TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1846-1859 261 At this time we caused to be enclosed about two hundred acres, erected two houses and several stock pens etc the cost of which exceeded two thousand dollars-- Only a few months had elapsed when our Rancho was visited by a party of Comanche Indians, who killed one of our servants and drove off Several horses-We applied to the Commandant of Fort Brown for protection, but owing to the weakness of his force, he was unable to afford it--In consequence of the frequent incursions of Indians we were forced to employ some eight or ten white men constantly as a guard at $20-each generally, (and some time we had in emergencies to pay as high as fifty dol- lars.) per month-beside furnishing them their provisions- We had furthermore to expend about six hundred dollars in arms ammunition and a fortification-Bands of Indians. (sup- posed to be Comanche and Lipan) have subsequently made fre- quent. demonstrations against this and other ranchos in its vicinity carrying off our stock and murdering our servants- Independant of these incursions we have others-The remnant of two tribes of Indians known as the Tampaquash and Carcese, reside upon the West bank of the Rio Grande, opposite the Rancho of Rosario. These Indians subsist chiefly by robbery and murder-In the last few years they have committed many murders and depredations upon the citizens of this State- In the summer of 1853 a band of these Indians in the temporary absence of the most of our men attacked our Rancho of Sal del Rev. murdererl our agent Frank Frenzel, and after putting to flight our other servants pillaged and burnt the houses and all property there which they were unable to carry off- Among other things they took some $485.00 and 47 head of horses, mares and mules- These animals were exposed by these Indians to public sale on the Mexican side of the river a few days after this disaster. A few months after this We renewed our improvement at a cost of from $1500 to, two thousand dollars and placed the Rancho in the charge of our agent Mr. Rountree Esqr with a guard of some five or six men, to whom we had to pay exorbi- tant wages owing to the hazardousness of life- Mr. Rountree during his stay at our Rancho was twice attacked and narrowly escaped with his life each time, by these Indians. For the last year we have had Mr. D. L. McGraw in charge of this property- twice he has been attacked by parties of
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