MRS. M. A. BINNION.
Came to Texas in 1838.
Among the many interesting characters of Southwest Texas was Mrs. M. A. Binnion. While the writer was traveling, hunting up the old settlers, and gathering information from them, he found Mrs. Binnion at the ranch of her son-in-law, Mr. A. J. Davenport, in Little Blanco Canyon. She was then very old and feeble, and on account of failing memory was not able to tell much of the many stirring events through which she has passed —of Indian alarms, massacres, and sleepless nights on the border long before the prairies were dotted with ranches, and when the beautiful canyons were only inhabited by bears, panthers, Mexican lions, and other vicious animals.
Mrs. Binnion was born in Alabama, near Tuscaloosa, in 1818. She was the daughter of Benjamin Phillips, and came to Texas with her husband in 1838, first settling in Titus County. She lived in Burnet County quite a number of years when that was a frontier, and Mr. Binnion was engaged in stock raising. He and the family came to Uvalde County in 1865. Their son Samuel was sent back to the old home in Burnet County to gather and bring the cattle to Uvalde County. That was the last the mother and father saw of the son. He was killed by the Indians while engaged in gathering the cattle. The unfortunate young man was riding a mule at the time, and had no chance to make his escape. The Indians ran all around him and threw their ropes over his head and pulled him from his saddle to the ground, and then ran and dragged him across the prairie. While some were engaged in this others were following and throwing lances into his body. When life was extinct and they were satiated with their savage pastime, the ropes were taken off and the mangled body left.
In 1866, when the Indians made a raid in Sabinal Canyon and killed Mrs. Bowlin and badly wounded Mrs. Kinchaloe in many places, Mrs. Binnion, who was a good doctor and really the only one in the settlement, was sent for. She at once mounted a horse
and made a most remarkably quick ride to the scene, and remained fifteen days by the bedside of the wounded woman, attending on her, and she recovered.
In 1870 the Indians made a raid on the settlements and appeared at the Binnion ranch. Mr. Binnion was in bed sick, and could scarcely walk when up. The Indians remained off a distance and watched the house a while, and then one of their number came towards it. Mrs. Binnion now dressed herself in male attire, and getting a rifle sallied from the house to fight the Indian who was approaching. The Comanche acted cowardly and retreated back to his companions. The Indians then rode off down the river toward the other settlement. Mrs. Binnion and her husband now became uneasy about their children, who had gone down to a neighbor's below, and taking their guns followed after on foot. Mr. Binnion being very weak, his wife carried both guns, and still having on a man's clothing. They soon discovered three Mexicans coming around a thicket, and at first glance supposing them to be Indians, sprang to one side and leveled their guns at them. Mrs. Binnion in the excitement of the moment failed to cock her gun, which likely saved the life of a Mexican, for she aimed at one and pulled the trigger trying to shoot. The Mexicans knew Mr. Binnion and called loudly to him not to shoot. They had not seen the Indians, but stayed with Mr. Binnion and his wife to help them fight. One of their sons made a narrow escape. He met the Indians, who chased him, but being on a good horse made his escape. They also ran a Mexican into the thicket, but failed to get him. At another time Mrs. Binnion and another lady kept off a band of Indians by arming themselves with long stalks of the soto plant and aiming them as if about to reboot when the Indians advanced. Thev dreaded the long rifles of the Texas pioneers and would retreat, not being near enough to detect the deception. In this way the two women who were alone and away from the ranch made their way safely back to it. This sketch is only a faint outline of what this brave heroine of the West passed through, but alas never to be told by her.
Source: Early Settlers and Indian Fighters of Southwest Texas, by Andrew Jackson Sowell, author of “Texas Rangers” ”Big Foot Wallace,”etc.(facts gathered from survivors of frontier days), published by Ben C. Jones & Co., Austin, Texas, 1900; Pg. 337
