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--Words EDITiRIAL FIELD COPY Page 1
by 252
Mrs. Florenos Aagermiller, P. W.
From F. C. by
Mrs. Weide Hale, P.W.
Early Day Tales
and liveriences UVALD4 COUNTY DISTRICT 410
mas. MARY JENNiNUS.
"I was born in Gonad Comity, in 1853. I dont remember much
about my father as my mother and him Parted when I was small. My
father's name was Zack Holt. My mother, before her marriagetwas
Frances Ann Vivian and she was closely related to the Vivian family
of Carrizo Springs.
"I have had plenty experiences with the Indians and have heard
my mother tell things that happened in her young days that was even
more thrilling then my own experienee. When my mother was twelve years
old, she kept house for her brothers, as her mother died when she was
small, and she too* her place as a home -maker. Along about that time,
one of her older brothers was Aowing to the settlement where she was
living. He had two other men helping him move. One day they had camped
for supper and her brother told the men there were Indians close to
camp. but they ridiculed him. So he said well, if you can stay I
can to. They made up the campfire and when they did, the Indians
come up in buffalo robes and tilled one of the other men and ay
They shot the third man twice in the breast, but he crawled 17 miles
with two arrows in him till he reached the settlement where he got
treatment. He would lay up in daytime and crawl at night.
“This same day, that my mole was killed, filre Indians went to
the house where my mother was, My uncles had gone off early that
morning about thirty miles away, to fet a beef they wanted. so along
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about nine ololockemy mother said she looked out and saw these Indians,
She said she wouldn't allow herself to get frightened. She had two
dogs. One was named Jailer and one dolor. She said the old dogs had
almost human sense. So she said to them, 'Jolter, Joler, you see those
men.' and they would growl. My uncles always kept plenty of guns so
she took two guns and put in *Rah side of the door with the barrel
sticking out like someone had them ready to shoot if the Indians cone
close enough. Then she got inside and talked so loud, that it sounded
like the house was full of grown men. The Indians stood for awhile and
watched but finally left and then come back again. While she was think-
ing what to do next, they left again and didn't come bnck.
"In a little Oile, a white boy same with a note and was in the
house before she knew he was around. She said he almost seared her to
death. She asked him what ht, meriet by scaring her like that and he
gave her a note. She told him she couldn't read. Then he told her, her
brother had been killed by the Indiana and his parents wanted her to come
at once with him to their house. She left with the young boy and went
to hisparents. And they searched three days before they found her
brother's body.
"I remember the Civil War some, but 1 was very young at that tine.
After the war, the Southern men organized what they called the minute
ootipany. The North had an organization they celled the militia. They
would go into the homes of the southern people and cell the man out
and shoot him down, or take him off and hang him.
"During the war and afterward too, mother mode clothes and we had
to help spin and weave. We used to make 4retty dresses from the cloth
we spun, we would dye part of the thread with copperas, and then there
wns a we( d that grew there called indigo. We would gather that weed
itorly Day Tales Mrs. Mary Jennings
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and put t in a large vosel and boil it and let it cool and st:nd for
awhile. Then we would churn it beak and forth for a long time and let it
set for awhile end then odreen' the top off and take the settlings and
lot themdry in the sun. That is what we used for dye also. We could
make stripes and other desigks.
"I remember one time my brother and I went to church, while mother wen,
across the country about ten miles to get 80110 horses. Coning rrom Miura)*
same of the neighbors asked us to go home with them. They said my mother
would be bask there for dinner, and for me and my brother to cone on home
with them from church. I didn't want to go, for I felt like we should go
home, but my brother insisted and me went. Well, I was riding a horse I
had never been on before. A young lady and her beau was riding in front
of us. The young lady's saddle blanket slipped and scared :ay horse. Re
Jumped and threw ma off and I fell on my wrist and dislocated it and
ruined ,fly new 8:x -dollar narasol ane, my new spring hat. They took me home
and set my wrist and it got all right.
"Not long after that, 1 went with my mother, brother, uncle and aunt
to gather grrpes. My uncle and mother always gathered grass in the
fall and made about two barrels of mine o-ch. Girls, those days, were
not allowed to climb. nut 1 sent some grapes a little way up on the vine
and i asked my mother if might nit up all that vine and gnther those
grapes. She told no I could, and about the time I got started, here
come my brother and gave me a shove. I threw one leg over the vine to
keen from falling, but I max no afraid my uncle would sec ms sitting
astride that grapevine, I went to jump over and fell on my right shoulder
and broke it badly. That ended the grape gathering that day. Mother took
me home and got a big ball of thread that we had spun and nut it under my
arm end then nut it in a sling. Then she sent to town and got sane
Early Day Tales Mrs. MAry Jennings Page 4
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aoodeldockd6nd rubbed me with it. It was Just as coGling a C ice.
But it wee months after that before I o:Juld use thrt srm and shoulder.
"I was lawny' getting hurt when was ef child. ;nee my uncle made
a missies mill, and we :wide rloleses. My mother fed the mill and my
aunt would catch the mane as it came out of the mill. On the fourth
day of July, my mother and unclip wanted to mo to a celebretion they
were having, so my aunt .rid she and I would run the mill. 'r03., we
started to work and i was feeding the mill nnd caught my finer in it
and almost out it off. my aunt stopped the horse just in time to
save my finger. It was badly meshed and out and He took mo to the
house and tied it up and put se sUgar and camphor on it, and it grew
back.
"Not long after that, my grandfnther cisme to visit us from Missouri.
He rods a big, gray horse and he rns such a prety thing, re children
used to love to ride him and jt :'any Ps could at 6n, could ride
for he was so ontlet. Well, re were so glad to have our grandfather
visit um, one day a cousin and myself were running to the hause to sec
who could get to him first end I stumbled over something ond fell and
broke my shoulder over.pgmin. It was a long, long time nein before I
Gould use it.
"When I was about nine years. old the doctor told us we must travel
for my mother's health. We landed on the Leone River in Uvalde County
in 1862. We stopued on the John Hill ranch and stayed there about four
years. The Indiana made regular raids all the time, and always on moon-
light nights.
"Once, the Indians caste close to our house, but on the other side
of the river, My mother was a widow with four children and she told us
all to come in the houso and keep quiet, that she saw the Indians. My
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two gneleo nnd three or four hired nen hod ,;on4) out thst morning to
catch some wild, muutnng horses. lother ia brsve about it, she lut
on one of the oorIS hats and jeekets, took a gun end's:est outside where
the Indians °fluid hear her. She would Aoller beak like she was tnlking
to men in the house, 'Don't come yet, John. 'Wait ath4e, Billotill they
cross that river then we will scat 'ea.' She said she thought two or
three times they were goiec to colts acrosa an the fact log tiL thly. never
Crossed the river. Instead, they went on down nal killed one of my
mother's craves and ()Aged it.
"The way they did this, they would take the hide cff of the on10
without cutting it down the center -is just as we skinsquiirels by
'peoling,the ennimal from the tnil on bask over the hend. Then they out
the -emt up and Alt it b.ok in the hide, and thnt is Whet they used to
pall casing a calf.
"Thcn they went to her bee itIvo and ate all the honey tbey could
and scattered the rest of the honey and bees all over the :Arco. After
awhile, my uncles came in, but .mother didn't toll them till they had
got the wild, mustang horse in the pen. Then she told them about
the five Indians she had seen. They said they had earned her thrt moral
that the Indians were in the country and thvt.elle had better keep the
children In the house.
"These snme Indians went on down the country end ceptured n white
women, her br,by and little buy. They killed ,the boby end thrws it in
some brush close to the house. But tley took the mother and *little
boy on with them. A posse of Am followed them, and cnc niejlt they
camped right *loss to the Indians and whelp the Indians saw t .e camp-
fire, they fired on the vat. L,en mad told thoii if they got the womsn and
little boy they eGuld sure fight for them. the Indians had pic,ced up
Early Day Tales Mrs. Mary Jennings
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more of their men and the white men were badly outnumbered and they never
got the woman and little boy. My uncles always said there was a white
man leading the Indians.
"Inm little while after that, we 'moved from the Leona River to
Pendencia Creek about thirty-five miles east of Eagle Pass. It was a
wild country, aft my: My mother had been sick when we first moved there
and she could barely walk rith a stick. Mother had lots oT stock and
had sent them on ahead of us. A men named Bill Bruton was foreman of
mother's outfit and he was her nephew. One of my unelles)Tty04 Vivian)
had given Bill a big, white horse and had trained him to understand when
he talked to him.
',Bruton °one in one morning and said, 'Aunt Ann, can't you go down
to the stook Pens' I went you to look Vie cattle over and see how many
you want to sell. We have a lot of fat cattle.' Mother said she would
try and she told me to give her a hoe handle that was laying in the yard.
She took it and walked on down to the stock-pass)they decided to saw some
of the cow's horns off, s- they sent one of the boys to the house after the
saw. When he started b. cat with it, my little baby brother, about three
years old, wanted to go with him so he took hi* along. Well, when they
got there and started to saw the horns, my cousin, Bill Bruton, told the
old fellow that drove the chuck -wagon out there, to take his six-shooter
and lay it up somewhere where it would be out of his way while he was
sawing horns. About that time they looked over the hill and saw about a
hundred Indians coming straight for those stook -pens. Of course, Bruton
called for his six-shooter, but the man was lo scared he forvt where he
had put it and couldn't find it. Then Bruton called for an old, Mexican
man that had boon with mother for years to come and take mother hams.
But mother was looking for her baby. He had crawled up and was lying
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on a board /moose the top of the gate. Mother and Bruton grabbed
for in at the same time, end Nat as they got him down, an arrow hit
the ground rijit under him. Bruton had hitched bill's, the gray
horse, to the fence but someone had out the bridle reins and he ran off.
By this time, the old Mexiern and my la.ther and little brother had
gotten well on their way home, and in a few minutes reached home
safely. Bruton URA still there vithoutt a gun. Us looked for Billie
and he war, spay off just looking on. Bo Bruton hollered, 'Billie,
God di--- you, cone here.' Well, it was a pain for Bil)ia to few,
those Indians but he bowed that neck and came galloping up to my cousin.
He jumped in the saddle and run to the house and told me to bring him
mother's shot -gun. He took the gun and made for his home which was
about a mile away. It was a rock hous-i, Net being finished. He
wanted tp nee about his men, arid sure enough when he reached his place,
the Indiani were there and had his men surrounded. He turned loose
on them with that shot -gum and they ran. He ran into the house the',
and there was a fire in the fire place. He had a lot of cartridges
in boxes in the house and he threw several boxes in the fire. When
they peen to explode, the Indians thought the house vas full of
armed wen and left. But they had killed e Mexican who was cutting tall
grass for a neighbor of ours who was building a home. This Walesa
witting grass down near our stook -pens and the Indians just run
uIon him sudLenly and '171.111d
sr",
4 remember my mole, Tryon Vivian, was a fine man and had he
aivedjiy life woulh have been different in later years. I was his
favorite of all his nieoes. When he was quite a young man, the gold
rush in California was on and he vent there end ad' a fortune.
After
he made his fortune, he ()poi6 bek to Texas and stored. at San Antonio.
Early Pay Tales mrs. Mary Jennings
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Fe married beautlfuleyoune girl there: her name WPS Miss Adams.
Na bed Peon in San Antonio about four years and decided to go beak
Yovada, Californie. So he
coming to take her and we
and enuted to go. It was
mid eookod up pies, ankes
to
wrote my mother to be ready that he was
children with then. Mother was all excited
close to Christmas time end she went to work
end all kinds of mood things to eat till she
had the old smfo full. dut in the neentime, my uncle had gone across
to Old Mexico and bought a big bunch of fine horees end brought them
over to his ranch. Well, same Mexican brnditS followed MA across
and hnd slipped up to his ranch end was in the pens whore he had the
horsos, reedy to steel them. When my uncle and hie mon heard the
ooraintion, they hitched their horses in the brush close by and slipped
UT) on the bnndits and got the drop on them, and took their guns.
They eit the euns up by a teee and went on about their business.
sill never understand whnt lade my uncle do it but he left those
bendite aad they got their guns. ie of course, they started shooting
at my uncle end his men. One old fat Mexican shot my uncle and
broke his era end b ok, and after that, my uncle grnbbed his pistol
and shot the Mexican. Nut he had a silver dollar in his shirt pocket
and the bullet hit this dollar and it turned and the shot didn't hurt
hie. Thnt is whet he told the rest of the cowboys when they caught
hisa. Re didn't last long nfter thnt.
right teere and stuck it uo on m post
uncle only lived an hour *after he ens
Those cowboys out his heed off
for the rest to look at. My
shot, but he talked to the last
telling tha other boys wit to tell his wife and my mother.
"Mien was seventeen ye -s old, I was married in ‘i:rgle Peas to
a school tenohor by the nazis of John Johnson. That Is, he told in.
his anew Via John Johnson. It was in January 1870. After ue were
Early Day Tales Mrs. Miry
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married, we lived in Carriso Springs and he got seventy-five dollars a
month for teaching school. He was never good to me and about !bur years
after we were married, he left me with two small children. He cams in
one day end told me he was going back to Mississiopi Where he had come
from, that he had a letter from his uncle saying his father had died and
they wanted him to come home to help straighten up the estate as he was
the oldest child. I told him to go on so he left and I didn't hOOT from
him any more. But he was killed several years later.
"After that I went back to my mother and lived with her seven years
till I mot and married Mr. leanings. It was funny how I met him. One
morning, I was washing &prawns for my two children, when a min came
dashing up to the gate and says, 'Good morning, does Charley Bruton live
here?' I told him no, across the river. He told me later that he said
to himself as he rode off, if she is single she is mine. That afternoon
I went over to Charley Bruton's to try on a dress Mrs. Bruton was making
for me. So when I got ready to come home, Charley and my future husband
earns home with me. Things went on like this and one day my mother wanted
womeoue to kill a eat. She sent for Charley to come and kill it and he
was gone so Jennings earns instead. After that, he would come over every
night and rope the Selves off for isa when vent to milk. One evening,
he threw the calf rope over me ana egad, 'I've 01 yo t now.' I said,
'no,you mint,' and threw the rope off. He said, will get youP
Then he proposeimariage and I accepted, and we got married shortly after-
ward. It was August 30, 1878.
"Mr. Jennings was an ex -ranger and when he went to Eagle Pass, Mr.
Miller, a ranehman there, wanted him to go up the trail, but he told
Mr. Miller he had seen so much murder and blood -shod he didn't want to
go. In his young days before he was a ranger, he was an engineer bask
Early Day Tales Is. Nary Jennings
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in Minsouri. He had run the train from Wabash to Saint Louis. So
he took a job to drive a train over into Old Mexitio and he was the
first man to ever take a train across the Rio Grande into Mexico. He
said he thought he would never get aeross as the train was loaded with
iron. But he soon had to quit driving the train to Mexico, as he hall a
bad stomach and the doctors told him he would die if he did not atop
drinking the water over there.
"While we were living between Nagle Pass and Carriso Springs,
I went out to milk one night, as my husband was gone and I didn't expect
him back. But he cams bask before I had finished milking and told me
he would milk the other two oows. I sat down on some log a and waited
till he had finished. I supposesthat is where the centipede got into my
clothes although I never did see it, nor did I feel it then. After we
had finished milking and gone to the house, I began to feel chills
coming on and after going to bed, I oouldn't get warn. Nett morning,
I noticed a red spot on my breast, but didn't think much about it. My
husband went beck to Eagle Pass to work and was away tor several days.
I vaz alone with my children and about noon that day, I passed into
unconsciousness. The children went for a neighbor woman and she came and
then they sent for my mother. When mother got there, shigot a team and
hack and took me to Oarrizo S-mings to a doctor. When we got there he
ot
was gone. So she turned back and went home. Next morning, we startediag
again and this time it was to Nagle Pass. We met my husband an the way
over there and he went back with us. He took me to the doctor and the
doctor said it was a centipede. No worked with me for two days rind
nights and I got a little better and they toek me hams. After I had
been home a week or two, the bite turned perfectly bleak. In a week
or two after that, a piece of flesh dropped out of my breast that you
Early Day Tales Mrs. Mary Jennings
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could have put a hen 8.14 in.
*After thn% we moved to iiexieo, but to a different part of the
country to where air. Jennings had been working, when he was running
the train. mi.. Jennings run a mill over there, that is,a water mill.
He ground corn and wheat on this mill. It was while we were there that
my two youngest children took cholera and the oldest died in the evening
and the'b;by that night. They wouldn't let us bring them out of mexico
to bury them. It wan terrible but we had to bury them over there.
left Mexico then and moved bnek to Pendensis
emy husband used to tell no things that happened while he was
We
in
ranger service. Hs said one time he was at a house where the old man's
first wife had died and he had married aga n and he also had a married
daughter living with him. Well, the two women had walked off down in a
little field qlose to the house. Ihile the women were down there the
men saw soma Indians slipping up on them. So the old man told his sma-
ll:L..1am to run to them, but he said no, he was afraid to go, afraid the
Indians would kill him. so my husband said he had to go fight the
Indians off of the women and bring them back to the house. He said
after it was all over, the old man told his son-in-law 'he felt like
taking him by the seat of the pants and throwing him out the bask door.
He said once at Llano they were in a little battle with the Indians,
and he shot the old chief. The rest of the Indians didn't seem to know
their chief was wounded and the4icft his. Uy husband had two other men
with him. One was a halfaibreed Indian and the other a white man named
the
Jack. so they went up to where/old chief was and pulled the blanket off c
him. He wasn't deed, and no one wo4ld finish him. Finally, the half-
breed said, 'Turn your basks,' and he shot him and killed him. Then
Week said he wanted hia scalp to send to his mother back in the east.
lc,nrly Day Tales
1.01111
Mrs. Mnry leanln60
Pnge 12
242
Fky Ausbnne said he told him he could have it, that he certainly didn't
1,ant it, ihAt ha took the uldefili big, dun horse. he stA.6 he help elesn
p thiu country from Austin to the Rio urande.
"fnue he Fine coming from Lino up this wry an the fldinns ,;re
runninc :111 nma they shot him in the brenst. Jut ha Str,yod 11th h12 holm
raid gut nti,my fr
1 them till fio Ot closo to mTiau1 womsn's orle nhcl be
4ecin.asi uno.niscluus nnd tell from his ilia, The uomil nnd her dnwhter
OMAO =Alt nnu locked him up ono carried him inside and hit ij o bed nnd
auctored him till they got tho blood stepped. Ale;, keot im till ho
well nnd sole to go agnin. ie said one Aornin, r'flar he ftnd g1iiocL
c nuciousnes, tre girl c MO in to kJring lac bren:cfst ,•1)14 Me ticed uhe
mas olrefoot, nitn one foot all ti od up. lie au<ed er ;y Her foot wno
tied uo iike that nnd she said, 'when jü fall from jeur tzovse
sent out to oring you in, I stepped Oil a piece of gloss rgio cut my foot
diyAle sold he took n rive -dollar dill from nis .volcet nnd ,,lve it
to her rind told ner to buy her GOA* oes.
e) p.oved from Oendencia Orw k to Uvaide in '96. ,1 htuionnd Arod
boon on invalid for about seven montna. de was cL-ipolert with ri,eumatism.
'1911,1 .03d to nnn to AdaKe a living, for my husbnd, s1 rvA children.
Lived a neignoor o Pant ,)dia rehley and he uns eau q dc —r friend
and neighbor. podia, her dmughtor, used to Ice Ay dirbl, thiievashee.
fo n living. •y huubond died is 1918 during the oad nr, nad i have
lived hce over oinee.
"le hove foAr children livihg toey tre: Janie of U-dnes Violn
of fortiand, trizona; :yrtis of Son Antonio nna alinds or orth Ivolde."