Indian Attacks in Uvalde County

Uvalde County, TX
Native American Data

"Indian Outrages in Uvalde County"
FOR the following account of Indian outrages in Uvalde county we are indebted chiefly to Mr. Ross Kennedy, a well known citizen of that county:

The first murder committed by the Indians in Uvalde county of which we have any account was Louis Thompson, who was killed some time in September, 1859, while gathering pecans on the Frio river. He was charged upon by a party of seven Indians, who evidently ran in between him and his wagon, in which he had left his gun, and of course he was killed without being able to make any resistance. The same party of Indians, it is supposed, in October, killed a Mr. White on Hondo creek, near where the main wagon road crosses it. On the twenty-eighth of October, 1859, the same band killed John M. Davenport on the main wagon road, two miles east of the Sabinal river. Davenport was a native of Tennessee and emigrated from Arkansas to Uvalde in 1849. At one time he was captain of a minute company. He left a wife and five children. The day after he was killed about fifteen citizens collected together and took the Indian trail. Lieutenant Hazen, of the United States army, with fourteen men, also pursued the Indians, and on the second day out he overtook them on the west prong of the Nueces river. He charged upon them at once and the Indians retreated before him, occasionally making a stand at favorable localities. In this way a running fight was kept up for about nine miles, when the Indians went over a bluff almost perpendicular, thirty or forty feet in height, and the Texans abandoned the chase. Three Indians were left dead on the ground and Davenport's scalp, pistol, hat and clothing were recovered. Three of the citizens were wounded in this fight and Lieutenant Hazen also. The citizens gave great praise to Lieutenant Hazen and his men for their gallant conduct in this affair. These Indians were Lipans and Kickapoos from Mexico. John Bowls was a man about fifty years of age and came, we believe, to Uvalde from Greenville, Tennessee, some time in 1856. From his frequent use of the phrase, when excited, he was known as "Hog My Cats" Bowls. He lived on the Leona river. He was killed by Indians on the Sabinal while out in search of one of his horses. The horse was belled and it is supposed the Indians decoyed him into a thicket by rattling a bell, where he was killed without resistance, as he had no arms. When he failed to return, a party of citizens went out to search for him. They searched the country thoroughly for about a week but did not succeed in finding any trace of him. Finally, however, his remains were found by his son Greenville, partially devoured by wolves.

About twelve months previous to his death Mr. Bowls had corraled a number of fine horses near his house. A party of Indians discovered the caballada and concluded to take possession of it. So one night when the moon was about full they cautiously crawled up to the corral and succeeded in driving the horses out; but just at this juncture the baying of their dogs alarmed the family, and Bowls and his sons ran out with their guns, drove the Indians off and rounded the horses back into the corral. But Bowls was not satisfied with merely regaining possession of his property. There was a ford on the river about half a mile from his house, where he supposed the Indians would cross, and he made for it with all the speed he could, so as to get there before the Indians arrived. As soon as he reached the crossing he concealed himself in some hackberry bushes a short distance above and patiently waited for Mr. Lo to put in an appearance. He was armed with a large double barrel gun, both barrels charged with about forty "blue whistlers" each, and powder in proportion. In a little while the Indians came up and halted within fair gun shot range on the bluff above him. The moon was shining brightly, and Bowls leveled the old blunderbuss upon them, took deliberate aim, pulled the trigger of the right hand barrel— and snapped. He instantly pulled the trigger of the left hand barrel, and it went off with the report of a small piece of ordnance, and at the same moment two Indians and one horse came tumbling over the bluff, and were as dead as hammers when they reached the bottom. A third Indian was also badly wounded by the old blunderbuss, and was subsequently trailed for several miles by his blood. Bowls's sons, hearing- the report of his gun, hurried to his assistance, and when they came up they found the old man standing on the dead body of an Indian and exclaiming: "Hog my cats ! you won't steal any more horses from me." The old man's sons, William and Greenville, are now living in the town of Uvalde. On or about the middle of March, 1860, an old gentleman by the name of Schroon, who lived at D'hanis, in Medina county, was killed by Indians. He was a native of Louisiana, was one of Castro's colonists, and immigrated to the colony about 1846. He was attacked by a party of twelve Indians whilst engaged in hauling fire wood, and as he had no arms with him, was quickly despatched. He left a wife and three children. "The same party of Indians the next morning" says Mr. Kennedy," killed a Mexican boy about eighteen years old employed at my ranch, while he was out hunting stock. He was shot through the heart, and was dead before I came to his assistance, five minutes afterwards, but the Indians did not have time to scalp him. "We always kept shod horses, dried beef and hard baked crackers for such emergencies, and in a very short time we started off, leaving my wife alone in the house with the dead body of the Mexican boy, who told us not to turn back until we had settled accounts with the Indians. About two hours after we started we were joined by General W. B. Knox with two men, who was under the impression that some mules stolen from his wagon train were in the possession of this party of Indians. Towards evening we lost the trail on the west branch of the Sabinal, six miles above the main wagon road. Near this place we found the dead bodies of two white men,--- Huffman and --- Wolf. Wolf's throat was cut from ear to ear, and the bodies were lying about twenty feet apart. We found there, also, the dead body Of an Indian, killed as we supposed by Wolf. The Indians had placed it in the forks of a live oak tree, with his blanket rolled around him, and his shield, bow and arrows and other equipments were placed near it. We supposed, from the character of the "sign" on the ground, that Wolf and Huffman had made an attack on the Indians. I knew Huffman personally. He was a very daring and fearless man, and on several occasions, when riding express for the United States government, had been known to attack parties of Indians when alone.

From this point, after some search, we found the trail again, going up the bed of Blanco creek to about twenty miles above the main crossing. The trailer, W. A. Crane, who was riding in front, suddenly halted, and looking back pointed to the Indian saddle horses grazing in a small glade about fifty yards distant on the right of the creek. I immediately motioned to the men to dismount, dismounted myself, had the horses tied securely and detailed two men to guard them, intending with the rest, under cover of a small ravine, to get in between the Indians and the cedar brakes, and thus cut off their retreat. General Knox was opposed to this movement—thought it best to make a direct charge upon the Indians; and contrary to my own judgment, this was done. The Indian horses were consequently stampeded by our approach, which gave the Indians timely notice of our presence, and they secreted themselves in the dense cedar brakes near their camp before we could get a shot at them. Everything they had, however, was captured — horses, shields, guns, bows and arrows, and all their camp equipage. The Indians had just barbecued a fat yearling, which was very acceptable to us. Before daylight we were back at Sabinal with the stolen caballada. Next day we went up and buried the bodies of Wolf and Huffman in the same grave."

Henry Shane, a young man about eighteen years of age, was employed by Major Riordan to attend to his stock on Pinto creek, ten miles west of Fort Clark. Whilst out on the range, a party of sixteen Indians charged upon him, took him prisoner, whipped him severely with a rawhide strap and then tied him on the back of a mule. They then went off in a northwesterly direction and traveled until two or three o'clock the next morning, when they halted and encamped. They took young Shane from the mule, and after they had amused themselves by whipping him again severely with rawhide straps, they put him to bed with an old Indian who smelt worse, young Shane said, than a turkey buzzard's nest. The next morning they tied him on the mule and started off again. About nine o'clock they stopped for the purpose of getting some breakfast and untied young Shane. Just then it so happened that a party of United States soldiers from Fort Clark, guided by a Mexican by the name of Rookey, discovered the Indians and immediately charged upon them. Young Shane, taking advantage of the melee that ensued, fled for life and liberty, but not before one of his captors sent an arrow through his arm. Said he heard a good deal of shooting after he left, but does not know who whipped, the Indians or the United States soldiers. He said, however, that he had been badly "whipped" himself. He wandered about for four days in the woods without anything to eat except a small piece of dried meat, but eventually made his way back to Major Riordan's ranch, considerably worsted by his outing with the Indians. Major Riordan was very glad to see him again, bought him a new six shooter, with which he subsequently squared accounts with the Indians on several occasions for the whippings they had given him. Shane still lives in Uvalde county.

Henry M. Robinson and Henry Adams were killed by Indians at the Chalk bluff, on the Nueces river, about March 7, 1861, while on their way to Camp Wood. A. M. Robinson had been on the frontier for many years. He was a stockman and farmer and sometimes was employed at Fort Inge to trail and fight Indians. He was married and left a wife and nine children, all now living in Uvalde county except one girl and a boy, hereafter mentioned. There were sixteen Indians in the party that murdered these men. From the sign it was evident the two men had stopped to make coffee, and that the Indians crept upon them under cover of some drift wood and killed them before they could use their guns. After killing Robinson and Adams the Indians went to Robinson's house, about seven miles from the Chalk bluff, and attacked it. Mrs. Robinson was on a visit to one of her neighbors at the time, and hearing some noise went to the door and saw the Indians chasing the children. A boy named George, about sixteen years old, who had a gun, fired upon the Indians and was immediately shot down himself. The balance of the children ran towards their mother, who soon afterwards joined them, and in her desperation she endeavored to drive the Indians back by throwing rocks at them, but such weapons were of little avail against guns and bows and arrows. They shot a girl about fourteen years old named Kilrey, who was visiting the Robinson family, but, strange to say, they made no attempt to shoot Mrs. Robinson and the other children and they all escaped. Courage is more highly esteemed among savages than anything else, and perhaps the Indians refrained from killing Mrs. Robinson and the rest in consideration of her heroic attempt to defend the children by throwing rocks. Although Miss Kilrey was shot with arrows, lanced, scalped and left for dead, she eventually recovered from her wounds and went to California. The Indians plundered Mrs. Robinson's house, took everything they fancied, cut open the beds and scattered the feathers to the four winds of heaven, and appropriated all the provisions they could carry off. One of their acts was quite unaccountable. When they killed Robinson they took one of his socks. In his house they found his portrait hanging on the wall. This they took down, placed it on the floor and laid the sock they had stripped from the dead body across it.

Henry Adams was unmarried and lived on Potranco creek, sixteen miles west of San Antonio. Says Kennedy: "I knew him to be a brave and determined man and I am satisfied he would have made a gallant fight if he had had any chance to use his arms."

A. H. Robinson was a son of Henry M. Robinson, was about fourteen years of age and lived on Frio river with his mother and family, twenty-two miles north of the town of Uvalde. September 8, 1865, while out with his brother collecting fire wood a short distance from the house they were fired upon by a party of twelve Indians and A. H. Robinson was killed. His brother, however, was untouched, and running into some thick brush succeeded in making his escape. There was no man in the house at the time but the women hastily put on men's apparel, and taking guns in their hands, showed themselves to the Indians, and this warlike demonstration no doubt prevented them from making an attack upon it.
In October, 1866, a party of Indians came to the house of Robert Kinchelo, opened the gate and rushed into the yard. There were no men at the place at the time, but as soon as Mrs. Kinchelo discovered their approach she seized a Spencer rifle with the intention of defending herself and the other inmates of the house as best she could. Unfortunately, however, she did not know how to use it, and as the Indians ran to the door she leveled the gun on them, but it failed to go off, whereupon one of the Indians said to her in Spanish: "No bueno" — meaning that the gun was worthless. The two frightened women then hastily closed the door, placed a heavy table against it and seated themselves on top, hoping thereby to prevent the Indians from entering. Mrs. Kinchelo's son, a lad about ten years old, begged his mother to give him the gun, saying that he knew how to use it, but for some reason Mrs. Kinchelo refused to let him have it. The house was made of pickets, and in some places they were so far apart that the Indians could easily, shoot between them. Through these openings they shot Mrs. Kinchelo eleven times with arrows, when she grew so weak from the loss of blood that she fell to the floor. She then gave the gun to Mrs. Bolin, telling her that she was killed, and that she must defend herself and the children. Mrs. Bolin took the gun, but at the very moment she did so an Indian let drive an arrow through an opening between the pickets which penetrated her breast, and she fell dead. As there was no one left to guard the door, the Indians soon forced their way into the house. Before they did so, however, Mrs. Kinchelo crawled to the bed and secreted herself under it, hoping the Indians might leave without observing her. But in this she was mistaken, for as soon as they entered the house they began to search for plunder, and whilst doing so one of them turned up the bed and, discovering her, thrust his lance repeatedly into her body. The poor woman fainted from pain and loss of blood, and supposing she was killed, the Indians left her where she was lying and began to plunder the premises of everything they could possibly carry off. The little boy, previously mentioned, as the Indians came through the front door, ran through the back one and hid himself near by, where he remained undiscovered until the Indians had taken all they wanted. From his place of concealment he watched the Indians as they went off, and saw them going towards a mountain near by. He then ran to the nearest house, about three miles distant, and told the people there what had happened. A Mr. Wiler Oburant, who was at this house, went around the settlement, collected all the men he could find and trailed the Indians to where they had crossed the mountain and repacked their animals, but they were unable to trail them any further. Mrs. Bolin's daughter, a girl seventeen years of age, was out from the house when the Indians attacked it. When she saw them approaching she climbed into a thick cedar tree and concealed herself until they left. She noticed that they came from and went back in the direction of the locality where Mr. Kinchelo's herder, a Mexican, was with his sheep. This, together with the fact that the Indians, the moment they entered the house, burst open a chest in which the Mexican knew Mr. Kinchelo kept his money and other valuables, induced the people to believe he had given them information, not only where they would find the money, but also that the men of the house were absent. The Mexican, no doubt being conscious of his guilt, and fearing that he would be put to death, attempted to escape from his guard, and was killed. Mrs. Kinchelo's infant was lying in its cradle when the Indians entered the house, but for some reason they left it unhurt.

Notwithstanding the many lance and arrow wounds she had received, Mrs. Kinchelo finally recovered, and is now living in Sabinal with her children.

Source: "Indian Depredations in Texas" by J.W. Wilbarger, pub. 1889
Transcribed by K.T.

HALF MOON VALLEY MASSACRE
As told by John Coalson
to
Mrs. Letitia Charlton

I was born in 1843. My parents had seven children, five boys and two girls.
With the tide of immigration my parents drifted westward, encountering many hardships and dangers.
Once when we lived on Coyeras Creek, a tributary to the Llano River, my father, Nick Coalson, owned a fine horse. At night he kept this animal locked in a stable made of heavy timber. Returning one night after dark a bear hunt with two captured cubs, he took the horse to lock him up. Inside the stable were several Indians who fired at dad when he opened the door. One bullet struck him in the hip and he suffered from the wound as long as he lived.
At the time he maintained a pack of hounds. Most of them were vicious. He called them and they drove the Indians away.

Once dad and Mr. Mann went deer hunting. They left at night or evening. The next morning, mother, ever watchful over her brood of youngsters, cautioned us to be quiet as the house was surrounded by Indians. Such firearms as we had were a miscellaneous bunch of junk.

"There was a man by the name of Morris working for dad. He was killed within thirty feet of our door. Mother, seemingly unafraid, put on a hat and a jacket of dad's. The front door to the room where we were was split in two sections. The upper section could be opened while the lower section remained closed.

"I had never seen mother look so beautiful. If they should kill our mother! "Keep quiet, children," she whispered. The color never left her cheeks. She walked calmly to the door with her abundant hair tucked under dad's hat. She then flung the upper portion of the door open and looked out. The Indians retreated and after several depredations left. She learned afterwards from a man who was watching, that the Indians had a lookout who signaled to them that dad and [??] were returning. So they left.

Mother died at [?] about 1872 or 1873. Dad afterwards brought his family to the Edwards County section. He then married a Mrs. [?] Humphrey who had a small child by her former marriage.

After this we moved to a place called Half Moon Prairie, about 14 miles north of [?] near the break of the plains. No more beautiful place can be imagined. A level of grassy valley, always green and formed into a [??] by hills thickly studded with cedar. [??] was situated at the western end of the valley.

My parents had twins, Etta and Arthur. They were [?] ten at this time.

[??] some [?] and dad [?] his place [?] Coopers Creek for sheep. Arthur and I herded them. [?] camp was about six miles from home. Selecting a place, Dad made tanks to catch rain water for the sheep and goats. One morning Arthur and I discovered a bumble-bee nest rich in honey. We worked the greater part of the day trying to kill the bees. Suddenly, we found ourselves surrounded by mounted Indians. Side by side, we started running but I was shot between the shoulders and fell right there. Arthur ran on and was killed some distance from me but I did not know it then. The bullet came out of my chest at the left front and close to my collar bone. The Indians came back and watched me closely at times. On one trip, I must have flinched and they saw that I was still alive. I had my arm across my eyes and one of them shot me through the upper arm. This wound was more painful than the one in my chest. I got up weakly and walked to camp about four-hundred yards away. I let the water out of the barrels and crawled into the puddle. I laid there all night. Next morning, I ate a little barbecued beef and again laid down in the water. Sometime later, I felt a hand on my arm. I felt indifferent but opened my eyes. I was gratified to find the Texas Rangers. They took me and Arthur's body home. Dad had been hard put for he had been fighting Indians all evening and had killed one of the party who had killed Arthur and shot me.

Just one year to a day after this, about 1878, there occurred the massacre of three more members of my family.

It was June. My step-mother wanted to gather some wild grapes growing along Cedar Creek at the east end of the valley. There were no horses handy so mother and Etta, taking the baby with them, each rode a donkey. Dad went with them. Later on, he left them to drive home the milk cows. Dad took the cows through the trail. My step-mother and Etta came back by the road. It was late when Dad arrived home and I felt uneasy about the women. Dad said they were coming by way of the road but I was not satisfied, so I went and found them all three dead. Their bodies lay near where the valley narrowed at the eastern end and where the cedars grow thickly.

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Note: As I had know about this massacre all my life, I have ridden through this valley in later years and could never forbear an eerie feeling of discomfort as I fancied I saw the shifty eyes and feathered heads of Indians in the cedar on either side. (Letitia Charlton.)
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Half Moon Valley Massacre
EDITORIAL FIELD COPY by Mrs. Florence Angermiller, P. W.
Pioneer Experiences From Uvalde Leader-News UVALDE COUNTY, DISTRICT #10 from "American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940"
Transcribed by K.T.

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