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Early Settlement
Edward Townsend P.W.
McLennan County
District 8
A. Harry Williams (personal interview)
In 1865, there was only one village in the southern part of what is
known as McLennan County. It consisted of one small store, a blacksmith
shop, and church was held occasionally out under some Live Oak Trees. The
principal merchandise sold was brandied cherries, Hostetter Bitters, tobacco,
and groceries. This village was then known as Masterville, now Bruceville,
Texas. There were not many people living in its trade territory and tnese
people were joined together for offensive and defensive purposes.
During the war, bushwaackers, army deserters and other bad and dan-
gerous characters drifted into tnis part of the country. At this time,
E. Tom Cox, a great hunter, lived at kasterville. One of his neighoors,
henry 4illiams awned a few negroes. Cox and williams trained the dogs
by having them run one of these negroes. These dogs were very useful in
deer hunts. In a deer hunt, old Aoller, the leader of the pack, chased
the deer into the hidden camp of these outlaws in one of the upper marsh
thickets on South Cow Bayou. The outlaws recognized the dog as being one
of Tom Cox's "negro dogs" and killed him. They decided that Cox was out
after them with the dogs, so they sent him a warning note, which was drop-
ped in a store in Waco village where Cox and williams were known to trade.
The note stated: '4ve have heard and we know you nave been aunting and
trying to run us uown witn "negro dogs". 6o we are sending you this note
and now warning you that if you three don't leave tnis country
and that at once, we will shoot your d hides so full of holes that
they won't hold corn shucks." This open note was signed by a dozen of
these known bad men. The store keeper put a boy on a horse to take the
note to Cox and Williams and their close companion, Bill Long. They
no. words 35-o
file no...2 3c)
page no. 1
Early Settlement
Edward Townsend
McLennan County
District if 8
file no.
page no. 2
decided they must answer the note. To be sure that their reply was received
by the bad men, they sent it direct to their camp. The outlaws had moved
their camp to thickets of Owl Creek beyond the Leon River. The answer was
addressed to the signers of the threatening note. The answer was: "We have
received the note dropped by you and signed by several of you. Answering
the same, we wish to say that we have not been hunting you with negro dogs,
or in any way hunting you or meddling with you or any of your sort. We are
living here, as you know, have our families here and all we have is here.
We did not come here to be run off and we are not going and all we ask of you
is not to shoot from behind a tree." This was signed by To -a Cox, Henry
Williams and Bill Long. Three men against dozens of outlaws. Tne friends
went armed and met often to talk over the situation.
Williams' horse, Billy Buttons, was the fastest horse in this part of the
country. One afternoon, as Williams was going home from a visit to Cox,
Cox decided to pia; ajoke on Williams and at the same time see how fast
the horse, Bill;, could run. He put on a strange hat, got on a strange horse,
and took a short cut up a long branch. By riding fast, he came out in sight
of Williams who was just about half way across the prairie. Cox had with
him a big, old, muzzle -loading rifle. He thought that Williams would run
for the brush when he saw what he thought was a stranger, but, instead,
Williams slip.)ed off on the far side of his horse and laid his old shot gun,
known as "Old Betsey" across the saddle. Cox knew just how Williams was
armed, and how far a bullet from "Betsey" would carry, so he stayed back
out of gun -shot range and sent a bullet from his longer -ranged rifle singing
over Williams' head. ,Instead of running, at the report of the rifle, Williams
leaped into the saddle and started full speed right at the man with the rifle.
Early Settlement
Edward Townsend
McLennan County
District 8
file no.
page no.3
In the twinkling of an eye, Cox realized that the joke had turned with a
vengeance --that Williams' "Betsey" chambered twenty-one buck -shots in each
barrel, that Williams was a dead shot --that he had nothing but an empty rifle.
It was up to him to let his friend know who he really was, and do it quickly.
Before this, they had agreed that if at any time, one must make himself
known to the other, that he would pull off his hat and hold it high in the
air on the end of his gun. William was often heard to say that he never
saw a hat get on a gun so quick and get up so high in the air in such a little
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time as Tom Cox's hat did that evening. Long before he got in range ef "Old
Betsey", Tom hollered out: "Hold up Henry, this is only Tom." This was an
unthoughted joke and came very near being a tragedy. But E. Tom Cox was a
great practical joker until he died. Ever after this, when Cox got too
rough, Williams would say to him: "probably you want to see how fast Billy
Buttons can run."