the negroes; we here enquired for several places and where was the best
place to locate. We wanted to find a rich neighborhood where there was
good society, etc. We got directions for several places, among the rest
the lower settlement on the Brasos river. After we had rested, late in
the afternoon, we set out, pretending to be bound for San Antonio, but
we steered our course for the Brasos river, where we arrived the second
day after. We quartered our negroes with a planter there and traveled
around. We at length found a purchaser, some twenty miles from the
place where the negroes were. We delivered them to him and received the
pay for them—sixteen hundred dollars. We took the horses about forty
miles and sold one, and about thirty miles further we sold the other.
We then went some distance and sold our own horses.
We had realized from all our sales a little short of two thousand
dollars. This was about the tenth of May. The money was principally
in New Orleans Bank bills, and we had some gold and silver to pay our
little expenses. We now steered our course for San Antonio, on foot,
and reached there in about five days. We traveled leisurely, and
procured some two-headed Texas gourds to carry our water through the
prairies. After resting a day or two, we looked around to see how the
land lay. We went into a store and bought two light Spanish saddles,
with bridles and all the apparatus for riding. We put them up in a
genteel package, and provided ourselves with provisions for two days.
Each shouldered his pack, and we left San Antonio in the night, and
steered our course west. We had traveled some ten or fifteen miles,
when we stopped at a small creek and camped. Next morning we traveled
on some twenty-five miles farther, when we came to a ranche, where
there was a great stock of horses, mules, jacks, jennies and horned
cattle. We hid our saddles before we approached the place, and went up
with our bundles of clothes and guns and asked for something to eat,
which was given us—plenty milk and bread. Only one or two of the people
could speak English, and that very indifferently. An old man, the head
of the place, and his drover and herdsman, spoke the best English. We
asked the old man to let us have a couple of horses and saddles, and we
would go with him a hunting and take our guns; we told him we wished
to see the country; he told us “yes,” and furnished us with horses. We
spent a week or more with him. We killed plenty of venison to supply
the whole ranche.
MURDER OF THE TWO MEXICANS IN TEXAS.
One day Wages told him that we wanted to go and camp out that night
about twenty-five miles off; we would be back next night, and wanted
one of his gentle mules to pack; he told us to take the mule and any
horses we pleased, and helped us to pack up, with water, provisions
and whatever we wanted. We started and remained out that night and
the next, and returned the third day. We had seven fine deer in all;
he asked what kept us so long—had we been lost? We told him we had,
and that while we were out we had met with an acquaintance of ours,
buying horses and mules, and that he had furnished us money to buy
thirty good horses and thirty mules, if we could get them delivered at
a certain place named, about one hundred miles from there. We showed
him the gold we had, and satisfied him as to the money, which was to
be paid on delivery of the horses and mules at the place mentioned.
The horses and mules were selected, and the price agreed upon. Gentle
lead and pack mules were selected, and every preparation was made for
our departure. We were to go with him and return with him, so as to
see that the contract was complied with. The day arrived and we set
out with five mules packed, and five gentle lead mules, with bells
on, and a young half-breed Indian to assist in driving, and all of
us mounted on the best of horses. We had managed to procure our new
saddles and put them in their packs, on a mule that was set apart for
us. Thus equipped, with plenty of water and provisions, we set out a
little after daylight. Our travel that day was upwards of thirty miles,
on account of having water. The next day was farther. We however made
the two points. The next day our only stopping place was about twenty
miles, and the next was thirty miles.
This twenty-mile place appeared to be a dead lake or spring, with an
underground discharge, with a few small groves of timber near by, and
several lakes or sinks in the ground, in the direction the water was
supposed to run under ground. We left our second night’s camp on the
third morning, and arrived at the twenty-mile place in the forenoon.
We, as usual, stripped and hampered our horses to graze, eat dinner,
and the old Mexican and his man lay down to sleep. Wages and I took our
guns and went off, pretending to hunt. We killed a turkey and a prairie
hen and a small deer. We cleaned our guns, wiped them out, loaded them
with the largest buck-shot, took our game and went to the camp. While
loading our guns, we made the arrangement in what way to dispatch our
traveling companions, for that was the way we intended to pay for the
horses and mules. So it was agreed that the next morning, before day,
we were to prepare some dry grass and have our guns ready; Wages was to
get up, wake me, and we were to set the straw on fire, to make a light
to see the position in which the two men lay.
All that night I did not sleep one minute of sound sleep. The most
awful and frightful dreams infested my mind all night, and Wages told
me the next day that his sleep was disturbed in the same way, and he
then regretted the act and wished he had not done it.
Wages rose in the morning and easily waked me, for I was not in a sound
sleep. We took our guns; I crawled close to where the young man lay,
and got my gun ready. Wages was to fire first. He put his light against
a small brush, and the old man partly waked and turned his face toward
Wages, who fired the contents of one barrel in the old man’s forehead.
The young man was lying with his back to me; I placed the muzzle of my
gun to the back of his head, where the neck joined it. My finger was
on the trigger. At the report of Wages’ gun, I pulled the trigger, and
there was but little distinction in the report of the two guns.
Both men gave a suppressed, struggling scream, and expired.
Our next work was to dispose of them, which we did by slinging them
with ropes, swinging them on a pole, carrying them to one of the sink
holes close to the camp, and burying them there. We deposited with them
all the clothes that had any blood on them; and with the hatchet they
had, we sharpened a short pole and partially covered them with dirt. We
next went to the camp and raked out with sticks and brush all the signs
of blood, and took brush and dry leaves and built fires on the ground
where we had killed them. All of this we had accomplished by a little
before sunrise.
Our next work was to prepare to leave the place. We took the old man’s
fine massive silver spurs, his silver stirrups and silver bridle bits,
his gold rings, sleeve buttons, etc. We took our new saddle and
bridles, and concealed all the old ones in the prairie, about five
miles from the camp. After we had arranged everything to our liking, we
gathered our pack mules and packed them; herded up the lead mule and
the drove; Wages mounted the old man’s horse, and I the young man’s, we
tied our other two horses together and turned them in the drove, and
all things being now completed, we set out about eight o’clock in the
morning.
We now had the sixty horses and mules and the ten lead and pack mules,
the two fine horses of the old man and his servant, and the two horses
he had loaned us to ride, which made seventy-four head in all, and
a better selected drove of horses never left Texas. We pursued our
journey that day very silent. Wages had but little to say and I had
less. We had in our hurry and confusion forgotten to supply ourselves
with water, and had but little victuals to eat that were cooked. About
a quart of water in our gourds, was all we had for the day. We came to
the water late in the evening. We suffered very much for water that
day, as did our horses. We stripped and hampered them to graze, after
they had got water, and then prepared some thing for ourselves. We had
our turkey and part of the deer; we built a fire and barbecued the
game. After we had eat, Wages said he could not sleep, and told me to
lie down and take a nap.
I laid down, but could not sleep. Every time I would fall into a doze,
the vision of the young man I had killed the night before, would
appear before my eyes, and I would start up in a fright. After several
ineffectual attempts, I finally got up, and told Wages I could not
sleep, and told him to try it. He laid down and was quite still for
some time. All at once he screamed out “Oh! my God!” and jumped upon
his feet. I called and asked what was the matter, and he declared
that he saw the old man he had killed, standing over him, and that he
plainly saw the shot holes in his head, and the blood running down his
face. So we both set up the balance of the night.
The next morning we started very early. About noon we came to a large
creek where we procured plenty of water for ourselves and the drove;
we halted and rested awhile, and then pursued our journey with little
delay, making the route as direct as possible for the mouth of Red
River. We did not pass the settlement on Irish Bayou, nor Natchitoches.
We arrived at the mouth of Red River and went down the river until we
came opposite Bayou Sara, where we had our horses and mules ferried
over.
We went to a man living out from the river, and effected a sale of all
the horses, except the four saddle horses. We went up into Wilkinson
County, Mississippi, where we sold all the mules, getting fifty dollars
for each of the horses and an average of seventy-five dollars for each
of the mules. We sold the two saddle horses that Wages and myself rode
before we killed the two Mexicans, for one hundred dollars each. We
then shaped our course for Natchez, and when within about twenty miles
of it, we effected sale of the two horses we were riding, to one man;
he gave Wages one hundred and fifty dollars for the horse the old
Mexican had, and he gave me one hundred and twenty-five dollars for
the one I rode, and sent us in a carriage to Natchez, where we arrived
about the last of June. We had realized on our trip that time about six
thousand six hundred and seventy-five dollars.
We had not been in Natchez long before a steamboat passed down and
we went on board. We had preserved our saddles, bridles and all our
traveling equipage. We landed at New Orleans, went to the bank and
deposited all our money, but a few hundred dollars, which we retained
in gold coin—two and a half and five dollar pieces. We remained in New
Orleans to spend the fourth of July with our associates there.
On the 5th of July, 1841, Wages and I left New Orleans and embarked
on a small steamboat bound to Shreveport on Red River, taking with us
our saddles, bridles and traveling equipage. In consequence of very
dry weather Red River was very low. We had some delay in getting to
Shreveport. We, however, reached there, and found some wagons traveling
out to the interior of Texas. We made arrangements with them to haul
our baggage, and we traveled with them part of the time, some times
before them and some times behind. We kept with us our bridles and
ropes or lassoes. About the fourth day after we left Shreveport, we
started on before the wagons, and traveled some fifteen to twenty
miles. By noon we came to a settlement on the border of a small river,
one branch of the Trinity, we supposed, and there rested and eat some
bread and meat. In the evening we reconnoitered and discovered in the
vicinity a large, newly settled plantation, a good number of horses
and mules grazing around, and a large number of negroes about the
place. Wages sent me to watch on the main road for the wagons, while
he watched the horses and mules. About sunset a negro came to drive
the horses and mules to their lot. Wages asked what his master’s name
was and what State he moved from. He told Wages his master’s name was
Smith; and he moved from South Carolina. Wages asked if he was a good
master. The negro said no; that he did not feed well nor clothe well,
and that he drove hard and whipped hard. Wages then told the negro, if
he would come down that night to the ferry, which was about two miles
off, he would give him a shirt and pantaloons and a dram. Wages then
came to where I was stationed on the road, but the wagons had passed
about one hour before. We hurried on and got to the ferry a little
after dark. The wagons had just got over and were camped on the other
bank. We called, and the ferryman let us over, and went to his house
some distance off. We took supper with the wagons. After supper, Wages
and I feigned an excuse to cross the river to bathe. We took with us a
flask of whiskey and the shirt and pantaloons Wages had promised the
negro, and crossed in the ferry flat. We made fast the flat, went up
the bank and there we found the negro, true to his promise. Wages gave
him the dram and the shirt and pantaloons. Wages then asked the negro
if he did not want to leave his master and go to a free State. The
negro said he did; that he had runaway three times in South Carolina
and started to Ohio, but was caught every time. Wages then gave him
another dram and asked him if he could steal three of the best horses
on his master’s plantation, and bring them to that ferry the next night
or the night after. The negro said he could. Wages then told him, if he
would bring the three horses and one bridle and saddle and go with us,
that he would take him to a free State. The negro promised to do so,
and said he could do it next night as well as any other time and said
he had two halters to lead with, and an old wagon saddle. We told him
we had saddles and bridles. We gave him another dram and let him go,
and we wet our heads and crossed over to the camp.
Next morning we told the wagoners that we would stop a few days in the
vicinity, and rest awhile and hunt. We went on two or three miles, to
the border of the prairie, and took out our baggage, among which we had
two small three-gallon kegs of whiskey, one full, and the other with
about one gallon in. We paid for hauling our things, bid the wagoners
adieu, and they drove on. We shouldered our baggage, as much as we
could carry; went a short distance from the road and concealed it; and
went back and took the rest to the same place. We then took our flasks
full of whiskey, our two gourds full of water, and some salt, and went
about a mile on the edge of the prairie, where we built a small fire.
We next turned out to hunt meat. We could find plenty of cattle, but
were afraid to shoot them so near the settlement, for fear of discovery
before we had accomplished our purpose. We hunted some time and finally
came in view of a small grove of trees, about a half mile distant.
Wages and I separated; I went on one side and he on the other of the
grove, and we found a few deer there. We killed one small buck, which
we took back to our camp and skinned and barbecued him, and eat, and
prepared the rest to take with us. We laid down for a nap and awoke
about an hour by sun; and took our things to where we had the others
concealed. About sunset we eat our supper, took our bridles, lassoes,
guns, and flasks of whiskey, and started back to the ferry, which we
reached about half an hour after dark. We concealed ourselves near
the landing, until about nine o’clock. Wages then took the ferry flat
and went over the river; I remained on the same side to watch. If we
discovered any person we were to make the noise of the swamp owl.
Wages had been across about an hour when up came the negro, with the
three horses; Wages immediately took the negro and horses in the flat
and crossed over. We soon put bridles on the horses and Wages mounted
one and I mounted the other—bare backed. Wages took the lead, the
negro next; and I in behind; we both had our guns well loaded and both
cocked, for fear the negro had betrayed us, and we were determined to
kill with every load in our guns, if attacked. We soon arrived at the
place of our baggage. Wages and I very soon saddled our horses and
divided our baggage and gave a part to the negro. We then divided the
whiskey and had about one gallon and a half in each keg; I took one
and the negro one, and we tied them to our saddles with the ropes. We
filled our two flasks; Wages took our meat, and about eleven o’clock
that night we all set out, Wages ahead, the negro next and I in the
rear, and I assure you we pushed from the word go, all that night,
mostly through prairies.
Some time before day we came to a settlement, and a little farther on
we came to a small river. Knowing it must be very low, we determined
to ford or swim. We started in; it was very deep. About the middle, we
came to a gravelly bar. Wages halted, and said to us that he could see
a ferry flat; he believed the water was very deep near the shore, and
we must swim and try and land above the ferry flat. He told me to take
care of my gun and ammunition and to wait until he and the negro got
through and out. They started, and got to the bank. Such splashing you
never did hear. Wages got out; the negro’s horse bogged; he jumped off
and took the bridle, and the horse got out. Wages then told me to bear
up, which I did, and got through. We then got water, filled our gourds
and took each a dram, mounted our horses and pushed on again till
daylight appeared.
Wages and I then consulted, whether to keep on or lay by through the
day. We concluded it was safer to stop, conceal the negro and horses,
and watch the road. We began to look out for some woodland, and about
half an hour after sunrise we descried woodland to the west, at some
distance. We made for it, stripped our horses and hampered them to
graze; took our dram, some water, and eat our breakfast on venison
without bread, and Wages took his gun and went to watch the road, I
took my gun and went west to hunt water. We left the negro to mind the
horses; we took our flasks; each went his own way. I walked about a
mile and came to some prairie land, and a short distance further I saw
woodland and plenty of cattle and horses; I knew there must be water
there. I hunted and found plenty, but it was very bad. In searching
around, I found a flock of turkeys and killed two and cleaned and
washed them there and went back to the camp. The negro had been tasting
the contents of his keg, as he said, to make it lighter, and he was
pretty tight; I told him he must stop that until we got further off; he
said he would. We made a fire and roasted our turkeys. I told the negro
to go to sleep, which he did. After he had slept his nap out, I laid
down and told him to watch and wake me about two hours before sunset.
We then put saddles on two horses and led one, and went with our gourds
to the water. Our horses drank _some_; the negro drank powerfully—the
whiskey he had taken down made his coppers a little hot. We filled
the gourds and returned to camp, where we had dried all the traveling
equipage, and we then packed and arranged everything, ready to travel
when Wages should return.
About sunset he came in and informed us that no person had passed the
road in pursuit of us; but that two men had passed the other way,
and if we had kept on that day we should in all probability have got
ourselves in trouble, for these men said they were in pursuit of two
thieves who had stolen two horses and three negroes on the Irish Bayou,
in April last, and that the same thieves were suspected of having
poisoned the overseer on the same plantation. They told Wages they
had traveled nearly all Texas; they had been to San Antonio, and all
western Texas, and could get no news of the fellows. Wages then told
them that he had a family and resided about twenty miles from that
place, on the next river they would come to, about ten miles below the
ferry; he was looking for his horses; that he had removed from South
Carolina; that he crossed the Mississippi river about the first of May,
and had met two men with two very good horses and three negroes, and
they were near the river. He described the horses and negroes, and they
declared they were the same that had been stolen. Wages then inquired
if they had seen his horses. They said they had not. He then said to
them: “Gentlemen, I have a little whiskey in my flask; will you take
some?” They replied they would, if it did not disfurnish him. He told
them he should return to a camp he had, about five miles off, where
he had some comrades helping him to hunt his horses, and they had a
little more there in a small jug. They drank. Wages then inquired of
them about the country south and west of there, and about the roads and
the water, etc. They told him it was fifteen miles to the first water—a
large creek, but fordable; and that it was twenty-five miles to the
next, and that was to ferry. Wages having obtained the information he
required, offered them his flask again. The sun then was about one hour
and a half high. He saw three men come riding from the same way we had
come; they were riding very fast; they rode up and inquired which way
we were traveling. Wages told them he lived east of that about twenty
miles; was hunting his horse. The other two men stated they were on
the hunt of some stolen horses and negroes, that were taken from the
settlement on Irish Bayou, in April; that they had been through western
Texas, and were now direct from San Antonio. The three men enquired how
far they had traveled that day. They said from the last ferry, about
forty miles. They then inquired if the two men had met any person on
the road. They replied no. One of the three then said that some person
had stolen a negro and three horses from them the night before, and
they were in pursuit of them, and they had seen signs where they had
swam the river, ten miles back. Wages then told them that just after
daylight that morning his dog had awakened him, and he looked some
distance off and saw a white man and a negro on horseback, traveling a
new road, in a southeast direction, and about twenty miles southeast
from that place. The negro had a lead horse. Then Wages described to
them the horses (which were the same we had). They said they were
the same, and immediately turned their course. Wages gave them some
directions and they all left. Wages then hurried to our camp as fast as
he possibly could.
On his arrival I could see that something was wrong; that he was
irritated, and, I thought, alarmed. He was much exhausted for want of
water; he took a little and a dram, eat a few mouthfuls of turkey and
sat down. He told the negro to catch the horses, put the bridles on and
hitch them, saddle his own horse, and have everything ready as quick as
possible. The negro started. Wages then said to me: “James, I am more
alarmed now than I ever have been since you and I first started out in
Alabama. Our situation is truly a critical and dangerous one, and I am
at a loss what to do.” He then told me what information he had that day
received, and then asked me what I thought it best to do. I reflected
for a few moments, and this idea immediately occurred to me, and I
said to Wages: “We must cross that forty-mile ferry before daylight
to-morrow morning.” Wages studied a few moments and said “agreed!”
and we were not long in saddling up and packing all things, ready to
travel. We filled our flasks with whiskey, gave our negro a good horn,
and drilled him as to the mode of travel. About dark we left our place
of concealment.
Wages took the lead, the negro about thirty-five yards behind, and I
about thirty-five yards behind him, so as to evade any sudden surprise.
We soon reached the main road, and Wages pushed on at a fast gait. In
about three hours we reached the fifteen-mile creek; here we stopped
about three-quarters of an hour, let our horses drink and blow; we
got water, eat some of our turkey, took a dram, and gave the negro
one, filled our gourds with water, and about eleven o’clock we started
again, Wages in the lead, and traveled until about three o’clock in
the morning. We saw a light near the road; Wages stopped and came back
to me to know if he should ride up and inquire how far it was to the
ferry. I told him no; that the best way would be to go round the fire
and push on, which we did, and about two or three miles further we came
to woodland and a plantation. We quickened our pace, and about one mile
further, a little before four o’clock, we reached the ferry. Wages told
me to strip off my clothes and he would do the same. We stripped, and
placed the negro in the bushes with the horses. We swam over and were
not many minutes getting the flat over. We put on our clothes, took the
horses and negro, and crossed over. Our horses drank, and the negro
filled our gourds while we were crossing. We landed, made the flat
fast, as we had found it, mounted the horses and left in a hurry.