Indian Papers of Texas and the Southwest, Vol. IV

TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1860-1916 35 horses to be kept and fed with corn. Also ten full blooded blood hounds. The men to be .formed in small parties of eight or ten each, and to be stationed on mountain tops, and near indian passes, and so placed that communications can be passed to each. It is a well known fact that when the indians come to commit depredations and succeed. They generally retire with- out delay, and keep on their course from forty eight to fifty four hours without ceasing or camping. Therefore the pursuer has to stop trailing when night overtakes him, and having in- ferior horses and the indians having the advantage by travelling at night it is impossible to come up with them, and in most cases the indians strike the buffalo range and the trail is obliterated By having good and well fed horses that can travel from sixty to eighty miles per day, and the blood hounds to travel by night, the indians can be overtaken nine times out of ten. I have been living here for the last three years and up to the present time there has not been an instance of coming up to the indians on a trail. By forming a company on my principle, I would be sanguine of success. Yours Respectfully JAMES W. C. DECH MAN Belknap Young County Texas) ) May 16th 1860 ) [Endorsed] James W. C. Dechman Belknap May 18, 1860 Respecting Indians

No. 27 LETTER FROM M. CANTWELL TO SAM HOUSTON State of Texas June 6th A.D. 1860 Mr Sarni Houston

Dier Sir after my respects to you as a frind I take the pleasure to drop you afewlines os the eyndion [Indian] excitement you are acused off beeing a indian frinend up here on the frontier you are a loose ing friends verry fast & if you are a frontier

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