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7:.uthier.7-hollon
911,!-qore.
rrant los.Dist,. 7
Page .4' 1
70 240
1..lurne,70,living at 3808 Raoe 9 !blot
Worth, Texas, was born at narts Lamar County,
Texaq Tleburary 28th,1867.
After the death of kis father in 1878,the
family moved th lrown 1ounty and the following
year lurns becale employed by lower& and Wooten
as a sheep herder Two years later he want to g
Pont Green County,Texas and ttore he worked on the
'oatwri-II sheep ranoh/
loatwriht sold the sheep and bought cows
in 1883. 'urns continued to work for 3oatwright
as a cowhand
Aims returned to ?arisein 1884:: and engaged
in farming and trading in oattle,aoting an a buyer
for the nag-ett lrothers of 7iort worth.
7e taried Mary Crowley,in 1894. NI*
child was born to the couple. its wife died in
1918.
nr a
TTis life'i story follows:
an ezehee'herder,00whand,f,rmer.oattle buyer and
am now retired. Tt will not be lone until t am an ex -retired
man. t am now Jast 70. r was born in Pariselamar County,
Texas.Feburary 28th,1867. Therefore. I am living in my 71st,
year.
"My father died when t was nine years old,that was in
1879. The following yew mother moved to rown County,Texas.
nue to father's death,it was nooessary for me to go
workink and in 1879 T secured a job with the !Toward and Wooten
sheep outfit. t workod for hem two years,after that I went to
Poi croft& lounty, and secured work with the loatwright sheep
outfit,
The loatwriTht ou'fit had.about 18 thousand sheep.
They were divide: into nooks of 18 to 20C.
---n?undredjileh were
under the care of one herder, lometimes two herder would work
to •-ether. The herds were kept out od the range sadAhe herder's
lamthier.theldon
Ranohlore.
Tarrant lop.,igto. 17
age i 2
FO 240
work was keeping Cie sheep from straying and on the 3roper
range for grazLke,also, protecting the sheep from wolves and
pimAhers.
"nuring the day the animals would graselthen at night
they were returned to the bedding ground. The bedding ground
wawa Ftpot where some proteetion from the elements was provided,
s*oh as a spot behind a bluff,in a ravine,or a *luster of tim-
ber.
"The life of a sheep herder is a solitary One. For weeks
and weeks,we would not see a nether hamano‘xoept the ohuok
wa -on driver,that occasionally dellievered supplies. Of course,
if one worked with a moth,r herder one Mad him for a companion.
Tf the herder was an agreeable fellow.it was an adventage,but
if he was Ofterwise, a partner was worse than no company.
wife herders always had one co-ipanion. and t partieulary,
that was agreeableekind,faithftl and dependable. That companion
was our shepherd dog.
My dog Jettie,was the pup of Big Nigger. lig Nigger
belong to loatwright and was imported from Tentudky and was
from a pure line imp-rted from gland. laoh of them dogs
could do asyMpia*agewith oattle,but talk and to sons extent
were able to do that. 7hen herding sheep is being considered.
Jettie could do more thaa T,or any other person.
"I shall tell of a few things that Jettie could be de-
pended upon to do. "hat I say of Jettie is true of lig Bigger,
her tither.
lhile sheel are grazing they will keep movig and some-
rauthter.fteldon r.
aangelore.
Tarrant 0o..Dist.. #7
Page 0
PO 240
times will wander too far, or in a direction the herder does
not want the herd to go. Then I wanted to turn the herd in
another direction,thOW the way they rere going, ail t had to
do was to take my hat in my hand and wave it back and forth,
over my head. Jettie would immediately go to the head of the
WiedilOnd begin working to turaNi4-1.2 longa as t kept my hat
waving she would coontinSe working and for the direction t
wonted the flooktto be turned,' would swiag my hat in that
direction. Then she had the flock at the )roper position and
t wanted her to stop r would swing my down. Yes .she would have
made a fair railroad worker.
It is neisessary to switoh sheep from one grazing
ground to another,ia order thit tie grass may replace itself.
in no doin.;, r had a creek to ford. Now, everyone that know
sheep understands that sheep -ill not go into water without
fors*. Also, that sheep will follow the bellwether. To
cross that orsek.without Iettie as my helper.woull have beeS
impossible, A man could not get the Job done.becnuse the sheep
raft
Would/from the water and start back on MA. To cross that creek,
we would bunch the sheep at the bank.when that wen dot T would
say: 'ut them aoross,Jettie", lhe would then jump on the
beaks of the sheep at the front and bark.running back and forth.
That act would scare the leaders and to get away from Jettigo
they would go Lit° the water and on acroes. Me would keep up
that woe until the leaders were to the opposite bank. (If
coures,the remainder would foiloweas is tha sheep nature.
When ni47ht aameaettie would bring the flock in at Vas
Gauthier.lheldon
Ranfelore:
Tarrant 00.;liat.• -7
Page 1 4
PC 240
proper time. 'Is always brought the flock in Just befor sun-
down to have it on the bedding (7round befor gunge,*
At the proper time.without any oommand,the dog would
start the sheep toward the bedding ground. Then they were all
in the doy would its down and there would remain keeping a
8
watch all night,
Wolves and panthersowere one of our troubles,and
out Jettie t woAld have lost a good many sheepsbut with hir
it was seldom a vermin, got a sheep and then it was because
it strayed away from the flook too far.
N.Tettie had.by some leans,learned to imitate a wolf
when quite young. r)ff some piece,T could not tell the different,ø
anl when t herd that yelp, t know that a wolf was in that neih-
borhood, and r could div,end on the yelp. go at night while r
slept Attie would be on watoh. !laity nights r have been awakened
by the doe eomin- to my teat giving her warning of the presents
of wolves bt her yrlp. T would then piok up my rifle and,her
and t, would irole the flock. Iho would lead in the direction
thst she scented the wolves. Ihe,or ourse, scented the wolves
befor they could get to tie sheep,a can't do that, and we
because of her could start after the aniale befor they could
get to the sheep. TheyWolves would scent use oving and skedoo.
!!het shearing season was onaettie and 3ig Ni ger worked
to,Ither and did what would hav rejuired six men to do. "'he
flock to be sheared were kept bunched next to t7le ohnto and
tan sheep at a time placed in the chute to be taken by the
shearOir,
Jettie would work around the edge of the took keeping
leuthier,lheldon v, Pig* f 8
Rangelore, PO 240
Tarrant 0o..3iste,
the sheep bunched while lig Eigger attended to driving the
sheep into the ohute,ten at a time, when the chute gate was
o?one4.
"The real butyl- time for a herder is lambing seasson.
Thorexist peculiarity about mos and their lands. 4 l*XV,
number of ewes will abiadon the lamb. However, it is the ewsra
that that are not in good shape, A well feed and healthy ewe
wiLl not as a rule, do so. Among 1000 ewes, there ts always,
more or loss, those that will abandon their lamb, So the
herder must constantly be on the hunt for motherless lambs,
ranives and all *alluded spots must be hunted for the lambs.
They will die if not oared for in a few hoursospeoially if
spell of weather is on.
e Agate Jettielduring la-tbing season, was worth mo*e
than several Maass. Ihe would find the lambsas soon as the
ewe left it. %ring the sesoa she was a busy dog, going among
MOSOA
the !look and when a lamb was found she would bring it to me
unharmed.
How abandoned lambs were handled by us has been often
asked_ot me when a motherless la -lb is ronaleahen the laabloss
mother mast be foandothe ewe's oondition will indicate the ewe.
To would tie the ewe's front foot to a etob and also one hind
foot.then tie the lamb with a three foot string to the ewe's
front leg and leave t two for about one day. he ewe can't
get away and the lamb *an suck After the milk is dt-ested
ad began to pass from the lamb the ewe will.thereafter, prop-
erly mother her yo,tage
Gauthier.3heldon 'age I G
landblore. PO 240
larrant Co..Dist..#1
One more statement about Jettie.then I shalOWL
sorest ing else. t oould lie down at nightor day. -and always
f7lel safe and contended about the Ratty of my sheep. No matter
what would happen th2t would dewurb the flock the dog would
awaken me. he would tap me with her paw and bark softly.
'leen T would be awoke wee then would bark and trot in the dir-
eotion of the objeot of her notioo. t Gould always tell that
nature of (=Mer it wasth man.verm416, or eomthing the matter
with some shlep. Ti' it was something the matter with 'the steep.
she whuld whine, Li' some vermin she would give forth a growl-
ing barks Se.whon T say Jettie paid ta,k to sAne extent. I
was stating a fact for sure.
Yes air, T don't think there wear wan a notaer dog like
-Teti, and no* Niper•
There :as another pestering element we shee)men hal
to contend with and thitwas the .ownen. They were everlasting
stealing eh -3p and ,.st,rin.- us herd'. *That they did was
dAes for the purpose driving the sheep lea off 6f the range. r
vould till when some human was trying for my ghee') ,beoausertehic
'ettie would 00M3 tc, me with a deep -hroated „mewl. I
Would eh- t it the Uxestion she indicated and scare the human
vermin off.
"'Towever. on' lay a bold oowhand attempted to rustle some
sheep in day liiYht, -e took a sho
t nett rmsee, thinking that
I would get soared awl let aim take the sheep. Ti under estimat-
ed me. I took sevetal shoots at 'Am, In faot,taers was an ix-
ehange of shell*. One bullets went through 117 ooat sleeve anl one
leuthier.lheldon v#
Rnngelorei
T,rrant
Page #19
ro 640
it would make a preasher ouss. ha*. often eaten half eooked
bread. 7ir an the broad is oonserned, it tasted just about as
gA)1 one way as another.
%ate/right soli all of his sheep in 1863 and bought *owe,
continued to work for the outfit. -hat was a welcome hanTs
for le ,beoause T then hat oompany,but only worked as a oowharti for
nine -loathe. lostwri-ht hid built up his herd to 1600 oows
when T quit.
Miring the few liontus that T wlrk4d oa the now reash
ha' a ohanle to make u) for some of the 1nely times r put in
as a sheepherder. rust as sure as pay day v.Illed around the
boys would pull a lirlabbasg. They would drive into town and there
turn themselves loose. Iometimes they become a A.ttle too rough*
I reseal one aeoasion when about 16 of us rushed into
a Una, hall at till town of ?ullman and began shooting from six-
shooters. one in !eon hand. There was a rush t the wiidows by
the gates Them oritters sure made a •vaelmoose.some feet
fist and some flat last. They wore notipartieular how they got
out. T still laugh when that pone gorses to my mind. One tLflio
the law oioked up )(le of our boys,beoause he was too riugh with
somebody. learned about it when we were utting ready to
lAvve town,he was missing. lo we went to the Jail and there he
was.we took him out. ef oourse jails th-se days w're not blilt
1..e they are now.
What I think is the herds* job oawhand has is working
a herd when it stamped's, nifty get started by friOlt,sometime
what is the clause is 11rd to asertain. Lightningeor hail, storm
Va.
Gauthier.jeldon
apeLore.
8'
Tarrant o,.Dint,.!?
?age 9
PO 240
oan star a heed. A hail storm most surely will. It is neoessary
to keep the (fritters moving in eirole to keep the herd from
soatteriag ad at the same time to devert their attention from
tie element that has 'ousel it. Noise of any kind was tried.
Yee staring if rIn can and some of the boys didobut Illike most
of the oowhands, eould not sing. -4 that Gould not stag woad
bowl the best we pouldesaoh as 'yopesstu yi yoi
"As t said a momen'ai,I quit the range in 1884 and re-
turned to Paris Hem's, and starts t I farmeallso engaged in
oattle buying and selling. I was a buyer for the naggett
brothers of Fort Worth. I spent the tim, from 1884 until 1925
farming and treding stook. T eame to 7'ort aorth in 1925 and
then retired from motive btsiaoso.
I married Vary Crowley of 'aria Texas, in 1894. '41
reared one eAild, "7 wife died in 1915. then I have
riad. my home with my brother.