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Lr ':;ords EDIT0RIAL FLUX COPY Page 1
by 83X
Urs. Florence AngermIller, P.W.
)ioneer Reminiscences UVALDE COUNTY. DISTRICT #10
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JACK W. PATTERSON
Uvalde, Texas.
"I was pretty .young when the Indians Were in this county bui.-
remember when I was standing around wishing I could go on one of those
Indian scouts. Then when night came and they sent me to loilk the stable
door I would be scared to death, afraid an Indian was going to grab
me every step, .We used to keep the stable door looked to keep the Indians
from stealing the horses.
"I was born in 1862 but I can surely remember when my grandfather's
slaves left after the war. There vas one girl named Margaret they per-
suaded to leave with them, but she got away from them after they started
and came running back. She stayed with my grandfather end grandmother
from then on. Margaret washed for me and my wife after we were married.
Patterson
"Grandfather 7atterson settled/the settlement. The whole family
came there. Uncle John, Newman and George. Grandfather's name was George
W. and in 1874, he came to Texas from Alabama and settled in St. Augustine
County, then he went to Smith County. In 1851 he moved. to UYelde county,
settling seven miles south of the present town of Sabinal where Chunky
Shane now lives. He pre-empted a homestead, and later added to his
tract by nurchase. He assisted in organising the county and helning
locate the county seat.
"Farming was just an experiment out here, then. Indians „7-64
the, settlement often. My grandfather had his plea* raid on several
occasions. He continued to develop. his place till the outbreak
Is&
Pioneer Reminisoendos J.W. Patterson
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232
of the war. When the vim wes over his slaves were freed.
Bowles
grandrether/ves killed by the Indians. He was a great Indian
fighter and once killed two Indians in one night when they sere trying
to steal horses. He had also settled in the Patterson settlement about
186b. He had brought sone good horses to this country and the yeer
after he came here, he settled on a place west of the river and start-
ed up e ranch. He found it necessary to build a strong pen in front of
his house so that one of his boys could stand guard over the horses at
night. They had blind fixed up so that the guard could stay inside of
it without being seen by the Indians. But they failod,to mount guard
one night and in no time, the horses were out of the pen and going in
a deed run. The bell could be heard and every one of the boys and my
grand:ether dreabed %Weir ions mod Pooped as their h.Tirses se4 started
after then. 3randfether even ran out in his night anthem sad without
his shoes tut he oeught up with the horses first. Ale sow *no of tbe
Indians leave the buns& but was not sure but what it was one of ',As AM
boys and ',couldn't shoot. They got the horses beck and Doke stood
guard in the blind but grandfather went down on the river and got
under a hackberry tree near st trail that cane down, and sat down and
slated. It wasn't long before the boys heard a shot and knew it my
grandfather's shot gun. They were afraid he wee being attabked and
ran down there to him. When they got there, he was standing over a
deed Indian with a scalp in his hand and said to then, "Hog Ny oats,
if I haven't got one of 'ear That vas about the worst slang be ever
used.. He told the boys that there were three or the Indians coming
down the trail and he first saw them in about fifty feet of hie but
he waited till they got within about thirty feet and fired one barrel
of his shot gum at the first Indian. He fell and the other two dis-
appeared but the one who fell raised up and tried to shoot an arrow
Pioneer Experienose J.W. Patterson Page 3
at my grandfather, but the old men emptied the other barrel and his
six-shooter into the Indian and ended him.
“While they were looking around, they heard a groan, but they
could never locate it. One of their dogs struck a trail and started
out but soon cams bask with an arrow sticking throUgh kin, so they all
went to the house end sent s runner to the settlement to give the alarm.
-to
There were several of the men got, the mash before daylight and when
they ell vent down to where the shooting had taken place, they had a
great time over the dead Indian. They looked around and discovered
another dead Indian in about thirty feet of tho first one. He had been
shot in the bowels. They looter found the other Indian'about four silos
from where the first two were killed.
“my grandfather Bowles was in the Indian battle on the Leona where
the Indians were massacred but sometime in 1869, he settled on the
Leona not far from where he had the fight. In the same year, he was
killed by the Indians. The same Indians killed John Davenport right
close to the present town of nebinal and they found his body at once be-
cause some Mexicans witnessed the killing. But they never found my
grandfather's body for a day ar two and it wasn't very far from the
beck of the field. They had tied my grandfather's horse in the brush
to get him to come out after the horse. He had gone down to the Patter..
son settlement to his daughter's and when he walked out to get his
horse next norning, he didn't wear a gun. HO found the field fence
down end knew his mare had gone out of it, so he followed and evidence
showed that the mare had been tied there for some time because it was
all tracked and trampled where she had been.
“The settlers took up the trail after the alarm had been given
end some of them were: William Thomas, James McCormick, Clabe Divan
port, John Kennedy, Nobs Griner, Frank Isbell, Ben Pulliam, John Q.
Pioneer Experiences
Wome
J.W. Patterson Page 4
Daugherty and others. Daugherty WPS in oommand of the Minute men
but Lieutenant Hazen had come from Fort Inge with some men and he was
in oommand of all or them. Doke Bowles (my uncle) helped trail and
he soon came across the shoes of my grandfather and though they
hadn't found his body, he knew he was dead then. About .the third day,
the settlers and soldiers overtook the Indians and surprised them.
There was a running fight of over twenty miles that day. When the
settlers ran up on the Indians, there wes a terrible confusion and
effort to get mounted on horses end get sway. The settlers had begun to
yell. One Indian tried to rope horses for the others end those who didn't
get a horse, Jumped an a horse behind another Indian. man named Arnett*
came up to my uncle and offered to trade him his horee,PUzzylluek," as
they had already agreed to do that if they had to run the Indians. So
they exchanged horses. Fuzzy Buck was it roe horse end though my uncle
would halt beside those that were shot by the Indians to see what he
could do for them, his horse Gould soon over take the Indiana again.
Lt. Hazen wee shot from his horse and my uncle thought he was certainly
killed. One Indian was killed right at first who wee dressed finer than
the rest. He was the finest looking Indian in the bunch. Be MPS a young
Indian, nearly white and his heir was soft instead of coarse. He wee
ornamented all over with rings, beads and sliver trappings. He had on
John Davenport's pistol belt and tied to it was my grandfather's
scalp A man by the name of Williams and Doke Bowles had a ()lose bat-
tle with an Indian and neither one of them had but one load in his
lAstol. The Indian shot Williams off his horse and when .Doke fired
his lest load into the Indian, lie 'had to dodge arrows himself. Then
the Indian got on Will horse and left yelling. When he turned to
go, my uncle counted nine bullet holes in him end he was bloody from
heed to foot. He said he notioed an Indian throw something under a
ceder tree during the chase and he remembered where the tree was. He
Pioneer Experiences J.W. Patterson Page 5
went book later and found it. It was an old-fashioned reticule
with a drawstring in it and it had four children's scalps, some
paint and poison..
"There were three Indians finally left in the chase and my
uncle was still riding the race horse and overtaking them every
now and then till his loaded pistols played out, then he would have to
wait for the other settlers to catch up with more loaded guns for
him. There seemed to be no way to kill that Indian on Williams'
horse, but when the three got to the top of a hill, my uncle saw
them dismount and two of them lay down. They found out from some
Indiana from the reservation, later on, that those two died.
no grandfather's body was found at Guide Hill, or Pilot Knob
as some of them called the particular place. They had shot him
with three arrows, at about ten steps, end each arrow was about an
inch apart in the left breast. Doke Bowles had found his vest in the
running fight they had and knew before they found the body just how
his father was killed.
"None of the men in the fight died, but all were badly wounded.
Williams was put on a horse and moved back. Litztinpnt H.7.zeil was left
with some soldiers to guard him and Judge McCormick volunteered to 60
to Fort Clark after an army surgeon. He made- the trip all right* but
he said he had to outrun the Indians. It took about a day and a -half
to make the trip and when the surgeon got back with McCormick, it was
three days and nights that McCormick was gone. He pulled spikes out
of some of the men and took Hazen beck to Fort Clark and in about three
weeks, he was taken to Fort Inge.
"174, moved to the Frio at the Leakey settlement where my father
run the saw mill for Uncle Newman and Uncle Tom Leakey. They were
Partners in it when it first started up. My father's sister married
Tom Leakey. We moved from Leakey to the Patterson settlement again,
Pioneer Reminiscenoes-- Z. W. Patterson
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252
then to Rio Frio. What little sohoolihg I had was on the Frio. The
only teacher was Judge McCormick. I remember Old Judge McCormick. Ho
had snow white hair and the forefinger on his right hand was stiff. He
was strict enough in school, all right. From the Frio we moved to the
Leone. The first job I ever had was down an the old Adams ranch working
for Zia Deby.mple. He was a son -in law of John Patterson's, my uncle.
Dalrymple was a settleman and owned several sections of land down there.
There was a pole fence around the plsoe. Barb wire hadn't been heard
of then. All I had to do was ride and bring up the cows with young calves.
There wasn't much required, although there were several hundred cattle on
the place. Every time he came out to the place we would 'tun foot races
and horsebaok races. He vas ready to run with me and he'd beat me every
time. We'd bet 500 or so on a race but he always beet end won the money.
He would laugh at me and have a big time. Once I thought I had a good
scheme worked up but he saw through it and wouldn't go in for it. I said,
'You won't do anything unless you have n sure thing of it.' He said,
'Nobody but m d--- fool wouldl' He was always in a good humor and it showed
whet kind of man he was for I was only about 15 years old and he was a
grown man with a family. He seemed to know that a kid liked to play.
We didn't mope around when he came out there.
"As well as I remember, that dam on the Leone was constructed by
several of the old-timers. Old men Bill Smith was the head of it.
Then, there was Butch Dillard, Pete Boyles, Doke Bowles and Ed Taylor.
"After I went bock home and worked for my father, he gave Sam and
I an interest to take his sheep and run them for him. We went down on
the Chaperosa with about 6.500uhead. That was below the "Marlow where
the Fenley settlement was. We had two Mexican herders. Down in that
country
brushy/we lost less sheen than out in the open country. The sheep seemed
Tlioneer Experiences Z.W. Patterson Pegs 7
to know they could get lost end stayed together better. We run those
sheep down thert about three or four years. I think we had start-.
ed to the divide when we got into a shooting serape with a Mexican.
"I was taking the sheep up on the divide and had got to the Frio
'hen we stopped aur flock to let them rest up. Someone had COMO into
min and said the !.!exispens had killed Allen Blackman. 4s had gone to
school with Allen and we were stirred up about it. They took UB to
Where Allen had been killed end there he was laying in the road and
they had shot hir in the heed. We hunted that day and night and round-
ed up Mexicans all ground there. 'ae laid in wait at Benay's camp and
waited for his Wexioan to come in for we thought he would know some-
thing. VTe surrounded the oamp end waited for this Mexican and didn't
know what time he would get in or there he was, but we knew he wasn't
at the camp as some of the boys slipped down there and saw there was
1103)120 there. The herder came in the night sometime, however, and we
told him that we had learned that he knew where the Mexioan who did the
killing was hiding and we were going ta kill him if he didn't tell us
where he or they were. I think Tuck Van Pelt, Reading Black, Buck Hurd-
itt, Butch 7atterson and several others were in the party. The Mexican
said he would locate him and when he came back, he said he had him. We
got on our horses and divided our forces. We were to surround the place.
"The other force got there first and we heard some shooting so I
said,'Let's hurry for it will all be over before we get there:' As we
got to the place whore the shooting was taking place, we saw a Meaticen
glrthrial attilirgn6ogutoglitikal wacCiethilteltUr
boys make the fight. That old canyon was just full of smoke. But that
Mexionn kept them fought off and got away. They came back and said the
fellow was gone. I told them there was one in that plum thicket. but
Pione^r Experiences X.W. Patterson Page 8
they didn't think so. They told the Mexican herder of Benny's (Who
had come to us when he heard the shooting, torinto the thicket and tell
the Mexican if he would come out he wculdn't let the men kill him.
So the herder wont and told him and the Mexican give himself up and
°me out. Butch Patterson and another man were taking him to Rio Frio
where there was a justice of the peace to give him a preliminary trial
but some men met them on the trall'before they got to Rio Frio and kill-
ed the Mexican. He never got the preliminary hearing. It probably
would have ended that way anyhow.
"I took the sheep up around Yellow Banks on the Frio and then
over to Chalk Bluff on the Nueess. It was while I was it Chalk Bluff
that I met B .girl down at old Captain Benson's. I happened to ride
down at Benson's that day horseback. She was George Clark's daught-
er, Maude. They had settled up at UOntell and had eone from New York.
The girls had gone to school. at Brooklyn, and after they moved out
here, Maude went back and finished her schooling, which took her about
two years. She taught school about three years after we met and we
married in 1890.
"It seems funny that her father's and mother's names were the
same as my father's and mother's. Both our Parents were named George
and Elizabeth. Another funny coincident: mr youngest sister is named
George Washington and she married George Washinaton Van Pelt.
"WC had a very quiet wedding. No one was there but just the few-
ily. We cams to Uvalde in a buggy and went on to San Antonio for a few
days and bought our furniture. Then we moved out to the relic% at
Yellow Banks. had separated my sheep from my father's and had gone
out in business for myself. But along about then, a terrible drought
hit this country and burned things up. It was during Cleveland's ad-
ministration. AO took the tartff off of wool and ruined the sheep man.
Pioneer Experienees J.W. /titters= Page 9
Whet the drought hadn't accomplished, the free trade did, as there
was no sale for domestic wool. 7e lost over half of our sheep from the
drought alone.
"About 1895, we vent into the grocery business et rbntell. We
just started un a small store but went into senmral merchandising later
on. re had to scratch sometimes to get by but we brought up all our
children there and gave them an education so we feel that we have
a lot to be grateful_ for. When the depression hit, it gave us a bad
time but we came through. In account of our health, I sold the store an
and left MOntell but I had to sell at a sacrifice. In 1920, T had trad-
ed for some bees and had kept them as a side line. They had thrived
until now mak* my living off of the bees.
“We have three ehildren: Marjorie, who married Dr. 4ells end
lives in. 7.dna; less who merried *lfred Pgg of Edna end Clark Who
is unmarried and teaching in a University in Missouri."
eirODMO.....000.1.1.41104.
MRS. Z. V. PATTr2 !-'01T
"There were three girls and a boy in my family when we 019410 here
in 079. My sisters were Margaret and Georgia and my brother was Will,
who went back to New York later and died there. The rest of us stayed
in Texas and lore it here.
"There were no fences, no railroad nor mail routs when I first
cane here. I remember that anybody who came down from the 'any&
would bring back the mail for the whole (immunity. Maybe you would
get your mail, or maybe it would be lost.
We arrived hors in wagons and we vent on out of town on the mu..
Pioneer Mxperiences Z.W. Patterson Page 10
oes Canyon road and had dinner on Cook's Slough. We had bought meat in
town from a market that was not screened. Of course there were no
careens out here then, but we were astonished to see that market right
there on the pleas with nothing but °Oar's lattice -work as protection
against the flies and dust. Dusts It was ankle deep in dry weather
and the mud was ankle deep in wet weather. I remember that dust espec-
ially yes, of pours°, along the roads. The countryside was green
and beautiful but the white dust of these roads that boiled up like
clouds are still a vivid memory to ms.
"We bought some meat, however, and eeeked it out there where we
stopped for dinner. I looked at tnings with new eyes, they were so diff-
erent to anything I had ever known. And my mother who had been used to
having her meil twice a day and her magazines it must have been e7v-
tremely new to her. But she had a wonderful sees* of humor and I sin
remember how she laughed off the frets and vorriea of those days.
"The little school house in Melds that we passed seemed to be Just
a little shack with mesquite brush all around it. It was August when
we got here, so it naturally didn't look its best.
"The rivers were full of fish. we saw lot5! of ,;re ..4.m there was lots
of it those days and we practically lived off of it. There were turkeys
and venison and sometimes, people Wrought us bear meat.
"After we were settled and were getting along all right, my father
had to go back to New York on business. It was decided that I should go
back with him and finish school at Brooklyn. I think the railroad had
Just come through about then so we went back by rail. I had to stay two
years with my uncle and never came home during the time..I certainly did
get homesick. I had learned to like the little bit of Texas I had got
acquainted with and I was anxious to get back to it and my family. my
father had been to Texas several times and because of his travels through
Pionber Experiences 3.17. Patterson Page 11
this part of Texas in 1858, it was to be our future home. He liked this
part of the state and I have his diary written as he =Dossed Texas on
his way to California that year with a wagon train. He was a Confederate
Soldier and had been stationed down at Galveston one gunboat during the
Civil 7ekr. He married Ay moter after he came back to New York at the
close of the war.
"Here is a picture of ,4r. ?atterson and me the day we were married.
You can get an idea of how we looked then and what they wore. This
dress I was wearing was of white silk and you can see that the coat. of
Ur. ?atterson's suit buttoned up close to the throat. We were surely dress-
ed up.
"I had never heard a coyote till after I married. There were no soy-
otes up around Montan and when we went to the ranch from San Antonio
heard them in the night and it nearly scared ma to death. They came
up all around the house and it wasn't very pleasant to mo.
"I am 70 years old, but I still like to go visiting. I am leav-
ing shortly for Missouri to stay with Clark until about Tuna, then he
will accompany me home. He plans to do some research work down in
Llexico City this summer providing there is no ”rhepv_F-1 or war down
there by then."