Document text
Phipps, ,x1:)dy
1-ngelore
Tt,rrant Co., Dist. j7
Clifton Bonner, 67, was born in Faro, Ark.
Bonner left his home when he was 20, to
see the world. -hen he reached Childress,
'ex., he was broke and had to beg for a
meal. The Horseshoe Nails Ranch was tort
of cowboys, and Rd Smith, the foremen or
the ranch, promised Bonner a job if he
learned to ride horses in e month. 'his
was just what Bonner wanted', and he learned
in the set time, then was given a job. He
(pit the range in '95, to prospect for
minerals, which occupation he follows
today, and when in Fort ?forth, "exes, he
resides at 3215 Rlm St. His story:
page 11
Yes sirS I've rode a many a broom tail on the range.
Mile the fences were 4etting a good start at thet.time, still,
there was a lot of open spaces then. I wasn't really born on it,
but I got on it back in J91. I was really born in 7nro, :rk.,
and came to exec; on my way around the world. I stir can't tell
you why I cpt way out to ,:Thildress, 2exas, but theie's where. I
was when my little old wad played out, and I had to ;ash dishes
for my meals in little old apple pie joint there.
got my break one day when the .cow punchers from off
the *.tossshoe Nails Rrnhc oome in to make whoopee. Mile I was
waiting on the foreman, he asked the boss if he knowed where he
could get some hands. He said, Surel There's a mic,hty good
man just a-sp'iling for a jobis
be foremen, his name was 7d Smith I found out later,
he lo,)ked me over, and said, 9 You never rode a hoss in your life,
did you?'
I wanted n job so bad I vms wittin to try anything, no
I snys, I never yet saw the thing I couldn't do partly, thvt
somebody else c-)uld do. Just give me a go, and I'll dhow you thnt
I'll ride anything you ,got in a couple of days.'
Phipps, oody
Bangalore
Tvrrant so., ist. 7
_Page Y2
PT,
The boss and Ed Smith just roared and a couple of other
cow punchers that were in there at the same time, bent nigh on to
double 1 -laughing et me, but the foremen ended up by saying,
.:;e11 podner, we'll -give you your chance. If you'll learn to
ride them there broom tails we got out there in the corral, in
less then a month, I'll put you on the pay roll.'
'hat was as go3d as I'wanted, and when the gang left, I
rode up behind one, then another, as they got tired of carrying me.
T'v the tine we got to the ranch, my setter was so sore that they
give me some chores to do to for a couple of days, then bright and
early one mornin, 7d Smith ca led me out to the aor.al, and showed
me a hoss all bridled and saddled. 7e says, Ride her, kid, and
you've got C job.'
I mesn't a bit soared of the neg becautv I'd never seen
anybody throwed before. I climbed into thnt saddle just like I'd
ben ben to it, and I don't guess I'd left the ground a nalf a
-Anute 'til I was on it again, flat of my back. ell, abr a couple
of hours there, I was on again, off again, "lannigan.
'he *hole time, the boys were el ardUnd the corral, and
laughed themselves plum sore at me. 7d finally let me quit, and I
crawled of to the corral. T really walked, alright, but I'd have
felt a sight better if -'d have got down and arewled.
The next dny was the same thing over again, only I pot a
better. It was hi.:7h time I was getting better, because I'd
rubbed a lot of skin off me, trying to ride thpt bro'rl tail. in n
couple of weeks, 7 got so's I could ride thpt nag, then they shifted
another to me thet was a little meaner. "hen, when I got that one,
they gave me another, 'til in less thpn the !onth's time, I ride
?hippo, .00dy
Rangelore
'arrant 0., Dist.
Page '3
IP"
every broo-: tail there was on the place except the wild ones they
had ship 'led in fro--; the 3outhaon the Denver. You see all the
native wild ones bed been caught up by thet time, and these wild
ones were caught in the snge 3outh of .3rn ,ntonitm
ven after I leerned to ride them broom tails, T still
throned a couple of times. little old 500 poirld mule that
wns supposed to be so lazy you had to prod it to get it to move,
throned me clean over a little old mesquite tree. '.;lean over, and
ell the toys. gave me the csss laugh about it.
'nother nor!3, so old. that he was about to be shot for not
being able to carry a man, throwed me and nigh onto broke ma left
arm. You see, the catch was that he used to be =31)tid one, and his
name was even Dynamite.' I wasn't thinking about him being able
to pitch, and wasn't ready for anything. some little old something
or other soared him, and up 1 went.
"I was sure proud wneh 0-d let me go otu to the herd and
.help ground. be gang had just begun the Snring roundup, and
was put to riding herd. I can't reoell the worcs we used, but,
why, we sang to them cows. Yes sin 31Ing to them ns we rode around
at nL7,ht. Just most anything would do, but we done that to quiet
the herd sols they'd stay down when they beAed.
"I never did know just how many head the ranch run, but it
must heve been aplenty b -cause in one year, they shipped four
trin loads -of beef to 'Iontertn, and I couldn't see as they'd made
ralch of a dent in the cattle on the ranch.
The ranch was owned yb old Judge Alison, a big monied
:an tha lived in l'ort %)rth and come ap to the ranch about every
six weeks. His brand, the Hossshoe Nails, was made like this:
Phipps, :oody
Reneelore
ieirrent o., .st.
page .14
rc
41-. There's nothing to be seen of the old rench now, as its all
out up into ferms now.
Te hed plenty of trouble on the place, with the stampedes,
fence cuttines, and water hole noisonings.
You could expect- a stampede any tine you had a herd rounded
up, because any lit Lie old thing would nut them to running with all.
their mirst. just to give you Ap exa=le, e one went to,enton,
and brought back what they called, a herd of Fastern-Dogies.'
Culled Estern because they came from at was then called 7-st
Texas,' by the l'olks that live- in "Test Texas. These :estern dogles.
mad stanpede quicker'n the dogies we were used to, and a little
old wolf come up to the herd, and that herd just run liokity split
for no where fast. I r eokon it took us almost a week to catch it
up again, and get it started on to "ornell Where we'd started with
it in the rirst piece.
The fence cuttings come off because there were still
renchers thrt felt like the range ought to stay onen, end they'd
sure cut r fence down when you stuck it up.
he water hole poisonings come off when some of the
smell fry renchess, or nesters, thoueht old Judge Fllison was get-
ting: to nowerful or something, and they'd reAson n hole. cost
the old judge a sight of money every tire they done that, out they'd
e onu.:ht up before they done much more dnnae,e when they started on
8 re pce;o like that.
:he man that generally took the slack up out of their
ropes when they eterted on one of them rampaes, was old Fd
T"e was one of them there now, champeen riders and gun shots.'
--,Tvliutmi,,,mo.N.
71/liens, -oqdy
Renel.)re
'.'errent ,A:st. 17
Pe go 15
FC
T never SHW hi in action, but only knowed -That the rest of the boys
said, and they said he could draw and shoot quicker'n you could
wink your eye. Pe wes that fast. rhey said that back in '85, a
rustler gang led by The. Ag Nolf,' raided the Moseshoe Nails, and
hanpeded to be close by when they done.it. Vs didn't have no
time to go and get help, so jumped the gang up by hisself. Pe went
ahead or the herd, and when they started past an arroyo, he was in
it, and shot six rustlers before the rest of the garw run off, think-
ing there were more men there than just old 7d hisself. Pd sure
like to have been close by and lookinf7 on when el thlt come off.
Just llokin- on, thou,7h, and not in oh it.
I do know this, thou7h, end old 7d forked a broom tell
nobody else could t uch. That hoss-wouldn't let anybody else get
strnihtened out in the saddle before 1)e 1-ned them. TTe wasn't e
but he just didn1t.allow any mesing -round by the boys..
:hey tell me thet -d mede quite a bit of money, betting riders that
they couldn't sty on his neg. .1hey'd see him come into town onit,
and maybe get interested. 'le'd see they were interested, and angle
them into some sorts bet.
The best cutting hoss belonged to tife flallett hisself.
.!e: brought the ho: with him when he hired out the season before
come to the ossshoe Nall. Just wate,ing thet hosa work proved
thet if a man had a good cutting boss like that, he didn't have
!tich else to do r -A branding time but show the critter he wanted,
to the noes,, and thr,t hoLi would out it out of the herd in jig tine.
Aiother real importent thing, is the timin in the rooin. Your
oss has to learn just when to set down on his uppers after you cast
phipps, oody Page -8
R!Inf;elore
.arrant A.st. 1 rc
your lanso. If he had any sense a -toll, he'd soon learn that when
he sat down too soon, the roped crit-er'd jerk him over, and if he
didn't tt don 33311 enough, the critter'd drag hi:. on.
Rufe had suoh a good cutter hisself, that rd put him
to busting and training cll the stuff used on the Hossshoe Nails.
Pe sure done some pretty work, and many's the time I've let work go
just to watch him do his stuff. I'd a heap druther watch him than
any of these !Azore rodeoers, because be didn't do anything for show,
but he put it over in a workmen like way.
I quit the Fosashoe Nails just before the Spring roundup
in '95, and went to '.'brt 'orth. Not long nfter thrt, I left Fort
•orth to prospect, and been a -doing it every since. I can tell
you a -plenty about minerals right now, and right around ?ort -orth
here, there's going to be a .1ighty big surprise some day.