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Range -lore
Ruby Maley
San Angelo, Texas.
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RANGE -LORE
Mr. Daniel BkaxteSinclair
and Mts. Melvin* Graham Sinclair,
were born in Missouri. They had
a family of several .children.
Daniel ItameSinclair,Jr., was
born in 1863 in Madison County,
Missouri, soon after his father
was killed, then a little later
his mother passed away. At
eleven years of age Daniel Boone
Sinclair, Jr., came to Texas and
made his home with the J. Good-
night family for sixteen years,
riding the range most of the time.
Tears were shed in expressing his
gratitude far the goodness of Mrs.
Goodnight to the wandering cowboys,
she and Mr. Goodnight being the
only mother and father he had ever
known. He revealed his good train-
ing and characterpin pictures as
well as words, as he showed the
picture -of each of his children at
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different times being baptized.
The old fashion baptizings were
held in the river where hundreds
of people gathered. Mr. Sinclair
was father of two families; his
first wife was Mrs. Lalla Fields
Sinclair, three children were born
to them; his second marriage was
to Miss Lillie Cain, to which
A.. D., and Mrs Lillie Sinclair
MUllinax, were born.
41 was just a wandering orphan boy when I went into
the Panhandlelust north of the Pease River,looking for
work, and some place to live,w*says Mr. Daniel Boon Sin-
clair, Jr., known as "Missouri Kidri "I got a job with
the Half Circle Box Ranch nearBitemiRadettglkand my4dream
had come true, I was a cowboy at last. I was such a kid;
but nothing was too hard for me.
"Our ranch business was going as smooth as that
kind of work did in those days, when a hand of Comanche
Indians attacked our place one night and swiped seventy
of our horses. We got on our horses and trailed them
to six miles north of San Angelo; here's where the skirmish
began, we sure had a bloody fight;Ray, Thompson and four
of our other boys were killed. The negro soldiers from
Fort Concho were called in to help us and sixty of them
were killed. The Indians were happy over killing the so-
ealled Buffalo Soldiers, (meaning negro soldiers4. Johnson
was commander at the flat at this time. We killed a good
many Indians; we never knew how many. We rounded our
horses and got them ready to return to the ranch when the
Indians made another attack and got fifty of our horses.
During the skirmish I got shot in the hip with an arrow.
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I laid in Old Fort Coneho twenty-two days before I could
ride again. This battle was fought on White Flat.
"During the time we were here J. A. Goodnight had
taken over the Half Circle Box Ranch, and me and eleven
more of our crew were to take the horses back. Charlie
Thompson, Willis Benson, Wild Bill, Arch McDonald (and
I don't recollect the other names) made up the bunch.
Our food supplies had run out and we didn't have any
money after being delayed, so our only resort was meat
of any kind that we could get and this was eaten raw
for a period of six weeks, An Indian friend of ours
warned us that one hundred Indians were on our trail.
At this word we set out with.a long road ahead of us.
We made 247 miles in three days and nights without water
or food. Three of the boys' tongues swelled out of their
heads before we got water for them. I laid over for about
.eighteen months on the Old Half Circle Box Ranch, owned by
J. A. Goodnightsrecuperating from the arrow wound and star-
vation period which I suffered while going from San Angelo
to the Panhandle. Old *Missouri Kid" was afraid he would
not ride again.
"Now it was time for the main round -up and I couldn't
miss that, the most interesting event of the year. Jack
Smith, Charlie Thompson and me were to take 145 head of
in the panhandle.
horses to the old Goodnight Ranch/ On the way when night
came we always hobbled our horses so they would range
near our camp. Well.me and the two boys were at it, when
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a band of depredating redskins attacked us. Jack and
Charlie were killed and they would have gotten me but
I mounted my horse and jumped off a bluff in the water.
My horse was a good swimmer, so we went on across the
Pease River and to the ranch. I got forces from Fort
Sill and the ranch then we put up a good fight for six
long hours. Some Texas Rangers and six of our boys
were killed. We killed many Indians but we never knew
the exact number. We took what was left and went on
to the round -up, which was a very unhappy occasion after
the skirmish with those hostile Indians.
"Just eight days later the Indians made another
raid and sneaked our horses. We had about 120 men at
the round -up and they all mounted horses except me.
There was nothing left so I jumped on a little mule.
We circled the ranch, going in every direction to get
our horses again. Tom Scott, Billie Smith, and me
were cut off from the bunch by sixteen Indians. My,
it was cold and these Indians were wild and kept us
dodging until late in the evening.
"When the other boys found us I was shot in the
shoulder but kept fightin'. B. cowboy wouldn't quit.
We used all of our ammunition and there was nothing
left to fight with except our fists; then we really
clashed. The hand to hand fist fight lasted most of
the night. I had lost so much blood that I was carried
to the ranch. The wagon man served as a surgical :play-
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aielia4sas he was used to cutting meat, and he cut the
arrow out of my shoulder.
"I was carried to Fort Jacksboro and stayed twenty-
one days and was off the range for a year and could not
use my arm.
"I had two good cuttin' horsesonr and White
Man, named for their color. Money couldn't have bought
either of them. We rode all night, horses without
bridles, as they knew more about the trails at night
than we did. I rode my night horse twenty-five miles
one night during a stampede in a thunderstorm; fogr of
our boys and about twenty head of cattle were killed by
lightning.
"One time Mrs. Goodnight went with us on a trip.
We got into town late and she couldn't get a bed, as
the hotel was full. This made her mad, so she wouldn't
eat at the hotel. It was cold and snowing and we made
her a bed in the wagon, as comfortable as possible. The
next morning we shoveled snow so that she could have
breakfast on the ground with us. When we were returning
home she got in a hurry and asked to ride my horse on
in. She started out and got a few miles ahead when she
was stopped by the Indians. They grabbed the cuttin'
horse by the reins and was going to capture both horse
and woman but he was too quick for them. He fought
and pawed the Indians, then cut around as quick as lightn-
ing and brought Mts. Goodnight safely back to the gang.
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guess there were not enough live ones left to carry their
dead this time. We didn't know which of us killed the
Indians but I know one thing, I had rather any one would
take a shot at me than Mrs. Fields.
"I was then sent to Ranger as a Texas Scout for the
rangers, when all of the Tom McDonald family was killed,
except the sixteen year old girl. The Tom McDonald family
was one of the wealthiest in that section and when they
were killed the Indians put Tom's head on a gate post.
They carried the girl with them and it was our job to
rescue her. Captain of Texas Rangers, Dave McDonald
(cousin to the family that was killed), Lieutenant Red
Thompson and I, set out with strong determination to
rescue the girl, Millie McDonald. We got on the trail and
followed as long as we could see. It was raining and cold
but we kept on going, in and out of the woods. about 10:00
o'clock I saw a fire away in the woods and we rode as near
as possible without disturbance and left our horses. We
crawled on our bellies until we got as close to the fire
as possible without sound. The snow began to fall fast
and thick when old Dave whispered, 'If we run off or dis-
turb them they will kill Millie, but if we lay low the
Indians will be sound asleep about 4:00 o'clock, then
one of us will crawl in, cut the ropes and escape with
her.' We agreed and lay under the blanket of snow those
long hours; no one knows how we suffered mentally and
physically. Sure enough, when the long waited -for time
came, old Red crawled through the slush, snow and Indians,
to cut the ropes and free
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Millie. They took every precaution in getting out. I
stole an Indian pony and gave Millie my horse and extra
gun. We pushed on that night without much speed through
rough hills and darkness. We continued our escape with
as much speed as possible but that was not enough. .The
Indians had followed our snow tracks to tionamadatimilftoptitm
Alta, Red Canyon on the Alimmaitzkomalliam Brazos. Here
they came double strong, whooping and yelling, angry as
could be because we out -smarted them. We began firing
but they wouldn't halt, just came right on into the
canyon where the fight began. We fought and ran but
couldn't go far because they were closing in on us. We
tried to get Millie to go on in to the fort which was
about twenty miles away. She refused, and used her gun
with as much skill as we did and would risk her life
for ours, as we did ours for her. About 9:00 o'clock
that night we heard a bugle as we were being trapped in
the back end of the canyon. We fired our guns again
and again until we were located by the soldiers pursu-
ing the stolen girl. We hadn't had food nor water in
two days and nights, during this cold and horrid weather.
Millie lived to be an old woman and proved to be worthy
of our suffering to save her life.
"Two years later the Indians were still seeking
revenge; they returned to Ranger and caught twelve men
and carried them to Red Canyon as captives. They chose
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Charlie Smith first and gave him his due course of
punishment and in turn gave each what they thought
would be his punishment. There was nothing too bad for
those heartless creatures to do. Poor Charlie, they
hanged him to a. tree and skinned him alive, taking
finger and toe nails to make. the hide complete for
display. AB they were completing the torture, eleven
rangers and I appeared on the scene. We really scat-
tered Indians, and killed several but they carried their
dead with them, also Charlie's hide. The Indians
thought Charlie was dead and so did we, and went bn
with the skirmish which lasted 'most all night. The
citizens were released and sent buck home. Mrs. Fad
Es**, had a nightmare that night and tried to get Mr.
Este, to go help Charlie. He only said, 'Go back to
sleep, it's too lute to help Charlie now, he is dead.'
She went to sleep and the dream was repeated. This
time she said, 'Fad, go get a bunch of men and help
Charlie, if you don't I will.' This time Mr...Eska,
rounded up a gang of men, rode out well armed, to do
what they could. Charlie was gone but they searched
around and found him. He had attained his own freedom
from the tree and was trying to make it to isatretaffin.
They picked him up and rushed him to the fort where he
was given treatment. Of course it took many days for
him to recover and grow a new skin. Charlie lived
eleven years and fourteen days after the disaster.