A much anticipated report reached the governor’s desk on June 27, 1859.

It really was true. A special commission confirmed as fact the rumor that white outlaws were leading renegade Indians in ruthless raids against unprotected pioneers.

However much he hated so-called “savages,” the typical Texan understood the fierce resistance of the western tribes. They were defending their territory and an ancient way of life. But how could any white man turn against his own kind?

The first d...