During March of 1870, Mr. and Mrs. Bright, daughter, Josephine, and baby, were returning home from Mason and only about two miles from home when assaulted by about fifteen Indians. The Bright family lived on Bluff Creek about ten miles west of Mason. Mr. Bright had a broncho pony hitched to the wagon, so he unhitched all the traces but one, which was stubborn about coming unfastened. The Indians were now almost upon them. Mrs. Bright told her husband to again hitch the other traces and they would run when an opportunity presented itself. One Indian came up and sat down by a tree for the purpose of taking a straight aim at Mr. Bright, but the latter was too quick for him and fired first. The Indian jumped and appeared to have been wounded. John Bright then shot and apparently wounded another Indian on a horse. The savages evidently decided they had all the fighting they preferred, so they rode on down the public road toward Mason. These same Indians were later seen by Charlie Bright, Tom and Ab Bugby, who stopped at John Bright's residence. They said, "We saw some Indians." Mrs. Bright replied, "Yes, we saw some too." Note: Author interviewed: Mrs. John Bright, herself, who later married Mr. J.F. Milligan. The above story is from the book, The West Texas Frontier, by Joseph Carroll McConnell. |
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