Show WOMAN VONIAN CAPTIVE INDIANS Texas Pioneer Vividly Recalls the Hardships of the Early Days SAW HER SISTER MAIMED Sufferings s of or Childhood Are re NotI Not I Blotted Out Prom From Her Memory lo Tex April 30 Mrs Sallie Sallie Sal- Sal lie Strauch of of this place Is one of the Texas pioneers who experienced untold har hardships In the early days lays when this part of the countr country was overrun O with hostile bands of Indians Mrs Strand Strauch w was born In Switzerland but ca came e to Texas with her parents in 1835 She Sho lived JI about a year car In Galveston and then moved mo to Corpus lI When a little girl Irl she site was stolen stoJen by a n band of Indians and kelIn kept kel In close captivity for two months In relating he her hem experiences of or the early days das she sail said When U we uc reached Corpus Christi Christ we ve felt like we had almost passed beyond the borders of civilizatiOn ci At that time about a dozen people lived JIved there in the most primitive style A Aman Aman Aman man named Cunrad hail had a small store there and the Indians frequently came to exchange beads heads buckskins and hides for Cunrad's trinkets an and fire Tire The Indian under the lie stimulating effect of whisky y was a wild and woolly creature who lio could make the lie vcr very ery welkin ring with his savage From this place we mo c moved to SL St Josephs Joseph's Inland where we found a few families living They Thoy were the Jones Joncs Wells VeIls Pauls Jaynes Janes and Simpkins After After After Af Af- Af- Af ter remaining there about two years tr trying to earn a livelihood by herding cattle and selling milk to passing boatmen we moved to Sual Sun I creek In Refugio county Here Heo I had hud an experience ex ex- l' l th the recalling of which caus caus- es my blood to run cold and makes males me shudder with horror About one month before the horrible horrible horrible hor hor- and trying experience I am about aboul to relate took tool place a white woman well veli mounted came to my fathers father's house and spent the tho night She was wasel el very loquacious and inquired ed cd and gained information about the community and all the people living In it Suspicion Not Aroused OIl Somehow our oum suspicions we were not aroused but her hel mission will b be ree revealed revealed re re- re- re e ded later on Our next meeting Ii however howe was u un under a d er very d different i t ci cir ch r- r It was u-as not under a friendly and ami hospitable roof but It was far fur from m my home borne and fireside It was was under the shades of night on the San Antonio river where the he footprints footprints foot foot- prints of civilized cJ man mann had not Hot yet been implanted and amid established The rhe cold and biting north winds were howling howling- around us yet ct thc they lucy were not as cold an and frigid rIgid as the s icart healt of l same thi-same same me white hite woman who had lad once shared our out hospitality Can slit ht 1 l 1 y Indians UA As was our custom myself and older sister had gone on out on omi the th prairie late lute in iii the afternoon to drive c up uJ the milk cows cow Ve We were about one omie mile from the house when to our horror horror hor hor- rot and amI dismay we saw it fl surrounded by Indians The grass was was- tall and anel we hid hil ourselves but hul the barking of our dog og betra betrayed ed our om concealment und and we became the helpless captives of or those heartless and inhuman creatures crea crea- tures They Thoy Th did not disturb the house or any anyone one In It It but the they stole every horse from here to Goliad We 0 were placed on bareback horses and than I describe describe describe de de- de- de you ou can imagine better belter can scribe it the pain har hardships and sufferings sufferings sufferings suf suf- which we had to und undergo It was vas cold colt weather and amid our clothing save e an undergarment was taken from Crom us After Aftel i caching reaching the San Suit Antonio Antonio Antonio An An- tonio river the white woman mentioned mention ed cel and two squaws came to tn I us Aftel After Af Af- Af- Af tel ter a 1 brief consultation the white wo wo- man who recognized and asked If I knew her hel left and amid I never nevel saw w her again She was l c evidently a Sl spy nail and though she had hind been treated J kindly In iii my fathers father's hou house e. e I and amid my 1113 sister sister sister sis sis- ter were vere the he victims of her ba baseless eJe s treachery treachery- reach cry I HairOn Huh Hair T in te Sl-te Sisters Sister's On Ott reaching the river they took tool sister and amid stripped her and ancl cut her hem hair hall off One Indian tta stayed ed behind I us us while the other with the horses II I moved forward COlward He lanced my sister several times as she was running From the loss of blood she Ce fell ex exhausted ex- ex hausted hau te and he believing her to be he dead left ho her In that condition Shu She rallied however I and lived Jived tu to raise a family She was found next day b by our om brother brothel John Parks larks but she was wild and anel believing him to be an In Indian In- In dian he had hud to run her hel down downAll downAll downAll All that lint cruelty cruelly I had to witness ane amii and was powerless to help hell m myself or ot ormy ormy my sister Although the vas waa lu rubbed beel from my rny bones hones I had to keep keel I eo up with them arid and no act acl of kindness 0 or 01 word or sl n o of sympathy was ever offered or bestowed upon me An In Indian Indian Indian In- In dian seems as us devoid of feeling as us an anIce anIco anice Ice Ico cheat Though In one tense senSe I might sa say they tr treated us Ul kindly that thatis is 18 they only required me to keep up with them and when they ate they offered us such uchi a as s they had I was curried carried to the lie San Suba Sula mountains s and kept there until rescued We Va were ere a month or 01 more mOIo tho thai trip During During- the trip we wc curno carno to one OhiO showed village where whore the Indians some home evidence of a degree of or tion They had corn honey honey cows and amid chickens and auth were a vast ast Improvement improvement im Im- un- un provement over 01 my captors Camped on In the time Ill cr San Antonio After we reached the an river our out journey thou though h slow was Saba direct to their camp on Oil the tue San Sun rIvet river When tile the weather was vas very cold they tile the usually laid up in iii sonic omo dense thicket et and lived on hoi horse hono o flesh llesh such uchi wild animate animals as ashey and polecats could capture The rime bill of fare Care they hey of I could not partake was i such that and live on acorns II t-o t O I had hud to It t starlight starlight star- star Our shelter was the thc broad canopy o of the heavens and anti light undergarment ens etis With only one thin hum shelter and snow mow shoes no Ito no ment it seems almost po IlI impossible falling endured such hardshIp hardship hard- hard should have ha that I 1 extreme cold such ship BMP and survived j and onH o of weather A fir reaching San Saba 1 I was wa nut put AHer leave It to and not ot permitted to tent tet m itt a buffalo meat live on had to Hero wore I Indians The of ot it but only only I 1 T had had hori about plenty a dozen shanties and separated river and the there ii tents from a a. small settlement their v Huge 1 was ol white people and I suppose of white to prent pre pre- the lY In t e co k rapt pl O escape c pt rh J. ther was nt my e j f S r intensely cold and I had to endure It without a a. fire lire wrap Tap or coVet cover of ot any kind Her Ik HerMy U My release was wn secured b by ChUlchI Church ChUlch I an Indian agent who met tho mo Indians and who into gave in exchange cx- cx change for me inc a young buck whom the Americans hall hail captured 4 A squaw wanted this young oun man the exchange c was easily effected I reached home on N New o. o w Years Year's day lay Just two months after aCter I had been captured ed But nut the anguish pal pain 1 suffering and anel hardships which I endured and underwent during the period of m my captivity can cn never be fully expressed It U was fully enough to last Jast for one lifetime While hiie I survived ed It and raised a family and saw w all of my and amid sisters pass away that tha eventful and horrifying experience still dwells fresh Cresh and vivid Ivl in m memory The present generation can never ne rightly understand and appreciate appreciate elate the trials privations and ld- h-d- ships which the tho early settlers of Texas endured in fn order to hand down lown n a arich arich arich rich an and amid great greot heritage to their pos jOS- jOS |