Document text
Davis, Nita Nita Davis, p.7. Page 1
_ Folklore ,anderson, Tur.rell --Pile 240
NIL/District No. 19 J.43. Words 2185
kl.'-'/IIISC/F1.4 7
1
T:L=II COUNTY
--,Is=cil ro. 19
DOIELOR'E
(Newly collected material
for Special Folklore
volume.)
RATTL11S=,ON MY SHIRT BOSOM( By Bill Holcomb)
"I was telling some paople from Kansas about this ex-
perience with the rattlesnake.
"I had been riding hard all day and was shore tired', I stopped
to rest, unsaddled my horse, hobbled him and laid down on my saddle
blanket to sleep. about a half-hour before sun -up next morning,
I woke up and found a snake on my shirt bosom.
"What in the world did you do?' Well I did the. only sensible
thing 11 person could do. I went back to sleept
"That?"
in
'ryes, and/about half hour the sun came up, the snake got
warm and crawled away and that's all there is to that'll
ENGLISHUINIS CALF
Mrs. Lary Stirman contributed th6 following story:
Dos_landes was an old Englishman who took up State land
many years ago down on the San Francisco Creek.
"He owned sheep, cows, horses, and a few dogs and chickens.
"He was outriding one day and saw a beautiful little
spotted baby calf lying under a bush. Dismounting, he picked
up the calf to fondle and pet it. In his admiration he forgot the
mother cow, so here she mimes and gives him a good hook between
the shoulders that nearly took his breath away.
"The calf is dropped and scrambles away with its mother,
when Carl Clark and 7arl stirman ride up.
111r. Des Landes explains to them he meant no harm, that
the cow misunderstood him, bat that ,he would be very careful and
think twice next time for fear the mother cow may be in the
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brush again:
BEAUTIFUL INDIAN HAIR
The following story is told by Mr. B ankheadt
"I talk to lots of these old II exicans and hear interesting
stories every day that I can spare the time to listen to them.
"This old Mexican died last year. He was 104 years old.
He fought with Captain Burns. Him and another fellow were
given orders to spy, but not to fight any Indians.
"They disolwed the Captain when they saw two Indians at
a water hole eating. They killed them, taking their scalps.
A price of 400.00 was on one of the scalps. It was kept in
Austin as the most beautifUl hair.*
Another O' Mr. Bankhead's stories follow:
TRAIL DRIVER'S SADDLE SHOP
"I have been here in Sanderson since about 1915. My father
was an Indian of the two breeds, Iriquois and Cherokee. My mother
was a Portuguese, so I learned how to read by signs and drawings.
Maps are brought in here every once in a while for me to read or
translate the stories. People are looking for buried treasures
and wish to know if these drawings indicate hidden treasure.
"Indians didn't use gold, since it was an evil omen to
them. Their art was working brass or silver.
"This is the good luck sign dE? in this country. yos
Wilson, at the Cunningham ranch on the Independence, has just drawn
off some drawings for me to read, but as far as they indicate
there is no buried or hidden treasures.*
OUR COUNTY'S FIRST AUTOMOBILE
The contribution of Mr. Hunter is as follows:
Our county's first catIwas owned by N. H. Corder, an
Apperson, Jack —rabbit model. He was manager for the big Canyon
ranch at the time.
Page 3
"Now Mr. Corder predicted the car would be a great help
to the ranchmen, when ever they needed a windmill part, one could
save so much time by using the care that wagons, buggies and hacks
could be used on the place to go short distances.
"He didn't realize that the ranchri:en would move into town
and use the car merely to go out to see how the ranch was getting
along, nor that the car was the real down fall of the cowboy.
"Some think Ed McGinley was the proud owner of the first
automobile here. It was a Studebaker, and that Dr. Hudson was
next to buy a Flanders. Now only a very few don't have cars.
Strange how the horse has passed away."
Another story by Mr. Hunter:
PAINTED ROCK SPRINGS
"Painted Rock Wrings was an old Indian camp nine hundred
years ago. It is on the old Indian Trill that goes into Mexico
at the mouth of/Langan canyon.
"In 1878 Captain Bullis had made a survey of this spring,
having bought up land scrip at five cents per acre. Bullis also
located Geddis Springs and bought many acres near Shafter
Crossing. He thought some day all this land would be valuable.
"The joke is, that some of this land isn't worth any more
than five cents per acre from that day to this.
"This Painted Rock Springs was later renamed by some of
Captain Bunts' officers and is now known as Meyers' Springs.*
WHAT DID YOU CATCH?
Mary Cox Yoas tells us a story:
"I was living on the ranch with my father. He had gone
hunting early one morning and during his absence the regular
duties of the ranch took place.
"He returned from his hunt about eleven o'clock that
morning. The process of cooking dinner was under way and we
Pase 4
were in the kitchen. He came in, walked up and down the room
several times. Then he asked, 'Why don't Abu ask me what I
caught?' none of us answered the question at the time.
papa walked over to the water bucket, got himself a drink of
cool water. He was thoroughly disgusted with every one.
Ta guess I'ought not to kill these panthers anyway."
"Why, Papa, is that what you killed this morning?"
"Tres, and not any of you seemed to care."
"Why Papa, that is fine. We just forgot it's been so
long since you have really killed anything. 141s been so dry
lately and you have failed so many times.
"We certainly „Anita& the question, 'What did you catch?'
riErt
"His stories were more or less the same from time to
time, his dogs put up a fine fight, the animal was killed, bayed
or treed. He killed wolves by the thousand during his hunting
days, bob cats, ffoxs, panthers, and smaller animals. Papa
always kept an excellent pack of dogs, from the time he was a
boy nine years old, something over sixty years of his life
was spent out in the big out of doors.
"Now he tells of hunt after hunt, while he is confined to
his bed,, being eighty-two years old, recalling memories during his
"second childhood days." But always, 'W hat did you catch?' is
tai question to ask him."
A RATTLESNAKE
This story is by George Adams, a negro.
"Weel now, id.r. Pat as you done tole me 'bout II r. Bill's
story of a rattlesnake, I heard something about being still my—
self one time. Me and another fellow was sleeping out on the
ground under a tree. That fellow punches me and says in a
whisper, 'George, a snake is crawlinl across our bed, lay real
Page 5
quiet and keep still.'
"Wall, I lay there a few minutes and thinks to mahsef, 'I
is list got to know if that snake is a comm' or goinl. so
I can't stand this no, longer. I throwed my hands over my head
and gives a big jump, them covers throwed that snake three feet
from our. bed and he crawls off in another direction.
"I says to that other colored boy, 'Say what do you think
I is any way? I can't play dead like you does. I just have to
know where that snake is."
TOURIST
Mr. J. W. Carpenter has a story to tell:
"A party made a short order at the lunch counter. They
seemed to be in a big hurry so finally one of the ladies says,
'Please do hurry, we want to get to A. Paso before dark. I
am so afraid of Mexican bandits, and rattlesnakes, BO the
snakes really get on your cars?' T he reply was, 'Lady you
won't be much safer after you reach El Paso.'
"I think they turned their car and went back East after
that. But you see there is no danger, perhaps the party was as
safe on our highway as they would have been in the city of
El Faso.
"In 1920 the; state marked a highway through Sanderson.
It is now a very excellent road, paved most of the way to our
big cities."
UNDER THE YEED BOX
Dick McDonald's story follows:
”I worked for Mr. Raysor who was a sickly man who owned a
grocery store here. He had hired me to help take care of his
little two -year -old son, Tom Jr. and help with the chores around
the place.
"I was only about ten years old myself, at the time.
Page 6
On Friday and Saturday, I delivered the groceries in the old delivery
wagons driving an old roan horses *tale the Mexican, w“o was the
regular delivery riantworked in the store. His name was Potaso,
a Mexican about twenty-five years old.
"I came driving in shortly after dinner, drove into the
corral. I noticed one of the feed boxes was lopsided, due to
one of the posts having decayed. I decided to fix it, so got a
crow -bar and Caedar:post. After digging about a five inch hole,
I dug into what was oce an old buck -skin sack, filled with money.
I filled my hat with silver coins. Seems that I remember some
of the coin as being very large silver dollars, much larger than
our present dollars.
"I raised up to find potaso standing there watching me.
He says, 'That ain't ycy.J.r money it belongs to me. You trying
to steal it from me.' I will always remember that much of the
story. Potaso frightened me and made me promise not to say
anything about this to anyone. He said he wouldn't tell my
mama and 4guslif I would do this, so that was the proposition.
"Two years later, I thought about this and decided to
tell my father who was indeed angry because I had not told
him. He tried to locate this Mexican and found that he had
left Sanderson and gone to El Paso, where he had started a
grocery store with this money. He returned and took all of
this buried treasure, and placed the post to the feed box in
its proper position, himself.
nly father even lkult6 to E 1 Paso to see this Mexican,
but found that the Mexican had died' from Tuberculosis, con-
tracted from the old storekeeper, Mr. Raysor.
"You see how near I missed my chance of getting. rich,
by looking under the feed box and tryin, to right the lopsided
'old boxo
page 7
A SHEEP
This sheep story was contributed by Mrs.. Van Casey.
out this out of the paper to give to you, Nita, because
Sanderson was the post o'fice for Yr and Mrs Kinsey for years
even if Pecos and Brewster Counties claim him now as their
resident.*
she then showed the writer an article which she had cut out
of the local newspaper, describing a peculiar sheep that had
four horns and had wool like an Angora goat. The owner,
Mr. Al Kinsey, had said that he would like to sell the sheep
for show purposes, and donate a part of the money received for
the animal, to San Angelo flood sufferers.
nDonwt you think that was nice of him to want to help
the flood sufferers by offering them half the price he got for
the sheep?
wrest but Al says he has a kindly eye and doesn' t mean
any harm, well I've seen that type of eye before and it can mean
more trouble than you could think up in years. some of these
old Billies and rams sure can be mean sometimes.
III had hung the family washing out one morning, and hung
a sheet on the wire sheep —proof fence that was around the
old ranch house. I heard a funny noise and looked out the
window and saw this old ram butting the sheet with all the
force he could manage. W411, if I lariVd4 iCshett Voust:1)Aing
it in andrehaAd it in thellvard.: I Pullod the sheet off -the
ten0i4td-hare came the ram with such force that down went the
fence post and over the wire came the ram. D id I Ain? I
should say sooand barely got in the house and slammodthe door,
when bump went the door. My ther rode his horse tip about
this time, roped the ram and tied him to a post.
"'You couldntt tell much about that sheep's kindly eye:
Davis, rita Nita Davis, 1.7.
Folklore Landerson, Terrell
Bibliography District No. 19
File 900
Ta.11ELL COUNTY
DISIzRICT 10. 19
FOLKLORE
A. Bill Holoo1ma trapper, age unknown, sanderson, Texas.
Interviewed December 1, 1936.
B. Mrs. Mary Stirman, rancher, age unknown, Sanderson, Texas,
Interviewed December 1, 1936.
C. Mr. Bankhead, saddle shop owner, age unknown, Sanderson,
Texas. Interviewed December 2$ 1936.
D. Mr. Charles Hunter, Land Surveyor, age unknown, sanderson,
Texas. Interviewed December 3, 1936.
E. Mary Cox Yoas, rancher, age 40, sanderson, Texas.
Interviewed December 4, 1936.
F. George Adams, negro, ranch hand, age 90, Sanderson, Texas.
Interviewed December 4, 1936.
G. Mr. J. W. Carpenter, cafe owner, age 48, sanderson,
Texas. Interviewed December 5, 1936.
H. Dick McDonald, laborer, age 36, Sanderson, Texas.
Interviewed November 8, 1936.
I. Mrs. Van Casey, ranch lady, age 42, sanderson, Texas.
Interviewed hovember 30, 1936.