During 1871, while Harve Putman and Wm. S. Kidd were hunting horses near Mr. Kidd's home and near the House Mountain in Llano County about four miles east of Loyal Valley, the savages charged Mr. Kidd, who fled for a cluster of timber. When the brush was reached, it was already occupied by an Indian. But Mr. Kidd drew his six-shooter and the Indian retreated, for he evidently decided the thicket was not sufficiently large for the two. Mr. Kidd was then surrounded and the savages had him in very close quarters when Harve Putman, who heard the firing, hurried to his relief. Putman wounded a savage from the rear before the Indians knew he was around. His firing completely demoralized the Indians, who made a hurried retreat with their wounded. Mrs. Kidd could hear her husband calling and accompanied by Mrs. Dennison, a near neighbor, started to the relief of Mr. Kidd. Before they had gone a great distance, however, Mrs. Dennison suggested they had better return to their children, and did. Early that morning, some of the same Indians, who were, perhaps, scattered to comb the country of horses, dashed after Christian Keyser, who was about one-fourth mile east of his home. Mr. Keyser, at the time, was at the Nick Miller Spring, about four miles north of Loyal Valley. He made a hurried retreat to his residence which was reached safely. Note: Author personally interviewed Mrs. Wm. S. Kidd, mentioned above; W.H. Roberts; and Frank and Otto Keyser, grandsons of Christian Keyser. The above story is from the book, The West Texas Frontier, by Joseph Carroll McConnell. |
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