Document text
a5 -t -words
ZDITORIAL YIELD COPY Page 1.
by 232
Ara. Florease Angermiller, P.W.
on F.C. by
s. Gmssie Hole, P.'''.
ioneer Sxperiences and
lea of liarly Deys umra count DISTRICT AO
ANDREW JACOON HALE
Uvalde, Texas.
oNE
'"Uncle Zack" Hale is 82 years old and lives on the Roeksprings
dighway about about a mile from the depot. He is of sound physical
Ind mental condition and renembers his early -day experiences elearly.
Ais parents,
in to TEMPO
the breaking
Andrew M. and Serah Hale, were natives -of Alabama corn
about two years after they were married and just before
out of the Civil ',4ar. "Uncle Jack" was born in Green-
ville, Hunt County, Texas, May 20, 1856. He was not the oldest child
as his mother's first baby was born on a boat they boarded
but died soon after birth and was buried at sea.
When the Civil sr broke out, As father inlisted and
teem for the southern Army. In "Uncle Jnek's° own wards:
"He WrS never in the firinu line, only a teamster. I
for Taxes
drove a
reacriber
him gaming home several times during the war. I also renamber after
the war that BOMB Yankees same in and ettled on a little creek called
Long Rraneh, about one-half mile of our house. Father and than were
on friendly terms.
"Every.;4orning at sunrise and in the evening at sundown, they would
fire a, Gannon off. Father would take us children and mother up there
to sac -this. There were several men in this sompany Who were wearing
a bell mad ehain on their ankles. On our return home one evening, I
said to my father,'Father, that were all those man doing with that ball
vioneer Lxlerlenees ;ask Hale
end chain on their ankles?' He said, ell, son, during the war there we; -e
some men vA,O wuld never fi:11t; they would run in a lasttle. :-;o when
they o to fire this eann.in every day, they heste to nut the ball and
she in on them to keen them from 11.1.4k tag away, for when they smell fCun
nowder, they'll run in snits of hell.'
hen I wee about fifteen yeers old, nor brother and e used to
haul beef, bides and eotton bales from Hunt County to Jefferson, Texas.
;;a wand ox wagons with four .!Joke of steers to cash wetpn. en tile a
day wee a big drive. 11y older broiher and myself mode this a business.
sometimes laten we were coking these trine, we would see hundrectof
turkey end bic bunches of !lof7a beim; driven to irlorket. ''here ere no
trains paw thnt est., the only .-ieeno and the easiest way or r;etting
than to Intir!cet. Jefferson st, the nearest sttieAng point and it is
located on Lake Caddo.
hen 'scooting time oasis, thew 'cult sure have to fina _place
for thosieturkey to rLost; that is, thicket of same kind, or they
aluld fly up on anything that they would see to roost on. As for the
"on, thal wtpuld e tired when ni;ffit same and would lie down and bed
un like cattle. uf curse, they w(,uld have a wagon along Fuld feed
these !alga three times a day.
":hen we were f.-eighting to Jefferson, there was a bleek-jask
;rove on the road to Jefferson. .he little town had a saloon, res-
taurant, berber shop, -oat-office Mid about two groaery stores. It
is now Gelled Cumby and to about Sixteen miles east of areenvilis.
:Ay brother and were returning one evening with a lord of whiskey for
bill Pad 1--renk. iwold. Ail we liet• e nearim; t's a ot, se heard a lot of
st,),•ting end when we reached the black -jack grove, e could almost walk
?Ioneer_Experienees Zack Hele
Page 3
2.52
on dead men. There had been six men killed. The Demnings„ Strieklands
and Fryers lied met here. There was sn old feud between these three and
they had gotten into this shooting serape and six were killed. I
know there was one Fryer and ORO Downing killed, but I don't runes.
bar just who the rest were. I don't reeember exactly what the feud
was about, either. I believe the shooting MIRO up over a. horse rase.
My brother and I stayed there about an hour and when we left, the
deed men v,ere still lying in the road and we had to pull around
than to p;et our team by.
"'Chen I was about 24 or 25 years old, I was denuty sheriff and
Jailer at Greenville. But there was serious trouble ease up and
I left there between suns in order to avoid further end mere serious
trouble which I knew would be sure to some if I stowed. It hurt
my feelings to go but all ay friends insisted that it was the best
thing to do until things were more peaceable. So to please them
and my mother and father, left.
"I remember the Negro slaves quite well. M7 Uncle ;ask Hale,
the men I wne owned for, had slaves. I remember than when they
would go to work every morning. They had a boss and when they
didn't work or did womething they shouldn't do, my uncle would
sometimes whip them, but never unmersifully.
"One time when I was quite boy, twelve or fourteen years old,
eat a Negro Oh1PPod. There was a widow woman living near us and
there wills ice of water between our place and her house. She would
always oome down to this lake to :lash her clothes. One day after
she had finished a lay's washing and had gone to the house, Judge
MeGowanes Negros came down through there hauling wood and one of
than stole her clothing off the line, Mrs. eaver saw him from the
..;1(;)ne 1412110111 Jack Hole
Pegs 4
232
huoase sus reeoenized the Negro and re%orted it to the judge. it.
investigated and fund the Nelpso with the clothes. Lie asked
father and SWAG more men to wive u t. hie house eartein day, he
wanted Wm% for a witness or something like that, but he ,7F4s fping
to whip that Negro. .hen the time Game, they roll ad a big, whiskey
barrel out and had two Diegrae to strip him dors to his waist and
out him across that barrel. One Negro wee node to stand- on his need
and one on his feet. Then he node another Negro slave w -ip Mill with
a big, leather strap. They whipped him till the blood was running d
down his beak and when they got through tipping him; they rubbed
salt into the raw, bloody outs. Oh, it was something terrible. I
Wes just a boy but this made a ter ible Lloression on me. 47 unale's
slaves loved him and didn't leave him when they wen e freed, but stay-
ed with him till. thy died. l'hey went by his Iva Me
"In '82, i went ut) the trail with a man rimed Tom King. Lie was
a bi3, settle mon and a banker. e had one-thusand head of mottle
and Imre Novian then from ilreenvil ie to Jones and ohaekelford
CQunty in .-'est Terse. :T. Kip-, had boupbt big ranch there and t is
herd Wen ()owe and calves. He wPs taking them to grass. I drove the
shuck wagon and cooked for the outfit but rode too when it was nee
armory. `ihere were about fccurteen men in a -II.
"I remember one day L was shoeing a mule while we were resting
the cattle at ewe. Part of the mom wets stauding guard and the rest
wawa estitm dinner. Charley Moore rode up male I MU holding the
mule's toot tietween my knees. The mule, being• fool, wouldn't stand.
Ntoure ease ton behind him and gave him a kink to make him stand up.
ihe role reared and Jowled, Jerking me down. -he hails in the shoe
were atisking out and very she. They cut a gash in =5/ la x about
7'1=eer li;xpartenees Zeck Mole
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252
sovmn ar el4ht inches long mmd real deep. 1 sorry the brend there
ynt. --ells when I not ur, 1 warl mad on the devil. 1 new that.
.eoLree hp*d done t' is n AW,W00 or he land I hrd bn on terms that
ware :tone too do 4d for severml days. I sane up with e rasp LR my
hand that I bed been using to shoe the itale and I threw it at aore's
head with all the force 1- had. I hit him on the noue and cut the
end of hie lise off cud it dronoed domn on his imath. The boss was
standing therm l(Lking on. Ay leg we bleeding badly mmd King usys,
Aeli, welv 7ot tJ new that lep, u P for imek is 07,ing to bleed to
death., :11 the kind of thread they had was p spool of ordinary,'
sewilv thrned and thette just what he used. He tank about twelve or
sixteen stitahoe in -y leg c'nci ut a wet leek on it to *et the blood
stoed. filion he turned to 1.o.re and sewed his pose beck on but it
wf nvkays crooked afterwerd, It vies the bossy- time to talk than.
H. spId, qioore, you knew that mule wee a fool. uhy did you do that?'
Then he turned to un both end seys, 'Now gou fellows renew this mad
I'll oet both afoot ,-Att here in this lonely eountry.' it was
firty ,111nr, ur raw") between ranshee.
1-islis 40 sterted on and everything went all ri6lat till we got
tz..) ,5Irownwood. e d n lot of down that uere given out roed-UAander-
would fiht a !Inn on a horse or afoot either. They had the
road arand ol them pad King's brand, also. hen theg qot tau bad, we
u)uld jat 'wive them beeld, the trail and the next men Who cane along
with P herd vr7ruld liek then w p and find out who they oft -longed to and turn
then ov to ,Ang. One dry, we had Just eaten dinnbr and was within
A seiort distance of Hrownwood. I ws,s behind, driving the ehuek wagon.
int) AI .00n on ahead %tau mad and fiMiting. e net a _7ioung MOIR and
trirl in the road. .hey were mJqing from sehools 1 suprose.
ei4inoer kiperieneee Josh helm
gob
az*
'Jim man was well dremwed. The little girl sew thin sow and thoueht
it wet) it gentle 111k vow end ran ahead to neare her. The eow knot:4ml
the oh tid down and had her between her tlerne on the gr,..:und. The
yuunii men ran and oetWht the eow by the horns end the little girl
jumped ua end eliabed uo on n tense elose by. The sow wee no weak
the man (could nonage her very well, althomgh she wee Whurning him
'round considerably. I knew when they ease in sieht Whet would
happen, but I was too far away to prevent it. JoinI finally got
to Where they ware, the men says, 'Mister, SOMA nnd help.ne.
in it WA of it Innimr Isays, 'turn her loose nndrun mud jump on
the fenee like the little girl did.' lie said, 'so, the oow will
enteh no end kill me. I wont risk that.' 4 said, stand
therm mad hold her ell city. I'll drive eround.-' Thee 1 got out of
the wagon mud went and exaained the little dirl. be wasn't ,hurt
but seared to death. I final)y got her quiet end over some of her
Genre end turned to the men with language that won't do to rennet
end I says, 'Now, I en wing to let you out of this. I'll take
this sow and hold her till you got a stert mad then I ern 1,Ang to
turn her la4os.' so 1 °taught the sow by the hornm nnd pave hlmit
kiek in the seat of the pants. 41C mode about two jumps end hit the
tense and landed on the other side. I seys,'Now, I'll show you how
to handle e sow.' 1 emaqht the old sow by the horn end the Jew 'and
with e little twist, threw her 4awm, oe MB very angry mid sold,
'deter, I'll kiU thet sow before,murning.' ure enou.4 he did.
he wns aiSsing next arning mad the WM% ment one of the boys Seek
to look for her and he l'und her with two bullet holes in her heed.
The boss sold he didn't blene hint he would ilave done the same ttlne.
-ell, i. had had my fun out of hin.
11,oneer parlenees jack tiale
/Jr
0, 7
2Z2
•.z.ur or five days ei'ter that, tothin f ntrit hoy.mened.
dy that tine, we were ilea troll any raneh or hubs of enlf Arid.
One evening we *Usual( amp on go hill. the (settle tittd ail bedded dom.
Alv)ut ,r.idnir-tt, it came u, a aloud and begin tc, lighten and thunder.
The boas amid, 'Get up, bops. 0,1l of you ant your horses and let
,und -Lhoae cattle. e iid a 1404;ro boy along, (rut sixteen years
thet hed bean given to the boos when he was arida. 'ing id
raised the boy in the sad.- le. we ,ere all out riding faxrund
the herd to try to koieJi.d e stasi-pede and the ilegro boy went to sleep.
The muse Oharlay Were list I bed the rvonci w. U cfew deys before,
rode up ti the boy and hit hij mimosa the beak:with tlim quirt. The
ileiwo heti on an oldefasnioned slicker and it oonped 11.)te the areek
Of p rifle, i,U, that web all that was, needed. "1.1..se cattle wee
gpne with the wind. e were riding as close to the lredetra as we
could, trying to hold ',hen togettter. sow, just over tte hill, there
en old road end in this old road, a (Utah lied been !noshed out
by the rein. It was al&ut seven or eitlat feet deep end twelve or
f)urteen feet wid*. ru.. eattle view* rum -lint"; full speed mad in
strei4tt fbr that diteh. •hen the loaders di:thettvered the diteh,
they stonoed suddenly. tint the others doming on behind, ,usthed them
on in and they oiled in that oiteh til1 it was full said heaped up
liker4 railroad dump. ..he others euin onvould o1ib over the a
and scatter in every direction. it web redraw- blue snakes and as
dark es it Gould be. a o exactly whflt wre te.:ing oleos
but we ',lex* riding as clo tot}"fit herd es lossible and afterverd,
tla tertke black and blue Iros4 beim; I,Lt by the. '-,ornh of the ;unning
cattle. It wan Just an sae Went that sots of the Doan taro not in
`,11e lead of the cattle end hod gone into the ditch first. There
Pioneer 1,...x*Orienses e- Jack lisle
Page 8
11152
we7,c %About One -hundred and forty heed killed ri7ht there. wer•
erimaed an41 some we never got book at all. a stoyed thrice e week
eetting, all_ we et uld find. -.-a would attend all the round -use in the
eountry rr.-1 thet way, )..,a opt Week' Wweral head. -et fartirAtOtt to ONTO
e few of the 'ripples and the boos eut ise)be of thn renellers to luck
efter them for hin.
rkfter it wee all were the boss aid to Ammo, *If pou do smother
tiling like that, you will go back wivire you sotto froia quick.' 3ut we
didn't have any more trouble till we readied the ranch. King euuldn't
get. 1-m:session of the reneh houne so a eousin of .ins, and
a *en nenetildewt Brineo end rayaelf, lived in a 6%th-out all the winter
and looked after the herd till the next soriag. grhan in OEMS and
brought another herd and a fresh crew of mei. King glade '..iley lisle
faremen or tr,le remit% and remained foreseen there for thirty-two
yeerm.
gi went beak to Oreenville with v:Int., anu eix-ut it'll-11%mm other
men. 'hen e reached steohens COUNt•vilinc says, "Ifow, Jac*, :IOU go to
the store mad buy the emali end me end the rest, or the boys will ip on
sO I went on to the store. ;wo men
a wn the creek and *Ake 'amp.
owned the store by the mane of Juke and steward. It Wr6 a new store
Pnd hnd a wtreh without any top on it. AA empty barrel wes sitting
on the norolk with the to out no they had dropped acne &Gentling*
in it, They were ma -by -threes and about two and a hair feet lone.
7:here let, several houses *lose, tw-Awme then w barber shop. e were all
talking and halving a g od tine. I h)-4(1 i.cotten the groeeries end was
getting aertridges for ray eietol. About that time, the hegro boy who
hoe. been ,-ettine sone etrees for his sours, eel iced into the store and
srid„ *Cialby, out thoue gr oeeriesie the wegon: The boy risked uo
Pioneer .;.xverianees
POlge 9
ft
nook or MAW nnti throw it ivorhla 3q4.:Adfor mid hit e ig ceiling-
i-10,1elrinf,,, the lam) nesting antl anillinc oil. ell over the floor.
klika came over and i'ingen to curse the riet7o. I says, 'now, don't
do that. -1111 make him clean it 41 *1 1.Mke saySt 'You take u) for a
damn Ite,To, don't you?' said, 'Yef.-4, he is a go_.,d, boy end I vi travel..
in: with him.' o I told Oumby to ()lean it all uo. ite1 started in to
elsonln-, it el.
.oielced lir, the ,roeertea And took then to the
wagon ray$3elf. A.bout that time, the earber amme runninr, out of his ohm)
and :ziayea tray, minter, you hatter gio book in time. They're beatine, that
Aegis° up.' I jumped it of t ie toliejon and ea I real in, I .7abbed one
of tet„)sa ome-!byi-three pieces t /Warm out of the bnivel. -hen I opt
Inside, lbw h-ed the Negro boy trtnle corner holding him b the throat end
beating hi st with a bluing bottle. Me VMS bloody :AU over. I F,rabbed
"auks y tneg collar and jerlted him i')ack end told him to to that. Irie
says, 'you're ft() better than q damn Negro,* and he dolled no a name
no stand for vino threw the bottle et -11en he said that,
I 4trueic•nist edgeways with that -0,ent; somas the heed end au; the
soalp loose across his heed end it dropred down over !,-,11) ear. ite drelp-
pea Tit) tno floor end I ..thnucht I had !-:hocked ts brains out. le went
1111Cfrir ?.e o..,onte;.: end didn't am, hiri any tiore. tewc4rr m loOkinn
Oil. J."turanti aria- ''.-het have you ,-,.=;ot to au with t is, sir?'
tie wad, •VisS' and threw a scale eiitP t rir .tjnat
brwhu AY epv. -7,chen ha turned and ran. I threw the ge.ritttlinfr, rt him
es 11...; ralci 0).Take his acme i5Th it.
tle131 wastes end told the tie .,70 t, e1 on
oren t.
tell !Aug .4) nome the, As ...luck would have it, there wasn't a
sheriff or deputy in town. King came end said, 'Ive raised this
AAbneer iAcAprienees Jack Hale
Fags 10
Nere 4oy froti a small mind and I kpew Me is ti geed boy. I will Seek
Hale up in any th/nr he has done.' moantiA0 was in 4y wagon end they
were threwin.% rooks at me from every side. I took out y pistol and fired
it in the air several tines and they left the scene ?rents,. In a short
tie all the sow4oys wore there with their six-sheoters. The boos turned
to me and said in a lew tone of voles, 'Jack, you take my horse, (whleh
a big bey named John) take the Negre'boy and eo aarosh thf, mountains
and dent stop till you get to 4reenville. If they evert,,ke you, fight them
to a finish.' But they never knew which way we went. The boss paid for
the lamp. In a short tile the n'ieriff $11,te 1,r1 pre tety wetend the OP -d
for tw n1rAs. The bJsti ellen hr,d c ivt talk with the sheriff and told
hi* that Mike and Stew,rt had started that trouble with Hale and he was in
the ri ht, and tit, otot thing he tould or was t2 drop it. For if you ever
take these' bays there will be a het battle, and there is mere than one it
them tee. There were two ex rangers in our outfit and the sheriff decided
not ta rA, after us.
"::e made it fine across the gauntry ,retting buffalle meat fro* buffalle
ftanters and killinr deer and fish, esasienly stealing a goat. Every ones
in a while we would stao et a little country store and rot brood. 011,
we reached Uriwnville 0. K. ,::4rion Hole, y eldest rether was sheriff of
Hunt County at that tins. In the neantlue, kind hpd sent my brother a
telegroA saying. 'Jack's had trouble. ,iateh for telegram fr. tepens
Ceunty sheriff, for Jack's arrest. Take eare ef it. I will oe hwie at
an sorly dnto.' eneui-7,h, my brother had gotten the telegram fren the
'..tikloheits County Aieriff. s Aarien wired hl x taisk. 'All be on the look-
out for him,' and signed, 'hunt Nmnty trt er__.) phut giving his nai4e.
11, the ousts and i met at the aomirthouse at ti'e very ic 0 A.nute and relvte(
the news to my brother behind slesed dea's.
n 96:!) i went to Williamson Csunty and farmed there for about five
leaser 14perieneeu
OW
Zack Hale Page 14
years on the Dykes far*. ,Jne as in Granger, exes, I reameaer Artie
killed Little Husk solton. The shooting was aseidental and Amtis was
acquitted. e und several other *eye were in Georgetown ottending,,- the trial
es we were witnesses in the guise. vell, we *owned in the wpron yard and of
44urse were drinkinA OW40. The case was net sailed for several 0411.
Naturally, oe ot restless. Dykes, He* ,irilson rad my self, vet old
:lany44 nugy horse, and Jut Ilia to key *tangy to take in the town. There WON
Je‘,, who hod a ehesp-john fruit staJd out in tre Kindle of the street. 'Aa
same around the eorner 4" the court house full snood. now,At,2n was a hi h
erte per t!nd Dykes said, 'Jack, All hie& into that dean Jew's fruit stynd.'
*.Jeedl° And that 16 lust what we did. 7wo buggy ,wheels just took
,Alt,ene sine of the stnd. 'oreinr,es, neeet kniive!.; und 'zoney 2urea ,ent in
every direation. ?cei far the Jew he et a naed tuaale t**. 4,11, that
rvised a yell, and here c4m, the town iAarohall. Me took in after us to
arrest us und araud and around the o4urt house we went. if the oarshall
crowded us toe fast Vur Dan to trot, h* lened. Fmr-.ry now and then Dykes
would yell, 'Clear the track for Dykes and jaek: Lay en the iteggy whin,
Jeekl. end I would do it every tie he w nld tell a* to. Finally, they
eorral,Xec us and sought us. Dykes and ae Jut un the fight and nilson run.
411, there was a aank fens* ell around the eourt house, and steps leading
up over the fenue into the mourt house yard. They hod to take ws over those
stens to r,et ns into the lonrt heuse yard, f r that's where the jail was
also. That is whore the fun started. As they wuld try to forge us over
tTiose stele, we would broon ,It,r feet an the isottn sten, and w el they
would rit over the nd start down an the ether side, we would give then
a hard jerk and land thee way auek Jittalde the eourt tv3use fenee. They
SOV41 4 tired of that and used their six-shooters for clubs. ae of the
offieers cot re seross the head with his t-,-un and have that sear yet tee.
'e were all skinned and eruined odly. o saw they had us heated when they
Yioncer lartenaes jack Hale
age 12
232
hegin twin/G, their orna, ns we didn't have any. .1(3 we ,4nrahed on to jpil
end stoyed there till aidnight, when we got bond and wit out, went to the
dootor. 1./Jeot tir wolAnds dres-ed nnd paid a fine of fifty-five-dollore
for Jur fan.
"in the soring of 'U7, I went up tiro troil with Cruse erd. .e t Jk
2,UU0 neod of enttle to the 1. T. ranah on the plains. There was no
town there, last wide) open country. ye peened throu0A rort orth end nit
the old 0 isola Trail Pnd traveled it for shout fifty miles. A',uside the
tri, fine witn the exeeption of few sta4inedes. They were oll enttle
Pnd they drove fine. We had four head of (torsos 'sash. flow weee gentle
,and sone wee wild. tayway, we had to ride than if they nitahed or not.
men
As well as I remember, we had twelve/in the outfit.
"After we got up on the plains, we ease into OQMO tall weed's milled
silkweeds. There were worlds of antelope everywhere. One night, one, of
the boys struck a instill' *tile they were on guard and stampeded the herd.
I was ridink a big, black horse Galled Nigger. He was a soiled horse
and would pitsh nearly every time I would get on his. well, the cattle
seattered everywhere. However, we held the main herd together. Next day
we heard of a round -up a few miles frost there so we and one of the other
boys rude over the As to see if any of our cattle, that had gotten sway,
were there. This WAS Just a round -up on the range, no fences, no ranches
of any kind. When we gut there, I says to the other boy,'Yon out the (tattle
out of the main herd,' as he wrs riding a good eptting-horse and my horse
was a brone. He brought out several hese for we to hold and had gone bask
to look for sore. I was riding around these to hold thew and rode throw&
a thick bunek ot these silk weeds. Ur) jusped four baby antelope about a
week old. They run right under ay horse. He colit the earth. He was a
big horse and he had never pitched like that before. The nntelppe were
young
'lumens tnerienees Zest lisle
rege l$
and didn't have sense enough to ,et out of the way. They stayed
right under the horse end he continued to litsh. He killed two of them
and broke the sulder of another. The f.iurth one wasn't hurt. Us ken%
on -A.tshing till he woo ready to ;loit. Avon he did decide to quit, I
nendeo n breathing shell.
"1 saw that one of the little antelope wasn't hurt. :Jut 1. didn't
get orr of this horae en knew I never sould get bask on his. I wait-
ed till the other boy same bonw. I said. 'John, I want that baby ante-
lope to take seek to soap.' lie saidolAll right. I'll rope An. Hut he
caught luta with hin hands. Atli, we serried it Sask. ,It gut as gentle
sc, a gost. e would milk a ,sow and fe4lit milk. It stayed around
soap till we weye reedy to leave. hen we started bask home the boss
said, 0:aok, give me that antelope. You don't mond it. I went it for
ially.' I wad, 'All right, Cruse's, I'll tell you whet I'll do. I'll
vivo it to -2A:As if yu will set the drinks tro tl the outfit when vie get
back to :nytier end call the antelope :ask.' He said he would and did.
..;esrd kept it. till it VORA exown and otill had it the lest time I heard
of him five years later,"
Port Tio Follows.
r"--7 r7 .4•7
horde
From F. G. ay
Gussie Hale, P. We
Pioneer Experienees end
Tales of Ehrly Days
MDITURIAL FiLLD COPY Pogo
by 232
Mrs. Florence Angermiller
UVALDE C(fUNTY, DISTHICY #10 ART TWO
AADHai JACI'aioN iiALi
Uvalde, Tears.
"On Seoteaber 1, 1887, 1 was married to AA. Alice Mont6onery of Granger,
Texas. he were married by the justice of the Denise, an old man named Van
ant. r,1L, 1 didn't belorw to nny church but my wife and oll her people
were Catholics. For about eight months after he were married, we lived with
my Wife's father. He would go to mass if it wee rnininc end hniling. One dpy
her father seid to me, 'Zook. I have meant to tell you before-- you end Alice
have been married 'by the justice of the nesse. Now, I rent you to be merried
by the 1,riot; if you don't, Alice can't eommune with the Cetholic church.'
told him ell right, so he went down to Taylor end told the old priest nil
&rout it. :hen the time OPMe re went down to the Cptholic ehurch. The
priest an0 two nuns were reedy and the nrieht rsked fir tbe wedding ring.
And then he hays. 'Now, Jaek, you have got tn make !le home good promises.'
said, lAll riht.' He says, 'Your anrrinee is no merrinfre. You are living
in sdultry. You must be married in tbe Catholic church, for if yhu dzn't,
and there is ever any ehildren horn to you, they will re nitwit:hate.' I
held, You're n lieri e have heen Aorried lef3ally end it's en record Pt the
court 111;.in in qeorgetown. And if we have forty ehildren at p 000, I will
not 1)romioe to raise a one of them Catholic.' ywife p'reed with oe 1a.
Litjd I wee right, f.lo we left.
"About two -,',onhhs later, i wro plowin one dry out erol: of t rord.
7.'y wife cv,me (Alt .nid that *Old Brother John' (the nriet) w -h in the
house.
Pioneer Experienses .711.iik Hale
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232
Well, when twelve o'clock same, I didInt go to dinner for i wanted to avoid
trowle. As the rest of the family sat down to the dinner tails, my wife's
father asked where I Was. And she informed them that I was not eoming to
dinner. About three o'clock thrt afternoon, the old priest same out where
I was. He said, 'I want to talk to you alp ut you and Alice getting married.°
I said, 'We have already been married.' He said 'No, you haven't. You
are living in adult0.' Well, when he said that, fire flew. I had a rope
in my hand that was wet and lauddy and atout three feet long after it was
doubled, and I hit him with it. I hit him ones aeross the shoulders and
once across the seat of the pants. He left immediately. I could see the
orint of that dirty, wet rope on him till he got to the hoUse. He went on
in the house ancitalked awful to my wife, told her she was going to hell if
she didn't quit no at ones. When she told no what he had said to her, I
was sorry I didn't kill him with a monkey wrench while he was out in the
orchard.
"After that, I sold out and we moved to Rockport, Texas, and lived
there six months. While we were there, a little priest same out to the
house. They had written him from WilliamsoTIColulty. He told no his huisness
said
at once and/if I woltad he married by the priest, he would not ask that the
children he brought up Catholics. I agreed to this and we were remarried
ay hia right there. We had one small baby and he asked if he could christen
the linloy and I said yes.
"After that, we left Roekport and went to Cameron County. On the way
we had to cross a reef shout twelve or fifteen feet wide and it had pests
on each side with hig sign hoards saying, 'stay between these posts.' 7e
drove on to this one day shout twelve o'clock. And before we could get
across it, the tide had some in and the water vas belly -deep to the oxen.
And before we got off of that reef, the water Iva high enough to swim the
7ioneer Experienses Zack Hale
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232
lead steers. The two next to the wagon anaged to rash bottom by the weight
of the lund, holding them down. The water was way up in the ed of the wiwon
Rnd the steers Sesame frightened sand begin tJ try to turn around. I knew if
tney did they would turn the wagon aver in the deep water. ',(3 I junped out
into water over wOiat deer) and sought the lemd steer uy the horns and stonped
then. iout that tine sone men cw,to along and helped 14B lend then t on the
other side to land. e spent the night in Corlun Christi end wam on our way
early nett morning traveling right down the y toward broinsville.
"one nl,ht it SPIRO time to make samp. e had an old an traveling with
us ay the name .f 'Myers. He says, 'Here is the *loge to WWI right here under
this wag live -OAK tree.' It was an immense tree. I said, 'No it is dangerous
to srmp under that tree. It has too many larle limas on it. I want to co up
on that hill, where that livs,-**tg thicket Is, to aomn.' -.c) we did. I left him
and my tare and beby at samp, joked up my .7,un aid went out to try to kill a
deer. It t dark, sane un a big cloud and Uepill to lighten and thunder and
I got Didn't find-ny way Cask to ean) till eleven o'clock that night.
Roil, it same one of the hardest rains and windstorms and stash lightening I
never saw. 1 WPN we as I could be and didn't know where I was at all.
Rattlesnakes: 4 ord, they were every where. It was dark as a dungeon. I
got ale a lon st ek and beet in front of me and when I v.,Alld hear h snake
rattle, I'd to around hist and go on. Once it lightning and I saw Wm tree
and *limbed it to see If I could nee a light. hell, they knew I 1113 1.4NSt so
the old an had senses enough to han a lantern high above the top of the
wagon so j. could nee the light. I saw the light behind me and went toward it.
Kvery once in a white, I would slinb a tree to keep my direction. I finally
reached the lif:ht sand to my nunriGe I was at my own sa,70, for I tire thotwht
this light ust be a ranch house somewhere. ;4:113., the lightning hit that
big live-cAg tree where the old an had wanted to sap and snlit it right
oioneer Axperienses
WOOD
Jaelc Hale
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232
down the middle. I said, 'Now,who's the wise man?' lie said, 'By God, Zook,
you are r reuler solomon.'
"es stryed there all next day drying out our *adding. There was at
lake of water not far from there so I went down there and found a great bunch
of young dusks. They *wild swim but too young to fly. They were everywhere'
on the motor and in the grass. I caucht then with my hands and out them in a
seek. Fat: They were like butter and the *est meat I have ever eaten in my life
life. Ve had more ducks than we sould use end turned part of them looks.
"Along the road we saw sand hills Bonet/vies drifting up so high it would
saver a ranch house and big live -oak trees. We landed on the King relish and
lived there three years. I farmed and made four bales of cotton during the
three years. The failure was due to drouth.
"About that time a mon named Gibson same in there and 48116 to see as
a*out going to work on the stage line driving it from the King raneh to
Brownsville a fifty -mile drive. Well, Gibson spent the night with ma and we
went 'fire hunting.' I knell the country well. So we started out about ten
o'clock and went to a lagoon of water where I knew the deer always some in.
He had never killed a deer so I gave him the head light and -gun. When we got
within about forty yards of the water, he stopped and says, 'I see some eyes.'
I looked over his shoulder and says, 'Ir3s,that eyes.' he out down. When
he did, fire flew in every direction. He had shot into swim Mexicans' soap
fire who had salaped there and were stealing settle from the King ranch. They
left there nronta, and so did we. I said, "ut out that h god light quick,'
for I knew what we had run into. 4e went bask the next dny and found nieces
of rope, durk knives and pieses of aeat the V:exisans had run off and left.
They thou= ht we were Texab rragers. e notified Ed Rayon, the foreman of
tne King ranch, and he went down and gut the meet. The town of Raymondville
took ita name from this man, Raymond.
"That was a wild sountry then. I. sought and tamed a leopard eat. He
Pioneer bxperinses Zaek Hale
Page 5
232
was au gentle as u house oat, but I had to keep his clews out off so he
wo lid not get too rough playing and scratch too hard. One day a man named
To doGee)und i took my dogs and went Minting. Well, the doge found a big
bob -sot, and of course he went up a tree. I says, 'Tam, you rope him and
I'll take this big wool sack I have and when you jerk him out of the tree,
I'll oats0 him in this seek.' He said, 'By God, do it.' Our skeme
worked and we spoked our sat. He says, 'We have him but how will we get
him home?' I was riding a mule and I says, 'I'll take him home behind me
on old Pete.' I tied him to the saddle behind ae and the sack hung down by
the mule's side. So I got on Pete and we started. Well, the sat smelled
the mule through this soak and grahted him with both slaws right in the flank.
Oh, boy, did that mule pitch! He oitshed so hard he slung the sat in every
direction beating me on every side. I finally went off over the mule's
head and the sat right after me. But the ant stayed in the seek. I says,
f
are not going to rut him on that mule again,' so he out long pole)put
the sat in the middlelhe took one end and ie the other and we serried him
hulas, oil, my old net leopard smelled the bob -oat and here he soma. I just
opened up the .no an. in he oent. You never saw sush fighting. Fur flew
in every direction. They would roar and fight some more. 9ut the bob -sot
finally whipped the leopard because his oleos had been out off, and I had to
take the leopard out of the sage.
nun the King ranch they always ered and raised their own saddle horses.
There would ee a stallion and twenty or twenty-five mares about every five
or six miles over the ranch. They were sailed monodies and the saddle horses
were galled remudas. One day, one of Raymond's ranch hands reported to him
that exican lion or panther was killing the colts in a certain maned°
on the ranch. This would often happen and when a lion or panther starts in
killing one bunch of colts, they never atop till they get them all. Raymond
Ioneer '.Aperifineea /stook Hale
Page 6
232
01.M5 to e And uaye, 'Hale, I'll t;ive you fifteen dollars if you'll take
your dogs and up to that pabture end kill thwt panther or whatever is
killing those colts.* I mays, *G)odI I need thvt fifteen dollare, :A. I'll
4)49t took my doge and rode up to the oCnture One night about ten
ogeleek. I could hoer the *ell runnirw and my doge were reering to go. n
all nidem of the pasture there was thick brush, but the center was all O'sen
aountry. -0 t every one in that eourary was Aexieene end I alleys spoke to
doge in -panish. bald) 'Andalet uehile (óà-she-ley)2* end the doca were
gone. In a few minutes, I heard them on the trail and seout that time, I heart
the old panther Berson on the other bide of the pasture. You could have heard
him a :Ale, he sounded just like a woman sereaming, 71 horse 'begin to rerr
and out up, end my knees were sheking a little too. suddenly, 1 heard the
'tup rrttiing and t knew the doge were making it hot for the
panther. ;10 I sat still and listened. kll Pt once, I heard the prnther
serwlm awout fifty yords from me. He was coming right toward me. I acid,
*The Devilt* 1 louldnIt hit the side of the house, for I uhs shnkinr like I
had e *euek agar' and my hor:A5 was having rit-.
4.
turned hir, towerd home
mad 5 id, *charley, gu to eromp,* and aftlieve me he did. The farther he run
the fliater he ot. when gut none wife seys, *Did Jon get
2. said no and t Id htr whet haopehed. he sure did laugh at e.. But I got
a divorce that very nignt from huntlne •antner.
"I drove the stvge line two yeere fro t4 the x'ing runeh to Brownsville.
wuula o to irownaville one dpy, sle;ld the al 4t there and some oleic to
the atege atf,nd the next day. kwout a month Fitter I strrted driving the
bttwe, one Utily i noticed a frnbh Aounu ol dirt out aebiJe the rood 4y a big,
mesquite tree. I knew it had just teen duti, for I hat liever seen it efore.
I turned 131 hon4es and drove out to it. The hole was eaosot'thre fe de,
five fe-.t long ancitwoand fi-,i1141f feet wide. 'Jle, dirt WR“ all on the left
rieneer Exnerienses Jack Hale
Page
232
was
side of the hole. There,wes no other evidinse et sny kind—there/just the
hole. ,A,11, it bothered. me, rQr I didn't know wt it whs all abut. ere
they diinc for iloney or vms it grave? So I drove on. into Awowneville
and the next d,y on my return to the ath4,:e atvnd,• I stonpad asin.. 1 hhd
lessen er with AO this time, a soldier.' ',c) he said, 'Let's ston and investi-
gate it.' When we gut there to y suprise, they had turned the dirt over thi
other way end the side Jt the dirt Wa& e iittle,round not.. It had been
buried au long it was as th7n as a newslaper., ‘hana sould see it had had
,.uney In it for,s long time, for .you sould see the print of the -loney (.1n the
sides of the lot. We. could see the traeks of two men there, but money, men
and all were cone. e took Liome of the 14eans of the out )11071g with us and
onoole °PAO from Ales around to see these pieces of ot and to look pt the
hole where the money had seen surried.
"Yell,- we aegin to look around the soot and ran unon two snakes, a big
sull-snake and a rattlesnake, 1:".14 bull -snake is a blue snake. The :;lexisens
say that the bull -snake kills all the rattlesnakes they find end this
eenvinses me they de. Thoth snakes were about six feet long. The rattlesnake
was *Piled with his head r:bout six iqehes ln 'Lae 'Ir. The hull -snake was
going around and sround the rattlesnake but out of striking distAiee.
Finally the rattlesnake seened to begin to pet sick, eh his head would o up
and down but t.n bull-snske ke)t on golng around. The rattlesnake ,,ot so
sick that his hef,d,dropoed over. The bull-sneke same closer sad AQUI/ a Juno
and sought the rattlesnake ay the back of the neck'. Then they aegin to wrap
around esh other and rolled up till. they were as round as a rubber ball and
larger than a bushel basket. The still -snake never did release his hold he
had on the rattlesnake's nest. y that time I had lost all the tibe I eould
snare from the road, so we went on. Next day, I went 1-4111* and riund both
snakes deed. ,owe ANterlson had Some elorwand.killed them both.
am
son
Pieneer Experiences leek Hale
"age
231
confident had they seen left alone the bull -snake would have killed the
tattlesnake.
"About five months later, I yea driving *long the road one. day and found
two Mexicans hanging to n big post-miltree, right over the road to Brownsville•
They were dead,when T• found then, so I drove around then and went on. However,.
I would 1,Jek bask every now and then to see if they were going to come to life
and tako after me. When.I got to Brownsville, I reported whet I had found.
They said, 'Oh, that isn't any thing. There have been more then one -hundred
Mexiaans hung to that very tree.' Other Mexicans were sent out to get them ant
bury them. The next day when I came back, they were gone. The bark an this
big tree had all been worn off on this certain limb where they were hanging
and the people said it
beitv hanged to it.
"All along
looked like 44
oomplete set of
it to the stag.
beside
people
teeth.
etand.
reglious. He said all
was where the ropes hnd worn the bark off from men
this rend there were a let of human skulls. Sens
as they had only a few teeth, and some would have a
Every ones in a white I would nick up one and carry
Thera was one man working on the stage who was very
these old skulls should be taken and buried. Aid he
was right. The owner of the stage stand would piek them up and put then on
the pickets in the fens., and the birds would build their nests in them.
4ell, this man kept an at ula about burying these skulls till we got tired of
it.
"He always teak his elotheo to a Mexiesp family near the stage stand to
have then laundered. He would put his dirty clothes in .a valise and take
them to be washed and when the washwoman had finished washing and ironing
them, she would pack then bask in this valise. So we decided to have some
fun out of him. One day we slipped two of the old skulls in his suitcase
under his clean clothes. He took them en ult to his stage stand where he spent
the night, and when he went to got_his clean clothes he found the skulls in his
-Ammer Kxnerienees ieek Hole
"ege 9
X52
valise. He realty t on the war th. limn he sane cask he said he a4uld
whip any Alm ln that line, either with his fists or with six-sheeter. Hut
we all kovIt quiet. No cue knev anything asout it. /cad Re never found out, eh*
did it. He said he wouldn't work with a buneh that was so inhuman. He out
in his revignation and quit the job.
*I renumber cue time a bunch of ',lex:mons stole sane auttle frau the King
end started to ke then *cross the river to Old ::zelise. Captain We
room TItuin of the rngers vt that tins and he got s tip the% the Mexicans
were kenning with the cattle to eroes the river at a sertain pleee. So usifiell,
took his men mid waited fur thcu in a thicket of brubh. Well, when the Unisons
eases, the langers sad' a run on thee and killed the entire outfit. Twenty.
seven in ell. Then they nut ropes on their necks end dragged than up in a pile.
The roneers then went task to arownsville and sent other Vex/eons after then.
They dug vne big grave several feet leng and curled then all together in this
grom. They Alt a cress at each and if the grave. This wee a warning to
the others.
0A men named John Riley was drtvin. the stage with as. This was during
the worlds pair in Chisel**. kmd Ire. Stien, his sister, had gone to the fair.
while she we there her brother, John, took rlry ill with pneumonia and they
wired her to eons at once. !.'hen she restated ay stage on 11r return hens, I
was an h4ur and a -half let's, flair way between ay stooge stand and Hrownseille
was slatie store and telegrsph lefties. I says, 'a. 9tien, you had letter
son a wire on to Pd.ubur to He, how John is getting along.' !then the answer
acne isk, her erether was dead. She sent enibeher wire to held the body
over, that she wsuld reach hens a certain time. Then she turned to as
and says, 'Do you think you eon get no there in time for the funeral?'
ionr .rneriennes
s7. 'fPle
-ego 9
232
an thrl -or !)1.1,4. hen he hewn eGOr' Y1 fl J tad
whin zay crnl l tWtt 1ne,flIthetr w1U1 tat; iLts ar with v six -shouter. iut
we vli u1et. o nn 1,14 Ertyt. c%out i.. Aid hn never fAand s)ut who
ilto it, rie evtd net oniudn't Nark with p launch ti ViV“Jti uaan. He ,ut
in his renvtin via :.,u/t
"i rememu-.Y one ttwie 4
rn
svms stole hJWO WAtle fr./A the A.nr
rrnen, .4nd etprted t, thew. lurocb the river to :4u 49Aup, •rtoin 1.
Nelly L,41n of tr;e ners tn t time tii he tin thct the 'exicens
.Neret
p41wIL- ettft to orotin the river lit IP oertf,in oleos. :40401,1.1
t00% his nftn wulte0,fr the in u thicket
4e#
1 fairu-,41.
ell, when the idexieuns
%.41de u run on thew d kiUc the entire butfit. Twenty.-
oevn in *A. Then tney utrGnes un teir nefma v.ad drugged them uo in p pile.
The rrower ti;en euse. to •.ral;fittsville rnd sent other exieuns after them.
They do.f, .ne Rruve 3,ever&;1 feet lun aucI Purled them ell tuether In this
grve. :hey ut cross at eRah end 4f tht erave. This was a wernin- to
the others.
men npAed John diey Ps drIVIIvr tn, str.,4e witn we. This WPS dUrinn
the orlOs Keir in •:11,1cugo. -Alen, his ulster, fled gAte tD the fwir.
Ale ril titre hnr other, John, toll( vlry Ill with nnewAanip end they
wired her
floe. hen she reqwleO .y z;toe eeturn htie,I
was En hlur ono o-hulf ite, Noif pay between y stpge stand and !Townsville
klittie
send. P wire.
tore end telegrvah ofrIce.
UP“4, "vs. Alen, you he'd setter
'Annaurg tc) a ht Jchn 'hen the pnswer
elAe -sk, tier pruther w,141 apy,d, he bent onOliher wire t!) hold the pody
aver, thet she w1d rercu c1t acert-in time. Ttem she t,,rned te
.d svys, 'Do yau think you an !0,et me there in ti7.7e for the fuherel?'
Pioneer riperienses Zook Isis
Page 10
232
I told her I could se we lit est. She says, 'If you ean get ma there,
pay you extra.' I said, 'No, I can't take any extra inky, It's against
the rules uf the stage and I would loose trty Jo* if I did. She says,
I'll see that you don't loose anything.' When we gut within four miles
of Rrownsville there was a bad mud hole in the road, and a new read hnd
been out out through the brush around this mud hole. There were a let
of stumps in this new road. Se one of my horses stualled ever one of
these stui-lips and fell. Well, when he gut up, aoth horses begin to kiak
and run. I pulled up hard on my lines and they both broke. The horses
kept running and suddenly turned the stage over. Then they broke loose
from the tolvAte and ran eighteen miles to Port Isabel before they Stopped.
There we were with the strge turned ever. You know those old stqges were
high ond the driver sat up on top of it u,nd the nasseno:ers and tail role
ape* inside the stage. elL, I had several soaks of mail that would
weigh a hundred pounds. The stage only had one door on one side,
end this door was lying on the ground. When it turned over, it threw
ma out to one side of the road. I wasn't hurt, Just a s Tnined ankle.
When I got aask to the stage Mrs. stien was up -bide -down, with her head
and body buried down between time sacks of mall, and her feet and leFs
sticking strright uo in the air. he couldn't begin to Fat up, the
socks were se harry. I said, 're you hurt?' All the answer I got was
just a mumble, for her bend was Ouried too deen in the seeks for her
to tolk. I was afraid her neck is 'broken. The only way I could repel
i!or was through a small window in the front of the stage, I could only
re,o2h my hands and arms through this window as it WAS too small for as
to get oy body through inside the stoge. I finally reached through
and gut a hold on both ankles and nulled her out. She wasn't hurt but
7Wr:, U.
i-ner Aoa:Intonota Jask Hale
aro)
there we were without a team. I said, 'Old Ilan Cunnin ham lives
about a ile down the road. If you eon walk that far, he has a nice
horse and inw:y and he will take you on to Brownsville.' She said she
sould walk. Un the way down to Old 2411 Cunnina;hanS, she srid, liTow
r. Hale, want you to have Ay suitcase and all thnt s in it.' i
told her I didn't want her suitease. But she insiated, spying there
Vas so etoing in it that I ould oe nroud of. ;Ites aaid she wanted
me to asseapt it as a gift. Well, when I onened it I found a lot of
fine wine, aaottle of whiskey and a niee,leather aurae with a twenty
dollar sill in it. Besides a it of women's elothinr, whl.oh was all
very aloe. I took it home and gave it all to my wife excent thn
liaa r, I keTt that.
"A short time after this I got tired of the staae and loft there,
aiovInL t. uro. iiy wife took the won and went Jri throuAt with a
neighhoor family who was also moving to Cuero. Aaaot P wee later,
started on nith a alit named Jilt Diesman and three exionns driving
one -hundred head of cattle through. One day 7at were Orlv::.• plow, and
found a Aexisan shawl. It WPS sold PS everythin(a, so ii.esiaan says,
'Hale, give ,a.e that sh:wl. I have a Mexican 4r1 and I vaat to give it
to hr.' Aesman Was saahelor. I told him no, and I aut it around
my head. ,ell, it was full of tiny lice just SIS Clack as the shawl.
got 1, del. go 'd and aroler. I says, 'Jim, I'll tell yao whet I'll
do. I'll give you tato shawl for that old cow of y:urs that's always
areaking away fret the herd.' he says, 'You hnve traded.' •i
slioped off and took a loath and washed ;ly herd in coal-uil end that
ended the lice for me. ),e Ory he says, 'Hale,I lieve V,:la damn
shawl is full of hoe.' '3et exaained it and to my H4rie iV”Sip
he took a coal -oil aath.
"Well, we went on for four or five days and ine evening we same
rJeneer Exnerieneeeee :Tack Tale
7eseee 12
232
to n dry creek with a numeser of *lee cottonteed trees gee:wine en it.
ee deoldeC. to somp nnd kill P calf. There wesa cot Den neer ay and
I eet net to find the owner of the piece to get nereissian to pen the
cettle in thnt nen thet nieht. 7Then I found him, he sRid we could U60
the een es lone: as we welted to. leen, we went on and end() ceap in
the aed of this creek. It wes eele ned the north wind vies eloing nerd.
'ee .ede eur beds dawn on the north side of the fire so the wind weuld
not blew the seerks and set the oeddine on fire. -ee hnd teis freeh
meat in a )107' rieht in onno. Whon It (ot dnrk the wolves eegin to
oeme. They hnd retailed the me t nnd 4y the wey they hoeled,it sounded
like the wooke 'WM full of theft. e all had six-shooters wad would
shoot in the direction they were hawling. Th3 next -turning every niece
of tee qent wns gone; those wolves had slieeed. into swap and gotten
it R11, rlo ee fried eeoen for ilrenkf st. They had all left lout one
eig,old lo welt He was about fl.fty ynrds away and when he ae&elled
tha eneon)he k4eein to howl nnd his voice was so oearse end gruff, it
sounded terrilae. I eeys, 'eoys, that old scoundrel writs our 'vaunt'
end I ieked ere ley eiStol end shot. e1l, he Quit Unrkine. it wee
still derk end I had jut shot nt rnndolle. Hut whele it eot deylic,ht,
we found him n little IIIP:J3 from up, deed. 7y ehet had not one
wild, I hod hit the wolf just eehind the ef.-r end :Ailed hire instently.
Geld, ',Tire you owe ae the drinks, I Lure got hire.
ye drove up ti r lit .le Etore et Leanche. There vies
nn old Gereen lived there. He owned n eig .ieeture. tioWever, we
eere in a lone end in this lene wns ard, wrshed-out piece so this
e1d Gerlaan hod thrown eut Rout three corms of his eaetere into the
le. °Mow,Dieselan, here la the 'lace te twee.) I told the
,Texieens to drive the aettle on doen in this wide s et in the lane
2ionoer :&xperienses Jask Hale
Page 13
232
to grmzee About that time here some the old German. 'He says, 'Say,
Mister, whet fur you camp on my ground?' I said, 'Is this your ground?'
He said it was and if I camped on it he would kill and stampede my settle.
When he said that, I had a bridle in my hand, and I hit Obi over the head
with it. I told him I was going to set up and watsh those settle, and I
would kill the first domn Dutchman that some around. He didn't some bask.
"We went on to Victoria and sold the settle. We had paid five dollars
per head for the* and we sold them for ten dollars. Then"Diesmen went
book to Brownsville and I went on and met my wife at Cuero.
"In 1900 I moved to Uvalde County and settled a plase, and have lived
here ever since."
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