TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1846-1859
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fearful atrocities upon his family- A few weeks later they killed Gustave Von Rotsmann, on the Francisco Perez about six miles from Castroville, and stole almost all the horses on the upper Medina. In December, they stole from the farms of Messrs Hawkins, McClelland and Smith (about 12 miles North i>f ~an Antonio) a number of very valuable horses and mules, a portion of which have since been recovered from the Coman- che. notwithstanding the assertion of the Indian agents and others, that they are at peace- Early in March last they killed Jacob Moehler about four miles from Castroville, and about 10 days later attacked the house of Mr Neal, (25 miles north of San Antonio) and he only escaped with his family by boldness and good fortune- In the month of April they visited the Rar..-;ho of Mr. Gallagher, killed some of his oxen and stole all of his horses, and about the same time stole twelve horses and mules from Mr. Milsted, residing on the Culebra about 15 miles from San Antonio. In the latter part of March and first of April, they killed one boy and stole over seventy head of horses from Messrs Davenport, Wier and others, and in May killed Mr Lawhorn on the upper Guadalupe on the 11th of June they stole from Mr Jett (12 miles S.W. of San Antonio) a num- ber of fine horses, and on the 25th of the same month took from Mr. Braden 12 horses, from Mr Edwards four horses, and from Mr Odom one mule, and on the 28th, stole from Mr Lewis (only 7 miles from San Antonio) fourteen head of horses- A few days afterwards they attacked the house of Mr Westfall on the Leona, killed his companion Lewis Bertrand, and shot him through the body- These are but a few of the depredations wh'ich have been committed immediately around us, within the last year-and we have not thought it necessary to mention many others in the vicinity of Fredericksburg, the upper Guadalupe and the more advanced portions of the frontier, because, we suppose that you may be informed of them from others sources, and because it would fill many papers to give even a passing mention of them all-From time to time small expeditions, composed of private citizens, (who have been obliged to leave their fields untilled and their homes unprotected,) have been started in pursuit of the authors of these depredations, but they have been with a very few exceptions compelled to return without success-yet in every instance in which they have been pursued, they have proved to be Indians, and not white men or Mexicans as asserted
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