Indian Papers of Texas and the Southwest, Vol. III

125

TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1846-1859

sons they might find. That there are no Comanche West of the Colorado except occasionally a small war party and that the murder perpretrated at Craig's trading house was by one of these the tribe having left nearly a month before. Some Kickapoo who visited the "station" yesterday confirm these statements in the material parts. I informed the Kickapoo that they must leave the country in two months as they were in- truders. I informed the Lipan that such of them as did not come to the Llano would be treated as Comanche in the event of a War. All of these statements are to be taken with some allow- ance. Indians generally are not to be credited fully in their reports of e:ch other. The Lipan want a war, because they hate the Comanche-they hope to get employment-are anxious to show that they are the friends of the whites and thus be al- lowed to visit the settlements, especially San Anto_nio.-That some portion of the Comanche are hostile there is no doubt, but that the body of the nation is so or wishes to become so I do not believe. Those who have lost relatives or friends upon the Rio Grande wish to be revenged and the Chiefs cannot govern them. They went to the Rio Grande for food, not blood-they would not have gone could a .subsistence have been obtained otherwise. They were met and punished-some times wrongfully-and they are deeply incensed, for it seems to them that the govern- ment by denying them the only country where food can be pro- cured intends to starve them. The alternative has been pain- fully presented to them starve or steal-choosing the latter they have been caught and punished and they wish revenge. They failed to meet me and have gone to the Brazos for two reasons. The friendly ones believed that War would be the result of the collisions on the Rio Grande and they wished to be out of the way-hence they fled. They did not meet me for the additional reason that Geo: Barnard and Co, traders on the Brazos of influence with Indians intending to compell me to hold the treaties at their Trading house have sent Delaware Indians as agents among the Comanche and others with presents of tobacco and etc. and dissuaded them from meeting on the Colorado--may [sic] offered to spend $20,000 to keep them from doing so. That many stories of danger were told them I have no doubt although I have no proof of this-of the other I have ample proof. It is said Barnard is removing for fear of the Indians- It is not so. If he is removing he is prompted

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