By J. Marvin Hunter

From J. Marvin Hunter's Frontier Times Magazine, August, 1941

The heroism and bravery of the women on the Texas frontier has never been equalled by any other women in any part of the world. There are numerous incidents of their courage and fortitude under the most trying circumstances, but, the story of Mrs. Hattie Luster, a young widow, is one of the most thrilling and tragic adventures of which we have any knowledge.

John S. Babb located on Dry Creek, in Wise county, Texas, in 1856, and lived there for some years. In 1865, just after the close of the war between the states, a band of Comanche Indians made a raid into that part of the country and murdered Mrs. Babb and her infant, and took two of her children, a little boy and girl, and Mrs. Hattie Luster, a young widow, captives. Mr. Babb was away from home at the time.

Babb's ranch was situated on the western frontier of Texas, near the banks of Dry Creek, a small tributary of the Colorado river. Its owner, the man who built the little cabin and who ran the ranch, had to take the trail one day for one of the nearest towns, and left his wife and children behind. The Indians had been quiet for some time, and but little fear was entertained by him in regard to his family during his absence. But he had not been gone a week when his wife saw, early one morning, a number of mounted Comanche warriors coming in the direction of her home. Her children were playing round the house, and before she could get them together the Indians had ridden up, captured two of them, and tied them firmly together with ropes. Others, running into the house, snatched the baby from its mother's arms and killed it instantly; two other members of the tribe killed the distracted woman. They then seized Mrs. Luster, a young widow who was living with the Babb family, and with her and the two children captives galloped off to the north.

In his "Border Reminiscences," General Marcy gives a most sensational and graphic description of the fate which befell Mrs. Luster, and of the various adventures which she passed through along the line and close to the old Santa Fe Trail. From his description we learn that, in accordance with their usual practice, the Indians traveled as rapidly as their horses could carry them for several days and nights in succession, only making occasional short halts to graze their animals and secure a little sleep. Day after day they advanced toward the Staked Plains crossing the Brazos, Wichita, Red, Canadian and Arkansas rivers, which were so high that the horses were forced to swim them. The captives were guarded very closely until they were so far from human habitation that escape was impossible. Then the restrictions were slightly relaxed, but the painted brutes notified the captive lady that if she tried to get away she would be immediately killed. Seeing that a fate worse than death was in store for her, Mrs. Luster carefully observed the relative speed and powers of endurance of the ponies, and one dark night while her captors were asleep, she escaped, mounted the best horse, and started in the direction of the north star, believing that this would lead her to the nearest settlement. Having absolutely no knowledge of the country, the risk she took was a terrible one, and in all the immense expanse of prairie before her there was not a footmark or trace of human life to help her. The inflexible spirit of this heroine, however, did not succumb in the least to the imminent perils of the situation, and she persevered in her course. Taking the sun for her guide in the day, and the stars by night, she pressed steadily northward, and urged her steed to renewed efforts and continued exertion. It was a contest for life and liberty that she had undertaken, a struggle in which she resolved to triumph or perish in the effort; and still the bravehearted woman pushed on, until at length her horse began to show signs of exhaustion, and as the shadows of evening began to appear he became so jaded that it was difficult to coax or force him into a trot, and the poor woman began to entertain serious apprehension that he might soon give out altogether and leave her afoot. At this time she was herself so much wearied and in want of sleep that she would have given all she possessed to have been allowed to dismount and rest; but unfortunately for her, those practical quadrupeds of the plains, the wolves, advised by their carnivorous instincts that she and her exhausted horse might soon fall an easy sacrifice to their voracious appetites, followed upon her track, and came howling in great numbers around her, so that she dared not set her feet on the ground; and her only alternative was to continue urging her poor beast forward during the dark and gloomy hours of the long night, until at length she became so exhausted that it was only with the utmost effort of her iron will that she was able to preserve her balance upon the horse.

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Meantime the ravenous pack of wolves, becoming more and more emboldened and impatient as the speed of her horse relaxed, approached nearer and nearer, until, with their eyes flashing fire, they snapped savagely at the head of the terrified horse, while at the same time they kept up their hideous concert like the howling of ten thousand fiends in the infernal regions.

Every element in her nature was at this fearful juncture taxed to its greatest tension, and impelled her to concentrate the force of all her remaining energies in urging and coaxing forward the wearied horse until finally he was 'barely able to reel and struggle along at a slow walk, and when she was about to give up in despair, expecting every moment that the animal would drop down under her, the welcome light of day dawned in the eastern horizon and imparted a more cheerful and encouraging influence over her, and on looking around, to her great joy, there were no wolves in sight. She now, for the first time in about thirty-six hours, dismounted, and knowing that sleep would soon overpower her, and that the horse if not secured might escape and wander away, and there being no tree or other object to which he could be fastened, she, with great presence of mind, tied one end of the long lariat to his neck and with the other end around her waist, dropped on the ground into a deep sleep, while the famished horse cropped the herbage around her. She was unconscious as to the duration of her slumber, but it must have been protracted to have compensated the demands of nature for the exhaustion induced by her prodigious ride. The sleep was sweet, and she dreamed of happiness and home, losing all consciousness of her actual situation, until she was startled and aroused by the pattering sounds of horses' feet beating the earth on every side. Springing to her feet, in the greatest possible alarm, she found herself surrounded by a large band of savages, who commenced dancing around, flaunting their war clubs in frightful proximity to her head, while giving utterances to the most diabolical shouts of exultation.

Her exceedingly weak and debilitated condition at this time, resulting from long abstinence from food and unprecedented mental and physical trials, had wrought upon her nervous system to such an extent that she imagined the moment of her death had arrived, and fainted. The Indians then approached, and after she had recovered placed her again upon a horse and rode away with her to their camp, which fortunately was not far distant. They then turned their prisoner over to the squaws, who gave her food and put her to bed, but it was several days before she was sufficiently able to walk about the camp. She learned that her last captors belonged to Lone Wolf's band of Kiowas.

Although these Indians treated her with more kindness than the Comanches had done, yet she did not for an instant entertain the thought that they would voluntarily release her from bondage; neither had she the remotest conception of her present locality, or of the direction or distance to any white settlement. But she had no idea of remaining a slave for life, and resolved to make her escape the first practicable moment that offered.

During the time that she remained with these Indians a party of men went away to the north and were absent six days, bringing with them on their return some ears of green corn. She knew the prairie tribes never planted a seed of any description, and was therefore confident it was not over three days' journey distant to a white settlement which the party had visited. This was an encouraging intelligence to her, and she waited the time anxiously when she could depart. Late one night, after all had become hushed throughout the camp and everything seemed auspicious for the consummation of her purposes, she stole carefully away from her bed, crept softly out to the herd of horses, and after having caught and subdued one, was in the act of mounting when a number of dogs rushed out after her, and by their barking created such a disturbance among the Indians that she was forced for the time to forego her designs and crawl hastily back to her lodge. On a subsequent occasion, however, fortune favored her. She secured an excellent horse and rode away in the direction from which she had observed the Indians returning to the camp with the green corn. Under the certain guidance of the sun and stars, she was enabled to pursue a direct bearing, and after three consecutive days of rapid riding, anxiety and fatigue, she arrived upon the border of a large river, flowing directly across her track. The stream was swollen to the tops of its banks, the water coursed like a torrent through its channels, and she feared the horse might not be able to stem the powerful current. But after surmounting the numerous perils and hardships she had already encountered, the dauntless woman was not to be turned aside from her inflexible purpose by this formidable obstacle, and she instantly rode into the foaming river, and by dint of encouragement and punishment, forced her horse through the stream and landed safely on the opposite bank.

After giving her horse a few moments rest she set forward and had ridden but a short distance when, to tier inexpressible astonishment and delight, she struck a broad and well-beaten wagon road, the first and only evidence or trace of civilization she had seen since leaving her home in Wise county.

Up to this joyful moment the indomitable inflexibility of purpose of this heroine had not faltered for an instant; neither had she suffered the slightest despondency, in view of the terrible array of disheartening circumstances that had continually confronted her; but when she realized the hopeful prospect before her of a speedy escape from the rest of her barbarous captors, and a reasonable certainty of an early union with people of her own race, the feminine element of her nature preponderated, her stoical fortitude yielded to the delightful anticipation and her joy was intensified and confirmed by seeing a long train of wagons approaching over the distant prairie. The spectacle overwhelmed her with ecstasy, and she wept tears of joy while offering up sincere heartfelt thanks to the Almighty for delivering her from a bondage more dreadful than death.

She then proceeded on until she met the wagons in charge of Robert Bent, whom she entreated to give her food instantly, as she was in a state bordering upon absolute starvation. He kindly complied with her request, and after the cravings of her appetite had been satisfied she was ready to gratify his curiosity, which had been greatly excited at the unusual exhibition of a beautiful white woman appearing alone in that wild country, riding upon an Indian saddle, with no covering on her head save her long, natural hair, which was hanging loosely and disorderly about her shoulders, while her attire was sadly in need of repairs. He inquired of her where she lived, to which she replied in Texas. Mr. Bent gave an incredulous shake of his head at this response, remarking at the same time that he thought she must be mistaken, as Texas happened to be situated some five or six hundred miles distant. She reiterated the assurance, and described to him briefly the leading incidents attending her capture and escape, but still he was inclined to doubt her story, believing she might possibly be insane. He informed her that the river she had just crossed was the Arkansas, and that she was on the old Santa Fe Trail, about fifteen miles west of Big Turkey Creek, where she would find the most remote frontier house. Then, after thanking him for his kindness, she bade him goodbye, and started away in a walk toward the settlements, while he continued his journey in the opposite direction. After traveling for some miles, Mrs. Luster encountered some United States soldiers, to whom she related her harrowing story, which evoked the deepest sympathy, and they were lavish in the kindness and courtesies extended her. The soldiers afforded her a safe escort to Council Grove, Kansas, at that time one of the nearest outposts of civilization, and here she took up her temporary abode. Being young and attractive, she was afterward married to a Mr. Van Noy, and subsequently the couple established a permanent home in Galena, Kansas, where she died in April, 1904.

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