The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 80, July 1976 - April, 1977 Page: 284
492 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
far as I know. Mr. Specht is the postmaster in Fredericksburg. He was
formerly in South America. The postal connections between Fredericksburg
and New Braunfels are still very inadequate at the present time. Letters
are carried when an occasion is offered. I met here the so-called little
Darmstidter [man from Darmstadt], Mr. Hesse from the Darmstadt
colony.80 He has a liquor shop.
In the vicinity of Fredericksburg is a division of soldiers. The Indians
carry on barter with the people of Fredericksburg. They bring bear grease,
buffalo hides, venison, etc., and take along brandy, etc., in exchange. A
troup of Comanches was here yesterday. I was standing in front of a store
when their captain asked for tobacco. He was a large, strongly built man.
His hair was pitch black and extremely thick. A fur cap with feathers
covered his head. A fine, blue, English coat formed a sort of uniform. On
his chest hung a silver emblem. His arrows were stuck in a beautiful quiver
made of tiger skin which he wore on his back. He rode a strong horse. His
facial features were not engaging, and his men and women companions
made the impression of a band of Gypsies. Several of them wore nothing
but loincloths and subjected their uncovered heads to the sunrays without
harm. Others were dressed in varying degrees. Some even revealed con-
siderable love of finery. A Prussian uniform was quite becoming to one of
the chief men. Rudeness, wildness, and cunning was reflected in the faces
of most of them. However, I must not forget to mention one beautiful
trait. One of this band of Indians had stayed behind last year because he
became sick. Ranzleben, among others, had cared for him there. When he
saw Ranzleben in our group, he reached out his hand to him and with
tears in his eyes he expressed his thanks to him.
The Indians live in tents, and their beds are made of buffalo hides.
They earn their livelihood by hunting. When one region has been over-
hunted, they move on to another. We found many signs of this sort of
camp. Morality is almost out of the question in most tribes. The white
people have burdened themselves with many sins regarding this matter.
Mr. von Kriewitz"s from Potsdam is said to have lived among the Co-
manches for a long time. The tribe encamped on the Pedernales were Dela-
80Steinert is referring to the Bettina colony near Castell discussed above. See note 50.
81Baron Emil von Kriewitz, who arrived from Germany in 1845 and settled in
Fredericksburg, took a group of colonists across the Llano River in I847 to establish
the settlement of Castell on the Fisher-Miller Grant. This was the first permanent
settlement in Llano County. King, Meusebach, 122. Concerning von Kriewitz, see also
Terry G. and Marlis Anderson Jordan, (eds. and trans.), "Letters of A German
Pioneer in Texas," Southwestern Historical Quarterly, LXIX (April, 1966), 464, 466;
Geue, New Land, 116; Reinhardt, "The Communistic Colony of Bettina." See note 5o.284
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 80, July 1976 - April, 1977, periodical, 1976/1977; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101204/m1/328/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.