the reservation store, but at the handsomeprice of $1.75 per bushel, no one bought. The Indianschool had a good turnout that day and the students paidgood attention. Zachariah was depressed that eveningsince there were no guests at his house to enliven hisspirits and little else to occupy his thoughts. He knewthat time in his present position as school teacher at thereservation was nearing its end as he wrote in his diary,Every day bringst the end closer.

After a good nights sleep he was in much better spir-its the following day. At the sutler store he was able to

obtain a sack of flour for the school, the first since thecurrent session of school began. Coombes wife,Rebecca, became sick and was confined to bed that day.Zachariah was worried that she was suffering from anattack of winter fever.

At school he had to whip one of the students who hadbecome unruly. His friend Robert Payne left that day togo wild horse hunting and would be gone for six toeight days.

During the next days school session, a spelling matchbetween the Waco-Tahwaccaroes v.s. the Caddoes andAnahdahcoes students was held with the former being

the winner. It was beginning to appear that a sense of ambition was developing amongst the scholars as towho would excel in spelling.

Rebecca was feeling better than she had the daybefore and appeared to be recovering from her illness.That evening two of Zachariahs Caddo Indian friendscame to visit but had little to talk about. He observedthat the whole of the Indian concern do not seem toknow that it costs dollars and dimes to live.

On Saturday, Feb. 5, 1859, Coombes spent much of the day getting his beef butchered and brought to his

house. That night Mr. Barnard and Captain Ross atesupper at his house and all had a good meal. ParsonTackett (Tackitt) was also a guest that evening and wasto give a discourse (sermon) the following day. Mrs.Dyche (wife of the blacksmith) returned to the reserva-tion after being gone for some time to visit her home.Mr. and Mrs. Light also arrived, having just moved tothe reserve.

On Sunday Reverend Vannoy and Parson Tackettarrived early at the Coombes residence. Parson Tackettgave a good discourse, part of which was presented tothe Delaware Indians through an interpreter. The minis-ters had dinner with Mrs. Dyche and visited at theCoombes house before leaving for their homes.Coombes found Parson Tackett to be a most pleasantindividual and looked forward to entertaining him any-time he chose to return to the reserve. Zachariah and hiswife Rebecca visited with Mrs. Dyche to learn of anynews she might have gleaned on her visit from below.

At the start of the next week of school on Monday,Feb. 6, 1859, there were 36 students including the chil-

dren of Mr. and Mrs. Dyche and 17-year-old Caledonia,another white child from the reserve. Coombes mailedseveral letters he had written the evening before and allwas relatively uneventful during the day. The followingday was so very cold with a fresh norther blowing thatCoombes dismissed his students at noon until the nextday. Mr. Barnard and Captain Ross met at Coombeshouse to discuss government contract business with apartner of theirs.

On Thursday Mr. Dyche returned from Waco havingbeen gone a number of days in pursuit of Mr.Fonderberg, the instigator who led Peter Garlands gang

to Chocktaw Toms hunting camp north of Galconda(Palo Pinto.) He reported that his whole concern wasnothing more than a magnificent failure in the line of arresting the murderers of the Indians. Zachariahsfriend Dave, a Tahwacaro, returned from a 10-day huntfor his horses and was successful in reclaiming them.

As the school week came to an end on Friday,Coombes lamented in his diary on the many responsi-bilities a teacher must be prepared to assume to earnest-ly provide instruction to a wide diversity of pupilsfrom the very obstinate and thick skulled to the very

obedient and industrious scholars. I have never hadmuch experience in teaching the children of my ownrace, but I find that savages are of all grades, from themost ambitious student to the most stupid cult.

As usual, Zachariah spent most of Saturday gettinghis beef for the following week and hauling a load of firewood. Mr. Barnard and Captain Ross returned froma trip to Fort Belknap, much hungry from their longride. John Bingham and Samuel McDermott were trav-eling guests at the Coombes house that evening.Coombes noted that his wife, Rebecca, seemed in quitean ill temper that night, likely due to fatigue and badhealth.

On Sunday Zachariah and his Indian friend Joe Harryspent most of the day hunting Coombes cattle which noone had seen for the last three months. (He apparentlyhad a few head of free-ranging cattle that belonged tohim personally.) He learned from his friend that most of the Indians were dissatisfied with the current state of affairs on the reservation and no longer felt safe to pur-sue their livelihood. Coombes felt that his position as

teacher at the reservation and everyone elses positionthere was likely near an end as well. It was becomingthe consensus of everyone at the agency that the imme-diate removal of all Indians to the United States (IndianTerritory) would be in their best interest. Although alight shower fell, it did little more than settle the dust.Rebecca and Mrs. Dyche started their late winter gar-dens by planting English pea, mustard, lettuce and rad-ish seeds.

The remainder of February 1859 on the BrazosReservation for Coombes was spent with the daily rou-tine of teaching school and providing for guests who

came to the reserve to visit or on business. Averageattendance at the school was 32 students out of 46enrolled. Due to the anxiety over the recent murders of some of the reservation Indians in Palo Pinto County bywhite citizens, some Indian parents would no longerallow their children to attend the school for fear theymight meet the same fate.

Coombes was able to purchase one turkey and onevenison ham at 25 cents each to supplement their foodsupply. The weather remained relatively warm for the

Please see page 12

By Jim Dillard



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From page 10season but little rain fell on the garden he and Rebeccahad put in. They planted additional English peas, onionseeds and sets, lettuce, cabbage and beets. His friendWilliam Light made a bench for the school, the fourthone in use since the school began.

Rumors continued to swirl about the future of the res-ervation and possible relocation of the Indians to IndianTerritory. On Feb. 23, Comanchesraided the Caddo camp and stolebetween 50 and 100 horses. John S.(RIP) Ford, commander of Texas vol-unteer forces in the field, and his smallforce of men who were on a scout inthe area, arrived at the Brazos reservethat same day. Upon learning of theComanche raid, Ford made prepara-tions for a campaign against theComanches to recover the stolen hors-es. While at the agency, the school-house was used as quarters to accom-modate Ford and his men, requiringCoombes to temporarily postponeclasses and remove all books so theywould not be destroyed or damaged.

From the Brazos reserve, Fordenlisted 40 Caddo and AnadarkoIndians and set off in pursuit. Theymarched to Fort Radziminski on OtterCreek in Indian Territory in hopes of forming a joint campaign with MajorVan Dorn and his units located therebut were unable to coordinate such aneffort. After a long march back across the Red Riverand then southwest through the Pease River country of Northwest Texas, Fords expedition was unsuccessful inlocating the Comanches trail or recovering any of thehorses.

On Saturday, February 26, the weekly task of gettingtheir beef butchered and hauled by wagon to the housewas again repeated. On the following day, Coombesborrowed a gun and with the assistance of Joe Harrybegan a search for his cattle. After searching all daywith no results, they returned by way of the ShawneeVillage, being tired and very hungry. At the request of Captain Ross, Coombes wrote a report on the conditionsand progress of the school at the Brazos Agency Schoolfor the month of February.

Blustery winds blew in during the first week of

March 1859 with a cloud of dust and grit that coatedeverything at the reservation. On March 2 the air was sothick with dust the sun was obscured from 3 oclock until sunset. Captain Ross received a letter from L.M.Harris informing him that a large company of men wasbeing raised in the area to attack the reservation onMarch 20. Coombes was asked by the captain to make acopy of a letter from him he had written to Major

Neighbors advising him of the possibleattack being planned which Coombespromptly did. In a letter to his father,Zachariah asked him to bring him a six-shooter for his protection. Coombes wasable to purchase 100 pounds of baconfor his kitchen.

Zachariahs father arrived on March 4,1859, with Mr. Dillingham and reportedthat most all of the officials in Jack County were interested in raising andoutfitting a force of men to attack thereserve and wipe out everyone, bothIndian and white. Also, that a combinedforce of 750 to 1,000 men from Jack,Palo Pinto, Erath, Comanche and othercounties were being assembled, armedand equipped to attack the reserve.Coombes recorded his thoughts on thematter in his diary, If the Lord of Hostsbe for us who can be against us. Healso noted that this was the last day inthe public and senatorial career of Gen.Sam Houston, who he considered to bea statesman, warrior and philanthropist

in the most extensive sense of the word.On Saturday Coombes again got his beef allotment,

processed it and left with Dr. Sturn to search for hiscows which were still missing. At Mr. Dillinghamsplace he learned that two of his cattle might be locatedat Mr. Gibsons place and the other at Mr. Taylors;none were found at either location. Since Mr.Dillingham and his son were not at home, it was specu-lated they had likely gone to Jacksboro to inform offi-cials there who were plotting against the agency on thestate of affairs at the reservation. As night andapproaching rain overtook them, Zachariah and Dr.Sturn took lodging at the home of Mr. Choate, who alsobelieved Dillingham was a spy for the mob and was notto be trusted.

When Coombes returned to the agency on Sunday

morning around 8 oclock he found Parson Tackett hadarrived and at 11 oclock presented a discourse from the10th Chapter of St. Luke. Parson Tackett remained atthe agency several days and then left to go down thecountry to meet with some of the local citizenry thereand try to stop their movement against the reserve.Coombes felt that he would likely have little chance of succeeding.

News was also received from Judge Porter and Mr.Richie Moys (Moss) that Mr. (Oliver) Loving was rais-ing a company of men from Palo Pinto County to pro-tect Peter Garland and his men from being arrested andto take them away from civil authorities if necessary.They also reported that a company of men was beingraised in Jacksboro to attack the agency. Coombes notedin his diary, If so it is that our own countrymen aredetermined to murder us we do hope they will have agood time of it.

Captain Ross wife arrived with two children, one aComanche prisoner and the other Mexican. She and thecaptain traveled to Fort Belknap and returned the nextday with news that the infantry would be arriving atCamp Cooper any day. Parson Tackett, Captain Rossand his wife visited the school while they were at thereserve as did Anadarko Chief Jim Pockmark whowould eventually replace Jose Maria as principal chief of the Anadarko. Chief Pockmark had participated inthe Battle of the Antelope Hills on the Canadian Riverwith Texas Ranger Captain John S. (RIP) Ford in 1858and killed Comanche Chief Iron Jacket. The Comanchechief wore an old Spanish coat-of-mail and had alwaysclaimed its medicine would protect him from harm.Pockmark put a rifle bullet through it and Chief IronJacket, thus ending the chiefs claim. (to be continued)

(Sources: The Diary Of A Frontiersman by Z. E.Coombs; Heap Many Indian Chiefs by Roy Holt,

Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne, The Handbook of Texas Online, Lambshead Before Interwoven: A Texas Range Chronicle 1848-1878 byFrances M. Holden, Rip Fords Texas by John SalmonFord; Frontier Defense in the Civil War by David P.Smith, Live of Big Foot Wallace by A. J. Sowell, and many other internet website. A special thanks to Ted and Nancy Paup for providing a copy of Zachariah E.Coombes published diary. Coombes was Nancy Paupsgreat-great grandfather.)

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T he old nag almost got himkilled back in Jacksboro.Thats where he used thealias, Albert Moore, to commit armed

robbery. His quick getaway slowed toa trot when the old brown mare cameup lame in her left hind leg. Shewasnt his horse and he wasnt AlbertMoore, but that didnt stop John Dovefrom trading his stolen horse. And, heknew all to well that a horse thief inTexas could look forward to a necktieparty if he was careless enough to getcaught. But not John Dove. He wasbetter than everybody He was toosmart for the law, too fast with a six-shooter, and too young to die, or sohe thought. At 23 years of age, Dovefancied himself a notorious outlaw,the likes of which Jack County hadnever seen. But tonight, he was astranger in these parts and a longways away from his home inJacksboro. So, when he saw theGardenhire Ranch sign above the

gate, Dove grinned a little smirk knowing hed found a place to hidefrom the law and trade his stolenmare. Like his parents, ranchers werestupid, Dove rationalized in his mind.Gullible ranchers always believed hislies and took him in for the night withfree room and board. But tonight, fatewould intervene. When he rodethrough that gate, John Dove had noway of knowing his conceded arro-

gance had already sealed his fate andwithin one year he would swing fromthe gallows at his very own necktieparty.

Ben Gardenhire wasnt just anyrancher, and he didnt believe Dovesstory. He knew horses well enough toknow that Doves mare was rode hardfor 30 miles or more and not the shortdistance from Gorman, as hedclaimed. And, another thing botheredBen, why did they have to trade now?A cowboy wouldnt trade his horse insuch poor condition, if he wasnt in ahurry. When asked, Dove offered a

lame excuse saying something aboutsteep mountain trails had winded her.With that, Ben became even moresuspicious. His ranch was 21 milessouthwest of Thurbers coal mines

just outside of Lipan, and the onlymountain was, Double Mountain,which wasnt much more than amolehill. Virtually all of Erath Countywas flatlands and there were nomountain trails between his ranch and

Gorman. Ben correctly surmised thatthis, Albert Moore, or whoever hewas, ran his mare into the groundwhile running from the law.

Then, Ben saw the ugly side of Dove s temper. His refusal to tradehorses had triggered Doves anger,and to diffuse any violence, Ben com-promised his better judgment andallowed him to stay overnight in hisbarn. With guns loaded and one eye

open, Ben stayed awake that memora-ble night, the 22nd of August 1895, toprotect his family and property froma perceived threat. At the time, Ben

had only suspicions and he had noway of knowing just how real thethreat was or how close he and hisfamily had come to violence at thehands of Dove.

Leaving the Gardenhire Ranchthe following morning, Dove rodein a northeasterly direction to JohnTrouts ranch where he tradedTrout his brown mare for a horse,a railroad watch, and five dollars.

His next stop was at the MeredithRanch where the remainder of thatday, August 23rd 1895, JohnDoves actions were chronicledas the defendant in courtroomtestimony by the victim,Mrs. Joe Meredith:

Mrs. Joe Meredith tes-tified to defendantsassaulting and ravishingher at her home. That she

was just recovering froman attack of measles, andwas very weak; weighedonly 110 pounds. Her hus-band had left home in themorning. She was alone withtwo of her little children. Her near-est neighbor, Mr. Knight, lived aboutone-half or three-quarters of a milefrom her house. Defendant came toher house about 11 oclock a. m., and

asked for a drink of water. Shehad never seen him before.Gave him a drink of water,and he went into the melon

patch and got a watermelon;came back and sat downunder an arbor in front of thehouse and ate it. He then gotup and went up close to herand asked her if she was anItalian woman. She told himshe was an American woman.He asked her the way toGordon, and when she tried

to tell him, he ran up in front

of her and caught hold of her,and told her to go to herroom. She told him she

would die first, and thedefendant then crushed

her down. She was soweak she could notresist him; could donothing. When thedefendant left, shetook her children and

went to Mrs.Knights. Upon herhusbands return, shetold himDove left the

Meredith home after thecommission of his offense

and fled the country where heremained at large. Palo Pinto CountySheriff O. L. York issued wanted

Please see page 16

The First

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by Randall Scott



15/24

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From page 14posters, while at the same time,Governor Culberson offered a reward of $250 for information leading to thearrest and indictment of John Dovewanted for assault and rape of a whitewoman. A statewide manhunt ensued

for the next four months and endedabruptly on the following January of 1896 when Sheriff York got a break inthe case. Officers at Franklin County

jail in Mt. Vernon claimed the imagesketched on his wanted poster lookedmuch like one of their inmates. York agreed. There was no mistake. Thedetailed descriptions that were providedby Mrs. Meredith, John Trout, and BenGardenhire had fit Doves appearance to

a tee. His adamant denial did little tohelp his case, but instead, caught Dovein another lie when he fabricated a falsealibi. York checked it out and there wasno John Dove listed in the Huntsvillepenitentiary when the offense occurred,or at any other time.

One month later, back in Palo PintoCounty, the March term of JudgeStraughans district court convened topick a jury, appoint attorneys and hear

the defendant plead his case. The fol-lowing month, discovery phase wascompleted and the prosecutions prelim-inary litigations began when court con-vened on May 13th. The eye witness

testimony of, Ben Gardenhire was cor-roborated by John Trout and the victimherself, Mrs. Meredith, which left nodoubt in the minds of deliberating

jurors: Dove was guilty, and for punish-ment, the death penalty was assessed.And, so it was; upon the identification

provided by one lady, who alleged tohave been assaulted and could only pro-vide circumstantial evidence, the testi-mony of only one person: the victim,Mrs. Meredith, convicted Dove for cer-tain execution. The trial started andended in one day and justice was servedwhen District Judge J. S. Straughan setan execution date of Friday, October30th, 1896 and passed sentence uponJohn Dove to be hung by the neck until

dead.An appeal was brought before JudgeDavidson at the Texas Court Of Criminal Appeals in Austin based onalibis provided by Doves friends. Thesefriends attested to the whereabouts of John Dove having seen him in ClayCounty on the day the alleged offensewas committed. But when officers sub-poenaed Tom Cooper, Jim Turner, andJohn Ogle, they were exiled to Indian

Territory out of reach and unaccount-able to the court. Attempts to issueapplicants for A.J. Dove and R. Long of Jack County were returned blank. Also,Dove alleged that his attorneys were

appointed by the court on the very dayof the trial with little time to prepare hisdefense. Also, Dove pointed out thatthese attorneys were young and inexpe-rienced having not one witness testify inhis defense, nor even calling him to thestand in his own defense. His appeal

was denied and the judgment affirmed.In response, A petition was circulatedby Doves friends asking executiveclemency pending the Investigation of his case. Governor Culberson reviewedthe petition and granted him a stay of execution until November 27th. Afterthe investigation found no improprieties,the governor refused to interfere andordered Sheriff York to carry out thesentence of the court.

Having never performed and execu-tion, Sheriff York, and his jailer, CharlesMartin, were trying their best to makeready for the hanging. A sturdy branchwas chosen outside the courthouse thatserved as a hanging tree, where directlybelow, the men constructed a woodenplatform equipped with a trap door.Jennie, the jailers wife, had sewn ablack hood to cover the condemnedmans head, and with that completed,

she began cooking his last meal.School was dismissed early on Friday,November 27th 1896 for the 3:00 p.m.execution. Horses and buggies began tofile inside Fleming Livery Stable keep-

ing Wilborn and his boys busier thantheyve ever been before. People gath-ered early spreading their blankets overthe courthouse lawn to relax and eat thecontents of their picnic baskets. Theywere surrounded by an overflow of carts, buggies, and horse drawn wagons

parked outside the courthouse square. Abarking Carney sold bottled snake oilfrom atop his wagon tailgate. Food ven-dors served pork legs and trimmingscooked over smoking campfires. Rovingpeddlers mixed throughout the crowdselling hats, toys and souvenirs. Whilesome people felt a somber ambiance,Palo Pinto sprung to life in a festive car-nival atmosphere of more than 200 anx-ious people gathered together in morbid

celebration.

Inside Palo Pintos two story jail-house, the carnivals main attractionwent about heartily eating his last meal.The jail was a huge rock fortress builtback in the 1880s to house prisonersand also provide a home for the jailersfamily. Charles, the jailer, and his wifeJennie had four children, Rose,Elizabeth, Josie and Olin, who knew

Dove very well having fed his food tohim through the bars for nearly eightmonths. The children had made closeties with the condemned man.

Please see page 18


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From page 16 A relationship that would sadly endvery soon. With complements for theirmothers cooking, Dove asked the chil-dren to bring him more food. The sher-iff passed him a whisky bottle andDove took a stiff drink. He then

smoked a great many cigarettes, andthe mixture disagreed with him so thathe was in a weak condition justbefore the timearrived for hisexecution. A doc-tor was called into make an exam-ination and forDoves pain relief

the doctor pre-scribed a stimu-late, so anotherdose of whiskywas given to him.Dove revivedafter several moredoses.

Reverend W. K.Caperton askedDove if he should

stay with him tothe end. He saidno, that it woulddo no good, andwith that, the rev-erend shook Doves hand forthe last time.After tying hishands behind hisback, Sheriff York marched him out-side to the shoutsof cheeringcrowds, while outthe back door,Jennie quicklylead her childrenaway to hide themin a nearby creek bottom. He stumbled at first and had tobe helped to his feet, but then hewalked without assistance to the scaf-fold. He stood on the trap door erectand fearless, looking straight aheadwhile Martin secured his ankles.

Sheriff York asked him if he had anylast words to say. He said, No, I havenot a word to say.

Then, York secured the black hoodover his head, followed by the noosearound his neck and at 3:05 P.M. thetrap door was released. Dove fell to the

end of his rope, but not to his death.The fall didnt snap his neck.

Witnesses account for his struggle tobreath while trashing about hissing andspewing through the cloth of his hood.The crowd grew eerily silent as theywatched the condemned man squirm inagony. This wasnt an execution, it

was primeval torture. A womanscreamed, another fainted, and peopleshouted for someone to put the poorman out of his misery. Martin grabbeda hold of Doves legs to add hisweight, but he still choked and spewed.York stepped up to help, grabbed a leg,

and with a quick downward jerk, heended it. From the time the trap doorsprung, the spec-tacle lasted a verylong seventeenminutes beforeDove was pro-nounced dead bythe attending phy-sician. And, topacify onlookers

and photogra-phers, he was leftto hang anothertwenty-four min-utes before Dovewas cut down andlaid in his coffin.John Dove, anative of Jacksboro, Texas,was 24 years of

age.Two men began

cutting the nooseinto six inchlengths and thenthey tied a stringaround both endsto prevent therope from frayingor unraveling. Aline formed infront of the scaf-fold of those whowanted to pur-chase a length for25 cents each,which was a largesum of money inthose days, butthe prohibitive

costs didnt deter buyers and theaccounts of one witness attest to overone-hundred souvenir seekers waitingin line. Jennie Martin kept a morbidsouvenir of her own. The black hoodshed sewn for Doves death shroud

stayed in her possession for manyyears and she would entertain friendsand guests with their own privateviewing.

As youve seen, the first legal hang-ing in Palo Pinto, Texas was a disaster.There were other small Texas towns

that botched hangings and some wereeven worse than John Doves execu-tion, if you can imagine that. The out-law, Black Jack Ketchum was behead-ed when executioners failed to accountfor his weight gain. The drop mustbe based on the persons weight, todeliver 1260 foot-pounds of force tothe neck. The noose is then placedsnugly around the condemned mansneck, behind his left ear, which will

cause the neck to snap. If properlydone, death is caused by dislocation of the third and fourth cervical vertebrae,or by asphyxiation. No doubt, this wasinformation, Sheriff York, and his jail-er, Charles Martin, couldve used.

Records of John Doves hanginghave, for the most part, been limited toeye witness accounts, and at that, sel-dom discussed by those not wanting toreveal the dark side of Palo Pinto his-

tory. It leaves much to speculation, butone can understand why county offi-cials constructed an indoor hangmansroom in 1906. Narrow stairs lead up toa second floor balcony where a hang-mans noose hauntingly suspends overa trap door, all of which are still ondisplay for you to enjoy at the old jail-house museum in Palo Pinto.

Consultants: Sue Ficke Seibert, Bob

Erwin, Samuel Williams References:(1) Texas Court Of Criminal Appeals

- Austin term 1896 Vol. 36 p. 105(2) History of Palo Pinto County - p.

257 copyright 1978 by the Palo PintoCounty Historical Association - Taylor Publishing Co.

(3) The Galveston Daily News -Saturday Edition November 28th 1896

Randall Scott, Author of TheTinner, is a member of WesternWriters Of America and Western

Literature Association. You can find Randall on the Internet at http:// Randall-Scott.com

Photos by Libby Cluett

The Old Jail Museum in Palo Pinto



19/24

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The old doctor had beenwrong, Mrs. Shrum con-cluded. Her daughter,

Belle, was as normal as the restof her children: she had 10 nor-mal kids. Clairvoyant my eye!

Shed watched though, dreading any sign of supernaturalpower in her daughter. What would people say?

All this normalcy ended sometime in 1888 with anamazing and unnerving feat of second sight, though itwas her son, Jimmie, not Belle, who saw things.

The Shrums, who later spent 30 years on a farm nearMineral Wells, at the time lived in Comanche County.Belle was 6, Jimmie 9. Their father, M.A. Shrum, had trav-eled to Brownwood to purchase some land. Night fell andthe father and husband did not return as hed said hewould.

Mrs. Shrum imagined the worst, that her husband hadbeen waylaid and was lying dead or injured on the road-side something like that. She and her small children hud-dled around the fireplace, straining to hear the sound of wagon wheels.

Some of the kids were fidgeting in their seats, as young-sters will do, but not Jimmie. He sat on a stool pressing hiseyes with his hands. His mother asked if he was sick, buthe said he was not. He continued the odd behavior untilbedtime. Mrs. Shrum kept a close watch on him throughthe night.

Morning came and still no Mr. Shrum. The anxious wifewas beside herself with worry, the passage of time re-enforcing her fears. Then Jimmie dropped a bombshell.

I can see with my eyes shut, he told his mother.Distracted, she laughed and assured him he could not.Jimmie begged to differ and asked his mother to put herhands to her eyes and give it a try. Nothing.

The 9-year-old persisted until, hoping to discourage thechilds fantasy, she said, If you can see, Jimmie, tell mewhat you see.

Please see page 22

The AmazingShrums

By Mel Rhodes



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rom page 20I can see the whole world, he replied.What is the whole world? his mother asked.Jimmie said he could see towns and houses, windmillsthe whole world.Oh, what the heck: Can you see your papa? Mrs.

hrum finally asked.The boy placed his hands over his face and said he

ould see his pa, and that he was camping by a creek nder a large tree.

OK. Ill play along, his mother thought, asking, Whats he doing now?Jimmie told his mother his pa was handling cooking

tensils and had just fed Brit on theround.Ha! thought the mother. Now I know

ou are wrong. You know your fatherould never feed Brit, his favorite horse,n the ground.Ask pa when he comes, was the lads

eply. Youll see.Later that morning Mr. Shrum returned

ome to find an inquisitive wife. Afterxplaining hed gotten a late start back nd had decided to camp along the way, he was askedhere hed camped.You guessed it: along a creek under a big tree. Sohat? Wouldnt most people camp near water and under

he shade of a tree?But the husbands jaw surely dropped at his wifes next

uestion: Why did you feed Brit on the ground.After the initial shock, Mr. Shrum explained hed fed

he horse as he had because the animal had been trying toet at an oat sack on the wagon, tearing the wagon sheetn the process. In aggravation hed thrown Brits feed onhe ground.

But he gave no credence to the implicit claim Jimmiead seen these things. To prove his point, he went tohe barn, hid his purse, and told his son hed lost some-hing. Find it for me.

Jimmie did the hands-over-the-eyes thing again and

told his father hed lost nothing but instead had hiddenhis purse. The increasingly strange boy then marched outto the barn and retrieved the item.

Belle, too, had the gift, as the Shrums learned uponquestioning all their children. When asked why shehadnt told her parents of her remarkable ability, 6-year-old Belle said, I thought everyone could.

Of course when neighbors found out, the weirdShrum children became the talk of the town. Folks prob-ably crossed to the other side of the street when they saw

them coming. To escape the unwanted attention, theShrums moved on to Johnson County, the children hav-ing been instructed to keep quiet about Jimmie and

Belles gift.Things were quiet for a while, until while attending a

camp meeting in Burleson one of the Shrums childrenwandered off and became lost. Hysterical, Mrs. Shrumturned to little Belle and asked if she could see herbrother. She could, and, in fact, led an uncle right to thegate of the house where he lay in bed. Kind folk hadtaken the crying child in until the affair could be sortedout.

Like kerosene-doused fire, news of Belles queerdoings spread. The Shrums began to fear their giftedchildren would be kidnapped or killed and moved west toEastland County.

There Mrs. Shrum confided in a doctor concerning herchildrens abilities. The physician conducted severalexercises and at length determined Jimmie and Bellewere quite remarkable. Later they traveled with the doc-

tor to Dallas for the state fair and were in that city exam-ined by the medical board. They were deemed normal,healthy kids.

Following the Dallas trip the children performed fromtime-to-time, wowing audiences with their seeminglymagical powers. First they visited surrounding towns,then cities in Tennessee, Colorado and Arizona.

An article in the Palo Pinto County Star dated March15, 1895, read:

Master James and little Belle Shrum, known as the

Shrum Children, accompanied by their father and byW.D. Robinson, were in Palo Pinto this week and gavean exhibition of their strange power to read or see things

in the past or describe things many milesaway. These interesting children are nowon tour of the country exhibiting theirwonderful gift.

But as they grew older they used theirgift less, though the horses and rigs of many seekers could be seen around theShrum home near Mineral Wells.

Belle died at 43 in 1925. Jimmie passed

in his 50s. Their mother in later yearsrelated that she believed her childrencould see things because they were born with a veilover their faces.

Note: In the old days, being born with a veil overones face meant he or she had come into this world witha thin layer of skin over the face. Called a caul, the mem-brane was considered to foretell good luck and was care-fully collected and saved as an heirloom. But, since thecaul was widely believed to protect someone from deathby drowning, medieval women often sold them to sailorswho considered them valuable good luck charms or talis-mans.

*Based on a story by Mary Whatley Clarke published in her The Palo Pinto Story. Also on articles published in the Palo Pinto County Star (March 15, 1895) and

Dallas Morning News (Nov. 8, 1894).

Like kerosene-doused re, news of Belles queer doings spread.


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