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Fangs -lore PaGe one
Ruby Tosley
San Angelo, Texas
RANG1.Y•LORE
Living in Williamson County when Texas was
hardly more than a wilderness, Miss Martha Mather
recalls some of the excitement of pioneer days:
father was a good manager and became very
prosperous. He owned and operated a grist mill, /306,
mill, saw mill, blacksmith shop, post office, and general
store in the village in whioh we lived.
'Then the civil Her broke out he went to enlist
but government officials realising that he would be ef
greater service at home, refused to enlist him in the
army.
"In those days Texas was somewhat muf.ie up of out-
laws, evading punishment in some othur state. Their child-
ren would say to other children, That did your fettur do
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that he had to come to Texas” Than they would
relate criminal stories that had brought their
fathers to this state.
"In those days* Indiana were still pilfering
in the Wooded sections of Texas. I remember one
particular tragedy that happened to some of our
friends in Lampasas County. Marcus skaggs* Banton
Skaggs and a friend of theirs put their oxen to the
wagon and went to my father's mill to have some corn
ground into meal. They were young boys, Marcus was
16, Benton 12* and their friend was about the same
ago. On their return they wore stopped on the way*
by some Indians. Paving no protection except the
forest on each side of the road, they ran into the
densest part of the forest. The Indians emptied
the meal out of the sacks and killed the oxen but
didnot fellow the boys into the woods. From their
hiding place, the boys had watohed until te Indiana
disappeared* then uont across the road for a better
view. They entered the more thinly wooded section
of the forest and were followed by the Indians and
that was when the trouble began. The little friend
was shot through the temple and 71arcus was shot in
the hip. It was loft to Penton the 12 your old lad
to get aid. right was drawing nelAr, the two boys
wounded and the oxen dead, and realising something
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must be dome he started home. Choosing the nearest
route possible, he ran up the river, and came to
the dead bodies' of two of his nolighbora. The Indians
had killed them and taken their guns. It was those
guns shish had been used in wounding the Skaggs boy
and his friend. This frightened the boy still more
and he ran to the home of one of ',ale dead men. here
he stopped long enough to drink a oup of coffee, but
didnot tell the woman of her husband being dead. He
rushed home as fast as he could and an obtained help
to go after the wounded boys. Murous rccovered but
his little friend died. The day following the tragedy,
the bodies of the dead men were carried to their hones
for burial.
"Port Croghan was an Indian treeing post, they
mime to that post from all parts of the wilderness to
do their trading and begging. They would venture
down to our tents and each day a different Indium
did the talking, pretending that the others could not
talk. They were my fond of my father, mother, and
the baby. They would beg mother to let the baby go
riding with them, but were always refUsed. They would
give her anything they possessed, and when she died,
at the age of two years, she had collected about two
yards of Indialoboads. Knowing that mother liked
honey they insisted that she must have some of theirs.
When she went after it she saw a green bug hanging
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from a limb of a tree, and ae she drew nearer she
decided that it must be a swarm of bees. she could
see something flying around. but to her amazement
she found that it was a bag of honey put up in a deer
hide and was eovered with green flies.
"leather often went hunting with the Indians. He
said he wasn't afraid of their scalping him, because
he was baldheaded. Father had a grind -stone which
paused much excitement among them. They oouldnot
understand its use. They would watch my fz,ther grind
his axe, then they would turn the stone with their
fingers pressed against it until they would bleed.
Sometimes they ground their fingers to the bone, just
to see what it was all about.
"Mexicans would often come over and take the
Indian squaws into Mexico. Then the Indians would
go over and get their wives; some were Indians and,
some were mexicana, and this caused a mixture of the
two moan. There wao a big Comanche Chief named
Yellow Wolf, They Galled him that because he was half
Mexioan. Old Yellow Wolf had a big sore on the side
of his stomach and he would say. 'This side no buena.
Mexioano---this side was basal). Indian/4
"When I was a little girl no woman's dress was com-
plete without hoops, and at the Lge of eight I decided
that too, must wear them. My desire became so strong
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that I consulted mother and she sent in. to the store
to consult my uncle who wee working in the store. I
had to beg and cry before he would let me have them.
I put them on and went prancing up the street before
my little friends. They were much to large and was
teased by the observers, which brought more tears to
my eyes. Old Granny, our negro nurse, made them over
to fit me and then I strutted some more. But when I
decided to sit down the hoops flew up and gave me a
lick on the nose that knocked me over. Old Granny
same to my rescue, as usual, and taught me how to pull
the hoops up in the buck before seating myself.
"When I came to san 41mgeloonchool land could be
procured by paying a small fee. Guides were located
in San Angelo and as now -comers arrived these guides
would help them get located for 100.00. The contagion
began when more people 06,MO than land was available for.
In order to get the usual '100.00 for the location, the
guides often located new-oomers on another man's property.
Of course this caused mach trouble and many killings, so
I decided to buy my land, and that was just what did."