The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 34, July 1930 - April, 1931 Page: 57
359 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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History of Fannin County, 1836-1843
no especial precaution was taken to forestall an attack as the
Dugans always relied on their dogs to prevent a surprise. The
settlers soon retired; George and William Dugan to their accus-
tomed place over the stable; Hoover, Gordon, Green, Henry Dugan
and William Allred-the last two mere boys-to the east room;
Mrs. Dugan to the kitchen where Mr. Dugan dozed before the open
fire. Catherine and Emily were likewise in the kitchen. Abso-
lute quiet prevailed. The dogs, busy with their bones, had for
the once left off their customary barking.
The first intimation of the attack came when the Indians pulled
the peg from the door to the east room and kicked the shutter
open. After a moment's ominous silence, three shots broke the
stillness. Then all became confusion: the Indians began yelling
and blowing their whistles; the dogs came rushing around the
house to add to the uproar, while Daniel Dugan, Sr., true to his
instinct as a trained Indian fighter, seized his flint lock and fired
into the night in the general direction of the savages. The
Indians left as suddenly as they had come, leaving the whites to
reckon their casualties.
Two shots had been fired into the east room, the first striking
Green and killing him instantly. Hoover sprang from the bed
but sank to the floor with a flesh wound in his side. Gordon
hurdled the bed to a position behind the door and closed it with
the strength of sheer desperation fairly knocking the Indians out
of the room. He then secured the shutter with chains and tables,
extinguished the fire, and went to Hoover's assistance. Henry
Dugan, awakened by the commotion, attempted to arouse his dead
bed-fellow, telling him that the Indians were upon them. The
brothers at the barn started to the aid of their kinsmen and com-
rades at the house, but hearing the reassuring crack of their
father's rifle, they decided to await developments.
The watchers at the stable did not have long to wait. Soon they
saw an Indian dart from behind a tree and leap rapidly up and
down in an effort to provoke an unwary shot. As the brothers
withheld their fire, in a moment he approached the barn and
attempted to pick the padlock that fastened the stable door, all
the while venting his anger at the ingenious contrivance of the
white man in the choicest English curse words. His efforts at-
tracted the attention of two of his companions who incautiously
stepped out into the open. Taking careful aim, the sentinels shot
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 34, July 1930 - April, 1931, periodical, 1931; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101091/m1/61/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.