Document text
7:44
Conthiar, Tieidon
,langelere
Tarrant ao 'nat.!?
Page #1
James •SWAB, fi,iivbg et 3913
nallaap it.. Part Nav**. Tex., was born on
a tame at "ells Om** is 41mso es"fts"
!me 15.14086 Ills tether, 'tows* '381"1
SthltS;, mod land and aultlested a smell
treets also raised eattia. Sams 10'. nuns
beget hie now ears., working only daring
rowdily pertain. Theis later, worked as a
steedy espial** licz the "wan ranch. MI
witnessed a gun battle between two Notions
of cattlemen Is the streets of nano. Me
tomiested his range esireer to engage is
fuming, shish bia continued to folios t)*
major part of his active life. Nis story:,
"Ny age is lad have lived ail of the yeers in the tone
"tar State. •Z was born Nov. 18,184111, on a farm located is 7.1ase
°aunty. ly father. Jaws *Rae ShitItn, bad settled on a trast
of Vaal is -44110 smutty, on fells' aro*, near the Stafton settle.
nent. r was roared in that Emotion of t -e (*until, ani went the
fore part of\my life in Vat losality.
"Ity father lid little farming, raising soya. *heat asti ve-
getables ihr oonsumption on the fare. Ile also raised some Gotten
ibr sale. nestles his faraingi father ran a few Gatti. on the open
rouges vbs.& soot everybody did in those days in that softies.
`Thit land ho oultivated was tensed is, with split rails, to
keep slitters off of the field. The Alois **marl, was a eattle
range, lurinfr the liays f my early life, fed the few small Gatti*
voted, fields thA existed were towel against the Gatti'.
°Mari were sale ritIht port ravishes in the seetion aye many
email greaso-pot outfits. The names outfit was about the largest
ran in the lasso county territory, with the 'Iulloss, Harman
r and John barns remises running up in the fair else outfits.
tktsrnheldon Page
filas gel ore
'Par:last 0o. ellist.t?
'iv% lived sort of ram" life. one. that was without tamer
fixings, but we had pleat!? okt ,7004 shim,* oak Warn elOthee•
Pw as nest was ooneerned, there was p'.enty of that at all tine..
Reef was on story $iang; all we had to do was, piok out a fat Aar
ling. vspo, sad butcher it. U4 gam was takOn nearly as *amity.
',ear. antelope, wild turkey, and wild fowl of limy kinds. were
plentiful in that seetioia. 404 is am hours tins at hunting ono mill
bring book !KM game eneu" to last amoral dap.
"rather relsod vogetables• ewe end leleet fol: the flettlY needle.
so food was not a natter to worry *bout* Cut Ot has were home
clad* ani 1110ther did the folehtet, using cloth that father bought by
the NIelt. rhos one of us got rigged out with a now rigging we
were as proud as a peactook ort4 ready to rio sally -hooting.
"Woe, the.oattle business r learnfid as easily as I learned to
waddla on my pine: 17hat fleets are that if a buckaroo wanted to ...7o
someshere he had to walk or ride a twitter, an4 the nost likely
animal to ride was, a hoes or mule. If one started to dreg sone-
lobar* on his hoof*, it would talcs so long to got there tent a
periwig we likely to forget sent be want for. It was not :as it is
todoy, with houses in the country every fourth mile, or closer,
and sone burg or town ovary few *Iles. The distal.* between places
141 thole €1471 w•re Cron .6 to 16 ail's. tnoighbor five wiles away
was rookoned a seer nefieshor. instanoo,. sot counting ak!
gra-dtathor Shutt*, our nearest neighbor was tali 'Neves an,
1.5 silos away.
"I learned to ride a hoes soon asI had a hankertiv' to efP
Plaess, and that was bsn I was amound. sight years old. 'iis I
Nut hie: lde
Bangalore
Tarrant Co..list
rosehed ago of 10, r mild do a port Job of riding me bias tat
the lariat,
711y first Job with use for the rope we looping a yearling
for beef to aso is our hone. .Ratimor told se to show hin Ant
kind of *wheel VI nate by bringios is a critter for beef. r Val
around 10 years old, and that request made as fool nighty inpor.
tent, !male good and broils:* in antes fat writter of the year
lifris oleos, with the *in sal innards ranovedi am4'the °aflame
slung **rose the horn of ay saddle, ifter that Job was lone in a
port AN. NW father fined no out with a single barrol, ausule
loading rifle, and r boom ,the family huntsman when the,' hankered
for wild sines r would ride out over the wintry to the leeatinal
vizir* the difforent kinds of gene woes and in that war T. learned to
shoot. "%ma t woe /2 years old repaid des port Job of plaiting
lead with ay old imassIn loading rifle.
"One days during apt twelfth peer, father fixed as lap vitt%
*seek loading rifle sad east as o* to cover tho range, ant aeons
tho naverieke were a nuebwr of old 'stem And balls that soul* not
be sold for bier beeline* or their ago; sad, to dieter the rumbas
of Those eriAtere, the renehere would kill the 4111 Store mrhan one
sea net ap with. /hove nosey horse Wore a senses to the other
settle and there were immoral. spiod around owe vises. o r was
sailed on to do the tilling, and killed lb in Shur fispe• The
critters were skinned ad the eareaosse left for tho bussarde ad
ether wild orator*. Sine of those steers weighed 1400 pound*,
and their horns .1weeirsit up to ems feet from tip to tip.
*The folidtiin;rser• r wet to mark for the ISM* Oittlit
%lathier lhe Ida
Angelore
?arrant flo.,niet•i?
during the roundup, as as extra hands 41 of tat outfits in Vast
eeetioa worked together Cala the roundup, morilasig f'ros ono 10-
eotion,to anr)their until the whale eeetion was warted. A part of
t!wp 7-auttle rode the raw*, gethertatt the settle, all drovio the
salami.* to V:* roundup owe. A the saaP, other, herded the settle
until viva lore worked and all unbraaded stock Sias branded. alirt4111
rider* ate Vo *Latins out abLis *there hanaleCthe 121011*
*The slaters t'16t 414 the outtlsg out INIV• opse biers. top ,lanele
and rode top hones. Vesb °utter bed *trier peattotuit 10 house
sal would ohmage musts *bout IRA UM. beams,:pitting leo* was
real tough oa a hoes. 'rah sash orator looped 0, hose 11411 plass'
under strata shin it flopped the estual. ?he t otos would sit oa
it's haunehes the aoseat the rope lit over the glitter, to braise
itself, *el wham the mataal rouble the ind of iple rope It would
go into a spin; but the hoes mall get a jar *aft time,' ?be re.
psoto4 strata, besides the 'melee the h°611 "Illirat ie. 116*6
tushrred the but of hems..
"r got a heap of jey satahlag the (tutting lit work 1141, ig
later ware. always doing it sweelf, wad was reit pert at shot t
welled the putting sport, eepeelally whea strut/4W on 4 good
nutting hoes.
4sehile thishirm about autttag bAsates. the 10 of training a
hose to do outttur work (maw to ay atad; laria rattling
about* Training a hoes wee dowelsy a rider teep4ag a wild stage
sad thee• id,th Vie saddle it of the rope tied the kora of the
eaddies the rider would leave the gain*. isavil the *Atter and
boas to fight it out. The hoes am! steer would !ipo roma sad reuse.
Gauthier, "helion v. Pegs td
Ham:Toler*
?arrest PTO
ft mare* the hoes zepultn't be set Oar the pull that the steer
would Ave it and the hoes would go does. About the tine the hose
at to it's feet, down it would go main, After the hoes raes0,04
three or four sushi spill*, It began to sort itself itr proteetioa
and would brass against the pall, ft took about tour of welt teals
for the hoes to learn it's losses anoi get set the moment the rope
left the rider's hands.
"After the claire, and other aabrawdod erittore had ?emerged
the irons that vitro rtzwaing in ewe eeetios, the **liters sirs
turned loos* aid Val ere, malt move to another loortienag
"Turing all that spell *fens* we lived Li the oPeS011410Plag
rolled up to our blankets and using tha saddle for a pillow,
'The sow outfits in that esetiou worked together in a givers*.
way, doing i0out all the rem* work. Thor* were riders free ow*
of ths outfits that rode the ratge at all tines, looking *nor
the herds. watohing for injured, bogged *ad siek twitters. Whit
a -rider found a arIttsr that wooded attention he gavot it *regard*
lose of lime the animal beamed to. There was 4 Moused milkal
for bundtee of eattla that wars straying too far; also, taring
Spell of bad weithet titten lb* *vitt tire began to drift for Waited
all beads sort of joined in, salty the *pantry to drift the
eritter* bee% that had &fagot too far off,
"whoa a ranober-wentad a hum& of *titters for the sarkedi
his hands would have to out *le saismas out fro* olot4 the silica'
breeds that were =Wag the rests,
'Yhere were two things that kept the realhers with their
loathers* ery0 peeled, mad that was for.rustlars stoelteg settle
Cauthelse. Imoidea Page #6
hiageltire
?arrant ao..,ist.i 7
owl rndiass stealing -tomes and eottttng other depredstiows.
"The Indians *fultakered after boom, ant would 'sneak is when-
ever thong was a ehenoe• so we had to be eo-totaatly on tqe watch.
over our hossee. There wee a oval of tin* in the ?Vs whoa the
tallow raided home, and it wassi.t safe for the sea folks to
leave how* *aloes thoro were others oho mild give protostiew.
'tly grandfather r,shults had two raids on his ptsse by the
/Mises. Oats time the radians Mt off two of his homes. and the
other tine thfsp stripped his ego* patois, tt the tine. the Wises
took his home, he octal have shot the rod -Mine. but he thought
it ass solghter, 3tU raold, until it was too late. Bill had a
*Lek shim at the time, and solo may rides to graisdfatber is plat*
for hem reasites, whieh grasikeothor was pert taloa fixing. Alas.
he vauld us* grassifathorts bosses for a trip to tows. '‘icaudfather
heard the riders* b1.1 thought it was VI* Amidst and didn't shoot
Whew he *mid have killed the ratitswe easily. The following sora..
tag a party of hem* trailed Vto roams an4 gat one of Vim* bat
the houses were gas*.
'CU the opposite *id* of Long moustalis. from *ore we lived,
was tbo Thitlook featly. The radios* ease in thus one sight
and killod &Li but two of tie tautly, also bunted the house. were
of the doprodatiow was *Oat out, and tie next aorsieg a portrof
settiors lit out after the raiders. to Ow party' were two of
ay macaws orabiewther ..:Iiikwittew seas, till Arnold. two Noose
boys, father sad t. We hunted that seurttry for the mum two
ewe, sod little past woo* of the, seem, der we ism up** party
of tedious asloOp in the .IshodO of a trio. Of wares* as dila%
Osathier. lbeldes "1*
Reagelare
Tarrant 00.0Let.,/
Page i"
know that they were the depredators or eat, but we dida't ask
any quest ow* We branded the reaskins fbr late *tonal raaarr
and went home mortals that thoss'Indiane malt met raid dekr sore
hones.
"treed./ e *morose ineldeat that happily,' et lila* um,
Mountain, Shish will give sane Mee of vhat the early settler,
had to eonteed with,. The wife of a settler was sitting before the
firepocee of their hose, aouldbar bullets* ghe had a ladle of
hat lea* ready to put into the ballet mould, whom Mks hoard
Soiee seder the house. There was a week lathe floor where Was
was eitting• avid into that smack she poured that het lead* The
sound of %SW etth a painful impreeelos ease tree nailer the haloes
followed by a liaise that indicate& someone wee ereative out. IV
weasee haeteat reekosed that it was as relies trying to tiro the
house. lo he wad his wife grabbed their rifles and ran outside*
trusting to get a 'hot at the fellee6 when they remelted the out,-
elle, the -two people saw a party of mounted Wiens riding easT.
"The rustler trouble resorbed a point in tat eentios• et as,
time, leallo it wOO not safe for mate to talk about either side of
the queetio** There wee pa organisation of two bottoms the
'puree' awl oraetleralk• The opadities was so tante that one had
to keep his trap eloped or get breaded, or be beamed from the
*wintry.
"If a party received a sotto* to Leave the mastry, from
either sass suah party had to lame the eoustry pronto, within
the time limit, or be villing to have his hide punetared ase his
ft/made put to the trouble of diggiag a little beie for hie* The
Cauthlor. ?loam r.
Rangolore
Tarrant Co,„i'ist 0,17
P* 18
1r1/3
territory ineluded,Leintr gestic* was ammo and Wills eountLesk
rn thie soetion, thin. were sevoral people ebo were meobors of
MO or the other tonics, who left the mountry burr/Way, and ewe
who were not weabors• k!ono folks stayed, 'tor totting a.netiee
to leave, hat were taken out of eirculation se a reward for Mails&
*01,* day, teas talking 1-4' a sotool Washer named Reed, a
•t anger who had *am* to the mottos to tee* *shoot. We U*P-
paned to meet at Ulis wages yard. ant, %her* wore several other
moons staadtag around w•An war were talking. lurini our talk he
gay* his mind about the killings sad said it ought to to stopped,*
The following Woodsy mrausing he was walking on path neleg to
his sabool awl moo te a pieta* of Meg tied to a string, hanging
to a pole that had b4ut plaeod overhoad woes the path. 96
paper was written tho following message: trefep your trap Obut/.
Le replaced the paper after ikting, Oa stran4or hsPO and
need advise, *Nuke'. Mar that ineldest, the toolbar rifted to
talk about anythimg. 'slept the weather, and vas careful shot be
said about that.
"A nma named lees -was telling a number of people, at the
Wagon yard, that he Gould put his hand* on the parties who were
nixed up in a oerta/m killing. ',MU' a week after that telk.
while riding to where hie eon wae,fixing a cattle pee sod ghee
within 100 yarle of the pen, his soa heard a Oct; looking up, he
sew his fathom falling out of tut saddle. The boy ran to his
father as! found Uts deed, with a bullet hobo Ls his heat.
fattesaaai a real battle botemen several meabore of a
nwitlor testi**, one der while in 41.01,* Jibs Xestill was at the
thuNthisr, °holden r
Rengelore
rrant Co /list J?
Page f9
1PIC
head of one side and Aft Kern at the other side, in that
battle. Most of the parties were related by r'rtags and 'hal
hoe* working togyither, It seemed that eons of the mat *ors ea.
ousel by the others of snitehing.
wee standing in frost of the Jim saloon talking
to ZIA, antl he was telling si• that he exported to a** some es
°item*, bemuse there were wawa of about 25 sin gunning for
each other, and that if t!ley got started hell would be popping.
Just about the time be finished talking, we !lased shots that
sounded like a hunch of firearasksrs exploding, Gni the fight was
on.
"rn the 'next blodk from the saloon, one *melt lea borrisalted
in as old shaft; and the others were es the outside attaoking•
shooting from 'Nehind ewer. liartly's nephew started to run train
bechild tree to a saver stager to the she* and was killed by a
bullet out of his uncle's guie. I said to riatupe, when the boy
started to edge out from the tree, 'if that boy makes a novo into
the span, he will he branded sure as hell% (lure enough, be
badeN made three steps until I sew bray step to the doer abi
throw down es hi* and the first shot put the bey down, dead.
/tartly was shot at and hit three tins*. while standing is the
doer asktag hie whet st the boy, but none of the abet were sister
sal be stepped beak into the sheik.
"That shark was just a lom-40ard building and dids't ere
any proteetion to speak of, but Just hid the boys fres view as
the attaches's bad to shoot at motes. Roamer, several of the
bey* who awe barrisaded got slaked. "act the fightteg had gene is
Coughlin, Mtalden P. rag* 1,10
3angmlorat
Tarrant P/0
for about 30 mlnutee, it elided with one deed on eaoh olio.
Rartly's nephew an4 reirtloyhimmeif. *ho voesVged s sinter hit
aftor eteppin, book into the *hank. The fie* etbpped 'hen t'le
deed age wounded had roughed a isobar nhiah reamed the figlAing
ore, to two or three on eadk aide, and thos• were anxious, to *nil
It quite u they *mid give attention to Swot, wounded pals.
*11,4rrybody stayed at a We didtaneet while tho figkting was
geimq as, but an noon as the firing stopped a Grated gathered
around aod gene aid to The wounded.
*Mat fight eort of cooled off Cho killing*, and free that
time *smatters beams mom orderly.
14 last nesting plata* wee on the .$14teels otttftt* 'bare Twee
working when t quit the range to go to firming. WhiGh wee is LOW.
"The Iuneas outfit this ran around 4,000 heed of (settle. read)
to the nuncio outfit, was the 14.300 sere likanklin rang,, the
tailless sx4 'tannin outfits 'verb *beat the two largest outfits is
that motion, at that time.
"There wan a tolerable lot ebony took plass bottoms the Use
mem r aria started to murk on the rang* and she* r quit. lier
one thing, the longhorn *raters wore being repleeed by it differ-
int breed of enimals. !!be Witte fees Merotores bogie to dhow up
on the meet rendes wane being fhnoed. end maverieko were so mere
to be found. If Gatti' we stoles. the iSs besdiled tbs *ter;
and a parson could ewy What was on hie mind about rustlers, with-
out getting a none* to drag out of the manta.
*At the time r quit, TIMM mmgrte4 and living is s bassi on
taw risen, ohiskiras a let different frma Livia( laftimi 4 ahaek
4'
Cauthier, °Theldon
Raagelore
Torrent Co.,"iatd,
wagon. In feet, the Ltfw on the ramp had turned flip-flop;
all that remained the sees vas the riding Oyer tbo rouge kooPIMP
an eye on the settle, breeding. NW a routloa wort. Tbo danger
of stespeteirmas preotioallygome, bonuse of the ditthrenee La
eattle mei the bulltieg of femme. ?he top Itandawore still to
be toned, shiehlnere the !woe riders, ropers an shots.
The hastiest man with s silcgua mee John Tiraedes, oho orcoltei
for the oaten outfit. lbw :ebn *ever took ala, but jugt-eredked
den. whin he shot, he kept his Ore on the object he vas ehootiag
at, all on the ges sena to the right valtie• it moat five. 74
erten *Ole and. bells, the its. otaarbles. and threw three of thole*
Ls the eir at one time. As °mild bunt the three belle before their
bit the Wound. Ift wage also, the best distesee *hot that t lino*
et. That maa oosla JOAO' diatoms, amd knee the proper elevation
to bold the gem better thas any pewees that I ever met up with.
Brendeereould put ballets into a target the else of e dollar, at
SOO yarde.-Iter that matter, ell the old reakides lire good shots,
"so tar as 'Mug mae •••••1•414, to be a oashaiii one had to
be good Mat. Certainly, there were some better than otbsolti
some volhe steed Amy out in front. Jia Nome was one *en Oho
eould de anything he please' with a hens. 11 seemed that hese
knew t4at it had .eleme to *au atm loose got hold of the entail,
''llopitv,7 use ay leng, suit; that Imes tops in. ?he kmeek
eeme to as **tunny, med.! bed the feel and'essee to get the
lertat inia3r Just it the proper tins. am4 put the spryest terse
behind my throe. T ma suing this about mymar, bot the amao
taming* said by other meddles.
reuthler, Iheltion F. Pan, IU
aaagelore
Tarrant 0o.sInsit IT 740
"I him had waitalos *hare a fritter at it's top spood aad
r oould ride up sad plasm the loop ow either foot the boys would
call for,
lve did a lot of shooting, roping, and riding* for praettoo*
Tow of the cattalos 'post sore for eseusition than for any otter
OM* Oosasionallys we would have will hoes contest. ?ye or more
of tie would start at tho eon tine to Nebo saddle end rida the
hiss* The buoksro* that got his *mat settled and rotursed to
the pen first me* of sours*, the wiener*
"A great deal or our tins was 'peat in each dotage; and
Mist ties we didn't spend that way, we wore playing poker* r
meat to tell you that there were sons darn gaott players =Wet
the old realkides. r %nom Viet for a taste Calash 's* iatlioated by
the way ay wages .4 isappeared*
"Pokar-pleying and praotioing the sochanite art was about
ell we eoul4 do for pasties in the early daps. After the set-
tlers began to spot the Gauntry, we tea a dense to attend one*
is a while* The inshore would hold a douse for all the *Ike
that wished to attend, 'bleb was the top .it t)at took plase•
lordly a soul would ales a 1ania• and would ride *Lisa to attend.
Z halm not up with *Its at a doses that had ridden 40 or wee
stiles to enjoy one of twee old time denotes*
"The tunas wort. 1111111s Gooiest* 'nal leGag th, Yearliegee•
and so& other liko tunes that the fierier eould agitate a fiddle
to give forth, Tbo. gale and *tags would stomp and press* till
the way boar* of the worniag. vines the hoedown ended. the* the
Ups would start the trdt haw possibly ISOM maid be the %Atm
Gauthier, ^holdon Page 1,13
aanelare
Tarrant Co. %at
of the day getting home, lame of VA, folks would rid•
the better part of two due, easing *Rd going, for five or six
hours. of.damaing and epoiabitty,
'Naturally: the kenos vas shore the buokaroom Gould meet the
gale and gals were at a premium, beams, the population rus
OreWto stage. It a follow get to eallyhooting a gal, he had
to keep his eye peeled for hoite-4lay *hill at a dames
"t fellow named Times was 'hooting' a gel, and. we were all
laying for Ulu A one of the domes, **watched fdr Times to
come dragging La, and ilt4N he did me soticed a bulged eaddlsbag.
71reatonlat•it it was a present fbr the gal, and waited for a
abases to ,,st at the package.
"la did as everyone did that was to hang his i 011 hia
eaddlehOrs and turn his hoes Late the pea; and he left the peek-
a7e1 in the bag. Two of us middies got bury with the package,
while the rest of us engaged kin with Ohinsingthile leading-hist.
-to the house. The psokse ases hoz of oenly, all fixed 411
pretty, tied with colored string. The boys removed the **MY.
and in it's plaee pat sous buffalo daps.
ntftor a spell* we ear ?Imes hoofing it to, Wm porn, and we
knew ha mem ming after t`-* present bemuse the gal was standing
at t -rat door waitinc: for his. We soattered to differeat parte
of the rots, in pieties where we bald satoh out of the earners of
or ,eyem. Than firma returtod-8 he handed the _peekage to his get.
e thanked his and 'Clem' went over where several of her gal Pala
were oluetered in a ohinning tenet.. The gale tniediately egged
her as to oyes the paekage, and she 124. so.
Cauthier, lholdos
liangelore
Tarrant Coseliot.f7
1;10
"when t:la gala saw the (mutants of t, paekage, some o
Vase giggled. sons turned sad walked away, ale some put os a.
pokier feel. Timmse'm gal shot a dagger look at him, then turns(
an Vivre the Peebago out of VI• window.
''"filness stood soratohing his bests white trying to fLgura
the play, and after a bit bs walked over to *bore his gel stood
awl started to talk to her; but she sou -Unit list** to him, and
walked away. tis thin want outfields to look at the PedrAge4 and
whoa he saw it the sholspLay was disclosed to his.
°Timms was a humoroms fellow and same beak into the house
laughing, instead of rearing as some thought hi would. The
sand: was returami to him, and after an hour or so his gal was
boserimg around him as asual'asd everybc,dy Nal Lot of fun over
the inoidest.
"After I quit the mg!, I firmed until about lb years ago.
The last few'rears. T works* in a rag rug faotory. I quit Vat
last mos* (Jas .1S) bosomss wry ayeelners not Kalil to ths work,