October Star

North Texas Star
October 2014
The Legacy of
Lawrence Sullivan (Sul) Ross
Chasing Our Tales
SMITH FAMILY
The trial of Satanta and Big Tree Outdoors Along the Brazos
October 2014 NORTH TEXAS STAR Page 2
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4
OUTDOORS ALONG THE BRAZOS
Freedom Means Crossing the Bridge
By Don Price
20
8
CHASING OUR TALES
Smith Family
By Sue Seibert
16
H.H. MCCONNELL
The trial of Satanta and Big Tree
12
By Jim Dillard
By Wynnell Catlin
THE LEGACY OF LAWRENCE
SULLIVAN (SUL) ROSS (part 3)
STORIES & SNIPPETS
Outdoors Along the Brazos
By DON PRICE
Freedom Means Crossing the Bridge
To those of you who want to flee the hullabaloo
this fall, to those of you who have second thoughts
about the terrific spiels of telemarketers, and to those
of you who would like to check the needle of your
own compass, perhaps a sojourn in a canoe down this
section of the Upper-Middle Brazos would be
refreshing.
Surely there's more to the lifestyle of quality and
happiness than making excessive dollars with which
to purchase bric-a-brac and going in debt over your
head or, worse, dying before you allotted time.
You must cross over the bridge to escape, to leave
the marketplace before you can spot the shady pool
below Flint Bend. Flint Bend was named for Jack
Flint, son-in-law of Oliver Loving, a lot of history
here near the mouth of Loving Creek (The Kimberlin
Ranch).
Cross over the bridge but leave your chattels
behind if only to clear your mind.
You may pinch yourself now because you're not
dreaming. You've done it! You've got yourself now
because you're not dreaming. You've done it! You've
got yourself sacked out this very moment on a gravel
bar in Fortune Bend's serenity for the deepest sleep of
your life. It's only a couple of bends down river.
Next morning's misty coolness will bring forth the
vigor of someone much younger, not drowsiness
upon awakening, a numbness which seems to shackle
one's soul in town. Black river coffee in an old tin
bucket never tasted better!
Countless times you've maneuvered your car
through pockets in city traffic only to find someone
else has beaten you to your own personal niche, your
parking spot.
Then you insert your key in the door of your shop
to unlock it for the day's business, grab a broom and
open the cash register to count coins and up pulls an
18-wheeler full of merchandise you badly need
because you've already promised your customers and
no one else has shown up for work and you've got the
whole thing all by yourself. Plus the phone is ringing
off the wall.
Checking an invoice on a large shipment of freight
is not easy when a customer is standing between you
and the merchandise you're checking (why doesn't he
move over a tad?). All this guy wants to talk about is
small-town politics; he's looking at you askance,
wondering what the problem is, wondering why you
are quietly pulling your hair out.
This customer has nothing better to do than stand
around and take up what little time you have by rant-
ing on-and-on about town government. He's an expert
on everything, but he's never been across the bridge,
the bridge I mentioned earlier, the bridge you must
cross before you can bask in the shady pool below
Flint Bend.
I'll bet good money the town's politico doesn't
know a red fox from a gray fox, a channel cat form a
blue cat, a redbreast bream from a redear. It doesn't
matter because he'll never cross over the bridge any-
way; he thinks you're crazy, a ne'er-do-well, when
you get a hankering yourself to cross over the bridge.
The most difficult thing to do is to slow down
when you cross the bridge: You won't need a wrist-
watch. Wonderful.
Pocks of limestone here, the Brazos seemingly age-
less, not fizzling out of style tomorrow as Calvin
Klein. On down river the limestone bluffs change to
sandstone. A wind picks up and the cottonwoods rat-
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tle, at least you pray it's the cottonwoods' rattling you hear as you stand very still in a
draw of pokeweed, so dense you can't see the loamy floor.
This will cause a mild rush of adrenalin but is not serious normally; it will be
something to remember perhaps fifty years later, to chuckle about amongst your best
friends.
I'll never forget my first float trip as long as I live. My partner was Ft. Wolter's
Civil Service employee James "Jim" Foley. It was 1956 and there was no flow in the
river channel. You simply dragged your boat from pot hole to pot hole. The poor little
12-foot AlumaCraft boat was paper thin when we got to Rochelle's. Then the rains
came (did they!) in 1957 and Los Brazos de Dios was bank-to-bank all the way.
That's when John Graves, "Goodbye to a River," floated, in 1957 when the drought
broke. John only had one passenger (his little dog) in his canoe. He had a paddle, no
motor. For gosh sakes, he didn't need one.
What excites newcomers doesn't seem to faze the rivermen, the countrymen of old
who were born on the Brazos. In old Snoddy's Cafe, in Brad, the cutters who were
good, highly skilled with a 3-pound Kelly, didn't hear you when you slurred louder
than the background din about your latest long-as-your-arm channel cat you yanked
out of Seaman Hole.
What I'm fixing to tell you, you just won't believe. I really just wanted to impress
hunter-trapper-fisherman Joe Taylor and his Palo Pinto bunch so bad I couldn't see
straight, but they wouldn't even acknowledge me, didn't even bother to learn my
name.
You only had to increase the SIZE of your fish to get their attention. Snoddy's Cafe
was busy, all counter stools taken, a lot of guys in for coffee and pie after a day's
work. A nickelodeon was playing, something unusual for Snoddy's, and so you were
concerned a little with the din.
You had just slowly worked yourself around to the center where even the hard-of-
hearing fishermen could hear you. And maybe you had to shout just to be sure they
heard you good and loud.
"It must have been 20 feet deep or more to start with!" I yelled. The juke box kept
playing but I was louder.
"Square Rock Hole went almost dry while I was there. I couldn't believe it. I had to
put the big yeller back in that was in my boat in order to have enough water to float
me back to the bank."
Somebody doubted my story, I could tell, but he was asking for it when he got to
the length. "How long was it, reckon?"
"Longer than I am tall." Then I mentioned Moby Dick, well, sort of.
The juke box seemed to cough, then died a natural death all by itself apparently.
One trapper, who was wearing a red shirt and who was as good as any I'd ever seen
making cedar chips fly with a 3-pound Kelly, was the first man to leave. He never
said a word. He didn't look mad. He just got up and left.
Then the levee just seemed to break all at once. It couldn't have been much over
five minutes. Even their pickup trucks were gone from the gas pumps.
Only two were left, me and the waitress.
So I asked, "What happened?"
The waitress replied, "Hon, you over-did it."
Continued from page 4
Chasing Our Tales
Smith Family
By SUE SEIBERT
I
received a query, and because there are so
extremely many Smith families both in our area
and all around the English-speaking world, I
thought I would look into it.
It reminded me that when our youngest daughter
was about to marry, she told us the young mans name
was Smith, and he was from Graham, Texas, but, she
said, They arent related to any of the other Smiths
in Graham.
To me that was quite startling but, you must
remember, I grew up with the name Ficke, and I mar-
ried a Seibert. We are, and were, the only ones in the
county, let alone in the town!
So here goes:
My name is Jennifer (Harmon) Barton. I was won-
dering if you could help me in any way. I am
researching my husbands family. One of his grandfa-
thers is a total mystery. We have numerous cousins
searching for this man. His name is James Morgan
Horton Smith. His wife's name is Sarah Emma Tanner
Smith. The first we know of them is in Hill county.
James was born about 1850. There are conflicting
birth places on census records, including Tennessee,
Arkansas and even Texas. The last we know of him,
he was living with his son, Homer in Palo Pinto
County. In the 1909 or 1910 Mineral Wells directory
it lists James M. H. Smith and S. Emma Smith. James
is listed as an engineer. It is said he died in Mineral
Wells but no record have I been able to find. I realize
it is a ton of work to research (I have been working
for years on this family). I was just wondering
if that family, by chance, came up in any of
your Palo Pinto research? We have good
reason to believe that he is at least
half Native decent due to his sons
draft card. We are still researching
this. Thanks for any help you may
be able to offer. Advice welcome
as well. Thanks :-) jenniferhar-
mon24@gmail.com.
I responded that I had found a
John Henry Tanner who was born
in Mineral Wells (no date) married a Bertie Irene Bass
in Athens, Texas, and they had one child, in Athens,
named Sarah. This was a part of the Killough
Genealogy which included Clyde Mainer born in
Mineral Wells along with a Grace Hortense Mainer
who died in Mineral Wells, and a Melissa Ann
Killough born in Mineral Wells. However, there were
no dates of birth, marriage or death listed.
She responded with the following:
Emma May Smith Barton B: July 30, 1893 Ellis
County Texas.
Daughter of James William Smith B: Jan. 28, 1874
Hill County, Texas married Martha "Mattie" Ann
Helms on Sep 1, 1893 Hill Co TX.
Son of James Morgan Horton Smith was born
somewhere in the 1850s: Mississippi, Tennessee,
Arkansas or Texas and married Sarah Emma Tanner.
Known Children of James MH Smith and Sarah
Emma Tanner are:
All born (supposedly) in Hill County Texas
James William Smith, Spouse Martha
Walter Elwood Smith, Spouse Emma Josephine
Helm
Sarah Edna Smith, Spouse William Julius Tanner
(Henderson County)
John Henry Smith, Spouse Nellie Tripp
Homer Lee Smith Relatives say he died in
California. I have not found any death records as of
yet.
Sarah Edna's spouse is where Tanner
family gets kind of confus-
ing. There is no relation that I
have found.
We have the Smith fami-
ly in Palo Pinto County,
Jack County, Henderson
County, and Jim Wells
County (Where John
passed).
In the 1920 Mineral
Wells, Palo Pinto
County Census we
have as follows:
Homer Smith 33
Mattie Smith 30
Chas P. Smith 13
Herns C. Smith 8
JC Smith 4
James Smith 71 (B: TN)
Emma Smith 63 (James Wife Sarah Emma Tanner)
TC Ensey (Homer's father-in-law) 69
I don't have the whereabouts in the 1910 census but
in 1900 they were in Jack County:
James H. Smith B: May 1850
Emma 44
John H. 18
Homer L. 14
So what can we do to assist Jennifer Barton in find-
ing her Smith family in Palo Pinto and Jack counties?
I discovered that Sarah was born in 1856 and was
living in Hill County by the age of four. One sources
states that her husbands whole name was James
Morgan Cesar Horton Smith. My goodness, I suppose
they wanted him to stand out from all the other
Smiths in the area.
Sarah married James in 1871, and by 1880 they
were supposedly living in Austin, Travis County,
Texas, but by 1900 they were living in Jack County,
Texas, and by 1909 they were listed in a city directory
in Mineral Wells where they lived through 1920 when
she was sixty-four. She died and is buried in Hill
County, Texas.
One source states their children were Alfred, Robert
C., James William, Sarah Edna, Walter Elwood, John
or Joh Henry, Homer Lee, Ollie, Henry, Rosa, and
Mattie.
James Smith was perhaps born in 1850, perhaps in
Arkansas. His mother may have been Jerusha Tanner.
Jerusha was born in Kentucky in 1810 and died in
1850, maybe while giving birth to James. One source
states she was married to John Calvin Parks, but that
all her children were called Smith. However, as
Tanner was Sarahs maiden name, I find this all odd
and perhaps incorrect. But who knows?
Continued on page 10
In the 1910 Census in Palo Pinto County, James stated his birthplace was in
Tennessee. He stated that his father was born in Tennessee and that his mother
was born in the United States. This could harken back to Jerusha who probably died
at his birth. He stated that he was a laborer at what looks like some sort of wells but
the census takers hand writing was terrible. However, since, of course, there were many
wells in Mineral Wells, that could be true. He stated he had not worked that year, which
would have made sense since he was in his 60s.
Further, on the Census, Sarah stated that she was born in Texas and that her parents were born in
Tennessee.
Another source states James was born in Tennessee in May of 1850 and that he died in Mineral Wells
in 1920. It also states that he and Sarah had only the following children; Buddy William, Sarah Edna,
Walter Elwood, John Henry, Homer Lee, and Mable. It shows that his father was John Smith and that his
mother was a Tanner. Since both families may have come from Tennessee, it is surely possible that cousins mar-
ried in Tennessee and later again in Texas.
Searching queries online I found the following on Smith Official DNA and One Name Project, http://www.smith-
sworldwide.org/blogg/?p=795, which may be a lead:
John B. Smith born Nov. 15, 1940 says: Census records have conflicting information on where James Morgan
Horton Smith was born, but he can be tracked in Hill Co TX, Parker Co, Palo Pinto County, TX. Heres the lineage, we
are looking for a YDNA tester for this line. My father was August B. Smithb. March 20, 1904d. March 26, 1992.
His father was James William Smithb. Jan. 28, 1873d. April 19, 1943. His father was James Morgan Horton Smithb.
May, 1858-d. after 1920. August married Nola Margaret Harris, James William married Martha Ann Helms, and James
Morgan Horton married Sarah Emma Tanner.
On Descendants of Jimmy Smith, http://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Smith-Descendants-45059, I found this which seems
to tie in with the above query. There are folks looking for James Morgan Horton Smith!
James Morgan Horton Smith ( m. Emma Tanner ) is the father of one child and the grandfather of one grandchild. Listed
below are details on up to five generations of descendants. Icons after childrens' names link to their family tree charts ancestors
and descendant lists descendants. Click here for Jimmy Smith's ancestors.
James William Smith ancestors/descendants (January 28, 1873 - April 19, 1943) m. Martha Helms
August B. Smith ancestors (1900's - 1990's)] m. [private spouse]
John B. Smith ancestors (1940's - unknown)] m. [private spouse]
And finally:
I am a life long resident of Texas and have been looking for information about my family lines and ancestors. I was born in
1940, and my father was August B. Smith, born in 1904, and my grandfather was James William Smith, born in 1873. My
grandfather was raised by his maternal grandparents, Nathan W. Tanner and Sarah Elizabeth (former Yarborough) Tanner
somewhere around Hill County, Texas. I am pretty sure that my great grandfather was James Morgan Horton Smith. It is
believed he was of the Creek Indian tribe, and was married to Sarah Emma Tanner. If anyone can help me authenticate these
facts or give me new information about them I would be extremely grateful. John Smith
So, do you have information about the Tanner/Smith connection in Palo Pinto
County? If so, please contact Jennifer Barton whose email is above, or contact me
at sue_seibert@att.net.
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The Legacy of Lawrence
Sullivan (Sul) Ross
By JIM DILLARD
S
ul Ross's reputation as the popular sheriff of
McLennan County, Indian fighter and Civil War
general made him a likely candidate as one of the
delegates for the Nineteenth Senatorial District (Waco) to
participate in the re-writing of the Texas Constitution.
During August 1875 he was elected to the position and
tendered his resignation as sheriff. When the convention
opened in Austin on September 6, 1875, Ross saw a num-
ber of his former acquaintances he had served with during
his Indian campaigns and Civil War days. Seventy-nine
delegates from across the state assembled to begin work
on a new constitution. Ross was appointed as one of a
committee of three to wait upon convention president-
elect E. B. Pickett and conduct him to the chair for his
opening address to the delegates.
Pickett then appointed a committee of fifteen delegates
that included Ross to determine what officers and
employees were needed by the convention and the rate of
per diem and mileage to be allowed for the delegates.
Ross was subsequently appointed to the Standing
Committee on the Legislative Department, Committee on
Revenue and Taxation, Committee on Apportionment,
Select Committee on Frontier Affairs, Select Committee
on Education, and a special committee concerning public
schools. Sul was active throughout the convention and
was involved in the resolution of many important issues
in preparing the constitution, the document that is still
used today (but with amendments.) He also learned
much about the parliamentary procedure process and role
of compromise and
debate on issues that
would benefit him in
his future political
career. One item he
pursued was arranging
for the sale of three
million acres of land
to be set aside as reve-
nue to build a new
state capitol building.
The constitutional con-
vention completed its
work and called for the
ratification of the doc-
ument by voters during
elections in early
February 1876.
Ross eagerly
returned home to his
family in Waco and
resumed his daily life as a plantation farmer, and for the
next four years, showed little interest in politics. He
became active in maintaining an organization of his old
Confederate comrades and wrote a book on the history of
his brigade. However, in 1878 friends and acquaintances
began to pressure him to seek high state office as lieuten-
ant governor on a ticket with U.S. Congressman Roger Q.
Milles of Corsicana; other supporters wanted him to run
for governor. Ross emphatically refused to seek the
office of governor during 1880 but did agree to run for
state senator in the Twenty-Second District. When the
selection of two other candidates by the nominating com-
mitted could not be decided with the necessary two-thirds
majority vote, Ross's name was proposed as a compro-
mise candidate. Even without Ross's consent, the conven-
tion nominated him with a unanimous vote and
adjourned.
Ross reluctantly agreed to run for the Texas senate seat
on a Democratic party ticket and was elected by a wide
majority of votes. Now, at age forty-two Sul Ross
embarked on this new opportunity to serve his fellow
Texans and thrust himself into the midst of the political
arena that would define his life for years to come. He
was appointed to several committees including Finance,
Educational Affairs, Internal Improvement, Penitentiaries,
Military Affairs, Stock and Stock Raising, Agricultural
Affairs, and others. Early in the session he received news
from his wife Lizzie that their month-old son was gravely
ill, but duties in Austin prevented his from returning
home. The following day
his son died and Ross left
the legislature to be with
his family for a week
before returning to Austin.
When he arrived home he
found another of his sons
was also seriously ill.
When the session of the
legislature closed and the
appropriations bill finally
passed, Sul returned home
to comfort his wife and
resume his farming opera-
tions until the next session
of the legislature con-
vened in two years.
However, when the capitol
building burned to the
ground in November of
1881, a special session of
the legislature was called and Ross returned to Austin.
The session initially dealt with matters relating to housing
and operation of the government until a new capitol
building could be constructed. In addition, legislators
deliberated issues relating to irregularities at the Blind
Asylum, a burned building at the Lunatic Asylum, storm
damage to Prairie View Normal College, treatment of
convicts, the boundary issue between Texas and
Oklahoma, and several others. Before the session ended,
a bill passed for the construction of a new state capitol
building and another that reduced the term of senators to
two years. Having served two years of his four year term
of office as state senator, Ross declined to run again for
office and returned to Waco.
Although two years had passed since Sul Ross had left
Austin as a state senator, his supporters and friends once
again began a campaign to put him in the governor's seat.
Sul finally acquiesced and tossed hat into the ring for the
1886 election year. At the state Democratic Convention
in Galveston, which was held in a skating rink, he
received the necessary two-thirds vote of the delegates
and began his campaign for election to the governorship.
In the general election on November 2, Ross received the
largest number of popular votes any candidate had
received up to that time. He was inaugurated on January
18, 1887 as the nineteenth governor of Texas. The inau-
gural ball was held in the Driskill Hotel in Austin, a tradi-
tion that remains today.
Sul Ross proved to be a popular governor for the peo-
ple of Texas through his leadership and unique qualities
of strength, integrity, and dignity he brought to the office
of governor. He used his considerable influence to rec-
ommend legislation and initiate needed reforms that pro-
moted an era of prosperity for Texas as it began transfor-
mation into an industrial and progressive state. As a
member of the Capitol Board, he closely monitored con-
struction of the new capitol building and presided over its
dedication when it was completed during May 1888. He
was instrumental in initiating legislation concerning the
state's vast public lands to classify them to know their
true value and insure title and true boundaries, allow acre-
age to be sold at low interest rates over a long period of
time, restore the power of the Land Office Commission
so lands could be controlled by a single authority, and
prescribe punishment for people occupying and using
state lands illegally.
Sul Ross ran for the office of governor again during
1888 and was reelected, defeating Marion Martin who
was supported by a coalition party of Prohibitionists,
Knights of Labor and the Farmers' Alliance by 151,891
(Part 3 of a series of articles on the life of Lawrence Sullivan (Sul) Ross who served as a frontier ranger, soldier,
statesman, and educator devoting his life to the growth and expansion of Texas to become the great state we know today.)
PHOTO BY JIM DILLARD
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votes. His inauguration was the first to be celebrated in the
new capitol building, and in keeping with tradition, no inau-
gural ball was held for a second term governor.
During his second term, Ross was forced to intervene in the
Jaybird-Woodpecker War, a dispute in Fort Bend County
between a faction of white supremacist Democrats (the
Jaybirds) and black men who had retained political power
there (the Woodpeckers.) Ross dispatched two companies of
militia and four Texas Rangers to quell the volatile situation
which left four people dead including Sherriff Jim Garvey.
Six other people were wounded during the violence including
a ranger. Ross arrived with the Attorney General and another
militia company and fired all local officials. After a meeting
with representatives of the two factions, a compromise candi-
date for a new sheriff was agreed on and the conflict ended.
After the Attorney General of the United States filed suit
against Texas for ownership of 1.5 million acre tract of land
(Green County located in present southwestern Oklahoma)
claimed jointly by Texas and the United State, Ross and his
wife traveled to Washington, D.C. in an effort to resolve the
dispute. They met with president Benjamin Harrison while in
Washington, D. C. and former president Grover Cleveland in
New York while on the trip. His visit resulted in an increased
interest in investments, tourism, and immigration to Texas.
The dispute over Greer County was not settled until 1896
when the land was given to Oklahoma.
Significant accomplishments during Sul Ross' tenure as
governor included tax reform laws for more equitable assess-
ment of property values, passage of antitrust laws, opening of
a state orphan's home, state institute for the deaf, dumb, and
blind black children, a branch asylum for the insane, and pur-
chase of land near Gatesville for a future open farm reforma-
tory for juveniles. He also declared the third Friday in
January as Arbor Day to promote civic improvement and
encourage children to plant trees. He supported legislation for
the purchase of the Huddle Portrait Gallery, a collection of
portraits of all governors that continues to be on display in the
Texas State Capitol rotunda. To adequately care for
Confederate veterans, the first home was dedicated during his
first term in office and expanded during 1890 to a larger facil-
ity. During his four years as governor, he had vetoed only ten
bills and pardoned 861 people. Sul Ross did not seek reelec-
tion to a third term as governor and officially left office on
January 20, 1891.
Sul now had several options: he could return to his farm in
Waco and pursue his farming operations; go to Mississippi
and operate a large plantation offered by friends there; accept
one of several lucrative offers for his services; or take the
lower paying position as president of Texas Agricultural and
Mechanical College that many of his friends and supporters
had urged him to accept. He had previously been offered the
position while governor but refused to leave office for the job.
With passage of the Morrill Act of Congress in 1862, the
federal government donated 180,000 acres of public land for
the benefit and establishment of an agricultural and mechani-
cal college in Texas. With Texas being a Confederate state,
the college was not established until after the Civil War during
the reconstruction period. By a joint resolution of the Texas
Legislature In 1871, it accepted the 1862 provision of the act
and passed its own act creating an institution to teach an agri-
cultural, mechanical, military, and scientific curriculum. In
the Texas State Constitution of 1876, A&M College became a
branch of the state university system to be supported by tax
revenues. It was the first public institution of higher educa-
tion to be established in Texas. The University of Texas in
Austin was not created until 1883 and was administered by a
separate Board of Directors.
Brazos County donated, 2,416 acres near Bryan as the loca-
tion for the school's campus. The Houston and Texas Central
Railroad had been built through the area in 1860 and a rail
station was established south of Bryan where a small commu-
nity began to grow. In 1877 the Postal Service named the
community College Station since it was located just west of
the A&M College campus. The doors of Texas A&M
College were open to students during October 1876 when six
students enrolled and by the end of the spring semester of
1877, 106 students had enrolled. Enrollment was limited to
white males only who were required to participate in the
Corps of Cadets and receive military training. The college,
which was initially administered by the chairman of the facul-
ty, Louis Lowry McInnis, suffered from mismanagement dur-
ing its early years and was soon floundering in financial woes,
student discontent, disciplinary problems, scandals, and a dis-
satisfied faculty. The need to establish the position of a pres-
ident independent of the faculty of the university was recog-
nized by the legislature and promoted through Texas newspa-
pers.
After much consideration and support from across the state,
Sul Ross finally decided to accept the position as President of
Texas A&M College on August 8, 1890 and began the final
chapter of his illustrious life and career of service to Texas.
After making upgrades to the dilapidated president's home and
moving Lizzie and the family from Waco, he took charge of
the university on February 2, 1891.
With his vast knowledge of administration, a strong military
bearing, and background as a farmer, Ross was the right man for
the job and quickly set about initiating changes to make the institu-
tion "the pride of the state." Many of the existing faculty resigned
or were encouraged by the Board of Directors to find employment
elsewhere, thus giving Ross a clean slate to hire the best qualified
educators and staff that could be found. Soon the Board of
Directors began looking for new building sites and set aside $4,500
for the construction of a new president's home. The existing build-
ings were electrified and a request for $128,000 was made to the
legislature for new buildings and other improvements. By the fall
semester of 1890-91, 500 students applied for admission but only
361 could be accommodated. To improve accounting responsibili-
ties and fiscal affairs of the school, Ross was designated treasurer
for the school. He also became involved in the matriculation pro-
cess by personally interviewing prospective students to determine
whether or not they would be admitted.
The turnover of faculty and staff by Ross and the Board of
Directors created many changes in curriculum and an increase in
the hours required for the four degrees offered by the university:
Bachelor of Science Agriculture or Scientific Horticulture and
Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering or Civil Engineering. Ross
also became involved in the appointment and rank of cadets based
on their handling of duties and responsibilities, conduct and class
standing, and skill as soldiers. He reduced the minimum age for
admission from 16 to 15 and initiated a policy prohibiting hazing.
The name of the elite Scott Volunteers, a company made up of the
best-drilled cadets, was changed to the Ross Volunteers during the
summer of 1890. With increased funding by the legislature for
improvements, support and management and monies from the
nation's Morrill college fund, the university was on good financial
standing. More and more families were sending their sons to
A&M College because of Ross' presidency there. Although the
university and Ross would undergo scrutiny by the legislature and
retaliations by politicians who sought to undermine his administra-
tion, he weathered the storms and continued to lead the college into
a period of growth and prosperity.
During his tenure as president of Texas A&M College from
1891-1898 , the campus expanded with the construction of many
new facilities including a 500 seat mess hall, dormitories, infirmary
with an indoor toilet, artesian well, natatorium, electric light plant,
four faculty residences, ice plant, laundry, cold storage facility,
slaughterhouse, gymnasium, warehouse and an artillery shed. He
was assessable to students and participated in as many student
activities as his busy schedule would allow. Every month, he pre-
pared grade sheets for each student and called students into his
office for counseling if grades were not up to standard. Although
Sul believed a policy of co-education at the college should be
adopted, admission of women other than the wives and daughters
of faculty and staff would not become a reality until 1965.
Many of the traditions and iconic symbols that remain at Texas
A&M University today were originated during Sul Ross' tenure as
president including the Aggie ring, formation of the Aggie band,
the first intercollegiate football game (played against the
University of Texas,) the glee club (Singing Cadets,) publication of
the Battalion newspaper, the original yearbook called The Olio,
and creation of many other campus organizations.
During Christmas vacation of 1897, Sul went on a deer hunting
trip along the Navasota River with his son Neville and several fam-
ily friends. During the outing, he suffered a severe case of indiges-
tion accompanies by chills. He decided to return home and arrived
back in College Station on December 30th to consult with a doctor.
After several days of pain, he unexpectedly died on January 8,
1898 at the age of 59 years and 3 months. It is believed his death
was due to food poisoning or a coronary heart attack. The entire
student body accompanied his body back to Waco where he was
buried in the Oakwood Cemetery. An honor guard of Confederate
veterans dressed in gray uniforms assembled at the grave site along
with several thousand people for his final corps trip. Students
immediately began raising funds for a lasting memorial to their lost
leader and president.
In 1917 the Texas Legislature appropriated $10,000 for a monu-
ment to be constructed to honor Sul Ross for his lifetime contribu-
tion of service to the state and Texas A&M College. Two years
later the ten foot bronze statue of Lawrence Sullivan (Sul) Ross
that stands today in the Academic Plaza at Texas A&M University
was dedicated. Legend has it that Sul often tutored students but
would only take one penny as payment. Students still leave pen-
nies at the foot of Sul Ross' stature before taking exams in
hopes for his divine intervention. An additional tribute to Sul
Ross was the establishment of Sul Ross Normal College in
Alpine, now Sul Ross State University, which was created by
the Thirty-fifth Legislature in 1917.
An editorial in Dallas Morning News published the morn-
ing after his death offered a fitting tribute to Sul Ross. "It
has been the lot of few men to be of such great service to
Texas as Sul Ross. . .Throughout his life he has been closely
connected with the public welfare and. . .discharged every
duty imposed upon him with diligence, ability, honesty and
patriotism. . .He was not a brilliant chieftain in the field, nor
was he masterful in the art of politics, but, better than either,
he was a well-balanced, well-rounded man from whatever
standpoint one might estimate him. In his public relations he
exhibited sterling common sense, lofty patriotism, inflexible
honesty and withal a character so exalted that he commanded
at all times not only the confidence but the affection of the
people. . . He leaves a name that will be honored as long as
chivalry, devotion to duty and spotless integrity are standards
of our civilization and an example which ought to be an inspi-
ration to all young men of Texas who aspire to careers of pub-
lic usefulness and honorable renown.
Sources: Sul Ross: Soldier, Statesman, Educator by Judith
Ann Benner; Handbook of Texas Online and other internet
sources.
The trial of Satanta and Big Tree
By WYNELLE CATLIN
H.H. McConnell, who wrote
Five Years A Cavalryman, joined
the army in 1866 and was sent to
the Texas frontier to protect set-
tlers from Indian depredations.
A
rriving at Jacksboro, the soldiers began to put
together picket cabins for barracks. (Logs
were set upright in trenches to make the
walls.) Before they got settled in, orders came and part
of the troops were sent to Fort Belknap, a pre-war fort
that was being refurbished, and part were sent to
Buffalo Springs where a fort was being established.
McConnell went to Fort Belknap for a short time,
then on to Buffalo Springs. North and west were isolat-
ed countrysides. Though soldiers were ordered not to
travel about alone, Indians were rarely seen and mostly
army life was monotonous. He participated in only one
incident with Indians when a raiding party came
through the countryside stealing horses and mules.
Buffalo Springs was ordered abandoned when it was
discovered there was not a sufficient water supply for a
fort. Orders were to erect a fort at the south edge of
Jacksboro on the banks of Lost Creek.
McConnell went to Jacksboro with troops who hastily
erected shelters for themselves from worn out tents and
'paulins. The fort was being erected with a nice large
hospital of locally quarried rock. Also a rock bakery
and commissary. Five wooden officers' quarters were
built. Again, the soldiers had picket barracks, which at
one time sheltered 3,000 men.
He was sent to Kansas, but was back to Fort
Richardson before the Warren Wagon Train Massacre in
1871. Following is his account of the event:
During the early months of 1871, the incursions of
hostile Indians had been unusually frequent and were
marked by a degree of ferocity unknown during recent
years. So loud and urgent were the appeals made by the
citizens to the authorities in Washington that General
W.T. Sherman, then commanding the army, determined
to tour the frontier posts, including Fort Richardson in
Texas and Fort Sill in Indian Territory.
On the evening of May 17th General Sherman,
accompanied by General Randolph R. Marcy, Inspector
General of the Army, with an escort of seventeen men
of the Tenth Infantry, arrived at Fort Richardson. Marcy,
one of the most accomplished soldiers of the old army,
took occasion to remark in his journal, as he rode from
Fort Belknap to Jacksboro, 'This rich and beautiful sec-
tion of country does not contain today as many white
people as it did when I was stationed here eighteen
years ago, and if the Indian marauders are not punished
the whole country seems to be in fair way of becoming
depopulated.'
The day after General Sherman arrived at Fort
Richardson, the mule train of Captain Henry Warren, a
government contractor at Fort Griffin, was attacked by
a band of 150 Indians near Flat Top Mountain about
halfway between Jacksboro and
Belknap. The wagonmaster and six
teamsters killed, one severely
wounded, and two teamsters
escaping.
The very spot on
which the massacre took
place had been passed
over by the General
and his party the day
previous. Had the
Indians attacked
them, so over-
whelming was
their number, he
and those who
accompanied him
might have met a
similar fate to
those with the
wagon train.
Immediately on
receipt of the news,
the General sent
General Mackenzie
with one hundred and
fifty cavalry and thirty
days rations on pack ani-
mals, to pursue and chastise
the marauders.
On the last day of General
Sherman's stay at Fort Richardson, a dele-
gation of citizens from Jacksboro proceeded to visit him
and lay before him the exact condition of affairs grow-
ing out of the policy of allowing the Indians to leave
their reservations, and assured him that unless decisive
action was taken, and these raids stopped, Northwest
Texas would soon become depopulated, and a delightful
and improving country allowed to lapse into barbarism.
The General listened attentively and seemed to grasp
the situation, stating that he felt keenly the injustice of
the Indian policy of the government and promised to do
all in his power to remedy the existing conditions. The
deputation obtained permission to go to Fort Sill and
recover stock stolen from them by the Indians, in case
they could identify, satisfactorily, the animals.
During the day, General Mackenzie verified the
report of the massacre of the teamsters of Captain
Warren's train; their bodies were found to be horribly
mutilated, and one was burned to a cinder, the savages
having chained the poor fellow between the wheels of a
wagon and built a fire under him.
On the 20th day of May, General Sherman and his
escort left for Fort Sill, via Victoria Peak and Red
River Station, reaching there on the after-
noon of the 23rd.
Lowrie Tatem, agent of the Kiowas
and Comanches, an estimable
Quaker gentleman, called on
General Sherman soon after his
arrival, and it was very evident
that he conscientiously
believed the experiment then
being tried with those
Indians was a failure in a
great measure.
On the afternoon of
May 27, about four
o'clock, several Kiowa
chiefs, among them
Satanta, Satank, Kicking
Bird and Lone Wolf, came
to the agency to draw their
rations. In a talk with the
agent, Satanta boasted that
he, with one hundred twenty
warriors, had made the recent
attack on the train, that he, or
they, had killed seven teamsters
and drove off forty-one mules. Said
he, 'If any other Indian said he did it,
he was a liar. He was the chief who
commanded.' He pointed out Satank and
Big (or Tall) Tree and also another chief as
having taken part in the action.
The interpreter having conveyed Satanta's words to
the agent, the latter at once reported the facts to General
Sherman, and requested him to arrest the Indians con-
cerned. The General sent for them and Satanta acknowl-
edged what he had stated to the agent and the General
immediately informed him he would confine them and
send them to Texas for trial by the civil authorities.
Satanta now began to see the serious trouble he was
in, and to protest that he did not personally kill anybody
in the fight, nor did he even blow his bugle; that his
young men wanted to have a little fight and to take a
few white scalps and he went with them to show them
how to make war.
(Author's Note: Satanta had been given the bugle by
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Jesse, son of General Leavenworth. Satanta and Jesse
were friends as teenagers and roamed the prairies
together. And remained friends until their middle
years.)
Satanta added that awhile before this the whites
had killed three of his people and wounded four
more, and he thought he was now square and ready to
quit. General Sherman told him it was very cowardly
for a hundred warriors to attack twelve poor teamsters
and that he would send the three Indians implicated to
Texas. Seeing no escape, Satanta remarked that rather
than be sent to Texas, he preferred being shot on the
spot.
Kicking Bird, one of the most influential chiefs of
his tribe, interceded for his friends but the General,
while informing him that he was aware of his good
influences, firmly told him that the arrested Indians
must be sent to Texas.
Satanta was long a name on the plains to hate and
abhor; an abject beggar in the camps of the pale-face,
a demon on the trail. All of which means that said
Satanta was a typical Indian, and consequently a bad
one. The truth is that neither Satanta nor Big Tree
were either exceptionally bad or unusually distin-
guished above their fellows; in fact, they were not
very prominent as chiefs in their tribe, but as they
happened to be caught in the perpetration of this
crime during the opportune visit of the General of the
army and were made examples of, as was proper, it is
in order to depict them in the blackest colors, and
ascribe to them all the crimes in the (Indian) calendar
and all the savage traits in the superlative degree.
They have at any rate achieved celebrity, and their
capture and trial will go down into history as one of
the causes 'celebre.'
At the conclusion of Kicking Bird's harangue, a
detachment of about twenty soldiers came up in front
of the piazza where everyone was assembled, at
which the Indians seemed much excited, nearly all of
hem having either a Colt's revolver or a Spencer car-
bine, or both. Lone Wolf, a chief, now rode up on a
fine horse, dismounted, laid two carbines and a bow
and quiver of arrows on the ground, tied his horse to
the fence. Then throwing his blanket from his shoul-
ders fastened it around his waist, picked up the car-
bine in one hand and the bow and arrows in the other,
and with the most deliberate and defiant air strode up
to the piazza; then giving one of the carbines to an
Indian who had no arms, and the bow and arrows to
another, who at once strung the bow and pulled out a
handful of arrows, he seated himself and cocked his
carbine, at which the soldiers all brought their carbine
to an 'aim' upon the crowd. Whereupon Satanta and
some other Indians held up their hands and cried,
'No! No! No! Don't shoot!'
The soldiers were directed not to fire, but just at
this moment shots were heard being fired outside of
the fort. The guard had been ordered to permit no
Indians to leave without further instructions. Some
Indians in attempting to go out had been halted by the
sentinels, when one of them shot an arrow wounding
one of the sentinels. The shot was returned by the sol-
dier, killing the Indian as he was riding off.
When the excitement had subsided a little, the
General told the Indians they must return the forty-
one mules, which Kicking Bird promised to do. He
went off for them, but on his arrival at the camp, he
discovered the squaws had been frightened and ran
off with all their animals except eight, which were
taken possession of. All the Indians were allowed to
leave except the prisoners who were put in irons and
closely guarded.
Satanta, Big Tree and Satank were heavily ironed
(what Colonel Starr used to call 'shoeing them all
around', and on the 31st two of them were safely
lodged in the guardhouse of Fort Richardson by
Colonel Mackenzie, under whose escort, with a
detachment of soldiers, they were brought from Fort
Sill.
One day while on the trip, Satank loosed his heavy
handcuffs by gnawing and stripping the flesh to the
bone. With the swiftness and ferocity of a tiger he
seized a carbine, and, springing from the wagon,
attempted to shoot one of the soldiers, although he
must have known the consequences, but preferred
death to taking the chances of Texas justice. A soldier
at once sent a calibre fifty-six Spencer ball through
him, and he fell lifeless to the ground. This incident
had a salutary effect on Satanta and Big Tree and they
were exceedingly docile during the balance of the
trip.
The arrest of these Indians and their approaching
trial created great interest throughout Northwest
Texas, and Judge Charles Soward, as soon as he was
informed of their arrival, fixed for their trial at the
approaching term of the district court.
Upon the opening of the July term of court, the
grand jury, with S.W. Eastin, foreman, promptly
indicted the two distinguished cut-throats, and on
Wednesday, July 5, 1871, the memorable trial com-
menced in the old courthouse in Jacksboro with his
Honor Charles Soward on the bench. The prosecution
was conducted by Hon. S.W.T. Lanham, district attor-
ney. Thomas Ball and Joe Woolfork appeared as
counsel for the prisoners. The jury consisted of
Thomas Williams, foreman; John Cameron, Evert
Johnson, Jr.,
H.B. Verner, Stanley Cooper, William Hensley,
John H. Brown, Peter Lynn, Peter Hart, Daniel C.
Brown, L.P. Bunch and James Cooley.
The principal witnesses were General Mackenzie,
Lowrie Tatem and Thomas Brazeale, one of the team-
sters who escaped the massacre. At the conclusion of
the testimony, the attorneys for the prisoners made
every effort to convince the jury of the innocence of
their clients (?) after which Mr. Lanham closed with a
powerful address.
Lanham said, in part, This is a novel and impor-
tant trial, and has perhaps no precedent in the history
of American criminal jurisprudence. The remarkable
character of the prisoners, who are leading represen-
tatives of their race, their crude and barbarous appear-
ance, the gravity of the charge, the number of the vic-
tims, the horrid brutality and inhuman butchery
inflicted upon the bodies of the dead, the dreadful and
terrible spectacle of seven men who were husbands,
fathers, brothers, sons and lovers on he morning of
the dark and bloody day of this atrocious deed, and
rose from their rude tents, bright with hope, in prime
and pride of manhood, found at a later hour beyond
recognition, in every condition of horrid disfiguration,
unutterable mutilation and death. Mistaken sympa-
thy for these vile creatures has kindled the flame
around the cabin of the pioneer and despoiled him of
his hard earnings, murdered and scalped our people
and carried off our women into captivity worse than
death. We have cried aloud for help, we have
begged for relief, deaf ears have been turned to our
cries,and the story of our wrongs has been discredit-
ed. Had it not been for General Sherman and his most
opportune journey through this section and his per-
sonal observation of this dire tragedy, it may well be
doubted whether these brutes in human shape would
ever have been brought to trial.
McConnell wrote, The evidence against the pris-
oners was so direct, their absence from the reserva-
tion for thirty days, their return with the captured
mules and other property, the boasting of Satanta that
it was he, Satank and Big Tree who led the raid, the
evidence of the sergeant who identified and described
the arrows as those of the Kiowas; in short, the same
amount of evidence would have convicted white men
had they been charged with similar crimes.
On July 8th Judge Soward delivered his charge to
the jury, minutely detailing the facts as adduced at the
trial and after a brief absence the jury returned and
rendered their verdict of 'murder in the first degree.'
The prisoners were remanded to the custody of the
Sheriff and subsequently sentenced to be hung.
Author's note: For fear of reprisal from the Indians,
the death sentence was changed to life imprisonment.
Later, Satanta and Big Tree were released with the
stipulation that they refrain from their warlike ways.
Satanta was arrested again and returned to Huntsville
where he committed suicide by throwing himself off
an upper story balcony. Big Tree remained peacefully
on the reservation the rest of his life.
2103 E. Hubbard Mineral Wells, Texas 76067
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A
Place
in Time
OCTOBER 11, 1878
Kiowa Chief Satanta, incarcerated in the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, leaps to his death from a prison window.
The chief had been convicted in the Warren Wagontrain incident in North Texas. He and fellow chieftain Big Tree were
convicted and sentenced to hang; but the Texas governor, fearing Kiowa reprisals and humanitarian ak commuted the
sentences. After being pardoned, Satanta fell back in with raiding parties and was rearrested and returned to Huntsville.
Learning he would never again be free, he chose suicide.
OCTOBER 13,1824
Palo Pinto County pioneer Simpson Crawford is born near Bear Creek in Breathitt County, Ky. In 1854 he built a home
three-quarters of a mile northwest of Graford in the Keechi Valley. He was a successful rancher, owning some 3,100
acres. He also served in the Mexican War and as a Texas Ranger. He died Aug. 17, 1908, and is buried in Crawford
Cemetery near Graford.
OCTOBER 13, 1940
Announcement is made that Mineral Wells has been selected for location of Infantry Replacement Training Center
(Camp Wolters).
OCTOBER 18, 1918
Palo Pinto County pioneer and educator Jonathan Hamilton Baker dies. He kept a 60-year diary often used as a local
historical reference. He established the rst school in Palo Pinto. "In 1859 Baker was chosen to lead a company of local
men organized to defend the area against Indian attacks. He rst served under Capt. J.R. Baylor and later participated with
Capt. Lawrence Sullivan Ross in the recovery of Cynthia Ann Parker, the white woman seized by Comanches in 1836.
During the Civil War he served as the leader of the home guard. Baker was also an open range cattleman, and in 1869
he began driving his herds to Kansas railheads. Active in local government, he served as deputy sheriff, justice of peace,
deputy postmaster and clerk of the county and district. In 1890 he moved to Granbury, where he became a successful
nurseryman. For over 60 years Baker kept a detailed diary, which now provides a thorough account of his distinguished
life and the frontier of Texas." Quoted text from his state marker.
STORIES & SNIPPETS
Thursday
July 18, 1963
Residents Urged To Curb Use
Of Fresh Water For 40 Days
Residents were urged today to curb their use of fresh water for the
next 40 days by City Water and Sanitation Commissioner Harry Shuffer.
The community has repeatedly been put in a precarious position this sum-
mer because residents did not heed the request to cut down on the use of
water, he pointed out.
I have asked the people to please not use any more water than nec-
essary during the months of July and August, but they do not pay atten-
tion to my appeal, Shuffer said. He continued:
Every evening around 5 or 6 oclock, some parts of town are
completely out of water while other parts are watering up a storm. If this
continues to happen, we are going to be forced to shut off booster pumps
so the water will be distributed equally.
We start off every morning with a full storage capacity and run
every pump during the day, but we lose ground all day. And around 5
or 6 oclock every evening the tank is so low that some parts of town are
completely out of water for three or four hours until we can gain it back in
the tank.
Please do not use water that is not necessary for the next 40 days.
_____________________________________________________________
This series of pieces from the past is meant to remind us of this areas unique
history. The material comes from old issues maintained at the Index offce and
is presented pretty much as it appeared in print. These papers are quite yel-
lowed and brittle, deteriorating from age. By publishing these pieces perhaps
we can keep them in play in the digital world for years to come. For clarity,
some punctuation issues have been addressed. Hopefully you will enjoy these
tiny windows to the past. Feedback is appreciated and will be shared. E-mail
publisher@mineralwellsindex.com or send your letter to Mineral Wells Index,
P.O. Box 370, Mineral Wells, Texas 76068, attention publisher. You may also
drop it by our offce at 300 S.E. 1st. St. in Mineral Wells. Thanks for reading!
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First Month
1/2 PRICE
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Only
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NAPA Auto Parts
Two Locations
Mineral Wells
940-325-9564
800 S.E. 1st Street
Weatherford
817-594-2736
1512 Ft. Worth Hwy.
Todd Hamilton
316 East Hubbard 940-325-9434
Mineral Wells, TX 76067 Fax 940-325-4009
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