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Bange-lore
Elisabeth Doyle
San Angelo. Texas,
iiI
RANG -LORE
Page one
W.J.D. Carr, old time
rancher of Sherwood, Texas,
was born in the Indian Terri-
tory before it beams the
state of Oklahoma. His father
was prineipal of the Broomfield
Academy, a govermmeat sehool
for /Mien girls, sad Mrs Carr
was tea years old before he ever
sew a white. *hilt*
"When I was a small biy in the Indian Territory,"
says Mr• Carr, "I got the fright of my life. My tether
was a very quiet, dignified men and our family had never
been seeustomed to much excitement, even though I was
Page two
reared within a mile's ride of the painted Indians and
wild buffalo I never saw either. But to tell you of my
fright, we were all seated around the supper table when
all at once we heard foot steps and the rattle of spurs
on our front porch, then the sound of heavy treads cam-
int, right on in our front door. 'Rands up,' sounded a
deep, gruff voice ane we all looked at father and saw
his hands go up and we did 117-ewise. 'I or General
rice,' announced the deep voice, and we only want
food.' 'General Erice,' exclaimed ny father in friendly
relief, 'then we are friends, I am from Texas too,' and
at that the general smiled and ordered us to put down
our hands. Friendliness followed and the general was
eIfusive in apologizing, saying that he had had so many
dangerous experiences that he was not taking any chances
when he started out for food.
"I guess I was a pretty tame guy when I grew up
and hit Texas as a ranch hand in my twenties. I managed
to start off with sheep though, right here on Spring
Creek, which was some tamer then the cm business and
sort of helped to toughen up the soft spots before I got
in with the real cowboys. I was with the Stinson and
Chase outfit end we took 1500 heed of sheep to Central
Kansas in the dry year of '86. We crossed all the big
rivers between here and there and found them dry. There
was no grass, just lv;ves for the sheen to eat. It reined
in sight of us nearly every day we were out but not
drop on us. Truly we felt like the children or /srael;
This trip was uneventful except for the memory of the
drouth's severity. After I returned I got a job as
cook for the 4 -Cross I.'s. I worked there quite awhile
and managed somehow to keep them fret knowing that I
was es. green as I was, about the cow business. It *One
time for the boya to go into Ban Angelo to eslebrsts and
I went along and j?layed my hand pret*y well. at WAS*
wi ignorance, for I knew there was no end to whet %Mr
would do to um if they knew I was half as green as i was,
I bought me a pair of chirps end big het and was delft
my bit at helping toot 'en up LO the days when Seat Aftele
was considered wild and woolly. I can tell you -21414 now
though that there wesn't half as mush danger la sea
Angelo then as there is now.
"I worked my way into the good grimes of my boss
and soon he was sending me out on the drives just like
the other boys. He sent me with a hundred heed of settle
from,L•mar County to Mason and sent a negro boy along to
help me with them. That 'BS the sleepiest negro I ever
saw and I had all the work to do, myself, and try to
keep that boy awake besides. I drove them right darn
what is now Main Street in Dallas and had to hold than
over for the Trinity River to run down before I could
cross. we held the settle three days on the onset grounds
where the Centennial was held. This was in 1881 Oat
Page four
iJallas lacked e lot of reaching out that far then.
"Like all old cowhands I had the usual and some
very unusual experiences. The wildest stampede I ever
witnessed was on the sem eappi Banoh in ialson County.
We were delivering 1,000 yearlings to another ranch and
had camped for the night with the yearlings all rounded
up and as we thought, about ready to bed down. They
were all still but just bawl, bawl was all we could hear.
All at once that bawling °eased as suddenly as if they
had every one been shot at once. Several of the boys
had laid down and were asleep but they were old cowhands
and at the sudden cessation of the berling one boy came
to his feet shouting, 'Look out! Stampedell lie hadn't
more then said it than they were off like a thunderotorm.
They went right through a v;orm rail fence and piled rails
ten feet high right where 'the boys ley sleeping. We grab-
bed our horses arid were after thorn at once. They were
easier to control than crown cattle and we ;et them stop-
ped for the night in time to get a pretty good night's
sleep after all but they were the wildest, 1Jorst soared
things while they were running that I have ever seen.
"The biggest round -up I ever saw was in Fay of 'El?.
It had been dry in '65 end tee and in Ney of '87 we had
rain in ola Tom Green County. Cattle came from every-
where, even hundreds of miles across the country. It took
three dors to uork the round -1n), and for each owner to get
his cattle.
Nig. five
"Cowboys had many dangerous imperious' and, narrow
escapes, like down on the Middle Coneho onee we were all
watching a bull tight between two big old Spanish Bulls.
After awhile one out did the other and seemingly to cele-
brate his victory he ran under Buis* Porter's horse and
turned him completely over, Luck was sitting sidewise
on his horse and it looked li*e he went about ten feet
high. As he mine down right on the old bull's horns he
was grazed clear around the stomach and only escaped
death by a miracle.
"speaking of Imglishmen„ I bare heard that Claud
Anson who ranched all over the west wee in direct line
for an Larldom. He specialized in fancy polo ponies end
ha b eaten at our wagon many ttmes.
"The knglish people were very ensuing. One of them
who ranched near us had some'of his "blooded" friends
from the Mother Country to visit him and they walked down
to our pens one morning end one of the fancy guys rased
book ane said to me, botcha t50.00 that negro boy
can't ride that big bull tying over them' 'I'll take
your bets' I soya as I winked at the boy. 'Get on him
lying down now,' ordered the smart men, and the little,
negro looked at me with all the misciblef In the world in
his big eyes. I nodded end Pete crawled on. The old
bull lazily got up, stretched his tail and started walk-
ing off. 'That's the bull that Pete rides after the
zilch cows,' I said. In deep chagrin the Englishman paid
off and left,
Page seven
saw a horse throw him*
"Jimmie Craig was just a.kid in our bunch and he
was a wolider for distinguishing horses* He eould identify
and tell Something different about any horse out of hundr.
reds and he was never mistaken*
"I felt so sorry about on other boy, I wont tell
his name but he was a good boy and just happened to fall
into bad company and get in jail* We had for a time
through here, a self appointed vigilance committee
(Vigilantes) who were supposed to aid the law in suppress-
ing cattle rustling, etc* They abused the cause of their
duties as is usually the case*
When this boy was put in
jail they rode by, threw a turpentined, lighted ball
through his cell window and shot him by this light as he
lay asleep on his bunk.
"The Ketchum boys were fine fellows to be around
just in a social way, but they were of a reckless, devil-
may-care sort, who thought only or easy money. The
Indian Territory was fertile soil for them in the boot-
legging days,
"I have also seen quentrall end his men around
Sherman, when they were said to have been on one of their
prowling raids*
"I knew a woman once who worked for the MeCrowans.
on the Pecos for several years making every one, even the
boss think she was a men* She really had a little beard
Pogo eight
and looked for all the world like any other lowboy. Her
regalia or get-up was perfect and the could do anything
any other oowboy could do. Melly she tell in love
with the oommissery sergeant et Fort MeXavett and warrisd
hir. They were both *Guested dudes and I -guess too mueh
alike to get along, Anyway, they separated and several
years later one of the cowboys sew her at a dance at
Ben Ficklin all dressed up fit to kill and he eased up
to her and said, 'Jack, what in the hell are you doing
here like this?' 'Like whet?' she asked. 'Why, like a
woman., says he. 'I've been a women all the time,' she
told him. 'My God!' exclaimed the cowboy, 'Let me out
of here to the fresh air.' we never knew of her trying
to pees as a boy again and never knew the reel clause of
her doing so that time but she certainly made a neat job
of the set.
"There is nothing I enjoy better than the stockmen's
convention at Fort V„orth., Lest year I saw two hundred or
more of the old boys on given name terms. '11171 John,'
or *Hello Bill,' could be heard on every side.
"I went beak to Meson County in 19235 end walked out
to an old worm rail fames that I had split rails for in
IWO. 'I'm going to take: one back to Spring Creek with
me,' I told my son, and I just put it in my oar and have
it standing up in the corner in that room there now. Soma
time if I lire long enough I hope to write a book about
myself, of all my ups and downs."
Range -].ore
Elisabeth Doyle
Sea Angelo, Texas.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
W.J.i). Carr, Sherwood, Texas, interviewed,
November la, 1937.