Document text
trLIZAA)
Mrs. Belle ilgore
718 Wallows Stroot
aovis, how Itexioo
JUN 1 1937
2.200 Words
,1ARLY v123RT:NCIt8 IN Inw MMXICO
In 1902, I sold a paying photo studio loestod in Grand saw
line, Van Una county, Texas, and moved to the plains. I left
my wife and Irby at Plainview, Texas, with her mother and oame
to Kew Uoxioo, in October of that year to look for a new
cation.
My first stop ware at nexioo, on the stqto lino of Texas
and New Maxie°. There were two or three sterile, several saloons
and a two-story wooden hotel. I called for a room and the pro-
prietor, a lady, told me that she could let m 4 hawk a room
with another man, although the party was not in just thou.
Wm said that he was a nice young man no older than myself.(I
was twonty-three) I had livod in the west long enough not to
expect eastern a000modt,tions, and aesured her that would be
0. by me if the other icon* did not objoet. I went out and
played pool until about ten o'olock.
whin I returned to the hotel there was a glass -eyed booed
looking hombre sittingin the lobby. The landlady introduced him
as my roommate* 1 didn't like his looks, but said nothing, we
went to our room which was upstairs. I throw the door open and
asked my companion to enter and light up. He grabbed hold of
rxm,mbile eyes shot out like a dog -owl's and made a oouple of
revollitiors, as If !le h -d seen a ghost, and said:
Early Experiences
Page #2
"For God's sake, don't go in therW There's a dead man in
there. Can't you see hie"
"You're 104 house," I said and walked into the room and lit
the lamp. He ()amain and without speaking another word began to
undress. I was sore because I thought the man had taken me for
a tender -Soot and expected to have some fun itt my ispimis.
I said: Gay, I don't know who Tou are but if you pulled that
act a -purpose to soars me you ain't got any busy wasting such t
talent sway out here on the plains,punohing cattle. You ought
to be able to draw good money as a vaudeville tragedian. But
if it is a natural affliction you should buy a nice padded cell
to sleep in.
tie paid no attention to my poor joke, lay down turned around
two or three times like a dog making his bed and was soon sawing
wood.
The next day I rode the'Peaiinelto lortales artiving there
about night. I called for a room at the hotel. The proprietor
was a Mrs. Kidd, She said: "I can put rOa with another man. Hs
is a nice fellow. Has a olaim near town and comes in pretty
often."
Remembering my roommate of last night, I ilidnot think much
of the arrangement, yet it was this or nothing. I paid a dollar
for the room and she gave me the key. I had, already omen enough
of the town to know that it would appeal to rq romantic and ad-
ventureous ,rture. I walked out to investigate a littl further
Eaily,ftporioncos
Page *5
bofore I wont to boil. There were a lot of restaurants most of
them in the book of the saloons. Svery saloon had a gambling
room in front. When I was a boy I had knooksd around Fort Worth,
Texas, with my uncle who owned a salon and a gaMblimhou o.
knew th t a gambler was a migratory breed that usual 4lesti
was not surprised to see a lot of faces that I reoognised, al.
though I Mew none of them by nAlle.
Finally I went back to my hotel and turhed in. NY room-
mate had not yet come 110444. I locked the door, blew out the
light and went to boa. Boon I was g4st *sloop. I was awakenod
by a horrible noise. SoMeone was posing up the *tsars drunk.
recognised the familia* tread of high -116'1.d boots, the tinkle
of large spur rowels. By the time he reecho& the top of the
stairs, he began to call for room number 16 Of course, I knew
it was ay roommate, but I did not got up just then to unlock the
door.
When he reaahod my door, ho shook it and bellowed his war
cry, but it was so dark in the hall he did not see the number a
and before I could rise and find a match to light the lamp, he
had gone on down the hall not noticing that I had lit the lamp
and was opening the door. I eat down on the bed and wrtitod for
3s came into the roam with a big oolt's .45 in his right
hand and a quart bottle o whisky in the other. It was then that
realised that to be high-4aoked in the dark ought to be a bless-
ing to the ictini for he at least in spared the horrid count...
Zsrly i,bEperiences
2age rig
nanoe of his assainalts features. This man was not only drunk,
but he was stark mad and raving crazy. He threw his forty-five
in my face and cursed me for everything in the world. He handed
me the bottle of whisky and said, "Drink, curse you." Until this
day I am glad that it war' not tatichhine,if it had been, I would
have thanked him and dr'nk.
afterwards, he himself took a drink his delriUm changed.
It seemed that some one had jumped or attempted to jump his
claim. de would make vile denunciation of the claim jumper and
throw his gun in ry face ',nd cry, "Bullets shall pierce their
he rts."
Finally he put his bottle of whisky under the pillow, as
carefully as if putting the baby to bed, laid down with his
spurs and toots on, holding his six-shooter by his side. at
last he want to sleep and after making sure that he was sound
asleep I went down stairs and sat in the lobby until morning.
The next morning after eating breakfast I walked up to town.
I had ordered a photograph outfit sent from Dallas, Texas.
I went to the depot and found it had come. I.y way of ordering
stuff from the stookhouse was one -fourth down, the balance
sent open. But I found out by having been sent outside of the
te of Texas, it had all been sent collect, and as it was
about ;;100 C. O. D. on the equipment, I lacked just 476 having
enough to lift it. I went b ok to town feeling very discouraged.
Here was in a now country in a new town and as far as I knew
Early 2xperiences
-age fb
I didn't know a soul in the territory. I was agreeably sur-
prised when a young man slapped me on the back and said,
"Hello, Chrrlie,WIrt are you looking so blue about?"
I recognized the fellow ,-A3 Fred Crosby, a boy who I had
gone to school with when we were only kids. Of course, as I
had not seen him since we were boys, I had no idea at the time
that he coald be of any help to Te as the main incidents I could
remember of him was that we had played hookey together, played
keeps with marbles and. stole chickens. however, I explained my
predicament to him.
l'elti„." he says, "let'S go to the bank and get the money."
"Bank, hell," I says, "I didn't come out here to rob a bank."
"Well, come on don't feel so blue. May -be -so I can fix it
for you."
We went to the bank. Fred walked to the window, introduced
me to the cashier as -n old friend and said tht we had often
robbed chicken roosts together. I can't remember the cashier's
mane, but I can still recall the expression on his face, and the
words he used. to Fred in reply. "Sure," he says, of, course,
th't makes it binding but wb t security have you got?"
",,,;,,tht's all right," Fred said.
In a few minutes I walked out of the bank with a hundred
dollars. I reLlembered th--t wiaen Fred was a boy that he had had
a pretty hard time getting by, as his f• ther vv,s a widower with
several small children ttVigikbildefffr.
Early :xperienoes
rage t6
"fiow oame," I slid to him, that you are now able to act
good SIMONSMINI6n. to a broken bum and to address a banker on auoh
familiar termso as th t?"
"Oh, it's just kaok, he c id, "i took up a quarter section
right t there a'd these people bl lt schoolhouses, churches,
bRnks, saloons and gambling houses right on top of it, so through
the process of evolution, I find myself in town with a pocket
full of rooks."
I rented building and by night, had a well equipped
studio. ':here
4
studio in ton in by Reeves nanker
of rew York and it was known as he 7id Reeves was a
fine fellow, but on aocount of his eastern polisil he did't take
well with the .4ew nexicarls at this date. ..gyereyer, he and I were
good friends a long au JAh stayed in town. de wasealso, ()per-,
ator of the telephone office nd wt e always having trouble with
the telephone oustomers.
Une th4 no ome over to my office very much excited and
told me a story thrA was very typical of lkow lAexioo in that day.
it awned that no had got into a dispute with a customer and
this oustoner came down to the o floe nd slapped him. Reeves
reeried for his handkerchied to wipe the blood :rom his face,
but his opponent 112,A thrown a gun in his face -of ore he could
get his hand out of his pockt and cirei him to draw. f course,
Reeves didilt understrid this kind of a cietoor.
Early Experiences
eage 7
I told eim te:t he mHst remember he advertised glig 2he
Studio 7id and by usirg that n'me It V7s terowing a red
flag in the face of a westerner. he only kid these people
knew was Billy the Yid, weou would not only -nave expected it,
but would heve been fully prepared for such a draw.
Low before I say anything elee, I weeet to say the life of
a town to me is like the life of h individual, it has its child-
hood, its youth and its mature steep. If the individual ever
amounts to anything it depends on its early train of its parents
So it is with a town. When first visited Portales it was in
its youth, it had been a wild child and was a big handful for i
its city dads, who fortunately never all wed ti to gat beyond
their control although they sometimes had to use peculiar methods.
Roswell was the no reyt eoert of auteority and as that was
before the coming of the automobile the citizens did not always
feel it neceeeary to spend their time and money to worry the
()Curt with minor affairs.
I recell one incident of this kind, A eebond stole e30
from a monte t,ble. 5eas not ;Tent to jail, nor was he fined,
but he WaE etraered over e barrel ere 'ae given 30 lashes and
told to le ve town. This had the deeieed effect, There was no
more shop lifting in 'ortales.
As I rceember, thc: fleet real cart I ever saw in rortales
was when Club Foot killed .Billy Farris. Of course, Club Foot
had. _nother name, but i have forgotten what it was. Aowever, as
I attended the trial, I Know th t he caMe ele r, and was atjugood
innocent by the court.
Early 1-xperionces
l'age i8
i remember this ose on aeoount of the (lowboy connected with
it, The Cowboy vp:411 girl, Of course, it is nothing unusual now
to see a girl with short hair, dressed in men's clothes, wearing
boots and spurs and sombrero, but remember this was in 1902.
was sad-thOt'
It
the cow outfit that he had rode in with picked
her up some place along the ',7exas line 41$1 she had made suuh a
rood cowhand thAt none of them recornized her as a girl until
they reced town,
i,nyway, it w -s not long fter that when her man was shot,
,judge 'Zvan s territorial judge at th,it time. He lived
aiw
at Eoeeell aidotiier resonecloWI: remember the case so well„the
Judge WEIS a friend of mine. I had known him since I was h lit-
tle boy. he was county judge in 'oleman oounty, iexas, where
1 w. c boTn. I also reol„, a little innocent joke they used to
tell on the judge in Texas. le was quail hunter and used a
single barrel muzsle-loading shotEun. The tuoe was loose on his
gun 80 he Appomolpt; 'out one shot at time for when he shot th
tube always blew off his gun hmA by tho time he found it the
birds would havesaaASOMMelomeg -0 would be looking around int
the weeds, muttering to himeelf:
Where is it at; Where hac it gone?
Afore -I find it, the birds 'ill be gone."
Anyhow, Jude Evans war conductingAhe'oaee. OaWboy was
called to the witness stand, &nd to jude asked:
"nat do you know abo:t tls c7.1se?"
w -s liv1nr with 9illi
arriS.a
3arly :2xperiences
Page 5' 9
"Were You there when to shooting came off?"
"I was in the restaurant after Billy's- bre .kfaste I got the
brel.kfast on a platter and went back to give it to -him and he
wiAl lying on the floor and ‘;lub Foot was beating him with his
gun."
ft
"Do you know if Billy's gun was loaded when you left the
room"
"No, it was not loaded."
"Why do you know it was not 1r)aded?"
"Billy and I walked down the railroad track late yesterday
evening and Billy shot all his shells practicing at a target.
"Why were you and Billy so tnickY"
"We were planning to go in business together."
"What kind of business
"The highwy robbery business."
11V,B in PorViles some months ago and I noticed a few old-
timers still there that probably remember the Cowboy, but they
have been voting the. prohibition ticket so long, I doubt if the
would admit it. however if you shoiid look over the territo-
rial files of Judge Evans in the last of 1902 or the first of
1903, I am sure tat you will find this to be a recorded fact.
Shortly after opening up my studio, a young man by the name
of Aenry Watkins oame from my home town. He worked at the drug
store and I let hir room with me. It was one of the coldest win-
ters I have ever known on the plathe and to make matters worse
we had a real coal famine nd henry got down with the measles
early 1.xperienoes.
2age el()
and there wee no plum) to move him. Of courne, it was practioallj
the eerie es closing my business ee the children were two-thirds
of the ,ietures teken. The wort of it we got cold end there w
wee no fuel to buy. By providence or ristako or some unknown r
reeson, the s:anta Fe vide trecked a car of coal. It was billed
for soee other town, but the neet thiy the cer wee carried out
empty and peope were wem and
cTrr.
The next (ley wee Sunday
end I wnet to church. I exreeted. to text to be, "The way of the
lord is mysterious nd, pest firviire out." but it weren't.
The treleneone CO:. a. oh reed opertors. Reeves Menker
of hew York wes sucoaedod by 1:lonzo Bowen of Llbany, Texas.
he wan quite contract to aeoves. 'Lonzo was a big vaunting
bully with a h bit of making this boasting good. When ho first
oame to town, he ce.me looking for a scrap.
One day he told.cie th t no believed that he would have to
go to lien° to get romeone to fight him. I told him that there
were plent of men in i4ort;Jee thr,t (weld lick him. His eyes
lit up like a lover's th t just r000geieed the object of his
affection end eeked, "Sure, you eon't me r that you will ttempt
it?" "ith pleesure," I meld.
i'te 'vent all overtown trying o get gloves ,nd a house to
fight in. We found a pair of cheap Fleres but had to fight the
bout in the strot. 'e had no referees. We just fought until
we 7ere both eive out. T. W7e rtill or my feet, but my right
my
lamp was out, however, I saved le friend Lone° tee fere to Rene.
'.,.0.111 by ';hes. B. Kilcore