CHAPTER XXXI.

The Carpenters, and How Bill's Wits Saved Him-Participants in the Dove Creek Fight-McCormick's False Alarm, Lynching, Desertion.

John C. Carpenter and his sons were for many years prominent citizens of Thorp Spring, and as prior to their settlement here in 1871 they had long been identified as frontiersmen of our neighboring counties of Palo Pinto and Parker, and have been quiet and worthy citizens, pursuing the even tenor of lives of integrity, let their names here appear as contributing to fill the measure of our narrative. John C. Carpenter died at his Thorp Spring home about 1876; two of his sons, Az and Florence, have since died, leaving only James, a citizen of Montague county, and Wm., who now lives at Thorp Spring. During their residence in Palo Pinto, about 1856 to 1860, they were engaged in farming and stock raising on the Brazos, but as the Indians became dangerous to the isolated settlers, they had to move their residence to the more populous and stronger community of Golconda.

While living here, shortly after the beginning of hostilities by the Caddos, Wm. Carpenter was acting deputy sheriff, and while one day riding along a lonesome road upon a slow jade, he discovered a party of Indians approaching him from the rear. Realizing the impossibility of escaping by flight, he determined to depend upon his wits to save him, so he rode leisurely along, with apparent unconcern of them. Soon they overtook him, and with drawn bows and scowling countenances demanded, "You good man"? "Yes, good man," said Bill; but they, still threatening, repeated the inquiry, and he continued to assure them he was a "good man", adding, "You know me-I Palo Pinto man-good man-friend to Indian-mean white man kill good Indian-I go with good Indian to kill mean white man-you know me-I Palo Pinto man-I no like mean white man live at Stephenville-you know me-you know my horse," pointing to the horse he was riding; and then it suddenly occurred to Bill that a piece of tobacco in his pocket might produce a soothing effort upon savage nature and he drew it out and tendered it to the spokesman, inviting him to bite it, which, after some words with his fellow warriors, he finally did, and handed it back to Carpenter, telling him to bite it, but Carpenter motioned to all the other Indians for each of them first to take a bite, which they all did, then he took a bite and gave the remnant back to the chief, telling him to keep it; thereupon the Indian told him to "vamouse", indicating the direction and saying, "we vamose", which they did in the opposite direction. Delighted with his successful escape, Carpenter lost no time in vamoosing as indicated. But he had no wish to have occasion again to put his wits to the test, and soon moved with his family into Parker in the safe vicinity of Weatherford, and afterward served in the Confederate army.

Toward the close of the war, Maj. Carmichael's battallion [sic] having disorganized, and the necessity for frontier protection still existing, several companies at different points along the frontier served for protection. With one of these, under the command of W.H. Cathey, many of the men of our territory were enlisted. Except on occasions of urgent need, they served alternately as scouts every ten days. Early in January, 1865, a very large party of armed Indians were reported by the scouts to be on the frontier, and soon as possible the several militia companies under command of the senior Captain Totten were assembled, and uniting with the ranger forces, were on the march, overtaking the Indians in heavy force on Dove creek, a sanguinary battle here occurred, the particulars of which are to be found as related by Col. R.B. Barry in Wilbarger's Indian Depredations, page 453.

Besides John Bull and Wm. Porter, heretofore mentioned, a number of others of our locality were participants in this battle, among them are here collected the names of Amon and James Peters, Maj. Carmichael, Wm. Gafford and Abe Nutt from the Brazos settlements, Daniel Smith of Pony creek and Mr. Stewart of Fall creek; also James Thorp, who belonged to Capt. Whitesides' company of rangers. Stewart was killed in this battle, and his widow and children have remained at their home on Fall creek, where the boys, James, Clay, Richard, Robert and "Bud" have grown into manhood and are enterprising men of Cresson and vicinity. Amon Peters was wounded in the fore-arm, and yet carries the ball in his flesh. James Thorp had rather a hard experience in making his escape, as his horse was shot and he was unable for a while to keep up with the retreating party.

During the war many families, mostly women and children, resorted at Thorp Spring, so that at times it was not uncommon to see the spring branch lined with fifty or a hundred tents. At one time while these women and children were here in large numbers, a man named McCormick, who was for some reason nicknamed "Stonewall Jackson," and who was attached to Carmichael's battallion [sic], accompanied by another, came in from a scout out west and created consternation by galloping through the camps and yelling that the Indians were coming in large numbers, burning and killing as they came, all of which was without more foundation than the mere assault made by a small party of Indians on a man and woman away to the west. On another occasion this same McCormick, who seems to have been an officious and bad character, assisted by others, arrested one of Carmichael's men and taking him to the east of the Brazos hung him near Alex McCreary's house, upon some accusation, probably desertion. But it was not long after till he deserted himself, and after practicing a most artful deception upon the brother of Peter Garland, living on Red river, made his escape through the Indian territory to the north.

After many of the men from this vicinity had enlisted in the army and gone east, about 1862, the Indians were so bold that on one of their raids a party of only six or seven came in, stole a lot of horses, killed a beef, went into camp near the head of Stroud creek and remained long enough to "jerk" their meat. John Clark, ever active and alert, discovered them and hastened to T.P. Helm's and others on the creek and gave warning, and the neighbors assembled at Wylie Clark's for defense, but before a pursuing party could be organized the Indians were far away. This no doubt occurred prior to the time when the soldiers for frontier defense had been stationed at Thorp Spring.

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