Document text
hippe,7oody pegs ri-
Rangelore
rarrent Co., lust. A7 ru
J.J. ;'vody, 76, was born on his father's
stock farm in use Co.. Tex. Due to the
Indian depredations following the Civil
war, his father, Sem Woody, who was among
the first settlers in Vise Co., built the
first house, bought the first sewing' machine,
the first painted wagon, the first reaper,
and the first cook stove in Wise Co., oon-
verted the mush into a stock farm. Moody
was taught to ride a horse at an early age,
and worked as a cowboy before he was eight.
"Te went to Albany, Texas, in 1880, to help
an elder brother operate a mercantile store.
7hey moved to 'bilens the next year, and
established the slams business there. Woody
quit his brother in 1885, to go to Ft Worth,
-'exas, -to shape his Mere there. :nor
being employed by several mercantile stores
there, be entered the employ of W.C. Stripling
and ;:o., where he has now been empl)yed for 33
Yrs., resides at 2306 Harrison, and spends his
week ends on his ranch near Decatur, Tex.
,!is story:
while I was really born right on the range, I quit it as
early as 1880, and never returned to make a living by punching cows.
Now, I know quite a few cattlemen who have had quite an experience
on the range, among them my father. will tell you about themes
soon as I finish about myself. I was born on my dad's ranch in
lise oounty, on Feb. 27, 1862. Now, I've never known just how many
head dad ran, because be sold off nearly all his stock right after
the Civil War, and formed a stook farm. The Indiens ceased him to
do that when they *got so mean after the war.
The Indians really out a figure in those days. Mile I
never saw this hen, I saw the girl right after she was killed by
the Indians. Sally !lotto Bowman's father had a gold many horses,
and the Indians were awful bad about stealing them. In'faot, oxen
almost replaced porses for awhile there. Well, Sally Bette was
up Deep Creek, watohing the horse herd when a band of Indians abased
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up. She know her life was in danger, so she tried to get away from
them. Since she was riding an awfully good horse, she almost made
it. Those Indians chased her for three miles, then when she was
right near a .neighbor's house, they opened fire and killed her.
The !own of the ham, happened. to be 1.mking, and she saw them
scalp her after she fell from het horse. They couldn't catch the
horse, though, and it went on to the ranch house. When her father
sew the horse come into the yard without her, he end several man
started out to see what was wrong. Amy found the girl alright,
but the Indians had gotten away with the horse herd. Dad took me
over to the place, and I saw the girl before she was taken home.
The last Indian killing happened close to us. 7he family's
name was Huff, and the old man happened to be some piece away from
the house when the Indiens Showed up., There were too many for him
to fight, so- he ran off up the hill to get some help at his merest
neighbor's. There were too many Indians for them to, so they all
set out and walked 15 miles through the night to our place.. I
remember them waking us up, and we spent the rest of the night
talking about it When we went over there the next morning, his
wife and children were deed.
Those were herd times for the early settlers. I guess
if I'd have been there, I would have quit when the. Indians first
started. Many's the night we've all gone to bed'with our. parents
saying they'd leave the next morning. Things would be different,
'though, the next morning. 7lit'd lake up,. the sunod be shining, not
an Indian' would be in sight, and.if we left, we'd be leaving every
thing we had in this world, so they'd just change- 'their minds end
stay.
Phipps, loody Page 43
Pangelore
?arrant Co., Dist. 47 rc
he early settlers were iso anxique to have neighbors that
they'd give a man 160 sores ofr their places just to have him settle
and be a neighbor. Besides just being a neighbor, dad wanted some
one UD talk to. You know, there were no telephones, newspapers,
mail, or anything for the settlers then. The President Gould be
dead for months and the settlers not even know it. No natter who
the men was, when he rode 1p to our place, dr° wee always real and
tosse him, an he could stay a week if he wanted to.
"I remember one night in partieular when s party of
prospectors were in our seotion, and a bed Norther come up. Well,
they had to have some protection, and there wasn't any unless you
were in a house. They all cane to our house, and there was of
them. Dad invited than all in, then went outside end built a big
fire. After he had it going reel go)d, he hollered out, You
fellows come out here to the parlor vitae Mrs loodi gets us a bite
to est. You know, the house was so emst11„ that she oouldn't work
while they were in there. It wasn't the food, bowls* that's the
one thing there was plenty of in those days. Good food toot
About the house, it was the first in 41se oounty, being
built on Deep creek in 1854. Dtti Was a progressive men, being the
first to put up a house, buy a resper, sewing maohine„ cook stove
painted wagon, anything he could get that would make life easier
for my mother. Let me tell you about that wagon, though, before I
go on about the early life.
Dad came from Port forth to Wise County, and naturally
knew everybody in Fort :7orth. ¶e talc his wagon to rort Worth
before it's- first wagon got there, end took all the lawyer's,
preacher's, and business men's wives out into the country for a
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Rangel:)re
Tarrant Al., plot. 47 PC
ride in that wagon. Now, there were lovas here, alright, but they
were all ugly, had wooden axles, end made a lot of noise. Ibis
itudebaker wagon was real quiet, had the prettiest paint on it, and
rode a whole lot easier than the other wagons. Dad's laughed about
that many a time since then, about how he took all the big shots'
wives out int* the country for a ride in his wagon.
Now, back to the early life. In those days, these were
wbrt they called Circuit Riders,' who were retiLly traVeling
preachers for the different denominations. Dnd was always glad to
see one of them ride up, end before he'd even speak to the preacher,
he'd tell us kids to grab a horse and light out to all the neighbors
and tell them to come to ohr hcusa for a meeting.
Weld make a 30 milescirole, tell them all, and they'd
just about every one be there that night. Preachers in those days
didn't preroh like they do today. They'd preroh almost all night.
I can remember many a time when after making a few remarks, the
prenoher'd reach up on the mantle, lake down the bottle, take a
couple of drinks snort once or twice, then be off. That whiskey
just seamed to warm them up and prime them for a night. ge.kids'il
lay down on the fl or and go oft to sleep, him still a—preaohinge
The Woodys originally same from Tennessee, and mi grand.
dad's name las Sam Woody too. Re settled later on about 20 miles
South of us. Back in Tennessee, the woodys were all foot washing
Merd Shell Baptists. The .Hard Shell preaohere'd go to his place
first, then coma on over to our's. Dad was baptized, but wouldn't
join any church because he wanted those circuit riders to keep
coming, and he Ives afraid if be joined any certain church, the
others would stop coming, and they were his sourCe of news with
Phinps, loody
Rengelore
Tarrant co., %1st. 47
Oolio 15
rc
the outside. His greatest delight WAD when two of them from diffement
denominations °ems in at the same tine. They'd argue saripture then,
and dad learned a whole lot that way. He eouldnot read or write, but
he heard so muoh Bible that he knew as much as some of the preachers.
There's one thing I ;mess I hould have told et the first,
I suppose, and that's dad's part in having Tarrant County's Court
house moved to wort rorth from Birdville. Dad had always been inter
sated in trort forth, and when the big chase, erne, be was really
interested. He ease down to Port worth just before the eiteetion, and
when it looked to hi; like Dirdville was going to win, he went bask
to Wi.e county and get 13 of his neighbors.to come down. He made
them stay sober 'tit after they'd voted and the Gaunt was made, then
they ell oelebrated. Fort Worth son by seven votesi
.4mits a lot of trouble was stirred up over the ileotion,
espeoially after people found out what dad...5 done. Ine man, a big
?wisher near Birdvills by the name of :.B. 'Alter, threatened to
kill dad on sight. prom a lot of people, that wouldn't have sounded
so bed but from him, it was different because he'd already killed
one •man.
About six weeks, two months later, dad recognized his
riding down the road toward him. Dad was unarmed, and oouldn't
if to turn hie beak to him, so he just rode on. As soonts they
got into talking distance, dad said, Rollo, Wt. Walkeri Glad to
see you,' then roil to talking about the weather, beef prises, and
anything else 'til qalker Gaoled off. Finally, when Walker did get
in a word, he roll to talking about the election. Dad termed that
off this way, Well, W. walker, they're going to have a big town
Aalpoa. oodr
Hengelo?.
rarrant Co., Dist.
Paige 46
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downtherit.some day, and big town has to have 'retort There couldn't
ever be a big town at Birdville beausethere Is no water, and they've
got the Trinity River -down there.' Of course, that was before the
day of deep wells. talked a little ferther, than parted. Later,
on, they beeeme good friends.
I guess it's in order now to talk about myself e little.
I actually don't remember when I did start to riding horses. I've
been riding them ever since I can remember, and still ride them on
week ends When I go up to ise county to the ranob. I guess was
riding herd when I was six. I know I wasn't much over seven, if that
old, when my brothers and myaelf rounded up a herd of cattle. The
older boys left me and a younger brother to take oare of the herd
while they went on tomboy., and gathered more costae.
A little while after they left, it started in to raining.
Now, if that's all thet haplene- then it rained around a herd of
°PM*, it'd be alright, but that's not all thet-hap,ens. The heed
.wil' always get up, and start to drifting. we two boys tried to
stop the herd from drifting, and it issued like the harder we werked,.
the fester the herd drifted. Pretty soon, our brothers showed up
and helped us out. They figured we'd try to stop the herd, but
'they knew better than to try that. That they did was to have us all
get out in front, and slow the herd down by getting in front of the
leaders with our horses.
Of course, we had plenty of stampedes and all, but that
we. just as much a part of the work as riding the horses was.
can't even remember any stampedes because we didn't pty any attention
to them. All they did was to cause us a lot of exile work. The
,reason there were so many etampedes wee because anything, any slight
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Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. 07 IC
noise that's unusual will put a herd to running almost before you
could any 9 Seek tiobinsontl The herd could be bedded down, with
every head bowed, and a wolf could howl ells* by, one or two of them
would snort, more would snort, and they'd bs off like a train as
fast as they could run. It'd take us maybe two or three days to
regsther the herd, and it'd be skittish even then, and ready for
another stomp. we'd have to keep riding around the herd, singing
cowboy songs, and be careful about making ny more noise.
Bineeit was important to be able to ride a horse good,
I always tried to improve on my riding, and rode some pretty bad
horses. I had .s cousin, Joe Noody, that was a good rider. He had
a rsnoh in Taylor county. I don't know how many head, or what
brand, because I was never out to his place. He came to our ',lice
many e time, end I've heard him tell about an Indian fight lots of
times.
He and six or seven cowboys were out rounding up some
(mettle, when a bend of Indians jumped them. They lust happened to
be on top of a small hill, and there was a gully right in the
middle of it, big enough to be a smell trench. The Indians' first
shots killed doe's horse and one of the powboys before they could
get down and take shelter. ,fter that, the fight lasted all day.
Joe had a little nigger boy that loaded his plata& for him. As
the Indians'd ride over the top of the hill st.them, they'd shoot.
Joe never did know how many Indians they killed because they'd dreg
their dead off with them. lhen dark came, the Indians left, and
the cowboys were able to take the died one with them to the ranch
house.
ihipDs, Alody
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. Pi
Page 18
pc
I loved to make trips on horse back to some place, but
was never allowed to go with dad when he made those trips to get
provisions at Jefferson, Texas. The trip would take hie all Spring
by oz wagon. Then when horses were used more, stores were opened up
closer. My first trip of any consequence was to Albahy in 1880, to
help one of my older brothers operate a dry goods store he opened up
there.
Albany was dependent on the surrounding ranches for ih's
trade. while I don't know whether I ever heard how many cattle each
ranch had, I'm sure I did know the brands, but I've forgotten them
since T left there. The Waggoners, Goodnights, 74'ethews, Conrad.,
Reynolds, Lynches, nnd others had big ranches whose cattle drifted
past Albany and for several hundred miles South. I do remember the
Lynch brand because of it's name. Their's was the 9 Buzzard Brand,'
so -celled because it was a lazy M, and made like this: /V\
I've read of roundups, and heard of them, but the roundup
held yearly at Albany beat anything I ever heard of. All the ranchers
hired two-three-feur cowboys extra, according to the number of cattle
they owned, and send them South to roundup all the oat tie bearing
brands in the lerritory around Albany. These cowboys would bring
over 10,000 head of cattle to Albany.
Then all the ranchers would bring their men and start
cutting out their cattle. Now, this is where lots of trouble started,
and many a man was murdered. In fact, the Waggoners, the Goodnights,
and the other big ranchers wouldn't even go to the herd but Would
hire the toughest men money oould find to represent them. They'd,
hire guhslingers that had already made their mark, and these guh.
Phipna, aoody
Rangelors
Tarrant Co., Dist. 17
page 19
Fo
slingers were *rook shots who depended on their shooting ability to
get them good jobs on ranches that paid a larger wage for thee.
One of the most noted things about ranchers of that day,
was their independenes of each other. when one of the ranehers
decided on a place to park the settle he out out of the herd, he
felt that he was doing the right thing. Sometimes, some of the
other cattlemen would feel like maybe Wed made a mistake or two,
and they'd inspect his herd, and maybe out a cow or two out that
they felt belonged to them. When they did, there was usually a
gun fight and some one got killed. That was where the hired gun-
slingers cams in, and the main reason they were hired. The big
owners felt like if there was any shooting to be done, they didn't
want to be in on it but waited a mighty fast man there to take oars
of their end.
After the roundup was over, all the mould oome into
town to spend their wages. lhat was when we'd really sell the goods
but it was also a time of worrying because these fellows would drink
a lot of whisks', and do a lat of shooting. The shootings were
usually at night, after we'd gone to bed. I already had my bed on
the ground, and when those bullets began to flying around, you can
bet I was sure laying close to that ground. You see, all the stores,
saloons, earns, bawdy houses and so on, were in tents, and a tent
doesn't afford much protection. That was to just to start with,
though, because as fast as lumber oould be hauled in, buildings were
thrown up. Buildings with high fronts to make it look as if they
were bigger than they really were.
That was the year the Government decided to kill out all
the buffalo to keep the Indians satisfied on the reservations. You
ipps„ Noody
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Tarrant Co., Dist. 407
PC
page AO
see, the Indians were put on their reservations td stay alright, but
as lones there was buffalo on the plains, they'd leave. That
wouldn't have been so bad, but they'd have to steel horses to ride,
and maybe somebody'd be killed in the stealing. ','hen, they'd steal
beef to eat while hunting the buffalo, end all in all, they were
quite a bit of trouble.
rho Government hired every buffalo bunter it could find,
and they killed buffalo anywhere they found them. Not for the moat,
but just to kill them. All the hunters'd do, would be todskin the
buffalo *no bring the skins to some center, where the hides would
be shipped back East.
You talk -about your scrap iron piles nowadays. "hoses
pileg are nothing to the piles of bones brought in the next year
after the buffalo were killed out. There would be piles of bones
and horns along the rail road tracks for mile*, and there'd be
buyers like there are today for scrap iron. There was so nuoh
money in bones that help was hard to hire. They'd all be out
gathering bones to haul to the nearest railroad.
In 'es and '82, my brother and I went to Abilene, where
we set ou* store up. That was just like Albany. A city of tents,
and we had the sane worries about the cowboys coming into town and
getting drunk on paydays. Of course, that was when they spent their
money with us for 0104les, but we did wish they'd not shoot the
town up afterwards.
At the last of '82, I Ocoldild to go to Fort Worth to
make a future for myself. I first went to work for Molone../alker,
a big dry goods store, then went to work for B.C. Evens tor a number
Phipps, 7oody
Rangelore
Tar .an. Co., Dist. 47
:=PC
of years. After I'd been working for Nvans for about six yea
the man in charge of the men's ready to wear shot him in a fl of
jealousy because he'd went across the street and hired a oom itor.
The renson he hired this other man was because the clerk had •n
drinking a good deal, and in order not to fire him, and still ve
a good man in charge of the department, he hired the oompetit
Several years later, the store went bankrupt and I I p-nt
to work for Striplings. I've now been with striplings for 35 ars.
Since went to work here, I've bought out all my brothers and sisters
interest in the old home ranch, and now own one pleas of 1,45 acres
with 125 sores of it in the city limits of Decatur. There's a ther
pleoe of 300 acres I own, but it's not on the home ranch.
Since I've been here so long, I enjoy a little est
priviledge not given to the other employees, and I get a three onths
'reflation each year. Of course, I go out to the ranch every we -end
anyway, but on these vaoations, I work on the ranch as I never ad
a job in town. I ride horses, tend to my cattle and sheep, ha men
repair my femme, and so on. I always leave the first of JUne then
on the first Saturday in June, all the employees in the store
up to ay pleas for a barbecue and pionic. We have baseball s,
triok and fancy horse riding, and other amusements which make
good time for everybody.