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Range -lore
Elizabeth Doyle
San Angelo, Texas.
RANGE -LORE
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Zones Miller moved with
his parents from Gonzales to
Belle County at the age of 12
years and worked on his father's
ranch until he was a young man.
Indians were numerous and mr.
Miller wonders yet how they escaped
their savagery when neighbors suf-
fered, all about them.
"The earlier days were made up of hardships and
dangers," says Zones Miller, retired ranchman of Ozone,
Texas. "People may say what they will about the good
old days but I don't know if I would change back to
them if I could. When we first came to Belle County
we were all so afraid of the Indians that we hardly
got a good night's sleep. BO, we escaped, when our
neighbors all about suffered from their dirty work,
Pose tee
is more than I can understood yet. I well reamober
the morning when our nearest neighbor, whisk mmet have
been some twelve miles away, came to m7 rathoes deer
on foot and wanted him to furnish horses am& Ma II
search for his horses which had been stoles in the
night. Father got out his best nags and they lore
soon off. Mother was worried ,all day, fearing the
Indians might slay than all but they returasi *best
sue -down with the horses sad all were tired and hmogryw
They had come upon the horses staked out sad take* them
in the temporary absence of the Indians. Mother
pared supper which consisted of black coffee, trolled
beef, and bread baked in a dutch oven on the +male is
the fire place.
"Many horses were stolen all about us and I goose
it was just pure accidental that me *seeped these am&
other dirty deeds.
"Ulm& I was about 13 years old I &flooded small
country school in Belle County and remember the towhee
looking out the window at one time and them leftist
back at the children in such fright that the smallest
child in the room must have notided his ashen rase. MO
walked to the door and barely opened a arm* large
enough to peep out. Some of the children were Oleo*
behind him. He was trying to be calm and not frighten
us more than could be helped. When he tamed bask to
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give us instructions he cautioned us all to not be
scared but to file out the door as quietly as possible
and go in an opposite direction from where he had seen
the Indians, telling us that the school house would be
between us tad the redskins until we could get to a
certain home where protection and help could be had.
That was the quietest bunch of kids I ever saw. If
they breathed at all no one heard them. We went right
on to the home he led us to, without being molested.
We never knew what their intention was as we heard of
no ill effects from their being there.
"That was a bad part of the country for all
kinds of thieves and outlaws and the better class of
pioneers were at constant warfare with this lower
element of people almost as much as with the Indians.
One old cattle thief had "squatted" on some vacant
land over in the timbered section and was Just clean-
ing up on the cattle over the country. The citizens
got together and sent him a note explaining what you'd
happen to hie if he was not out of the country by a
certain time. He sent back the following reply: 91
am 4athering my cattle to leave, if you think you can
take me, come awl get me.' He did leave and we all
felt that we were rid of ono of our worst enemies.
"After I was about grown I worked on another
ranch near my father's and had many varied experleaces.
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"Lightninc was one or the worst frights to the
herd and caused the old time cowboy more hard rides
than most any other reason for a stampede. Just as
sure as a storm blew up and it Lightened enough to play
around on the cows' horns, away the old devils would
go. The hardest ride I ever made was on one of thee*
occasions. Those old longhorns ran about fourteen
miles before we ever stopped .then. We were certainly'
one tired, hungry bunch when we finally circled and
circled them until they stopped. There were 2,000 in
the herd and we started about 3:00 o'clock in the
morning and rude without a bite of breakfaat or lamb
until about 3:00 o'clock that afternoon. Our horses
were given out as well as ourselves and when the cook
sent out a big seamlesa suck of boiled beef and corn
bread we all expressed ourselves as enjoying the best
meal of our lives and I still think of that ma my best
meal. The seamless sack was of home:Tun, woven around
and around in ane solid piece and generally used for
grub sacks. The cattle were pretty well run down and
grazed tLeir way buck to camps without further trouble.
"Any experienced cowboy knew bettor than to strike
_Lk match around camps after dark. imlways rode off
from the cattle to light our smokes. Singin' was our
main pastime. A fellow would sing until he gave out,
then turn off awhile to let some one else sing, then
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come on again after awhile.
"I had a little dun colored striped legged Spanish
horse that was the best I ever saw. He had more cow
sense in a minute than most horses have in a life time.
He would breast a cow into place and turn her every
time. I penned an old fightin' cow with him once when
every thing on the grounds had failed. He pushed her
right on into that pen but when I got down and tried
to rope her she made a lunge at me and over the tones
I went at a speed that would have shamed any old long-
horn. 'Why did you run so fast, Jones,' the boys yell.
ed between laughs. "Cause I couldn't fly,' I says, and
when I got on my horse again I stayed until I got that
old heifer roped.
"Our boss said to us one day, 'Boys, you'd better
be savin' your wages and buyin' up some of this cheap
land, it's gona be worth something some of these days.'
I was only 19 then, carefree and foolish, so I says,
'Hell this old poor land never will be worth a damn.
All I want is a horse and saddle, a pair of chaps and
a job.' Later on in life I thought well on what he
had told me and began tryin' to do as he had advised.
Probably that is one reason why me and the kid there,
my wife, are enjoying the comforts of this good home
here in Ozona today. It is steam heated and modern in
every way.
"It hasn't all been roses comin' to this bit
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of luxury- raisin' a family and all- but memories of the
worst hardships are softened by the blessings which some
with a well earned rest, so the kid and I are tryin° to
enjoy the rest of the way as muck as possible."
Rengeloro
riisabeth Doyle
San Angelo, Texas
BIBLIOGRApre
Jones Ifill•r• Ozone. Texas, interviewed november
lb, 1937.