In 1860 William Carpenter was overtaken north of Stephenville by Indians with drawn bows who demanded to know, “You good man?” He replied , “Me good Palo Pinto man – friend to Indian – I no like mean whiteman who live at Stephenville.” The Indians let him go. The reference to whether or not the man was from Stephenville must have been a reference to the 1859 Choctaw Tom massacre, an Anadarko family of scouts on leave that worked for the U.S. Army. The first burial in the Stephenville cemetery was the son of town founder, John M. Stephen, who had stood up as the vigilantes opened fire on the Indian’s tent, and was shot by his own people in doing so. The death of this 16-year-old boy was presented to the people of Stephenville as the result of deadly hand-to-hand combat.

From Dan Young’s Erath History calendars, 1979-1989.