Document text
7OLTr1.0118
Eva Effie Cowan, 7.).
MbLennen C-)unty, Texas.
bistrict No. 8
'4ferenoe
No. of words 1200
File NO. 840
Page No. .1
Interview with 7"orter Mullins, Mite pioneer, Riesel, Texas.
"I was born in 1865, on the P9th, day of June, six miles east of the
arazos River, near where the town of Riesel now stands. My father was
/sat4c ullins, whose father, Isaac, was one of the three Millins brothers,
'Isaac, Forter and Ben, who came to the Brazos bottom about the year 1833,
ifram Alebtama. My father married Nancy Ann Morgan, who was the daughter of
Inaloy 4nn Morgan, whose parents were killed by the Indians in the Yorgan
Alarlin massacre.
"Grandmother, rtaoy Ann "organ was born February 14th, 1819, and
Cod Nara]; P3rd, 1894. rhe had three daughters, Nancy Ann, "ary Ann and
Ann. One son, 4. J. Morgan, born October P8th, 1854, died in 1909. He
"tarried "iss -elle "'right from '7olorado County, Texas. Nancy Ann, (my
'Soother) married Isaac ”ullins Sr:, Ann married a man by the name of
Veddinpfield, and Ntry nn married 'Alfa -mith,
"I can remember as a child my grandmother rtacy Ann -organ as she
Oat in her chair by the fireplace and told us stories of how the Indians
vould travel up and down the Tndian trail by Anagens Point, where she
lived, on their wa7 to -aco, to the Barnard Trading post, end how they
Were always in fear of them robbing them of their corn and stool.. as the
time come for their passing, v ich was usually in the light of the moon.
.119=011
Fies Effie Cowan:, P. T.
Lerman County, Texas.
striet No. 8
File No. 240
Page No. 2
"This wee before there was any town celled Marline there wes a little
iert on the bluffs of the Brazos overlooking the rails which had been the
proposed oapital of (-ter-ling Robertson's Colony, called Viesose but when
Ohe war between Texas sild Mexico was being fought, many of these settlers
loeft and went to more thickly settled pieties. ftong them were our fenny
Ocestors, the :!lorgens end the Maniac.
"When the two families returned they settled on the east side of the
OlVere John Merlin settled a few miles below Merlin and the village was
lied Buokanorte (named by a drunken oowd.boy), James Merlin, who Was my
beet grendrethere end the family of George Marlin settled on the Reek Dam
Owed, north of the present town of Merlin end about six miles east of the
*resent town of Per y. They rived together in a log house, built in the
ciltd style way with a wide open hell between the outside rooms.
-Tn the Merlin family there were, 'ts end Mrs James Marline .s young
ye Tsetse, about ten years old, my grendmether, Fteey Anne and a younger
Oster. Tn the Morgan family there were great grandfather end grandmother
4hrgen, a grandson, Jackson Morgan end wife, and Adeline Morgan. The son,
aeorge Morgan, whom my grandmother tsoy 'nn, married.
"The young husbnnd of my grandmother 'tsoy Ann Merlin Morgen had
done with some of the other men down below Busksnort (Old Marlin) for worn:
leaving the older men of the families and the women end children at home.
00 this night the women had finished their milking and night works ate
their evening meal end were sitting around the fire talking and carding
reel when they heard the war whoop of the Indiana. Greet -grandfather and
greet grandmother Morgan, a grandson, :sekson :ones end Mrs Jackson Hereon
aed Adeline Morgan were scalped and tomehawked. Grandmother tsoy inn MOS
701,KLORE
Miss Effie Cowen, P. W.
McLennan County, Texas.
District No. 8
File No, 240
Page No. 3
Wounded end left for deed, she rolled under the floor end kept quiet until
the Indians left.
"There were three children out playing in the yard when they heard the
Oar whoop of the Indians. They were Ism) Merlin, end a boy who was spend-
ing the night, named Wesley :ones end s sister, Mary Merlin. They hid in
the brush behind the fence, (en old roil fence). After the Tndiens left,
the toy, Isere, slipped into the house to see if there were anyone left
Olive, my grand mother '''tecry Ann hearing him thought it was the Indians
returning and kept still. He left, thinking all were killed; and ran to
the settlement where his uncle :ohn Merlin lived, reaching there at day-
)ight. Where the men hurried to the scene of th: massacre and took charge
Of the sed teak of burying the dead.
"When the Indians left, they carried with them e negro slave girl,
Oho belonged to greet grandmother Merlin, end they never heard of her again.
iihen my greet uncle Isaac, looked for the ones who were killed he found the
fin, Adeline, with her heed in one place and her body in another end her
beautiful long golden heir gone. My grandmother Stacy Ann was beaten and
left for deed, but her life was saved by rolling under the puncheon floor.
"After she heard the Indians leave she managed to crawl out from under
the floor end went into the woods where she spent the night. The wolves
bowled around her es they could smell the blood of her wounds, she expected
every minute to be torn to Nimes. She fell asleep and did not awaken until
afternoon when she resli7ed she was thirsty and feverish. Some milk sows
passed on their way to the pool that led to the spring where they rent for
toter, she clung to the old bell cow's tail and held on until she wee
yorlaw2
Miss 7,ffie Cowan, P. Ws
NoLennen County, Texas.
District No. 8
File No. 240
Page No. 4
dragged to the spring where the men who oame to the scene of the massacre
found her. Her hands were terribly scarred from the blows the Indians had
usde with the tomahawks when she held them to her face to shield it from
the blows.
"I have h(A, pipe that she smoked as she sat in her place by the fire-
place telling us these stories. The other story was how, ten days after
1.er people were so brutally killed by the Indians, a band of about seventy
:attacked the house of John Merlin, below the present town of ,marlin, there
4er° several men at the house end they were prepared for the attack.
;John Marlin end his son and Carrot Menefee and his son Thomas among the
Aumber, they killed seven of the Indians and when the Indians 1391,1 this they
retreated. There was a negro who ran to give the alarm and was so soared
be ran all the way to the settlement.
"Ten days later a fighting force of forty-eight men collected and
made Captain Benjamin Bryant of'Bryah station the captain of the force.
They followed the Indian trail to e post oak wood about three miles from
the present town of Perry. The noted Indian chief Jose ?Aria was riding
along in front of the Indians' when he sew the white man. He then rode
back to hIs Indirns end fired at the whites, end cut the coat sleeve of
Joe Boren. Captain Bryant began the fight and was wounded, when Ethan
rtroud took charge. The Indians fell book into the ravine and David
Campbell wounded the chief, and Albert Cholson killed the ohlefe horse.
The sight of the Indians retreating made the whites careless and seeing
this the old chief took advantage of the opportunity and succeeded in con-
fusing the whites so that the order for a short retreat was mistaken for a
'''"OLKLORE
'Miss 'ffie Cowan, P. W.
1MoLennan County, 71ms.
'ristrict No. 8
File No. 240
Page No. 5
full retreat and the Indians began to kill the Texans on the run. Ten were
'killed end five wounded.
"Those killed were Zaokson Powers, washington TfloGrew, a Mr. Ward,
Armstrong Barton, )1ummer, lfred Eaton, Hugh Henry, William Fullerton,
A. J. ebb end a -le. Poss. The wounded were Cnptain.Bryant, Charles rails,
W. N* P, nrlln, G. T. Morgan and Pnoeh Jones. Others in the firht were
artein -than ''troud, John R. Henry, Lewis and "1111am C. Powers, Henry
airood, :li Chandler, Joseph Boren, "Alliom ToGrew, Andrew T4oMillen,
Olay enc ravid Cobb, Hichnrd "eel, Albert Gholson, :iehael Cestleman,
ilson Need, ';iley Carter, John elsh, Button Dawson, R. H. l','Atthews,
'et Campbell, Jeremi'A McDniel, Walter Campbell,
11111— and Hugh Leary, John Marlin, Wilson Marlin, Joseph cCandler, John
ucker, Thomas Duncan and another whose name was not kept on record.
"After this battle, o peace trlity was made by John Serlin and after
his the Indians were wt so troublesome end gradually moved farther west.
Irony years after this fight, Jose Marie, the Tndian chief was visiting at
iwyents station and offered his pipe of peace to Bryan who was in eons: rid
tiv above fight. Bryan insisted thnt the old chief won the firht end
thnt :.c1 smoke the peace pipe first, this the oV clief did with great pride.
'On the ''tate Yighway 67, on the Waco —Marlin road, about three miles
from the town of Perry (south), is a marker on the site of the Indian
battlefield which I have just described. And where the peace treaty was
Ofterwerd made.''
."01710RE
Visa Effie Cowen, 7).
EcLennan County, Texas.
Pistrict No, 8
f*On
File 7c). 240
Page No. 6
this msrker t] -is inscription is written:
At this site, neer the home of George rorgnn,
A bottle took place January 16, 1839,
Between the settlers in this region,
A.114 Indinns under Chief Xose 1.ceria,
Tn which a treaty with these Tndinns made soon after,
Brourht comparative pesoe to this region.
Ireoted by the r-tete of Texas 1936."