TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1844-1845
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their young men were all out hunting, and they knew their people would not be able to come in at the time we had fixed for the Treaty. Some days after Conner and Watson came in, and they had then to remain eight or ten days for the Keechi to come in, who were out hunting, before starting for the Treaty ground: while there three men, a Waco, a Keechi and a white man or boy, passed trough town each with a stolen. horse, they heard of twelve horses befog driven through there at one time, and of seven at another. Red Bear told them they must give up to Acaquash, but they told him, he had not the power to get them. (Acaquash is unpopular, on account of his peace policy) Red Bear then told them that an account of their conduct should be sent to Washington, on paper; this much alarmed them, especially the Keechi, Certificates were left by Watson and Conner stating that if horses were stolen by indians and traced t,-, the Anadarko, Joni or Caddo villages, thPy were not the ag- gressors, as the roads to the Waco, Keechi, Tawehash and Ta- wakoni villages, all passed through theirs, and that the first named tribes were doing their best to stop the other from com- ing down upon our frontier,-W"ith the Keechi they left for Red Bear's town, 25 miles below, and on the river, where they remained four days and then, with the Caddo, left for the Ana- darko Jose Maria's village. While there a Waco Chief, the principal man of their tribe who they term the "Lame arm," on account of a wound received in the wrist, rode into the village and, by accident was met by the Chief Jose Maria. the Waco Chief was habited for war, nearly naked, without even a blanket and quite alone, he was asked by Jose Maria why he appeared there in such a sight? to which he replied he was just from the Spanish war. If so, says Jose Maria, where are your war- riors? when I go to war I lead my men; I am found in the front; if you did the same how do I find you here by yourself alone? You speak with a forked tongue; follow me. By Jose Maria the Waco was conducted to the camp of Conner, and all together went to the Keechi Camp. when there the Waco made the fol- lowing statement "that, with ten men, he started to make war upon the Mexicans; that he passed down the other side of the Colorado, crossed the San Antonio Road and were near Gonzales when he, the Waco chief was persuaded by David Warwick, a Tonkawa Captain, (taken prisoner when a boy) to change his route and steal from the settlements they took first three, then four, then two in all thirteen horses and started slowly back.
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