"Swapped His Beard for Indian Scapl"s - Frontier Times, January, 1924

Swapped His Beard for Indian Scalps

Frontier Times – Volume 1, No. 4, Page 37

January, 1924

Milam County came in for a share of the Indian depredations during the days preceding

the Civil War, and many settlers lost their lives at the hands of savages who

frequently raided that portion of the frontier. Deeds of daring and heroism are

numerous in the records handed down to this generation and there be many yet living

there who helped to rid that fair region of the red man’s presence and make it a land

of safe abode and contentment.

F. S. Roundtree, who was a resident of Abilene, Texas a few years ago, was reared in

Milam county, and served as a Texas Ranger with considerable distinction. His father

was a noted frontiersman, and well known to all of the early settlers of Milam county.

Old Man Bryan, for whom Bryan Station was named, was another pioneer who proved himself

a terror to the treacherous redskins, who had learned that his trusty rifle never

missed fire and his aim was so true that at its report another Indian departed for the

happy hunting grounds. Mr. Bryan wore a long, flowing beard which reached down to his

waist. The Indians knew him by the beard he wore, and held him in great superstition.

On one occasion six men started in pursuit of a band of raiding Indians and went by to

get Mr. Bryan, but for some reason or other he could not go with them, and as they left

his place he told them if they would bring bank an Indian scalp they might cut off his

beard.

The party overtook the Indians, surprising them while there were eating their dinner.

A hard shower of rain had fallen about an hour previously, and the strings of the

Indians’ bows had become wet and so slack that they were utterly useless in the

engagement that shortly took place. The rain had wet the priming of the white men’s

guns, so they were rendered ineffective also, but the men clubbed their guns and right

there began an onslaught that resulted in the killing of the entire body of Indians,

numbering six. The fight was fierce but lasted only about thirty minutes, during which

time the air was filled with hair, hide, warwhoops and profanity. Hand-to-hand they

fought and tore up the ground over the space of an acre. Bil Hixon clubbed an Indian

early in the melee and went on helping the other boys slay the others, in which work he

chanced to break the stock off his gun. While lamenting the damage done to his gun, he

happened to glace toward the Indian he had first knocked down and discovered that the

redskin had “come to” and was crawling away toward a small thicket. Throwing down his

broken gun, he took a running jump and landed astride the crawling Indian’s back,

holding him down while the other boys finished his career. The Redskins were then

scalped, and whey the party returned mr. Bryan’s they claimed their reward, and cut off

his beard with a pair of sheep shears and then shaved him clean. When they had

completed the task Mr. Bryan said he had no objections his flowing whiskers for lousy

Indian scalps, to his neighbors, but he would not make the exchange with the Indians,

lest the redmen should demand his forelock too. Bill Hixon got the whiskers and

persuaded Mr. Bryan to give him back the scalp of the bronco Indian he rode to the

happy hunting grounds in that early day.

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Frontier Times