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Phipps, c:lody
Rangelore
Tar*ant Co., Dist-. 17
A. 7inney, 73, wee, born Zan. 8, 1863,
11 Mi. N. of !!okinney, in Collin Co., Tex.
His parents died when he was four, and
an uncle took charge of the term end child.
By the time he was fly* years old, Tinney
could ride a horse good, and went on .a trail
drive when he was but U. Re became so
proficient with training wild horses to
carry a man that he was employed in that
capacity when he was net driving some herd
up some trail. He was employed as foreman
on the :a Rouse Raneh in Callahan Co., from
1887 to 1890, when he cams to rt. Worth to
enter the *stne easatisaion business. Be
retired from 115 sotivity in 1905, and now
resides in Jalkiboro, Texas. His story:
T7age 0-1
7411. I reckon I done sore trail driving than I done
ranching, son. I was driving by the time I wee U. The main
reason, I reckon, that I got to work so yoing, was because my
parents died when I was about five years old, and an uncle with a
big family took charge of as and dad's firm. I was born, on this
farm on Zan. 8, 1863, but just as soon's I Rot to where could
ride a hoes at along about five years old, I worked out in the
field or with the herd of bow critters my uncle was gradually
building up. Most of the time, though, I'd slip off when I,could
and go with a gang, of boys that all had hosses. 7e'd (1,0 most any
thing you cold think of, and rode calves 'to boot.
My uncle Jack kept me as busy as he could, but as',look
beak at it all now, I see where he encouraged me to stay with bosses
as much as I could. In thPt day end time, about the only field
open for a feller was cow punching, He never did have very many
heed of pow oriters, t ough, and I never not to ride herd on many
at a time 'tit I was about 11.
You see, there was a relative oome up the Little Elm Drew
with a herd of cattle from South Texas .and he left the herd to spend
Phipps, 'Woody Pig.
Bangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. /7 PC
the night with us. TTe toDk me with him the next morning when he
went back to the herd and the vow pokes that were still withthe
settle. I went to work right then, as a trail driver. .We started
the herd, drove it'along about five miles, then let it drift. It'd
drift from three, to four miles, then bed down for the night. That
was in the high grass daps, shen a herd'd fatten on the way to.
market, and that was the reason these were lot drift after a drive.
I stayed with the herd all the way through Grayson Co., then left
at the river. I reckon I was with the herd about 10 days, or two
weeks. -nywai,•I was paid 500 a day for my work, and that was the
first dollar I ever made in my life. I ea- paid in silver dollars,
nnd those things, were as big as sort wheels to me. I sure was proud
of them, too.
This was during the heyday for trail drives. You know,
the pealtwas from '68 to '18, but they started in 155„ and lasted
'til '95. Not exactly, but close, and a few before 005 and after
,/95 but not enough of them to amount to anything. My next drive
was for Robertson, and from TigeStown„ 4 few R.N. of
Paris, Texas, to the Western part of Denton Ci. I reckon there were
750 heed in his NR donneoted iron. You make it like this:It
I was a regular cow poke then, and stood night herd with the rest
of them.
A peouliar'thing about this and my first trail drive,
was that there wasn't s single stampede. Now, stampedes are a part
of trail drives, and were expected at any time by the cow poke on to
his Job. You adould 'Imre the whole herd bedded down, and not a head
to be seen above -another. he next =Amite, the 'hole outfit would
bS running' towards hell as feat ea- they could make their seared legs
Phipps,' llody
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. 1?
!'ege
MOTO. AS tar's that's concerned, you're likely io have a stampede
anytime you've got a bunch rounded up.
After getting the Ella spotted in Denton Co.,1,went beak
home. I hadn't ban there long 'til s neighbor of our's that had
gone up into fteneas, wrote back a letter and asked me to meet him
as he was dtiving a big herd South into 'axes. Turner was his name.
Well, I went up and net it, and we drove it on down into
Denton Co., the same as Robertson done, only we settled North and
East of Itobertson's place. I beat it on home like .I done before,
but this time, I didn't stay so awful long 'til my feet got to itohing
for travel, and I lit out for fiest Texas.
"I went broke on the way, enc. was riding along in Palo Pinto
Co.. when I saw. same Ms grazing out on the range. I traced their
owner down, and it was /im Robertson. M.'s bud. Jim told me the
country there in Denton county was so wild E.R. got his wind up,
sold tile cattle to him, and beat it beak to the cane brakes. He'd
decided the country was over crowded himself, so he'd moved the
herd out there to Pall Pinto Co where there was room a -plenty.
-.He gave me a job, and I worked his beef 'tit that Spring,
when he decided to move out to New Mexico.. You know, during a
roundup, all the other ranches in the country take pert at the same
time, and ell the beef is rounded up into one herd, then out out to
the different owners. -"Ilen the different owners do as they went to
-,bout branding, selling, trading, and so on.
:he business of branding is bound to be a bit puzling to
some, because they wonder, Well, how do they tell how an unbranded
critter belong, to?* he way it is, is that a calf will roller it's
mammy anywhere, and stay with it even when a man has roped and tied
Isnt.mr7--
Phipps, l'oody page 441
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. Pii re
the mother oow. They'll even roller a mother oow through a herd when
men's roped it and dragging it through. That way, it's no job a -tall
to tell who belongs to.
There is another thing, though, thPt Doused an area lot
of argument, and some men made good Indians. I meat the trouble
them long looping wetnropers oaueed.. All the time, before, during,
an, after the roundups, these fellerald always be on the laokout for
unbranded dogiee. ,There'e always a good many on any range. They
either were missed before, or Just any number of reasons iplain
why they still don't Garry a brand. The rtght way to do, was t4
round them up into the same herd the rest of them went into, then
efter cll the branded oattle had been out out and the oattle'd all
been worked over, then the owns should get together end decide
who's to have so many.
It's like one time when a eertain rancher that's got
a -plenty today came to me and propositioned me to swing m7 rope,
free and fanoy for him. I said, Py Godi, I don't want none of
your steeling wages.' That's the way of it, too. Them high salaried
oow pokes didn't oars what they roped, nor whet brand they used.
((lite a large number of them ended up half way between a stout limb
and the ground with nothing but a rope' keeping their feet off the
ground. !hat was what made them good\indians.
;tell, we got started with Jim's herd, I reckon there were
around 500 head in the herd. He'd sold off a few sines he'd bought.
I oould go over that same trail again, if you'd 'give me a hose, but I
oan't call the turn on the names of the counties and towns along the
routes We took over two months before we got to where he wanted to
spot, and we finally spotted the herd about 50 ni. N. of the White
Phipps, *7oody Page 15
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., List. f? 'PC
Oaks "ta. rhe place iteslef was °ailed, Peno's Tells.'
No sooner'd we got the herd at spotted and soattered when
a man came through the country with the news that the :ohn Slaughter
Rcnoh was sending a herd out to this part of the country. Well, John
Slaughter ran a ranch right next trl Tim's ranch, book there in Palo
pinto Co. Reed had his cattle rounded up the same time as :in's,
and had had the same idea about moving, but had never talked it
around
When heard about thin, herd coming through, I,quit 71m.
I hated to do it, though, because Jim had an awful good ohuok wrangler
in Mts. Old Lee was *bout the best 000ky I ever ate sifter, and he
was even paid the semi's the top bands were. 030.00 a month and chuck.
I recohed the Slaughter herd while it was on the old
MacKenzie Trail. In feet, it was at the South end of Blanco Canyon
where we bedded the herd down on the spot where UaoKenzie had the
fight with the Indians and last* All that's history, though, and
livery kid knows it.
The next day, we went on through the Mono* and topped the
Cap Rook. We veered the herd to the North away from the big arroyo
that went on from the Blanoo. The reason for that was because of
the fever present danger of a stampede, and if the herd ever staspeded
towards anything like that arroyo, we stood to lose every head. You
see; the ones in the lead would fall over the cliff and belilled,
and all those thpt followed would be killed too.
Well, sir. The seoond night out, the worst stampede
ever sew, happened. No body ever knowed what started it. All
knowed was that I wee riding night herd, and was singing as I rode
Clang. Thatis.nsturel fOr it *ow boy to do that 10 keep the herd
Phipps, ;'!oody Page #6
Roi;ngelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. #7 PC
quiet.. The night was pitoh dark, end the first thing Lknowed, the
1
herd was up and running toward me as fast as it Gould come. There
I was; right in front of a stampeding herd that wou)dn't think nothing
of running over me and my hoes too', and on top of all that, I was
between the herd and the rim rook of the arroyo* On aoeount of I
wasn't but about 50 feet piny from the herd when they started, keeping
2
that'far seep. to keep from riding over any of them se I rode around,
I had to think right and fast.
I turned my hoes towards the arroyo, and rode long 'til
the leaders oeught up with me, then started into turning them. They
were so. hard to turn, that I was over two ,hours in doing it. Once
I got them turned, though, they broke into a mill and ,run 'til they
Amin themselves down. I often think of what a spot I was in that
time. while I know Ted have never done anything else but what I
did do, regardless of the dangervI often wonder what'dhappened
if I'd have had a *hams to get, from between the herd and thet
arroyo. You know it's dangerous enough to be out in front of a
stampeding Werd of o-azy cow critters, but to have that arroyo faeing
you too ,that's a stumper fir sure.
After the herd was stepVed„ all the hands stayed right with
it for two days and nights without rest 'til we got it farther away
from that arroyo. That was about the only thing worthwhile that
halpened between there and the snot there we stopped the herd just
this side of the New ”ezioo and Arizona State Line, and just this
side of Springerville, Arizona.,
I reckon it was about the second seek in December when we
spotted that herd and scattered it out on the range Hann wanted*
is had to sleep for \about three weeks in the MOW before I had a
Phipps, ioody Page IT
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. "7 PC
to leave,
I rode around and done a little work hero and there out in
West -ems, 'til I finally drifted to Clyde, Texas, where I teased
me some *and, bought as a few heed of cows and bosses, and settled
down tO do as a little plain and fancy ranching.
It was while I was on this pleas that a crew of NIX: cow
pokes come through buying cattle to take back, and told as that old
Jim had been rustled plum out of his.oattle, and in fighting the
rustlers, he'd been shot in ambush.
One night, I'd been galling around, and had been over to
started to
Baird to a dance, and when I (some home and/put my hoes up, I saw
that somebody** todfall my hess stook off. 1411, 2 knowed old Sill
McDonald, captain in the Zesas Rangers, was over at Abilene, so I
calls him on the phone and told him about it. He said,Mbloh way
did they gel
I told him that their tracks looked like they heeded
test. He said, You ride over to Buffalo Gap, and I'll meet you
there.' It just happened, that their tries** did go by way of
Suffalo Gap, and Bill was able to join us there and get right on
the trail.
We trailed that herd right on to just a few miles R. of
Ilaveriok, and as it was coming dark, we cone to a Spring where they'd
watered their bosses. Rill says, he always talked through his nose,
you know, he says, Aley're going -to camp right over there tonight.
Let's take care of our bosses.'
"That meant their backs off bioause weld rode them fast and
hard a long ways. We took oare of them, then Bill says, Tell
sleep with one. eye °pea, thongs% up about four in the morning and
Phipps, Woody Page ft
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. PC
and take thee by surprise.'
ef 'le didn't get much sleep, but we were resdy to start at
tour the next morning. When two are together, one must stay with
the bosses while the other sooute the ley of the land. He acmes
back and says, Now, one of us will have to ,stay with till bosses
*bile the other goes down and start. them up Ude way.*
ft
tell, I was young, and figured 1 could start, them but I
didn't went to be in on the stopping, so I asked him to let me
start them. 1 went on around' them and got up on a rise where I
could ace them. Pretty son, they begin to getting up and I sew
the putting their coffee pot on the firs. I heard one 'of them say,
9 They tell me we're a long ways from the border yet. I reckon
we'll have four...five days ride yet before we get them safe.'
One of them lifted the coffee pot, and I drilled it with
my rifle. That sure made a ruckus in the camp, and they fell to
run-ing around like chickens with their heeds out off. Not knowing
whist to do, nor where the shot came from. I felled two or three
of them, end thereat made a break for their saddlese nd bosses.
They rode down the canyon towards the place where Bill waited on
them. ,lben they got in the right place, he just aorta riz up and
belt his rifle on them and told them to H'Ist 'es, buddies.
They stopped and done as 1113 told them, raisine their
arms high into the air. About that time, a couple of eow pokes
from off some ranch there, heard the ruckus and come a -riding over
to see what was going on. 7e sent one of them for .he sheriff at
Naverlok, I out out my hosses, and we started beck towards Abilene
with about 400 head or bosses that gang had stole on their way
South from illosoeri. They'd stole- all the way down and intended
Phipps, i"oody
Rangolore
7arrant oo., Dist. 47
Page -19
FO
to take them on into ?Aorta° where they'd or -11 them off.
I don't know now just what was done to them fellers because
I was never called is a witness, and didn't even stay in that pert
of the country for long after that.
e.y feet got to itching againgund I took my cattle tu Fort
4orth, where I sold them. Am houses, I sold to J'im :zsokinew at
Gunsight. Jim dealt mostly in hossee, and he give me a good price,
so I let him have them. I went into the commission business here
for a few yenta then quit it all.
rbout all I do now, is to live with first one kid., then
another. I have tour ohildren, but stay with my daughter in Isoksboro
most of the time. And, just to show you how small the world is, let
me tell you what happened.there the other week.
A friend of sine thet knosed I'd been in Denton co. in '84,
and had a friend there at the ems time, brought the two of us
together. Sell sir, after we'd talked the thing over, him and me'd
broke bosses back there together. That old coot just laughed at me,
about how I'd took the second ride all the time, end how rough them
bosses r7ot am. times. You sae, the second rids is the worst.
He'd ride them the first time they'd ever been rode, and some of
them ornery orittersed put up an awful tussle before he topped them
2fter they'd had a chance to rest up, they'd come beck worse
Ahem they w re the first time. You take gild top off any wild hoes
'41 he's tuckered and he's sissy, but you let him get a night's rest,
and he's a heap sight worse than he is at any other time in his life.