Friday

                       Musings and History

Quote of the day:

Even after being warned that there was an encampment of over 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne ahead camped on the Little Big Horn river he said “You men attack from the east and I will swing around and attack from the north, we will surprise them.”

                                     Lt. Col. George A. Custer

                    This Date in History May 19

1836 In 1832 the family of Cynthia Anne Parker and family moved from Illinois to west Texas to a place that later on became known as Parkers’s Fort which was located about 40 miles east of present day Waco, Texas. The Parker’s build a substantial stockade that, “could withstand a large attack under the most vigorous circumstance.” The Parkers became lax in their security and frequently left the huge gates open. On this date a combined force of Comanche, Caddo and Kiowa descended on Parker’s Fort and killed almost everybody except Cynthia Ann, her brother and sister who were juveniles and took them into captivity. After the Indians and their captives reached safe territory, they were divided among the attacking tribes. Cynthia Anne went to the Comanche. About four years later (Cynthia would have been about 13) a fur trapper saw her and attempted to buy Cynthia from the Comanche. The Comanche chief allowed the trapper to speak to Cynthia and he reported that all she did was not respond and stared at the ground the whole time. Four years later she was again spotted and she ran away and hid to keep from being questioned but this time she said that she was happy as a Comanche and to leave her alone. She was about 17 years old at the time. During the interview she admitted that she was the wife of the sub-chief Peta Nacona. By all accounts Cynthia was very happy as the wife of Peta and bore him three children. Normally Comanche warriors had more than one wife but Peta was apparently happy with Cynthia and remained monogamous. Unfortunately Peta was also a warrior against the Anglos invading his tribal lands and made several raids on white settlers. As you might suspect, the US cavalry put Peta on their most wanted list and the eventually they killed Peta and captured Cynthia and her infant child Prairie Flower. By now Cynthia Anne was 34 years old. She was returned to an Anglo society very reluctantly and never adapted. She was taken to her uncle’s farm near Birdville, Texas but tried to run away several times. However, with her husband dead and her adopted people fighting a losing battle against the whites, she resigned herself to a miserable remainder of her life. Her only connection with her people was Prairie Flower and she died of pneumonia in1863. After this Cynthia gave up the will to live and starved herself into weakness and died of influenza in 1870. She was 40 years old. This is a sad tale about a person that was not allowed to live the life that she wanted and was forced to live the life as directed by others. It bothers the hell out of me.

1715 On this date the good people of the colony of New York are the first to implement specie protection. The law they passed forbade the “taking, reaping or the harvesting or bringing to market oysters between the months of May and August.” There were several other states that governed the taking of deer and other game like raccoon not to protect the species but to protect the supply of game for the hunters. It appears that New York was the first to realize that our natural resources are not unending, especially something as tenuous and perishable as oysters. We should all be as aware.

1588 King Phillip II of Spain decided that he was fed up with Queen Elizabeth I of England backing and financing the Netherlands against Spain and constructed an enormous fleet of 130 ships including 30,000 troops and on this date the so-called “Invincible Armada” departed the Netherlands headed for England and an invasion. They would have gotten started sooner but English sea-dog Sir Francis Drake had found the fleet almost finished construction and sent in “fire ships” into the Spanish fleet eliminating the threat for several months. In the mean time, Drake sailed back to England and warned the Queen of the threat. By the time the Spanish Armada was prepared to cross from the Netherlands to England, the English fleet was ready. The Spanish Armada arrived in the English Channel and then the English fleet sailed out of Plymouth (been there) and met the Armada in mid-channel. About the time the two fleets met, an enormous storm struck the channel and all hell broke loose. The English navy captains were very familiar with rough weather and their ships were well built to handle it. The Spanish ships were built for speed and floundered badly in the rough seas. The Spanish fleet was scattered and King Phillip’s dreams of invading England went to the bottom along with his fleet and 30,000 troops.

1897 Two years before the Marquis of Queensbury in England accused the brilliant author Oscar Wilde of homosexuality with his son. It was true that Oscar and the Marquis’ son had been doing their thing for over ten years but when the Marquis brought it out into daylight, Oscar had to sue for defamation because being gay in England at that time was a crime. Oscar was beaten in court which, in the court’s mind, he was guilty of homosexuality and he was sentenced to two years hard labor. On this date Oscar was released. He was still as brilliant and energetic as before. Oscar delivered to us one of the most inventive novels of all time in The Portrait of Dorian Grey. It was essentially a novel about a very evil man that all of his evil acts and aging went to his portrait rather than to him. It was pretty spooky.

Born today:

1861 Austrian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba. She said “A musical composition is not written in red, white and blue. It is written in the blood of the composer.”

1879 US multi-millionaire Lady Nancy Astor. She said “The reason I do not drink is because I want to remember when I have a good time.” Me too, but I drink a little also.

1930 US writer Lorraine Hansberry. She said “The thing that makes you exceptional, if you are at all, is the one that also makes you lonely.” Pretty deep thought, y'all.

1953 English comic Victoria Woods. She said “I advertised for a vacation companion, capable widow, no sense of humor, some knowledge of hemorrhoids preferred. I got no responses.” What an amazing vision comes to mind.

               Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow