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Interview with Mr. John Riding, 4003 Harrison.
Mr. Riding come in about 1890 with two other boys to the Frying an ranch,
where they lived in a dugout in a draw that is now the site of a golf course. he
dugout, although it had not been recently inhabited, wss a “pretty good dugout".
For a trunk the boys used flour sacks, in which they kept a change of clothing, be-
cause fleas were so had in the dugout. They would take the flour sacks out on the
open prairie and pin them down with sticks to prevent the high Panhandle winds from
bloing them awoy. When they came in from work at night, they would charge to the
fresh garments in order to get some rest from the fleas.
Une night when the boys were sleeping across the draw from the dugout, rain
suddenly began falling in torrents, drenching them as they slept together on the ground
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before they woke up. then one of the three sleepers moved, the rain leaked in the
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space left left open by the disar ranged "tarp. At last Tom Strirger, one of the three,
lost his temper ard !ricked all 4 -he cover off end, ,ral-hing it up In his arms, mode
for the dugout. he toys, who had been sleening with heir hoots for nillows, snPtched
up bedding and hoots -nd, borefoot, waded he draw. Old nape- and sticks found in 'he
dugout furnished fuel for warmth and he't to dry the bedding. The fleas, however,
did not have their spirits dampenel by the downpour. ih y were siill on the job.
They "just manhandled us. They rolled us over and over", lir. Aiding says of that
hectic night.
The three boys, Will Caufelt, lom stringer, and Mr. Aiding, were staying at the
dugout for Mr. McBride, who had promised them three ponies apiece to break wild horses for
him.
Mr. Aiding had never had any dealings with "such wild horses: hut the other hoys
thought the ani'r.als were"rot so had however, when one of them was thrown by
a wild horse, he "gave up that it wes not so good". mr. Riding recalls that "We had
to hlindfold him the horse, of course) afier he was throwed down, ond then put on
1
a sad -].e and let hir.up stir hlindfolded. remerher the first iime tried it, he
got up and we took off the hlindfoH ard he g-ve a big lerp and 44-rew me into a
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somersault. I rot my feet out of the stirrups, but this horse kicked so much that he
got his front feet in there and he was fastened /e tried the same thing over.
He was the wildest horse I ever saw, and the meanest. I finally tied dawn the stirrups and
tied my coat,to the saddle and tried it a7ain. e bucked for seventy-five ynrds with
me, but somehow sort of got the movement of the horse and tried to keep with him.
McBride called him Blood Boy, and I can truthfully say that,as hard asI worked for
my three po lea, he couldn', hnve given me tha,6neN.
When Mr. Riding was about eighteen years old, he came with a younger brother,
of about eleven years, to La 1"lata, the first county seat of Denf Smith County. The
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party was traveling in covered wag ens,
an old Mexican driving one in which Were
loaded the chuck, other supplies, and some lumber. The second wagon contained
bedding and three other men, which, besides the 4abherslincluded a Mr. Brown.
The Mexican driver had to take a side trip to unload the lumber, so he said, promising
to rejoin the caravan farthe along the route the fawn& following day at sund*r‘rli
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The Americans thoughtnothing of the matter until the pangs of hunger called
attention, to the missing food supplies. Then they realized that the mexicRn had
decamped with the food and that there were about 50 miles between them and met,hkit
anything to eat. It wPs nearly sundown and they were not getting any less hungry.
Suddenly, brown saw
streamer of smoke flying upward near a diernt lake.
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In those days a person did not have to know another to enjoy the hospitality
of the isstern home. The chance traveler overtaken by night was made welcome and no
questions were asked. The caravan sought the source of the smoke and came upon,
the house of an old mutAanger, a friend of Brown's, ifte named iiik Walter rris
Brown.
Wild horses, or mustangs, were numerous on the plains at the time. That
nightlthe old mustanger old 04100.1* stories of mustanging until a late bedtime.
Be described for how he "walked down" the wild horses. The musfmogs would
astt"",
run like "wild fire" at the sight of him but as long as the milt wimels could
see him, he trotted his own mount placidly along. Once the mustengs were out of
sight, he urged his horse into a run. Previow,ly he had mrde wag arrrangements
vith a helper to meet him with a wagon and other mounts at a.designated spot in
the evening. rhe wild horses would run all day until they were neer exhaustion. Be
kept them envy from water during the chase, also. In &bed* about ten days the
mustangs, tired and weak and stiff from constant running, became accustomed to the sight
.of their pureurer, who than prepared snares ervirablide4d milled them about until they
ran into the traps.
When Mr. itiding and his companions first came to La Pita, there was no road
connecting the limp new county seat with the outside world. DaVe McBride ploughed a furrow
frio l a tata to Amarillo so that no one would get lost on the open prairie. The ploughing
of the approximetely 50 miles between the two county seats took two days. Arother
reasnn for the road ploughing was the feet that rt**e law rec-ired ca d'r91"
roads to he estPhlished from each new county seft to the mid -point of the adjoining
county lines.
According to Mr. itding, Mr. McBride was the founder of La Plata Mrs. Leendes
spys that her father, Mr. Dean was the one who established the first settlement at
Riding
Mr. McBride bad many old buildings n down, some as far awry 88 Vernon. Texas, to
he hauled and erected at the site of Ma it.ata. Mr. Riding "straightered rusty
nails for days at a time for Mr. McBride to uie in the rebuilding' -of these old
houses in 148 Plata.
Mr. Riding ,recalls that Mr. McBride had several of the wildest horses, Ivich
he hed ever seen. they were so wild that when hitched to a cart they 'would start
running and he would have to catch them on the fly". They would run"like mad
for a few miles before slowing down to a trot. They would "go down that furree.
to Amarillo at a dead run. When someone warned Mr. McBride that he would kill
the Yrutas, he replied that he "wouldn't care if it did, because they ran them-
aelves, he did not make them do it".
The thr. toya,tiatiWaktfateWtb/04146W14
John ding, were trying at t -1 -e dugout f' -'r Mr. M ide, who had pro ed em that
he would gi
Mr. Riding
them thre
Vs
aufelt,
crass apiece to brae horses fnr him
never had y 'e ling w h "such wi
other boys thought th animals we r "not o bad".
thrown by a wild horse
gave up t
We had to blindfold him e horse
put en
got up
I, get
a saddle and let him up
and we took off the blin
my feet out of the
it vets
rae)
ndfolde
and he gave a
Stringer, and
1 666 horses, but to
of
r, when one Of them was
so rod". Mr. Riding rec lls that
after he was throwed down, a d then
I remember the first time I
g leap and threw me into a a ersault.
led it, he
but his horse kb c ed so -Tuch that he got his
two front feet in the and h. was fast. We tried he same thing over. Be
wildest horse I er saw, d the meanest. 1 f lly tied do the stirrups and
tied my coat t- the sadille and tried it again. e ucked for seve/qty-five yards
with me, bu onehow I s t of golthe movement clihe rse and tried to keep with him.
McBride ailed his" Bl d Boy, and I can truthfuly say that as hard as I worked for
ihree powies e couldn1 hry iven me tIlat one."
Mr. Riiding well remembers his first experience at a.cow camp (Ine day when
I was just c big old boy, I went with Mr.
My duty was to :o off to one side end sort of scare the antelope so it 1WWW11-
the
Barlow out rortb of Amarillo to Shoot antelopes.
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4"
'wild run by ard Mr. Barlow would shoot it. We were waAering along and went over a
hill and began to see cows. There ftesommoossisigifaii4o* was cattle everywhere.
Barlow said Look, there's a cow itfit let's go over and eat with the
I said, 'Do y -u know the? Be srid he did not. Well, I was hungry nnd I decided to
9 just play monkey' and go ahead. I would do whktever he did. Sure enough, the boys
had stopped to eat. We got down fr2m our horses and walked up to the camp. No ore
paid any attention to us. Barlow viPlked up and got him a plate and tin cup and then
walked around to the barbecue. tan filled his plate with met, got him an onion, looked
in the oven and got some bread and filled his cup with coffee. I was doing like-
wise. Barlow sat down by one of the men and they exchnaged brief greetings, asking
each other where they were from. hothing more was said. When we had finished, we put our
plates and cups up and got on our horses and rode off. I can remember thinking that
was the strangest thing I ever saw, our eating with them, uninvited/and leaving without
a word.
Mr. iding knew Amarillo when the ME Texas Jtangers were stationed in the
Izstov"
comparatively new town. They were rimilissood here, as he recAlls, *because of outlaws, cattle
thieves, ',rid robbers". The rangers, with Capt. McDonald end Lieutenant John)...
Sullivan, were garrisoned in a, camp located where the old Nock8arn now is.
The rangers. who were "mnst all nice71001,ing young men who hnd white hrnds,
mustaches" and who wore big guns, fine hoots big hats, gloves, andealifornia pants".
They did not wear uniforms, their sqts heing mnirly of striped or checked design.
They &WOW received a salary of $30 a mokith eaoh,male ammunition and grub mow
being free. They were *rushed +o death by Amarillo girls" as they did not have regular
hours to work and could go 1picnics or parties at any hiat;iklethe day.
Mr. Eliding recalls one instance in which the rangers were called out to
capture an ow law named Bill Cook, who is now in Sing bing. The outlaw and his gang,
comsieting of six or more men, were in the vicinity, but Capt. McDonald did not know their
exact whereabouts.
e did know, MOW however, a family who was reporte d to have
shielded the outlaws at one time or another.
One dark niFht McDonald went to the house, occupied by this family and knocked
Riding
6p
lightly on the window. A woman came to the opening and NOR asked what he wanted.
McDonald, pretending that he was a member of Cook's gang, told her that he had only
a minute as the rangers were on his trail and he needed to get to Cook's hideout for ussimembili
protection as quickly as possible.
She could not see his face because of the darkness.
Not doubting that he VRIS one of the outlaws, she old him where the hideout was and
that Cook and his men were already there.
The :.ext day licDonald and his rangers went to the hidPawry and u.rounded the
lit -le log cabin. be called out to Co -k to surrerder and he would not shoot.
But the outlaw arswered by firing his gun. The rangers returned the fire wieWhIctidaie
with interest. LieNuetenant Sullivan, who vas a six-footer, and a boy of eighteen who
hpd just hecome R full -fled ad ranger, started up to the door. Co -k yelled to t' -e boy to
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back, but the youngster came on, telling the outlaw that he vie going to kick the door
down•.
go
About this time a shot went between Sullivan s knees. 'he rangers, undaunted,
pressed ~0* closer and closer around the cabin. The gang took refuge in the loft of the
building. McDonald called to them to surrender. Une of the outlas answered that
Cook would not let them come down and give themsel-es up. The rangers told the man
to reach dovn his hands and they would pull him down and would shoot Cook to ribbons if he
atte-pted to kill the man for his action. One by one tve mer eame down from their
hiding place, until only Cook remained in the loft. At last he said, *All right, Mac,
I'm coming downs.
Mr. Riding knew H. H Brookes, the first newspaper men in Amarillo.
Brookes had an office in Uld Town until liriery baptorn gave him a lot to move to
'his location for the new town of Amerillo. ArTording to Mr. Riding Bro,kes was also
Mr,
given a printing press. The newsnrper office was locwted at the corner of Seventh
Polk in the new town. Mr. Brookes lived bck of the printing shop.
Ihe inhahitents of kJld 'town were WAIWAktechiidipellebb&WW0cficei&MANWO4
at first against moving to the new townsite and resented the fact that Mr. Brookes
Was leaving them without a paper. He solved the problem by publishing a paper in
and
It
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the new location and one in Old Town, also. In the first, he "gave the folks down
in the old town the devil" for not wanting 1111 Amarillo moved, and in the second,
published material pleasing to the residents of Gld Town, saying that lir. Sanborn
14aslean outsider coming in and trying to break la' the town that the first comers had
worked so hard to build up". However, Mr. Brookes lived up to his contract with
Mr. Sanborn, When the time of the contract expired, he left town, being very unpop-
ular with the citizens of bAh old and new Amarillo. aka At his departure a cannon
was fired and bells were rung by saloon -keepers. Small boys of Amarillo pulled
off stunts in celebration as the train tore the Brookes family away.
I
Mr. Riding has a plitnful memory of the fleas in Amarillo as well as on the
Yrying an ranch. There were so many hogs and cattle and other animals running
loose in the town that fleAs became a great pest. When Mr. Hiding and his wife
attended services at the baptist Church at Fifth and Pierce streets, it w -s
almost imrossihle for them to sit still because of these fleas. The churchhouse,
which sat upon a rock foundation, afforded s cool pl-ce for hors to lie and root.
Fleas from the animals c -me up through the floor and sought new homes on the members
of the congregation.
Some of Mr. Riding's most vivid recollections ard of his early schooldays in
Amarillo. One day Peterson, now brother-in-law of Jmr. and a
friend of his, George Hayden, of about the same age as Burris, decided that thdy would
play hookey and go skating.
The year wrs 1891, SSW during the age in which teachers punished their
pupils with hickory limb$, Professor Woodsen, a red-haired Irishman, who taught
the little schoo at Eighth and Van Buren streets, not only whipped boys, but
girls, 44. On e he lined the grown girls up and thrashed them all for attending
a dance the night before, even when they were not under his discipline.
Knowing the propensities of Professor Woodsen, the truant boys were ap-
prehensive about returning to school t'e following day. They decided to "frame up"
on the teacher. Burris told George that they would take their guns To school and if
the professor startee to whip one of them, the other you'd start shooting. The plan
prAt-5e-
410601511Wit gave them a sense of Saw security. 4 e newt mornimg when Professor
Woodson asked Burris if he had been flaying •hookey, the youngster answered im-
Riding
pude/1+1y, "Yps". The saucy rejoinder aroused the Irish in the professor and he
hauled avvy and wrapped a slate around AO Burris' neck, leading him around by the
frame and laying on the hickory to his heart's content. Burris could do Nothing but
go where the teacher willed, for he was afrOd tvat as head would be cut off by the
broken slate if he did not Follow each enraged tug of the guiding hand. He kept
thinking that Georgkwould come to his rescue with the pre-arvanged shooting, but
Whop never did A hint to the wise lips sufficient for George.
One day when rrofessor Noodsen had gone home for lunch at the noon recess,
the students stood on benches and nailed the te-cherIs*cowhide" with which he
did his whipping, to the top of the building.
When the professor returned, he kihkell&COM immediately noticed the.unusupl decora-
tive scheme. None of the pupils knew who did the trick, when they were interrogated,one
by one.
Somebody has lied, shouted the exasperated professor.
He walked furiously up and down, his coat t-ils wavg agitatedly behind him.
"If any of you bpys want to fight, just come on Pnd we'll have it out, he roared.
Down inside, the hoys were real y afraid of the old teacher. None of them
wanted to fight esnecirlly while he wka in his present state of rind. Dick Stratton,
a studious young fellow, was siting at his desk, absorbed in a hook. One of his
sbnefev II NI
friends, who is now aijrebyteeikan m'nister, spoke up, Prof9.r, Dick saps he
will try you a round".
)71-)-ick jumped up "Untie a lie. I never said any such thing". But he had a hard
time convincing convincing the teacher that he SW did not want to
wiey Anx
Mr. Riding recalls the barbecues which Num earh settlers
in .tmarillo sump,
at which jousting tournaments would be held. Men on horses tilted at rings on
poles. The victor was granted the privilege of crowning the queen or most popular
girl at the barbecue entertainment One of the partici
a.Mr. Neeley, got drunk and kept the other contestapts from Aglir going through
with the tilting, until some one took him off his horse. To prevent injury to
one of these barbecues
themselves, the jousters wore
shields.
Ridings
During the Indian scare of 1890 or 1891, Mr. qding and others made bullets
dll night and the next day after the report was received that Indians were coming
into the panhandle. The bullets, moulded hurriedly, were used later in hunting
antelope and otter game, often blowing the animfls to pieces, either f-om defective
manufacture olr rom an overchare ri of powder. The discharge from one of these
bullets often knocked the firer down and blew smoke in his eyes. One man who
used the bullets i_n his gun vas thought to have beer, blinded by the shot, but he
later recoverPd his sight
kide&Wilie A woman who sta-ted from home with her two little ones to take
refuge in Plata at the time of the scPre, lost one of the babies, it was said, Pnd
went on without it, in her exetement.
For a week after the alarm, watchers were placed -n top of the courthouse at
La Pkata to warn of the expected approach of Indians.
Notes from an interview with Mr. Riding.
The Texas Rangers came here because of the outlaws, cattle thieve, and robbers.
TheYwere riost all nice looking young men who had white hands, musta.hes,
carried big guns, and earned a salary of 00. a month. and amtruhition and
grub. They were rushed to death by the Amarillo girls as they didn't have
regular tours to work and could go on picnics or parties at any hour in the
day. They all wore fine boots and big hats and gloves. They did not have
uniforms cut most of them wore what we called California pants. They were
stripes or big checks usually. They had their camp down where the old Rock
Barn is that White and Kirks are now using. The Rangers did not have an
official cook but took time about. Their captain was named McDonald and
John L..6ullivan was a Ltd.
Once they were called out to get a fugitive, an outlaw named Bill Cook
who is now in 6ing Sing Prison. The outlaw and his gang, about six of them
were in this vicinity but kcDonaled did not know4here. He did know, i_ow-
ever, a family that helped to shield them so one dark night he rushed uF to
the house and knowked on the window very lightly. The wo#an came over and asked
who it was and what he wanted. McDonald pretended to be a member of Cook's
gang and he told her that he had only a minute that they were on his trail
and he must get with Bill Cook for protection as soon as ).possible! The woman
could not see him since it was so dark and he was out of sight behind the
house, anyway, and she did not doubt that he was one of thew. She told him
where the hideout was and that they were there. Next dgy he and the other
rangers went to the place. It was a little log house. They surrounded it and
called out to Cook to surrender and they would not be hurt. But Cook only be-
gan shooting and the rangers firedback: John L. Sullivan who was about six
feet at the least and another boy who had just become a ranger, under le,
started up to the door. Cook madd the boy go back but he went on up and told
the gang that he was going to kick the door down. About this time a shot was
fired that went between Sullivan's knees. But he went on and the other rangers
closed in and they went in. The gang were in the loft of the house and -con-
ald told them ohce more that they must surrender. One of the yen called down
that Cook would not let them come down and give themselves up! He was told to
put his hands down and they would pull him out and if Cook skot him they wouda
shoot him to ribbbns. One by one then the men came down until Cook waE left
cy himself. He said, "All right, Mack, don% ehoot! I'm coming down!"
The people of 14arillo really needed the Rangers and they did quite a At of
good. The sheriff didn't get along so well with theml_cf,
CI well remember my first experience at a cow camp. One day ]wilen I was just
a big old boy I went with kr. Barlow out here north of'town to shoot antelopes.
ky duty was to go off to one side and sort of scare the antelope so it would
ran by and Mr. Barlow would shoot it. We were wandering along and went over a
sort of hill and began to see cows. There was just cattle everywhere. Barlow
said, "Look, there's a cow outfit. Let's go over and eat with them".
1 said,"Do you know them?" he told me that he didn't. Well, I was hungry and
I decided to just play monkey and go ahead. I would do what ever he did.
Sure enough, the boys had stopped to eat. We got down from oukcorses, and
walked up. No one paid any axx attention to us. Barlow walked up and got
.hin a plate and tin cup then walked around to the barbeque. he filled his
platewith meat, got him an onion looked in the oven and got some bread and
filled his cup with coffee. I was doing likewise. Barlow sat down by one of
the nen to at and they exchanged brief greetings, by asking each other
where they were from. Nothing more was said. When we had finished, we put our
plates and cups up and got on our horses and rode.off. I can remember thinking
that ,as the strangest thing I ever saw., our eating with them, uninvited and
and leairing without a word.
Mr. Riding said that there was one peculailithing about this country
and that was fleas. He said that there was no hogs or cattle or animals
here to speak of when he came, not anymore than there were any place else
but he said he never hoped to see so many again. Mrs. Riding s aid that
they went to the Baptist Church down at 5th and fierce Street and it was
almost impossible to sit through the services. She accounted for that
however, by the fact that the house sat upon rocks, for a foundation,
that made the building off the ground. She said hogs stayed under there
aost of the time and those fleas would come on up and get on the people when
they came to church. I 4-4-4 /2- 5-
rlive in a dugout out on the frying Fan, The dugout was down in that draw
Mr. Riding sidad that in about 1890, he and two more boys came here to
about where the golf course is now, he said No one had lived in the
dugout for years but it was a fretty good dugout. He said that they had
what t)ey called their trunks but was only a flour sack which they kept a
change of clothing. Thyould take that out on the prairie and put a stick
in it to hold it down and keept the wind from blowing it away. When they came
in nights they could change their clothes and this was the only way they
could get any piece or test. One night, they were sleeping out acrass the draw
from the dugout. The three were sleeping together. A rain came up and it
came down in torrents and had been for about an hour when any of t em woke up.
When any one the three moved he let in a new leak until finally Tom Stringer
lost his temper and kikked all the cover off and took a load of the cover and
ran for the dugout. 1e had been sleeping with aWboots under out heads.
We all grabbed our beds and ran and i remember that we had to walk on tip toe
end hold the bedding up over our beget Y4,54zeep frot gutting it. any wetter as
as we wadded that draw. There was some old papers and sticks in the dugout and
we built us a fire and got warma eind dried out so& of our bed clothing.
Tho e (7 fleas came to life about that time and they just manhandled us. They
just rolled us over and over. That was truly r miserable right.
We three boys were staing there for 1.,r. McBride. There was Will
Caufelt, Tom stringer and myself. He had promised us that he would give us
'three horses a piece if we would come and break some horses for him.
I had never had any dealng with such wild horses but the other boys thought'
they were good. The first evening one of them got throwed and gave up that
he wasn't so good. There was one that I decided I would ride. We had to blind
fold him after i.e was throwed down. and then, put on a saddle and let him up
still blindiolded. I remember the firdt time tried it he iot up ard we took
off the blindfold and he gave a big leap and threw me into a summerset. It
got my feet out of the stirrups but this horse kikked so such that he got his
two front feet in there and he was fastened.
We tried the same thing. over.
He was the wildest lorse I ever saw, and tiemeanist. I finally tied down
the stirrup and tied my coat to the saddle and tried it again. He bucked for
75 yeE:rds with me but some how, at the very first I sort ,of got the movcment of
the horse and tried to keep dth him. McBride called him Llood Boy and I can
truthfully say that as hard as 1 worked for my three ponies, he couldn't have
given me that one.
110.
In about the year of 1890, we came to Amarillo from La Plata. I
was about 18 and F,y troth.,r was 11. We were traveling in covered wagons,
an old Mexican had one wagon,it had the chucklatches, tobaccoi water ard
food supplies. The other wagon had thehhedditigidibr. Brown and my brother
and 1 were on that one. The old "'e,icr.2 n had some lumber on the wagon
with him and he had to take it down to a draw off the road. He told us to
Lo on and we would meet back on the road at about sundown the next evening.
Finally, however, we grew hungry. Then we realized that the 1.exican was gone
with the food and water and there wa6 50 miles between UB and any more.
It was almost sundown and we getting pretty hungry and blue. Brown saw a
smoke coming out of the lake. He was wondering what it was. In those days
you didn't have to know people to stay all night with them. If you came
up to their house at night you were welcome to stay: We droved up to
the house and an old Mustanger lived there. He was a friend of•Brawns
named Walter Harris Brown. 1 recall that there was horses everywhere.
He told us stories that right about mustAags until we all went to sleep.
He told us about how you "walk down" a wild horse: he said that he would
get on a pony and sort of trot until those wild horses saw him. They
would run just like wild fire and when they were out of seen distance of hiL
he would run his horse like tlat. Everytine the wild ones went under a hill
he would run fast but when they saw hi 0 he would just be trotting along.
He would have an agreement to meet a man with a wagon at a certair place
in the evening. The horses would, have run all day and would be so tired
that tey could drop. He would keep them away from water. In about ten'
days they would be weak and tired and stiff. They would also be sort of
used to seeing him too so he would make snares out of stakes driven in the
ground and would mill the bustangs around until they stepped in he holes.
Tklitifp,111mtiyhe would usually be able to handle them then.
Burris Peterson, who is now my brother-in-law, and a friend of his
George Hayden, both boys about the same age, decided they would play hookey
from school and go skateing. They went to a little school located at 6th
and Van Buren Street and had a red headea Irish teacher named Professor
Woodsen. That was in the year of '91 and during that age the teachers
punished the pupils with hickory limbs. This teacher even whipped the grown
girls and he was so unreasonable that he lined ttibin all up and thrashed
them all out for going to -a dance one night even while they were out from
under his discipline.
These boys were just at the age when they wanted to be bad men and they
were pretty uneasy about having to go back to school next day anyway and
getting their punishment so they decided to frame up on the teacher.
Burris told George that they woUld take their guns and if he started to whip
one of them, the other would shoot. Burris was feeling very secure then and
when they went back to school and Prof. Woodsen asked him if he had not
played hookey and gone skateing the day before, he sassed him and said yes.
This made the teacher fierce and he picked up a slate and broke it over
Burris' head. This put the hate frame around his neck and the teacher
just lead him around and thrashed him good.Burris was afraid he would get
his head cut off if he didn't go with him where- Max he tugged. He kept
thinking George would shoot and save him but George never did.
Ur. Riding told of another inciaent that happened at that same school
and in that same year. He said that one day when the teacher had gone home
.or lunch the kids stood up on benches and nailed Professor :ioodsen's cow
hide to the top of the house. This cow hide was what he used for a hickory
limb. Aihen he came back, of course he noticed it and called them all up,
one by one and of course none of them knew any thing about how come the
whip up there.
*Some one has lied:" said rof. "oodsen. The
Prof Woodsen was raving mad and was walking up and down the school room.
The boys there were almost grown and they sometimes would take whippings for
the girls. This lade the old teacher mad always, and he began ar:out that.
"If any of you want to fight, just come on and we'll have it out' he roLred.
Of course all the bops, way down inside, were afraid of the old teacher, and
none of them vanted to fight. There was a aoy sitting there, apparently
studying whit intense interest, named Dick Stratton. DI One of ick's
friends, who is now a presbyterian preacher. noticed Dick, apparently so
absorbed in study, and he said "Teacher, Dick said he'would try you a round."
Dick jumped up and began to defend himself and said John's lying. I never
thought of such thing. Poor Dick had an awful time convin ing the -teacher
that he didn't want to fight.
Mr. Brooks was the first newspaper man in Amarillo. He had an office
down in Old Tywn..4hen Mr. Sanborn came here, he gave Mr. Brooks a lot,
at the corner of 7th and yolk end a printing machine, to move over and
put out a pa er in new town. Mr. Bcooks accepted the contract and moved
over. He lived in the back of the shop. Old Town was against moving over
into the New Town, of course, so the people where Mr. Brooks moved from re-
sented his leaving them with a paper. Now Mr. Brroks wanted to mae loney
so of the morning, he would publish .a paper in his new office, and uphold the
new town and just "give the folks down in the old town the devil" for not
wanting Amarillo is move. this pleased Mr. Sanborn immensely but soon he
learned that Mr. Brooks was going over to his old shop in the afternoons and
publishing just shch a paper the other way around for his old friends. He
would say that Mr. Sanborn was an outsider coming in trying to break up
the little town that all the old town folks had worked so hard for and tried
to build and had been so proud of. Mr. Brooks was living up to his contract
it Mr. Sanbern, because he had not promised not to publish another paper.
.he go ll to stay until his contract was -up which was much over a year. This
bade hii very unpopilar and fin lly hen he had rrade all the money he neded
he left town. Ax A cannon was fired when tkgyukhfix he left and the bells
of the aloons were -rung. The o, s of Amarillo went in .or cute a celebrtion
as the train •pulled out taking he Brooks' away.
Mr. Ridint is from La Plata, whicia is 12 years older than Hereford. He said
there was no r ad to La Plata and Davt McBride plowed a furrow there. It took him
twO days. He laad it surved before he ttared and sticks put down for each se,!tion.
Mr. YoBride wa't the founder of La Platt. He had every old building torn down
such as liveryistables and old shacks,d buildings amatxtaxmxtaxmxx and hauled them
7 J
there. SOB e brought so far as Ver on. Mr. Riding said he had straightened
1
rusty nails fot Ir. McBride for days al a time so that he might take them to La
Plata to stattia town. Mr/ Riding recialls that kr. McBride had. the of the wildest
horses he had 'vet Seen worked to a ct4t. They were so wild that whn hooked to the
cart they w u14 start running and he wtuld catch them "on the fly". They would.
run like mad ftr a few miles and then Would low down to a trot. They would go
down that that furr4w to La Plata., from Am4rillo. Some one told him that that run
would kill thote horses. McBride said that it wouldn't but he wouldn't care if it
did because thy ran it themselves. 114 didn't make tYem do it.