Milam County came in for a share of the Indian depredations during the days the Indian depredations preceding the Civil War, and many settlers lost their lives at the hands of savages who frequently raided that portion of the frontier. Deeds of daring and heroism are numerous in the records handed down to this generation and there be many yet living there who helped to rid that fair region of the red man's presence and make it a land of safe abode and contentment.

F. S. Roundtree, who was a resident of Abilene, Texas, a few years ago, was reared in Milam county, and served as a Texas Ranger with considerable distinction. His father was a noted frontiersman, and well known to all the early settlers of Milam county.

Old Man Bryan, for whom Bryan Station was named, was another pioneer who proved himself a terror to the treacherous redskins, who had learned that his trusty rifle never missed fire and his aim was so true that at its report another Indian departed for the happy hunting grounds. Mr. Bryan wore a long, flowing beard which reached down to his waist. The Indians knew him by the beard he wore, and held him in great superstition. On one occasion six men started in pursuit of a band of raiding Indians and went by to get Mr. Bryan, but for some reason or other he could not go with them, and as they left his place he told them if they would bring back an Indian scalp they might cut off his beard. The party overtook the Indians, surprising them while they were eating their dinner. A hard shower of rain had fallen about an hour previously, and the strings of the Indians' bows had become wet and so slack that they were utterly useless in the engagement that shortly took place. The rain had wet the priming of the white men's guns, so they were rendered ineffective also, but the men clubbed and right there began an onslaught that resulted in the killing of the entire body of Indians, numbering six. The fight was fierce, but lasted only about thirty minutes, during which time the air was filled with hair, hide, warwhoops and profanity. Hand-to-hand they fought and tore up the ground over the space of an acre. Bill Hixon clubbed an Indian early in the melee and went on helping the other boys slay the others, in which work he in which work he chanced to break the stock off his gun. While lamenting the damage done to his gun, he happened to glance toward the Indian he had first knocked down, and discovered that the redskin had "come to" and was crawling away toward a small thicket. Throwing down his broken gun, he took a running jump and landed astride the crawling Indian's back, holding him down while the other boys finished his career. The Redskins were then scalped, and when the party returned to Mr. Bryan's they claimed their reward, and cut off his beard with a pair of sheep shears and then shaved him clean. When they had completed the task Mr. Bryan said he had no objections to swapping his flowing whiskers for lousy Indian scalps, to his neighbors, but he would not make the exchange with the Indians, lest the redmen should demand his forelock too. Bill Hixon got the whiskers and persuaded Mr. Bryan to give him back the scalp of the bronco Indian he rode to the happy hunting grounds in that early day.