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Belle Ki1ore
718 fIllaee 6treet
QUovis, Lew NelOoo
JUL 3 IG37
FYO ar"vt°
COBOY
I was teaching ner, Ranger Lake, (Long.108 fat.334).
lea County, Now Mexico during the first part of 1917 and boarded
with Mr. Boss Beal's It we a severeoold winter, and
the cattle men were having a great de:J.1 of work to do to keep
the cattle from drifting in to the hills south and west. The
cattle werewwek and the grase w -s f-hort, so it I've necessary
to keep them where they could be fed.
"Of course, now since there rxe so many fence,' he said,
vnand smaler past'Ares, we do rot he the trouble that we had
in the oountry twenty ot thirty ye -s ago." 9..-nger Lake had
been hednuarters for a rnoh operated by the 3eall Brothers,
"Me fir2t drift fence th t w -s built by the :ITT syndiote
company oper6.ted by tle 'company tut built the 'Texas Capitol
building in 1686. r.'his fence was built vest from the 3tate
Line “moe and built to keep the e• tide froN drifting into the
southwest of iiew LIei.ao. .very ye -r thousands of range cattle
from Ookorado, Kansas and Northern parts of ex and New Mexico
would go s fr south ac they could. These herds were gre:t
by the time they re ohet the cap reek between hero pnd 3oswell
Joe Cook and Jim Rogers were oorboym from one of the head-
qurters of the LF) which was loceted south of Littlefield
Texas. These bogs were sent out to liew Mexioo with others to
Cowboys iardships. -2-
turn their cattle towards the southeast course into Texas.
But they could not handle their herd, wit the straggling
cattle th t csme snd there w s no wsy to turn them against the
north and east winds, and the drivins‘ snows and rains. Tim took
care
a bud cold and Joe had toNake of him and so on the cattle
drifted. Joe and Tim housed up in a small shask Vast had been
built by some trs .psrs nes: Sortsles Springs. ,t night -Joe
eat by Tim expecting every bre. th to be the last. fearing to
leave him for feir he woald sot:Le b_ok and find Tim dead. 60 for
seversl days they stayed in the cabin with out food and medicine.
Tim suid, "Joe, you are S*M"Tila
and see if you can find something
refused at first, but Tim when in
and I vall dying, so you go
to eat, and get helps" Joe
his rational moments, beg.
ged so hard that at last Joe consented to
was cloudy, but the snow was not so thick
been for the last three days. Joe placed
go for help. The day
in the air as it had
all the fuel he could
find in the cabin nes. an old stove rid put wster where Tim could
get it..
r'() long, old chap, s -id Joe, 'I'll be back with somthin'
to ch.ss," and is vins his parser who he did not expect to find
alive twain, he hesded due e st, as he roe the snow came thicker
and the wind blew hsrder,
horse could travel. 'Chen
of bushes and xsgs he had
sense of directios.
but one hc went as fast as his hungry
night came on he stopped in a clump
no idea where, he was,he had lost all
Cowboys Hardships .3.
He tethered his horse on tho windw-rd side of the bushes nd
huddled up in the center of the thicket, de passed the night
nearly fro s* and in his drezIms he could see Tim's white face,
and dre_m *f good things to t and warr fires, He was
whinnying
awakened by the eisteleg of his horse, at .31.rly dawn. The horse
wa thowing hio head '.roand rd looking in the direction of
the nertheast. "What is it?". Blue," asked Joe. "Well, if
you know where we're oing, tot know more thf.A1 I do."
The horse started in the northeast direction F.nd seemed to be
anxiOup,,to go They traveled Toerhaps 11;ont five or six
mil, when Joe notices tracks in the snow, horse tracks and c
77
c4io tracks, as if they 'ere beirg driven. In a short time
,i1.0'nOW by the incre-sed number of tackw that some cowboys
iust 1
be net fax away. -t last, he o e. smoke in the distance
The horse which was no rly vot traveling.htadtdthat way, but
taggered. Joe dismounted nd led the horse,staggering as he
Merit, but he was set on reohing that camp fire. He began to
-:halloo and he Sighted some cowboys, who had he.,:,rd his calls.
he boys ez-me lopping towards him.
"hie, there, Joe Gook, you 01-sun.uv-a-gun, we 've been
huntin. fur you and Timdfor a week. Where- did you hide yoaself?
Biegosh, boys, he's dead,"andWill;reen rRn up to him and loked
him up. "lies starved ,nd froze to deth," They c rried him
to the fire and pat him down on some s ddle blankets, "Get him
some whidkey, boys, and they poured all the whiskey that they
could get down him. Get some of thp.t hot co..L.efand git him
MEM
Mes•
Cowboys Hardships
emaithim' to cit," and the boys worked on him until he was fed
and warm.. Ho told thou that Tia. was awful sick. "He's pro'
bly dont by now.41.4011 his hen4 in his hands and sObboi.
"sow, Joe, toll us where we on find Tim and we'll bring him
back sound and you git some sleep you'self." „Tile oeWbOye wont
for a dootor, and sever -1 of tae boys, took food and blankots
to bring in Tim. When they got thorns Tim was unoonsolous,'-
They revived hin soon ,And gve.him hot food and the neAt morning,
they put hir, on a horse and rode twolvo riles each or them
holding him. They aid not oxpect him to be alive when they
reeltholl the °amp, but he did not POOM any worse, and soon the
doctor from the ranch bee, him and Joe doped Out and thoy were
put in a ahuek w%gon and taken b“)k to beadourters.
ThemilliWtho two weeke of severows7ther, the cowboys Gould
do nothing but tke oar* of the cattle and horses at the head%
cluv,rtors. When the storm bri so Joe and lim were about reoOveerisd
and they went on the roundup below ±ort:les Springs. A rider
from below Tatum onmo up and told them that the drift Sonse-
hd boon out and thoutund of cattle ha fallon off the oaprook
and cowboys oonld make good money skinninr the fromsn cows,
00Wboys and men from PJ1 over the country went down and as hides
were bringing better money thut steers, the wholosaloekinlb
fling begin. Tho brands were some of them well known and some
of them wars traood bok up in olorida andtansas and Okla.
llama, But to the skinner belondod the hide, thought he had to
have a bill of ale to the hide. This (mused considerable troy.
blo for some brands were not lowAel. Well thJt was a spring
when all the boys had a little money even if the cowman did lose