To tell this story it is good to understand what life looked like in central Texas when the event took place in 1833.
Several nomadic tribes of Native Americans passed through Central at that time. They roamed from the central plains in Montana, south into Texas. Though the Comanche were the fiercest, many other native tribes created and broke alliances so exactly who attacked the Josiah party would be speculation.
There was no one the Indians hated more than the surveyors who arrived before the settlers to break the land into lots for homesteads. The surveyors were usually grizzled old men who came from the southern states and had survived alone in the wilderness by their wits.
But the group of 4 men joining Josiah were young men who were staying at the Hornsby homestead just to visit and see what Texas was like. They were sort of vacationing and traveling around staying at different homesteads that were usually many miles away and working in exchange for lodging. In the Spring of 1833 they were staying with Rueben Hornsby at his place today known as Hornsbey’s Bend, aptly named for where it is located on a bend of the Colorado 9 miles south of austin.
There was a war going on between the settlers and the native americans.
Neither traveled alone. The group of 5 was feeling confident as they left that morning to have a ride around the area and look at what was wilderness at that time but also, Comanche Territory.
Riding along the men spotted a lone Indian about 25 yards in the distance. Quickening their pace, they thought they had surprised the Comanche. As the Indian became aware of the rapidly approaching horses, he began to run. One of the riders galloped past the
Indian and turned to face him, cutting off his only route. Gathering around the frightened Indian, the men taunted him, poking at him with their rifles, daring him to fight back. When their fun was over, they let him run up the ridge and out of sight.
Written by Jeanine Plumer
https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Depredations-Texas-J-W-Wilbarger/dp/1519661665
