Document text
Um. V. Ervin, PW; Wic ita Palls, Texas_ Page 1
ords 1.700
NuG 2 9 1938
INTER7IEW with H. D. Stine, Henrietta, Texas; pioneer resident of the
nichita Falls country.
"I came to the Wichita Fells couutry in 1075. There was not
any town of Wichita Falls here, then but the falls in the Wichita River
was still here, but they are not any longer.
"We were in the cattle business, and later in the sheep business,
but the rioe of sheep got so low you couldn't get over twenty.five tents
a head for them, which erAdn't pay the freight. 'we gave our sheep to
the sheepherder to get him to take them away, and hevent onwest.with
them and ran into loco weed with than end lest's-est of them, and so be
went out of the sheep business, toes we went to raising cattle again,
and sines then we brae raised horses and farmed.
"I knew Cal and Ike Suggs. There were eleven of the Suggses,
but Cal and Ike were the only ones of them who could make a livin(-4 and
they made fortunes out of the cattle business. Ike was not Ike Suggs'
real name, whichvas J. D. AO got the name of Ike when he was a boy because
he liked to hear a lawyer by the name of Zeus make speeches so they called
J. Der Suggs Ike for bus. Ike said he knew it wasn't his real lame, but
he didn't know his real name was, all he knew wrs his initials.
"It was like that then about names. I knew lots of men just
by the brand they used, or represented, but I didn't know their real names.
If arybody had asked re if I knew Flyite A, I'd say I did', but if they
asked me by his reel name if I knew him, I wouldn't have known who it was.
There was a 114114009 Into the country tram Lealatama, and we all Galled
him Leatalammit and that was all the saw we know* When be west to get
aa. V. Irvin, IA Wichita Falls, Zsmas
ords 11702
IMIIIINWOMI
Page 2
ximmEriarri H. D. sTigg (eort'd)
married he asked for the license in the name of I.B. Frey, ard they
were not sure he wee the richt MOM4 I've had nen'workrlor me for
several years at a time that I never knew tIvir real names. They'd
have nicknames, and weld all call than by than. A had a man worked
for me for three or years sad all the name 1 knew Mn by was rose. be
vent eff and I didn't see em more of him for several years. non owe
niht somebody rode up to the house OM night and hollered end Gelled
me by name, are a/11yd if he cold stay all night. I said...ills that old
Foss?" Is lau;.7hedo are said nes, but I haven't been called that for
five years. qv name is lus reed. u That wry, the first timeI ever knew
his real name. I had another feller worbod for me tIlit wo always called
Uirtha 4, I don't know sthere he got the names but that was all the 4WD,
I knew him by until one day he tasked me to call for his mail, and gawe
we the nose of Ant Campbell. There was a letter for him at the posterns's
when I celled for his mail, but It had been eerried around so nuen that
It had worn open. I thought, rell„ I world be accused or opening it amd
reaCInc it, anyway, so thought I 'ht as well read -a. It yes from
his tiotIleri end she told him that officers were after him, are for him
to take another name and light out for unknown parte. I gevt, Aha
letter, but A didn't tell him I bed read it. Pretty son he loft, which
kr-IJ: he would, are the boys vas ell wondering why actrtlo hate lort so
eudder, but I didn't let cn like I knew• About five years later 7artha
showed up au! Wanted to work for we age in. I put Mato work on liondayo
but by Saturday I hadn't had a chews to see him by hbaself, se Saturday
evening I told him I wanted him to go with me and fix some fence. Men
we got gluey from the rest of the buneh ewes *Martha, I reed that letter
you got when you was here before, amd editor youleft some Federal offieere
41. V. Lk -vin, PH; Wichita Palls, Time Page 3
Words 18700
ITTTERVIEw IT I 1. D. STrIE (contg)
come here looking for you. I thought I'd tell you, if you didn't
want to stay around here in ease the ()Mors came again. I never
told anybody what was in the letter.' As says, "That's all right.
I want back home an stood trial for that and come clear. It was a 0880
of bootlegging." The next morning, though, when we got up Liartha was
gone -didn't even ask for his week's pay curd we never ewe him again. I
reckon he was lying about standing trial awl coming °leer.
"Cal end Ike Suggs were mod and bad, they were bed men to
monkey with. Together* they killed nine men. They would weylay a man
if they got it in for him. Cal said, "If a man's goin! to get killed
anyway, why let him know about it beforehand?" Their niece ma-ried a
men, and him and
come looking ror
but the man said
I ain't goint to
esether man ot to stealing the Suggses beef, end Ike
then. "e once to where the husbar0 of hip neice worked*
he wouldn't be back till ne,:t year. Suggs said, 'loll,
wait a year to stop him carrying' off my beef." Jet killed
the feller in a fee days, and the other one skipped out.
"Col Zucca like to have killed Burk Burnett, Poaderburned him.
They had gone to Oklahoma to see about leasing Indian lands, and they
hapmned to meet in the lobk: of a hotel. Cal said to Burk, "I understand
you got your lease money back from Washington. Burk see a kind of a
quick...tempered, rough -talking feller, and he says* "That's a lie* you
Cal jerked out his gun end sot at Durk once, but he nissed
him. -the posder burned ':Airk's cheek. Others there in the lobby took
obarge of them and quieted them dorn. Cal said later he had tried to
shoot Burk between the eyes. They were kept apart slime after that.
Burk and hi. friends and family mere afraid the Suggses would waylay hie,
01m. V. Ervin. 1)14; Wiehita Falls, Texas PaLv 4
ords, 1.700
1112ERVIEW hi. D. STINE (oont'd)
and I reokora they would hrave• 't7hen ever Burk had to go where he might
run into the Suggses he took "k,'. T. Tau:one? or 8'17carsftin along, or btoth
of them. 1.io fiorred that the Suggres, who didn't hove a grudge ageinet
Waggoner and Silverstein wouldn't start a shooting with two other pro.
1,aikletit OlitideLiell Blow. One time Burk was making a trip where be thought
he might meet the Suggses, are he ird 1Vaa- one- aril Silve-retein along. lie
had told Viaggonsr r he wanted that along, but him are .a.aggorrar hadn't
told Oliver:stein why it was. They met the Suggeos all right, on the road.
They figured the thigraW38 vrere waiting to waylay Burk till thqr saw who
his oompow vas. They corm along in their buga. As they it by Silver.
atom n hollered at them and waved, and was about to pull up and atop. but
Waggoner and Burk tort the hor1s When they cot by, Silvtarstein
aye. vliby. I thought we'd stop ore talk awhile with Os/ old Mo. I
Waggoner says. .1k)nft you know why to are you are olo? Don't you know
there mlg,ht have been a shooting if we'd stopped? Those fellers arc otet
to get Burk."
"When I came out here there were not any /wee. It was all open.
range. Some people wanted to l'enee in a little lard beforo be wire was
,,isdo, so they tried hedges, but it didn't do very well for fence. One
feller, thouch, he planted a bola Parc hedge to f erne in threo or four
sections, end it made a good fens°, but it Ses a lot of work. .ZIOTI the
limbs would grow out he would turn down ate sort of lace them back and
forth between the tress and that Igky he had a pretty send fenoe which
would hold settle.
"When people started using wire renoing there ewe different
kinds of barb sire. If you had to use more than anew* kind a *store
um. V. brvin, Pj iohita Falls, Texas Page 5
Words 4700
ITiV :IT 1. D. STINE (cont*d)
had, you had to take a different kind, and so you were liable to have
several different kinds of wire. I remenber a couple of those kinds
which would be funny.looking now. One was iust flat metal with a barb
out in it. It would stop cattle all right when they learned it would
hurt them. Another kind of vire had barb that looked like a spur rowel.
"Pence-outtinG started with the fencing because the cowboys
ficured that if a man could fence in his range, he wouldn't need more
than a man or two to handle his settle, and es most of than would be
without work. But when they discovered that the cowmen needed about
as many men to ride the fences and beepthein up and to handle the cattle,
they quit cutting the fences. One feller knew rot his fence out. It
WRS Out one each side of each pot. Looked like some feller had something
that he could out with as he rode along on a horse. The man that mead
the fenoe he just went around ere wired it back again. They didn't bother
we because I didn't have much fenced in.
"There were some shootings and killings over the fence.outting
before it was over with. There were also mime disputes and killings aver
land lines. There were three brothers had some land joining a ranch, and
they had a dlc_ute with the owner of the ranch about where the lend line
wPs. They went out to where two of his herds were building fence. The
three brotiers were in their wagon and each one had a shotgun laying down
in the wagon. It lo'ked like they were prepared for trouble. one of
them, when they got to whore the fence was being built, jumped out of the
wagon and began rulling up apost. one of the eowman's hands wheals build.
Jug the fence shot the men with a Winchester and killed him. Men hekkilled
the other two brothers before they get into aetionwith their shotguns.
V. *vim. Pot Mehita Falls, lexas
Pece 0
rITEPVIEW 12TH !la Da STriE (oont'd)
The7T Pell out of the 'won,nc the tear ,!-mt scar& am route the
hone, where the men's mother and sister were* The aother EOd later
ot in the wk7on and drove over ta where the men were silot. When they
cot there two of the nen mere dead, an6 the other said, °Turn no aver.
I'm shot in the back," Then he died. it men said the mother lost her
mInd. V4e11, it was enough to cease her to lose hr mind to ind her
three son there shot to death, The .ieller that did ht rat a pretty tough
hombre. Out he didn't deny any of it in his trial.
---40 come clear. DA0
of thsthree brothars had been a sehooi teaoher and 1 had o.,e to school
tn litne
"The banana had crult raiding down in this .pert of the country
mhen I came out here. But some etttle stealing oent on. Themen athat
mere stealing cattle then mere mhite men,"