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rreft,Fe Co by
Mrs. Cassie Male
'mode Lore ant
CrolyboY ipmniniosonios
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252
orenoo Asigerailler
CèUrftY,, LWThLT tie
N'TN Y. WATKINS
.Uweldo, Tams
L.
Seth *Atkins who soma to Uwelde in 189 served this oily as a barber
for forty YogrO. No is 72 yore old but has retired from the barber budiness
on mount of Ill hoolth. No was born in Sonar County Is 1158, %mans to
Kaunas's County with his parents, a.little later. Whek he was Monte** his
fPther tied ens Nath went to his moles relish 'here he lived about a pier
and a half, doing all kindl or lintel work..
"After leaving oy =OA, I wandered 'round for implasta years going from
ranch to onother, and treeosionally going bask to Wilson County to sock
On.
ay mother. Zust a transient boy,oa wandorer.
*1 wont up the trail In 1886 with the Cloonan& and Johnson outfit.
They would buy horses out in this wittern eountry for fifteen dollars par heat
and take then to gasses and sell thole for a geed profit. I used to do ell
the brone riding for the 4utfil, ant when we gOt to Dodge City, !'anses, 1
would have to ride each horse as ho was sold. One_day I rode one of these
horsow and he threw me off and kleked me in the breast with both feet.
$0, it didn't hurt we badly, I was like _s rubber ball. I got up end =rot 011
Aim again and rote its till he quit pitching. Wy boss masa to mill we
Ned. He aid to ne ono day, emsi, 1 believe you are the bat rider 1 ovet
saw to be the ugliest one!' That was one day after I had just rideon e hors*
r3. that nitehed-ssfully hard. I was a reekloss kind of "Choy and it was ..11
fun to no.
*The reason I ot my job with Manson and ClomomM party same along
NrAge-Lere-- Math Watkins
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one day begging for something to amt. AGM4 of the men told him if he would
ride- oartain horse in the pen, they would give him a dollar to buy
something to eat. He said a4oight and,he tried but the horse threw his. MO
being will dressed end they thinking me a tenterfeet)thei bet me ten dollars
couldn't ride him. Well, I got on that horse and mulled the bridle off
ant chipped hill with the bridle. 'He really did piteh but I rode him till he
quit pitching. The crowd cheered ne and the boss same around and asked no
If I wanted to go up the trail. Well, I had won my ten dollars but I vas
.glad to get the job, for the work just liwitco me.
*It was near Obedis, Oklahoma, then the Indian territory. .Now just
**rims the lino in Welshes* I raped,, mild horse and the rope caught around
my left hand in a half hiteh. The animal begin to shares and Taunge and
almost jerked my left era off. Jerked the horse I was riding tom, when
finally IIt got ioose from his, my hpnd was badly burned by the rope. I
suffered quite a bit with this hand but I kept on going, for thflre were no
reel:gentles in that eountry then. I still have the sears from the rope on Ay
hand which you 0411 se* very plainly today.
*There laiis no wild Indians in those days, but in passing through their
territory they mould stop us end demand a prolate". We usually out out en
old pony and gave it to then and that would satisify them. But 14, we didn't
they would sometimes *Unwed* the herd. The Indians 'Jul* same to camp and
get into our *husk wale*, principally the bucks, but ooessionslly the squaws
also. I remember one'morming some horses had gotTstkout of the remade and
I.eas hors* hunting" $o two Indians came up to me-- one talked good ;English
but I was soared to depth at the very sight of then. They het their guns
and munition, so while I was tilking to the one who talked ingliih, the
other one sopt at a prairie ohleken: right in front of me, Wes I *sank?
Whylevery hair on my hood stood straight up for I thought mare I was alref,dy
Una. lath Walk Pao 3
au
chat. They asked m* for some tabs*** bet I didn't us* Ulnae. so I 'couldn't
give it to them. Then they loft ma and went an whish was greet relief to me,
for I was ready to sever relations with thaw.
in going up through the XsAlas Territory, the Cemmansho resarrition in
Greer County, Oklahoma, one morning before we broke *amp, we had about thrse.
huhdrot and eighty hood of horses erasing around camp. An old man, an old
ruffian and a typical old weaterneri in feet, he looked more lihs a save man
than anything *las.- and rosily that is chat he was for is lived La a dugout
sem* into our lamp and demanded to see the boos. Whoa the boss same out, the
old nectar bogie reprmanting him for graining his horse* on his rings, when the
*Gentry was all 'pen an4 barren sad belonged really to no ono' About that time
he looked down and seeing the boss had a few wild plums in his hand, the *14 nest
nester stormed, Item* Almighty, man, what to you mean pulling ay plums?' Thb
boas being a very sal man said, 'Won't you sit down and hnve e cup of metes?'
whisk the old ruffian aseepted. Thom the boss sisterly entertained him till
the harm war* filled, so before leaving, the old fellow boeftmsffrieradly and
told %ha boss he extended him a cordial invitation to return and use his land
vhen,h4 wanted to; The old nester was a friend ef General Sum Houston and also
a great historian.
"I went up the trail with the Blookar and Driskall herd in 1286 and a sea
nomad Johnson vas my boss, This was the last year of trail driving -After that
year the settle was all shipped by train to market. Nov _we hat no runs an that
trip, for the boss had learned how to bet his settle to avoid the stampode.,
He always bedded thamos high ground as wolves and panthers and-sueh-like
animals moat always travel in a flat country, and they usually caused the
stampedes. There were 2,800 nest in this herd. This was *ivory dry year and
it was hard to get through te the ranshors along the way did not want trail
drivers to utilise their grass.
wit took us about two months to mak* the tzip. We usually travelog about
1'
BOOko-LeriPo•Aeth Watkins Page 4
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-about six miles a day and aster over twelVs4- But the sattlostayet in fins shop*
Atte to the fast of the 010w driving. We crossed the river et DionSs store
(Boasts 'store is there the ladions used to some aeross.and buy their supplies)
on the Mod River. After we crossed the Rod River, grass was moat -better. NO were
an whet they °allot the vomitory' Trent,'
*Sometimes pitting water was a herd prepasitien,in this northesstorn countrY•
lkors were lakes of eater there but it was alkali and we eoulient let the eattlo
drink that as it would kill! thine Se our instruetions were to keep thesattle
out of this water.
0I have some in sontsot with lots of bad hormis, some brought across from
Maximo. About the meanies% horse I over saw was fine, black horse from Mekise.
Ikon the 'Wismar found a hors. that was too bed for them to to any thing with,
they generally brought him aerosol the border and sold him to some Ameriesn.
This big, blaok horse was spoiled end no one *mild ride hilt. Ho was beautiful
and I bought him. I was working at that time on the -Catarina hansh southeast
of Carr's° Springs. So I saddled him one day and when I got an him he pitched
for qu4er of a mils. And when he One he souldn't pitch me off he tried to
bit* and pull me off. I finally mats a gentle horse out of him. Ho was as good
horse on 1 ever (meat but later he get into alio fence and cut himself to
pieces. I sold his hater for a littlo or nothing. 1 usually rode any horse
that pitehod. Like many foolish boys, vented to do something no one else (maid
do. I liked to rids and was very good rider. But I have seen some men I was
e little jealous of.
"Yes, horses arc very hord to hondle when they stampoisoesposially at night.
To can't do anything with them until daylight. They are mush cream* than
eattlik when they once stampede,. on one ossassion One night right above old Fort
Griffin me of the boys was on watch end the herd beeame frightened and they
went any an every dirootion. SOW, alone and some in banohes but there was no
Range-Ler* Rath Watkins
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doing anything with than that night. Ws rode all night and zaansged to keep them.
in between two mountains, but we couldn't to any thing with them until daylights
but the next day us got them all. Its something strange about a horse no natter
how far he nay be away from his old how, if he gets lost from the herdihe will
always drift bask tower* where he some from.
wAdoh Ilpperivein was an old friend of mini, and about the best pistol ant
rifle shot I ever saw. I was pr000nt in San Antonio and saw him shooting with
a,22 rifle. He was shooting at slay rooks thrown in the air and about the size
of a hen egg. Out of one thousand rooks pitched in the air he broke 995 of
them. He is still living and when he comes to Waldo now he always comma to see
Mao
have seen some maul good roping. I was considered a good roper but
I wasn't an expert like isms I have soon. I had a sousing Lew Blaokoller, whose
father had a big ranch on the Frio River, about four miles from Frio Town. His
father was about seventy year. old but he was still a fins row. One day we
were branding cattle and one of the steers broke away from the herd and my
uncle cams running up on a fin*, bleak horse and slinging his rope, threw it on
the animal and said, 'That's the way to take it away from the boys.' Dbing
ranch work you find many export ropers and you.find many who cant rope at all.
This cousin always roost in roping sontests, and in different kinds of roping.
On one
*suasion in San Antonio1hs made nineteen throve without a mink.
“Teis, in going up the trail or in other sow camps we would have kangaroo
court. Whoa part of the boy. were on guard at night and the rest wore in camp
idle, we would start a joke on soma one and he was always convicted, no matter'
how hart he tried to prove .fithsolf innocent. And alwoys mush the worse if he
got mad for we always put the loggins an him.
"I have swan plenty of cattle stampedes. On. time we wore moving a herd
of cattle out from Son Antonio, ant just this side of Sebinal they stampoded.
Astkike Lore •...•liath Watkins
SIN
The train was coming up the See° 111114. We were eating supper and the
-were hedged, but as the train ems eloseri the mottle begin to sit ileWe-
seemed boss in the outfit and I salt, 'Settle your horeesibeyejw0Lara go
havea run.' ?he boys were tired and didn't muah went to go bask We
Sudtenly the (rattle broke out, running over wire tenses and eVery
ems in their inky. VW stayed with what we could that night and
of th. herd the next day. nut we lost quits a few that le never gOt
"I (tan remember sixty..flve years ago when the country in beLOW
was full of wild -animals. One night a nanther same neer our hems*
So the next night after that an old friend of my -tether's spent Oa'
us. His name wrs Bill Irvin and I remember him saying if thai pen*
beak there that night he was going to get out and kill its to he bad
six-shooters, sure enough the nanther ems beak in two..huedred yard*
house and begin to scream, and all the dogs came running into the
mr. Irvin stayed in the house too for he didn't bother to get out SO It
The eountry was also full of lobo wolves. I have heard cattle hawlIng
**Me running to their_reseue. Then later we would see grown settle 14
hindquarters eaten almost off by these wive, and the sow would 80,11 be
"I know Old Men Letskey. One time I wee up in the Frio Osny01
a cousin of mine. I gathered some corn for than while I was there and We 11,11.
Olt Man teekey to haul the 'porn out for us. Hs always stuck his lips one
before he went to speak. So he said to me„ 'What is your namef
eI amid, ilintkilWO
CW*1 Your tether B. Watkins'
'Yes,'
'Was your mother's IMMO Leiliny?'
.11yes0
'Well, by God)I was engaged to your mother ones beck in Lout/lane*
got on *big drunk and she wouldn't hove me,'
Range L. Math walking, 7
"I quit the (sow buisness in 091 enii went to sea Antonio and a nen
named h. P. Tteohirhart took ne in an taught me the bprber triode. I *toyed
thews a °couple of years and went_to Boerne end stayed there two peers, end
then went bask to Sam Antonio and worked there two more years for MB.
Ilsehlrhert, I moved to Uvalde in 096 end I barbered here for forty years.
But hRS to retire e few years eV on mesount of 111 health.
"I was married in 092 to Miss Nettie Maloney.- be have five shildren
all living, who are: Bert and George of Bisby, Arizona; Fred of itvelle end
Vita and Lurline of Son Antonio.