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The J. A. Ranch, an Indian Cowboy Saddle 1Kug.
amuthier, Sheldon F.
Rangelore
Tarrant County, Dist. 7.
Received Oct. 9., 1937.
George S. niers, 73, inmate Tarrant County Home, born on
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, So. Dak., Jan. 8, 1864. Of
Canadian -French and Indian descent he attended Catholic
Mission School for 8 years on the reservation. At 15 became
a Pony Express rider out of Ft. Dodge until 1881, was a
a Gorernment Scout through 1884; worked as a misikamextsx
cowhand in Texas and Colorado until 1891 when he joined
the Buffalo Bill circus for six years in a shooting act;
from 1898-1905 made 2 reel Western movies with In. S. Hart,
later followed the vaudeville circuit until 1927.
was born Jan. 8, 1864 on the Pine Ridge Reservation in
So. Dak.. My mother named me Tella Wabagha, which are the Indian
words for Red Wolf. The Indian custom was to name the child after
the mother. Mother was a Sioux Indian and grand -daughter of Chief
Sitting Bull. Her mother was the Chief's daughter. Father was
a French-Canadian I was born in an Indian teepee, reared in a
teepee and lived the native life of the Indians until I reached the
age of 15
°During the time I rode for the Pony Express and did scout
duty I saw lots of cattle and cowhands because that section of the
country was loaded with critters on the range. TheWis where water
holes existed. Seeing the cowhands and watching them work caused me
to get a hankering for the cattle business. had heard of Charley
Goodnight's range and decided to drag fro Texas and I lit in West
Texas on the JA that belonged to GooAnight and Adair; it was in
1878. I stayed in the cattle work for a spell of years and worked
for a number of outfits bmt the JA was one of the best outfits I
connected with. It was next to the Eddy outfit in Colorado.
The JA Ranoh, an Indian Cowboy Saddle Bum
Gauthier, Sheldon F.
Rangelore
Tarrant County, Dist. 7.
Received Oct. 9, 1937.
'No matter where I went and I have been over a tolerable lot
of the country here and foreign, too. Wherever the name of
Goodnight was mentioned in connection with the West and the cattle
business the boys would doff their conk cover to Goodnight. They
all agreed that he knew more dboat cows, knew more about the West
than is in the books. He was as square as a man can be made and was
game fora the toes up to the top of his conk. Goodnight had the
top rawhides working for him and a square bunch. He would not keep
a crook or a dringking man. around the place. There was Johny Come
Lately, the cooky, a real camp belly -cheater. He was a sour -dough
and whistle -berry artist. John Mann the wagon boss was reckoned by
everybody as the top in his line. Jack Campbell the trail boss was
another top hand. There was Jim Own, Jim Mitchell, Club Foot Jack,
Jess Steen and Md jones, part Cherokee Indian, that now lives in
Fort Worth, all them boys were tops.
know what I am prattling about because I have seen them all.
Top hands made their living showing their ability to the public and
the JA boys runs along with the best and all had what it takes to
make a cowhand --guts.
"I eant to cite an incident that took place with a bunch of
us JA, waddles. A few of us were given riding orders to work a
round -up near Nobettie which is N. by E. of the main ranch. In them
days Nobeetie was talked about as holding some of the toughest of
the tough buckaroos. Fellows that lived on gambling and anything
else that they could find to do did not call for muscle action.
The JAL Ranch, an Indian Cowboy Saddle Bum.
Gautheir, Sheldon P.
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist 7.
Received Oot, 9, 1937.
-3-
"Bud Roberts had a buckskin hoes that looked like a chunk of
dog meat rolled in some hoes hide but it had the running works and the
guts to do ti. There were several hossee aroung there that folks
thought could run and we had several races during the spell we
stayed there getting the herd together. Sleepy, that was the hose's
name and pitted the hosses that the gainblers had for taking in the
rawhides. I rode Sleepy for Bud because I was a light weight
and knew how to help a hoes do its best. I learned to riddr while
still a kid on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Sleepy and took the
jack away form the gamblers. In all the dozen or so races that
we had there I never lost one: We just kept the gamblers bringing on
better hosses trying to get their money back. I never drove Sleepy
faster than necessary to stay in front about a length. It was a hoes
that could pick up speed fast so I was playing safe if the other hose
showed a sudden burst of speed. I knew that Sleepy could take it
away. The time came when we were ready to drift the cattle to head-
quqrters and still had the gamblers jack in our pants. That hurt the
gamblers pride. We got wind that they were going to interfer with
our herd claiming critter in it for an excuse to pick a fight and
stick us up.
*We were about ready to start the herd at sunup in the morning
when a party of men on hosses came claiming that we had some of their
critters in the herd and insisted that they were going to out them out.
The critters were all pure and we had it. Goodnight would make every
mother's son of us hit the drag if we came in with any other kihd.
Jim Mitchell paid them no mtne-just as though they were a bunch of
The JA Ranch, an Indian Cowboy Saddle Bum.
Gautheir, Sheldon F.
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist 7.
Received Oct. 9, 1937.
-4-
buzzards and went on about his work and yelled drifting orders. Club
Foot Jack was sitting on his hoes sort of lop sided so he could face
the gamblers °hawing on a hunk of lbaccy. He squinted one eye and
squirted a gob of juice and eatd,0Any of ye kubkaroos hankering to
be branded for the eternal range just move towards them sritters. We
are hankering for ye to start. The first skunk that starts will get
branded sure as hell.* Not a move was made by the gambling gentry
and the herd drifted slowly out on the trail. That incident will
give you an idea what kind of men was with the JA Outfit.
*The hardest going I had on the JA outfit was laying out watching
for rustlers. There was a spell when the gentry were quite pert with
their work gathering critters with the other fellow's brand.
During one of these times I layed out all night when it was sleeting
My cover was a blanket and a slicker over that. I arose at the end of
my shift with an inch of ice all over me. When I got up it cracked
and tumbled off me but I wgs as warn as a piece of toast inside of
that shell. Rustlers were made sort of quick work in those days.
What was done when they were caught with rustled critters was to
hnad them up to dry and if there was no limb handy they would be
given a short course in citizenship. I have seen several with
bullet hole on the bodies and the buzzards having a good feed.
*About the feed we wadies lived on I can say it was plenty
and the kind that puts leaf lard on the elate. It was mostly beef off
a fat yearling and some wild game the boys would kill, dried fruit
and some vegetables out or the can. Goodnight called for the best
from his hadns and he gave thAm_the best he could in return. He always
The JA Ranch, an Indian Cowboy Saddle Bum.
Gautheir, Sheldon P.
Bangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. 7.
Received Oct. 9, 1937.
-4-
paid top wages. I received $35 a month for work that most outfits
only paid $30.
"When I quit the JA went to Charley Goodnight and told him,
"I am quitting and saying goodby to a square outfit." He lam held
my hand for a minute and sez, "Chief I'm saying goodby to a good
Indian and I don't mean a dead one. You can light here anytime you
jiggle through." I jiggled out to the Pecos country working first for
one and then another outfit. That country was some tough and
after my spell with the JA outfit the Pecos styled did not set well
with me. The rangers were in there trying to clean it up and had
been for quite a spell. The folks took the matter as sort of a joke.
They would tell as a joke that the rangers cleared the range of bad
men in a certain section and had them all rounded up. When they
tried to get a jury to try the men there was not enough other folks
left to form a jury. I wanted to see the country so became a saddle
bum, a chuck line rider for a spell. Them days it was no trouble
to live and line your flue just going form one outfit to another.
Any place you would stop the first thing the ramrod would say was
"Light and cool your saddle and line your flue." One could stay
a good spell and be welcome.
"After a year as a saddle bum I hit for Colorado and there
joined the Year Brand outfit sometimes called the Chauvenett range.