Indian Papers of Texas and the Southwest, Vol. V

274

No. 193 LETTER FROM A. BISHOP TO H. R. RUNNELS

Copd. Sec. War

A. Bishop

Decatur Sept 26th/58

Governor Runnells Dear Sir

By the request of a large number of the Citizens of this county I enclose you the petition of a portion of the citizens of our county in relation to the Indian difficulties on our frontier, many more would have signed it, had it been deemed necessary, indeed every citizen of Wise County and other frontier counties would unite in similar memorials to you had they the oportunity of assembling for that purpose, suffice it to say that our whole frontier country is in a highly excited state of anxiety and appre- hension of immediate impending danger from the Indians resid- ing near our northern frontier. The Comanchees Kickapoos and other tribes are believed to be leagued together for the purpo~e of harrassing our people, many circumstances as well rumour strengthen this opinion, and for the first tirfle since depredations has been committed upon our citizens I am free to confess that I have strong apprehensions that our country is in serious danger unless immediate measures are taken to ward off the blow that is evidently in preparation to give to our frontier, I delayed sending this memorial by last weeks mail in order to get all the informa- tion I could in relation to the many rumours in relation to In- dians said to be in various parts of the country stealing Horses Killing cattle plundering Houses and occasionally murdering our people. I visited Cooke county during the past week in order to obtain the most reliable information I could on the subject, while there information of a reliable character was received at Gaines- ville that Indians were seen within eight miles of that place hav- ing a number of loose horses driving in the direction of Red river, two or three other similar rumours reached Gainesville during my stay there not of so reliable a character as the one mentioned but generally believed to be true, on my return to this place on friday last, I was met with similar rumours of Indians in Wise, on last thursday evening two men were out hunting cat-

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