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Range -Lore Page one
Ruby Mosley
Continuity
RANGE -LORE
"My father (Mr. Mather) came from England with his
wife and four children, settled in Louisiana, where two
more children were born*, says, Miss Mattis (Babe) Mather
of San Angelo, Texas. finds wife died and he married Miss
Sarah Parker Smith, who was twenty-one years of age and
had lived in Louisiana since the age of twelve, .when she
came from Millageville, Georgia. My mother and father had
two children in Louisiana, then moving to Texas where ten
more children were added to the family while pioneering the
wilderness and suffering hardships of that area.
in
"My oldest brother Andrew was born in a telly 1851, and
was the second white child born in Williamson County. He died
at the age of 78 and was delivered back to his birthplace for
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burial. That track of land had been converted into a ceme-
and
tarp' the same location of the tent was chosen for the grave.
Our family became very prosperous, my father W48 a
good manager with family as well as business. Father soon
owned and operated a grist mill, flour mill, sew mill, black-
smith shop, post office and generai village store.
When the Civil War broke out my father went to enlist
but was not permitted but requested to stay at home where he
could care for the little town, provide for the citizens,
serve his country better at home than in the army.
"In the early days Texas was some what made up of out-
laws evading punishment in their own state. Their children
would say, 'What did your father do that he had to come to
Texas?' Then they would relate murder and criminal stories
that had brought their fathers to Texas.
"In these days Indians were still pilfering and pillage-
ing the wooded sections of Texas. I remember onepprticular
tragegl that happened to our friends that lived in Lampasas
County near Williamson County.
"Marcus Skaggs 16, Benton Skaggs 12 and a kid friend
about the same age put their oxen: to the wagon and went to
my fathefs mill to have the corn ground into meal. On the
return some Indians stopped them, the kids had no protection
except the large forest on one side of the road and a small
one on the other. The boys choeto the large forest knowing
the customs of Indians. The Indians emptied meal out of the
sacks, killed the oxen:. but did not enter the forest. The
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Indians disappeared and the boys man06416to see what had
happened to the ox wagon, went across the road to the small
forest. People were often fooled by the Indians -hmitating
barking dogs and other familiar animals. They watched the
boys enter the small wooded section and followed; hereiqi
where trouble began•The little friend was shot through the
temple, and Marcus in the hip. It was left to Benton the
12 year old boy to get aid. Night was drawing near, the
two boys shot and the oxen killed, Benton started home. He
chosa, the nearest route possible ran up the river where he
came to the bodies of two neighborim;. The Indians had
killed them and taken their guns and thatb3what they used
to shoot the boys. This gave Benton :couragel, to run
for life, soon he came to one of the dead men's homeihe was
so tired that he drunk a cup of coffee to give him strength
to get home. He kept all of the trouble to himselfsdid not
tell the lady of the house that her husband lay dead in the
river bottom. Benton ran homesgot the men and a wagon to
go after Marcus and friend to bring them home. The friend
died and Marcus soon recovered. The next morning they told
the women of their husbands and brought their bodies home
for burial.
"Fort Croghan was an Indian trading post they would
come here from all parts of the wilderness to do their trad-
ing and begging. These Indians would venture down to our
tents, a different Indian would do the talking and managing
each day, pretending the others could not talk. The Indians
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were very fond of my father, mother and baby sister. They
would beg mother to let the baby go riding with them but
were always refused, they would give her anything they pos-
sessed, she died at the age of two and had already collected
about two yards of Indian beads. Mother was crazy about
honey, they wanted to give her some, when she went after it
she saw a green bag hanging on a limb of a tree, as she drew
nearer she decided that it must be a swarm of bees, she
could see something flying around, but was amazed when she
found it to be a bag of honey put up in a deer hide and was
covered by green flies. Father often went hunting with them
and wasn't afraid he was bald headed and said, 'They wont
scalp me I don't have any hair on my head. My father had a
grind stone which caused much excitement among the Indians.
They could not understand its use. They would watch my
father grind his ax, then they would turn the stone with
their fingers pressed against it until their fingers would
bleed and a few times grind to the bone just to see what it
was all about.
"The Mexicans would often come over and take the Indian
squaws and rush back to Mexico, then the Indians would go
over and get their wives some Indians and some Mexicans, this
caused a mixture of the two races. There was a big old Comanche
Chief named Yellow Wolf, they called him this because he was
half Mexican. Old Yellow Wolf had a big sore on the side of
his stomach he would say, 'This side 'No bueno' Mexican, this
side qaas bueno', Indian.
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"When I was a little girl no womans dress was com-
plete without hoops. At eight years of age I decided that
I too must wear hoops. My desire became so strong that I
consulted mother, she sent me to the store I had to beg
and cry before my uncle, salesman in fathers store would
agree with me. I put them on, pranced up the street and
struted before my little friends. They were much too long
and I was teased by the observers which brought tears a-
gain. Old Granny our nurse negro slave cut them off to fit,
I dried my tears and strutted until I became tired then decided
to sit down and when I did the hoops flew up and gave me a
lick on the nose that knocked me over and again I cried. Old
Granny came to my rescue as usual and taught me how to pull
the hoops up in the back before seating myself.
"When I was a little school girl 11 years of age par-
alysis struck an optic nerve which caused me to be blind. I
suffered and worried until we found that I could continue my
education by entering the Institute for the Blind, Austin,
Texas. I entered this institute in 1873 8=1 received my
diploma in 1881. I remained there a year longer continuing
my music which proved to be helpful and entertaining throughout
these many years.
"In October, 1900 I came to San Angelo. My sister and
brother kept insisting that I come out and claim some school
land by paying a small fee. Guides were located in San Angelo,
as new comers arrived these guides would help them get located
for 4100.00. The confusion began when more people came than
land was available. In order to get the usual 4100.00
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for location they would locate a new coca*r on another
man's property and go on the neXt. Of course this con-
fusion caused much trouble many times killing. I decided
to buy my land.
"My sister Ada and I each bought twenty acres of the old
Jim Farr Ranch where we now live. She lives over there in the
next house, she only has two acres of land left she traded
eighteen acres of this city land for two -hundred acres out on
Grape Creek where they are expecting an oil boom, they have
some oil near her place.
"You go over and let Ada show you her two acre farm,
she is an old maid also, you know I am 80 years old and she
is a few years younger. We don't live together it takes
the entire house for each of us as you know I'm blind and
when I place something I want it to stay there until I
move it.
"If I were to go over she would start the chicken feud
again. She is really sold on Barred Rock chickens and white
turkeys. She will also show you a shoe box full of prize
ribbons that she has won at different fairs. I always liked
the game chickens something that will stand up for its own
rights, they caused so much confusion that I sold them.
"I read and write for most of my past time. I use the
paint and braille system to read and correspond with my
blind friends. I bought a typewriter and learned to write
to my seeing friends.
"I am very independent even though some people say I'm
handicaped. I do not get a pension, I didn't sok for it, and
don't want it. I um not like those people begging for relief.
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"It is about time for my exercise, (reaching up to
touch her braille clock. You see: I have the chicken wire
all the way around the porch, I walk up and down for exercise.
(She walked briskly up and down the porch still reminiscent
of the corset and bustle days of long ago).
"My real name is Mattie or Martha. When I was a child
about three years of age I took a sudden dislike to my name
because so many people called me (Marthie) instead of Martha.
I like the name of Babe and would not answer when called other-
wise, so you must call me Babe instead of Miss Mattis.