The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 105, July 2001 - April, 2002 Page: 87
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"They Contributed Very Much to the Success of Our Colony
served as vegetables. Frequently for many days no corn or flour at all was
to be had in town, not even for cash, and I have myself with my family
often lived on acorn-bread. It was a dreary and melancholy time for
Friedrichsburg. Fortunately, the harvest that year was very rich, the foun-
dations of Fort Martin Scott gave the colonists a chance to earn money
and it was really fortunate for the colony that the military posts were
placed here. Everything was going well; the troops treated the Indians
well, didn't do anything that harmed them, allowed them to go freely to
and fro, and prevented them only from excesses. We seldom heard of
horse thefts, far less of murders. The Comanches, Delawares, Lipans,
and Caddoes did not break the peace, but the Wacoes were never our
friends, and they are the only ones who are to be held accountable for
the murders and thefts which occurred. It was by no means a rare case
that Comanches and other Indians returned horses that had strayed.
I saw at that time no Indian agents, nor do I know whether there were
such. Suddenly, everything changed. From all sides Indian agents
appeared; it was rumored that "the Indians were to be settled and civi-
lized." Now the Indians became more and more scarce until at a large
Indian council on the San Saba they were bound not to come down to
Friedrichsburg.17 A treaty or pact was concluded and was never observed
by both sides, being first broken by soldiers and agents. Military posts,
i.e. forts, were founded high up in the wilderness where they are of no
use at all, cost enormous sums, and are scarcely capable of defending
themselves. The agents publish long reports, exhibiting all the good
things they have brought about, and now, after a series of years and a
large expenditure of lives and money, the beautiful soap bubble has
finally burst and it is clear to everyone that things are ten times worse
now than ever before, and a bloody war is perhaps to be expected.
Where in 1846 we dared to go hunting and fishing, in common with the
Indians or alone, without any risk, now we must expect to be mercilessly
shot down and scalped by the same Indians who were formerly our
friends. The present Indian policy has cost the government, i.e. the citi-
zens of the state and the United States, millions of dollars and for all this
enormous outlay we do not even have enough protection so that we can
securely live twelve miles from Friedrichsburg. How much good could
have been done if the money had not been so uselessly spent!
It is sheer nonsense to attempt civilizing the Indians at once and by
force. All who promote or have promoted such a policy, prove that they
'~ This was the treaty of December io, 1850, concluded between Indian Agent John Rolhns
and several Indian groups. It forbade Indians from travehng south of the line of military posts
without permission from an Indian agent or mihtary officer. See Rudolph L. Biesele, The Hzstory
of the German Settlements zn Texas, 183 1-1861 (Austin: Von Boeckmann-Jones, 1930), 188.2001
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 105, July 2001 - April, 2002, periodical, 2002; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101222/m1/95/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.