The County was created by the Legislature in December, 1849, and the county seat was located at Birdville. The spirit of conquest was rife in the veins of the early settlers and at the instance of Capt. Daggett and others, the Legislature was induced to permit an election to decide upon the county seat. Birdville was at that time the larger place. Had the election been untrammeled it would have probably remained the seat of government for many years. The citizens of Birdville charged, and there seems good reason for the charge, that the election of Fort Worth was brought about by the votes of Sam Woody, the first settler of Wise County, and the members of his family. Enough was shown to induce the Legislature to order a second election. About 1855, A. J. Walker who lived a few miles northeast of Birdville was a member of the State Senate. He was instrumental in having a bill passed providing for another election. This occurred about the year 1860. The exact date is not accessible to the writer. By this time the population of Fort Worth had increased to sufficient numbers to enable it to make good its claim as the proper place for the court house. Birdville abandoned its claim and endeavored to defeat Fort Worth by casting its votes and throwing its influence for “The center of the county” which would be a little nearer Birdville than Fort Worth. The vote resulted in 301 for “the center” and 548 for Fort Worth and the vexed question which has cost the lives of some and the expenditure of about $30,000 was settled for all time. ABOUT THE INDIANS. An effort was made in 1873 to remove all the hostile Indians from Texas to the Reservation in the Indian Territory. The removal was accomplished but it was not easy to keep them there, and there were occasional raids across the border and into the settlements. The exact date of the last foray is not accessible at this writing, but it was made as far south as Jack and Young counties, just west of Los Valley where James C. Loving had a ranch and his residence. The foray was led by two Indian Chiefs, Santanta and Big Tree. They fell upon a wagon train conveying supplies to Fort Griffin which stood about fourteen miles northwest of the present town of Albany. It was owned by Capt. Julian Feild, of this city, and Henry Warren, of Weatherford. The train was destroyed; the wagons burned; the mules and horses taken away and several men killed. A wooden monument marks the place where the encounter took place. Troops were dispatched after the savages and the two chiefs were captured. They were tried for murder at Jacksboro and convicted and sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted by Edmund J. Davis, then Governor of Texas, to confinement in the penitentiary for life. Santanta was afterwards pardoned and at last accounts was still living on the Reservation near Fort Sill, Oklahoma.