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F—KLORE
william V. iArvin, P. h.
Nelannan County, Texas.
District NO. 9.
Ho. words 809"
FileNe. MO`
Page• 1
13.07,2100
Consultant 4. Clint Padgitt, Pedgitt Co., Frank in and 5th Ste., lame*
Texas.
Uy grandfather was Captain Shapley P. Ross. In 1849 he built a *thin
on the bank of the Brazos river near raoo Spring. He and other of the
older neithere of the fanny told me as a boy of the things the people did
in the pioneer date.
My grandfather wee' in bed with the meals* about the year 1550, as
well as I recall, when one day a band of Comenthe Indians was seen coming
to tte house My grandfcther told my grandmother that the Indians would
probably kill him and take her and the two little boys captive, and if they
did, for her to take a cloth with her and tear pieces of it off and drop
them s they went along, and the settlers would find them and possibly
find har. The chief came to the door and started in, but when he saw
grandftther lying there in bed with the measles broken out on his fees the
Indian Won afraid of Lim, and id not come in. HA told grandmother that
they wantol beef and watermelons, and to send the boys to show than where
the beef and melons were. The boys want with the Indians, and their perm
onto never expected to see them alive again, but they came baok all right.
The Indians took the meat and 'alone and went on without maesting the
family any further. The Indians were superstitiAss about sick people and
of course kner enough to ow thnt what grandfather had they sight get
and spread it through .the tribe.
About twenty-five years later grandfather was at the Dallas Fair, and
sew e bend of Indif:Ins which wore there on exhibition. When he came to
then, one of them spoke to him and told Am that he remembered Us as the
sick man, that it was As band which hal o3me to crnadfether's house that
der. The Indian told him that they admired the boys very mob for that,
bravery in going with the Indians.
OLILORE
Wallas V. :Arvin, w.
MaLennan County, Tease.
Distriat Me. S.
File Is. NW
Page 104 II
In the early Fifties my grandfather killed a Comanche Chief known le
Bigfoot, who was ane of the greatest chiefs of that tribe and the most powers,
!al one at the time of his death. The story of the fight during which grand.'
father -tiled the chief is told in Wilbargsr's Dgan Degrodatises in TIMM.
About two years after the fight one evening when Plaoedore, a former shier of
the Tenkawa tribe, and who was a faithful friend of grandfathers; was sitting
on the front porch a Comanche came to the house and said he wished to amp ispw
tam n Ross. Placedore told him to leave, that Captain Roes did not wish to see
his. The Comanche than said, *I an a brother of Bigfoot, who Captain Roes
killed. My brother was a very great man, but Captain Roes killed his, and he
is a greater man, ten, than my brother. I wish to live with Captain Rosie
because he is a great man." Plasedore again told him to loaves that they did
noc want him there. Captain Ross oame up then. Plaoedore said not to allow
the Comanche to ',ter, that he meant treachery and ro id probably kill the espf.•
tin. The Comanche said he would prove that he would be faithful. He want to
a mesquite tree growing in the yard and out a thorn three or four inches loft.
He took a fold of his flesh over his stomach and thrust the thorn through it,
then with his knife out off the ends of the thorn. Placedore and grandfather
knew then that the Comanche would be faithful as that was the Indian way of
proving loyalty. He was allowed to remain, and stayed with grandfather ten
years. I do not now remember the Comanche's name, This occurred about the
year 1855.
My mother, late Ross, was su-poaed to be the first white girl born in nee.
thought
My uncle. Robert S. Ross, waa/the first white child born in MeLennan county, BM
was born under a tree on what is now the Price Standifer far*, before the eabin
grandfather was building was coapleted.
I remember ay mother telling me that when she erne a little girl, in the
early Fifties, great herds of buffalo would came to Waco, which was then only
a village of scattered to-.;ses among fields of earn and ethic/ mops. The buffalo
ITIALORE
'61111an V. Ervin, P. W.
lisLennaa County, Texas.
District no. 8.
File NO. 1140
Page NO.
cAlld come toward Naoo from the north on their migration to the south, and
would, if not turned, go right through the village end the fields and destroy
all the crops. When the buffalo were seen oozing the alarm would be given
by shouting, !Here come the buffalo', and ringing a bell. Then all the peeps,
le would stop rhat they wore doing and go north of the town in their wagons
and make a line of the wagons around the town. They would take guns,,dishpens
and anything else they could make a noise with, and turn the buffalo around
the town and the crops. Then for a day or two thc on would ehoot what buffa.
lo they wanted for their winter supply of meat,
There Lie a flat..bottomed steamboat called the 'Katie Rose' after pr
nother, which ran up and down the Brozos from Nam) carrying supplies to sotto.
laments along the river. This was about 1860, I don't remember rho it was
owned the ateamboat.
Along during the Seventies nen who were float of foot would go from
settlement to settlement and challenge anybody to a footrace, en& those racers
and the people of the settlements would bet on the races. One of these men
was celled Deerfoot, Lich was 7robably a nickname, as he was very fast and
had beaten every man rho ran ogeinst him. SO and the men with him come to
Waco and said they had $24500 in gold which they would bet that Deerfoot
could beat any man in raw. The citizens mndc up a purse of 0.500, to bet
on a ;JAM they considered could beat Deerfoot. All this onely, $5,000, was
piled on a blanket. The nlaco an may outran Deerfoot. After that the man
from Waco ran other races and eIneys 11014
There used to be a racetrack in the seventies where Oakwood cemetery now
stands. There are still in trees in and around the cemetery rings whift were
used for tyinc horses. Lots of :'Isoplo now wonder what those rings were for.
In 1875 there was a man wonted to make a record for the shortest time carrying
mail twenty !Ales by riding nround the racetraok4 He were out the horse be
started with, then he used all ris horses one after another, and then the
William V. rvin, P. wo
NeLennan County, Texas.
District No. 8
people got no interooted
horses from their limgons
In seeing Lim make a
and buggies and also
to ride so he could break the reoord.
nu ft. MO
Page No, 4
record that they took their
let have their saddle horses