Document text
Abilen• e es
Tax
Cowboy itneolotes, feewe Lore
Z. vry
Pee* l•
No. of verde
(Note: The person int•Irviewed vise Are. 4saanthe Jane Turney, ef.ed 85, a native
of tirrrison County, ;1 -kennels, and a resident of Texas sine* 1882. )ier hushiald was a
doctor, aominc into lArows :ourtty to take up the iaracqes of medicine among the pio-
neer citizens of that aounty, sattltfl4 near the little tome of Blanket.)
e left .r K anees early in the spring rf uteo. I didn't want to leave my home,
and I had heard ao many awful tales of Texas that I just knew that it wasn't safe to
take threa little hable to s plao hore'Indiens and outlaws ran free. Of enures
most of the ell tales I had heard weren't the truth, but I didn't know that and 1
triod ny beat tie boater husband) from going. •The doctor thosght that
the pioneer country wouL: have nel,K1 ;Yr a eood doctor and he believed Viet it was his
duty to go out there and serve those settlers. Notking I could uly would cause his
to w et fr) I hi d arse with his.
I tliene I wee a baby because *ea we started (there were six we one makinp the
trip altholIgh etva were just golec to the widtte flf Texas north of uallas), I ;tried
n Apeiled chili. I didn't get over te crying for three days and that there
weren't any ,tiore tears to fall so I bed to nat. Starting out really wasn't so bad.
There ,/ere flowers bloontng everywhere and all the Attie ereeks and branohes were
runnifg full with clear, pure water. There was a lot of gem and the men kept us
well supplied with fresh meal.
Ton dmfa out ve rare deep in Indian Territory (Oklahoma)) and had turned south.
I hadn't seen a *Janie Indian and was beeinSing to be ashamed that I had sated the
way I did. On the evening of the elov2 th day a band of seven Indiana did ride up to
the *aeons jut as ws were Oarapk,7, rfir the night. All of our itila folks held their
guns reedy but t'.e Indiana sure rri&ndly •eld just wanted to beg soos tobaceo. At least
tilt %ea whet t.ey said toley ianted an the 4oetor eaTt3 each of theta so)* of his "home-
Alllene, Taxes
spun" and they left.
Those Indians didn't look bad, just nesty naked and dirty. My babies had been
seared pretty badly, not by tho Indians but by having ti hide in the beaten et the
wagon. They knew that t..nre was 110MOebtag wrong, and that scared them. The pester
said that those Indiana were frten a frierdly tribe, e -d that they wouldet bother any-
thing except to steo'. anything that was loose. I couldn't see why they mould steel
caything except felfA Necause they wouldn't **sr any clothes, and they lived in tents
rind 87,anties and didn't hews any use far furniture, and they over did any work as
they didn't aeed tools or harness.
the morni-g of the fifteenth day another band of the Indians reds up. This tine
the wagons sera zitruarg net and I thought as would all be killed and scalped and ay
children carried off. Our Men hurried to meet the Indians and ell had their gusts ready.
I was in the riret vbron an: I leaded an extra gus of the Doster's end figured on pro-
tecting my babies.
These were a different kiwi of Indian, they were jut as naked, and just as dirty
but they set Arai rhter on t 4r horses mad were insolent. They didn't ask for sliy-
thing, they demanded it. They wanted fond, tabs/sae, eitiskoy and some pewter. The
Doctsi talked 4th the for a long time and I sweated like a nigger; afraid that those
dirty IT;diens would start a fight and my husband would get killed. After what seemed
like hours the doctor "fame them exess biscuit end some tobacco Grid they rode err.
or t e rt r t1:o lay we s re all jumpy and the v43 an and children were seared.
The :een said tre ussn't anythine to worry about, but they stayed *less to the re ins
just tho sa efi we camped early. For the first time me the trip we reeds circle of
the weg,ons, but elk •tagr.,‘na don't make a big cirsle and tte horses sad a few cows that
we had Hien:- wouldn't fit inside. These were hobbled sad tied in a little drew and
oda en was left t ere to staid guard. All nignt tt•.• man took turns standine watch
and I guess V•e wo•,,en were v,stahing toe, because none et u P could sleep. certainly
Abilene, Teias
did wi eh V at I 7, as task in ?,re:sness.
;:!..f.sut an hour before day the .r.en who had bean left with the horses came running
up an,A said t at he erd Indiana err about a eJarter of a stile. The men slipped dun
t the risw gh401, t it stook T*111 tied, bat at am they oat them, there wasn't a single
horse loft. Ile Inclusive :met hate ell: pod up right close and had sox* other Indians
:41i,48 a noise eff salsrlw ere. That was eabqut the caly way they enuld have cut t' a h
bles ly end 6at sway. The whole thing didn't tek• more than five minutes.
The on came hack sm.', laid under the "scone Tith their guns leaded and ready.
vnrybody wee ,orried and 2rAnre then little Reared. 4hfon the sun game up dna. still
nothing happened q -e soned to wr:t a litt 1r) braver and did menage tal oath up sonie break-
fast. It was a sorry meal 11th everyone wonderino: It* se se Id do without any horses.
Around ton o'clock one Indian come tosera the wager se riding with his hand held
up ifSb In 04 pees* sign. The "motor want out to meet him an they talked for e few
minutes and the ..kletor eafae back. lie said V,orst the Indian staid he knew We had stolen
our heroes and t%et ha would rret then beak for un for a dollar a head.
(Air men talked
a v:hi le but Vero Titiingt anythine el as to do or the Deeter went beak and VALI the Indian
to trig ',mei', the horses.
It didn't tate that thdevio /eJian hair an !Iota' to bring back those horses. He
had then eta:en out in the brush all the ti ;.e he yea talking to the .i'.ieeter and he pro-
bably helped toed then, ten. There wasn't anything we *mad do *keep* pay a dollar
heed few thnm and we did, althoueh one 0 the men 1 -anted to shoat the /Mien and get
that iuoney beck. The veigo- s were moon hitched up and we left as quick as we cold, it
see:sed goodtr bo leaviny that plaits.
About live in the evening two Indians overtook us frost behind and asKed to talk
to the Oootor. One Italian hod gotten hurt and Very wanted ',Toone to sure him.
re -u dn*t !--ust them* but tt-;r: jootor Pad that if they nee-ded tretlaent he had to go.
its didn't
sok until 1nit, en I cri:el nil the tt4e he Tire k-..7,re because I
i-,bilene, Texas
thoup.7ht I would be left a widow with ray throe babies and so fr.: from hoe' I never
would it back. 'flirt was one* in my life ti st I was a rry my haul and was a doctor.
n he tid sem back V OM wee ail the sholtIng you elver heard; the men grabbed
up guns and waited for on attack, but Vs Irdians were friendly and happy. The Doe
tor had cured tir sick Indian (he had just hod a bad atoms& ache from seall-Imitv; to
beaten juice) Etr:1 thq tthetl, tribe had brought the Doctor to the wagons. Those Indians
vawe us oak the money we had riald for the horses; erre us deer sides, entelepe hides
and more presents than you over saw. ?bay stayed pround the wagons ell the rest of
the. night, sine g and eta-cing arid eat!ng. In the morning they Waved us load up and
sarnese and tnen tiae Chief or the tribe had four of the Indiana to go vith us to help
US with the es 1p am -4 to he;i1 the horses at night ao no other Indiana would steal them
esti sail tr em heck to us. These Indiana stayed with us until we dot to the Red River and
we never did hews any more trouble with Indiana is 'oaten Territory. I *hanged my mind
about being sorry my husband was doctor and Vire bean ri411; proud ever sine*.