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Phipps, oody
'iangelore
rarrant Jo., ist. 7
R.E. Ludwig, 74, was born Feb. 14, 1864,
in Ft. Worth, Tex. An orphan at five, he
was wholly dependent on his relatives for
sustenance. At eight, one of his aborts
was pasturing milk coin for his neighbor-
hood. At 10, Jim Ellis, another relative,
used him on the Ellis Renoh, loc. near Ft.
Worth. At 15, Tom Bays, another relative,
employed him on the Bays Renoh at Big
Springs, Tex. 11 Mos. later, Col Godwin
empl)yed him on the CT Ranch at Merkel,
Tex. He returned to Ft. 1'orth in 1882, to
enter the building trades. From time tO
time, he rode bucking horses for pleasure
but never returned to the range until he,
made his last roundup in 1928. Rio age
forma his retirement from all activities
in 1930, and he now resides at 2711 Llvine
Ave. Ft. r7orth, Tex. Ris Story:
Don't make no mistake now, beoeuse I don't believe in
this what's going to halpen's going to hanpen, but pet the
other night here, wife and I was a-settin' here in front of the
fire, end was trying to recall names, brands, and 40 on:thrt
I knew when I was a cow poke. It's a darn shame, but I orn't
recall t'ardly any names and you know, I've known a hundred men
in my time 'Ur t could ride anything these cow hands of today
can't even look at. It's a feot.
We had different hosees in them days. iTe had them old
Mustangs. Wild soounorels that'd pitch every morning like they
done the first time they was ever rode. If a man made it for
three months on el ranch, he was good for the rest of the time
because he could rides Yes girl Be could beelly ridel
To start with, times was different altogether then then
now. I was born Feb. 14th, 1864, just *mother valentine, you
know. HAI Wil I sure 1 ok like a valentine, don't I. I was
born right right here in Fort -orth, and sty mother died when was two,
Phippi, ioody
Rangelore
Parrant 0o., Dist. #7
Page 12
PC
my dad when I was five. That gave me an early stert. An orphan
at five. However, this so-eelled 9 milk of human kindness I had
a higher butter fat content in them days, and my kin folks took
me in.
Them days, ki44 didn't run around all over creation but
was taught to work. Soon's they was able to do a Job, it was
give to 'ea. I toted in wood, gethered kindling, toted water
from the well, and so on, 'till was about six, when my Unole'd
se* me on c boss, and hold me there, 'til I learned to,ridis'one.
It wasn't long then, 'til I was driving their milk cows, they
had three or four ell the time, out to the pasture, then going
and bringing 'en beak to the barn at night.
9' The next step was taking all the neighbor's cows out as
went. I reckon I had from 20 to 30 at times. Stirring tines
then, too. Several tines when I was out to the pasture with them
cows, I'd see Indians on the go with a bunch of whites behind lea.
'Bout the only good Indians I ever saw, was dead ones.
'why, some more kin folks I had„.I had a good man', that
lived on a farm a littlepietaei out from Weatherford, by the
name of Biopsy, was killed by the Indians 'long about the time
I was seven or eight, The way I hoard it, the family was settin,
around the fire one night, and we kids was parohin,-, field corn.
The old folks got to talking about how the Indians was seen
,00ming to this place, and the old man and women run out into the
yard with guns. They killed four -five Indians, I think, but
the Indians killed then. The men -folks said that if they'd
stayed in the house end shot from windows or something, that
Phipps, woody
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. 77
pegs #3
FC
the Indianed been afraid to tackle the place. Instead, they run
out and the Indians got them*
While the shooting was going on outside, a 12 year old
orphan boy they were keeping, took a quilt and lut it in front of
the fireplace. Then he took their four year old daughter and
they both got behind this quilt. Pfter the Indians finished the
old folks off, they come in into the cabin, which was tso rooms,
a kitchen ene bed room, and went on into the kitchen. The
woman'd been making lard on the stove in n big kittle. The
_Indians tirned this over and went to breaking everything up.
Mille the Indians were in the-kitohen, this boy took the
girl gind run out throggh the eon' field thst vas close by the
cabin. _I never seen the boy or girl, but I heared they both
lived to a pretty gold old age and died in bed.
Lots -a nights while sitting around the fire, the old
folked talk about the Indians end whet they'd do. I've heared
than tell how thet a cabin'd be closed and they'd be afraid to
tackle the place but they'd wait for the moon to come up, and
roundup whet hossestock there was on the place. You know, when
there were Indians around in Indian times, folkied. take their
stook and hide it in n field or someplace. Yes girl Them were
stirring times.
I got to be a pretty good hand with cattle whrn I me
10, and Jim ElliS,,an Uncle of mine, put me out on his ranch
about five miles from town. He didn't own the land but his
Uncle, another Jim Ellis, the one thlt put up ono of the first
banks in town, a private bank, owned the lend.
Phipps, ;$owly
Bangalore
Tarrant Co., Dist. 41
Page 4
FC
Jim bolIght and sold. He didn't raise his own stock a -tall.
He'd have from 50 to. 0, to from seven to 800 head at a time on the
plaice. n1 le I dmIt recall the iron his stuff carried when he
bought it unbrainded, it was Something or other and I learned to out
and brand right on his place. I'learned enough abaut working stock
vtil a brother-in-lew on mine took me out ,b his piece when I wasn't
but 15 and put me to punching his stock.
His name was TOM Boys, and his ranch was near Big Springs,
"taxa:3. I reckon he run around 1,000 head in his TB Coeneoted
iron. You make that like this:19 He hired three men besides
myself, and we all pitched in with all the other ranchers from
round about. on roundups.
"There was a sight of cow punchers sent -out from head
quarters with instructions .to haze every oritier'they set eyes on,
right into,the-generel herd. Every ranch also sent a chuck wegon,
and there was a sight wfien lea? time' come and the wagons hadn't got
started -nut yet. Of course, the chuck wasn't anything to start a
r!,cket over. Teener bacon, bread, prunes, and black coffee, beff,
once in awhile, and dry beef anytime you vvnted it. We all Carried
dry beef in our saddle pockets so's when,we got out sway from the
chuck wagon end ceuldn't done in, the dry beef or jerk as we
called it, wild enr".y us over 'til we could get in at the next
meal. he way they made jerk was to run a rope from tree to tree,
hang the ment up and let it dry. 7o1 never seen a green fly in
that country then, and that was a nice way to do the beef you
wanted for jerk.
Xe had a stampede that was a dilly on the first Spring
roundup ever 1,made like they done out there. I reckon we -had
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Rangelore
'arrant Co., Dist. 4770
a little over 1,000 head of mixed stuff rounded up on Geronimo Flats,
end there come up the gosh-awfullest storm ever I seen. Well, we
knowed the storm we a -coming becalm* oun hoses and the stock kept
getting jittery as the devil* Then the wind hit us, the stook
started drifting and try as we did, we couldn't keep them from
drifting. 7e finally all got out in front and kept our hpsses
right in front of the leaders to slow them down, and that slowed
the whole herd down. "hen, and nobody\ever knotted wisit scared
that herd, the cattle started stampeding. If we all hadn't have
been right out in front, there wouldn't have barn ea muoil trouble
but. whatever soared the cattle, happened in behind end. they snorted
and started to running, Naturally the front ones got soared of
something behind them, end they started. Now this all -happened
quioker'n it takes to tell it, and them cattle were right on us
before we realized there was a stampede on. plat we done, was to
bunch -together, and the tArd-possed around us. hst too wrs quite
a trick to turn and was almost not turned. If any of us had gone
down while working to get together, we'd have been stomped'right
into the ground.
"-Trhem critters acted like the wildest ones I ever did see.
It took us about a week to roundup them up again, and we never did
get some of them. ?hey Just got completely away, but must have
been took in on some other roundup a year or so TettOT don't
know f;bout that.
Then I was there nbout five months, 7om sold a few head
of beef, then moved the rest to 71enard where he set up another ranch.
lhen we went to Lampassas Where he_bought 800 head of stockers, and
.we drove them back to enard.
7121pps, woody Page 16
Rengel)re_
Tnrrant co., ,et. f? FC
It wasn't but about 100 miles from Lampassas, but
reckon it took us 10 dye to drive that herd to !‘enard. Y al see,
unless the drovers are pushing on for water, they hardly ever make
over 1G miles a day. *.l.any a trail driver that's told me thrt and
all about going up the trail to Abilene, Kansas. Or, to the other
market places and, to Northern ranges where they'd fatten the stock
before shi -ping on into market.
About six months aner le omme back on that trail drive,
I got a chance to go to work for Finley, who ran around 8,000 head
in the .37 Connected'iron, made like thisij:. I helped 'sake one
roundup but wasn't ever satisfied with his place exactly, so after
about five months, I went to nerkel Texas, and hired out to old
Col. Godwin. He azd his son ran around 2,000 head in his C Bar T
iron. You make thnt like this: O -T
Not that I had anything against Finley because I didn't.
I Just didn't ootton to his spread like I did the C Bar T. They
had a bunch of regular fellows around there, and the Col. wouldn't
hire anything but top hands. lhat was what T liked. I never did
like to work around people th. t couldn't do what they set out to do.
.Edgar Boaz yes the foreman, an.. there were a oouple of other .cow
pokes by the name of 71111e lilkerson and nete Boaz who could really
ride and rope with about the best in the country, not bar:Ang any-
body.
mile everybody's cattle still run loose at that time,
The aol. had a section under fence for a hoes pasture, and they
run their rounOups in June and October.
There was another pretty big rancher that run a spread
about six miles S. of ::.erkel. You see, the Col.'s me about four
Phipps, 7:oody page 17
Rangelore
a:arrant Co.,Dist. 47 7110
M/. N. of "erkel. Then ever any of the ranchers wanted something.
herd to do,. done during a roundup, they either called on one of
tbe Y Tlar Y's men, that was the other big rancher's brand, Doe
Grounds .was his name, or they milled on one of the C Her T's men.
I worked on the C Bar T for three years, end got a lot
or experience with wild bosses there: You tve, we didn't have any
certain one boss to ride, but we all had from six to eight bosses
in our string and ne tried to even the work up among them tp where
they'd last us. fnd# they were the orneriest reseals ever you set
eyes on. In feet, I.don't.believe you ever saw anything so mean
as these resole were. They'd pitch every morning as if they'd
neVer been broke for five or 10 minutes. Oh, it was a rough old
life but I 1 ,Fed it. !Zany's the night I've gone to sleep with the
stars ashining bright end not a cleud in the sky, to wake up with
18 inches of snow on the ground. r,ny man that was any account had
it good bed roll and a tarp, but he couldn't keep snakes out.
rolled over on °noes and it bit me right here under my right arm.
These hosses I spoke of, I snid they'd pitch, and they
would. -They didn't all pitch the same way, either. :hey had
di2ferent says of pitching, and we had the 6ifferent ways flamed.
Now there was the fence row *here they'd pitch from side to side,
and that's hard on the rider because the hose hits the ground with
his feet bunched and. herd.
'"Then, there's the way they can jump up in the air and
turn around. It you stay on one of them, you're a good rider.
once went out from Fort -,':orth after I t.tit.the range, to a friend
_
of mine's place. He had a hose and asked me to ride h. I got
into the hull, end that rascal started that from side ,to-Iside
Pnge
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist.
IPC
I kept 1. oking for a place to light but everywhere I looked, I
saw a. big rock so I stayed in the saddle 'til I pitched that )mss
down. ':'y friend's name was John L. Jackson, and his place was 12
Mi. N. of Weatherford in Parker Co.
After about these years on the LI Bar- 7 I left the range
'til here about eight years ago when a friend of 7ine with a little
money to invest, put it in stock. When I left the range, I came
right into ?ort Worth and went into other ways of making a living
but rode p hoos once in awhile to keep my hand in. Thet_awayi
when Bill YoCostin.bought 150 head of white faces froma'ranch
located just six miles 3. of Decatur..
I went up there one T!onday morning and fence Cornered
35 head, thefi loaded them into a *tittle oar by myself.- Row many
of these ranch hands of today. can do that? I done that every day
'til the last head -was out out and loaded. Thy, they had cow
oanohers as were coW.punchers in my day and time.
Jost to give you an example in the difference of the
times, I was down to the Stook Yards here the other day and seen
a 3took Yards bronc buster get on p hoss to ridc Warr-. He had to
have two.other fellows help hirl, and there he had as tight a corral
as ever ariybody needed to do it by themselves. In my day, we
calA6ht wild hoases right out on the prairie and rode them right there.
Len we'didn't ride them, we more VTNO likely lost that hogs 'til we
cluld catch hii ngain. now this hoss this fellow got on, why, a kid
could have rode hi74. .iff just bowed his bnok- an made about bur
jAmps, then quit. :tem ornery 711.stangs we rode'd pitch for three to
4::0 yards, and fro'l 15 to 45 minutes. That was concentrated life
when you slapned your hull on a wild one and stayed with it 'til
that booger squalled and quit his devilishness-.