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Elisabeth Doyle
San Angelo, texas.
AA/ME-LOBE
I. E. Stook of Sonora, Texas,
sane from DeWitt to Sutton County
when a youth of nineteen. He en.
good in the ramekins business with
his father when only a lid and nada
the *bangs to Sutton County bemoans
of his interest in sheep. He reo.
late. his ranching asp:miens* as
follows:
"When I was a toy bask in DeWitt County it Nooad
that I was always the one asleetod to go up the trail.
I don't know if I was considered unusually good or not
but I was always willing and ready to go and enjoyed
everything, bard tines and all.
"I never knew of anything that would net off a
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bunch of cattle on a stampede like a polecat. About the
hardest and longest drive I elm made was due to one of
these boogers getting into a herd of 2,000 cattle. We
were on a drive from Livo Oak County to San Antonio,
Texas. We had finished with supper, the riders had gone
on duty and the °tittle were grazing around as quietly as
I ever saw then, when all of a sudden, 'NW we began to
sniff and the cattle began to snort and they were gone.
Like a thunderstorm they roared over hills and valleys,
every cowboy doing his best to stop them. Not a man
slept that night, nor the next. We ran those .114 things
five days and nights. I slept about four hours in that
tins and it rained constantly. I have always thought of
that as my worst experience on the rings.- This single'
to cattle that you hear so such about was as snob to
keep awake as to quiet the cattle; however, I do think
that °little have nerves Just like folks and that the
right kind of music is Just as quieting to them. You will
hear a lot of different tales about this, though, and I
guess most of them ars partly right as this was rosily
done for several reasons and had more than one result.
Koopino loodtion was one of the boot reasons, so one cow-
boy would not over -ride another and keeping up some sou'.
stint sound or noise so any other sudden noise would not
be such a shock was ono of the many very good reasons for
"Some of our hardest drives were made at night. Wo
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would hold the cattle on the grass in daytime and get
what sleep we could, than start out again that night.
"The wild Indians were about all gone by this
time. There were several reservations around und they
were not as civilized as some would think. Every time
we want near one of these the Indians would always de.
'nand something. A beef, a horse or a blanket usually
satisfied them.
"There were plenty of bear, antelope and deer, so
we never lacked for meat.
"te had a tenderfoot come into camp once and he
wanted more than anything else to kill a bear. That was
all he talked about, so a devtlish fellow and I got to-
gether and planned to take him a-buntin°. Just any way
to play a prank on a feller was part of our daily duty.
We had an old gun in camps that would ourty nigh change
ends with a guy every time he shot it. It was kept back
for the new -comers. to got old Betsy out, rigged her up
and gave her to Ben. 'That's the bear gun, Ben, you
never miss with her', said my partner. 'Just hold ler on
the bear, pull the trigger and the game is yours.' 'Fine,
fine', said the stranger, 'I shore can do that.' Sam
looked at me and winked. We were not to be disappoihted.
Pretty soon we saw an old bear standin' under a big bluff,
lookin' just like he had parked there 'specially for Ben
to practice on. 'There he is, Ben', I said. Be was so
excited I don't think he ever got the gun to his shoulder
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before be fired. It kicked him in the chest and knocked
the breath out of him and over ho went. Of oourse the
shot went wild und the bear ran off. Uen was much more
concerned over the loss of the bear than his own injur-
ies. He took it all so good naturedly though, that
when we got over out big hurrah we said that we would
see that he gut a bear. We helped him learn until be
got to be a good hunter and killed many bear. He never
failed to get a. big kick out of every one he ever killed.
"Cue of the best of pranks was to run through
camps shaking a saddle after a new -comer had gone ,to sleep.
Es always thought a wild horse was running over him.
"!lope., I never saw ft WOMart cook in a cow camp but
have seen quite a few women ride and rope, especially in
Coleman County. I knew a 'Ars. Uorris there, who was the
best woman rider I ever saw. he could ride anything,
lust like a cowboy. I always wanted to see her try to
ride an old grey :exican horse. he was the meanest devil
I ever saw, grey with a black stripe right down his back,
just a8 plain as the stripe down a skunk's back. His mane
and tail were black and I thought he was the prettiest
thing I ever saw. I never saw him rode but once.
seventeen year old negro boy named Lou McKnight was the
best rider I ever know and he would ride the old grey
horse until he pitched himself down, then it would be the
same thing over again the next time he tried him. I saw
the negro after be was twenty-five years old and he told
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me he had never found a horse that could throw him. He
was as good a rider as pear Hudson was a shooter. Spear
WW1 a dandy. I have seen him take a six shooter, turn
two birds loose at once and kill them both.
"Then the sheep men started coming into the cattle
country their woTst problem was water. The cowman did
not want to share his water and grass. I have hauled
water in barrels from creeks, wells, rivers or anywhere
I could get it. That was our only way of keeping our
sheep alive until we came into our rights and bought
and owned our own land.
"I would have been working right on with my sheep
now, I guess, if I had not got so crippled up with this
"rheumatim". I was about 75 then and sort of had to
take out.
"I've just had this new brick house finished here
and hope I can spend the balance of my days in a little
comfort."