ILniBI^^I^Y'

1933

MRS. GEORGE LANGSTON,
Cisco, Tbxa^

HISTORY

Eastland County

TEXAS

MRS. GEORGE LANGSTON ««

DALLAS, TEXAS
A. D. Aldridge & Co., Stationers, Printers and Book Binderi
1904

Copyright, 190'1,
BT
Mrs. George Dangston.

Cm^fTi

oe.

TO
MY MOTHER
AMANDA REAGAN SMITH
A DAUGHTEB OF THE BEPUBLIC OP TEXAS, -WHOSE FATHER
LOCATED IN BUSK COUNTY -WHEN IT -WAS
THE INDIANS' HUNTING GBOUND
THIS HISTORY IS REVERENTLY DEDICATED
BT
HER DAUGHTER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PERIOD 1—1858-1873.

Chapter I.
Chapter II.
Chapter III.
Chapter IV.
Chapter V.
Chapter VI.
Chapter VII.
Chapter VIII.

Chapter IX.

settlement.
The New County.
The First Settlers.
Indian Tribes.
"Charge, Boys, Charge!"
1. Forted Ranches and Incidents of
the Times.
2. The First Wedding.
1. An Indian Race.
2. A Turkey Hunt.
3. The Lost Arrow Head.
In War Times.
Some Indian Fights.
1. Ellison's Spring.
2. Cisco Running Fight.
3. The Cottonwood Fight.
4. Finley, the Little Dog Scout.
5. The Stolen Boy.
6. The Battle Creek Fight.
1. In the Midst of Life.
2. In Search of a Wife.

Chapter X. The Texas Rangers.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PERIOD 11—1873-1881.
ORGANIZATION.
Chapter I. The Moving Frontier Line.
Chapter II. Organization of the County.
Chapter III. Some of the First Voters.
Chapter IV. The County Town, Eastland City.
Chapter V. The Advent of the Railroad.
1. The Texas and Pacific.
2- The Texas Central.

PERIOD III— 1881-1904.

growth and progress.

Chapter

I.

Cisco.

Chapter

II.

Rising Star.

Chapter

IIL

Gorman.

Chapter

IV.

Carbon.

Chapter

V.

Ranger.

Chapter

VI.

Scranton — Romney .

Chapter

VII.

Desdemona.

Chapter

VIII,

, The Methodist Church

Chapter

IX.

The Baptist Church.

Chapter

X.

Other Churches.

Chapter

XI.

School Directory.

Chapter

XII.

Left Over.

PREFACE

In compiling this History of Eastland County the
author has spared no pains in gathering the necessary
material, and has striven to give realistic pictures in ac
cordance with the facts. In som« instances the data
are so scant that it has been necessary to supply the
missing material as to environment by conjecture. This
liberty, when taken, has always been indicated in the
text. Thanks are due the following original settlers, who
have contributed much valuable and interesting infor
mation: Judge J. H. Calhoun, W. C. McGough, T. E.
Keith, Joe B. Smith, William Allen, Silas C. Buck; and
also to Rev. Wm. Monk, of Iredell, and Bethel Strawn,
of Stra-wn. For statistics and other help, the author is in
debted to J. M. Williamlson, County Clerk Ed
Cox, County Tax Collector D. E. Jones, and
Rev. S. J. Vaughan; to five newspapers in
the county: The Rising Star X-Ray, Albert Tyson,
editor; The Cisco Apert, W. L. (Wilson; The Rising
Star Record, Smith & Barnes; The Carbon Herald, W.
T. Curtis, and to the Eastland Chronicle, Frost & Chas-
tain. For material used in local sketches, names, etc.,
has been furnished by the following :
Eastland City — Mayor Ed Hill, C. IT. Connell ee, J.
B. Ammerman, Capt. Kimble and Judge Haminons,

X PREFACE.
Cisco — Dr. Vance, Rev. I. Lamb, R. G. Luse and Rev.
R. B. Vaughan, W. D. Chandler and to J. J.
Butts for loan of valuable books. Rising Star —
Prof. Geo. C. Barnes, James Irby, Neal Tur
ner and Rev. J. H. Chambliss. Ranger — Dr.
C. E. Frost. Scranton — Rev. Geo. W. Parks. Gorman
— T. L. Gates. Carbon— J. H. Cox. To Mr. L. S.
Thorne, of the Texas and Pacific, and Mr. W. F. McMil
lan, of the Texas Central Railways, tlianks are due for
courtesies. For hospitality extended, kind and encouraging
words, the author extends her sincerest gratitude.
If there be any names, communities or organizations
left out that should have been in this history, it is be
cause the personal, written and newspaper requests for
information failed to elicit the material needed.
If this little volume affords as much pleasure in the
reading as it did in the preparation it will have served a
double purpose.
MRS- GEORGE LANGSTON-
Cisco, Texas, Feb. 39, 1904.

HISTORY

OF

Eastland County, Texas

PERIOD 1-18^8-1873

CHAPTER. I.
The Ne-w County.
In 1858, before a white man had ventured to ex
pose himself and family to the dangers of what was
then an Indian infested frontier, Eastland County was
created by an act of the Seventh Legislature of Texas.
By the same act Callahan, Stephens, Concho, Wichita,
Coleman, Dawson, Shackelford, MbMullin, Frio, Za-
valla, Edwards, Haskell, Knox, Hardeman, Dimmit,
Baylor, Runnels, Jones, Wilbarger, La Salle, Duval,
Taylor, and Encinal Counties came into existence. The
bill was approved Feb. 1, 1858. *
Eastland County is ideally located, containing with
in its limits the divide between the Leon River and Palo
Pinto Creek, and the eastern extremity of the backbone
of the Colorado and Brazos Rivers. The depression be
tween these two divides is cut into by Colony Creek, a
tributary of the Leon River.
*The County was named for Captain "William Eastland,
who died a prisoner in Mexico. He is thought to have been
one of the Muir prisoners, though Bean, in his memoirs in
Yoakum's History of Texas, does not give his name.

13 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
The northern slope of the eastern divide is drained
by the two forks of Palo Pinto Creek, while the rest of
the County is watered by the Leon, which rises just be
yond the County's western limit, and makes its exit
about three miles southwest of Desdemona.
The eastern divide is characterized by high hills of
numerous shapes, which lie, in the main, east and west.
It is gashed with ragged ravines, and abounds in deep
canyons, in confused and tilted rocks, producing a
varied and picturesque scenery.
This broken ridge of high land bends northward
above the first impressions of Colony Creek, and dips
again southward around Cisco, the tongues of the Brazos
licking into the northern slope of the backbone, playing
hide and seek with the foragers of the Leon and Colo
rado on the south. As the great skeleton begins to
spread itself westward, it leaves large canyons and
gulches. Trees of many kinds grow in great profusion — cedar
and liveoak on the hills; postoak and blackjack on the
sandy uplands; pecan and walnut, elm and hackberry,
Cottonwood and willow, along the streams, and in the
glades mesquite abounds, and in many sandy loca
tions the shinery.*
When the County was created its soil lay bare, void
of fence or shack in its rugged nakedness. Under its
huge boulders the wild cat found a safe home; its nu
merous caves afforded the wolves a hiding place; the
*Some call a. thick young growth of oak, shinery; others
affirm it is a peculiar, stunted growth of oak. The latter
opinion is, perhaps, correct.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 13
bear, the panther, and the cougar roamed wild and free
over its mountains, while the Indian, in his savage wild
ness, did not need to seek e-ven the protection of a friend
ly canyon, so free was Eastland County from the tread
of the white man.
CHAPTER II.
The First Settlers.
The creation of these new Counties caused a stir
throughout the contiguous frontier, and several settle
ments were made even in the first year.
The first man who camo to the County was a Mexican,
Frank Sanches. He had worked for Thomas Donahoo,
of Parker County, but came here with his o-wn stock
and located between the Jim Neal Creek and its junc
tion with the Leon.
In 1855 or '56 John Flannagan emigrated from Ken
tucky to Texas, and settled on Kickapoo Creek, in Par
ker County. When the new counties were laid off, the
imtpulse to "grow up with the country" again possessed
him, and, moving over into Eastland with his family,
he built a home on Colony Creek, about eleven miles
from' the center of the County. He was the first white
man who moved into the County. One can but wonder if
he looked down the years, and, passing by the choice loca
tions of the Palo Pinto Creek section, sought the cen
ter of the County for financial reasons. Mr. Flanna
gan had a wife and four children, Golston, Wegley,
Julia Ann and "Bud."

14 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
It is curious that a man, forgetting things he once
loved, and moved by the spirit of unrest, will sever ties
of long standing and expose himself and his family to
untried dangers This strange influence burned in thc
heart of W. H. Mansker as he sowed and reaped on his
farm in Arkansas, and was fanned to flames by news
of the Texas lands. With his family he pushed across
the unsettled wastes of Eastern and Middle Texas, and
stopped awhile in Parker County, but hearing of the
Leon country he moved on and camped on a lake in
tbe southern part of Eastland County. Later he built
a home there, and the lake still bears his name.
The next to cross the boundary line were James El
lison from Georgia; J. M. Ellison from somewhere in
Texas; Dr. Richardson from Arkansas, with their fam
ilies, and the Gilberts, four or five young men from
Alabama. All these took up or bought surveys around
M'ansker Lake; Ellison to the south, at Ellison's Springs,
where he still lives ; the Gilberts, Jim, Jasper and Tom,
at Jewell, and Sing and Sam, brothers and cousins to
tbe other Gilberts, three and one-half miles below Jew
ell, on Sabano Creek. This ranch is now kno-wn as the
Morgan place.
FoUo-wing these was C. C. Blair, who came from
Georgia to Alabama, stopped awhile in Collin and
Parker Counties, and finally settled six or seven miles
northeast of Mansker Lake. A little later this settle
ment became known as Blair's Fort.
;W. C. McGouffh came from Georgia and camped
at Blair's Fort. His first son, born at the Fort An?. 17,
1 861, was the first white child born in the County.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 15
In the northeastern part of the County like settle
ments were being made. Wm. Allen came from Palo
Pinto County in 1858 and located a ranch on Rush
C'leek (which he still owns), some twelve or fifteen
miles east of the Flannagan Ranch. J. M. Stewart was
his nearest neighbor, one-half mile away. Two or three
other families settled in the same neighborhood.
In the same part of the County was the Edwards
Ranch, and just across the line, from three to six miles
was the Clayton Ranch, on Bear Creek. Bethel Strawn
settled where the town which now bears his name is lo
cated three miles out of Eastland County.
In Palo Pinto County, at the foot of the hills, about
five miles east of Strawn, Peter Davidson lived. Ht
moved into Eastland in 1865, and made his home five
miles south of Allen's Ranch. All old settlers know
the location of these two ranches.
On Xorth Palo Pinto Creek, in Stephens County,
thirteen miles northwest of Flannagan'.?, Bruce Mc-
Kean lived.
The frontier line in Eastland County at this time,
(I860), formed an obtuse angle, Flannagan's Ranch
being the apex. CHAPTER III.
Indian Tribes.
In 1858 the Counties cf Denton, Parker, Palo Pinto,
Eastland, Brown, Lampasas, Burnet, Gillespie, Kendall,
Bexar and San Patricio marked tbe frontier line in

16 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
Texas which, for twenty years, made little advance. The
Comianche Indians and their allies, the Kiowas, held
undisputed sway over the remaining two-thirds of the
State, with here and there a lone settlement of some
venturesome pioneer. Between this frontier line and the
Indians rode the dauntless and intrepid Texas Ranger,
laboring day and night for the defense of the white cit
izens. In 1865 the United States Government, ha-ving de
cided to pursue the policy of placing the Indians on res
ervations, established the Comanches — "the Arabs of the
New World, whose hand was against every man, and
every man's hand against them" — on a reservation on
tbe Clear Fork of the Brazos River, about five miles
from where Fort Griffin was located later. Forty miles
below this reservation, and ten miles southeast of where
Graham City now stands, and about the same distance
below the junction of' the Clear Fork with the parent
stream, was a second reservation, called the "Tonk Res
ervation," containing, besides the Tonkaways, rem
nants of the Caddo and other tribes. The two reser
vations were connected, the former with Cam.p Cooper,
and the la|i;er with Fort Belknap.
The Comanches and Kiowas were always political
allies and hated enemies of the "Tonks" and Caddos.
When this is remembered, together with the fact that
the Tonkaways were mild, and in the main, friendly,
it is not surprising that reinforcemients were frequent
ly drawn from this reservation for raids against
the treacherous, thieving, murderous Com'anches,

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 17
Five hundred of the latter were fed at tbe
upper reservation by the Government, and given horses
and cattle, but it is estimated that two thousand were
roaming the Western prairies as wild and untamed as
the eagle in the clef ted rock of the highest peak.
The Comanches chafed under restraint and longed
for the freedom of the plains — perhaps for the freedom
of the scalping knife. In 1856 a few daring ones stole
slyly out and made raids on the white settlements. In the
early spring of 1857 the raids were renewed with sud
den vigor, and were continued throughout the year.
An expedition, commanded by Colonel Rip Ford,
was apnt out by the State in April, 1858, against a band
of hostile Indians located on the Canadian River. One
hundred friendly Indians from the lower reservation,
under the Tonkaway chief, Placido, joined the expedition,
which was under the command of Captain L. S. Ross. The
Indian scouts having located the enemy, the Comanches
were attacked at daybreak May 12, 1858, the allies
leading in the charge.
The Comanche chief, Prohebits Quasho, called "Iron
Jacket," from the scaled coat of mail he wore, believing,
it is said, that his arm'or bore a charm> rode in front,
inciting his followers to deeds of bravery by his own
cool daring. The bullets fell around him; i still he
rode unhurt. At last an Anadarko chieftain among the
allies, sent a well-directed rifle bullet which pierced the
charmed armor, and Iron Jacket fell to rise no more.
The Comanches fled in wild confusion, and several pris
oners were captured, among them, No-po, the small son

18 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
of Prohebits Quasho. This was known as the battle of
Antelope Hills.
Some months later, October 1, 1858, the same force
again surprised the Comanches at their homes just at
sunrise. Lieutenant Van Camp and several soldiers
-were killed. The loss of the Indians was heavy. In
this battle a Caddo ally recaptured s little white girl
whose identity has not been determined.
Not-withstanding the fact that the Indians had
agreed that anyone found off the reservations would be
shot, the year 1858 had barely ended when they were
in Erath County stealing horses. From the years 1855-
1859 — the time when the government was attempting
to herd the Indians, feed them, and keep peace -wath
them — there was continued and serious trouble between
them and the white citizens, for the former would steal
horses and scalp the whites nearly every light of the
moon, and the latter would seek to repel and punich the
invasions. At last, however, matters reached a climax, and the
Indians were remloved by the Federal Government across
the Red River into the Territory, where they have since
remained. The Comanches were not slow to see and act
upon the existing fact that they had greater freedom,
and depredations continued, becoming more .frequent.
Tt was the custom in these turbulent times for neigh
bors to work together in clearing land, plowing and
planting, the women and children being placed in the
pearest house,

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 19
CHAPTER IV.
"Charge, Boys, Charge."
Early in the year of 1860, (February 7th), close to
tlie eastern boundary line of the County, Jim Stewart,
with Mack Allen and Bethel Strawn, was clearing off
underbrush about a quarter of a mile from his home.
Near Ijy were Sam and William Allen and William Lew
der. In Mr. Stewart's little one-room, cabin, with its
lean-to, were his wife and Masses Emmaline and Mar
tha Allen, the latter being a sister of William^ Allen.
While the two girls carded, Mrs. Stewart presided
at the spinning wheel, all discussing, the meanwhile,
the colors they would use in their new dresses.
"Mine is to be solid red." said Martha.
"I'm going to make mine red and green," announced
Miss Emmaline.
"Mine'll be the prettiest of all, then," followed Mrs.
Stewart, "for Jim wants me to make it red and green
and blue."
"Listen!" suddenly cried Miss Martha Allen, who
sat near the door. The wheel stopped instantly, for the
girl's face was blanched with fear.
"Indians !" gasped Mrs. Stewart.
"Ye Gods ! Such a lot of 'eni !" added Martha, as
twenty Indians swung around the bend of the road out

30 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
of the dense undergrowth bordering the Palo Pinto
Creek, and bore down upon the little cabin.
Quickly shutting to and barring the door, Mrs. Stew
art caught up her gun, and, placing the muzzle against
a crack in the door jamb, said :
"Now, girls, let's keep cool."
"Yes, and our scalps, too," * grimly added Miss Em
maline. The Indians began plundering tbe place of harness,
saddles, pans, buckets — anything. Now they were on
the gallery !
"Girls, I'm going to shoot," whispered Mrs. Stew
art, with her finger on the trigger. "I'll kill that big
fellow right now."
"Don't," cautioned Miss Emmaline, afterwards Mrs.
Bethel Strawn, who is still li-ving. "Don't ! Wait until
they try to get in !" This wise counsel prevailed.
The Indians kept up a hideous yelling all the while,
presumably to frighten the inmates of the cabin, but,
iastead, it proved their salvation, for the men over
across the ravine, heard the terrible noise and, reco.g-
nizing it at once, feared the worst, and rushed with
breathless speed to the rescue.
As the men came shouting together, and rushed wild
ly down the bank of the deep ravine back of the cabin,
Mack Allen called in -wildest frenzy :
"Charge, boys ! Charge !"
The Indians, cowards in the face of danger, and
thinking, doubtless, from the noise the six men made,
*Her exact words,

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 21
that a whole com'pany of Rangers was rushing upon
them from out of the wood, mounted their ponies, and
were gone as suddenly as they came.
The men hurriedly followed. Upon arriving at the
house of Mr. Woods, seven miles below, they found it
deserted, and spurred their horses onward. Two miles
further they came upon the dead bodies of Mrs. Wood
and Mrs. LemJey. Gently lifting and placing them in
the limbs of the trees, far from the reach of the prowl
ing wolves, they again pressed on for fear a worse fate
awaited the Misses Lemley, who, at the time, were at
Mrs. Wood's home. Although the white men were re
inforced as they pushed on, and made frantic efforts to
overtake them, the Indians successfully eluded them and
.escaped. The two girls were kept over night, robbed of their
clothing, and turned loose -with only one garment each
to protect them from the night's chilling frost or the
norther's keen blast.
Think of it ! Before the hills and valleys and up
lands of this beautiful country had ever been trod by
the white man's feet; when the hungry coyote howled
his mournful lamentation through the dreary night;
when the panther and the catamount lay perched upon
the limbs of the forest waiting for prey; alone, despair
ingly, shuddering over their awful fate, shivering with
cold, not knowing which way to turn, possessed with a
horrible sickening fear that the Indians would return —
the two girls hiding among the rocks, running from one
covering to another, finally made their way back to the

33 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
settlement and found themselves at the home of Tur
key Roberts, five miles north of Stephenville.
One of the girls has since died. The other married.
and lives in Palo Pinto County. *

CHAPTER V.
Ported Ranches and Incidents op the Times.
During the years 1857-1862 the Indians were un
usually active along the frontier. When one remem
bers the topography of the counties forming the bound
ary line of civilization, the numerous streams which cut
their way through mountains, leap into canyons, and
tumble out pell mell into the valleys, where they wind
in sinuous, undulating way, is it to be wondered at
that the red man of the forest yielded to the temptation
of his environments and sought revenge for the appro
priation of his domain to the uses of the white man?
Although the primal object of the Indians in mak
ing raids into the white settlements was to steal horses:
yet, if there were the slightest pretext, they nmrdered
with all the zest of their ancestral inheritance. During
these perilous years the pioneer settlers were forced to
come together for mutual protection.
In the southeastern part of Eastland County eight
?Messrs. -William and Sam Allen and Bethel Strawn,
who were in the chase after the Indians, are the authority
for the above incident. Mr. Sam Allen lives at Van Horn,
the other two gentlemen at Strawn.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 33
families were forted at C. C. Blair's Ranch. The houses
were built and the tents stretched around an open square,
and these were enclosed by a close picket fence eight or
ten feet high. The families living at Blair's Fort were
those of Ellison, Kuykendall, the Gilberts, Mknsker, C.
C. Blair, W. C. McGough, and a little later, William
Arthur. There were others who found refuge in the Fort
from time to time.
As the largest number of families were gathered here.
and it was also a frequent stopping place for the Ran
gers on their journeys hither and thither, large supplies
of bread-stuff and ammunition were kept on hand. * As
ihe traveler went northward, however, he found Flan
nagan's Ranch practically unprotected, guarded only by
an elderly man, "Bad Rec-ce," who was kept about the
house. In the Allen neighborhood were three forted
ranches — Allen's, Clayton's and Edwards'. Smaller
i-auchmen built their houses in groups of two,
three or four. McCain in the edge of Stephens
County, and Uncle Peter Davidson at the foot of the
mountains in Palo Pinto County, both had their
ranches well forted.
On Gonzales Creek, a little further up the country...
in Stephens County, lived the pioneer settler, Mr. John
Reynolds, whose sons, George, William' D. and P. W.,
have large interests in Cisco.
It was in 1860, shortly before Blair's Ranch was
forted, that the Indians stole all the horses belonging to
the Ranch. The men followed hard after them, and the
*There was later a road openei between Stephenville
and Fort Griffin, which passed through Blair's Fort.

34 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
women were left to guard camps. A daughter of the
Port writes: "We children were kept in a little two by
four house, and the women sat under the wagons, expect
ing every minute to see the Indians come.
"By and by tbe Indians got so bad we all went to
Stephenville and stayed six weeks. At that time there
was one store, one drug store and a blacksmith shop in
that town.
"On our way back to the old Fort we had a narrow
escape from the Indians. We had just passed, Mr. Elli
son's, the only house between the two places, when his
dog began to bark, and, as he stepped to the door, the
Indians shot, one arrow striking in the ground at his
feet. He had only to shut his door and get his gun.
They left him, but, providentially, did not overtake us.
"When we reached home we found three or four hogs
killed and laid in a heap, and one old sow walking around
with an arrow sticking in her back. Presently a cow came
running home with seven arrows in her. Poor thing !
We had to pen her before we could pull them out. That
is one time we expected every minute to be attacked."
Billy Cross and family, a wife and five children, lived
,at Mansker's Lake. It is presumed that it was these
same Indians, above referred to, who stole sixty of Mr.
Mansker's horses, and were pursued by Mr. Mansker,
bis son, Tom and Billy Cross. They overtook them on
Flat Creek and had a furious fight. Cross being killed,
and Mt. Mansker's and Tom's mounts shot from under
them. The Indians escaped with the horses, not one
of them ever being recovered. Mr. Mansker and Tom
made their way home separated and afoot.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 35
Shortly after this fight, Mr. Cross's family and a Mr.
Dalton's at Blair's Ranch, moved back East. It was
just about this time that the fort was built.
One night Mr. and Mrs. Blair sat around their
own hearthstone alone with their children. This was
before the ranch was forted. A large and ferocious
cougar, emboldened by hunger, came up to the
yard fence and, catching a pig, rnade off with it.
Both Mr. Blair and his wife ran impetuously after it,
•'sicking" the eager dogs on in their violent efforts tc
regain tbe shoat. The dogs outran them, but by the
excited barking they knew the cougar was "treed," and
followed on to the creek. Not until the "nasty var
mint" * fell, -with a bullet through him, do-wn among the
tingling, quivering dogs, did this father and mother
think of aught else.
"Lord a' mercy. Pap ; the Indians !" screamed Mrs.
Blair, and they ran, leaped and tore through
the brush in their frantic efforts to reach their
unprotected children. Mrs. Blair has always affirmed
that the agonizing fright of those few minutes frosted

*Next morning the cougar was skinned, his fat rendered
to grease hides and his carcass given to the chickens, as
such meat and clabber were all they had to live on. The
cougar's hide was stretched to the martin-box pole, and the
skillet of rendered fat set outside the door. Not a hog was
to be seen all day, an attack like the one the night before
always frightening them into the woods. But towards sun
set they came home. Mrs. Blair was alarmed at the vicious,
¦ugly sounds she heard, and going to the door she found
the hogs were acting like wild, tossing the skillet in their
fury, rearing up to get to the cougar's hide, and "ughing"
and "booing" in the most ferocious way. The children were
brought in. The hide was taken to the field.

36 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
her hair. "To think a pig could make me forget my
children was what hurt," she said.
Daily contact inures one to dangers, yet quickens
one's instinct to watchfulness. This is strikingly true
of the frontiersman. At this Blair's Fort a man would
pick up his gun and go out hunting alone, when it was
well understood that when the light of the mioon should
corme the Indians would be raiding the white settle
ments. On a hazy October afternoon, when one of the men
had just come in with a deer on his shoulder, Jim Mc
Gough went to the spring, three hundred yards away,
to water his horse. AATiile there he was attacked by the
Indians, and attempted to outrun them to the gates of
tbe Fort. In this short, but impetuous race, the fright
ened animal pitched him into the brush. The Indians,
endeavoring to head him off, chased up the other side
of the dense thicket, but seeing the gates closed, they
disappeared, when Mr. McGough came running up to
the Fort with his face covered with blood.
Cattle and hogs were the conHmercial possibilities
of the County, on which the settlers relied for sustenance
and for money.
Blair-'s Fort stood five ^^ears, 1860-1865.
The First Wedding.
"Ma, guess what I found." Mr. Blair stood in the
doorway. "Found?" echoed Mrs. Blair, rising up from the
hearth, where she was putting coals on the lid of the

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 27
skillet into which she had just put the "com dodgers"
to bake. "Found? A cougar or panther, like as not."
Then noting the look of satisfaction on his face, she
cried out, "Not a bee tree. Pa ?"
"Yes, a bee tree, and chuck full of honey, too. Where's
a tub ?"
Mrs. Blair smiled and looked at Sarah Jane, who
clapped her hands, while all the little Blairs jumped
up and down in glee.
When one remJembers that on this far Western fron
tier, one hundred miles from the nearest mill, only ne
cessities were provided — bread, coffee, beans, etc.; no
sugar, no fruit — one can readily comprehend the glee of
the small children at thought of a "tubful of honev,"
but may wonder at Sarah Jane crying, "Hbney cakes,
Ma! Honey cakes! Oh, think of it!" A bee tree
wasn't found every day, and they had no cakes any other
time. But a more subtle reason, still, existed and
caused Sarah Jane's delight.
Only the night before the daughter had said, "But
think. Ma, a wedding without cakes! And everybody'll
be here." "But, honey, you have a pretty white * nainsook dress
trimmied up in embroidery, and mlade low neck and
short sleeves. And another thing you have — I wasn't
goin' to tell you 'til he was through -with 'em — is such
a pretty pair of shoes as Bill McGough is makin' you,
the vamp all notched; and he's goin' to shine 'em up,
and they'll look like real store-bought shoes." Now, that
*Mr. Blair paid fifteen bushels of wheat, at 75 cents a
bushel for the wedding dress.

38 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
the cakes were assured, Sarah Jane's cup of happiness
was running over.
Preparations for the great event to take place next
Thursday assumed a new dignity which was personified
in beautiful Sarah Jane, for there was not a boy on the
Sabanno, or in the Fort, but envied handsome Coon
Keith. All the petty jealousies within those picket walls
were for the time forgotten and everybody lent a band
in the preparations. Venison and turkey were brought
in in the greatest plenty, and the men barbecued the
fat mavericks.
Coon Keith and Jim McGough, on good mounts,
went to Comanche town for the license, and on the day
of the wedding Joe Smith was delegated to go for the
preacher. Reverend Coker, who came alone from Co
manche to Albert Sowles' on the Sabanno, where he was
met by Mr. Smith. After a ride of a couijle of miles
the two men camie upon a fresh Indian trail, and they
wondered if there would be any interference in the wed
ding arrangements. They halted presently where the
Indians had had breakfast. There was the cow freshly
slaughtered, part of her meat lying still in the skin,
and the fire warm and glowing.
The men rode cautiously and slowly on. It was
past the noon hour, and they had ten rhiles yet to go.
The -wedding was to take place at four o'clock, and
Smith was "best man."
At last the trail made a sharp turn to the west, and
the men rightly surmised that the Indians were going
home on the Western route, and again spurred their
horses onward, and were soon at the Fort.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 39
At last the hour arrived. The long tables glistened
when the sun fell on them through the thick-leaved
branches of the sturdy oaks. The minister took his
stand, and the couple to be married walked out into the
yard. Coon Keith, the man, was eighteen years old. He
had black hair and eyes, cheeks like June apples, carried
himself like the young Apollo he was, and was dressed
in blue pants and black sack coat, with two big * six-
shooters buckled around him. The girl holding to his
arm so timidly, half frightened by the impetuosity of
the man's eager love, looked like a unique lily. A
faultless skin, -without a shade of color, large, deep blue
eyes, her throat and shoulders and arms rivaling her
embroidered nainsook dress in whiteness, and crown
ing this, her blood-tinged, yellow-brown hair combed
loosely back and tied with white ribbon, made a picture
that still lives vividly in the minds of those who saw her.
The menu of this first wedding was :
Beef, a la barbecue.
Turkey, with dressing and sliced eggs.
Venison, bread, butter, coffee, milk.
Honey cakes.
After the wedding, Reverend Coker wanted to preach.
This, they would not allow on such a festive occasion,
but gave themselves up to the pleasures of "Weavely
Wheat" and kiadred games until tbe yard was beaten
into powder, and the cock was crowing for day.
*Tom Keith, a cousin, had Intimated that h« meant to
enter objections when the time eaine.

30 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
Miss Lizzie Keith, now Mrs. Presley of Curtis, maid
of honor, and Joe Smith, best man, both wore white.
Mr. Keith has accum'ulated much wealth, and lives
Mdth his still beautiful wife in Erath County, not many
miles from Desdemona. CHAPTER VI.
An Indian Race.
In Steve Brandon's home everything was going
wrong. His wife had been ill for two days. The four
or five grown boys could turn "flapjacks" and make
"corn dodgers," but their big hands were clumsy when
they tried to "pat up" Ma's pillow, or give her a dose
of medicine. "I'm goin' for Mrs. Kohen," Mr. Brandon announced
after dinner. "She's over at Clayton's. Keep a sharp
lookout for the red skins, boys."
"You do the same, Steve," feebly called out his wife,
as he buckled on his six-shooter and left the house.
The sun shone from: a clear sky on that memorable
afternoon, December 15, 1860. Brandon was a brave
man, but his heart was heavy with forebodings as he
started on that fateful journey of five or six miles.
As he went deeper into the wood, however, thinking
of his sick wife and his own imminent danger (as it
was the light of the moon) he realized, perhaps
unconsciously, that nature is capable of restoring one's
peace of mind and calming one's fears.
Mrs. Kohen readily consented to go, and for lack

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 31
of any better way, Mr. Brandon took her up behind him
on his trusty * black steed and started off in a smart
pace for home.
When they had covered but half the distance they
were most abruptly apprised of immediate danger. The
air was cut by the whizz of an arrow, which lodged in
a tree directly in front of them. The noble animal knew
as well as the riders that an Indian was behind them,
and plunged wildly down the homeward path in a race
for life.
Tbe hiss and sight of the arrow lodged in tbe tree
instantly restored to Brandon's mind the gloom that
had rested upon his soul as be entered tbe woods from
home. Glancing backward, he was filled with unfeigned
horror, for not one Indian, but twenty, swung into
view, and came after them yelling like demons, the ar
rows playing about them thick and fast.
Brandon, leaning forward, loosened the rein and
urged the horse onward. The woman's grip about him
tightened. "My God !" he thought, "she is shieldins: me !" And
as his gloom had been lifted by the sweet breath of na
ture in these woods a couple of hours before, so now, the
responsibility for the life of this woman, on her errand
of miercy for one he loved, thrilled him, angered him,
lifted the burden from his soul, and in his restored man
hood he thundered :
"Halt ! wheel !" Thc horse obeyed his master. The
?Color of horse not known,

33 IltSTOR T OF EASTLAND CO TJNTY.
man * fired thrice in quick succession at the bewildered
Indians as they tumbled off their ponies into the grass.
"Go, * General, go !" shouted Brandon, and again
the mad dash forward for life !
The Indians instantly recovered their ponies. On
they came; on, on, like a horde of devils, while their in
fernal yells and hissing arrows environed their victims
as with a funereal pall. The white man urged his horse
forward. The air was thick with hideous sounds. He
gasped for a good breath of God's air. Tbe Indians
gained on him ! The gloom was again settling upon
liii mini, whoa Mrs. Kohen cried out:
"T am shot, Steve !"
Again was he angered, angered at the fiends seeking
life. "Hold fast !" he cried, as he wheeled and fired. The
Indians repeated their former movement with greater
agility, and the race was on again.
Not a moan escaped the lips of the woman as she
pleaded :
"Steve, my back is full of arrows; I am killed already.
Think of your sick wife, and drop me and save your
self." This appeal cleared the atmosphere for once and for
all. How good was sweet nature's breath ! With every
barrel loaded, Brandon wheeled, and with a shout of

*There is a difference of opinion about the kind of gun
used. Messrs. McGough, Snm and -W-illiam Allen. Smith and
Strawn and Mrs- Farm of Cisco, a sister-in-law of Mrs. Ko
hen, are authority for ttte incident,
t'Presumed name,

HI8T0R r OF EASTLAND CO UNTT. 33
defiance that startled tbe woman into tightening her
hold, he sent six bullets on errands of fate. Hope
surged mightily in his bosom, as he shouted :
"Forward, General!" The gallant steed seemed to
have caught bis master's spirit, as, unfalteringly, he
once more threw himself into the race with death.
Brandon's cries now came as shouts of victory. Ht
gained on the Indians, and, coming in hearing of his
home, he raised his voice and called loudly.
One of the big boys, out at the barn feeding tl-iC
stock, for it must be done before night, heard the clat
tering of hoofs, listened, heard the yelling Indians, then
his father's call. He rushed into the house.
"Jim, you stay with Ma. Come Steve, you and Tom.
The Indians are after Pa." They ran out with their
guns, making a great hullabaloo, whereupon the Indians
fled, and the race was won!
Mr. Brandon was bit six times, and they pulled seven
arrows from poor Mrs. Kohen's back. Strange as it
may seem, she recovered rapidly. Some time after this
she became the wife of Mr. Clayton, * and now lives
in El Paso, Texas.
A Turkey Hunt.
That same night two men, Joe Smith and "Bad
Reese," working on the Flannagan Ranch, about twelve
miles southwest of the Brandon Ranch, went out to hunt
wild turkeys, thinking there was little danger, as no
Indians had been seen for some time.

?Mrs. Clayton died Feb. 24, 1904, at Toyah.

34 HISTORY UF EASTLAND COUNTY.
Suddenly, when they were down near the edge of
the bank of Colony Creek, they heard a stealthy tramp
on the dead leaves.
"What's that ?" whispered Reese.
"Sh'. It's Indians, sure's you're born," said Smith,
and, catching the other man's hand, that they might
stay together, they took tv/o steps out from off the dead
leaves on to the soft grass bordering the stream, and
cunningly striding on up the creek, artfully dodged tbe
red skins.
When they reached the ranch, and next morning told
the other men there, John Flannagan, bis son, Golston,
(Gols), and Ral Smith, they were laughed at for their
scare. "It was Indians, I tell you, sure's you live," affirmed
Smith. "I heard their steps. They were all about us.
I believe they were in six feet of us. They'd 'skyed' us,
you know, before we got too low down, and couldn't
see us anymore. Oh, you can laugh, but it was Indians."
If the warning had only been heeded the two young
men — Joe Smith and Gols Flannagan — would not have
been started out alone that morning to Blair's Fort, and
the lone grave under the tree still bears testimony to the
grim truth that "it was sure Indians."
The following account of the attack of these same
twenty Indians who had chased the self-reliant Brandon,
who had all but captured Smith and Reese the same
night, and now finish up their gruesome work, is told
by Joe Smith, who lives at Victor, Erath County, seven
piiles froni Desdem'ona,

HISTOR Y OF EA8TLA ND CO TJNTY. 35
The Lost Arrow Head.
"On the 16th day of December, 1860, Gols Flan
nagan and myself started in an ox wagon to Blair's
Fort, fifteen miles away, for some bread stuff. [We had

JOE SMITH, VlCTOK, TEXAS,
only gone a mile when we were waylaid by Indians, who
opened fire on us at close range from a little ravine by
the side of the road, which we were about to cross.
"Fifteen or twenty red skins facing a fellow on a
turn in the road is enough to make the cold chills run
down any man's back — Gols was only nineteen and I
was twenty — ^but we didn't have time for more than

36 HISTOR Y OF EA STL AND CO UNTY.
that, for the bullets and arrows sung a funeral dirge
about us.
" 'I'm shot !' I exclaimed, falling backward in the
covered wagon, and pulling a stinging arrov/ out of my
knee. Gols turned and looked at me in a dazed manner,
not seeming to understand. There was a red spot on
his shirt front, and I knev,' be was bit, too.
"The young oxen, at sight of the Indians, wheeled
around and ran as if wild, followed by the howling
fiends. Presently the animals left the road and took

the LOST ARROW HEAD,
to the open, making for a timbered spot. They ran
some two hundred yards, when the wheels hit a tree,
and they broke loose from the wagon.
"I was nimble as a cat in those days, and the Indians
having fallen sonie little distance behind, I leaped from
the wagon and ran off in the timber. There I looked
and waited for Gols, thinking perhaps he was hiding in
a little hollow below me. My knee got to hurting me
so bad I decided to make my way to the ranch. Gols
had not come in, 'Bad' Reese went at once to look for

HISTOR r OF EASTLAND GO UNTY. 37
him, and found him dead and scalped. Reese and Ral
Smith went out and brought him in on a horse. Early
the next morning the men went to McCain's Ranch for
help, and Mr. Highsaw and Lyman McCain came back
with them and buried Gols, and we all moved up to
their forted ranch the next day. By April I was able
to get around on crutches- From about the middle of
January I was at my father's house in Parker County,
and was disabled for six months.
"One day in 1886 something pricked me on the
under side of my knee. On examination, I found a
sharp black point sticking through the skin, and knew
at once that twenty-five years ago I had been shot with
a double-headed arrow, and had only pulled one head
out. Three weeks later, on February 21, 1886, after
having carried it in my knee for twenty-five years, two
months and five days, the arrow head came out."
CHAPTER VII.
In War Times.
In 1861 news did not travel fast in Eastland County,
for it lay on the very border land of civilization, witii
its three or four scattered settlements.
Recruiting agents went where some degree of suc?ess
mig-bt attend their patriotic efforts, and it was not iinitl
1864 that men in this section were called upon to Lear
arms. It was not from a desire on the part of tho Gov-

38 HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND CO UNTY.
ernment to make every man feel the burden of war that
the frontiersman was impressed, or even that he might
take part in the civil strife caused by the black man,
but he was called upon to repel systematically the inva
sions of the red man.
Prior to 1868, Eastland, Shackelford and Calla
han Counties were under the jurisdiction of Comanche
County. After this date Eastland was attached to Palo
Pinto. At every meeting of the Legislature laws were passed
for the prucection of the frontier. They were adhered
to as closfeiy as the conditions and times would permit,
and that was all tbe law required. About the 1st of
February, 1864, Eastland was organized under the
Conscript uaw for military purposes.
* Forty men were required to form a company, and
at that time it took every man between the ages
of eighteen and forty-five in the Counties of Eastland,
Shackelfoid and Callahan to muster the required num
ber. Think of the rich fields of corn and cotton and grain
that thrive in our County to-day; of the handsome and
substantial houses that dot its surface; of the many
beautiful churches, school houses, public buildings, and
of the whirring machinery; of the eighteen to twenty
towns with their three hundred to three thousand in-

*Chapter 36, Section 3, General laws of the T(mth Legis
lature reads: "That the commissioned officers of each com
pany of fifty men or more shall consist of a Captain and
two Lieutenants; if less than fifty men, two Lieutenants,"
etc. However, the spirit of the law was met in these fron
tier counties.

HISTOR Y OF EA STL AND CO UNTY. 39
habitants; then, in imagination, wipe' out all these farms
and houses and towns; fill the primeval forests and
prairies, without a vestige of a shack of any kind, with
the snarling, hungry animals, and the fiendish, treacher
ous Indians, and you have a picture of the territory
traversed by those early guardians of our country. Flan
nagan's Ranch, McGough Springs and Jewell marked
the western limit of the white man's tread in Eastland
in 1864. Tbe following roster was furnished by T. E. Keith,
who joined the Company as soon as be was eighteen
years old:
Sing Gilbert, First Lieutenant;.
J. B. McGough, Second Lieutenant.
J. L. Head, Sergeant.
H. York, Corporal.
Privates: W. N. Arthur, Thomas Mansker, James
Stubblefield, J. B. Smith, John Temples, James Tem
ples, John Ward, Frank Caddenhead, Tom Caddenhead,
*Ike Ward, C. C. Blair, J. M. Ellison, S. C. Shirley, W.
C. McGough, Joe Henshaw, Gabriel Keith, B. M. Keith,
G. B. Ely, Sam Gilbert, Tom Gilbert, James Gilbert,
Jasper Gilbert, Taylor Gilbert, Joseph Dudley, William
Fisher, J. J. Keith, J. M. York.
As three of these men lived in Comanche County —
Joseph Dudley, William Fisher and S. C. Shirley — there
were, really, only twenty-eight men in Eastland. A

*It was not known until after the war closed that four or
five of these men were deserters from the army. Ike -Ward
was arrested during the war, taken to Arkansas, court-
martialed and shot as a deserter.

40 HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND CO UNTY.
few months after the organization of this company, how
ever, all the available citizens of Callahan and Shack
elford Counties were added to it, making the required
forty, and First Lieutenant Gilbert was made Captain,
J. B. McGough, First Lieutenant, and N. H. Kuyken
dall, Second Lieutenant.
The Oomipany was divided into three squads, and
each man was required to serve ten days out of thirty.
The starting place was Nash's Spring, half way between
McGough Springs and Jewell, and the incoming scout
was always met by the outgoing squad, thus keeping a
lookout committee continuously on duty.
Several days after Le.e's surrender a detachment
of Gilbert's^ Comipany arrived at Blair's Fort. There
they received the sad news from Lewis Keith, who bad
just returned from Louisiana, and the Company dis
banded. When the danger of being "pressed" into the Con
federate Army had passed, it is said that at least one-
third of the men in Eastland County moved back across
the Brazos River. That this was a fact, the census of
1870 proves, as the entire population numbered only
eighty-eight. Tbe only wonder is that any remained,
as there was no Government protection at all until the
next Legislature met.
All honor to the brave men and women who still
possessed their homes and held the line of civilization
in Eastland ! All honor to the gray hairs of those who
fought for her in those perilous times, and who still live
among us ! Eternal honors be to the glorious manhood
and womanhood that creates pioneers !

MISTOR Y OF EASTLAND CO UNTY. 41
CHAPTER VIII.
I — Ellison's Spring Fiaht.
On the 8th of August, 1864, J. L. Head, Corporal,
led out eight men for a ten days' scout, camping the
first night at McGough Springs. On the morning of
the 9th the men went west till they struck the Leon,
near where the Texas Central Railway now crosses it.
There they discovered a large Indian trail leading
southeast, the signs indicating there were were at least
thirty-five or forty Indians, some riding, some walking.
The men, kno-wing they were down to steal horses,
pushed hard on after them. The trail crossed Nash's
Creek about three miles east of Carbon, where the In
dians killed a beef for breakfast, then continued south
until they reached the present location of the W. W.
Boone place, one and one-half miles north of Jewell. It
was then the Gilbert ranch.
Captain T. E. Keith, of Curtis, furnished tbe fol
lowing description of the battle :
"There we overhauled them, seven of us — Harris
York's horse having given out, he had pulled for tbe
ranch. We fought them at long range for awhile, un
til we saw we had no sort of showing, when our Com
mander ordered a retreat to the Gilbert Ranch for
reinforcements. At the two ranches we got five more
men, making our number twelve, with Sing Gilbert,
our Captain, in command.
"We returned to where we left the Indians, took
up tbe trail, followed it east about twelve miles, where,

43 HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND CO UNTY.
three hundred yards sot»th of Ellison's Spring, in Un
cle Billy Jones' field, we discovered them. Our Cap
tain ordered a charge and led it up to within thirty
or forty feet of their line.
"Think of it ! Twelve men, armed with muzzle-load
ing rifles and shotguns and pistols, charging right up
to a line of forty Indians, and most of them on foot and
coming to meet us !
"Captain Gilbert ordered a halt. We fired on them,
but they kept coming. Our Captain ordered us to fall
back. We turned right in their faces, and on that turn
is where they got in their deadly work.
"The Indians wore shields that would turn our bul
lets, and were armed with bows and arrows, which, at
short range, were more accurate and deadly than rifles
and six-shooters.
"On that turn * our Captain was shot in the neck with
an arrow, and died in less than two hours. Button
Keith's horse fell, and they killed him right there. Jim
Ellison received a deep arrow wound in the hip, which
disabled him for life. Tom Caddenhead was shot through
tbe thigh just below the hip joint and pinned to the
saddle, and Tom Gilbert was shot twice through the
arras. Two men killed and three disabled in less time
than it takes to make the statement. Five out of twelve
knocked out and not a load left in a gun or pistol !
"Well, there was nothing left for us to do except to
outrun them to Ellison's house, which we did in grand
*Mr. Keith was unmounted in this direful retreat and
separated from his party a few awful minutes, but recov
ered his horse and escaped unhurt.

HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND CO UNTY. 43
shape, the Indians following us to within eighty yards
of the house.
"Runners were then sent to the Gabe Keith Ranch,
fifteen miles away, to tbe Gilbert Ranch, twelve miles,
and to j\lansker's, eight miles, to let them know of the
trouble. About nine o'clock that night my father, J.
J. Keith, started to Stephenville to have graves pre
pared for the two dead men — that being the nearest
graveyard. The distance was thirty-five miles, and not
a settler at that time between the two places.
"He arrived at Stephenville at daybreak, and heard
bells, and horses running on the bill east of town. Be
lieving that Indians were stealing the horses, he alarmed
the town. Joel Dodson and another man, however, had
heard the bells and running horses, and, taking their
guns, had gone to investigate. While crossing
the Bosque they heard a noise in the bed of
the creek above them. Listening and sky-lighting they
decided there were Indians near and fired, whereupon
the savages ran off, leaving five bloody pallets and two
* guns they had picked up on the battle ground the day
before at Ellison's Spring, proving that they were the
same Indians and at least five of them were wounded.
"On the eleventh of August, Captain Gilbert and But
ton Keith were consigned to their last resting places at
Stephenville, and the curtain was dropped on the blood
iest battle with Indians ever fought in Eastland."

*One of the guns recovered belonged to Mr. Keith, who
dropped it when he was unmounted.

44 HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND 00 UNTY. '
List of scouts in Ellison Springs fight :
Gilbert, Captain, killed.
J. L. Head, corporal.
T. E. Keith, Curtis, substitute for J. J. Keith.
Harris York, Alamogordo.
Ijeroy Keith, killed.
J. M. Ellison, Gorman.
W. C. McGough, Eastland.
Jim Gilbert, Millsap.
Tom Gilbert, dead.
Sam Gilbert, dead.
Jasper Gilbert, dead.
Jim Temples, Menardville.
Tom Caddenhead. II — Cisco Running Fight.
The date of this very interesting event could not
be learned, but Mr . McGough writes :
"I led the Scout and trailed the Indians with two
dogs, named Colonel and Hats. *
The fight began on the hill west of the Mjetbodist
church and was intensely exciting as the little band,
chasing the Indians northwest, fired as they ran, the In
dians as vigorously returning tbe attack. Mr. McGough
says: "There were many shots fired — the Indians having
guns. Albert Henning was wounded, and I was for
tunate enough to hit the Indian who shot him."
It was believed at the timte that Mr. McGough
*Colonel was a dog with a pedigree. Hats was a mon
grel.

HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND CO UNTY. 45
killed this Indian, but the timber growth being dense,
tbe Scout deemed it best not to follow farther, especially
ns the Indians had fled, leaving the large bunch of
horses they had stolen and were driving to the reser
vation. A few years later, a Mr. Sublett, formerly of Coman-
, Che, discovered the grave * of an Indian near Cisco, and
from the headdress he was supposed to have been a
chief. As McGough fired six shots at the chief
who had wounded Henning, the discover)? gave
weight to his opinion that he had wounded the Indian
unto death.
There were thirteen men who took part in this
memorable fight — three of whom Mr. McGough ca.nnot
recall :
sW. C. McGough, C. Brashears, L. B. Brittain, T.
A. Bearden, H. Edwards, John Hill, A.lbert Henning,
John Beall, George Keith, Jerome MJcAllister.
Ill — The Cottonwood Fight.
In the month of November, 1868, another Scout,
composed of Messrs. Baker Ballew, Andrew Tarter,
George Bugby, J. Peter Davidson and the. Allen broth
ers, Sam, William, Joe and Luther, discovered Indian
signs at Mansker Lake. The trail which led East
was hard to follow. E-ridently the Indians were few in
number and had purposely traveled apart. The men
*Near Cisco is an Indian grave, where even yet parties
frequently find trinkets. -Whether or not this is the grave
above referred to is not known, but the prevailing opinion
is that it is the same.

46 HISTOliYOF EASTLAND COUNTY.
had frequently to dismount and look closely for the
trail. When they had gone thus tediously a mile or two,
however, a black hound pup, belonging to Mansker
which had attached itself to the scout, suddenly scented
the trail and was off on a long run, never
looking to the right or left, as .the men loped
hard after him all the day long. It is said that a dog
seldom took up a trail in this way, but when one did it
was safe to follow the lead. It proved so in this in
stance. Late in the evening, when two of the men had fallen
a mile or two behind, their horses having failed, the
Scout came upon the Indians, eight in number, at the
head of Highsaw Cove, a branch of Barton's Creek. As
soon as they saw the * hound, they recognized it as
their Nemesis, and each Indian greeted him with two
rounds of ammiunition. The leader of the scout, Mir.
Ballew, ordered a charge. Then followed a fast and
furious fight. The Indians who had dismounted were
at a great disadvantage. To escape they had to climb
up over rocks and knoll right in the face of the Scout,
but succeeded in escaping in the gloom of the deepen
ing night, leaving only one man on the field, together
with their horses and blankets, eight in number. As
the sagacious dog was dead, and, in the light of the
m.oon coining over the horizon, each man would stand
out as a target for the Indians hiding amiong the rocks,
the Scout wisely decided to be satisfied with the result,
*If the fine animal had not been killed the men think
they would have tracked the last Indian to his death.

HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND CO UNTY. 47
especially as two of their number, Ballew and Joe
Allen, were severely wounded and needed attention.
Prom the dead Indian's attire, he was recognized
as tbe leader of the band. His handsome, fringed buck
skin suit, his quiver full of arrows and large, strong
bow made of mulberry and his shield * were part of the
trophy the men carried off. Not without regret it must
be recorded that they also carried his scalp.
"Look here, boys !" one of the men called out after
tbe Indians had escaped, "Look here ! Some Indian has
a badly wounded foot," and he held up a shattered
stirrup lying near.
That bis conjecture was correct was proved by the
persistence of Finley, the little dog scout.
IV — The Little Dog Scout.
Lige Littlefield, J. W. Brashears and Lewis Ellison
were moving in two wagons, from Parker County to
Eastland in the winter of 1868.
On the bank of Palo Pinto Creek in the northeast
of the county, one of tbe men discovered a moccasin
irack. Like true frontiersmen, they followed the trail
on the road for several miles with the keenest anticipa
tion without a thought of danger.
•Mr. -William Allen still has in his possession the bow and
the shield. The latter was made from the hide of a buf
falo's head, cut round, and is about one-half inch thick. A
strap of leather on the under side, which was worn over the
thumb, protected the body, and not being held firmly, a bul
let, when it struck the shiel"', would glance off instead^ of
passing through. The Shield measureg twenty-two inches
in diameter.

48 HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND GO UNTY.
"Finley," alert and on the true scent as became a
frontier dog, dashed ahead of the wagons. The owner
of the m'occasin, discovering the wagons, turned out of
the road and hid under the brush and grass. "Finley"
was not to be outwitted by a "redskin," so he followed
and began barking loudly.
On the Indian's rising up to ask for protection, Lige
Littlefield opened fire and did not know, until the bul
let had done its deadly work, that he had instantly
killed a lone and deserted squaw. "Finley" did not
know tbe difference and barked a chorus over the re
mains of the vanquished. Tbe Indian fell on William.
Allen's Ranch, one-half mile from his house, and from
one foot being badly mutilated, it was supposed she was
the one wounded in the skirmish on Highsaw Cove.
At the head of this creek where tbe fight occurred
stood a solitary tree. As the Scout turned, leaving the
dead Indian there, one of the men said, "God has pre
pared a sentinel to watch over your miouldering dust."
V — The Stolen Boy and Frane. Sanches.
Frank Sanches was out hunting stock, and stood
!ind watched a numerous drove passing on down to the
Leon for water, hoping to find some of his strayed two-
year olds. Imagine his surprise, as the last yearling
was nearing him and he was about to turn and retrace
his steps homeward, to see a small boy's head bobbing
up just behind the calf. On the child's approach he
found it was a white boy who had been captured by the
Indians. He had escaped and was following the stock,

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 49
hojping to reach the settlements. Mr. Sanches cared for
the little boy and returned bim. to his people.
It was about this time and in the same locality that
Henry Martin, a son-in-law of Mr. Mansker, was killed.
He was separated from other members of a party who
were attacked by Indians while rounding up cattle, and
lest his life. VI — Battle Creek Fight. *
A great fight with Indians took place on this creek
m the northwestern part of the County. Three In
dians and one white man, Mr. Lathan, were killed.
Mr. Rufe Atwood has a skull supposed (from trinkets
found near)- to be that of tbe chief of the party. Mr.
J . B. Loyd, who has a son and daughter living in
Cisco, was one of the scouts.
CHAPTER IX.
I — In the Midst of Ljee.
Mr. Coffer was sick with fever and his family was
in danger of starving.
Four weeks bad he lain prone upon his bed and the
fever was still high, but his wife was full of cheer and
strong in hope.
*Futile efforts were made to secure a description of
this fight, which gave a name to the creek. It cannot be
stated definitely whether the attacking party were Rang
ers, soldiers, or a scout.

50 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
"Why, husband, think what goodly company we'll
have if we starve ! Bnt we have beans yet — a bucket
full, and whoever comes to stay with us through the
night brings something for you. Your fever did not
run so high to-day, either. There now," she added,
patting up his pillow, "isn't that better ?"
"You always look on the sunny side, Martha. I'm
glad you do."
"I must go bring up the filly before it gets any
later, 'cause I put her a little farther down toward the
creek." "Martha ! How dangerous !" interposed her hus
band. "The grass is so much better there. Besides, don't
you see I am buckling on your six shooter, and here's
'old trusty,' " taking up a gun. "Why, husband, I
could fight a dozen Indians !"
But the woman could not deceive her husband. He
well knew she did not possess the courage she feigned. Tt
frightened her even to handle a gun. How could she
defend herself if attacked !
"Dear Lord !" he moaned in an agony of appre
hension, "make me well for her sake !"
"Just the sight of that wood terrifies mie," she whis
pered to herself, pausing half way between the house
and the gate. "I've a good notion not to go after all —
but — oh, I guess there's no Indian hiding," and nerv
ing herself for the dreaded ordeal, she ran quickly down
to where the young mare was "lariated out," and war
jstooping to untie her when two Indians arose from the

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 51
nearest clump of bushes and -with a frightful yell let
fly two arrows.
The hissing arrows, the sight of the "red demons,"
their ownward rush so paralyzed her that she dropped
her gun, and a mtoment later fell dead with an arrow
in her heart.
Hastily scalping the woman, the Indians mounted
the fine young mare and were gone.
The man on the bed with tbe baby playing by hia
side, listened with bated breath for the first sound of
his wife's voice. He heard the sharp, quick yell of the
Indians, then caught the sound of her cry. With one
effort, he leaped from the bed — and fell. He forgot
that he was sick, forgot that he had not stood on his
feet for weeks.
He raised himself on his elbow, but could see noth
ing. He listened for the sound of his wife's running
feet, but all was still. Again he listened. He heard
the gallop of the mare he had raised from a colt, and
he knew the Indians had scalped and probably killed
the mother of his baby. He raised his voice and called —
"Martha !" Oh, Marth-e-e !"
In his horror his voice sounded shrill and clear.
"She's dead ! Dear Lord, she's dead ! But the dead
could have heard that call. Where's the baby?" — feel
ing around him. "Is she dead, too? I'll call her.
Su — No! No! I'm afraid. Why, how warm it is! T
was cold a moment ago. How strong I feel! Martha,
the fire's made. I'll go feed the filly, I hear her nicker
ing. The dawn is breaking."
One hour later, the neighbor who came to stay

53 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
through the night, found the mian lying on the floor,
burning with fever and talking incoherently, and the
baby asleep on the bed.
"Why, Martha, are you still asleep?" the sick man
said, as his neighbor lifted bim upon the bed.
"The filly is gone,' he rambled on, "the Indians
must have stolen her. Thank God, it was not my wife
or baby they got."
The neighbor gave him a drink of water and put a
wet cloth on his head ; then finding the woman lying
dead, mounted his horse and rode rapidly to the nearest
house to give the alarm.
For many days the sick man's life hung in the
balance, and it was not until the green grass covered
her grave that he ventured to ask where his wife lay.
Whether Coffer or the baby are still living could
not be learned.
Mr. Keith and Mr. McGough are the authority
for the above incident. Their recollection of details
differed slightly, but the result was the same.
II — In Search of a Wife.
One day, early in 1869, Mrs. Blair took her small
children, leaving Delphia and Charlsie at home to do
the family wash, and went to see a sick married daugh
ter living near. She left a pot of peas and bacon on
the hearth, with some fried eggs and bread in a skillet
all ready for the girls' dinner.
There was small danger of Indians at that, time, yet
the instinct to watchfulness had been well trained, and
the frontiersman was ever on the alert.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 53
When the noon hour arrived the girls came in to
eat their dinner.
"I'm going to eat my peas first and save the best for
the last," Delphia remarked.
'^Well, I'm going to eat the best first," laughed
Charlsie, "and then I'll know that I have it." A noise
at the gate aroused the girls and Charlsie, aged thir
teen, went to the door.
Mercy, me! Delphia, it's a big negro man." Her
sister came to look and cried out, "Charlsie! It's an
Indian !'" The younger girl darted under the foot cur
tain of her mother's bedstead, while Delphia hurriedly
hid herself between the two feather beds.
The Indian came on, opened the door, looked around,
(Charlsie watching him through tbe curtains), went
to the glass, combed his hair, turned to the fire-place
and discovered Delphia's eggs as well as Charlsie's peas.
These he quickly dispatched, scooping up the peas witli
his hand.
Mrs. Blair had sent her little boy, Dave, and a small
er girl, Adeline, across the field to her home for some
medicine. When the boy stepped in at the door, the
Indian looked up and said, "Come in," but the little
ten year old lad turned, and catching his sister by the
hand, made his way back to his mother as fast as hit,
legs could carry him, coaxing his sister, when she
stumbled or fell behind, "Run, Sissie, run, or the Indian
will catch you."
As the children did not see the girls, the mother
n:)turaliy supposed they had been murdered, and she
started home, screaming. She was cautioned to go by

54 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
a neighbor's, and not expose herself to a like fate. This
she did, and she and Mr. Bell cautiously appr ;ached
the house, the mother not being able to restrain hei
grief, as no sign of life appeared about the place. When
they entered, the Indian lose, held out his hand and
said, "Howdy." ("bobsheely.") Mr. Bell shook hands
with him. "I don't want to shake hands -with yu,"
said Mrs. Blair. "Tell me what you have done with my
children." "Why, Ma, here we are !" cried out Charlsie, coming
mit from under the bed, while Delphia at the same
ti ne tumbled out from her snug hiding place. The
mother, clasping her children to her breast, began shout
ing. When her joy had somewhat subsided, she went up
rn the Indian and said, "Now, I'll shake band^ with
y."-u, I've found my children."
In the mieantime Mr. Blair and Mr. Wbatley, who
had been out after board timber, came in. The Indian
m..-de them to understand that believing the white; jiian
«ould not kill the red man if he gave himself vp, be
had waited several days for an opportune time. He
wa,^ guarded clcsely over night and sent to Dublin ne.xt
morning, from which place the soldiers carried hiin
brick to ihe * Coiu.qncbep.
On their arrival in Dublin an interpreter was found
*Mr. Keith and Mr. Smith say he was sent to the Co
manches. Mr. Keith says the Tonkaways wanted him, but
the soldiers would not give him up. Mr. Sam Allen has
always understood he was given to the "Tonks," who mad«
him "run the gauntlet" — covering a given space and not
being hit by the squaws and children lined up. As he was
hit, they killed and scalped him.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 55
in Mr. Bob Barton. The Indian told him his squaw had
been in a raid some weeks before and as she had never re
turned, he had come to hunt for her.
Mr. Barton told him of tbe accidental killing of the
wounded squaw and as the times agreed he decided it
was his wife.
CHAPTER X.
The Texas Rangers.
It is not definitely known when the Texas Ranger
service was instituted, but as early as the colonization
of Texas under Austin, com,panies of volunteers were
formed to repel Indian invasions.
The Congress of the Republic, after Texas had gain
ed her independence, made provision for a mounted
force to guard the frontier which, in 1836, was Nacog
doches, Houston and San Antonio; but "it was in the
Mexican War of 1846-1848 that the Texas Mounted Vol
unteers in the service of the United States, under such
noted leaders as Walker, Hays and Gillespie, achieved
world-renowned famie and clothed the name of Texas
Ranger with its traditional glory."
The "State Police" of the reconstruction period
which became so odious to the citizens of the State was,
in no sense, a part of the Ranger service. The former
was characterized by outrage and lawlessness; the latter
by intrepid acts of bravery, self-sacrificing courage, calm
ness in danger, and a recklessness of self-preservation
that will be the admiration of ages. It was at first

56 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
semd-military, neither officers nor men wore uniforms,
there was no strict discipline, no music — only mid
night rides in tracking a foe, only cool daring in en
counters. The Ranger service was an outgrowth of the times.
No military in the world ever excelled the early Ranger
in devotion to duty or obedience to orders.
When it is remembered that all over the broad ex
panse of Texas there was a moving frontier line made
by the hardy Anglo-Saxon pioneer, and many hundreds
of roving, hostile Indians composed of numerous tribes,
each with a stronghold in the fastnesses of the moun
tains of the unsettled West, it will readily be under
stood that a mounted service for frontier protection
must from necessity be maintained. Again, when the
vastness of the unsettled country is taken into consid
eration, it is not to be wondered at that the Indian was
not the only menace of the frontier, nor yet, his oft-
time ally, the secretive Mexican, but that bands of des
peradoes infested the country. In all times of frontier
settlement there has always been a border warfare born
of necessity — so it was in Texas.
When the Ranger service was organized, Texas had
no money; thetimesandconditionsdidnotwarrant an ef
fort toward a strictly disciplined military body; but an
armed force, both for internal and border protection, was
demanded. This was not alone because of the foes men
tioned that threatened her welfare, but the demand was
accentuated by the loose characters that drifted hither
and thither, ofttimes renegades from justice, caring
little if they did murder, or were themselves dispatched.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTV. 57
"Out of this combination of circumstances and the
necessities arising therefrom, was the Ranger service
evolved, and so efficient and valuable did it prove that,
as soon as practicable the organization was given offi
cial recognition and a legal status and title."
;When Texas was a part of Mexico she needed the
Rangers; when Independence perched aloft her banner,
the frontier Battalion sustained her; when she entered
the galaxy of Stars as the one of greatest possible
magnitude, the Volunteer Companies protected her
frontier; when she came out of the Union, standing
with the glorious, honorable minority, she needed more
than ever before the loyalty of her brave sons; and, then,
when again she re-entered a united government, her
Southern flag furled, her individual rights assailed and
Imposed upon, governed by aliens, and looked upon as
a reprobate, did she need the fearless strength of tbe
Texas *Ranger.
In the year 18 — Captain Whiteside, who formerly
lived in Cisco, but now deceased, commanded a body
of Rangers and was located at Ranger Camp. This
was near the site of the town of Ranger and gave tbe
village its name.
*A detachment of Rangers, mounted, ready to start, was
sketched at Blair's Fort in 1863 by a Mr. Stuart. Mr. Jim Mat
Stephens of Dublin, Tex., owns the picture and is having
it painted by an artist in St. Louis. For further information
of thle Ranger service, see Scarff's Comprehensive History of
Texas.

A GROUP OF OLD SETTLERS

Photo by Watkins, Rising Star, Tex.

PERIOD II-1873-1881

CHAPTER I.
organization.
The Moving Frontier Line.
The line of settlements in the County did not change
frjr several years, but the force and power of the con
stantly increasing flow of human beings from the other
States, which was stopped temporarily in the populated
tenters by the civil strife and the fear of the Indian in
the West — could no longer be checked.
The Rev. C. Brashears, who came to the county in
' the autumn of 1872, writes of the conditions existing at
that time:
"Six families at or near McGough Springs, three
families at Mansker Lake, one settlement at Flanna
gan's, consisting of a cow-ranch and one family ; another
on South Palo Pinto Creek of two or more families:
these, with two families on the Sabanno, three at P^Ui-
son's Spring, and three or four at Desdemona, made
up the entire population of Eastland County when I
came here.
"This was a fine stock country. Game was plentiful
— such as bear, wolf, deer, turkey, buffalo, a few pan
ther, wild cat, catamount, fox, opossum, skunk, and
Indian. There were wild horses here at that time and
any number of cattle. This was then a fine hog coun
try, as there was always a hea-vy mast. Hogs were plen
tiful."

60 HISTOR V OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
When it is remembered that in 1860 there were
ninety-nine inhabitants in Eastland County, and in
1870 only eighty-eight (including women and children),
the conditions prevailing at that time in this section
will more readily be appreciated.
From Mr. Brashear's letter it will be seen that the
frontier line of 1863 still existed in 1872, one year be
fore the County was organized, and was marked by
Flannagan's Ranch, MteCJough Springs, and .Tewell.
Although the increase in population in one year was
sufficient to organize the County as recorded in the foi-
iowing chapter, yet the name of no man has been dis
covered who located west of the line above referred to
prior to 1872.
It is pleasant to note, however, that once the County
was organized and its possibilities known, a steady in
flux of people began. In 1873 scarcely the seventy-five
required number of voters could be found; in 1875,
when the County Town was permlanently located at
Eastland City, there were one hundred and twenty-
three voters, and in 1880 the census gave four thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five as the population of the
County. On November 25, 1874, tbe last raid of Indian?
through this County occurred.* They cam.e down by
"Messrs. Sam Allen, of Van Horn, and K. Pemberton, ol
Stephenville, are the authority for this statement. Judge
Calhoun thinks a raid into Comanche County, passing
through the western part of Eastland, occurred at a later
date, and a little incident related by Mr. Pemberton might
seem to substantiate this opinion.
One day Mr. Frank Roach, who resided in the south
ern part of Eastland, had gone alone to mill in Comanche

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 61
the eastern route, and on Barton's Creek Mr. Ellison
was shot off his horse, and Mr. Leslie killed on Indian
Creek. Jlessrs. Sam Allen, Silas C. Buck, Tom Gibson
and Mack Singleton were four of eighteen men who
chased the Indians one hundred and fifty miles.
During this period, 1873-1881, the old line of set
tlements was wiped out. Six families (names given
elsewhere), stopped in the Rising Star Country; Major
Munn, who had to go eighteen miles to McGough
Springs for his mail (which Postmaster Father Mc
Gough kept in a shoe-box under his bed), settled at
Nimrod, and lives on the land he first purchased; R. F,
County. On- his return he met an acquaintance, who
reined up his horse by Mr. Roach's wagon.
"How is it you are out alone? Aren't you afraid of the
Indians?" Mr. Roach replied:
"No. Me and the Indians like each other; we get along
along all right."
Hardly had these words passed when a squad of In
dians were seen coming :i round a thicket straight toward
them. The man put spurs to his horse and was gone. Mr.
¦Roach leaped from his seat, cut one of his fine young mules
from the harness and sprung upon his back. No sooner
was this feat accomplished than the mule, on whose back
man had never sat, began to pitch and to plunge, while the
Indians bore down upon the defenseless man who found him-
."self in such a, close place. The mule, instead of going ("own
the road as Mr. Roach urged him to do, rushed into a,
thicket, which the Indians at once surrounded, laughing up-
roarously at the antics of the mule, and helped to keep
things interesting to the man by plying him with arrows.
Suddenly, however, the mule made a dash for the road and
damaged his reputation by ''oing exactly as he was desired
to do — made tracks so fast that the Indians were outdis
tanced. They took revenge by burning the wagon and its
contents and carriei off the other animal. Mr. Roach lost
an eye in the encounter, but was always able to appreciate
the good race that he made.

63 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
Weddington grazed his catle in tbe northwestern part
of the County, as also did his neighbors, Cbarnel High-
tower, Billy Stevens, John, Crowd, Bill, Hilly and Joe
Dennis and Joe Funk. Mr. Drake and sons settled
lower down on the Leon.
In the Cisco Country were Messrs. N. Danvers, W.
B. Cobb, Albert Stephens, Robert and Stuart Cone,
N. Turknette, John Davis. Josh and John Morris, Lacy,
Rhoads, Bunson, Townsend, T. E. Johnson, J. J. Wal
lace, J. P. Montgomery, John Lane, 0. H. Lovelady,
Frank Young, B. L. Pate, J. F. Loony, M. V. Palmer,
Jim Caradine and M. B. Owens. *
Thus was the frontier line pushed farther and
farther west, and the civilization of the Virginias, Car-
olinas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama aud
Mississippi found amiong this moving throng, tip-toeing
to see across and venture on and on as the line strode
westward. CHAPTER II.
Organization of the County.
The Thirteenth Representative District in 1870
comprised Johnson, Hood, Parker, Palo Pinto and Jack
Counties with the unorganized Counlies of Stephens,
Eastland, Throckmorton, Shackelford. Callahan. Tay
lor, Jones, Young and Haskell attached.

"Tliese names have been supplied by R. P. -Weddington.
R. G. Luse and I, Lamb. Doubtless there are many other
names these gentlemen failed to remember.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 63
There came a time, however, when the citizens of
Eastland began to want to do business at home. The
odious State Police bad been disbanded, and regularly
appointed Rangers now guarded the rapidly moving
frontier line. Hardy pioneers pushed westward and
Eastland was no longer a frontier country. 'Many new
settlers were coming into the County, land was being
put into farms, substantial houses were going up, but for
a time no man came forward to take the lead in the
movement for organization.
The 12th Legislature, which met in 1872, had passed
into history, but the prominent citizens of Eastland,
all of whom devoutly wished for organization, had done
nothing toward its accomplishment. This inactivity on
the part of the older men nerved to action Silas C.
Buck, a young lawyer living on the Davidson Ranch.
He made his o-wn plans, had himself appointed Deputy
District Clerk of Palo Pinto County and went to work.
In Section 36 of Chapter 75 of the General Laws
of the 7th Legislature, which met in 1858, an act
creating Eastland and other counties, reads: "The
County may be organized as follows : Whenever the bona
fide, free, white male inhabitants thereof (including
all such recognized as citizens by the Constitution of
this State) over twenty-one years of age, to the number
of at least seventy-five, may petition the Presiding Jufs-
tice * of an adjoining county, or the nearest organized
county, asking such organization, and the person pre
senting the petition (being a creditable citizen of the
''From 1869 to 1876 there were no County Judges in Texas.

64 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
county from which the petition emanates) shall testify
upon oath and in writing before such Presiding .lustice
that the names subscribed to the petition are those of
bona fide inhabitants of such county, possessing the
qualifications aforesaid, and were affixed to said petition
by each of said persons himself; then it shall be the
duty of such Presiding .Justice forthwith to order an
election in said county for county officers, observing the
provisions, as far as applicable, of the general election
laws," etc., etc.
The first thing to do, according to the foregoing law,
was to secure the signatures of seventy-five "bona fide,
free, white, male citizens" to a petition addressed to
Presiding Justice J. H. Baker of Palo Pinto, asking
for an election to be ordered. Armed with a six-
shooter and bowie knife — for in 1873 there was still
danger from Indians — Mr. Buck rode over the County,
hunting all the bona fide citizens.
One afternoon he stopped at a little doggery a couple
of miles from W. H. Mansker's, where he found several
free, white, male citizens exercising their liberties. The
boisterous sounds within the ten by twelve log room in
dicated an excessive nearness to shoals which warned
the young lawyer to linger on the outside of the open
door. Two of the men (called Tom and Mike because
their names could not be learned), became involved in
an altercation, and presently Mike got the drop on Tom
md covered him with a pistol. No sooner did he ac
complish this feat, however, than he. in turn, was cov
ered by another man, named Stewart. At this moment.
Buck became interested, and fingered his guns and felt

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 65
of his knife, as he watched and waited for a chance to
help the "under-dog." Fortunately for all concerned,
some adjustment of the difficulty was effected. The so
liciting petitioner went in and secured the signatures
of the free, white males, and then turned in at Mr.
Mansker's for the night.
When about sixty-five naiaes had been secured.
Buck, who did not know how tbe law read, exactly, car
ried the petition to Presiding Justice Baker, who or
dered an election to be held on December 2, 1873, with
the following result :
1st. McGough Spring,s — J. B. McGough, Justice of
the Peace.
2nd. Flannagan's Ranch — W. F. Hale, Justice of
the Peace.
3rd. Allen's Mill — John W. Gibson, Justice of
the Peace.
4th. Hogto-wn  Watson, Justice of the Peace.
5th. Jewell — E. E. Head, Justice of the Peace.
H. Schmick, Sheriff; Clerk District Court, A. J.
Stuart. On February following, an election, which was held
to locate the County Town resulted in Flannagan's
Ranch being chosen and the name of Merriman was
given to it. By some move, kno-wn, perhaps, only to as
tute politicians, although McGough Springs was des
ignated as the First Precinct, and J. B. McGough
elected from that locality, yet, W. P. Hale, of Flanna
gan's Kanch was made Presiding Justice, and Merri
man became the First Precinct.
The citizens now felt secure in their organization

66 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
and were ready for work. Mart Owens and Miss Town-
send went to Justice Gibson to get married. The .lus
tice refused to marry the couple, and said that he would
resign his offioe before he would attempt such a thing.
Mtr. Owens, insisting, secured a form of ceremony from
a friend, and after studying this all night, Mr. Gibson
consented and married the couple.
Now came the startling news that that oracle of
the law, Captain W. C. Veale, of Palo Pinto, had said
that "the organization of Eastland wouldn't hold water."
This statement sent young Buck to Austin. He inter-
A'iewed Governor Coke, a personal friend, who sent him
to his Secretary of State. Colonel DeBerry.
"Now, Colonel DeBerry," said Buck, "if you can't
issue commissions to these officers who have been elected,
I want this Legislature to pass laws that will legalize
the organization so you can."
"Here, give me their names, I'll fix them alright,"
answered Colonel DeBerry", filling out the commissions
and affixing his signature."
To mlake the organization doubly strong, Mr. Buck
remained two or three weeks, and through Senator.^
Jack Ball of Weatherford and Major Erath of Waco.
succeeded in having all the necessary laws passed. With
copies of these bills properly signed, in his pocket, to
gether with the officers' commissions, the young lawyer
made his way back to Eastland.
When it is remembered that there were few news
papers, and that the railroad still lingered among the
protecting pines of Marshall, Texas, this lack of knowl
edge of procedure in such an undertaking as tbe or-

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 67
ganization of a county is not surprising and one is able
to more thoroughly appreciate young Buck's grit and
nerve. * CHAPTER III.
some of the first voters.
James Henry Calhoun.
Aside from the inherent manhood that came to him
from a noble and godly ancestry, our present District
Judge lies close to the hearts of the inhabitants of
Eastland County from two primary causes. He is one
of the first voters and has served the County and Dis
trict in an official capacity several times. Then, during
the protracted drouth of 1886 and 1887, Judge Cal
houn, who was serving as State Senator from this, the
29th District, accomplished the creation of a special
committee for the relief of the drouth sufferers, was
made its chairman, and did more than anyone else in
securing the $100,000.00 appropriated by the 20th Leg
islature for that purpose.
Judge Calhoun, who is a native of Georgia and
graduated from Homer College in Louisiana in 1870,
came to Texas in 1871 and located at Waco, where he
read law under General Tom Harrison, and was licensed
to practice August 8, 1873. He came at once to this
County and was here when it was organized. Tn the
¦"Mr. Buck gave the above information in a personal In
terview, and it was corroborated by Judge Cajhonn and
others.

68 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
election for officers in 1876, he was made County Judge
— the first to hold that office in Eastland. He has
served two terms as District Attorney and has had an

J. H. CALHOUN, DiSTKiCT Judge, Cisco
extensive land practice, but has never confined himself
to any particular branch of the profession. He is rec
ognized as a lawyer of eminent ability. In his oratory
he is eloquent and impassioned, and merits all the hon
ors that have come to him.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 69
Judge Calhoun is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, So- ith, of the Masonic Fraternity,
and the Independent Or-der of Odd Fellows.
He was married tc Miss Jennie Conner in Eastland
uity on January 1, 1882, and has three children. His
home is in Cisco. "He is a true friend." a generous foe,
and a lover of the pure and good.''

-WILLIAM ALLEN, StbAWN
In the Fall of 1858, Mr. Allen came from Miss.mn
and stopped for a short while in the southern part of
Palo Pinto County. He found the people to be brave
and generous. The country, then, be writes. "Was
thickly settled by bands of friendly Indians, who lived

70 HISTOR Y OE EASTLAND CO UNTT.
by hunting wild game, all kinds of which were plentiful.
During the year 1859 — I had moved to Eastland
County then — the Indians became very hostile and re-
nained so for fifteen years. The settlers had to be con
tinually on their guard."
In 1865 Mtr. Allen settled on a ranch on South Palo
Pinto Creek (this County), which he still owns. Tt now
aggregates nine thousand acres. He lives in Strawn,
and has a wife and five children.
J. M. Ellison.
At the time of the Indians' first raid through this
County in December, 1859, they stole Dr. Richardson's
horses. Mr. Ellison, with six others, followed them
three days through a fearful snowstorm without any
success. "From that time on I was either on a cow hunt
or an Indian trail. Two weeks was tbe longest 1 ever
did without bread." Clothing was hard to get. Calico
cost fifty cents a yard. Mr. Ellison was sadly in neic?
of a suit of clothes. He writes :
"I went out one day and killed two bucks, dressed
their hides and made me a pair of pants. Then I killed
some doe, dressed their hides and made me a shirt —
then I was all right for the brush, only I had no shoes.
I dug a trough out of a cotton wood log, tanned the
leather and made me some."
Mr. Ellison lives near Gorman, where he first set
tled in October, 1858.

HISTOR T Of Eastland go unty.

n

W. C. McGough.
In T-wigg County, Georgia, December 11, 1836, Mr.
McGough was born, and moved to Parker County,
Texas, when twenty years old. On January 18, 1858,
be was married to Miss Paulina Birch of Bosque
County, and m.oved to Eastland November 1, 1860. He
has lived here continuously — at McGough Springs, near
Eastland City, since 1863. He is a member of the
Baptist Church.

W-. 0. McGOUGH'S residence
CHAPTEE V.
Fi-yE Generations.
The accompanying illustration represents five gen
erations. Captain J. J. Keith, born in Alabama in
1822, and Miss Isabel Ely, born in Virginia in 1823,
were married in Arkansas March 8, 1839, and emi-

FIVE GENERATIONS

1. J, J. Keith, 82. Isabel Keith, 81.
3. T. E. Keith, 57. Caroline J. Keith, 52.
3. Easter Grantham Keith, 26. 4. Crissie Richardson, 18.
5. Natha Richardson, 10 months.

HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND GO UNTY. 73
grated to Titus County, Texas, in 1844, thus becoming
i?itizens of the Republic of Texas- While here, on De
cember 10, 1846, their oldest son, T. E., was born. In
i860, while living in Erath County, this family with
the O'Neals and others, foriified themselves at Dublin
(thus founding that prosperous town) and remained
there until April, 1863. Th^y finally located at Mansker
Lake, where Mr. Keith engaged in stockraising.
Here their daughter Ellen, Mrs. Derrington of Sabanno,
was bom, who was the first girl baby born m the coun
ty. While residing in Erath Yit. Keith raised a com
pany of Rangers and was made their Capt.iin.
This venerable couple have lived for the last twelve
years at Curtis with their daughter, ilrs. Ehzibeth
Pressley, and have more than one hundred descend
ants. On the 8th of March, 1904, they will have been
married sixty-five years. Out of their thirteen children
eight are still living.
Their oldest son, T. E. Keith, has been prominently
connected with the history of Eastland since 1863, when
he "scouted for Indians." On July 4, 1864, he was mar
ried at ilansker Lake to Miss Caroline ,T. Arthur,
daughter of William. J. Arthur, and now lives near
Curtis. "Uncle Tom," as he is familiarly called, has served
Ihe county as Commissioner and .Justice of the Peace
many times. When he realized that he needed the edu
cation that he had been deprived of by having been born
and reared on the frontier, he set to work with rare en
ergy and tenacity of purpose to remedy the defect, and
at the age of fifty-four was admitted to the bar after

74 HISTOR 7 OF EASTLAND CO UNTT.
satisfactory examination. Honor to such persistent ef
fort!
H. S. Schmick.
The first Sheriff cf Eastland was born in Ar
kansas, December 28, 1842. He enlisted in the Con-

H. S. schmick
federate Army (1861) as First Lieutenant in the 7th
Arkansas Regiment, and served until the surrender
in 1865. In 1868 he came to Eastland and engaged in the
cattle business. When the County was organized in 1873,

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND CO UNTY. 73
he held the office of Sheriff for eight consecutive years.
He has been merchandizing since his term of office ex
pired. He is a member of the Christian Church.
The Stockton Family.
In 1868, Ike and Sam Stockton, accompanied by
their two sisters, Amanda and Sallie Ivie, emigrated
to Eastland and finding a desirable place near Desde
mona, put up a log cabin, and rested at ease. The
game in the woods around them supplied the table, and
the meal barrel and flour bin were full. Their ease was
not at all disturbed when Sallie told the boys the salt
was low. "Why, we can do without salt for two
months," Ike insisted.
At last came a day when dinner was prepared with
out any salt. "My, what in the world is the matter
with this venison?" Ike asked, when he began to eat.
"There's no salt iu it," replied Sallie.
"Well, my gracious, make some mush." She did so.
Tt was still worse.
"Red man, or no red man," the boy exdaimed, as he
hurriedly saddled his horse, "this boy has got to be
salted," and he rode to Stephenville after salt.
The family spent eight years in this lonely log
cabin, with the shade of the green mantle of the oaks
and elms as their summer rendezvous, and the babbling
spring, one hundred yards away, as their watering place.
They now live in New Mexico.

76 HISTORY OF EASTLAND GO UNTY.
C. C. High.
Mr. High was born in Georgia, March 7, 1851, and
came to Texas with bis father when only five years old.
A-t the age of fourteen he served an apprenticeship in

C, C. HIGH, Eastlan-d

a blacksmith shop in Crockett, where he was married at
the age of twenty to Miss Elizabeth Howell.
He emigrated to Eastland in 1873 and stopped at
McGough Springs. He served two years in the Texas
Ranger Company "A" under Captain Walder. On the

HiSTOH Y OF EA STL AND GO UNTY. 77
lot he still occupies, Mr. High put up the first black
smith shop established in the county.
Mr. High is a pioneer Odd Fellow, and assisted in the
organization of the first lodge in Eastland. He is a
Past Grand and Past Chief Patriarch, and held the office
of Treasurer in the Eastland City Lodge for sixteen
years. Mr. High is an open-hearted and typical frontiers
man, true as the steel which he hammers.
Oscar Cook
Came to the county in 1872, and in the organization
tie held the election at Jewell. He writes: "I had to
cake the ballot to Bill McGough's (twelve miles) and
then Bill carried it to Palo Pinto to be counted. I was
on the first Grand Jury of the first Court — which was
held at Schmick School House. Then we held Tiourt
on the Colony Fork at Barny Bartholomew's and next
at Eastland. It took nearly all of us boys to hold Court.
"I had to go to Comanche (thirty miles) for black-
smithing and for bread. Thomas Mansker, Mr. .Tustis,
Simp Evans, Will Thanish, Thomas Marsh, Calvin
Wadkins, and myself were all who lived on the Sabanno
then. Our nearest neighbors were six and twelve miles.
The Indians took our horses from us twice before we
had neighbors enough to keep them away A fellow
felt skittish when out cutting poles to fence with, plow
ing, or going to mill. But after the county was organ
ized it settled up rapidly,"

78 HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND GO UNTT.
John Thomas Townsend,
Who was born in May. 1830, was married to Miss
Mary Josephine Jenkins in li^entucky, in 1854. M'rs.
Townsend's father, Charles Jenkins, who was a delegate
to the National Convention that nominated James K.
Polk for President of the United States, died in East
land four years ago at the age of ninety-seven.
Mr. To-wnsend, with his brother, Ira Townsend, and
others, located five miles west of Eastland City in 1872.
The nearest neighbor (W. C. McGough) was ten miles
away; supplies were hauled from Dallas, one hundred
and fifty miles; and the buffalo and antelope were still
roaming the prairie lands, which have since been cov
ered with timber. Fifty wolves in one bunch, turkeys so
thick on the trees the limb would break, and encounters
with the Mexican lion are some of the experiences of
this pioneer.
The unbounded hospitality of the Townsend Ranch
was typical of the frontiersmen, and was the chief
means for the dissemination of local news and from
the world "back East."
No fences disturbed the freedom of the cattle in
these iajs. "Grass and water were plentiful, land and
cattle were cheap. Lands which are now worth from
twenty-five to thirty dollars an acre could have been pur
chased then, at most, for from fifty to seventy-five cent,?
an acre." Dr. E. D. Townsend, a prominent phvsician of
T.ilano, Texas, and Mrs. B. F. Kelly of Eastland, are
Mr. To-wnsend's livinsr children. One son, Rr, W, F,
Townsend, died in Llano, August, 1908.

HISTOR Y OF EASTLA ND GO UNTT. 7'J
j\Ir. To-wnsend, who lives with his wife at home in
Eastland City, says: "If I could find another East
land County as it was thirty years ago, I would emi
grate to the hunter's paradise at once."
Mr. j. L. Dufeer.
Mr. J. L. Duffer, who served on tbe first jury in
Eastland, was the first man to be married in the County
after it was organized, as the records in County Clerk
Cox's office will show.
Squire Watson of the Alameda Precinct, (Hogtown,
the voting place), performed the ceremony, and Miss
ilary BoUng was the lady he married.
Reveeexd C. Brasheaes
Was born in Kentucky July 8, 1846. He came to
Texas with his father, who located in Parker County in
1851, where he remained until 1872, when be settled in
Eastland. Mr. Brashears was married December 22,
1863, and has six children, all reared in this county.
He is pastor of a Baptist Church at Ellison's Spring,
where he lives . Dr. Jackson Evans.
There was no physician nearer than Stephenville,.
Erath County, when Dr. Evans arrived in Eastland,
March 10, 1872. He was called at once to see a very
sick woman who, although she had been stricken -with
fever three weeks previous, had not been visited by a

80

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND CO UNTT.

physician. It is to Dr. Evans' credit that she was soon
convalescent. The territory coverd by this first doctor reminds
one of the extent of the pioneer "circuit rider." From
the North Fork of Palo Pinto Creek to Desdemona,

dr, JACKSON EVANS

and from Barton's Creek in Erath County to the limits
of civilization in Eastland were the bounds of his calls.
"My three children were then very small, but I had
often to leave them and their mother alone when there
was danger of Indians. We stopped near a cow-ranch
for protection — as there was no town in the county —

HISTOR YOFEA STL AND GO UNTY. 81
and we are still at our old stand with all the practice
I can do.
"Eastland was a paradise for hunters, when I came
here — cougar, bear, deer and turkey in abundance. I
killed all I needed for family use, while out visiting the
sick. One day, just one mile from where I now live, a
party of men (of which T was a member) killed four
bear, while another party in hearing of us killed two
more. "Many jokes were perpetrated on Eastland County
in those days," continues Dr. Evans. "I heard a trav
eler, who was passing along the road near my house,
say, 'I would not have this County and one dollar.' We
little thought then how valuable this shinery was."*
Dr. Evans and wife have five children.
Joseph Peter Davidson
Was born November 5, 1828, and was reared in
Giles County, Tennessee. He moved to Texas in 1853
and stopped two years in Bosque County. In 1865 he
settled permanently in Eastland — "Davidson's Ranch"
is one of the old landmarks of the county.
Until the year 1870 he engaged in the cattle busi
ness and farming, when he was appointed District Sur
veyor of the Palo Pinto Land District, which included
¦•It is interesting to note the ignorance of the early set
tlers regarding the productiveness of the soil. Then it was
a cattle country and a "hunter's paradise," but it was also
an unknown and undeveloped agricultural land, with the
rich chocolate loams of the eastern part of the County, the
sandy loams of the middle, and the light, enduring sand,
with its clay subsoil, of the south and west, as the products
raised in great abundance to-day verify.

83 HISTOR 7 OF EASTLAND GO UNTT.
Eastland. In 1873, when Eastland was organized, he
was elected County Surveyor and held the office until
1878, when he declined to serve longer. Many old set
tlers testify that he helped them in locating good sur
veys without a thought of remuneration.
Mr. Davidson was a member of the Methodist
Church, South, and a Royal Arch Mfe.son. His chief
characteristics were his patience, integrity, purity of
life and boundless hospitality. Hospitality on the fron-
iier has always cast a sheen and glanmur of dignified
nobility, but few carried that virtue so far as "Uncle
Peter." For nearly twenty years on his ranch he kept
"open house" for all who came or went — traveler, pros
pector, homeseeker, stranger, all were royally enter
tained. He died at Strawn, 1897, and was buried by the
Eastland Masonic Lodge, of which he was a charter
member. J. R. Higgins.
In the fall of 1872 Mr. Higgins settled on the farm
where he now lives, six miles southeast of Eastland City
on the Leon River. One year later he married.
"In those days we lived in log cabins, usually with
one door, no window, roof weighted on, and puncheon
floor. We went in ox wagons to Stephenville or Co
manche to mill. Stephenville was my postoffire,"
Mr. Higgins owns a fine farm with a good home
and plenty of stock. His wife is a daughter of W. C.
JtflcGpugh.

HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND GO UNTY. 83
CHAPTER IV.
Eastland City.
"There is a tide in the affairs of man,
^ Which, taken at the fiood, leads on to fortune;
We must take the current when it serves.
Or lose our venture." — Shakespeare.
Two young men in a land office in Dallas pondered
over the truth contained in the quotation above as they
again went over the map before them.
"We must take the current when it serves,
Or lose the venture."
" 'The current serves' now, for they won't put up
buildings at Merriman, I am told," said one.
"We must take it, then, or else lose our venture."
These young men, late of the University of Ken
tucky, had just bought from J. A. Speers the C. S.
Betts survey, three hundred and twenty acres, centrally
located, and had conceived the idea of moving the
County Town from Merriman, and locating it on their
own land.
On their way to Mansker Lake to have District
Clerk A. J. Stuart, who resided there, to record their
deed, the young men met J. H. Ellison, to whom
they disclosed their purpose. "It can never he done,"
he said. The adverse opinion of the old frontiersma,!]
did not daunt them. They located tbe southwest comer
of the C. S. Betts survey, selected a slightly elevated
spot of ground between the North and South forks of
the Leon Eiver, made a rough sketch, and staked out

lev TT

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND GO UNTT. 85
the pubhc square of Eastland, (the name the Legisla
ture had provided for the county town), January 15,
1875. After having emtployed a Mr. Allen to cut logs for
the cabin to be raised in May, the young men, Jacl<
Daugherty and C. U. Connellee, returned to Dallas.
In May Mr. Connellee, accompanied by J. B. Am.-
merman, who had become a member of the firm, re
turned. The survey of the town was completed, the log
house put up where the La Roe Hotel (Mr. Greenfield
proprietor) now stands, and a frame store-house built
on the lot now occuped by the Eastland County Bank,
in which was put a stock of general merchandise. The
goods and the lumber for the store were hauled in wag
ons from Dallas, the nearest railroad point, by way of
Granbury and Stephenville, thence on the Fort Griffin
military road by way of Desdemona and Merriman.
From a point near where Uncle George Moss now lives,
and where the Texas and Pacific railroad crosses Colony
Creek, a road was blazed to the new town, and the
wagons proceeded. The drivers were Heath Hale and
George Martin. The founders encouraged settlement
by offering a deed fee simple of any lot to any person
who would put up either a residence or a business house.
Six miles west of Eastland lived John T. Townsend,
R. S. Drake, Ira Townsend, Tip Saunders, William
.MJunn, and a few others lived on the South Fork of the
Leon; lower down the stream; nearer Eastland, were
Uncle Sandy Miartin. .Jack Drake, and others, and about
two miles northeast of the town C. R. Johnson
lived. He is the father of Dr. J. L. Johnson. With Mr.

86 HISTOR T OF EASTLAND GO UNTT.
Johnson boarded Mr. Connellee and his bride, and three
bachelors, — J. E. Gold, John S. Bedford, and William
Gwaltney, who were surveyors and interested with
Mr. Johnson in farming .ind cattle raising. Down at
Mansker Lake, at A. J. Stewart's, there boarded a young
lawyer, who spent his spare time dreaming of a practice
that would some day be his. His dreams came true and
he presides over the District Court to-day.
A number of people availed themselves of the op
portunity to get a lot in town. J . F. Davenport, now of
Cisco, built a house on the northeast corner of the
square, where Downtain's brick building stands,
and merchandised. Isham Finch built a hotel
on the southeast corner of the square. "It
was beyond question the best public place
of entertainment in the county at that time
— there being no others." Major J. H. Davenport, for
merly State Senator from Bell County, established a
law office on the south side of the square and published
the first newspaper in the county, "The Review." J.
H. Calhoun, present District Judge, built a law office on
the north side of the square in 1876, which is now tbe
oldest house standing.
Other lawyers who established themselves in the
town at an early date were Frank Stanley, now a dis
tinguished lawyer of Fort Worth, and D. B. Corley, the
I'.rst lawyer who came to Eastland City. The latter was
made Postmaster and established his office in Daugherty,
Connellee & Ammerman's store. Mir. Corley exhibited
the orginal "Uncle Tom's Cabin" at the Chicago

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 87
World's Fair, and is author of a book entitled "The
Lives of the Apostles."
J. H. and J. C. Cox merchandized under the firm
name of Cox Brothers. J. H. Eversdale put up a saw
mill and manufactured what was known as "rawhide
lumber" out of the oaks that covered the hills. This
enterprise greatly facilitated the building of smiall bouses.
Later, Mr. Eversdale engaged in the mercantile busi
ness and had the misfortune to lose his stock of goods
by fire in 1885.
Rev. J. C. Weaver, a Methodist minister, held the
first divine service in the town in the unfinished log
hotel being put up by Isham Finch. Rev. .7. M. Lingo
organized the first Baptist Church.
Tn the summer of 1875, Daugherty, Connellee and
Ammerman made a proposition to the citizens to move
the County Town from Merriman to Eastland. Tbe elec
tion, held August 2, 1875, resulted as follows: East
land, sixty-seven; Merriman, nine; McGough Springs,
forty-four; Center of the County, five, and scattering,
two. The gentlemen making the proposition had agreed
to erect a two-story stone building and donate the sec
ond floor to the County for a court room as long as de
sired, and entered into a bond of $5000.00 for its faith
ful performance. This building is still standing on
the northwest corner of the square.
The county assumed a new dignity. The court had
a home and offices, and a number of lawyers located in
the town: J. R. Flemming, later Judge of the Dis
trict; J. Ml. Moore, son of Chief Justice Mbore of the
Supreme Court of Texas, and who was appointed Sec-

88 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
retary of State under Governor Ross ; Judge E. T. Hil-
Uard; J. E. Thomas of Dallas, who served as County At
torney; T. H. Conner, now Chief Justice of the Court
of Appeals of Fort Worth, Texas; G. W. Perryman;
A. Lawrence, who held the office of County Attorney
and Judge; R. B. Truly, at one time District Clerk;
and B. F. Collins.
Daugherty, Connellee and Ammerman offered the
Texas and Pacific Railway Company one-fourth of the
lots in the town if the road were built through East
land. In October, 1880, the first engine rolled into the
county town, which remained the terminus for several
months. J. B. Ammerman was made station agent.
Eastland was now the distributing point for all
towns North, South and West; and also the starting
place for numerous stage and United States mail lines,
during which time it was a flourishing Western town.
Mr. Berry of Stephenville did a banking business in
.Take Alexander's store.
Keenly alive to the interests of the town, a commit
tee of citizens went to Waco and offered to the company
projecting the Texas Central Railway line through the
County the sum of $25,000.00 to build through East
land. This offer was not accepted and the junction with
the Texas and Pacific was made at Cisco, ten miles west
of Eastland. Cisco was a precocious youngster, and wanted to be
the County Town. An election was held August 2, 1881,
which resulted as follows: Eastland, three hundred
and fifty-four; Cisco, three hundred and twenty-four.
The question settled, the Commissioners' Court let a

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 89
contract for the building of a court house at a cost of
$57,000,000. This three-story building of native stone
was put up in 1883-84. The original contract price
made with Lance and McEashen, contractors, was
$34,998.00, but tbe Commissioners' Court had to take
charge of it when half completed.
The County, aided materially by citizens of the town,
erected prior to this a stone jail on the public square at
a cost of $5,500.00. The jail was built by Messrs. Mar
tin, Byrne and Johnson.
On Sunday morning at three-thirty o'clock, November
26, 1896, the court house was discovered to be on fire,
and was burned to the ground. Hill and Schmick and
Judge J. T. Hammons lost their libraries and office fur
niture. Judge Calhoun, who officed in the building,
saved his library. The County's loss was $50,000.00,
with $30,000.00 insurance.
Two months later, on January 26, the question of
moving tbe County Town to Cisco was again voted upon.
Although Cisco offered to donate the land and erect the
building free of cost to the County, she failed to secure
the necessary two-thirds vote to remove the town to a
point outside of a five-mile radius from the center of
the County. The vote stood: Cisco, nine hundred and
forty; Eastland, five hundred and fifty-three; Carbon,
three hundred and fifty-five; Center of the County, six
teen; Curtis, one, and Dustic one.
The contracts for a new court house and jail were let
at once. John White of Vernon, Texas, agreed to put
up a three-story fire proof building for $49,000.00.
The extras, including fence, furniture, etc., made the

90

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.

house cost, when completed, $58,000.00. The fire proof
jail was built by J. A. White of Houston, for $10,000.00,
and furnished at a cost of $2,000.00.
Eastland has thus grown from a one-roomed cabin
in the woods to a substantial town — the capital of one
of tbe best counties in the State. Tt has an excellent
graded public school system, -with an enrollment of three

A basket of ARKANSAS BLACK APPLES FROM GUS HAKBINS ORCHARD
hundred pupils, a commodious two-story building and
employs a Superintendent and four assistants. Three
churches — ^the Baptist, Miethodist and Christian — ^have
organizations and buildings.
In this town are several organized bodies: A pro
gressive Business Mjen's Association: a Woman's Lit
erary Club — ^the Hawthorne — which founded and has
charge of the Public Library; and Masonic, Odd Fellow,
and Woodmen's Lodges. There are to be found here

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 91
three resident ministers, eleven lawyers, three doctors,
three dry goods establishments, four groceries, three
drug stores, two hardware and implement houses, one
bank, two livery stables, one wagon yard, three hotels,
two restaurants, two boarding bouses, two barber shops,
two meat markets, one furniture store, two gins, a tele
phone exchange with long distance connections, two
blacksmith shops, and two lumber yards. The town
is incorporated for municipal purposes, tbe tax being
only one-fourth of one per cent, and contains one thou
sand inhabitants.
Tbe second National Bmk established in tbe county
opened its doors for business in the Autumn of 1890
with Major W. H. Parvin, now deceased. President, and
.John T. Yeargin, Cashier.
Eastland County Confederate Association. — One of
the leading features of the historical, social and benevo
lent interests of Eastland County is the organization
of this unchartered body. Its purposes have been so
thoroughly and uniformly adhered to, and so pleasant
and com,mendable that interest in its annual reunions
increases. At the suggestion of our well beloved comrade. Dr.
S. H. Stout, who new sleeps in an honored soldier's
grave, a preliminary meeting was held in County Clerk
John T. Yeargin's office, February 8, 1886. The Con
federates present were Dr. S. H. Stout, Colonel George
W. Shannon, John T. Yeargin, W. H. Day, Henry Hal-
lum, J. T. Hammonds, C. R. Johnson, Captain J. L.
Steele, and June Kimble. A committee consisting of
Messrs, Hardeman, Yeargin and Kimble was appointed

93 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
to draft a constitution and by-laws, and a call made for
a meeting, April 8, 1886.
Tbe call was responded to by more than one hundred
gallant old Confederates who braved a storm for the
privilege of placing their names upon this roll of honor,
which yet remains intact. The following officers were
elected: Dr. S. H. Stout, President; Colonel George
Shannon, Vice President; June Kimble, Secretary:
John T. Yeargin, Treasurer, and the Rev. Jack Mc-
Clure, Chaplain.
There are four hundred and ninety-three names
on the roll. Those who have passed over the river, and
those who have moved to other localities are so en
tered, making it a true record.
The annual reunions of this organization, which
long since became an institution of the County^ have
brought our people together for seventeen years, the
delightful gatherings numbering from three to five
thousand veterans, wives. Sons and Daughters, and
friends. The constitution declares the object of this Asso
ciation to be "historical, social, and benevolent." The
organization owns in fee simple a beautiful and con
venient plot of ground, located one-half mile north of
the court house, consisting of five and one-half acres,
upon which it purposes to build a capacious tabernacle.
When the building is completed it will pass into the
hands of the Sons and Daughters, who will doubtless
receive it as a sacred trust committed to them by their
fathers.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.

93

J. S. DAUGHERTY Houston

Mr. Daugherty, the father of Eastland City, was
born in Missouri, August 25, 1849. and educated at
Lexington University, Kentucky.
He came to Dallas in 1873, and soon became in-

94 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
terested in a real estate business, and in the founding
of Eastland City. He was the author of the Business
League in the United States.
On his motion, the Dallas Board of Trade created
a committee on Public Interests in 1882. Under this
committee, of which he was Chairman, three railroads,
the Galveston News as Morning News, and the head
quarters of the T. & P. and M. K. & T. Ry.. Companies
were brought into Dallas; the Fair was organized and
the Opera House and Merchants' Exchange Buildings
were built. Other prominent cities, Denver, Kansas
City, etc., organized Business Leagues.
Tn 1882 Mr. Daugherty was elected President of
the Real Estate Men's Association of Texas; in 1889
be was elected Chairman of the State Immigration x4s-
sociation, in 1892 he was appointed to represent Texas
in the "Good Roads" Committee of the United States.
and many of its policies and principles were formed
by him. He was unanimously chosen by the Trans-Mississippi
Commercial Congress at Denver to prepare an address
to the people of the United States on the silver ques
tion. Richard P. Bland, then in Congress, adopted
this address as part of his argument on this question,
and it was printed in the Congressional Record.
Mr. Daugherty, who now resides in Houston, is still
a successful dealer in real estate.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.

95

HON. C- U. CONNELLEE, EASTLAND
C. U. Connellee was born and reared among the pic
turesque hills of Eagle Creek in Scott County, Ken
tucky, and was educated in the A. & M. Department of
the University at Lexington. He came to Texa^ in
1874, located in Dallas, and engaged in the real estate
business and in tbe location of land certificates.

96 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
In March, 1875, he married Miss M^ttie Payne, of
Champaign County, Illinois, and came with her direct
to Eastland City, where he has ever since made his home.
In these &a,Aj days be was Chief Mlarshal of all
the forces -ivorking for Eastland City and County, the
general source of information for all prospectors and
proposing immigrants. Others came and left, C. U.
Connellee stayed on; when the settler came in wanting
a quarter section of school land, C. U. Connellee knew
of one to point out to him.
In these days of railroads, telegraph wires and tele
phone lines, one can scarcely appreciate the difficulty
of forwarding settlement in a heavily timbered county
with no means of direct comtaiunication, only wagon
roads over which to travel, and the nearest railroad
one htmdred and fifty miles away. But under all dif
ficulties Mr. Connellee held firm his faith in Eastland
County. As frontier agent for Daugherty, Connellee and
Ammerman he located lands, making frequent trips
west — even penetrating the Staked Plains for this pur
pose, where he encountered Indians a number of times.
In 1887 he was elected to the State Legislature
from the District comprising the counties of Eastland,
Stephens and Palo Pinto. As Representative he
served one term, and was connected with the enactment
of several very important laws .
His present wife was Miss TuUie Folts Hardeman,
with whom he became acquainted while serving as Rep
resentative, and shortly afterwards married.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 97

J, B, AMMERMAN, CISCO

J. B. Ammerman was born January 5, 1855, on a
farm in Harrison County, Kentucky, and educated in
the public schools, and in the State University at Lexing
ton, where he was a room-mate of J. S. Daugherty.
After leaving school he came to Texas and in tho
Spring of 1875 became associated with Mr. Daugherty
in the land business at Dallas, Texas. In this position

98 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
he became connected with the early settlement of East
land County, and in the founding and development of
Eastland City as the County Town.
He conducted land-locating parties when it was nec
essary for every member to be heavily armed, penetrat
ing the then trackless plains almost to the New Mexico
line. In December, 1880, he was married to Miss Lelia
Barlow of Bourbon County, Kentucky, and moved from
Dallas to Eastland City, where he served as the first
station agent of the Texas and Pacific Railway. After
leaving the employ of the railroad eompan]^, he bought
William Cameron & Company's lumber business at
Eastland, and also established the first lumber vard at
Cisco. Later he engaged in the stock business and
bought a ranch s^x miles north of Cisco, which he still
owns. In 1887 R. M. Hall, State Land Commissioner, ap
pointed Mr A.mmerman State Surveyor and Classifier,
and in this capacity he worked for the General- Land
Office of the State of Texas and the Southern Pacific
Railroad Company for two years, surveying and classi
fying some thousands of sections of land.
Finishing this work in the Spring of 1890, he has
since made his home in Cisco, where he has engaged
in various business enterprises. At the present time
he superintends one of the large ginneries in Cisco, in
which, in addition to his square bale press, he operates
the pioneer .round bale press of the county.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 99
ScOTT & Brblsford.,
Associated Law Offices, Cisco and Eastland.
This firm is composed of Judge Dl K. Scott, of
Cisco, and H. P. Brelsford, of Eastland. The firm, as
at present constituted, was formed in 1892 and has
been in existence without change since that date. They
do a general State and Federal Court practice and main
tain offices at Eastland and Cisco.
Mr. Scott has been several times County Special
District Judge. Mr. Brelsford is the present Repre
sentative from the 85th District. He served as Special
Justice of the Court of Civil Appeals at Fort Worth by
appointment of Governor Culberson.
L. A. Hightower.
Mir. Hightower established himself in his present
real estate and abstract business, which is confined en
tirely to this county, in 1895. He now has an abstract
of every title in the county, which are in twenty-four
bound volumes of abstract books and indexes.
Mr. Hightower, who came to Texas from Arkansas
in 1864, located in Stephens County in 1876, where he
was engaged in the stock business and remained there
until he came to Cisco in 1883. He was married to Miss
Callie Alford in the city of Fort Worth, April 24, 1881.
They have seven children and have lived in Eastland
City since 1895.
In the early history of Cisco, Mr. Hightower kept
books for Park & Paterson and for Blake & Son.

100 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
The CoNNEiis of Eastland County.
S,amuel S. Conner, born June 10, 1821, and bis
wife, Margaretta L. Conner, born November 19, 1830,
HSttlcd in Eastland in 1876. They were from Virginia
and Kentucky families, and immigrated to Texas from

MR. CONNOR
their native State, Indiana, in the early fifties, and
spent the greater part of their subsequent lives in Cald
well, Ellis, and Eastland Counties. They moved from
Ellis to Eastland County in the Fall of 1876, and arc
now lying peacefully side by side in the graveyard
in the city of Eastland — S. S. Conner having died on the

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.

101

11th day of February, 1899, and M. Tj. Conner Novem
ber 20, 1901. They were both strong characters and
through the many years' residence in this county be
came widely knovvfu and universally esteemed, — conspic
uous types of that sturdy Christian manhood and
womanhood that lutve made our nation great.

MRS. CONNOR

As a result of their union, they reared the following
children, most of whom are now well known : Truman
H., Maud, Ella, Jennie, Claude L., and Earl.
The most distinguished member of this noble family
•is the oldest son, Truman H. Conner. He graduated

103 HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND GO UNTY.
in the Law Department of Trinity University, Texas,
in 1876, and was in the active practice of his profession
from the spring of 1877 until July, 1887, when he was
appointed Judge of the 42nd Judicial District, com
posed of Eastland and other counties, by Gov. L. S.
Ross, and was thrice re-elected to the office. In 1898
Judge Conner was elected Chief Justice of the 2nd Su
preme Judicial District of Texas, composed of ninety-
five counties, including Eastland. Since the date of his
present incumbency, he has lived in Fort Worth.
Maud, whose home was never in Eastland, was married
to Col. John W. Coleman of Ellis County in 1871,
and they now live in Coke County, Texas. Ella was
married to Wm. S. Parson, of Ellis County, in 1873,
and they lived in Eastland a number of years as many
old settlers will recall. They have one daughter li-ving
in the county- -Mrs. Grace Dreinhofer of Ranger.
Earl Conner is practicing law in Eastland and is
well known.
Claude L. Conner is well and favorably known, and
makes his home at Cisco with his sister Jennie, the wife
of the present District Judge, J. H. Calhoun.
All the Conner s are and have always been, loyal ir
their devotion to the best interests of the county and
her people.

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND GO UNTT. 103

JUDGE T. H. CONNOR

104

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.

E. A. HILL, Mayor oit Eastland City

In Tennessee, oh July 16, 1865, the subject of this
sketch was born. Seven years later his father died.
Having been reared on a farm his education was lim
ited to that afforded by the common schools and the
Dresden High School.
At the age of eighteen he entered the office of the
Dresden Enterprise and there served an apprenticeship.
In 1864 he came to Texas and entered the law office
of Davenport and Conner as a student, and was ad
mitted to the bar June 11, 1885, at the age of twenty-
one. Mr. HMl was elected County Attorney in November,

HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND GO UNTY. 105
1888, and re-elected in 1890. He is a good lawyer, has
a well equipped library and office on the north side of
the Square, is a ready speaker, a good story-teller, and
an excellent entertainer. He is serving his fourth term
as Mayor of Eastland.
On December 14, 1892, Mr. Hill was married to
Miss Bessie, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Evans. Mrs.
Hill died in 1894. He was again married on December
25, 1892, to the eldest dr.ughter of ilr. and Mrs. W. H.'
Parvin. Mr. Hill enjoys in a marked degree the confidence
of his fellow townsmen.
The Eastland Chronicle.
This creditable weekly Democratic paper is owned,
edited and published by Frost and Chastain, lawyers,
and is devoted to "Science, Literature, Religion, Poli
tics, and the Upbuilding of Eastland County."
Judge Frost, son of B. Frost, a minister of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was born in Chat
tanooga, Tennessee, in 1849. When only eighteen years
old he engaged in teaching "with little education, but
by hard study" he familiarized himself -with Natural
Sciences, and with the English, Latin, French and
Spanish languages. He came to Texas from Illinois in
1872, and was admitted to tbe bar to practice law in
1883. Judge Frost was a member of the 26th Legislature.
Claude P. Chastain, the junior member of the firm,
is a native Texan and was educated at Weatherford Col-

106 HISTOR T OF EASTLAND GO UNTT.
lege (under David W. Switzer), and Baylor University.
He was admitted to the bar to practice law in 1897,
after having taught school for five years.
Mr. Chastain served as a Lieutenant in the Fourth
Texas Infantry during the Spanish-American war. Hp
was married to Miss Maude Harrison on September 25,
190a.
CHAPTER V.
the advent of the railroad.
The Texas and Pacific Railvtay Compan-x.
When it became known in Eastland that this great
East and West line had reached Fort Worth and would
be built on to El Paso there was great rejoicing in this
section of the country because of the development and
conveniences that would result. The settlements that
followed, the building and maintenance of schools and
churches, the cheapness of the lands (at that time from
fifty cents to one dollar an acre), all combined to in
crease the population and develop the resources of the
country. The Texas and Pacific Railway Company was or
ganized under an act of Congress, March 3, 1871, and
the general Railroad laws of the State of Texas. It
acquired the properties of the Southern Pacific Railroad
Company of Texas in 1872, which Company, at that
date, o-wned and operated the sixty odd miles of railway
between Shreveport, Louisiana, and Longview, Texas.

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND CO UNTT.

107

The Southern Pacific Railroad Company was a consoli
dation of the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Texas Rail
road, (chartered in Louisiana), and the Southern Pa
cific Railroad, organized under the laws of Texas.

the beazos river bridge

The Ntew Orleans Pacific Railroad Company, (or
ganized also under the laws of Louisiana), was consoli
dated with the Texas and Pacific Railway Company in
June, 1881. Early in the seventies the Texas and Pa
cific also acquired the properties of the Southern Trans
continental and The Memphis, El Paso and Pacific
Railroads, both incorporated under the laws of Texas.
In those early days, the population of the State was.
of course, insignificant in numbers as compared with the

A PILE OF GEORGIA SWEETS -EASTLAND PRODTTOES CARLpAIl LOTS OW JSSES^iiMS^Ups^

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 109
present time, and was confined mainly to the eastern
and coast counties. West of a line drawn through say,
Gainesville, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Cor
pus Christi, there was, then, scarcely any white popula
tion. The charters granted by the State to the Memphis,
El Paso and Pacific Railroad, and to the Southern
Trans-continental Railroad, were the results of efforts
made by the people of the counties of Bowie, Red River,
Tjamar, Fannin, Grayson, Cocke and Denton, to secure
this great East and West Railroad.
The construction of railroads was in its infancy in
the early fifties, not alone in Texas, but in all other
sections. The numerous laws passed by the early Legislatures
nf, Texas, offering subsidies to induce capital to come
here and construct railroads, etc.. clearly evidence that
the early pioneers and settlers of this goodly country
duly recognized and appreciated the necessity for artifi
cial means of communication and transportation facili
ties. This was practically true of Northern and Middle
Texas bn account of the absence of rivers and other
waterways. The building of the great East and West Railroad
across the State seemed then of early consummation
and efforts to secure it created considerable rivalry in
the counties in the Northern half of Texas.
These people were particularly strenuous in their ef
forts to gain an advantage over the people living on the
line surveyed to Dallas aud Fort Worth, now the main
line of the Texas and Pacific. As early as 1852, this

110

HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND GO UNTT.

line, known as the Texas Western Railroad bad obtained
a charter, which later became known as the Southern
Pacific, then the Texas and Pacific.
Little, however, was accomplished in the way of
extensive construction of any of these lines until that
master spirit. Colonel Thomas A. Scott, became identi-

THE STEAM SHOVEL AT WORK

fied with the Texas and Pacific enterprise, which was
in the year of 1871 — ^his connection continuing until
1881, or nearly up to the time of his death. During
the Scott regime that portion of the road between Tex-
arkana and Fort Worth, via Sherman, was constructed,
and from Texarkana to Abilene, via Marshall and
Shreveport. Mr. Jay Gould acquired control of the properties

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND GO UNTT. ill
early in 1881, and to him is greatly due the credit for
the large extensions which were made to Texas and Pa
cific properties about that time, to-wit: The extension
of the line to El Paso, and from Shreveport to New Or
leans. More than half of all the mileage of the Texas
and Pacific was added during the incumbency of Presi
dent Jay Gould, and was added (contrary to the idea of
the general public) without any aid or subsidy, landed
or otherwise, national or state.
This railway line extends entirely across Eastland
County, and has contributed largely to its agricultural
and commercial development.
With a diversity of soil — from sand to rich choco
late loam; with an average rainfall ; high hills and their
rich store of minerals, and the uplands and valleys that
produce anything agricultural, lands in Eastland have
increased in value and now sell from $5.00 to $40.00 an
acre. While the road winds its way along the leading of
the Palo Pinto Creek and bridges the deep gullies that
feed it, and crawls around the cliffs and hills that
abound, the traveler, sitting in his comfortable sleeper
as it glides over the steel rails, looks out and admires
the rugged scenery with the little patches of valley that
make tbe picture more beautiful, but does not know
over what historic lands and scenes of romantic adven
ture he is passing.
Eastland is rich in possibilities and offers the man
seeking a home many advantages.
Under the present management of Mr. L. S. Thome,
Vice President and General Manager; Mr. John W,

o

<a

HISTORY OF EASTLAXD COUNTY. 113
Everman, Assistant General Manager; E. L. Sargent,
General Freight Agent, and ]\It. E. P. Turner, General
Passenger and Ticket Agent, and its efficient corps of
Superintendents, the "Old Reliable" has grown in popu
larity and to-day stands without a peer in the State.
Mr. J. W. Ward is Superintendent of the Rio Grande
Division — Fort ATorth to El Paso — ^with headquarters
at Big Springs.
The Passenger Conductors, Fort Worth to Big
Springs, are Messrs. McCleod, Bogart, Tobin, Cole and
Smith; Engineers, Messrs, Foy, Baker, Craig, Dean and
VV^ohlenberg.
The Texas Central Railway
Made its entry into Cisco, May 20, 1881, and has
been a very great factor in the agricultural and com
mercial development of "l-be County.
In 1866 or 1867, the *Houston and Texas Central
Railway Company, which formerly controlled the Texas
Central, sent out Captain William Armstrong to locate
all public lands still unsurveyed. In this way Eastland
was sectionized, that is, the land was surveyed and cut
up into sections of six hundred and forty acres each.
When the road was disposed of to the present owners
it was in a most deplorable condition — a mixed train
ran every other day being the only passenger service.
Shortly after the present management assumed control.

*The State of Texas gave this company sixteen sections
of land for every mile of railroad it built between Hous
ton and Denison.

RANCH SCENE NEAR STAMFORD, TEXAS CENTRAL RAIL -WAY

<
M M«O <!a H
o IA|x KS
¦Ji «P

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 117
in the person of Colonel Charles Hamilton as Vice Pres
ident and General Manager, and W. P. MicMillan as Gen
eral Passenger and Freight Agent, daily passenger trains
were put on and the interests of the line began to
brighten. When the Texas Central was built through Eastland,
lands along its route "that could hardly^ be given away,
are now worth fronx $20.00 to $40.00 an acre." This
is due to the discovery that in the sandy loam district —
which includes fully one-half of the Countj^—tbere is a
clay subsoil which holds the water. *
About four years ago the travel on the road had so
increased that double daily trains were put on from
Waco to Dublin and in a few months this service was
extended to Cisco.
Many signs of improvement evidence the prosperity
and popularity of the road. The wooden bridges across
gullies and cr2eks, which gave two bridge gangs constant
employment from frequent replacing of timbers, have
been replaced by cemented stone structures, and only one
carpenter crew is required. A little curve in Steele's
Creek, between Morgan and Fowler, was cut out liter
ally, expense and all, by building a new track around
the curve. Carefulness and keen oversight seem to be
Colonel Hamilton's watchwords.
Not the least thing this management has done is the

*It is a well-known fact that sand, though not able of
itself alone to hold moisture very lond, parts readily with
what it has and makes vegetation welcome to almost every
drop it contains. Other soils, though capable of retaining
moisture, are chary of giving it to the roots that forage
for it.

L»^fe

HIS I ORY OF EASTLA ND COUNTY. 11 9
system of small parks and spots of green it maintain>
about its depots all along the line. The Company knows
the inveslnicnt is a good one, and keeps up the improve
ments, although it is repeatedly rumored that different
roads want the property and would secure it if they
could. In the early days a joint ticket agent served the two
roads at Cisco. Mr. George Langston, present station
agent of the Texas and Pacific, and who filled the same
position at that time, served as first, and only, joint
agent. The present agent is Mr. Bulbrook, Sam Green-
bill, cashier, and Mr. Brown, operator.
Superintendent Ramsey Cox maintains headquarters
at Waco. The passenger conductors are "Messrs Holt,
Hawkins, Hooper and Webster; Engineers, Bcttis. Wig
gins, Uloth, Myers and Cottrell.

JOYCE LANGSTON— " GOOD MORNING'

PERIOD III — 1881-1904

CHAPTER I.
growth and progress.
Cisco.
In 1S79 ( ?), when there were not more than half
a dozen families in this locality. Reverend C. G. Stevens
established a postoffice at a passway in the hills, one
mile west of town, and called it Red Gap. A floorless log
school house, with one small window was built, and Mrs.
Colistie Green taught school. One half mile west of Red
Gap Postoffice, W. T. Caldwell had a store in which he
keiDt dry goods and groceries.
In 1880 the Texas and Pacific Railway pushed its
Una on westward through Eastland County, but Red Gap
continued its existence, the railroad locating its depot
at Delmar. It was expected, however, that when the
Texas Central reached the Texas and Pacific a town
would be located at the crossing of the roads. Each day,
as the iron rails led nearer and nearer to this point of
crossing, saw new tents stretched, new covered wagons
taking their stand, and new faces in the rapidly growing
town which was called Red Gap. With the Texas Cen
tral within one mile of the junction, and the Texas and
Pacific only a short distance west, many laborers and
their families helped to swell the number of inhabitants,
which now reached six hundred. Accommodating them
selves to the only expression where it was supposed the
new town would be located, which was a wagon road

HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND GO UNTY. 133
running east and west, the people had "squatted" on
either side of this thoroughfare. In this white town
v.-ere two or more stores of general merchandise, two or
three grocery stores, a number of restsurants, doctors'
(,.'f;ces, and Mrs. Haws' hotel, which stood about the mid
dle of Broadway, between the Daniels and Broadwcli
homes. Dr. Vance, who arrived in Cisco April 1, 188],
officed in the hotel group of tents.
Major Bob Elgin of Houston, who had charge of the
L.and Department of the Houston and Texas Central
Railway, assisted by Mr. Metzo, an engineer, with T. E.
Johnson as chain bearer, laid off the town. A platform
was put up where Mayhew & Company's feed store no^'
stands, and Major Elgin (who is a brother-in-law ol
N. R. Wilson and lives in Houston), stood there for two
days and cried the lots. Mr. White secured the *firsL
lot, paying $175.00 for it, and selected from the hugn
map of the town Major Elgin had at hand, the one now
occupied by Cooper's livery stable.
As soon as the town was located and laid off, the
inhabitants accommiodated themselves to the permanent
arrangement and shifted to the most desirable positions
attainable and profitable to their business.
Among the business firms in the town at that time
were W. A. Stevens, general merchandise, who put up
the first store building); James Caldwell, Campbell
Bros,, Adams & Sons, Miller & Wike, Porter (Will) &
Park, (who bought out Amtaerman's yard) and Camer-
¦?Mr. R. G. L/Use is the authority for the above statement.
I. Lamb thinks the first lot fell to Adams & Son, and was
the one now occupied by Mayhew &. Co.'s warehouse, the
town being flrst built facing the Texas Central railroad.

'Aao nIz;PoM

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 135
on & Company, lumber, Taylor & Bedford (for whom
V/iUiam Gaultney, now banker, clerked), John Bice and
Yarbrough & Martin, druggists.* The front of a lit
tle ten by twelve box store was given a coat of red paint,
pud the always and still popular "Red Front Drug
Store" came into existence.
Mrs. Haws began the building of her hotel, which
was blo-wn down in a furious gale but im,mediately re
placed before the sale of lots, and managed the same
until her death in 1890. The ilajen+a, standing near
where Hall's wagon yard is, was kept by Mr. Hoddinger.
Mr. W. D. Chandler had a boarding house where tbe
Broadway now stands, and Mrs. Parker kept private
boarders. Shortly before tbe sale of lots took place a large
number of Millet's cowboys came into town and created
great consternation among the tent dwellers, as they
exercised great freedom in the use of their pistols, so
much so, in fact, that the constables of both Cisco and
Eastland City, together with the men summoned to as
sist, were all night long (in somef safe place) devising
means for their capture. They made two arrests next
day, and this is no reflection on the courage of Constable
.41e,x Simerl, either.
The first bill of lumber sold in Cisco was to Hor
ace Donaldson, who built the first residence on tbe lot
now occupied by Moody's blacksmith shop. About the
*Dr. -Vance and Dr. McNeil witnessed the contract be
tween the members of this last firm, Tarbrough furnishing
the means, and Martin the brains and time.
tAuthority, I. Lamb.

136 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
same time W. D. Chandler, T. M. Taylor, W. A. Stevens
and others were building homes, and J. K. Miller, Ed
Eppler, I. Lamb, B. F. James & Son, and Mr. McCor-
mick were the carpenters.
Some of the names of those who were here in 1881,
uot mentioned above, follow :
John F. Patterson, R. G. Luse, Charley Parks, Seth
Ramsey (now of Cottonwood), David Redfield of Ard-
more. Judge Flemming ot Seattle, Henry Hilliard of
St. Louis, J. E. Luse and wife. Major Preveaux and wife
and sister (Mrs. R. G. Luse), J. Alexander and wife,
Mr. Turknette, W. A. Rhoads, Captain Whiteside, R. B.
Vaughn, T. J. Worthington, W. J. Walker, Hugh Corri-
gan. Prank and Lee Jordan, Dr. M'ancill, J. T. Yeargin,
J. R. P. Chapman (who built the old Bunnell resi
dence), J. W. Smith and wife, Nat Noel, Ed Morehead,
Traveling Auditor Perry of the Texas Central, John
Collins, G. W. Graves, T. E. Larimer, W. M. Freeman
of Dallas, J. R. and K. S. Fisher, John Gude, M. B.
Owen, who lost his life in the cyclone of 1893, J. J.
Wallace, B. L Pate, Mr. Bunnell and family. Gomer
Williams, and Miles and Quitman Eppler, George
Daniels and W. A. Gude.*
A sixteen by twenty school house was put up
free of charge by B. F. James and Sons and J. K. Mil
ler. In this building a Baptist minister, J. C. Finnell,
taught a day school. Here, also, a union Sunday school
was conducted. Mr. Chaffin, a contractor on the Texas
Central Railroad, was the Superintendent. At the
*These names were furnished by Dr. -Vanoe, W. D. Chan
dler, I. Lamb and R. G. Luse.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 137
weekly prayer meeting every Wednesday night, which
was attended by all denominations, there was frequently
not standing room, "many being turned away." This
school house was used for church purposes until the
different denominations erected their own buildings.
From time to time additions were made to the 16x20
school building, until it grew to be about sixteen by one
hundred and was known as the "long school house."
Mr. Frank Kynette, assisted by Miss Sallie Greer,
now Mrs. Reed, were succeeded by Dr. Stout, who did so
much for the school and town. Dr. Stout might prop
erly be called the introducer and founder of the Public
Schools of Cisco. He came here when educational in
terest was chaotic in condition, and being a m.an of deep
learning he proved himself a Joshua, leading his people
into a promised land that has since blossomed and
fruited many times.
Judge Flemnadng, aided and encouraged by Dr.
Stout, worked for a special tax for the enlarging of the
school house and the incorporation of the school dis
trict, which at that time included four sections of land !
He lived in the town long enough to see his desire ac
complished. Hugh Corrigan was a warm supporter of
this measure.
G. W. Graves was first Mayor of the town and Ed
Campbell, Constable.
The first graduating class was Burette Patterson.
Mamie Blake, Eva Winston and Laura Richardson.
This was in 1888 while Charles T. Alexander was Su
perintendent. As the Texas and Pacific pushed farther westward

138 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
inland mail routes were changed. Tt is interesting to
note the difference in conditions and times twenty years
ago and now. The Government now pays from' $600
to $700 for the mails to be carried from Cisco to Rising
Star. Tn 1882 it paid W. R. Chandler $2400.00 an
nually for carrying the mail from Cisco to Brown-
•ood. There was no road. W. W. Smith and Jim
Tyson cut one through and the stage, which held from
six to eight passengers, began its daily run each way
(except Sundays). The first stand was at H. Mer
rill's, tbe second at Uncle Tommy Anderson's, where
tbe richly promising town of Rising Star is now lo
cated, and the third at Clio, thirteen and one-half miles
north of Brownwood. The horses were changed at each
stand. Travel and express being heavy, the coaches would
freouently be over full, and extra hacks would be pm
on, the lines sometimes clearing $100.00 per day.
Drivers were paid $30.00 per month and board. Mr.
Chandler kept two stables, one at DteLeon and one at
Cisco. Fifty-five horses were used, twenty on the
"Rrownwood line.
During the four years Mr. Chandler held the con
tract the stage was robbed several times. At last, people
demanded that an officer go along. A Deputy Sbcrii*
at Brownwood accordingly climbed up on the seat Dy
t]-ie driver. -4.fter having left Mr. Merrill's a couple
of miles behind, he saw a man coming toward them.
The Sheriff held his pistol cocked under the laprobe,
but coming nearer and seeinig^that the man was a mere
slip of a boy, he let the hammer down. When the care-

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND CO UNTT. 139
less, kind-looking boy, was even with the driver, he cov
ered the men with his pistol and ordered "hands up."
The bewUdered Sheriff, however, presented his gun in
.stead, and several shots were exchanged, as the frightened
horses broke into a wild run. Mrs. Bryan's trunk on
the back of the stage had four bullet holes in it, and
probably saved the lives of the passengers. Dave Hick
man was the driver on that trip.
Life in the new town was gay from sunrise to sun
rise, but gradually the fever heat passed away and the
• people began to grow accustomed to each other and to
the conditions and assumed a more substantial attitude.
Cisco has never been a dead town, but has had sea
sons of "excitement." Twice has a *coal mine been
-^'¦'orked rather extensively within three miles of D Ave
nue. Property- has always been held at good figures.
Its two railroads and eight daily trains easily give it a
commercial standing superior to any other in the county.
The first National Bank organized in the County
was located at Cisco. J. H. Halcomb, President; F. C.
LeVeaux, Cashier. Directors: J. J. Winston, C. H.
Fee, J. F. Patterson, A. B. Smith.
On April 28, 1893, Cisco was swept by a cyclone
that left but few houses wholly intact. At the time
there were only three storm houses in the town, and
the people were unprepared and unwatehful. The awful
"¦As an evidence that coal does actually exist in paying
quantities in this locality, the fact is cited that these mines
have been extensively worked. Twice have two or three
hundred miners been employed. The mines have never been
abandoned because the supply ot coal was exhausted, but for
lack of funds.

130 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
storm came down upon them in all its resistless fury-
tearing, ripping and making havoc of homes. It dashed
and hurled man and beast, houses and trees and fences
in its mad rage, as it tore its way through the heart of
the town, leaving in its terrbile wreckage twenty-eight
dead and dying bodies for the glorious moon, which
came out immediately, to cast its pure light upon and
dispel the darkness. For months the debris lay in
the streets and on the corners, so entirely was the town
wrecked. To-day, however, there is no sign of the tor
nado except the stunted tops of the hardy oaks which
still mark its path, while the residences are mtore mod
ern and the business houses are of brick or stone.
There are five churches — Baptist, Presbyterian,
Christian, and Northern and Southern Methodist; the
Masonic Lodge, the chapter of Royal Arch Masons, and
the Masonic Lodge of the Right of Adoption, who own
a large corner building; the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and Rebekah Lodge, who are arranging to put
up a building ; the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen of
the World, the Civic Improvement League, the XX Cen
tury and the Young Ladies' Departmental Clubs
(both literary), the J. U. G. (young ladies' social club),
ind the W. C. T. U.; the active Ladies' Societies, Sun
day Schools, Senior and Junior Epworth Leagues and
Endeavor Societies in all the churches; and the Country
Club, Park, and Cemetery Associations make an aggre
gate of concentrated energy along all lines of physical,
mental and moral development.
Perhaps the one thing in which Cisco, as a, town,
.ig most interested is The Public Library, founded by

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 131
Mr. Frank Vernon, in 1894, with one volume, Ben Hur,
v/hich he purchased. Tbe town responded then to the
call, many books being sent in at once. Shortly after
this Mir. Vernon wrote Mr. Carnegie for a contribution
and secured $250.00.
When it contained four hundred volumes, the
founder, whose health had failed, turned tbe Library
over to tbe XX Century Club as a precious legacv, be
queathing with the books oil his love and energy for the
enterprise. Right well have the ladies kept the trust, for
it now contains one thousand volumes, has a furnished
room, and a paid librarian.
The one thing lying closest to the hearts of the mem-
V^ers of the XX Century Club is a Public Library Build
ing, for which they have a gradually growing fund. The
Young Ladies' Departmental Club, also working for
the building, has a bank account for the same purpose.
Tt is hoped that the town and the railway companies will
join in the near future in the City Park and erect a
handsome structure that shall be known as the Cisco
Union Depot and Public Library Building.
The Cisco Cemetery Association was organized
March 15, 1899, with ten active and a number of asso
ciate members. Mrs. J. D. Alexander was elected Presi
dent; Mrs. C. S. Vance, Vice President; Mrs. M. T.
Whiteside, Secretary; L. E. Brannin, Treasurer.
A charter was applied for and granted, and the mem
bers went to work at once to raise funds to enclose the
grounds. This and much more has been accomplished.
Not only has a substantial fence been placed around
the grounds, but a handsome iron gate swings on huge

133 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
stone posts that were contributed by the o-wners of the
Ijeuders Quarry, and their transportation given by the
aeconnnodating officials of the Texas Central Railway
Company. The caps were contributed by Messrs. Ay-
cock & Allen, of Cisco. All unknown graves have been
marked with head and foot boards. Two hundred and
fifty shade trees have been planted, and last year twenty-
seven hundred and fifty feet of pipe were laid for water
service. Through the efforts of Mrs. Alexander a tract of
land contiguous to the Cemetery grounds was deeded
by the Texas Central Railway Company to the Associa
tion for a park, and many trees, evergreens and flow
ers have been planted under the supervision of the Tree
Committee. The finances are reimbursed, when neces
sary, by a most efficient Soliciting Committee. In fact
the work accomplished in the short length of time is
unparalleled. The present officers are Mrs. J. D. Alex
ander, President; Mrs. C. S. Vance, Vice President ; Mrs,
J. H. Holcomb, Second Vice President; Mrs. Augusta
Mason, Secretary; L. E. Brannin, Treasurer. Trustees:
L. E. Brannin, C. S. Williams, J. J. Winston. J. Alex
ander, Mrs. M. T. Whiteside.
Under the efficient management of these excellent
officers the work will progress until the Cisco Cemetery
will stand abreast of any.
Rebekah Odd Fello-wship is to-day a great order:
symbolizing in itself strength, unity and sympathy, and
the desire to help that has made woman such a factor
in the organization. And this spirit, which gives force
to the principles of Friendship, Love and Truth, bind

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 133
together more than two hundred lives in Eastland Coun
ty for the purpose of correcting the besetting sin of self
ishness and for moral betterment of mankiad.
The Good Will Rebekah Lodge, No. 102, of Cisco,
was instituted by Mrs. Cynthia A. Brown, February 37,
1892, with ten charter members. To-day there are four
Rebekah Lodges in the county — Cisco, Rising Star, Gor
man and Ranger — with a membership of over two hun
dred members.
Rebekah Odd Fellowship simply means making the
very best of life "I count this thing to be grandly
';rue. That a noble deed is a step toward God."
The material for the above was furnished by Miss
ilice Eddleman, Past Noble Grand of the Good Will
Rebekah Lodge, No. 102, Cisco, Texas.
Odd Fellowship, as a fraternity, stands -without a
peer in number of miembers, wealth and activities for
good. Its Grand Jurisdictions, Subordinate Lodges,
Grand Encampments and Rebekah Lodges girdle the
whole earth.
Eastland County is blessed with six Subordinate
Lodges with a membership of over three hundred in
line, located at Cisco, Eastland, Ranger, Carbon, Gor
man and Rising Star, which are working gloriously for
Friendship, Love and Truth, the grand pillars on which
our order stands for the uplifting of hunraanity. *
Cisco is a progressive and up-to-date to-wn, with a
population of three thousand people. It has an altitude
*These paragraphs on Odd Fellowship were furnished
by Rev. W. A. Mason, a pioneer Texan, and Past Grand
Chaplain, now residing in Cisco.

134 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
of nearly seventeen hundred feet. Tt is lighted with
electricity, has a good system of waterworks, a local and
long distance telephone system, two newspapers, two
wholesale grocery houses, two railroads, an oil mill, a
compress, three drug stores, two gins, two mills, an ice
plant, bottling works, steam laundry, a fire department,
silver cornet band, one tailoring establishment, two
banks, one exclusive shoe store, one jewelry store, three
hotels, seven dry goods houses, two exclusive millinery
establishments, ten groceries, four hardware, three res
taurants, three blacksmith shops, three wagon yards,
two meat markets, a second-hand store, confectionery
and chili shops.
The history of the business interests that follow, to
gether with the accompanying illustrations, fairly rep
resent the town as it is to-day, although one or two
large concerns are not included. The following is al
most a complete list of the business firms :
The Cisco Oil Mill.
Burton-Lingo Lumber Company.
Aycock & Shipman, Marble Works.
-Hotel Hartman, N. R. Wilson, Proprietor.
J. W. Hartman & Son, Grocers.
Merchants' and Farmers' Bank, W. C. Bedford,
Cashier. Seldomridge Bros., Tailors.
St. John & Moore, Drugs.
C. H. Fee & Company, Hardware and Imjplements.
Davis-Garner Company, Dry Goods.
Garner-Switzer, Groceries.
Mrs. J. D. Alexander, Millinery.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 135
Citizens' National Bank, A. H. Johnson, Cashier.
Hall & Taylor, General Merchandise.
G. B. Kelley & Co., Dry Goods.
J. J. Martin & Co., Drugs.
E; M. Brown, Exclusive Shoe Dealer.
George D. Fee & Company, Dry Goods and Gro
ceries. Lizenbee & Littlepage, New and Second-Hand
Goods. S. 0. Love, Blacksmith and General Repair Work.
T. J. Clark, Chili Stand.
C. H. Kinsey, Staple and Fancy Groceries.
J. H. Erwin, Hardware, Implements and Machinery.
W. L. Williams, Confectioner.
T. J. Worthington, Furniture.
Ammerman & Harris, Meat Market.
Willie Walker's Barber Shop.
Slater's Chop House and Bakery.
J. W. Smith, Hardware.
J. J. Winston, Groceries.
Webster, Hill & Baker, Wholesale .Grocers.
M. T. Jones' Lumber Company.
Cooper's Livery Stable.
J. M. Radford, Wholesale Grocer.
Arlington Heights Hotel, C. M. Pitcher, Proprietor.
Eppler & Russell, Blacksmiths.
Mayhew & Company, Hardware, Implement and
Grain. Ward & Company, General Merchandise.
E. E. Kean, Dry Goods.
Dingle & DeSpain, Druggists.

MR. AND MRS. FRANK VERNON

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 137
The Texas Immigration Land Company.
Mancill Brothers Hardware Company.
A. Owen, Dentist.
Mrs. F. Vernon, Insurance.
Collie Brothers, Printers.
Mr. Frank Vernon.
The subject of this sketch, now deceased, was a most
prominent factor in the development of the town from
the time he came in 1891, as editor of the Round-Up,
until his departure for a climate that would help him
to hold the life fast ebbing away.
Having made journali.sm a life study, he published
a crisp, newsy Democratic weekly paper, and became fa
vorably known throughout the State in editorial circles.
He was a prominent member of the Texas Press As
sociation, serving twice as its Secretary, and he was also
affiliated with the National Editorial Association.
There are several enterprises in Cisco as evidences of
his energy and capabilities, the most distinguished of
which is the Public Library, the most practical the
telephone exchange and first long distance system in
the County.
Since he went to his reward, Ms wife, who has lived
here -with their three children, and his mother, has done
an insurance business, which is steadily growing. Mrs.
Vernon is one of four women in the State who handles
insurance.

burton-lingo lumber yard

history of eastland county. 139
The Burton-Lingo Company,
Being a branch yard of the well-known Burton-
Lingo Lumber Company cf Fort Worth, has been located
in Cisco for the past five years.
They carry a large supply of everything in the build
ing line, and having their own mills are enabled to meet
all competition. This company also carries the most
complete and best grade of lumber in West Texas.
Mr. J. T. Berry is local manager.
.1. W. Hartman & Son.
Wholesale and retail grocers. Established 1883.
T\Tien Cisco was a very new town Mr. Hartman first
became a citizen and has always identified himself with
every forward move. During the twenty years he has
resided in tbe town, he has been engaged in tbe grocer]
business. In the handsomje Hartman-Owen block is situated
the Hotel Hartman, and the building where the abovs
firm retails groceries.
Mr. Hartman's home life is complete with a wife
and three children— two daughters, and a son who is in
terested in the business with his father. One daughter
is married and lives in Cisco. The other, the pet of the
household, is still in school.

C- H. FEE'S RESIDENCE

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 141
C. H. Fee & Co.
The hardware, furniture and implement house of
C. H. Fee & Co. stands without a peer in the County.
Tn August, 1883, Mr. Fee located in Cisco and es
tablished the business which has grown to such magni
tude as to require the use of three large buildings.
Mr. Fee was born in Oxford, Mississippi, and edu
cated at the State University located there. He is of
Scotch-Irish descent and comes of a high-toned and
godly ancestry. He has been an important factor in
the development of Cisco, and has been identified with
every enterprise for the advancement of its interests.
Mr. H. C. Rominger, who has been a resident of the
town for many years, is a member of this popular fin \.
The Texas Immigration Bureau
Has been organized to help build up Texas, and espe
cially the counties of Eastland, Shackelford, Stephens
aud Young. The object of the Bureau is to induce peo
ple living in the Northern States to move to Texas — an
empire within itself.
A man is kept continually on the road looking up
people who wish to locate in this great State. The fol
lowing agents represent the company:
H. B. Paris, Breckenridge, Stephens County.
Webb & Hlill and Matthews & Blanton, Albany,
Shackelford County.
Judge R. F. Arnold, Graham, Young County.
H. L. Winchell, who is Vice President and General
Manager of tbe organization, maintains headquarters at

I— I
ij
MO
oo
CO

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 143
Cisco, and is agent for this County. Hte also makes loans
and writes insurance.
The officers of tbe Bureau are :
H. F. Paris, Clinton, Mo., President.
H. L. Winchell, Cisco, Vice President and General
Manager. F. J. Paris, Cisco, Secretary and Treasurer.
W. M. Godwin, Clinton, M'O., Traveling Commis
sioner. This organization will not only help build up East
land and these other counties, but the town of Cisco,
being headquarters, will be greatly benefitted.
Cotton Seed Oil Mill.
This plant was established in 1896 by Reynolds
Brothers with a capital stock of $100,000.00. William
D. Reynolds, President; George T. Reynolds, Vice
President; D. C. Campbell, Secretary and Treasurer ; P.
W. Reynolds, Resident Manager.
All the produqt of the mill, except the oil, is utilized
in the feeding of three to five thousand cattle each sea
son. The men representing this business were pioneer
settlers of Stephens County and have had hair-breadth
escapes in many an Indian raid. Mr. George Reynolds,
who noAV lives in Fort Woith, has a silver bridle that
once belonged to an Indian Chief whom he killed in
battle, and who gave him an arrow-head in memory of
the occasion, which he wore embedded in the m'uscles of
his back for more than seventeen years.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS HOTEL

HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND GO UNTY 145
The Arlington Heights Hotei^
This hotel is situated on the hill, and hence justifies
Mr. Pilcher's claim that it is "Sixty feet nearer heaven
than any other in the city."
From the accompanying cut one observes that there
is a home-like look about the place.
Some of the prerogatives of this hotel are the "family
style of serving meals, the -bome-madf butter and milk,
the biscuits like mother used to make, and the large,
shady yard."
Mr. Pitcher is a member of the Sovereign W. 0. W.
Cisco Camp, No. 500, and has served the town several
times as Marshal. CiTi;iENs' National Bank.
President, Dr. J. P. Webster; Vice President, J. J.
Butts; Cashier, A. H. Johnson ; Assistant Cashier, M. S.
Stamps. Directors: J. P. Webster, J. J. Butts, J. J.
Winston, A. L. Mayhew, A. H. Johnson and W. D.
Da-pis. This institution, organized in February, 1902, the
only National bank in the county, is strictly a home en
terprise, those who are interested being identified with
Cisco and Eastland County.
The business, which is constantly growing, has been
from the first both satisfactory and profitable to 'the
shareholders. The management of the Citizens' National Bank is
always conservative.

THE MERCHANTS' AND FARMERS' BANK

history of eastland county. 147
The Merchants' and Farmers' Bank
Was established in 1898 by iW. H. Eddleman and
opened ready for business on March 16th, with |W. C.
Bedford as Cashier, and W. J. Eddleman as Assistant
Cashier. Through the careful management of Mr. Bedford
and his able assistant the bank has been a paying insti
tution from the beginning, growing steadily from year
to year, and is to-day the largest banking interest in the
County. Mr. W. C. Bedford, who was bom in Georgia, and
reared in Alabama, came to Texas in 1876. With the
exception of five years spent in successful mining opera
tions in Arizona, he has been continuously in Eastland
County, having twice served the County as Clerk, 1890-
1894. W. J. Eddleman was born, reared and educated in
Weatherford, Texas, and has had exceptional advantages
in learning the banking business. He is the only son
of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Eddleman.
IVDr. Wesley Tebbs is the efficient Collector of this
bank. President, W. H. Eddleman; Vice President, George
P. Levy; Cashier, W. C. Bedford; Assistant Cashier,
W. J. Eddleman. Davis-Garner Compant.
Nineteen years ago the senior partner of the above
firm came to Cisco. An indomitable energy and a de
termination to succeed were his only capital. He em
barked in the dry goods business with Col, J, H. Hoi-

148 HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND GO UNTT.
comb, buying an entire half interest on a credit. In
1893 he bought out his partner and was sole owner of
the business until March, 1903, when he sold a half in
terest to J. H. Garner.
Mr. Davis is "All the way from Pike," (having been
bom in Pike County, Missouri, 48 years ago) . He was
reared on a farm and received his education in subscrip
tion schools and in William Jewell College. In 1875 he
came to Texas, crossing Red River the day he was
twenty-one. Mr. Davis is a Missionary Baptist, believes in and
supports church work and charitable institutions. His
family consists of one good wife and four children.
Mr. Garner, the junior partner, is a young man and
has been remarkably successful in business. He was
just out of Howard College, Tennessee, when he came
to Texas eight years ago. It is no less his own
personality than his push and energy that has greatly
increased tbe business of the firm since he became a
member. He is a working member of the Metbodiat
church. His wife is a daughter of Rev. S. W. Tumct.
This firm is a success in every sense of the word, due
largely to the fact that it pays cash fcv every bill of
goods received.
Hotel Hartman.
This first-class hostelrv is kept by Mr. N. R. Wilson
and his estimable wife, and is the only "$3.00-a-day"
hotel in the to-wn. Being experienced in the hotel busi
ness they are able to cater successfully to the public.
Mr, N. E. Wilson, "Uncle Nat," as he is familiarly
Vnowa., was born in Baltimore, M'aryland, in 1834.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.

149

Having emigrated to Houston, Texas, when only fifteen
years old, be was a citizen of the Republic of Texas, an
honor not to be lightly esteemed.
In 185S, while merchandising in Weatherford,

N. R. WILSON
Parker County, Texas, he married Miss Katherine
Smith, daughter and twelfth child of Saul Smith, who
was one of the early Commissioners of that county.
Having returned to Houston, he lost his wife there of
yellow fever. She left thiee children, Warner, Charles
and Helen.
Mr. Wilson is an Episcopalian. His present wife a
Virginian by birth, is a member of the Presbyterian
church.

150 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
Webster, Hill & Baker.
This wholesale house was established by Cameron,
Hill & Baker in 1897, and was successfully run under
that management until January 1, 1902, when Cameron
and others were succeeded by Dr. J. P. Webster.
This house carries a complete, up-to-date wholesale
stock of groceries, and no firm is more favorably known
in this section of the country.
The President, Dr. Webster, lives in Weatherford,
bat superintends the business in person. In his ab
sence his place is filled by his son, J. G. Webster, a resi
dent of Cisco. Eppler & Russell.
Nineteen years ago, when there were only two farms
between Cisco and Rising Star, and all the cow-boys for
twenty to thirty miles around came here to get their
horses shod, Mr. Sol Eppler came to Cisco, bought an
interest in the blacksmith shop owhed by Mr. T. W.
Plummer, and has since been working at the same stand
and at the same prices. Business has rarely been so
dull that he did not have a partner — usuallv enough
to give both more than they could do.
The firm has three forges well equipped, owns a
60x24-foot building, and is capable of meeting all calls.
Mr. Eppler, who has been in Texas fifty years, has
a wife and three children.
Mr. M. B. Russell was born in Georgia, and came to
Texas in 1894, locating here two years ago. He is an

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 151
energetic young man, a member of the Presbyterian
church and has a wife and two children, and possesses
a pleanantly situated home.
Mayhew & Co.-\ipany, Hahdwahe
This rapidly growing business was established in
1900, and carries a full line of implements and grain,
both for the retail and wholesale trade.
They handle the famous Blue Ribbon line of bug
gies, the old reliable Fish Bros, and Peter Schuttler
wagons, and the Moline and Bradley lines of imple
ments. Having their own corn mill, they are enabled to offei
for sale only the very best grain products the market
affords. They carry a full stock of all kinds of field
seeds, and are extensive pecan dealers, having shipped
eleven carloads from Cisco the fall of 1902.
In addition to their grain and implement business,
rhey deal extensively in live stock, and always have
mules and horses to sell, either for cash, trade or on
time. The senior member of the firm, Aaron L. Mayhew,
has charge of the implement and livestock department,
Avner L. Mayhew of the grain department. Both are
Mississippians, the junior member unmarried. These
gentlemen are courteous and willing to extend any favors
in keeping with conservative business.
The firm enjoys the patronage of Eastland and ad
joining Counties.

153

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.

lrl.>$#.'fete-.„.

interior view of George

George D. Fee & Company.

This firm was established in 1898 in its own new
double-brick building, and carries dry goods and gro
ceries. Be it said to the credit of this firm that the old
stock is disposed of at the end of the season at an enor
mous discount and new and up-to-date goods are always
on the counters. The clerks are experiencel and cour
teous. Mr. George Dawson Fee, the head of the firm, though
quite a young man, is thoroughly conversant with his
business in all departments. He was educated at Ox-

HISTOR Y OF EASTLA ND GO UNTY

l,-,3

D. FEE & CO.'S STORE

ford University, Mississippi, and later took r. business
course at Atlanta, Georgin, coming to Cisco in 1889.
Mr. Fee is a member of the Methodist cbiireh and
has a wife and three children.

Mrs. j. D. Alexander.
Mrs. Julia D. T-Znowlton-Alexander, born in Farm-
mgton, Maine, June 21, 1858, came from the original
family of Knowltons, whose ancestry can be traced back
to those of Cheswick, Kent County, England. She is a
lineal descendant of Col. Thomas Knowlton, a hero of
the Revolutionary War, whose bronze statue was erected
on the grounds of the Sfete Capitol, Hartford, Conn.,

HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND GO UNTY. 155
on the 15th day of November, 1895, at which time the
Knowlton Association of -America, of which Mrs. Alex
ander is a memiber, was formed. It holds its annual
meetings in connection with the Bunker Hill Associa-
ion. The family is a distinguished one, and has held
prominent positions for many years.
Mrs. Alexander, who came to the South twenty-five
years ago, has been an active business woman in Cisco
for twenty-three years, and brought the first stock of
millinery and fancy goods to the town. She is ever
ready to extend a helping hand to the needy, and no
v.'oman in the county holds so many prominent positions
in fraternal and other organizations. She is serving
her seventh year as Secretary of the State Rebekah As
sembly, I. 0. 0. F. She was the first lady ia tbe State
to receive the Decoration of Chivalry, the highest com
pliment that can be paid to woman by the Patriarch Mili
tant of the State, for meritorious work done in promot
ing the interests of the order. She was the first woman
ever appointed State Organizer of the Lodge of Adop
tion of the Scottish Rite Masons of the thirty-second
degree. She is State Treasurer of the Texas Woman's
Press Association, although a member of only three
years' standing, and a member of the League of Ameri
can Pen Women of Washington, D. C.
In 1893 Mrs. Alexander was appointed a Commis
sioner from this County to tbe'.World's Fair held in Chi
cago, and is Lady Chairman of Eastland to the St. Louis
Exposition. She organized the first Civic Improvement
League in Cisco and devised the plan of work.
In the home Lodges Mrs. Alexander is Admirable

.1.

IF

iUJ»l

MR. J. ALEXANDER'S RESIDENCE

HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND GO UNTY. ' 157
Mistress of the Lodge of Adoption, Past Matron of the
Eastern Star Chapter, A. F. & A. M., and Past Pro
tector of the Knights and Ladies of Honor. She served
two years as Noble Grand in the Rebekah Lodge and
"I'our as Chaplain. She has recently been oppointed by
the National Society of the Daughters of the Revolution,
Regent for Cisco.
Mr. Alexander, who came to this county m 1881. was
for a long while in the dry goods business. He is now
an extensive cotton buyer and insurance agent. Mr.
and Mrs. Alexander are earnest supporters of any move
that will advance the interests of the town.
Mrs. Will Kleiner
Has 240 acres of land under fence one mile north of
(visco. Twenty-five acres of this plot has been put in an
orchard and vineyard. There are 1200 trees — ^apple
pear, peach, plum and apricot, all of which grow and
bear well.
Seven thousand blackberry and dewberry vines fur
nish Mrs. TCleiner with more berries than the town of
Cisco can consume, and the surplus is put into jam and
cordial, which she dispenses to those who want it.
In this vineyard three thousand grape -vines thrive
and yield enormous quantities. Tbe owner expects to
put up 100 gallons of grape juice next season for sacra
mental purposes.
This property ig valued at TOPre than $6000-00,

158 ^ HISTOR T OF EASTLAND CO UNTT.
TiiE Red Front Drug Store.
This popular drug store was established by Mr. Yar
brough soon after the sale of lots in 1881, and has only
changed hands twice, Mr. St. John having bought it
from the Hon. 0. T. Maxwell.
The present proprietor came to Texas in 1877 and

MAYOR R. A. ST- JOHN

followed the profession of teaching until fourteen years
ago, since which time he has been in the drug business.
In 1902 he was elected Mayor of Cisco and has
proven himself a most efficient officer. To his inde
fatigable efforts is due the formation of the Country
Club and other important measures. At present his

HISTOR Y OF EASTLAND CO UNTY. 159
energies are directed towards securing from the railway
companies a more commodious Union Depot, -with flat
tering prospects of ultimate success.
Mr. St. John is a prominent member of the Baptist
Church, has a most excellent wife and seven children.

Dr. a. Owen.
Born in Tennessee, Dr. Ovren received his literary ed-
ducation at Athens College in that State. He came to
Eastland County', Texas, twenty years ago, and engaged
in teaching. The next year he went back to his native
State for an helpm'ate, and together they began to lay
by the large property they enjoy to-day. The plan pur
sued was to put the salary received for teaching into
land and cattle, and at that time the price of both were
low as compared to the present.
Dr. Owen has diplomas from the Dental Department
of the State University of Iowa, and from the celebrated
Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Baltimore, Md.,
and enjoys a large practice.
His conversion fifteen years ago at Bedford Chapel,
he considers the most important event of his life. His
religion is his business — he lives it. iWhile engaged in
tlie drug business in the town of Eastland he was re
ceived into the Methodist Church and baptized by the
Rev. Jno. Lane.
Thirteen years ago he moved to Cisco and has since
been prominently identified with the forward move of
the town.

160 HISTOR YOF EASTLAND GO UNTY.
M. T. Jones Lumber Co.
This Company, which does a wholesale business ex
tending over many States and Territories, m,aintains
headquarters at I-liouston, Texas. Its large malls are
located at Orange, Texas, from- which place an exten
sive trade has been carried on with Europe and Mexico.
The M. T. Jones Lumber Co. is one of the large
concerns that has kept pace with the moving frontier
line of Texas, having always had in operation a num
ber of retail yards in the State.
The Cisco yard, which has done a continuous bus
iness since its establishment in 1881, carries a large
stock of all material usually found in a lumber yard.
A number of men have had charge at different times.
but -the present manager, H. L. Broadwell, has been
stationed here for nearly thirteen years. All those
who have business with this firm will be welcome call
ers at the Cisco office.
Since tbe above was written this yard has been
bought by Rockwell Bros, & Co., and is now The Cisco
I>umber Company, with Mr. Broadwell as local man
ager,
J. M. Eadfoed Groceey Company.
Wholesale grocers. Established 1883. Capital
stock. $200:000.00. Surplus, $300,000.00.
The Radford Grocery Company is one of the largest
distributors of staple and fancy groceries in Texas and
has houses at Cisco, Abilene, Stamford and Sweetwater.
The house began business in a very modest way in Abi-

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND GO UNTT. 161
lene in 1883, and has grov/n until it is one of the largest
jobbing houses in the State.
The members of this firm know personally all their
customers and the majority of people living in their
trade territory. They are broad in ther views, are hus
tlers for business and stand ready to give good service
and extend all favors that are in line with conservative
demands and good judgment. If you desire to start
in business, consult them.
Tbe officers of this company are J. M. Radford,
President; J. F. Handy, Treasurer; E. A. Batjer, Secre
tary. John .J. Winston.
Mr. Winston, son of Col. Samuel and Isabella Win
ston, was born in Rutherford County, Tennessee. Com-
iog to Cisco in 1883, he has greatly aided in the devel
opment of the town and County. He was for several
years a direcetor of the First National Bank of Cisco,
and was one of the organizers of the water company.
He is a large owner of bank stock, farm lands, busi
ness and residence property, and by his fair and cour
teous treatment and close attention, he has built up an
extensive mercantile business. He is a director in the
Citizens' National Bank, has much faith in Eastland,
and all of his investments are here.
Mir. Winston, who married Mss Ella Barlow, of
Bourbon County, Kentucky, has one child. Barlow, a
boy of eight simimers. Mr. and Mrs. Winston give many
elegant receptions in their spacious home, which is al
ways open to their friends.
Tbe Christian Church, in which Mr, Winston has

163

HISTOR T OF EA STLaND GO UNTT.

served as Elder for seventeen years, finds in him a lib
eral supporter, a zealous worker and a true friend to
the needy.
Mr. Winston's successful business career has been
founded on a true Christian character.

W. L. WILSON

The Cisco Apebt,

In 1892 Mr. Warner L. Wilson established a new
paper in the town of Cisco and gave it the unique name
above. The Apert, which has always been Democratic, is

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND CO UNTY.

163

the oldest printing establishment in the County under
one management.
The editor, Mr. Wilson, is a native Texan and
Houston is his birthplace. AA^hile he is a staunch Demo
crat, he entertains liberal views and is generous toward
those who differ with him.

-WOOD MCSPADDEN
TuTi) Cisco Electric Light Company.
Cisco was born in darkness and remained so until
Wood McSpadden and Mayhew & Company decreed there
was to be light.
The mandate went forth in the Summer time of 1903

164 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
and down at the power house of the Cisco Electric Light
Company is generated the spark that glows over pulpit
and office desk ; that fiashes across and gleams afar down
the dark streets; that makes the beautiful homes more
beautiful and . accentuates the spoken word in church
and hall.
The promoters of this enterprise are men who are
ready to further large undertakings.
Mr. McSpadden, who at one time was owner of the
telephone exchange and materially enlarged and
strengthened that service, set up the light plant, wired
the buildings, and, pressing the button, turned on the
light. Wood McSpadden is a very young man, was born
in Tyler, Texas, and displays much energy and business
acumen. He was married in 1899 to Miss Hines
Mitchell and has one child.
Mayhew & Company are thoroughly abreast of the
advance interests of the town, and prominently identi
fied with several enterprises.
J. L. G. Adams — Eye Specialist.
"Seeing ¦ is believing," and from the truth of this
proverb many testify to the ability of Dr. Adam.s, who
was partly raised in this County. After having grad
uated from the Chicago College of Medicine and . Sur
gery in 1895 he located in Cisco. He usually maintains
four or five different offices in as many different places,
associating himself with a leading physician.
Since 1895 he has taken Post Graduate courses in
the following institutions: Illinois College of Medi-

INTERIOR VIEW OF MARTIN & CO,'S DRUG STORE

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND GO UNTT. 167
cine and Surgery and the College of Ophthalmology and
Otology, St. Louis.
Some of the cures Dr. Adams has effected are little
short of the miraculous — reading vision after twenty
years darkness, because of scarred eyes, after continued
terms in the Blind Asylum, or after treatment at va
rious, well known hospitals.
Pr. -Adams is a skilled surgeon, and has straight
ened many hundreds of eyes. Leaduig physicians
everywhei^e testify gladly to his ability as an oculist.
His practice is limited to diseases and deformities of
the eye that ^r^ curable, which are about ninety-iive per
cent. He has references from many who have been pro
nounced hopelessly blind and were led to his ojffice, but
W^o received sight after having received his treatinent.
Dr. Adams is associated with Dr. B. F. Jones and
ofifipes, over the Merchants' apd Farmers' Bank^
CHAPTER IL
Rising Star.
The year 1875 had passed into history, yet
no hupter nor early settler, with his ax, his
gun and Hs dog, disturbed the pud^er of the. -v^ild tur
key mothering her young, the feeding of the prairie
cliipl^.en in the high sage grass thaj; abpunded, nor the
gambols of the deer that sported on the banks of the ,
streams. But in the dawn o^ 1876 a star of
promise began to shed its radiance, and in the light of
its dawning six families from Gregg County wended

168 HISTOR T OF EASTLAND 00 UNTT.
their way to the valley, over which it settled and made
their homes there. These fortunate pioneers were W.
W. Smith, Dave McIQnley, Isaac Agnew, Fletcher
Fields, AUie Smith and Andy Agnew. Finding good
.'•oil, abundance of wild game, and water, they decided
to remain pennanently, and began the improvement of
¦ heir claims. Fort Worth was the nearest railroad sta
tion, and from this town and Waco the people bought
their supplies and marketed their products.
In these early days, 1876-1879, the mail was brought
once a week from Sipe Springs on horse back. Mr. Os
borne, who lived two miles east of where Rising Star
is now located, was the postmaster. It may or may
not have been this postmaster who could not read and
whose wife carried the mail in her pocket. iWhen a call
was made she handed the letters to the party and he,
taking out his own, returned the rest. She carried one
for the postmaster a week.
When application was made for a postoffice, Osborne
was suggested as a name, but the authorties sent *Rising
Star instead.
In the Fall of 1879 Uncle Tommy Anderson bought
i'lom Dave McKinley the tract of land on which tlie
town has been built. In the Spring of 1880 he m.oved
the postoffice to his home and put up a small storehouse.
Here he kept the postoffice, groceries and farm supplies.
Jn 1883 a larger store was built near by. since which
time the town has grown steadily, and now numbers
e-'bout seven hundred souls.
¦•It is sail that Mr. Anderson, a son-in-law of Mr. Ag
new, suggested the name of Rising Star.

SISTOR T of EASTLAND go tJNTT. 166
The people early evinced a strong desiie for enlight-
Cj-tment by raising a 10x12 log school house and electing
a Mr. Bill Welch as teacher. Mr. Welch was thor
oughly in harmony with his environments, often teach
ing under the branches of the trees, and not infrequently
going to school barefooted. This small, fioorless, log
school house stood one and one-half miles east of the
present town. A few years later a better and a larger
log house was built near the cemetery, and here many
of the substantial citizens of this County were educated.
Mr. James Irby, who came here in 1877, was one of the
pioneer teachers.
The business interests of the town are represented by
loyal citiziens. There are several large dry goods and
grocery firms, drug stores, hardware, a bank, hotel, and
the usual number of smaller shops and eating houses.
There are two newspapers, five church buildings with
as many organizations, and a handsome school building
with seven teachers and three hundred and fifty pupils.
The town is supported by a very rich farming and
truck growing district of fifteen miles radius. The soil
is a light sand with a red clay subsoil and is especiallv
adapted to the drouthy climate. Corn, cotton,maize, cane
and oat^growluxuriantly; berries, apples, peaches, plums,
apricots, grapes and all kinds of fruits are easy and proli
fic producers. As a. truck growing section it baS'-no su
perior. Cabbages, without irrigation, have produced
heads weighing thirteen and a half pounds, beets have
weighed twenty-five pounds, onions two; tomatoes,.^, and
potatoes of both varieties, grow easily and are heavy
bearers.

UNCLE JIM TYSON GATHERING APPLES

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COCnTY. m
The nearest railroad point is about twenty miles.
Carloads of fruit and vegetables rot on the ground for
lack of convenient shipping points.
In 1903 forty-five hundred bales of cotton were
marketed and forty-two hundred were ginned by the
two plants here. This same year eighteen thousand bales
were ginned at the ten plants within the neighborhood
of the Star country.
This section of the county is especially free from
grasshoppers, boll weevil and all crop and garden pests-
The X-Rat.
Albert Tyson is the founder and proprietor of this
original paper.
If one wants truths frankly told; if when one is bit,
one prefers the blow to come straight from the shoulders,
one would do well to read Mr. Tyson's paper.
,Tbe illustration on the opposite page represents Mr,
J. M. Tyson — the editor's father — gathering apples from
a six year old Early Harvest apple tree. He moved to
Eastland in 1878, and has a thirty-acre apple orchard
two miles north of Rising Star. At the Farmer's Insti
tute held in Eastland City November, , 1903, he was
awarded a prize on the apples he exhibited.
The Rising Star Record.
The Rising Star Record came into existence April
4, 1903. George T. Barnes, with T. B. Staton, under
took the establishment of the paper. Without a single
subscriber the first issue was brought out, but the third

173 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
issue was distributed to three hundred regular subscrib
ers. January 1. 1904, thc subscription list was five hun
dred. January 1, 1904, the Record Company began the pub
lication of the May Enterprise. Both papers have a cir
culation of over nine hundred. The Record, while not
given strictly to politics, stands for Democratic princi
ples, for tbe upbuilding of the Sandy Belt — the garden
.'ijsot of Texas — and for the dissemination of local and
general news among the people.
George T. Barnes and C. A. and Sidney W. Smith
are the proprietors of tbe Record Printing Company.
W. A. Bucy and Brother.
Fifteen years ago W. P. Bucy opened a stock of fur
niture and did well, but soon discovered that to be able
to accommodate the patronage he had he must keep
farihing implements. The business proved so success
ful that Mr. Bucy's oldest son, AVilliam A., became a
partner in 1895, and the supply was increased. Seven
years later, January 1, 1902, this son bought the entire
stock, and three months later sold it to H. E. Anderson.
That Mir. Bucy is never so happy as when trading
is evidenced by the following figures; On September
23, 1902, he bought out the J. H. Montgomery drug
business and sold it January 1, 1903, to Levi McCollum
and-Minnix, and took in exchange their stock of general
merchandise, which he increased.
On January 1, 1904, Ed Bucy bought an interest,
and the store is now the second largest in tovm. The

W- P- BUCY

174 HISTOR T OF EASTLAND GO UNTT.
fioor space is being enlarged and will cover, when com
pleted, 5,610 square feet.
Bucy Brothers expect to do a $50,000 business the
year of 1904. Rising Star is fortunate to have such
energetic men as citizens.
H. E. Anderson
Has the largest store in Texas in an inland town, and
it contains everything except drugs.
Long years ago Uncle Tommy Anderson sold one acre
of ground to J. V. Hulse, and stiprlated that if in
toxicants were ever sold on the land it would revert to the
original owners.
In 1883, H. E. Anderson, son of Uncle Tommy,
bought out Mr. Hulse's stock of general merchandise^
but soon sold out to Rev. J. K. Miller and Mr. Sayles.
Then he built a new and larger store, and has since car
ried a stock of general merchandise, employing from
eight to fifteen clerks.
There are few men who have the courage of their
convictions in a more marked degree than Mr. Ander
son. In 1885 and 1886, when conditions were vastly dif
ferent from the present time, a big barbecue and dance
was twice given by the Rising Star community to influ
ence people to become citizens.
Twice did Mir. Anderson refuse to contribute to this
entertainment because of the last fejature of it — ^the
dance. He was converted at sixteen years of age, made
steward in the Methodist church at eighteen, was the
first Sunday School Superintendent in the town, and

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 175
had lived what he professed. The stand he took on this
occasion had great effect.
Mr. Anderson is the present Sunday School Superin
tendent in tbe Methodist Church, and his wife is a
daughter of Major Munn of Nimrod.
CHAPTER III.
Gorman,
A thriving little city of twelve hundred population,
is situated on the Texas Central Railroad, twenty-five
jniles southeast of Cisco. The town was surveyed in
1891 by the railroad people and began its existence in
the virgin forest — ^the Oliver Chill Plow having forced
the stockmen westward. The era, thus inaugurated by
the arrival of the railroad, made of this section a very
attractive portion of the State by the development of the
superior advantages of this immediate locality.
Fruits and vegetables, together with a thoroughly di
versified agricultural product, offered strong induce
ments to the emigrant from the East, and year by year
the to-wn has grown, developing rare commercial possi-
bihties, and has attained a prosperous and established
position. It is the proud boast of this people that they are
surrounded by the mlost productive soil that can be found
west of the Brazos river, and with a thoroughly up to
date lot of business men the little city is gradually but
surely forging its way to the front.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 177
All lines of business are well represented — from the
bank and the big department stores down to the chili
joint, and employ a capital of $500,000. Kimble &
Crume, druggists; J. R. Huckabee, general merchandise ;
Low & Troxell, general merchandise; Mr. Winters' gin,
the largest and best in West Texas; Mrs. Yates' hotel.
The May Drug Company, T. L. Gates Lumber Yard,
fhe weekly newspaper, a canning factory in active and
successful operation, are some of the stores and shops
and business interests of the town. These numerous
interests enable Gorman to handle her own immense ag
ricultural products to the very best advantage.
The town is incorporated for municipal and school
purposes. The splendid churches, together with organ
ized lodges, chartered clubs and business men's organi
zations, foster and keep in close touch the religious and
.-ocial life with the conumercial advancements.
Everything considered, the town stands without a ri
val in many respects in this section of the State, and of
fers special inducements to the home seeker.
F. B. Winters.
The accom.panying illustration represents the gin
plant built by Mr. Winters in 1899. From the stand
point of modern machinery and up-to-date equipment it
has no superior in the State.
One hundred and fifty horse power boiler and en
gines are used, and it has o. capacity of one hundred and
twenty bales daily. Mr. Winters uses the Munger sys
tem. The gin is ligted by electricity and runs day and
night.

history of eastland county. 179
The Bank oe Gorman.
This bank was established in 1900, with W. H. Ed
dleman, president; W. A. Waldrop, cashier; R. R. Wal-
drop, assistant cashier.
The responsibility is $500,000.00
Large and small accounts are desired, and Mr. Wal
drop and his assistant will make it both pleasant and
profitable to all those who do business with them.
T. L. Gates, Lumber.
This lumber yard was established in Gorman in the
summer of 1899 and has steadily grown in popularity,
both from the completeness and grade of stock carried
and from the courteous treatment accorded to all custom,-
¦ers. Tt is now one of the strong financial interests of
the promising town.
The founder and sole owner of this business, T. ]j.
Gates, is a significant factor in the community. He
came to Texas from Mississippi in 1893, and was for five
;rears Superintendent of the De Leon Schools, and then
served as cashier of the bank at that place for two years.
He is at present chairman of the County Democratic
Committee. Mr. Gates is a member of the Methodist
church and superintendent of the Sunday School. He is
known in church circles as an enthusiastic Sunday School
worker and a most efficient layman,

BtSTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 181
CHAPTER IV.
Cabbon.
Tn 1881 the first lot in Carbon, a town on the Texas
Central Railway, between Gorman and Cisco, was sold to
X. S. Haynes, who put up a small business house. An
attempt to move the town three miles east having failed,
J. F. White established a lumber yard, Mr. Fowler and
son put up a cotton gin, and Mr. Train taught school.
From tbe number of business bouses in this little
town, shops, hotels and gins, a good weekly newspaper,
with a hustling editor; its bank soon to open in its own
brick building; its Baptist and Methodist churches. Ma
sonic hall and neat two-story school building. Carbon
bids fair to rival some of her more pretentious sister
towns. When to this iS added the fertile soil (a sandy
loaml), which produces corn, cotton and a very great va
riety of vegetables of enormous sizes; also fruit, as ap
ples, peaches, pears, apricots and plums, as well as the
grape and berries of all kinds, one is not surprised that
the country round about Carbon is being cultivated by
thrifty farmers in rapidly increasing numbers.
Among the enterprising business people of Carbon
are Finley Bros., dry goods; T. J. Morris, general mer
chandise ; Puett & Son, dry goods ; W. A. Seastrunk, ho
tel, and many others.
There are about six hundred inhabitants.
Near this place Mr. J. H. Bransf ord, who has been in
the county many years, successfully irrigates a truck
patch. *

ALINE CAMPBELL
Eastland Coustt's Prize Baby

HISTORY OF EASTLAAD COUJS TT. 183
The Herald.
Published Friday, W. T. Curtis, editor and proprie
tor. The Herald; the local paper for Eastland County,
pleases its readers and pays its advertisers, and is strict
ly a local and county newspaper.
Although not published at the County Town, it brings
all court news of importance to the general public. It
lias a good circulation and is increasing rapidly.
Only clean advertising from clean people is in
serted.
The Bank of Carbon.
Responsibility, $500,000.00.
W. H. Eddleman, president; W. A. Waldrop, vice
president; J. E. Spencer, cashier.
That so able a financier as W. H. Eddleman. is con
nected with this bank insures its solidarity. That J. E.
Spencer, who has been in the banking business for sev
eral years, is its cashier, speaks for its popularity, while
Mr. Waldrop, the efficient cashier of the Bank of Gor
man, only emphasizes the strength of the organization.
The Carbon Bank occupies its own two-story brick
building Finley Bros.
W. P. Finley. S. P. Finley.
The members of this firm were born in Tennessee
and emigrated to Texas with their parents and the other
brothers in 1867. They located in Eastland in the mem
orable year of 1876, and engaged in farming. Later
some of the family lived at Jewell, and in the early '80's

184 Urn f OR T oF EASTLAND CO UNTT.
W. P. Finley and Mr. Duke (now of Dallas) merchan
dised at Cisco.
This firm established itself here in a general mer
chandise business in 1895 and enjoys a long and grow
ing trade.
The Finleys are substantial and progressive citizens
and foster every interest of the promising town.
Mr. S. P. Finley is the able President of the Board
of Trustees.
A. C. POE, M. D.
Dr. Poe was born in Magnolia, Arkansas, and came
to Carbon, Texas, in 1896.
He received his education in the public schools of his
native State, and took his degree from the M'emphis
Hospital Medical College.
Dr. Poe is the senior member of the firm of Poe &
Moore, Druggists. This firm is one of the three State
agents in this county for the supply of school books
adopted by the Board of Examiners.
It is such men as Dr. Poe that make a town grow.
He believes in the future prosperity of the town, backed
by its richly promising agricultural possibilities, and
upon this belief he makes his investments.
With C. B. Poe as a partner, the Doctor is interested
in a lumber yard, which does a large business and carries
a complete and up-to-date stock.
Besides his various business interests this enterpris
ing citizen does an extensive practice. As an evidence
of the prosperity of the people of this section, and of
their integrity as well, they pay on an average 95 per
cent of their physician's accoimts.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 185
T. J. Morris, Merchant.
On January 14, 1893, with a small stock of "Racket
goods," Mr. Morris began business in Carbon. Two
years later he erected and m'o-ved into a building in the
center of the town, where he is still located.
Few men have had more marked success than Mr.
Morris. From the small beginning, made a little more
than one decade ago, his business has grown until now
he handles everything in a general merchandise line.
Besides dry goods and groceries, hardware and every
ccmceivable kind of farming implement, he handles
furniture and undertaker's goods.
Mr. Morris' energy and ingenuity does not stop here.
He is interested in the two gins of Morris Bros, and
Fowler at Carbon and Hooker's Spur. His latest ven
ture is stockng his fine ranch near town with goats, some
of which are thoroughbreds.
Tt is plainly evident that Mr. Morris invests strictly
in Carbon "futures."

CHAPTER V.
Ranger.
Ninety-five miles west of Fort Worth the historic
little town of .Ranger stands. Many, many years ago, be
fore the valleys of E'astland bad ever -^elt the thrill and
jar of rumbling cars, or her hills had echoed the shrill
cry of an engine, the Indians found and utilized a mag
nificent rendezvous a few miles east of Ranger, where

isti History of easi^land cotInty.
now the Texas and Pacific Railway bridges the deepest
canon in Texas. After one of their usual raids the In
dians fled to this, canon, now so famous for its rugged
beauty, and were followed by the Texas Rangers, than
whom no class of men have done more for Texas.
These poorly fed and poorly paid guardians of life and
property on the frontier drove the Indians on this occa-

THE high BRIDGE

sion from their lair. On emerging from the deep and
ragged gorge the Rangers found themselves in a beauti
ful, level * valley of richest soil and luxuriant grasses,
but did not loiter, as they pushed hard on after the In
dians, overtaking them at what is known as "One Hun-

*It is said that the valley was known among the In
dians as the Caddo Indian Ball Ground.

SiStory of Ma^TlanD coVnTT. ist
dred * Mile Mountain." Here a battle was fought and the
victorious Rangers struck tent in the luxurious val
ley, where the Watson Ranch is now situated. The ex
act date of this battle could not be learned, but it is
thought Captain Whiteside, who lost his life in the cy
clone at Cisco, was in command of the Rangers.
Twenty-five years ago the valley was dotted with
tents. One year later A. J. Sims and a Mr. Griffin formed
a partnership and carried a stock of general merchandise
in a tent store. Mr. Griffin did a thriving hotel busi
ness, also in a tent, prior to forming this partnership.
There were tent schools and tent churches. Tom Coop
er, brother of one of Rangers' most popular teachers,
was the first boy born in the town. A little girl made
her advent one day before Tom's arrival. Tn tbe Ran
ger valley some two hundred or three hundred people
lived in tents until the railroad came, when houses w^nt
up as if by magic. Ranger was built a couple of miles
west of where the tent town had had its existence. The
oldest settler living in Ranger today is John Bryant,
who came in 1881.
Ranger has three good church buildings, Methodist,
Baptist and Cumberland Presbyterian, with leagues and
young people's societies; a High School, which is corre
lated with the State University, a phone system and
water works, bank, five doctors and the usual number of
stores, eating houses, etc.
In the tent to-wn there were saloons, and gambling
*"One hundred miles" from where could not be learned,
but the mountain stands out clear-cut and runs down into
the valley near the railroad.

188 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COttNTT.
dens, in the Ranger of today there are no houses of vice
of any kind.
Ranger has a population of about seven hundred
and fifty.
The Ranger '03 Club — a woman's literary club — has
founded a public library and is gradually increasing the
number of volumes.
C. B. Frost, M. D.; A. B.; A. M.
Dr. C. B. Frost, the oldest resident physician of
Ranger, was born in Tennessee. His father, J. B. Frost,
fell heir to sixty-two negroes in 1859 and 1860, but set
them free at once. As a result of this philanthropy the
boy Cyrus had to work out his own destiny. Be cut wood
for two fireplaces and a stove, fed t'-n horses, twenty
cows, a drove of hogs and a flock of sheep for his board,
and worked Saturdays for his clothes. Hfe took his lit
erary degree at the Northern Illinois Normal Univer
sity. He attended the Nashville Medical College, where
later at the Missouri Medical College, he gratuated in
1878 with first honors. Mrs. Frost is a daughter of
Dr. 0. D. Tankersly of Arkansas.
Dr. Frost located at Ranger in 1892 and has prac
ticed his profession night and day continuously since
that time with the most mlarked success, never having
suffered from an accident of any kind, nor had a diag
nosis changed. He is a scholarly, scientific, up-to-date
physician and' surgeon, a consistent, Christian Methodist
citizen, and is held in high esteem by the profession and
his patrons.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 189
CHAPTER VI.
Scranton.
Scranton, a town of about one hundred and fifty in
habitants, is situated in a thickly settled, agricultural
comm'unity, which lies twelve miles southwest of Cisco,
near the line of Callahan County.
The first man who setlted in this locality was D. C.
Lane, who came iu 1875, and was followed by H. B.
Lane, Mr. Huff, Aaron Brown, Uncle Joe Brown and
Mat Hendrickson. These, together with Messrs.
Sprawls, Ray, Gattis, Clement, Rutherford and many
others, have made a progressive and substantial com
munity. Tn 188 — Mr. Snoddy taught a school here. The in
terest in education has gradually increased until Scran
ton now boasts of an incorporated school district, and one
of the best schools in the county. There is a commodi
ous, two-story building, with a separate music room on
the campus.
The Miethodist and Baptist churches were organized
here in 1893, the former by Rev. M. Mi'. Smith, the lat
ter by Rev. J. R. Kelly. Both churches have good build
ings and are served at present by Rev. J. L. Mills, Meth
odist, and Rev. G. W. Parks, Baptist.
The Post Office was esablished in 1892, with Mr.

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HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 193
Reydon as Postmlaster. Mr. Reydon also put up the
first gin in 188 — . The present fine gin is owned by
a stock company of farmers. J. M. Williamson of Cis
co was the pioneer merchant. Among the present pro
gressive business firms are E. .E. Chunn, dry goods,
groceries and hardware; I. E. Cook & Bro., dry goods,
and W. L. Gattis & Son, druggists.
Romney.
This prosperous and enterprising community was
first settled by A. J. FembUng and Mt. Ballard. These
were soon followed by E. J. Arnold, Dr. J. N. White
and Mr, Green, all from West Virginia.
During the disastrous drouth of 1886-1887 emigra
tion stopped, but the natural advantages of the locality
held the first settlers, and even in the most trying period
brought Mr. P. N. B. Ghormerly.
The Freeman and Bashan brothers, J. C. McCoy,
T. D. Freeman, E. J. Arnold, T. J. Finn, W. R. and C.
C. Bashan and Dr. J. W. White organized the school
community and a school house was put up at once. T. D
Freeman was the first teacher, and A. J. Tyson, editor
of the X-Eay, published at Rising Star, followed him.
The Romney Postoffice was established August 15,
1890, T. D. Freemian, Postmaster. The- country has
developed rapidly. All agricultural products, fruits and
vegetables grow well, making this one of the m©st pro-
gijessive communities in the County.
Mr. W. P. Grubbs of Arkansas established the first
store, then sold to H. D. Holbrook. At present T. D.

194 HISTOR T OF EA STLAND CO UNTT.
Freeman, who has charge of the long-distance telephone
and is Postmaster, has tbe only store in the village, wbich
also contains a blacksmith shop, a gin and a good school.
The Baptist, Disciples of Christ and Methodists have
organizations and worship at the school house.
The citizenship of this locality represents a moral
and progressive people, who welcome all who come am.ong
them.
CHAPTER VII.
*Desdemona.
William and Ben Funderburg pre-empted the land
on which Desdemona is built. Tbe Funderburgs (who
later sold their pre-emption to Bill Brown), Lewis Elli
son and Uncle Johnny Caruth were the first settlers of
Hogtown. Mr. Frank Roach, the first merchant of Desdemona,
put up a 12x16 store building, the boys lending a hand,
which was dedicated with a dance the night of the fir'^t
wedding in the new, old town. Mr. Willie Matthews and
Miss Ella Parm, who were the contracting parties, \^ • re
married at Tom Prather's home, Mary Caruth and Mr.
¦  "standing up" with them. After the cerumonv
the crowd, chaperoned by Lewis Ellison and wife, re
paired to Mr. Roach's new store and danced all night.
The first school house, eighteen by twenty feet, was
•Desdemona was named In honor of the daughter of
Squire Wynn.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 195
built of hewed logs, with a log cut out at one end for a
window. The benches were made by splitting trees in
two — one of these with longer legs in front was put up
by tbe window for a writing desk. Mr. Johnny Caruth
and Charlie Mitchell were paid $80.00 to put up the
house. On the second Sunday in June, 1872, the Rev. John
nie R. Northcutt, a Baptist minister, preached under
the large Spanish oaks shading the picturesque bridge
which now spans the historic Hog Creek, at Desdemona,
and kept up the. appointments until September. He was
then allowed the privilege of the log school house and or
ganized Rockdale Church, with nine members, John
Caruth, -wife and daughter — Mrs. Mary N. Jasper, Aunt
Sallie Robinson, Nancy Ellison, Jim Ellison and wife,
John Cowen and Mrs. Sallie Ivy.
Pleas Jones lived in the Hogtown community in a
single log cabin, 10x12. For some unknown reason the
floor of the cabin was the naked bosom of mother earth.
A wagon board lay from the door to the hearthstone.
One night a young man hunting a locality where he
might secure a school, stopped, as night had overtaken
him, and asked for lodging.
"All right, pard," assented Jones. "Git down and
come in. You'll have ter laret out yer nag, 'cause T
hain't got no feed fer her."
The fare given to the man was in keeping with the rest
of the surroundings, and his mind was relieved of won^
dering who would sit up when a buffalo hide was thrown
down on the wagon board, with a pillow, and he was
told his bed was ready! Imagine his surprise when he

196 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
asked next morning, how much he was indebted for his
and his mare's lodging and was told, "Well, seein' its
you, I'll only charge yer a dollar !"
The young man, who was none other than -ludge
Hammons of Eastland City, rode on and secured and
taught the school.
The town is beautifully located on rising ground,
sloping east from Hog Creek. The community is in
corporated for school purposes, and expects to erect a
large, handsome building.
There are five dry goods and grocery establishments,
the most prominent among them are Captain A. J.
O'Eear, staple and fancy groceries, and Dr. Snodgrass,
drugs and general merchandise, who is also a stockholder
in the fine gin stand and a successful practicing physi
cian. Dr. Copeland, who has studied in Missouri
Medical College, in St. Louis, and graduated from Fort
Worth Medical College, is a physician of growing popu
larity and prominence.
That the doctors collect 95 per cent of their bills
speaks well for the community, as it does for the soil
which makes it possible.
A good school is maintained at Desdemona. The
Baptist and Methodist churches have buildings and good
organizations. The Christian Church building is in
want of repairs.

HISTOR Y OP EASTLAND GO UNTY. 197
CHAPTER VIII.
The Methodist Church.
The first church organized in the county, of which
there is anything known, was in the Allen neighborhood
and was effected by Rev. William Mlonk, a pioneer
preacher, who attended his first Texas Annual Confer
ence at Tyler, in 1854. In 1865 Mr. Monk was on the
Palo Pinto Misison, which included Eastland County.
With a few members he organized a Methodist church
on the Allen and Davidson ranch. The members were
Peter Davidson, wife and four children, Robert
Newberry and Uncle Bobbie Martin, with their fami
lies. Mr. Monk writes: "Tn 1872 I was Presiding Elder
on the Stephenville District. In 1873 I attended . a
Quarterly Conference at McGough's Springs. Rev.
Levi F. Collins was the missionary and had organized
a little church there, ^hich I suppose was the second or
ganization in the county. The county was infested by
Indians. ]We all went to church with our guns, not
knowing what moment we would be attacked. Two
nights before I went to McGough Springs the Indians
stole my horse at Picketville in Stephens County. T
made my way down there on borrowed horses, and from
there to Comanche I went on a wagon, where I secured
another horse."
The following letter is self-explanatory and will be
interesting to many old settlers :

198

DISTORT OF EASTLAND GOUNTT.

"Iredell, Texas, October 13, 1903.— Dear Sister
Langston: You want to know what territory was in-

REV. WILLIAM monk, Ibhujsll, TiiXAS
eluded in the Palo Pinto Misison when I was pastor in
1865 and 1866. Tt included all of Palo Pinto County,

HtSTOR T OF EASTLA ND GOVNTT. 199
all of Erath east of Stephenville and all of Johnson
west of the Brazos River. Hood County was not organ
ized then. I also had two appointments in Parker
County, Big Vlalley, where your father then lived, and
Kickapoo. I made the round on my work every four
weeks, preaching under trees, in private houses, under
brush arbors and in little school houses. Our congre
gations would be from twenty to one hundred people.
We had some great revivals. I organized the first
church at Big Valley and held a great meeting. When
I traveled the Stephenville District in 1872, '73 and '74,
it included all the territory west of the Brazos River
from Waco to Fort Belknap, Fort Griffin, San Angelo,
Camp Colorado and Fort Mason. These Were the out
side settlements, but all the territory to New Mexico be
longed to the district. ' I made the round every three
months on horseback, with my Winchester rifle hang
ing to the horn of my saddle, and my wardrobe in
a pair of saddle bags. These were the happiest years of
my life. .1 believe all the preachers that were associ-,
ated with me then have passed away, ^except Levi Coll
ins and Brother Smith of Stephenville. If I could see
you I could tell you many things of interest, but can
write but little now. Wishing you success -with your
book,., I am yours, ., W. MONK."
Today there are about 2,000' Methodists in this Coun
ty. Histories of a few of the individual churches fol
low: Rising Star Church. — This charge first belonged
to the Pecan Circuit and was served by L. S. Chamber
lain in 1877. Tn 1879 this same preacher was returned

200

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.

to the work and then organized the class at Rising Star
with eight members, James Irby, Sallie J. Irby, An
drew Agnew, N. S. Agnevv', I. P. Agnew, Sarah Agnew,

THE METHODIST CHURCH, Rising &tar.— Photo by Watkins, Rising Star

Dennis Bond and Sarah Tannerhill. Out of the eight
members only James Irby and wife remain with tho
church today. Tt was at a night appointment this or
ganization was made in a little 10x12 log school house

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND GO UNTT. 201
with a dirt fioor, and was the first church organized in
this part of the County.
The Rising Star Misison was created some time later
with two appointments (Jewell being the other), and
had an appropriation of one hundred dollars from
the missionary board. Tt was included in the Breckin
ridge District, with A. K. Miller as Presiding Elder
f.ud G. F. Fair pastor, 1883-1885.
By and by a new school house was built near where
Ihe cemetery now lies, and served for church purposes.
The class continued to gather strength; to its member
ship were added those of Uncle Tommie Anderson and
his family. Mrs. L. S. Anderson still retains her mem
bership. She is the aged mother of H. E. Anderson.
In 1881 the first Sunday school was organized
in the school house. A Methodist Sunday School
in a school house did not prosper, so under the leader
ship of the indefatigable R. R. Raymiond a church was
built and later a parsonage. They are valued at $2,000.
On a beautiful, grass-covered lawn this church has put
up a tabernacle at a cost of $300.00.
In 1902, under the pastorate of J. H. Chambliss, as
sisted by J. C. Watkins, a most wonderful revival took
place, resulting in such an increased membership thit
the church had to be enlarged. This was done at a cost
of $500, making a total of $2,800 of church property,
• With a membership of nearly three hundred, a fine Sun
day school, both Senior and Junior Epworth Leagues
and an active Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, tbe
church is doing well.
Rev. D. A. McGuire is the present pastor.

202

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COtfNTY.

The Church at Ranger was organized by Rev.
Hightower in a tent in 1881. The membership has
grown to ninety-two with church property valued at
-fj 500.00, which includes a house of worship and par-
p.inge. Tbe present pastor is Rev. B. R. Wagner.

M, V._ MITCHELL
The Cisco Methodist Church had its beginning
in the fertile brain of a .pioneer "circuit rider," Rev..
Lamb Trimble. On the quiet hunt for any one who
wore the name' of Methodist, where he might find a kin
dred spirit, shelter and something to eat,, he discovered
M. V. Mitchell and - wife (in a log hut 10x12 feet)
running a sheep ranch. The tired preacher was not long

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND GO UNTT. 203
in accepting a large hospitality in small quarters. The
dirt floor to the little room had been overlaid with grass
and on this was spread a carpet. The cubby-hole, (or
shed room) and a bed of skins was the only place for the
preacher, while plenty of blankets for cover and a good
case of- religion made him happy.
Tn 1880 this preacher organized the flrst church, and
when that roll was called the only names were M. V.
Mitchell and wife,, Mr. arid Mrs. Walton. Mr. Mitchell
was elected steward. This church was begun in a little
log school house, located where now lies the beautiful
cemetery. Rev. Andrews was the next circuit rider, and
.lohn Lane steward. In 1881 Cisco was founded at the
junction of the railroads, and everybody moved to town,
the school, post office and church foUo-wing the people.
Rev. Mills was the next pastor. Tib and Rev. R. B.
Vaughan canvassed the new to-wn for Methodists and
fcmnd about twenty. Thc people were all living in tents
A school house was soon built by popular contributions,
and this sufficed as a place for the monthly preaching.
Two or three years later, during the pastorate of Rev.
John A. Wallace, a small churchy costing six or seven
Inindred dollars, was erected on the lot where the present
building now stands.
During the pastorate of Rev. T. C. Ragsdale the
house was enlarged to meet the growing demands of the
congregation. This was swept away by the cyclone in
1893, and a beautiful and commodious house was erected
at a cost of about $6,000. The church has a parsonage
valued at $1,200, and a membership of three hundred
and thirty members. During the past year under the
pastorate of S. J. Vaughn there was a net gain in mem-

HISTOR T OF EASTLAND GO UNTT. 205
bership of eighty, and about $800 were expended in im
provements on the church and parsonage. The church
is doing fine work in all departments. The building is
lighted by electricity.
The Carbon Church was first organized in 1890
by I. N. Reeves, with about twenty members. There
was no building other than Thurman's store, which was
utilized, the counters serving, in part, for pews. As
the preacher stood with his back to the door he could not
understand, during this first sermon at 11 o'clock Sun
day morning, why a row of girls directly in front of him
were so intensely amused. They caused so much confu
sion that he stopped shortly after he began and dismissed
the audience. Afterwards he learned that a man out
on the street in front of the door, with a woman's sun-
bonnet on his head, was "making a monkey of himself."
At night the audience gathered early. The counters
were filled with boys, who wore clanking spurs. The
preacher had barely reached his "secondly" when one of
the boys on the counter noisily left the room, brushing
right by the minister, who stood near the entrance.
In a very few minutes another boy was rattling his spurs
in his rush to get outside with the one who started what
was evidently meant to include all who sat with them.
At this, juncture Dr. Jules Trader rose to his feet and
with an impetuous oath exclaimed, "Parson, I don't
want to interfere, but if you'll knock the next boy down
who tries to pass you, I'll stand by you." The sermon
continued without further interruption.
I, N. Neel, agent of the railroad, organized and
taught a Sunday School in the station house, where he
lived. Later, the railroad gave the town an acre of

206 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
ground on which to build a school house. When this
was completed the Sunday School went there, and at the
end of Mr. Reeves' second year there were eighty-seven
members. The church building was erected during the
pastorate of Rev. Maxwell. The present pastor is Rev.
J. H. Walker. CPIAPTER IX.
TriE B.vPTi&T Church. — This church crganization
might be truthfully compared to a mighty oak, whose
roots dig down deep through the soil, drink in and trans
mit the food to the trunk, limbs, branches and
leaves, and forage for the minerals that help color
the foliage and make it a thing of joy and beauty, as
well as a protection from the sun's fierce rays and the
storm's beating rain. Nor is this all, it affords the song
sters of the forest a sheltering place for their young.
As this mighty oak has grown from a tiny acorn and
is now able to withstand the terrible wrenchings of storm
and tornado, so the Baptist Churches have grown in
Eastland County.
Away back many years ago-— Mr. McGough does not
remember the date— under a brush arbor, tlie Rev. '\V.
H. Brashears organized the first Baptist Church in East
land with seven members, C. Brashears, J. E. Higgins,
Enoch Dawson. Amanda Dawson, W. C. McGough and
wife and the preacher. This was known as Providence
Baptist Church, and was one of four in the county when
the Eev. C. G. Stevens of sainted memory projected and
accomplished the organization of that wonderful body
known as the Red Gap Baptist Association, which not

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 207
only included the churches in this County, but finally
embraced all the territory to El Paso and New Mexico.
There now exists a Cisco Baptist Association which
includes all the organizations in the County with two or
three exception^. The locations, names of pastor and
present membership follow :
Carbon— W. B. Cobb, 83.
Cisco— G. W. Sherman. 239.
Corinth— E. M. Hunt, 67.
Curtis— G. P. May, 46
Eastland— J. L. Mayes, 115.
Elm Creek— J. H. Vinson. 78.
Gorman — J. H. Vinson, 182.
Harmony — J. L. Mayes. 48.
Jewell — W. L. Ayers, 59.
Liberty Hill— S. C. Steel, 34.
Long Branch — E. M. Hunt. 114.
Meriman — J. L. Mayes. 59.
Midway— J. J. McCord, 91.
Monroe— D. G. Wells, 113.
Mount Olive— J. J. McCord, 49.
New Hope— E. M. Hunt, 35.
Pleasant Hill, No. 1— George W.. Parks, 56.
Pleasant Valley— E. M, Hunt, 68.
Ranger — Z. H. Reag.an, 41.
Rich— I. Lamb, 10.
Rising Star— D. G. Wells, 29.
Round Mountain — G. W. Parks, 61.
Union— G. P. May, 41.
Union Grove— D. G. Wells, 29.
There, is an organization at Desdemona, one near

208 HISTOR T OF EASTLAND GO UNTT.
Pioneer and one at Ellison's Springs. Rev. C. Brash
ears is pastor of the last named.
One interesting feature of the work of this associa
tion is that it keeps a missionary continually in the field.
Rev. I. D. Hull, the present Associational Missionary,
has served several years. Last year the amount reported
paid to missions — ^home and foreign — was $875.31.
This did not include the $295.18 paid to the Buckner
Orphans' Home, $52 foi ministerial education, nor
$29.30 for the poor.
Rev. J. M. Reynolds, one of the Missionary Evangel
ists appointed by the State Board of the Baptist Conven
tion, lives in Cisco.
CHAPTER X.
Other Churches.*
The Rising Star Cumberland Presbyterian
Church was organized by Rev. D. A. Knox In July,
1885, with fourteen members.
Conspicuous in the early history of the church ap
pear the names of L. M. Marshall, J. T. Winfield, H.
W. Joyce, Maxwell brothers and Uncle George and Mila^
Wood. Services were held in the public school building
and in the Methodist Church until 1893, when a house
which is well situated in the northern part of town, was
built. A comfortable manse is situated on the ad
joining lots.
The church is well officered by a board of six elders
and one deacon, and has a Sabbath school under the ef-
*'See Preface.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 309
fieient management of Prof. G. C. Barnes. The contri
butions for the different enterprises for the year 1903
exceeded all amounts for previous years together. No
public collections are taken.
The present pastor is Rev. Z. T. Blanton. Perfect
harmony prevails and it is hoped that this body may
occupy its place as a persistent factor in the spiritual
aplifiting of Rising Star and the surrounding country.
Sabanno Cumberland Presbyterian Church. —
This church was organized about 1886 by the Rev. D. A
Knox. For several years the congregation worshipped
in the school house, holding its revival meetings under a
brush arbor. In the summer of 1896 a house was built,
and since then a tent has been provided for revivals,
which are held annually.
C. C. Bullock is the present pastor, with Messrs. V^ .
A. Erwin, B. F. Shell and J. S. Erwin elders and W. P.
Porter and J. Robert Kincaid deacons.
Liberty Cumberland Presbyterian Church. —
This congregation was organized in 1898 with ten meror
hers as the result of a revival meeting conducted by the
Eev. W. E. Green.
As a church organization would not be allowed to oc
cupy the school house, Messrs. S. A. Fleming ( Cumber
land), Sam Webb (Baptist) and :W. T. Boyd (Metho
dist) met and decided to build a union house for these
denominations. This was done. Several revivals have
been held, these denominations always co-operating.
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church now has about
forty members. Messrs. B. L. Marshall, Louis Mar
shall, G. B. Kelley, S. A. Flemings and John D. Walker
are the present elders, with Eev. C. C. .BuUock-fls pastor...

tilSTORY OF* easTlaND COUNTY. 311
The Ranger Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Rev. J. A. Williams, pastor, is in a thriving condi
tion, with a fine Sunday School and an active Woman's
Foreign Missionary Society. The organization has its
own church building.
In Cisco the Presbyterians have an excellent church
building, well furnished.
The Disciples of Christ have several organiza
tions and church buildings in the County. Rev. Mc-
T'vnight is the pastor of the Cisco congregation. R. C.
Maddox is pastor of the congregation at Rising Star.
Mrs, Mc. D. Hunter is pastor of the Holiness Church
at Rising Star.

SCHOOL DIRECTORY OF THE COUNTY.
School District No. 1. — Yellow Mound, J. H. Jace;
Bedford, F. M. Anthony; Dark Hollow, R. B. Evans;
Pleasant Valley, D. H. Stoddard. Trustees: R. T.
White, J. B. Harbin, J. H. Robbins.
School District No. 1 A. — Central, J. F. Dean,
teacher. Trustees: J. B, Short, ,W. M. Eppler, W. C.
Hazel. School District No. 2. — Freedom, T. E. Payne;
L'nion, Lillian "Hatten; Lone Cedar, Sam Poe. Trus
tees: L. J. Spann, J. R. Higgins, H. Brashears.
School District No. 3. — Pleasant Valley, Maude Mur
phy; High Point, E. Lafoon; Grapevine, E. C. Mur
phy; Flat Woods, L. D. Harlin. Trustees: D. H- Col
lins, J. H. Bransford, J. W. Robinson.
School District No. 4. — Conner, Myrtle Medearis;
Owen, J. A. Brashears; Cross Roads, C. P. Webb; Mer-

312 HISTOR T OF EASTLAND CO UNTT.
riman, W. C. Higgins; Colony, H. C. Pelphrey. Trus
tees: W. A. Hise, Floyd Brewer, Charles Barker.
School District No. 5. — Triumph, Mattie Gatewood.
Trustees : S. D. Shugart, Z. Z. Butler, W. A. Davis.
School District No. 6.— Rush Creek, J. R. Ervin.
Trustees: W. D. Messimer, A. P. Barton, J. F. Myers.
School District No. 7. — Tuder, J. W. Harmon.
Trustees: 0. W. Pollard, D. A. Harris, S. H. Boggus.
School District No. 8. — Lone Star, Emma Mahan.
Trustees : Ed Parker, J. T. Jobe, H. F. Thomas.
School District No. 9. — Nash Creek, J. B. Jordan;
Nash Creek, Mrs. Jessie Sawell. T'rustees: R. N.
Echols, J. T. Earnest, E. A. McDonald.
School District No. 10. — Alemeda, R. E, Boucher;
Young Springs, Fannie Koonce. Trustees A. J. Will
iams; A. S. Chauncey, Joe Jones.
School District No. 11. — Rogers, F. R. King, Pearl
Brabbin. Trustees : E. P. Nix, A. T. Lowe, Hue Guy.
School District No. 12. — Jewell, H. M. Hayes, Pearl
Mayes. Trustees: R. F. Simms, W. M. Mane, W. J.
Newell. School District No. 13.— High Knot, Pearl Chas
tain, Hall Mark, J. R. T.anier; Center Point, Mamie
Lovett. Trustees: T. J. Hilton, J. T. Brown, Will
Greer. School District No. 14. — Rockwell, W. J. Justice;
Bluff- Branch, W. P. Caldwell; Sandy, Bessie Gray;
Liberty Hill, H. W. Gotcher. Trustees, J. W. Stamps,
James Caradine, Robert Cove.
School District No. 15.— Wood, H. C. Overby; Reich,
Miss Ulala Howard; Cozart, W. D. Hazel. Trustees:
J. P. Montgomlery, J. P. Leverage, J. H. Ward.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 213
School District No. 15 A. — Nimrod, Adelle Keith;
Mitchell, Dora Stewart; Hobart, Alice Davidson. Trus
tees: B. B. Hogan, R. C. Pass, S. L. Yeage.
School District No. 16. — Cook, W. Bashabranner;
Curtis, Will Allen; Ballard, P. P. Holbrook. Trustees:
A. J. Woodyke, E. H. Pearce, J. F. Nichols.
School District No. 17.— Long Branch, N. F. Brit
ton; Romney, W. J. Moreland; Pleasant Hill, R. P.
Moreland; Griggs, Charles Parker. Trustees: Henry
Milligan, W. L. Brayden, W. L. Barnett.
School District No. 18. — Hickman, Eva Crume
Trustees: G. B. Mullings, W. H. Hughs, S. W. H.
Bushee. School District 18 A. — Macedonia, Ola Little. Trus
tees : E. C. Lane, H. B. Anderson, J. A. Haynes.
School District No. 19. — Pioneer, F. W. MuUins,,
Julia MuUins. Trustees: S. P. Stovall, F. C. M'c^
Bride, W. R. W. Smith.
School District No. 20. — Wheat, Mts. May Harri
son. Trustees, J. W. Adams, J. A. Porterfield, F. M.
Button. School District No. 21.— Burnley, M. D. Mullings;
Sabano, W. F. Walker. Trustees: W. T. Boyd, J. T.
Blackwell, J. S. Erwin.
School District No. 22. — Mbuntain, Ollin Kinnison.
Trustees: C. H. Gunoway, R. S. Hoon, J. L. Fonville.
School District No. 23. — Howard, Bascomb Mor
ton. Trustees, W. S. Prater, J. B. Kizer, J. B. Little.
School District No. 24. — Leon, J. T. Singleton.
Trustees: W. E. Vaughi. J. W. Blair, J. W. Watson,
J. AV. Pitman.
School District No. 25.— Bhn, J. S. Purdy. Trus-

314 HISTOR T OF. EASTLAND GO UNTT.
tees: W. P. Orr, R. M. Gaun, J. H. Prichard, W. B.
Mancill. School District No. 26. — Grigsby, Jamep B. Bat
man; Jett, 0. A. Fleming. Trustees: J. G. Burgess,
D. P. Taylor, Gus Payne
School District No; 27, — Grand View, C. P. Jones,
Mrs. Lassie Jones. Trustees: W. B. Westmoreland,
J. D. Barton, J. W. Carter.
School District No. 28. — Peak, J. B. McEntire.
Trustees : Bill Dill, J. 0. Barris, J. R. Tune.
School District No. 29. — Desdemona. J. H. Hankins,
Mrs. J. B. B'ankins. Trustees: J. R. Brown, J. A. Cope-
land, F. E. Terry.
School District No. 30. — Okra, J. 0. Bashaw.
Trustees : D. M. Jacobs, B. E. Shiley, W. B. Mimms.
School District No. 31. — Union, Gypson Crcssland,
Miss Lillian Eatton. Trustees: S. B. Code. J. L.
Brown, H. D. Marshall.
School District No 32. — Salem, W. T. Skinner.
Trustees : W. N. Hickey, G. R. Hamilton, J. M. Moore.
School District No. 33.— New Hope, M. H. Per
kins. Trustees: J. L. Brown, W. S. Martin. W. D.
Kinnison. School District No. 34.— Delmer. J. S. Bond. Trus
tees : Will Conn, J. E. Duneway, J. B. Kyle.
School District No. 35. — Bullock, J. A. Sander-
ford. Trustees : J. S. Williams, L. M. Cook, A. J. Al
lison, C. L. Bodges.
School District No. 36.— Oak Grove, H. C. Poe.
Trustees : J. R. Lanier, I . N. Poe.
School District No. 37.— Yellow Branch, R. E.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 315
Sprawls. Trustees: A. G. Vaunoy, M. M. Doyle, Eli
Gentry, M,. G. Robertson.
School District No. 38. — Britton, .Annie Brooks,
Mamie Brooks. Trustees: A. C. Brown, B. B. Bue,
R. L. Rowe, F. M. Stone.
INDEPENDENT SCBOOL DISTRICTS
Cisco. — Superintendent, E. L. Abbott; A. V Britton,
W.T. Bachelor, R. Jung, Miss Bettie Earbison, Miss An
na Lee Fisher, Miss Annie Laurie Brown, Miss Frederic
Mosley, Miss Sadie Yarnell — Miss Martha Conner
Green, Primary. Trustees. L. E. Brannin, President; W.
L. Armstrong, Vice President; Dr. W. P. Lee, Secre
tary Arthur Grist, Treasurer; J. M. Williamson, Judge
D. K. Scott, T. J. Worthington.
Gorman — Superintendent. A. C. Ferguson; A. B.
King, Alex Allen, Mrs. Tranquil McDaniel, Miss Claire
Rush; Art, Miss Bailey. Trustees : J. Q. Eppler, Pres
ident; T. L. Gates, Secretary and Treasurer; W. S.
Wood, J. A. Jones, W. L. Terry. W. F. Burieson, R. F.
Nelson. Carbon. — J. Speed Carroll, Superintendent; W. J.
Allison, Binkley Drake, Miss Rebecca White. Miss John
nie Reed. Trustees: S. P. Finley, President; E. H.
Boyett, Secretary; J. F. Edmondson, Treasurer; R. L.
Littleton, T. L. Tucker, J. R. Foster, A. B..?ton.
Scranton. — 0. C. Britton, Superintendent; C. C.
Bullock, M'rs. J. S. Bond; Miss Lillian Bell, Music.
Trustees: A. M. Sprawls, President; F. G. Boyd, Sec
retary; W. T. Rutherford, Treasurer; W. T. Gattis, As-

216 HISTOR T OF EASTLAND CO UNTT.
sessor and Collector; W. D. Clinton, J. J. Ray, J. E.
Sprawls. Ranger. — C. D. Judd, J. E. Peters, Co-Principals;
Miss Ira Maxwell, Miss Jessie Cooper. Trustees : F. W.
Melvin, President; B. P. Davenport, Secretary; W. R.
Hodges, Treasurer; R. L. Page, J. B. Barrison, B. W.
Hilliard, J. M. Rice.
Rising Star. — E. B. Jones, Geo. F. Barnes, Prin
cipals; Mss Osie Hickman, Miss Minnie Brewer, Miss
Erie Rich; J. E. Wells, Music; Miss Harmon Barber,
Elocution. Trustees: H. E. Anderson, President; A.
,r. Rhone, Secretary; W. S. Michael, Treasurer; F. B.
Weaver, Collector; W. C. White, J. A. Terrel, R. Garner.
Eastland. — W. A. Bynum, Superintendent; Miss
J osie Garner, Mrs. Julia Mayes, Miss Minnie Mbod.
Trustees: C. U. Connellee, President; E. Roper, Sec
retary; M. Hill, Treasurer; J. R. Frost, J. J. Morgan,
S. J. Day, J. T. Morton.
OFFICIAL DIRECTORY.
County Judges.
J. H. Calhoun, April, 1876; resigned October, 1877.
A. Lawrence, 1877-78.
J. T. Bammons, 1878-1882,
R. M. Black, 1882-86.
J. T. Hammions,' 1886-88,
D. K. Scott, 1888-1893.
W. G. Davenport, 1893-94.'
G. W. Dakan, 1894-96.
B. F. Chastain, 1896-98.
G. W. Dakan, 1898-1900.
J. R. Stubblefield, 1900-1903.

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. ill
Present County Officers.
S. A. Bryant, Judge.
Ed T. Cox, Clerk.
G. W. Redford, Sheriff.
George Davenport, County Attorney.
D. E, Jones, Tax Collector.
W. C. Moore, Tax Assessor.
.Walter Clegg, Treasurer.
J. B. Calhoun, District Judge.
Mr. Cunningham, District Attorney.
R. L. Davenport, District Clerk.
Bomer P. Brelsford, Representative.
Mr. Sebastian, Breckenridge, Senator.
Judge W. R. Smith, Colorado, Congressional Repre
sentative.
GEOLOGY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
By prof. W. F. Cummins
The geology of Eastland County is very simple, as
the strata belong to only two of the great geological
series, the carboniferous and cretaceous. The cretaceous
is found only along tbe southern border of the County.
This formation forms no very great nor conspicuous
area in the County, and consists principally of "sand
roughs." The areas were once covered by beds of lime
stone, which has long since been eroded and the sands
are the remnants of a once continuous bed that covered
the whole country to the foot of the mountains west of
the Pecos Eiver. The beds belong to tbe Trinity sand
formation, and forms a part of the eatchment area that

218 HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY.
supplies with water the great artesian water belt lying
to the southeastward. This area was originally cov
ered with a dense growth of dwarf oaks. The surface
is generally level, very few of the hills being promi
nent. The term rolling is very applicable to this phase
of topography. A friable sand of variable thickness
deposited upon a hard floor of Paleozoic rocks, and
subjected to the action of the prevailing atmospheric
agencies, has given this character of topography.
The remainder of the County belongs to the carbon
iferous period. In describing the carboniferous in
Texas I divided the strata into these divisions :
5. Cisco. 4. Canyon. 3. Strawn. 2. Millsap.
1. Bend.
The Cisco division is the highest and most recent
of the divisions. One traveling westward along the
Texas and Pacific Eailroad goes off the cretaceous on to
the Millsap division of tbe carboniferous about two
miles east of Millsap. Be would go off to the carbon
iferous about half way between Baird and Putnam. The
Bend Division does not occur at the surface anvwhere
in this part of the State, but has been found in deep
wells at Thurber and Fort Worth.
. The f oUo-wing sketch will show the relative posi
tion of the divisions as they occur in this part of the
State: It is unnecessary to give a description of any of the
divisions except that of the CanyOn and Cisco. The
Canyon division occurs in the eastren part of the Coun-
ty> and was so named from the prdiriinence with which
some of the strata are seen at Canyon, in the western

HISTORY OF EASTLAND COUNTY. 3I9
part of Palo Pinto County, along the line of the Texas
and Pacific Railway. This division is composed very
largely of massive limestone, and may be easily recog
nized by this fact, the limestone in the other divisions
being much thinner bedded.
The beds of the Cisco division are well exposed in
the vicinity of Cisco, and the division was so named for
this reason. The strata are mostly composed of con
glomerates, sandstones, clays and shales. This division
extends from northeast to southwest through the en
tire county. Tt is distinguished by its stratigraphic
position below, it being found always in the heavv beds
pf the Canyon division.
The strata of the cretaceous dip to the .southeast,
while the strata of the carboniferous dip to the north
west, in an exactly opposite direction. Tbe dip of the
carboniferous is at the rate of about sixty feet to the
mile. This fact will preclude the notion that flowing
artesian water can be found at Cisco or vicinity, the
recurving area being lower than any point to the west
ward, and water will not rise higher than its source.
There are nine coal seams in the carboniferous
formation in Texas. Wlien I made ray report on the
coal fields of Texas, the first section of the coal measures
ever published in Texas, I numbered these beds from
one to nine inclusive. Only two of these seams are
thick enough to be of any commercial value. These
are numbers two and seven. Number two is found at
Thurber, Rock Creek and Bridgeport. Number seven
is found in Eastland, Young, Jack and Montague Coun
ties. Some attempts have been made to develop the
coal in the vicinity of Cisco, in Eastland County, but

220 HISTOR T OF EASTLAND CO UNTT.
avithout any very great success. The outcrops of this
seam in the northern portion of this County are nu
merous. The seam is twenty inches thick, with a band
of slate above it, followed by a seam of coal four inches
thick. The band of slate is from four to ten inches
thick between the coal seams. At another place where
I examined this seam are nine inches of coal and twenty
inches of bituminous shale. This shale will burn when
put on the fire, but loses none qf its bulk in burning,
and is absolutely worthless as a fuel. The difficulty
in working this seam of coal in this vicinity is the fact
of the thinness of the seam, and the further fact that
if both seams are mined the stratum of bituminous shale
will have to be taken out of the mine, for it is so
highly impregnated with sulphuret of iron that when
the material is exposed to the atmosphere and it slacks,
the sulphuric acid escaping -will set the whole mass on
fire. There are no other minerals in this County of any
economical value. Gold and silver have been reported
at several places, but the amount has always been so
small that it would not pay to develop. Iron occui's
at many places in several formfe, but it is always of
too small a percentage of metallic iron to be of any
commercial value.

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