A desperate encounter with Indiana--a scouting party badly cut up.
The Houston
Telegraph, of the 4th instant, publishes the following letter from Lampasas,
Hamilton county, Texas, on the frontier, under date of October 24th:
A terrible conflict occurred in
Hamilton county, about 40 miles above this place, about twilight on Saturday evening last, between a scout of seven or eight citizens and a party of
Indians, 12 or 13 in number.
The scout had stopped for the night, when
Witcher, who had ridden some distance from camp, was discovered by the Indians, who at once gave chase, and pursued him so closely that he was compelled to abandon his horse, and save himself by concealment in the thick shin oak thicket.
Grundy Morris, another of the party, who was about three-quarters of a mile from camp, afoot, saw the chase, but not recognizing
Witcher, supposed they were in pursuit of a beef, and giving notice to his comrades, they were soon in the saddle and after the Indians, who promptly turned upon them and gave battle, which raged until dark with great fury, when the soon's having exhausted their fire, were compelled to retire.
Upon getting together after the fight, it was found that
Robert Carter, an old and highly esteemed citizen was missing.
The next morning he was found dead upon the field, his back scalp taken, and with twenty-five wounds upon his person; his horse was lying dead near him. An arrow passed through the calf of
Morris's leg, and punctured the sweat leather of his saddle.
Generally pinning him to it.
Mr. Hurst was shot through the side, the spike of the arrow lodging in the spine, and so firmly was it embedded there, Dis
Ryan and
Douglas inform me, that in extracting it, the whole body was raised before it gave way — the arrow had previously been broken off near the spike, in an attempt to withdraw it.
Lloyd's horse was wounded and died the next day. Townsen's received an arrow in the fore shoulder and one in the hind leg. It is supposed that several of the Indians were wounded, but they managed to cling to their horses.
They were subsequently pursued into
Comanche county, where they scattered and made good their retreat.
The
Telegraph remarks upon the above:
‘
We have received other accounts of Indian forays, which led us to believe that
Pike's great Indian treaty is an unmitigated humbug.
The
Indians are certainly becoming, as troublesome this fall as ever, and at least two regiments of rangers will be required to protect the frontier this winter.
’
We take the following from the San Antonio
Herald:
During the latter part of last week a party of twenty-five Indians visited
Atascosa county, committing serious outrages.
At 3 o'clock on Friday evening they rode through the village at Pleasanion, in the vicinity of which they killed
Mr. Hartington, and wounded
Mr. Anderson and
Mr. E. O'Brien, citizens of the county.
They took from
Mr. Childress about 125 head of horses — including several valuable animals.
From Penalosa they took 29 head.
They killed three negro's belonging to
Marcelius French, who is in the Confederate army in
Virginia.
Mr. Wallace, as we are informed, a citizen of Atascosa, with treaty-eight men, is after the savages, and at last accounts he was but eight hours behind them.
Thirteen of
Mr. Childress's horses were recovered on the trail.
Upon being informed of the facts,
Col. McCulloch sent
Capt. Ragsdale's company in pursuit.
This company is composed principally of frontiersmen, and if it overtakes the redskins it will do good execution.
Since writing the above,
Mrs. Noel, from Atascosa, has given us the following information:
‘
A party of twelve men from the neighborhood started after the Indians and succeeded in recapturing a portion of the horses.
The horses of six of the company gave out, and the riders returned.
The other six overtook the savages, who turned upon them, proving too numerous for the small party.
The
Indians retook the horses, killed
James Winters, wounded
N. Kennard, Speed, and
L. Ward.
Mr. Moore was killed in his buggy a day or two previous.
’
