The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 27, July 1923 - April, 1924 Page: 152
344 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
a boy of sixteen, son of John M. Stephens, the first settler and
leader in Erath County, who himself was much opposed to the
movement against the Indians. Three hundred men from Erath,
Bosque, and Coryell counties then assembled, and elected as their
leader Captain Nelson of Bosque County. The object was to en-
dorse the whites in what had gone before, but Nelson had been
in the campaign of John S. Ford when some of those same friendly
Indians had been along serving the frontier. He sent at once for
me; I had been in command of the friendly Indians in the More-
house campaign.
I went to the camp on the Palo Pinto, in company with Norris,
a lawyer from Coryell, an old Texan who had seen much of
frontier and woods life. He and I were of the same opinion; we
thought the affair ought to be deprecated. Nelson thought this
course would lead to an even higher excitement and antagonism
against the Indians, but decided to call a meeting to send a com-
mission to the Reserve to compromise the matter with the agents.
It was thought that nothing short of a removal of the Indians in
time would put an end to the aggression on the part of the whites.
The commissioners chosen were James M. Norris, a man by
the name of Walker from Bosque, and myself, and we proceeded
to the Reserve. Captain Plummer of the United States Rifles, with
his company of cavalry, two companies of United States infantry,
and one piece of artillery was there guarding the Indians. The
agents were absent. More or less was said to little purpose. The
Indians seemingly were not much excited. I told them the people
demanded that they should remain on their reserve, and their
early removal out of Texas. They indicated willingness to this
course. Captain Plummer said he was subject to higher authority,
but would endeavor, if possible, to avoid a collision with the
people.
We remained several days. The agents did not arrive. We
returned to camp on the Palo Pinto without making any definite
arrangements, but expressed our opinion that the Indians, officers,
and agents would carry out the course suggested. The men dis-
banded to their homes, and to set the situation before him I wrote
to Governor Runnels. Later he entered into correspondence with
the Department of Interior to bring about the removal of all the
Indians out of Texas.152
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 27, July 1923 - April, 1924, periodical, 1924; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101086/m1/158/: accessed May 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.