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Bushwhackers in Austin Area

Can you direct me to records or an individual who might be able to corroborate some of the family's experiences; e.g. the trial of John T Malone or the hanging of Henry Flaugher?

THE EXPERIENCES OF THE JOHN T MALONE FAMILY
as recorded by
Veva (Malone) Miller [1899- ], granddaughter of John T. Malone
and Charles Ganong, great-grandson of John T. Malone

John T. (Texas) Malone was born on February 4, 1828. He, as well as all his 13 (or 14) brothers and sisters, was born in Ohio. When John was 16 years old, he left his family without their knowledge of his plans and rode with a stranger to Missouri. It was the fact that he had poor health that prompted him to run off. His family heard nothing of his whereabouts for years. However, he lived in Missouri for several years, working first in a nursery, and later in a tannery.

When Malone was 18 years old he married Hulda Robinson [1826-1854], who was two years his senior. Two children were born of this union while the family remained in Missouri: Minerva Ann on February 8, 1848 and John Harrison on February 3, 1849. While John was still an infant, Mr. Malone went to California to seek his fortune in the gold mines. He was gone about two years, during which time his daughter, Minerva Ann, died.

Soon after Malone’s return, he moved his family to Texas, where he remained until trouble leading to the Civil War broke out. Two more children were born to John and Hulda during their stay in Texas: Hugh Albert on December 15, 1853 and Madora Arabelle on September 17, 1854. Shortly after Madora’s birth the mother died of typhoid fever. Malone was forced to place the children in various homes; and, since no one family would accept more than one child, the family was scattered.

In time Malone married Allie Flaugher [abt 1838 - February 28, 1873], a young girl of 18, who moved to Texas from Ohio. They lived at first in Georgetown, Texas, and later moved to a farm forty miles from Austin, on the Colorado River. This farm was only a short distance from the homes of Mrs. Malone’s parents and two brothers and sisters.

Malone learned the stone mason trade, becoming a master workman. He built flues, furnaces, fireplaces, walls, Dutch ovens – everything that could be built of stones. He was often called to work one hundred miles and more from his home.

This section of Texas, however, yielded some unpleasant experiences and surprises for the Malone family. They had to contend with destructive weevils (which got into flour), chicken-swallowing snakes, wild hogs and cattle, and tiny but poisonous red spiders. One day Malone fought a duel with a wild boar, in which, miraculously, he was the victor. He was hunting in the woods, making his way along a narrow path overhung with bushes. The rustling of twigs aroused the boar, which lunged at the intruder. As the boar came toward Malone, he lashed its neck with his knife. (Malone always carried a double-bladed butcher knife in a scabbard. He kept the knife sharp as a razor. He also carried a revolver.)

In spite of its wounds, the animal again lunged at Malone, and again he stabbed it. The fight continued until the animal fell, mortally wounded. Malone’s legs were badly gashed, but he had won the fight.

The family also had at least one unpleasant encounter with wild cattle. The Malone children, accompanied by five or six neighboring children (ranging in age from five to ten years), went looking for wild nuts and flowers. In the process, they wandered farther from their home than they had realized or intended. Suddenly they heard the bellowing of cattle. They ran at once for a large tree in which they often played, scampering up to the highest limbs. The cattle bellowed and pawed the earth, fighting terrifically among themselves, and raising an awful dust. The children were held captive for hours.

The parents became alarmed when the children failed to return home, and went in search of them. When they heard the cattle, they feared for the children’s safety. But the men of the area went on horses and, with their dogs, drove the cattle away. Thus the terrified children were rescued.

In Texas, the family was unable to raise Irish potatoes, squash, cabbage or corn. People who had lived in the north missed especially the Irish potatoes. But there was an abundance of good things to eat from and around the Texas farm. For meat they had lovely fish, deer and wild turkey. There were several kinds of wild nuts: hazelnuts, hickory nuts and pecans. They could raise two crops of sweet potatoes yearly; and better watermelons could not be grown anywhere than were those raised in Texas. Wild honey was to be found with little effort, and there were many kinds of fruit: wild plumbs, prickly pears, persimmons, huckleberries, mesquite, mulberries and mayapples.

Living conditions in the southland were generally favorable. Personal associations were pleasant and agreeable. Everything went fairly well for the family until the slavery question began to heat up, widening the ideological differences between “southerners” and “northerners.” For example, every northern man was “spotted;” that is, his voting behavior was scrutinized, and if it showed that he opposed slavery, he was marked as a target by “Bushwhackers.” This was a name applied to men during the time of the Civil War “who pretended peace or neutrality, but who were ready to make secret attacks whenever opportunity offered.”

Malone, who was unquestionably a northerner, was basely accused of helping Negroes to escape from the south. One of his supposed best friends and neighbors made the allegation, which proved false in a subsequent trial. Malone realized, however, that his family’s safety required immediate departure from the area. So at once he packed up what few things he could put into a hack and left during the night with his family. He made no attempt to sell any of his property. He left a well-equipped place and many fine tools. He had been building a stone mill at the time, but did not dare try to settle his affairs, for someone undoubtedly would have become suspicious of his plans. This was in the fall of 1860.

Many others feared they would have to leave the south, but they first wanted to harvest their crops and sell their property. Others would not believe that anyone would harm them. But in Malone’s immediate neighborhood, 36 men were killed by Bushwhackers, as Mrs. Malone learned after several months. Twenty-five of these men were hanged over the mouth of a saltpeter cave; the ropes were cut and the bodies dropped into the cave. Mrs. Malone’s father [Henry Flaugher (1806-1863)] was one of the victims, as she learned through correspondence with a man in whose home she had lived while teaching school, before her marriage. The bodies were kept in perfect condition; and, through the influence of this man, the bodies were removed and given a decent burial.

The Malone’s left for Iowa, where some of their relatives lived. Malone, however, had not seen his people for 15 years. The journey was filled with hardships Since they had to leave nearly everything behind, the family suffered at times for food; and as they went farther north they did not have sufficient clothing and bedding to keep warm. Then, too, Mrs. Malone and her baby were both ill.

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