Petition on Indian Depredations

(Notes: Punctuation and capitalization are transcribed as accurately as possible from a handwritten copy in the State Archives by Dan Lengefeld. A. J. Hamillton was the provisional or "carpetbagger" governor appointed at the end of the Civil War. As far as Mr. Lengefeld has been able to determine, all of the signatories of the petition were appointed by Hamilton. The petition was necessary because the ex-Confederate states were not allowed to have any military or paramilitary organizations without prior approval of the Federal Government's representative. It wasn't until 1874 that the Texas Rangers as we know them were allowed to be reactivated and operate under the total control of the state)

We a committe Appointed by the Citizens of Blanco County to confer with your honor upon the subject of Indian depredations upon our neighborhood, would respectfully represent that a great number of horses have been stolen in our immediate vicinity by Indians wihtin the last two weeks. They have chased men to their houses. They have left their arrows sticking in a number of horses that we have found dead and cut loose, and taken off horses within a quarter of a mile of Blanco City.

Will your honor allow us to raise a company our own citizens for home protection?

In a meeting of the Citizens of Blanco county held at the Court house on Saturday Aug 5th 65 Rev. S. Johnson being called to the chair and TS lyons appointed sectry the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted.

Whereas the people of Blanco County have recently on several occasions suffered severely by the incursions of Indians (or otehr robbers in Indian regalia) so that every Citizen's property and life are greatly endangered judging from the murders that have been committed by them in adjoining Counties Therefore

Resolved	That we the Citizens of said County of Blanco form ourselves into a Company of minute men to rid the County as far a practicable of Indians and such Indian allies as my invade our section of country for the purpose of robbery and murder unless contravened by an order of his Honor the Governor of the State.
Resolved	That T.S. Lyons, J. Odiorne, W.S. Callahan and Jno. McCrockiln be appointed a Committee to Confer with his Honor Governor Hamilton upon the subject of our protection from Indian depredations
Resolved	That a copy of the foregoing preamble and resolutions be forwarded to his Honor A. J. Hamilton Provisional Governor of the State of Texas