In 1858, Mr. Nichols lived about five miles west of Kerrville, on the
beautiful Guadalupe River. While he was out turkey hunting with Jim
Hampton and a friend named Hurt, Mr. Nichols told his companions he
was going into the river bottom to a turkey roost, which was about one-half
mile east of the present town of Ingram. His two associates soon heard
shots, and only thought he was killing turkeys. Shortly, however, they
heard Mr. Nichols holler, "Oh, boys, oh boys." And when the
boys reached him, Mr. Nichols had already been killed. Previously, Mr.
Nichols had carried his pistol along, but on this particular occasion,
he told his family he never had occasion to use it, only on rattlesnakes,
so the very time he needed it most, his pistol was at home.
Ref.: The author conferred with Lafayette Nichols, a son of Rolland
Nichols, and others who were living in Kerr County at the time this
tragedy occurred.
The above story is from the book, The West Texas Frontier, by
Joseph Carroll McConnell. |