Indian Papers of Texas and the Southwest, Vol. V

61

25. GUY M. BRYAN 26. J. M. REYNOLDS 27. J. H. McRAE 28. J. H. MOFFETT 29. WILLIAM FIELDS

Brazoria & Fort Bend Harris Co.

30. 31.

Members of Legislature & others to Deer. 24'49 Gov. Bell Recomdg. J. M. Smith as agent to be sent to Washington City &c.

[Endorsed:]

No. 47 LETTER FROM JOHN HOFFMAN AND OTHERS TO P. H. BELL 2nd January 1850 To his Excellency P. H. Bell, Governor of the State of Texas Austin Sir, Castro [ville] [torn] dersigned think it their though pam [torn] to in- form your Excellency, that [torn] , the 27th December last a horrid massacre was committed by a party of Indians / supposed to be Comanches upon the following persons, viz: Havier Gallas,. a middle aged man, who leaves a wife & several infant children to deplore his untimely death. Vienz Tschan, 21 years of age, his brother Joseph Tschan 16 years of age, the only children of an old man, and Benedics Weber, a boy of 11 years of age, the child of a poor widower. This heartrending act was perpetrated only 7 miles above this town & about 1 mile above the last settlement, on the east side of the·Medina. - This body of men went there, with the intention to open a farm, and have been so shockingly massacred on the second night after their arrival. - Your Excel- lency can form no idea of the general consternation, which this awful event has caused throughout the whole colony. - Your Excellency will easely perceive that such lamentable occurrences will not only retard the emigration to this western region of our flourishing State, but compel many of the actual settlers to leave

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