The Color of Lightning

by Paulette Jiles

Except for three pieces of hard evidence, Britt’s history is entirely oral; stories of his courageous journey to retrieve his wife and children, his rescue of other captives, his freighting endeavor, and his companions remained in the memories of the people of north Texas long enough to be recorded and written down. He is invariably spoken of in terms of respect and admiration. One man described him as “a magnificent physical specimen,” and others told of his travels and his freighting business. The elements of legend have collected around his historical figure, and its image remains bright and untarnished. He left nothing that could be traced either in land or written material or heirlooms. Only his gravestone, on which is written, Britt Johnson, Dennis Cureton, Paint Crawford, Killed By Indians 1871. All he had was the story of his life, which was as good as any other man’s, and in the end it is all we have.