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Gauthier, heldon F.
Rangelore
2arrent Co.,
-)age 1
Eernest Cook, 58, born Apr. 15, 1881,
on the Tarleton Ranch in Wrath Co., Tex.
His father was the ranch foreman at the
time. Earnest began to ride the range with
the other hands at the age of seven. Hs
left home when 22, and secured employment
with the W. Ranch in West Texas. After 8
Yrs., he secured employment on the Hat
Ranoh in N.M. Two Yrs. later, he was ea-
ployed on the L.F.D. Ranch at Yellow House
Canyon, N.M. He was employed two Yrs. later
on a horse ranch at White Oak Mountain' N.M.
After six Yrs., he returned to Texas and was
employed a_ysareod a half on the Swanson
Ranch in Raskell So., Tex. He established
his- OM mat In Beath 004, after leaving the
Swanson Ranch, He has remained tbere ainoe.
rho ranch comprises 1500 acres. He married
Allie Silvers in 1902. Your children were
born to them. His story:
"My name is Earnest Cook, and I'm 56 years old. My birth
took place on the 15th of April, 1081. My home for the entire
58 years has been on a ranch. I was born on the old Tarleton
1)6de
Ranch, located at Bluff, in Beath County, Texas. my father
Wis the ranch foreman. I have one of the old Tarleton Ranch
branding irons in my oossession as a keep sake. T R N was the
brand.
"To tell exeotly when I learned to ride is almost impossible
because my memory doesn't go beck to that early period or my
life. I guess my tether started teaching me to ride by tieing
me on hose with a rope, because I don't remember when I could
not ride. When I was seven yearn old, I was able to ride good
enough to be used as a cowhand, and was used as a rider. Now
you can understand me when I say I actuallt grew up in the saddle.
"I worked on the TarletAl Ranch until I was 22 years old,
and then joined up with the W outfit in 'hest Texas. The eanoh
headquarters were situated on the spot Wink, Texas, is now.
Gauthier, Sheldon F.
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., nist. "7
?age 42
.,C
Widdy Johnson was the owne*, and the brand was a W. I worked for
the outfit about eight years, and then joined the Hat outfit in
New Mexico.
"Scott Robinson and Winfield 3oott were the owners, and it
was located where the Hobbs oil field is now. Their brand was an
0 on the law, the outlines of a hat on the side, and an 2 on the
hip. I worked two years for them, and then joined the L P D
outfit.
"The L F D was owned by an Eastern syndicate, end was
loosted at: Yellow House Canyon L F D was the brand. worked
two years for them, then went 100 miles west of Roswell to a
place celled White Oak Mountain, and busted 'losses on a hoes
ranch owned by Clay McGousle. After busting bosses for six
months, I returned to Texas. I lit in Haskell County, and joined
up with the Swanson Panoh. His brand was 9 M S. I worked 18
months for him, and then returned to my old home in Frath County.
"I began to establish my own ranch after my return. I've
been here ever since my return, and now have a 1500 sore ranch
whore the old Tarleton Ranch was. I'm running 250 mother cows
now. I've had considerable more, and also less since I started.
In fact, just four years ago, I was down to zero but I'm on the
road up again and what I have is paid for.
"From whet I've related so far, it should be evident that
I know something about range and ranch life, and the work connected
with it. I will tell how we lived first.
Of oourse, on a large ranch, we lived in the open practically
all the time. Our bunk was, "The green below, and the Blue above",
Gauthier, Sheldon F.
Rangelore
Tarrant Co. Dist y7
Page #3
FEC
if it wasn't raining. We rolled ourselves in tarpaulins, and used
our saddles for pillows.
"Our chuck ran strong to beans, besides moat. We had all
the beef we wanted because we could kill a choice yearling whenever
we wanted beef, eat the choice cuts, and throw the balance away.
Antelope then ran in herds of hundreds end it was a simple matter
to kill one when it was wonted for meet. 71e ate a great quantity
of antelope booms*e it is tender and excelently flavored neat.
Black oeffee was our drink with the meals, and our brad was of
the best. It was called sour dough bread. The 000kys knew how to
make it right. I have seen to the °over of the camp oven.
The camp oven was made of *tee To bake with it, hot embera were
placed under, and on top of it. Oh say, I don't want to forget
the syrup. We always had plenty of syrup.
"All the rood was hauled in a wagon called the,"Chuolt Wagon':
also the tarpaulins and such other supplies that. were necessary.
I belly. that covers the method of handling the cowhand's chuck.
"The work of a cowhand is varied. One of the jobs I have
often been asked to explain how we determined the correct brand to
place on a calf. Is soon as a calf has been roped, it will begin
to bawl and start to pitching. While it is elevating, a hand grabs
its forefront hoof, and flips the critter on its beak, then
the doubled leg back against its side. In that manner, the calf
is held until the hot branding iron is
"The roundup as you know, is the gathering together of the
cattle. The cattle may be owned by several people. The process
of cutting out the critters wanted is the next step to the roundup.
Cutting out is riding into the herd, and roping the critter wanted.
Gauthier, Sheldon F. Page #4
Rangelore
Tarrant Co.,Dist. .;17
When branding calves, of course those are the critters roped.
Eat* owner has their brands ready, and the owner of the mat would
be ready to place his brand. The question of ownership was
determined by the calf's mother who knows the voice and bawl of
her calf. The calf begin& to bawl as soon as it is roped, then
the mother goes to it. Since the mother cow has her owner's
brand on her, the proper brand is easy to determine
"It requires practice to become proficient in flipping a
calf se well as to rope. Both are an art. I was very good at
roping. We changed hostiles every hour because the best cow -hose
couldn't stand cutting out for a much longer period. A roper
usually had six or seven hosses for his use. Generally, the kind
used were the Spanish end Steeldust breeds mixed. The Steeldust
breed is a racing stock and made the best cow -boss. The Spanish
blood gave durability, end the racing stook gave speed. A
Spanish pony never became completely broke. A rider can expect it
to pitch at any time but the animal understood his cow job.
"Right here, I want to mention the method of flipping a calf
on my renoh. I employ a man on my ranch that can flip s calf by a
slap of his hand on the side of the critter's jaw. He never fails,
and it saves lots of time and labor during branding time. He is
the first and only msn I know of that can flip a calf with his
hand. However, my son has caught the knack, and is now able to
accomplish this feat. I've tried 0, but can't get the knack.
"I enjoy all the work on the range with one exception, I
never oared much for the drive. It was a slow and monotonous job
because it was necessary to let the cow graze, and slowly move
Gauthier, Sheldon F.
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. :19
Page #5
them forward. About seven miles a day wee the average distance
covered. There was a time when driving over the trails was
interesting, due to the Indian menace, but that was before my time.
"One of the cattlemen's troubles that the publio thinks is
over, is cattle rustling. This is a mistake. Cattle rustling
is still being done, only the method is different. Instead of
riding up to the herd on a cow pony and driving the herd off, the
modern rustler now drives a truck up to the herd, loads it, then
drives off to some market. This task isn't difficult because
ready markets are easy to locate as the job is done in a few hours,
and in most cases, the cattle are butohered before the owner is
aware of the steal.
"There were a number of notorious rustlers while I was in
New Mexico, and during my early life on the range. There was an
unusual tnoident that took place north of Monument Springs. A
rustler drove off 200 head of X I T cattle. He changed the brand
by putting a line through the X, making it a star. Thus the brand,,,_
was, -N -I T. He drove the cattle to old Mexico, then returned and
was oaught. Complying with a request of the oattlemen, the
State authorities of New Mexico postponed the trial indefinately,
providing that the rustler would go to old Mexico and remain.
This was done to get rid of him because he was one of the greatest
menaces the oettlemen had to oontend with. The errangement vas a
success. The rustler's name has passed out of my mind.
"One notorious rustler I shall never forget. That person
was Tom Ross, of Gaines County, Texes. He was one of my best
friends at one time. He and I rode the range together end at one
Gauthier, Sheldon F. Page #6
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. 17 FEC
time, he was dependable in all of his dealings, a man who was a
true friend. He beoame one of the big rustlers of the Southwest.
He killed an inspector for the Cattlemen's 4isociation, a M.
Ellison, who attempted to'captuli-Tom. Ross was with his partner,
Milt Goode. They both escaped. Later, Ross killed a ranch foreman
in Utah, then committed suicide. attended his funeral. In spite
of the fact he turned out to be one of the most desperate of the
rustlers and killers, I couldn't help but feel kindly toward him,
due to our previous associations. He had one peculiarity I never
saw in any other person. No matter when you turned your gate on
him, you always found him looking at you. He always metalled the
party next to, and around him.
"In those days, the six-shooter was a part of a man's dress
the same as his pants were. No one would think of going out with
out his gun on. All arguments were settled with a gum. Fists
were too soft.
"I trailed cattle rustlers several times. I shall relate
one chase and its ending. I was working on the Het Ranch when a
herd stampeded during a hail storm, and after a chock up, 85 head
had strayed. we picked up their trail after the storm, and noticed
hose tracks. Those tracks told us that rustlers were driving the
critters. Jeff Cowden, Tom Ogles, and myself, followed the trail
for two days. We came to a oanyon at the end of the second day,
and sighted the rustlers there.
"We expiated a fight, so we approached them ready for action.
Jeff Cowden was in the lead. He had the fastest hose. The three
of us started into the canyon but the rustlers bad been watching
Gauthier, Sheldon F. Page II?
Bangelore
Tcrrant Co., Dist. y7 FEC
And started to riding and shooting at the same moment. We started
after them, and it developed into a running gun fight with a
constant rain of bullets flying into both parties of men. Jeff
received a wound, getting hit in the ankle and the ligament was
cut shortly after the shooting started. I received a bullet through
my hat, knocking it off, then Jeff received got clipped again, a
piece of his collar bone being chipped. Those rustlers were hitting
their mark, and showed they could handle a gun by being able to
hit often while on the dead ran. Jeff was getting the worst of it
because he was in the lead. He was spilling considerable blood
after the second hit, and we called to him, demanding that he drop
behind but he paid us no mind, and kept on riding and shooting
that six gun.
We finally made a hit. One of the rustlers got it in the
fleshy part of his leg, but they kept on shooting and riding*
Then we made the second hit. It got the other rustler in the arm*
I don't k#ow which one of us made the hit. Both the rustlers
whirled their hosses and put their hands into the air. We rode up
to them, and took their guns. We found that one of our hits had
broken an arm bone. The rustler began immediately to talk, eaying,
"hat are you fellows going to do with us?"
"Take you into Boswell and turn you over to the law", we
replied.
"Well, that will be fine. We don't care for rope parties",
was their answer. Stringing rustlers was quite common, but we
weren't that kind of people. After dressing the wounds, we placed
the three of them on their horns, and made them precede us into
Gauthier, Sheldon F.
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. 37
Page #8
FTC
Roswell. I asked them what their names were before we started.
The one with the shattered arm bone said, "My name is Al Jennings",
Another one said, "My name is Clay Foster". They were tried and
given a five year4sentenee, but were paroled in 13 months. We
three cow hands received 800.00 for the capture. The money was
made up by the cattlemen of the district. That was Al Jonning's
first capture and conviction. Afterwards, he became the notorious
bandit of the Southwest.
"Fighting rustlers and attending a herd was a he man's job,
so when the cow hand played, he played as a he man. When work
didn't prevent it on pay day*, the cow hand went to town. The
stories about shooting up saloons are true but when the boys
practiced shooting, using the bar target, the damage
was always paid for with interest. Thera was one exception. That
was when the barkeeper did some nasty trick on the bunch, or just
one of them. The smart bartender soon learned not to interfere,
but to let the boys have their way, as he knew he would be paid
for all the destruction, and some in addition. I've often seen
a bartender pull his apron off, and throw it with the keys to the
place to the boys and say, The place is yours. Have a good time'.
"1 married Allis silvers in 1902, and reared a family of
four children. They are all married now, except the youngest.
He, like his father did, is starting his life on the range but he
will miss the rough part of it.