John Henson and Mr. Lewis

Experience of John Henson and Mr. Lewis

One morning during 1864, Jno. Henson and Mr. Lewis, who lived on Savannah Creek, about twelve miles north of Comanche, in Comanche County, started out afoot and unarmed to the Rush Creek Settlement, about three miles south. When they had gone about one mile, and were crossing the divide between the two creeks, the two were assaulted by twelve or fifteen Indians, who were riding burros. Jno. Henson's eye was shot out with an arrow, and a similar weapon was wedged into the neck of Mr. Lewis, who said, "We are not trying to hurt you, so you go on and let us alone." They did, and it has always been a mystery as to whether or not these men were really Indians or unworthy renegades of our own race. One of the strange features of this raid, was that the supposed-to-be red men were riding burros. An Indian almost invariably rode the best of horses.

Note: Author interviewed: Joel Nabors, and others who lived in Comanche and adjoining counties at the time.

The above story is from the book, The West Texas Frontier, by Joseph Carroll McConnell.