The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 104, July 2000 - April, 2001 Page: 519
673 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Two Captivities of Adolph Korn
ily struggled financially. They tried raising sheep, probably on shares at
first. Searching for better grazing land, the Korns temporarily relocated
to various places in present-day Kimble and Menard Counties, although
they kept their homestead at Castell. To get by, Louis and Johanna Korn
sent their children to work for other families as soon as they were old
enough.'
On New Year's Day 1870, ten-year-old Adolph Korn and his twin bro-
ther Charlie were herding sheep for their neighbor, August Leifeste, on
the south bank of the Llano River about two miles west of Leifeste's
home near Castell. Around noon they saw some people riding across a
distant hill and assumed they were coming from church. Soon, however,
the boys were set upon by three Arizona Apaches.10 One of the Apaches
grabbed Adolph, hit him on the head with a pistol, and threw him over
his horse. Charlie, who had avoided capture by hiding in the brush, ran
off to break the terrifying news. Louis Korn, August Leifeste and a group
of men searched for Adolph, calling his name and whistling. Adolph
later told his family that he heard the men calling, but could do nothing
in response. About twelve days later, the Apaches traded him to a Quaha-
da Comanche."
As with most anecdotal history, the stories about Adolph's capture
vary considerably. It is regrettable that a number of published accounts
erroneously state that Adolph was captured by the Comanches. While
, Wilbert, Kernels of Korn, 19, 21, lo; O C. Fisher, "Louis Korn," in Mason County Historical
Book (Mason, Tex.: Mason County Historical Commission and Mason County Historical Society,
1976), 145; O. C. Fisher, It Occurred in Kimble (1937; reprint, San Angelo: Talley Press, 1984),
133; Hazel Oatman Bowman, interview with Hannah Korn Hey, Jan., [1935] (photostat of notes
in possession of the author). Adolph's older stepsister Hannah Hey, who was interviewed by a
number of journalists and historians between 1928 and 1943, was the primary source of anecdo-
tal information about him. Hannah Hey's stories were generally consistent and were often cor-
roborated by other sources However, she did tell Bowman that the Indians traded Adolph to a
white man for a barrel of crackers, and that this man sold Adolph to Louis Korn for $ioo. Ibid.
Bowman included this story in her newspaper article about Castell. Bowman, "Quaint Castell,"
D3. Interestingly, the same "crackers" legend was also associated with another Indian captive
from Mason County, William Hoerster. J. Marvin Hunter, "Brief History of the Early Days in
Mason County," Frontier Times, 6 (Dec., 1928), 124; author's interview with Jane Hoerster, Sept.
2000.
1o Affidavit of Adolph Korn; Wilbert, Kernels of Korn, 19; Bowman, "Quaint Castell," D3; au-
thor's interview with Johnlta Schuessler Bohmfalk (great-granddaughter of August Leifeste),
Dec. 2ooo, Hunter, "Brief History," 122-124 (Hunter's article incorrectly identifies Adolph's
date of capture as "the latter part of 187o" and his captors as Comanches rather than Apaches);
Lawrie Tatum, Our Red Brothers and the Peace Polzcy of President Ulysses S. Grant (1899, reprint, Lin-
coln University of Nebraska Press, 970), 139; Thomas C. Battey, The Life and Adventures of a
Quaker Among the Indians (1875; reprint, Williamstown, Mass.: Corner House Publishers, 1972),
87. Both Tatum and Battey misspelled the name as Adolph "Kohn."
" Wilbert, Kernels of Korn, 19; Bowman, "Quaint Castell," D3. Bowman's account does not men-
tion Charhe Korn. Instead, it states that August Leifeste knew something was wrong when the
sheep dog returned alone. Bowman obtained most of her information about Adolph from
Leifeste's son, Charles. Affidavit of Adolph Korn; Tatum, Our Red Brothers, 139; Battey, A Quaker
Among the Indians, 87-88; Mason County News, July 6, 1900, p. 3; Winfrey and Day (eds.), The Indi-
an Papers of Texas, IV, 427, 429. An alternate spelling is "Quahad."2001
519
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 104, July 2000 - April, 2001, periodical, 2001; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101221/m1/597/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.