Murder of Mrs. Huff and Her Daughters

Huff Family Massacre Historical Marker

Marker Title: Huff Family Massacre
Address: Pine Street, E of Alvord
City: Alvord
Year Marker Erected: 1968
Marker Location: From Alvord, take Pine Street (Old Decatur Road) about 2 miles east.
Marker Text: An atrocity of 1874, in one of last Wise County Indian raids. While C.W. Huff and son worked in remote part of land recently settled by the family, Indians killed Mrs. Huff and daughters, Palestine and Molly. Neighbors buried the scalped and mutilated victims in a wagon bed, in the grave. It is said that lumber was later obtained for coffins and the victims were reburied. In 1879 land around plot was given for cemetery by C.W. Huff.

An account of these murders was ably outlined by T.R. Allen, who helped move Mrs. Huff and her daughters in the house. Mr. Allen said, "About eight miles northwest from Decatur just at sunrise on the morning of the 24th of August, 1874, the Indians came to the home of Mr. Huff and there being no men at home, they killed Mrs. Huff and her two daughters. The mother was killed under the floor where she tried to hide and one of the girls was killed in the yard, just in front of the door. The other girl was killed nineteen yards northwest of the house. The mother and the girl that was killed in front of the door were both scalped, but the other one was not. You will notice Bedford's History of the Indian Troubles and the Wise county History says that she was scalped but the writer was there and helped to carry her into the house, and she was not scalped. She was a beautiful brunette and had a pretty black hair as the writer ever saw and I remember that we concluded that her hair being so pretty and black was what saved her from being scalped. The mother and other daughter were blondes."

Ref.: History of Denton County, by Ed. F. Bates.

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