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WI N. Emery
7/2/7 c I 785 words
A TOUGH ONE
*I guess I've worked with a hundred or more bandits and eutlaws,*
sald Albert Easley, And I found them to be the finest bunch of fellows
in the country to work with. They use to come damn here to the IOI Ranch
and work and rest ,'then the Law wss getting to close to thee, then ell of a
sudden they would peck up and leave and go b. ck to their business seain.
*But they were a jolLy„ generous bunch. They'd do anythine in the
world "or you if they liked you. They could tike a joke better than lots
of men, and were always ready to play some prank on someone. Of course
you couldn't as them to "any personal Tie tions, and yeu didn't want to
get serious ethen yeu eere joking them. Some or them eere pretty tough
characters. too, but we never had a killing on the 101 Randle.
*I remember one man, when one of the boys case in and announced
a. new settler fifteen miles away, jumped up and said, 'I'm leavin'. This
country's gettng too d --n close for me'. They tad their principles, too.
Mayse a little lees high than a lot of folks, but not broken half as often.
They gambled, but not with kids. They drenk whiskey, but weuld not eive
a kid a drink. Try to find somebody in those businesses now who does that
way.
*But the teughese -ellow that I ever saw wse a boy about teenty—two.
I was working for the pitchfork Ranch u3 above Folsom, when this came In
and stertee to work. He '7„3 a pretty good hared, but he tvs always bragging
about sow tough he was, bet I fUnired that a feilov who was always bragging
about bow.- tough he as couldn't be very tough, because really tough men didn't
as a generel thing brag about their toughness. But he turned out to be
ju•t es tough as he aid he was.
*One day he wanted to eo to t'se Cottonwoods to get some whiskey.
Tough Oftes
02
Mr. Drew was running the store there at that time, and it was just a Mexican
Plaza.
I told hin that T oculdn't go but if he vented to go to start out, and
if he brought back any ehIskey I right help him drink it.
Be was gone a couple of days. When he got back he was just having a
big time over the way he had corraled the Mexicans of the Plaza, in the store,
and kept them there all the tile he was In the Plass. I never thought with about
it at the time, but a f=„tw days later I saw Mr. Drew and he told me that the
fellow had really done just that, and every tine one of them stuck his head
out that boy' knocked send in his eyes' (be 'hot so *lose to the Mexican
that he dug up the send around his feet, and it flew in his eyes.)
After he had worked about six weeks, I had La go to Trinidad for supplies.
Ru Us (Ms name was Rufus Rough) wante to go with we. Be rode horseback
and I went in the buckboard. As we started up Frijole filly we met two
Mexicans hauling wood. That bay jerked out hls gun and began shooting between
the burro's feet. 'nose two Mexicans were scared to death. They tumbled orf
of their loods of wood and literally rolled down the side of the bill. The
Burros ran away scattering wood to every direction. I never saw anyone laugh
as hard is, that boy did.
When we got to Trinidad he Minted up Dr. Owens and asked or his time.
After he had spent most of his money in Trinidad, he went to work for the B Ts,
a big oatfit over an the Picketwire„ below Trinidad.
A Tan named Johnson Iv,* boss of that outfit, and be and Rufus didn't
get along fr-me the strt. One day they had a quarrel and Rufus Shot Johnson
In the hip. Tho cowboys shot Rufus, and laid him out in the bunk house, for
lead. They put his gun in his bed roll, and went outside.
But Rufus came to, got his gun out of that bed roll and crawled to
the door and began tooting at those boys, before they knew what was happening..
Tough Ones
#7
They surrounded the bun- and recaptur,'i ufus, then they took him out and
hunF7 hIm to a hi:ch tree ant shot bim full of holes. They made sure he vas
that time.
"That boy raF, the toughest one person I ever saw.'
Told by Alb;Aq. Eaaley to rriter.