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The Wounding of Mrs. W.T. Williams

Michael has a BA in History & American Studies and an MSc in American History from the University of Edinburgh. He comes from a proud military family and has spent most of his career as an educator in the Middle East and Asia. His passion is travel, and he seizes any opportunity to share his experiences in the most immersive way possible, whether at sea or on the land.

Montague County, Texas
The Wounding of Mrs. W.T. Williams

Mrs. W.T. Williams, who sat up during the preceding night with Mrs. Austin Morris, sick with pneumonia, about daylight, started to her own residence about one half mile away. Mrs. Williams had only gone about four hundred yards, when Austin Morris heard her scream. Without waiting to ascertain the trouble, he grabbed his guns and started in his stocking feet in her direction. Mrs. Williams was being chased by the savages toward the Morris home; and was being almost weighted down with arrows. Austin Morris, however, met her on the half way ground, and drove the savages away. One arrow penetrated Mrs. Williams' back and it went in so deeply, Austin Morris extracted the weapon from Mrs. Williams' chest. Two more arrows were sticking in her shoulder and one or two more had wounded her in the arm. Mrs. Williams was then moved to the Morris home.

Dr. Thomas Bailey, who lived about twenty miles away, on Clear Creek, in Cooke County, was expected that morning to be at the bedside of Mrs. Morris. Fortunately, he arrived within a few minutes after Mrs. Williams reached the house. The doctor dressed her wound, and in due time both she and Mrs. Morris recovered. Fifteen soldiers and two citizens from Capt. Totty's company took the trail of the Indians, and followed them during the remainder of the day. When night came the soldiers camped. The citizens returned home.

The next morning the rangers were reinforced by a detachment of seven men from Capt. Main's Company, stationed at Red River Station. It was soon discovered that the twenty-five Indians and fifteen whites camped within one and one-half miles of each other during the preceding night. In a short time the soldiers encountered the savages, and a short fight followed.

Note: Author interviewed W.A. (Bud) Morris, a nephew of Austin Morris; Joe Bryant, and others who were in Montague and adjoining counties at the time.

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

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