Wild Hog Signs In The Political
Field
By Grace Miller White
James Stephen Hogg (Jim Hogg
as he was affectionately called),
loved Texas as few men have. He
was born in Texas, he grew to manhood
close to the good Texas earth, and
he was the the first native son
ever to become her governor. He
had been Attorney-General four years
from 1887 to 1891, after which he
had moved to the governorship for
a four-year stay. In 1895 he went
into private law practice in partnership
with Judge James H. Robertson in
Austin. Here is his story.
Indian Gratitude Revealed
By J. Marvin Hunter
Excellent account of W. J. Wilkinson,
or "Uncle Jack" Wilkinson, as he
was better known, successful stockman
and one of the substantial citizens
of Menard county in the early days.
He was born in Mississippi in 1833,
and died in Menard county, Texas,
about 1918, at the ripe old age
of 86 years. Account describes his
setbacks and ultimately success
at cattle-ranching and then focuses
on a terrifying incident wherein
he ended up showing mercy to a Comanche
warrior and was repaid in like manner
in a desperate situation a few months
later.
Further Mentions: eventually
settling in Coleman county * the
famous Dove Creek battle with the
Kickapoos in 1865 * Fort Sumner,
New Mexico * Neill Wilkinson, Carrie
Wilkinson and Emma Wilkinson * Miss
Namnie Miers * Will Wilkinson, Alice
Wilkinson, Frank Wilkinson, Lamar
Wilkinson, Archie Wilkinson, Charlie
Wilkinson, Ernest Wilkinson, and
Edgar Wilkinson * Mrs. Carrie Robertson,
Mrs. Ed L. Mears, and Mrs. Max Russell
* Clear Creek * E. Kirby Smith *
Camp Colorado * Press Brevier *
Mr. Key and Willis Holloway had
ranches in that vicinity * Paso
del Norte * Burnt Branch * Captain
J. J. Callan * Jim Mulkey * Caddo
Peak *
Texas Rangers On The Scout
By A. J. Sowell
In 1870-71 the Indians were very
numerous and hostile on the Texas
frontier, and a call was made by
the Governor for several companies
of volunteers to go on a campaign
against them. There was an immense
scope of country to protect, stretching
from the Rio Grande to Red River.
The Indians were more numerous in
the northwestern part of the State,
and committed many depredations
under the notorious leaders, Big
Tree, Satanta, Sittanka, and others.
This account especially deals with
the conditions of the Texas border
at that time, especially in the
northwest, and relates incidents
of Indian warfare as recalled by
old settlers in that region. (Continued
from Last Month.)
Mentions: the Keenon massacre
* William Marlett * Captain Baker
* Sergeant E. H. Cobb * Wichita
Mountains * Montague county * Bean's
ranch * Big Sandy * Beau * Colonel
Bean's farm * Jacksboro * Kelso,
Swisher, Cox, Sansom, Baker * the
children of Vance and Freeman, two
settlers living in Wise county *
William Marlett * Mr. Ball * Clark,
Bailey, Shira * the chief, Red Cap
* Ball's ranch * old man Shira *
(Continued Next Month.)
Old Time Barbecues In Bandera
County
By J. Marvin Hunter
Account of the old gatherings
and barbecues the people of Bandera
County which was noted for its grand
barbecues used to enjoy.
Mentions: Governor Coke R. Stevenson
* Lee Risinger, Andy Mansfield,
John Pyka, Charlie Haiduk, John
Ross, Charlie Schmidtke * Mrs. Koenigham
* Mr. Davenport * Charles Montague
* Andy Mansfield * John Ross * old
Jack Potter * Parson Potter *
America's Frontiers Of Nineteen
Forty-Two
By Elmer J. Edwards, Jr.
Mentions: Camp Bowie at Brownwood,
Camp Barclay at Abilene, Sheppard
Field at Wichita Falls, Camp Wallace
near Houston, Camp Wolters near
Mineral Wells * Marion Oates and
Richard Chase * Rita Brooks, Duncan,
Dodd, Randolph and Kelley Fields
* the A. H. Belo Corporation * Chester
V. Nimitz * Nimitz Hotel * Samuel
J. Tilden * Cordell Hull * Mr. Victor
Bracher of San Antonio, Mr. Du Pont
of New York, and Mr. Dudley Dobie
of San Marcos, made a boat trip
along the river from Boquillas Canyon
to a point near the town of Langtry
* Colonel Martin L. Crimmins * Mr.
Roy Swift * Santa Helena Canyon
* Mr. Jeff Graham of Marfa, the
son of Mr. Joe Graham * Paisano
Hotel * Holland Hotel in Alpine
* Jeff B. Moore of Del Rio * Shafter
* Cibolo Creek * Ben Leaton's Fort
* village of Ojinaga * Dorothy Gage
Forker * Sul Ross College at Alpine
* Harry Anthony de Young * the Haley
ranch * old Cathedral Mountain *
Rudolph Mellard * Hen Egg Mountain
* Mr. Jack Wise * Green Gulch *
Persimmon Gap * Cooper's store at,
Marathon * The Johnson ranch * Mr.
Elmo Johnson * at Boquillas, Senora
La Chata Sada, who is noted for
her excellent Mexican cuisine *
Longfellow * Reagan Canyon *
The Murder Of Mr. And Mrs. Riggs
In 1910 B. F. Gholson, then living
at Evant, Texas, furnished the following
account of the murder of Mr. and
Mrs. Riggs and a Mr. Pierce by Indians
in Bell county in the spring of
1859. The author lived about six
miles from where these murders occurred
and along with a number of other
local citizens hurried forward to
join in pursuit of the Indians.
This is the sad account.
Mentions: S. S. Gholson * Sulphur
Springs (now Lampasas) * Sugar Loaf
Mountain * Dave Elms * Mr. Ambrose
Lewis * A. M. Woods * Peevy * Captain
Dameron * Rocksprings, in Edwards
county * Rhoda Riggs and Rebecca
Riggs * Thomas A. Riggs * a man
named Benton * Wilcox, Arizona *
Texas In Wartime Through British
Eyes
By T. C. Richatrdsott
Account of the diary of Lieutenant-Colonel
Fremantle, of Her Brittonic Majesty's
Coldstream Guards, April 2, 1863.
The fastidious young officer of
an aristocratic regiment was entering
upon a three months tour of the
then Confederate States, during
which he acquired a liberal education
in the (to him) strange ways of
Texans and other Southerners. Colonel
Fremantle explains in his foreword
that his first attitude toward the
American civil war was, in common
with most of his countrymen, that
of indifference, but with a slight
bias in favor of the North on account
of his dislike of slavery. "But
soon sentiment of great admiration
for the gallantry and determination
of the Southerners, together with
the unhappy contrast afforded by
the foolish, bullying conduct of
the Northerners, caused a, complete
revulsion of my feelings" whereupon
he determined to visit America and
"see something of this wonderful
struggle." Incidents of his stay
in Texas are related in this story
without reference to dates and sometimes
out of their chronological order,
with a view of portraying the scene
as it appeared to Colonel Fremantle
in April, 1863.
Mentions: Gettysburg * H. M.
S. Immortalite * Mr. Johnston *
the miserable village of Bagdad,
on the Mexican bank of the Rio Grande
* McCarthy * Mr. Ituria * General
Magruder * General Bee * Palmito
ranch * Duff's cavalry * Mr. Zorn
* Mr. Behnsen * The Prussian Consul,
Mr. Oetling * Buchel * Colonel Luckett
* Mr. Maloney * Major Leon Smith
* Harriet Lane *
Cowboy Branded A Comanche Indian
By J. Marvin Hunter
Account describes the event of
a cowboy employed on one of the
first ranches established in Shackelford
county who ventured out unarmed
one day to brand a young calf in
a bend of the creek near camp. He
had accomplished his mission and
was mounting his horse to return,
when a single Indian fired upon
him from the shelter of a neighboring
bush. Without giving the savage
time to reload his piece, this cowboy,
charged down upon him with a yell,
forced him out upon the open prairie,
and with a deft cast of his lariat
encircled his body and dragged him,
helpless and silent, back to the
branding fire. As coolly and deliberately
as though he was going about his
everyday business the Texan replaced
the brand in the fire, brought it
to the proper heat, and applied
it with quiet precision to the most
prominent part of his enemy's anatomy;
then stooped and, with the Indian's
own knife, added the ranch ear-mark
as corroborative evidence of the
authenticity of the brand. Then
he loosened the rope and kicked
the Indian until he sullenly arose
to his feet.
Corpus Christi Shelled By Gunboats
Account by Miss Mildred Baskin,
describing the bombardment and heoric
defense of the port of Corpus Christi
when during the Civil War, Union
gunboats came to less than a mile
from shore in the bay and shelled
the town. The boats loosed 400 rounds
on the city. A defense strategy
was planned and carried out by a
16-year-old youth, Billy Mann, and
a few volunteers. Here is the story.
Further Mentions: Laura Baskin
* Elida Baskin * Maj. Hobby * Lt.
Walter Mann * Capt. Kittredge *
Capt. Ireland * Victory Steiner
*
FAMOUS COWBOY STATUE.
Mentions: Hardin - Simmons University
* Abilene Hall * Dr. R. N. Richardson
* Bob Rogers * Hardin-Simmons Cowboy
Band, from Berkeley * Rockwell Kent
*
"STAR OF THE WILDERNESS."