The following is an excerpt from a record written by Walter R. Sanders of Litchfield, Illinois. It is taken from a letter written by E.P. Sanders (Edward Pace Sanders b. Feb 7, 1861 d. Jan 19, 1950)on March 3, 1949. At the time Edd, as he called himself and spelled his name, was 89 years old and would die within the year. Edd was the son of Stephen Briscoe Sanders and Luanna Meredith and the grandson of John Swadden Sanders and Martha "Paddy" Dougherty.

Walter R, Sanders also corresponded with Dr. Howard Fisher of Chalybeate Springs, R.R. 2, Smith's Grove, Ky. Dr. Fisher had interviewed Edd Sanders between 1945 and 1949 and stated then that in 1949 Edd was in his eighties when he started interviewing him and that he had answered his questions to the best of his knowledge. Edd had no written records and his families Bible had been burned in a fire.

This excerpt is verbatim, however for clarity, all parenthesis are mine.

Doyle Sanders January 10, 1997, Tulsa, Oklahoma

"I will give you the story of Hawk Sanders (Elias H. "Hawks" Sanders) as it might be of some benefit to you. Hawk married the daughter of George Miles (Elizabeth Catherine Miles b. Dec 20, 1839, Tenn., d. Feb 4, 1891 Sherman, Texas). He went into Hart County and bought a farm on a creek called Roundstone. He worked there several years and made some money which he kept in the bank (location unknown). When the War (Civil War) broke out he went & checked his money out and took it home. That night he heard some men around the house & one came to the door & knocked. Hawk asked him what he wanted. He told Hawk he was after money. Hawk told him he didn't have any money. That man told Hawk he was lying that he saw him take $200 out of the bank today. Hawk had two loaded guns in the house. Hawk's wife was as good a shooter as he was & and she got one gun and he got the other. They got in the middle of the room where they could see the door. The man outside broke the door down. Hawk shot him and he fell dead. Hawk said there were about 15 men run off when the Shot fired. He grabbed the gun and would have killed another but his wife told him to save the loaded one unless he had to shoot. They stayed up all night in the house & the next morning they went and looked at the man in the yard who was blackened with soot to disguise him. Hawk sent his girl (possibly Ida Elizabeth Sanders or Sara E. Sanders)out to tell the people and they came in and washed him and it was one of his clostest (closest) neighbors boys. His name was Masheers (Mashurs, Mashoors?). After that he sold his farm and went to Texas. He settled clost (close) to a town named Dallis (Dallas). He left his family there & took a horse and buggy and went into New Mexico in search of something better. As he came back a man stopped him one evening and told him he was going to take his money. Hawk had one ten dollar bill & two one(s) and one half in his wallet. His pistol was in a box at his feet. He gave the man the $2.50 and told him he needed the ten to get home on. He demanded the ten dollars with a Poisted (pointed?) gun. Hawk seeing his danger gave him the $10. The man bowed his gun & walked off. Hawk then got his pistol and shot the man through the hart(heart). He junked (jumped) down got his money in his hand & drove home.

"Part of the old Sanders went to 'Little Rock' Arkansas. If you can get in touch with any of the Sanders in Arkansas they might tell you something that would be of information to you."

E.P. Sanders, Smith Grove, Ky., R. 2

Ten years later a similar incident occurred to Hawk and his family in Texas according to his descendants in Oklahoma when a group of men attempted to break in the front door of his home Hawk grabbed his gun and fired at the first man through the door and killed him, the rest of them ran away. When daylight came they rode to their neighbors house to see if they were O.K., but upon arriving they found the entire family had been shot to death.