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Range -Lore
Elizabeth Doyle
San Angelo, Texas.
n 7 cft i.e
RANGE -LORE
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Noah Armstrong, Ex -Texas Ranger and retired
ranchman, came with his parents from Lincoln County,
Missouri to Bell County, Texas when he was only ORO
year old.
"My childhood", says Mr. Armstrong, "was spent
on the open range with my father, who owned the first
horse ranch in Navarro County. Dealing in horses
made our danger from the Indians much worse than any
other business we could have been in and on moonlight
nights father would give the hired boy and me a gun
each and he would take two of his best guns and we
would guard our horses. is usually had about 1,000
head. Many were the times that we fired into Indians
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sneaking upon our horse camp at night. Usually a few
shots would frighten them away and we had only to be
on guard on moonlight nights. On one occasion my
father was severely ill and had only the hired boy and
me to put on guard. Mother insisted that she take
father's two guns and go out with us but he would not
let her go. I was only ten years old at that time
and had been helping this way for two years. On this
particular night the boy and I wc;nt out and you would
think the Indians had known father was ill. We hadn't.
more than settled ourselves until we saw six redskins
coming up to the horses about half bent. We opened fire
as we had done before but we must have been too scared
to hit them or they saw only the two of us, as they
rushed into the group of horses, mounted one each and
rode furiously away. We fired again as they left but
never got one of them. Father had heard the shots and
mother said he was too delirous the balance of the
night for her to leave him long enough to come see a-
bout us. We never heard of our horses again, but
father recovered and lived until I was about grown.
After his death I got a job on the Slaughter Ranch and
my boss sent a Mexican boy with me to take a bunch of
horses to Erath County. When we delivered them, the
fellow gave us a check for them. Our boss had sent word
that he make out a certain amount to us so we could get
home. We walked ten miles to the nearest town and when
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we presented our check it wasn't any good. 4e were both
just a couple of kids and didn't know anything else to
do but start hoofing it in. The Mexican had 350 and
thought we could live always on that. His lack of con-
cern was as provoking as our plight. I didn't have a
penny and was as mad as an old wet hen. The Mexican had
kept his halter, so he sold that for a trifle and felt
that we should be able to make a trip around the world
on that and his 350. He made me feel that he was doing
me a great favor to share with me and help me to get
back home. He bought a bottle of molasses and some
crackers and this was to be our fare for the several
days we tramped our way back home.
"One night after we had walked all day we lay down
under a big tree for the night. I was tired but it was
a moonlight night and to this day I get jittery on moon-
light nights. The Mexican fell asleep at once but tired
as I was I could not sleep and kept feeling that an
Indian might appear at any moment. After I had rolled a-
round awhile though, my exhausted condition got the better
of my fear and I fell asleep. Pretty soon I felt some-
thing nudging me in the side, thinking it was my partner
I opened my eyes to see a big bear standing right over me.
how I ever remembered that I had heard a bear would never
molest a dead man I do not know, but for some reason I did
not move but lay so dead still that after sniffing and
nudging around over me for awhile he went on his way as if
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nothing had happened. I was too disturbed to sleep,
though, and as I lay tossing about trying to rest my
weary bones I heard foot steps creeping up to us. I
sat up as two big ugly Indians came up and told me they
were hungry and only wanted food. I knew their manner
too well to refuse them, so I gave then the syrup and
crackers and they went on their way. The Mexican slept
right on through the whole thing and was sulky and angry
next morning when I told him how I was forced to give up
the food. We made it back home, finally, and our boss
thought by our being so long that we had collected for
the horses and left the country. When we gave him his
check and explained about ours he was plenty sore. Be
finally got his money but it took him a long time and
had joined the Texas Rangers before I ever got mine
for that trip.
"Ulan I joined the Rangers in 1876 my company was
stationed at Pecan Springs in Runnels County. Our cap-
tain got orders to look out for one Bone Wilson. Be was
an outlaw and had killed the sheriff of Erath County.
Captain Sparks took us out to scout around and look for
him. Finally we struck his trail in the Santa Anna Moun-
tains and trailed him across the Colorado River through
Salt Gap and on by Rock Springs. We lost his trail there
and could not pick it up again. After several days we
heard of a mysterious bunch around Snyder, Texas. Captain
Sparks took five of us and started for Snyder. 14 came
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upon a big plum thicket, some ten or fifteen acres, and
us we went around it investigating as best we could, we
saw a new trail leading to the interior. Ice were sure
this was the place so we started single file down the
long narrow path. iihen we rode upon them, a cousin and
brother of the outlaw were making coffee and roasting
buffalo meat over a campfire. They gave up readily and
told us that Bone had gone out to kill a buffalo. e
hoped for as good luck with him as there was a 41500.00
reward on his head. e had always rather bring them
back alive if possible and he had boasted that he would
never be taken alive. Captain Sparks left three boys
with the prisoners and took the other fellows and me with
him. We picked our way back to the outside and he station..
ed us around the entrance, telling- us to wait until he had
called, halt: and if he didn't surrender then, to shoot his
horse from under him and he was sure that would make him
give up. e had about an hour to wait before we saw him
come riding up with a sack of meat and two buffalo hides
on his horse. 'Halt: halt: Halt:* shouted our captain, and
with the first sound, A.lson's buffalo gun went to his
shoulder as he pulled the trigger. Ho would have killed one
or all of us if a bullet had not hung in the gun. AS he did
that we shot his horse from under him, but instead of giving
up he fell down behind his horse and pulled his two six
shooters, firing as we shot him.
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"The other three boys were told to take their pris-
oners to jail while we got some conveyance to carry
iAlson's body buck to Erath County for our reward. We
got a wagon and some harness and used our own horses al-
ternately on the long trip back. Vie put the body in the
wagon bed and piled mesquite bushes over him and started
about sun -down that day. traveled all that night, all
next day and part of the next night before we got to Cole-
man;there were no roads nor bridges and not many trails,
we Just had to take a course through the woods and do the
best we could. One mull was sent on ahead on horseback to
select the best crossings on streams and he would often
have to go up and down a stream for hours before a place
could be found for a wagon to cross. Just before we got
to town we had to cross a little draw and the moon was
just bright enough for the Indians to be out. to were
leading our spare horses and pack mule and when two big
rusty Indians aptang from the bushes with knives in hand
to out the horses loose we let 'em have it. This brought
several arrows from the bushes all around us but no one
was hurt by them and ull the Indians ran except the dead
one.
"We vent on into Coleman about 10:30 p.m., exchang-.
ad our wagon for a hack, which was a much lighter vehicle
got d few hours sleep, some black coffee and bacon and
started on before daylight for Erath County. We reached
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Stephenville, turned the body over to the authorities
and received our reward. The state had offered 000.00
while the citizens had donated 000.00 and a section of
land. This Was rightfully divided and one of our boys,
Gus Young who fell hair to the land, still lives on it
and has done well.
"On another occasion we were stationed at Double
Mountain Fork above Fort Griffin. On moonlight nights
our captain would send us out in every direction to
scout around for Indians. One night when we had gone
fifteen or twenty miles from camp, we struck a trail and
thought at first that it was a mustang trail but as we
followed it we came upon a smouldering campfire and the
remains of a buffalo. Part of the hind quarter had been
out away and roasted. e proceeded further and came upon
a row of Indians going dorm the path single file. We
opened fire as, we were accustomed to doing and killed two
of the Indians. They returned our fire as they ran. We
chased them right on into a.white camp and found to our
dismay that we had been chasing Government Indians who had
been sent out with United State Officers from Fort Sill to
show them how to hunt buffalo. We came pretty close to
serious trouble and did have to go into court over killing
the Indians, but it was settled in our kavor. On one of
our skirmishes the mAptain sent two of us boys out around
Paint Rock. bout half way between Paint Rock aud Salt
Gap we saw a man coming riding along meeting us. When he
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got within about forty yards of us he opened fire with
winchester and we of course returned the fire at once.
Lie fell from his horsesran to the side of the road, jerk-
ed off his boots and died almost immediately. Le' went
on into town axle got the officers who returned with us
and identified him as one of the Taylor boys and told us
that he must have mistaken us for the Buttons, explaining
that an old family feud between the Taylors and Buttons
had grown to shooting on sight and that my partner really
resembled one of the !3uttons very much. This Taylor boy
had always said he would never die with his boots on, was
why he jerked them off.
went on many bear, deer, and antelope hunts.
We enjoyed them all and always brought back the game.
"Once, a new fellow by the naMe of Wylie joined our
force and was showing off his skill by doing what he call-
ed the John iesley Hardin stunt, which was to cock his gun
as it left his hip and shoot as he came up with it. Some-
how the gun hung and he shot a hole clean through his hip.
It was only a flesh wound and soon healed but we guyed him
about his hardin stunt until we nearly ran him out of camp.
"I shall never forget the first time I ever saw -San
Angelo. There were six -hundred negro soldiers stationed
at the post then and I thought it was the blackest town I
ever saw, with nothing but saloons, gambling houses, and
dance halls.
"to had been Indian scouting an the plains for a
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month and Captain Sparks decided to go into Angelo. 'cox
got into the Sarg. tiasworthy Saloon and all got to
drinking and gambling. Our boys seemed to lose heavier
than usual but we considered it all in a day's fun and
made the dances that night. In one place we were danc-
ing around and a negro soldier danced right into one of
our boys. We looked around and saw a whole bunch of
negroes dancing all around us. There were about thirty
of us rangers. ce grabbed bottles, chairs, gunepany-
thing at hand, and started knocking out negroes. This
broke up the negro part of the dance, but the feL who
got away went to the fort and reported to Colonel
Grierson, who was at our camp by daylight next morning,
demanding Captain Sparks to apologize to his negroes.
This so infuriated Sparks 'that he replied, 'To Hell
with your damn black skunks, I can take my thirty rangers
and whip every damn negro in your whole fort'. The next
night a bunch of buffalo hunters came into town, shaved
and cleaned up and made the dances. The negroes, backed
by Grierson, were laying for our bunch. When the buffalo
hunters appeared on the dance floor the negroes turned
loose on them and killed several before they discovered
it was not our men. Colonel Grierson reported our. Captain
to Captain Steed at Austin nd he was discharged. I have
heard that he died seeking to get even with Grierson.
"In our ranger company we had many good shots but
Booger Hod was the best rider I ever saw. It seemed the
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horse never grew that he couldn't ride. I have seen
him ride 'am when I could hear Lis neck a poppin' every
jump and often wondered how he came off alive but he
always did.' I had an old steel dust horse I always
wanted him to try. Be was the meanest horse I ever saw.
I finally traded him to a boy who was famous for break-
ing wild horses. Be thought he had him pretty well broke
and traded him to the sheriff's brother at Cisco. Bs
went on pretty well for awhile so the fellow broke him to
work to the buggy. Just when he thought he was safe, he
took his wife and little boy to church one Sunday and as
they were returning that blamed horse threw one of his
old time fits and kicked everything to pieces, threw the
man and his wife out and kicked the little boy in the
head and killed him. The man had his brother, the sheriff,
to sell him to the highest bidder, who happened to be a
bronc rider who took him to another part of the country
and we never heard what became of him.
"I attended the first funeral ever hold in Coleman,
the one which started the present Coleman graveyard. A
Doctor Shannon came to Coleman and established a small
ranch, on Home Creek near Santa Anna. His son was left in
college to finish the term. When he was through school
he came out to his father's new ranch and was delighted
with the cattle and the whole business. His father had
penned one of the biggest bulls to treat him for worms,
so the boy went to the lot and admired the fine brute so
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much he decided to get in the lot and pet him. He had
not more than entered the pen when the bull made a
fatal plunge at him, ripping open his abdomen and gor-
ing him to death. This was the first person ever buried
in Coleman. The doctor sold out everything and returned
to ChicAgo. 3ome fifteen or twenty years later he re-
turned to Coleman, had the remains' taken up and cremated.
"The second nun to be buried there wus murdered.
His name was Polk and he wau killed. near Coleman as he was
going up the trail, by aurly headed Tom Smith who had
differences with Polk, and when they mat Smith dismounted
and asked Polk to fight him. It is thought that Polk was
unarmed when Smith shot him. I also attended this tuner
ale
"I knew a couple of Englishmen, Frank and Claude
Anson here in Coleman in an early day. Their father was
-r1 nd owned a whole town in 2nglund. They told me
that their father collected rents off of every house in
that town and that it was a large town. He had given
each son 0.00,000.00 and they had bought ranches north
of Coleman. Neither of them had any horse sense and so
were not very successful. All the English people I ever
met trying to ranch were the most ignorant people I ever
saw.
Four of them came to Abilene with some money to
invest in ranches. One old cowboy took advantage of
their ignorance and told them that for 400.00 each he
would give them a year's training as ranchmen. They bit
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and he took their 4500.00 each and worked them nearly to
death that year as common cowhands.
"I knew Tom Ketchum when I saw him and while I was
not too familiar with the details of his scrapes I have
heard that he wasn't as bad as he was painted and that
he was driven to some of the dark deeds which he was
said to have committed.
"I attend the Rangers' Reunion in Dallas every
year and am among the oldest. Last year I met one of
the old boys of our company. I thought he had gone on
but we were happy to meet and he gave ma the words to
a favorite old song, "The Key Hole in the Door". Vie
used to sing it on the range and it was considered a
little off color then, but not in these .modern times.
"My love for the open range was what sent me out
this far from town to build my home, and my exposure
to cold and the lack of shelter on the range made me
resolve to die in a good house, so I built this big
house of my own native rock here at the foot of Robin-
son Peak, *kw:tithe chill of winter never hurts very
much.
"I still have my old buffalo skinning knife and
the tie pin I am wearing is made of an arrow head nearly
as old as I am. One of the jewelers in Coleman mounted
it for me in this beautifUl gold mounting.
"My pipe I still light with this chandelier. Just
strike this old piece of file against my flint and this
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little tight roll of cotton which I carry in this car-
tridge hull is always dry and ready to light from the
sparks, so I'm going down my last hill about as near
like I would have it as most anyone I know. My wife
is dead and my children all married;but my turkeys,
chickens, cows, and sheep are good company and I'm not
so lonely as one might think."