The Junior Historian, Volume 23, Number 6, May 1963 Page: 1
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* THE JUNIOR HISTORIAN
*
VOL. XXIII, No. 6 AUSTIN, TEXAS MAY, 1963
INDIAN RAIDS OF BANDERA COUNTY
AND THE SABINAL CANYON
by ERIC BOULTINGHOUSE
Utopia SchoolPIONEERS of any frontier had their
trials as well as their glories. One
should not forget the hardships the
early settlers of the Bandera area endured
in making this a safe and pleasant place
to live. The constant threat from Indians
in the early years was one of the major
concerns. Some of the incidents that are
a vital part of the history of Bandera
County and the Sabinal Canyon are retold
in J. Marvin Hunter's Pioneer History of
Bandera County.
In 1843, Colonel Jack Hays and his
Texas Rangers defeated a large party of
Comanches at Bandera Pass. During the
fighting the Comanche chief was killed,
and his grave can still be seen at the north
end of the pass. Colonel Hays' Ranger
force numbered about forty men. This was
a desperate hand-to-hand battle, since the
Indians outnumbered the Rangers five to
one. Of the forty Rangers, five were killed,
and six were wounded. A great number
of Indians were killed. The Indians with-
drew to the north end of the pass, and the
Rangers moved to the south end of the
pass where they buried their dead near a
water hole. The location of these graves
is not known.
John Thomas McMurray served his
first term as tax assessor of Bandera
County in 1861. He was killed by Indians
in a draw to the Seco Creek while on an
assessing trip.
McMurray went into the store of
George Hay and told him that he was
going over on the Hondo and Seco to
assess taxes. Hay warned McMurray that
if he were going alone he should be on
the watch for Indians or go along withthe mail carrier. McMurray, who was a
former Ranger, said that he was not afraid
and left for the trip alone. He spent that
night at a ranch on the Seco. About three
o'clock the next afternoon he met two
01
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men who were in camp eating a late din-
ner. They asked McMurray to stay and
have a bite with them, but he said that he
was in a hurry and did not have time to
stop. When he was about a mile from
where the men were camped, he was at-
tacked by Indians. He turned and ran,
hoping to get back to the camp. He had
gone only a short distance when he died
with arrows in his back. The campers
heard the yells of the Indians and saw
them, so they made their way home as
fast as they could. This was during a se-
vere winter, so the news of McMurray's
death did not reach Bandera for several
days.
A few days later some men from Ban-
dera left in search of McMurray. They
went to the ranch where McMurray stayed
the night before he was killed. The men
spent the night there, and the next morn-
ing continued their search when they
found McMurray dead, lying face down.
McMurray's pistol and assessment book
had been taken, but he had not been
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Texas State Historical Association. The Junior Historian, Volume 23, Number 6, May 1963, periodical, May 1963; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391556/m1/3/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.