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miohita Palls, Texas Page 1
tbr3s ?,,15C0
INTERVI N. T drIDEPSON, EAPL: SETTLED, WIC:IITA PALLS; 907 lanilton
Viichlta Falls, Temaa.
"1 eame to liehita Fells in 1883 from Seguin, in South Texes. Where,
in a new town, I had opportunity that I wouldn't hove had down there. There
I would hove had to *it until the old or died off.
"When I came here Seventh Street nea the main street of the town. There
were only two or three brick buildings, which were on Seventh street, tetseen
Ohio end Indiana avenues. There was a stone building over where Saul's store
is nor, on Ireiana. Colonel J. G. Junes started his bonk there.
"The tozal had only aba-,It sever hundrel people in it when I came he -o„
but by 1890 it went to two thousand. Hemmer, the terntaus of the railroad
was moved to 4arrold and the drought came on, and things got in bed shape.
Nearly everybody was broLms and we even abolished the city incorporation.
"I was Going down the street one day, and didn't have a cent in my pocket.
I thouijit if I had any money I'd get a shave and a glass of beer. There were
papers folded up in my pocket, netispaper clippins and memorandum slips, and
I happened to tells .then out andlooked thrgh then, not having anything else
to do. I found a piece of paper folded up which seamed heavier a little then
the other pepers and looked a little less torn. I unfolded it are it MS a
check for #36.65 made out to a client o- mine and given to me for him about
throe months before; however, I had already -aid my client, and so the cheek
was mine. rede deals since than in .W:lich I have mede several thousand
dollars, but none of then looked as big to no as that cheek did then. I got
the s4ve and tho beer, and —veil, I don't kmo7.1„ but I guess I played poker T7ith
the rest of it. There wasn't much to do attomy then, but 'aIn!.-,1e. There wasn't
ruch 7:)usiness, are no anuserxrits. A lot of the people had left, and the population
vw. V. *vino PW; Wiohita Falls, lexas Page 2
lords 2ft040
IIITERVI .17 VIT11RAT HERM= (oontid)
of the torn hed gone down about half.
"In 1886 the ranohmen aroued here leased 900,000 scree of Indian lands
in the Indian Territory. The east part of this body of lead was taban by
Addington awl the Suggs brothers, then Ihirmett and liddillor sad Stinson and
Herring. This was the real nig Pasture. What was Galled the Big Pasture
in the Territory a number of years later was only forty or fifty thousand
acres. I was employed by then to survey this 900,000 acres. QuamahPsm.ker.
with some hraves of hle tribe, came along as body guard, and thek were needed,
"The novas objected to the erroafament„ and after we got startedwith
the surveying we kept he that the KieWRO were coming, and the possibilities
were that they aould be on the warpath.
"One day ,amnah and I went up on a little hill so he co- ld show we how
they wanted the line to run. As we looLed around we saw teenty*five or thirty
lames ride out of the brush, and they appeared to be heading toward our clamp,
which was off across a °reek. ruanah signalled the Nimes to stop, and we sent
down to where they were. Wallah started parleying with them, and he also sear
a runner after his crowd, VAD were mostly over about tho ()amp. They threatened
Quanah, end he told then, "You do anything to me, py young men will get you all."
AO had an interpreter along named Sanders. 3e maid to we that we'd better get
pet *Mere, About that time qOanahls crowd arrived, and there sere forty or
fifty of them. The Biome whirled their ponies and rode back away from us and
dismounted and got their rifles reek; to shoot.. We hustled back to the eanp,
Ye were sure there would be war between than. They posmosed for sometime, though,
and finally the Bloom went off, and iluanah told we we would go ahead with the
line, but he ()hoofed its direction some.
"We went alone through tlx (ley all right, without seeing the times again.
AM, V. i;rvin„ P14; Wichita Falls, Texas Pr., .6 3
t•Ords
ItITEPVI tZNT 40DERSON (oonetd)
But Como/rhea kept showing up, end that nicht when we made camp there were
about five more chiefs besides Quanah end about ono huiered end fifty braves with
tlloir squaw and children, which node about five hundred people in the camp..
end no tellint„: how =Iv loco. odI, there were about five of us white
nen, moved our comp over south of::‘,1uortahes about a mile, figuring that the
lames wour, cote Prom the north if e lett come again„ and would miss us, and we
would not be in be rArop if they hod collo. ell, about ninety of theta dam
from the east the next alornin,s end rfl right on to our camp, end first thing
we lolow no were riGht in the zai'die theca. V efloir-stood streiG:it up•
thouGht ewere conera. 1.7 0 oero not o.r.,:ecl except with pooLttives. One yonwg
brave Grfln tit no rn7. cort of startled to,
:k wanted some cigarette peps
I led in my shirt pocket -43 took the iooe'-et end took. om Looper out end threw
tlac root in my face. I thou ht if I overhead him ty4r himself I'd mo"oe him sorry
for that. TIoe.; let us alone, oral vent over to Luanehits caw, Both sides drew
up in li of betties and Quensh and his chiefs oeol; their women ore children
away, on it sure looked Lilo° they =ire goinG to hove a fight, rk %latched te
see v4:et tho;; aouLd Coe Nil we 'ad: bettor Get out of there. •-•,-e hadn't started,
theoci, uhen uamh soht c meeselter to LiO tc tell us that we needn't be afraid,
that we'd be "all Bare as squaw and :japoose." So that's how we uore clessed as
nonmo 0171b6 ttl ntS T:ley pommel:4d again for sonetires, ere acain the KiCOMIG went
off ult:o.,ut lOtir -43 didn't hove eny more trouble with the limas, but
the Comenches stayed it:: us until we wore headee toward Ped river, away from
the 77,1owe country, end then they left us, telling us we mule be 0.1 right then.
had a pertner working with me --he weson the oeat Gide. It took us about three
nolthe to complete the job.
"The United States 7overnwnt hod t Its.w under which it °mid lease the
Indian lands, so the cattlemen "oed 'hen usino: then and ivin- Vie Indians ()tittle
iohita Fells Terms Pce 5
llords
I'TErVI1 ;ITAT IIENDERSON (oonticl)
"I went over there to the meeting. Ile camped and paid. off all the Ireiens.
la had a pay-off tent where we paid them off. Some of the Indians when they got
their money would come to me PVICi some of the other white men awl ask us to
count their money for them. Along in the evening I was laying down wider a
buy about hell' asleep when an Indian came and put a purse in my hent. I
thought he wanted me to count his money 'or so thinking to have some fun
him I slipped the purse in ry noclast without saying arything„ awl lay
there like I 1w conet back to sleep. U0 still '7idn't say anything so I opened
ply eyes end looked around to s ee who he was, awl he wasn't there. The purse
he had thirty or forty dollars in it, end it les all there. I mover did know
which Indian it was that brought me the purse.
"The Indiana °ailed me Jewlesoy in trying to call my name. Quanah told
me afterwards that when they were about to have trouble with the noires he sent
to Wichita Pt lie to by cartridges. Before I £.:tyt the surveying job oompleted
ere OPT36 back to Wichita Fells Ouarah was down here, and, when he got back he
told re that ey law partner had asked about me. 'newish said, "I tell him when
limas come .:Ierelessy akeddddde dowr. tho road like hell," are he laughed big.
Ile thought that was q-lte a joke on mo. (nanah was a good fellow. 1Then he
was out in his country he was a blanket Indian, but when he oat e here he al.
vows wore white noses clothes.
"Harriette got to be a good town before this town did. They had en electric
plant over there before we did here. ramp ate. Fell did fe-ent thing for
this town when they built the railroad from here over to :lenrietta. it did an
enormous business awl started this town to growing, are it gave 3emp awl Nell
their big start.
Wm. V. Ervin, Pus Wiehita Fa is. TOMS Pace 6
Words 2.040
r,noorll WITH NAT BENDERSON (covittd)
was county surveyor for ewhile. I rim for county attorney in 1896
and was elected It was *genet the low for t'No-so to be am, public gaibliwg,
but it went on just the same. The sheriff and his men were in with the ganblers,
and they had a regular gemblitv hall. I had boon gambling some. and Thal IMOD
elected country attorney they told me they were all right thongs I gabibliksod
they didn't think I amid enforoe the 104 I told lam Imasn't going to gabble
any more they had to quit. toe.
But when I gat in offioe and tried to *afore*
the law Lsoon found I 11a3 at loggerheads with the sheriff and his department.
I couldn't do a thing toward endercinc thelaw against gambling, and it went right
on.
"There vas a little man with the nerve of Bill McDonald we was a deputy
sheriff. His name was Sam Abbott. He and the sheriff got at outs end the sheriff
put him off the force. Sam came to me, and he said if I could get him *nett/eta
position. we could clean up the gambling. I get him ones deputy constable.
we *leaned up the gambling and there wasn't guy gambling to speak of here for
several years•
lived screen the rearm'. One evening after dark I got home I beerd
a lonee't4te and then three shots, but not so loud. Somebody one for me soon
aftwo and said it was Sam AWbott, that he had been shot end killed. The
gamblers got him. Tie knew pretty well who it was, but we couldn't proof against
him. It was a man named Wilson. Be ale the others planmed it. Ivies some
afraid they'd try to get we, and 1 didn't stay inane' lighted roams after dark.
But lives told after Ste was killed that the gambling bumehwasn't after mes
that they got Sent bseause they considered him a traitor to them as he had been
tallith them more or less, or they considered he had as be had Immarithtbe
sheriff's form. Sam was shot with a shotgun bmmied with tmekshot, end at least
on* Vs Brine PVT; 1443h/to PeIls„ Texas
Pace. 7
Tiords ZALL.2
INTERVIEW MTH AT HENDERSON (vented('
ens of the shot went trough his heart* 33 ran a hotired yards after he was
shot and fire his pistol three times at the man that shot him5 before he fell*
*While It es with the In3a on the surveying job we earns on big
rettlesnalm one day* rie vae stretebed out. When !was a boy I had lowed to
grab snakes by their tale and kill them by snappire Voir head off* I grabbed
this one by the tail end ceve frirl a step* It didn't jerk his head offs but it
killed him* I gave him anyther jerk and popped his head offs ask we lower did
find it, After tbst Iles big medioine with the Indiswe*