Document text
QrAAA-&L
Phipps, "ioosy
Rangelor•
Tarrant flo 01
7'w.f7e .1
J.*m.11emar4 65, living at 501 72ipsoomb qt..
T'ort worth, TeX., was born Jet. 10.1873, in
one of the two lsg **bins his father built on
a seation of tans be settle.! in 1869. These
two cabins are still Amusing, ans arson the
same sits. 18 miles went of "eatherfors,_?arkey„,
ao.,Tox., IM a on the Brazos !TIM -11%K: &liar* 'a
father sols the flu% in I877, to move eight ailes
west where he-establishs4 •'-stook farm. loner/
learners to rise horsos ens so cowboy work on this
plums before his father sob, it ans the 1,500 hoes
of oattim he has acoumulati4, to the Rill Bros.,
Who operates a roach in Parks, so. Re then movos
the family to a section a few miles south of uorion
in Troth so., an' he smother -stock fora.
Taster, he establishes a-satoon in uorsom. 'ix years
later, issarste father 4i•41, ans he marries Rachel
osroa t seven months later. Drlesi at el y follow in g
his marriage, he left the range to stay. Nis story:
'r w3s born ,Trwl. 20,1873, in a lo cabin, ans on an unfenoos
range. Yes s ir, was 't a fence to be seen in the whole
count /7 where it alt fn oe4 up now; ass, if a flan wants to go
no,Ie place, he !las to follow a roas ans ,-4:1 in a rounsabout streo-
tion to reach the lace he's aiming for. The loo.• cabin I was born
in was one of the only two houses in that part of the country
-ma
wiien t 'ley were ft rat built. ty a as arta •ra ma -4as came from James.-
_ _
town, y., in '69, an' built those two places, besises sigginr; an
80 foot well. Both the cabins ens the well. can Still. be seas on
the original spot, about 18 miles west of Neat ler form Tex., an
not 1L feet from the Vows River. !ii s first plow, was a 160 acre
tract my sas files on when he first cane, but he moves on up on
the Kiokapoo lreek when r was about four years ols.
first recolleotions are about the place on the Kiokapoo,
an are about an Tristan rat s &Ins fight. ?Ty mother WI a 1: were out
b.ippe, room y Page 12
Ramgelor
Tarrant .1PTI
penning a few milk 'bows when she notioel them getting awful
skittish, Jumping arounm anm flapping their ears. tly mother he
hear' a lot of things about :elans eV knew that they mile to
come mown in that part of the country, but they hamatt been mown
there for years. he meek, em not to take any chances aam sent me
on to the house with my little olm og, while she finishem the
penning. ran on, an* by the time I reaehem the house she ham
caught up with we anm went in with me. 3he slammem the moor Just
a
as we hear' runnirc hosses coming our my. he then put a peg
unmer the moor, see it ooulmatt be shove4 in without little
trouble, ona got her cap an" ball rifle off the. wall. fter get-
ting it in her arm, she took to watching out of one of the peep
holes, whioh I'm area 4). bt,Pen °acing, a ny we both saw five bim tans
rig* by on tleir hosses, Just whooping it up. They never even
plow.' 4 ma.
Along about 4usk, a couple of hours after the treians Its
gone by, ail? same in from "...atherfor, others been on business.
Ire to14 us that if it haoln't of been for us closing the moor mim
shutting the winfmow, then reeskins woulm have sealpem us, because
he'm hear, alreemy raiAom several, places to the south of ue
an' oarriem off hosses. Ie figure that because there were only
five of them, an" no extra bosses with then, that there were more
of Visa somewhere Ilse.
.00
'Ate that night, after we"' one to be', a man knocke4 on
the Actor *am Galles 4441e name. When ge got to the moor, he askitol
who it was, an the man tolm his name. He was a family frieng,
an' by all. that 'a holy I ought to be able to tell you hie name
Pb.ippe, Too4y
1 angel ow ft
"'arra et int.4'7
Page #3
"tril
as soon's I coal tell my own, but r Just can't a0 it. Tell,
he to14 ASIA that those raglans he earrte4 off his racer. a
Mack Kentuokian, an' he 4eputisef 444 to help him eat& the
reseals. They 4ecal el to leave a &maple of hours blfore
Raybreak, an4 then went to be, r was asleep when they left,
but 4114 to14 me all about the fight any 'amber of times after
war's.
1,a1 sat/ the Inflame were canape! at Turkey Roost on ;oat
r3reek, about six miles from our pies*. They got there Just after
the retains ha 4 finish.," eating their breakfast an4 were getting
up in a hurry. "Ial slain he believel they hear,' him coming an
were trying to get away, because the youngest one of then, a la/
of about 18, was alree" on the black raper when ma 4 an4 his frien4
aLghtel them.
"The bosses were at the river's .4g4t, 4rinking, *ten a4 an
-60
.1•1
his fries"' °pone fire. iris frieno!'s first shot got the young
fellow, are he fell off into the ere*, where he's been ever 111341#1,
because nobo4y ever took him out after that. Two of the others
willowy, to get on their hose's ae get away, but the other two
fought beak. -)a4 toll me that over 24 arrows fell *roun# him
while he was shooting at them re4skins, an4 not one of thou aver
even skunt him. Tte himself kills' the two who stayel to fight,
anti after he'4 got the last one, he ae his fries"! Just 4rttg them
together an4 nee a crisscross of their b00,1•11, then roofs off
after the two who act away. They got blool &aright, for they saw
it on the groan,' for about two miles, then they lost the trail
some sort of we". That was the last In4ian fight an' rail in
?hippo loon y
Rangel or
Tarrant Co.,nist 7
Page 114
Parker county that r ever hoar", of.
"A sort of a humorous thigg happen.** a couple of years later.
-a4 mate a stook farm out of the place on th• Yiokapoo, ens by harl
work ale making me selling moonshine likker. hebus
.101
tis4 to get 8
sizeable horn of cow twitters together se* ha* to hire some sow
boy* to help hannba the work. Hs hire.* oln Georg. Brows, a fellow
namen rlable ma another by the nom of Moore* Moors inn Gable
were seasonen oompunchers, as tough_es they 011110 an* realty
knew their cows. They always oarrien whips on their swill es, any
alien them on the cattle when neenfin. Tan not icen that they hen
bone-hannle whips, arta he stopple.* to examine one of them one *ey.
You can imagine his surprise when he hue that those hannles
were human bones! It finally cane out that Moore an' (*Able han
f unn where the Inners half beet pilen, aria ha* pick** themselves
out some goon whip haunt... The upshot of it was that ase mutt
over there himself est got a gp on bone ibr a whip for himself.
I kept his son table's whip arounn with is for years after 'an
nisi*, but one of my roomers swipen then when he move' away in he
minnle of the night, an ow in,g me a oouple of months rent be
sin es.
"Gable was sure goon to me. vr• was a regular hoes buster
an hunts' wilt* bosses in The woons all the time, or wherever
he evil* fin.* tree.* of ition. That was one of the main reasois
4aa hiren hit, bemuse be rieWien bosses to work the cattle; an*
if he gimlet get a man who oouln bring theta in, 11.'4 have to buy
up his bosses from some ranoh. Oln C'.able taught me to nine.
Re,* holn as on a hoes ftil I got the knack of staying in the
Phi?p !o047''
Rangel ore
?arrest Co et
Ole .01.
sa441e, then he let as go. Re was the ono oho got 4164 to buy roe
a little olt pony se4 a light lasso. %Lie he also taught me
:AO 0.••
the business of roping things, he ooulAn't get 404 to change his
ain't about roping anything heavier than I was Itil I was a lot
olitar. ?het was booms* if I*Pet really know ay onions on*
hoe to use my hoes to hap me lual cow critters, they** 'rag
me off ale maybe, turn on ms an stomp as. Of course, he was
right, but it sure grate4 my soul not to be able to go out there
en4 4o like tho rest of the oompunahers. I la 40 the rest of
the work, like rt.* ing her, 'treeing night watch, t ens ing t!si
irons eirl et we were breveting, an other Jobe. Nett 's iron was the
ilirele OW, an mote like this: MON I never knew Just how
many hoe he ha* at any one time 'til he sal* out Later on. Re
was always *Axing to his her*, ant thins *riving Gatti* to librt
wad,
Worth or Re* River, 'there they were shippsg. 'ten he 'trove to
Rem River, they were always hippest to Oklahoma City. I Montt
know the re ther went 'hen he 4 rov e to Port north.
_
kfter I got to be 11 years OA 4as eats I oouls go to
roping calves ant yearlings. nil was email earef'ul sit h me, on
account of Gable's aecistent an was a limeys tolling me I 14 eel
up like Gable 41n. I rook** I was about •ight when Gable ha*
his har4 turn. tie rope* a 3rearling, an* his hose rear** at
something right whom it shoul* have poggell; that is, sat .lows,
tnetea*, he rears', mei throwest Gable of f. That wo u14 n have
been so ba* but he hit a stump ant the stump broke some ribs.
?Wise ribs ores*** on his heart, some way or other an' he
Viet live but a few hours after he was thrown. Ref; have him
71t1PPo lo co 3? l'age 44i
Itangolale
Tarrant Co.,list T PTI
kil1•4 right off if it hasn't of been for a nigger oowpunehor
working for Jim Rart. *so ran a rsesoh right awn to ours, saw him
get pitahes off ens helpes him. The nigger tols us that he saw
the hoes pitch him off, then 4rag him &roues a °lump of oasars.
Gable's foot was *aught in the stirrup. The nigger ?stashes him
after the hoes has took him wanes about totes. int buries him
in our front yars, alongoise my gras4-4*, who hos /jest ayeer or
so betbre. We has to booms** WO 'isn't know whore to see his
bony. Re *VW got no mail, never went to town, was always out
of sight when strangers eau* to the plus, se sifter b314 _44y-
thing about his past_ life. That looks la* a p erfoot bails -up
for a man on the °Age, but I 40n't ga.ei ever know now.
"I so know this, though, OP Gable was better to as than
my own parents, an skates lit. a las to me at all times. He let
as hang arouns when he was busting mils ones, an" taught ins the
rat
treks of the treks* to where r ooulS otos with a pretty salty lorons
before r was 12 years o14. Another thing, be taught me to shoot
straight sal fast, too. Re +souls whip out a taxer faster than
any other men I OTOT east. I'm inelusing those sham I've set in
shows an other plaeose like airousoe, an' so on. ti was a natural
when it came to hanslimc guns.
".fore r was 12, I was also able to rope some pretty tough
emitters, ay first being a little ols spottett yearling. I rope4
him in front of my 484, anA *home him that I hs4 what it took to
hanSlit thou. is oautionss me to be earefal, but e) shoos are work
like the rest of the boys son*.
'11, the time I was 125, I was ris Saw the mils ones with ovary
7hipps, -owl
Rangelore
Tarrant 0o.01st
Page i?
bit the ability Gable showed, inn I was never thrown but tide* in
ay life. r'hip first time was after gentle./ one, ens ha roge
him up to th• gate to the house_yarg.I was Just fixing to get flowa
se a open the gate shim itrown rege up Wain,/ as to go in at the emu
time. His hoes 'hie at something or other, inn my hose Just
went right straight up. Tell, I wasn't ftxt an I come off.
'grown oau.iht him ann turnip', him into the house lot.
go/
"The next time like to have turnes out bag for me because he
was a killer. NO was helping me nub, an* after he turnipa the
hose loose man got out of the way, I Jorkeg the bile sen away we
went. I stayeg ri4ixt with him, though. 'tit he trio* a sertain
Jump with a twilit' v4 never soon befor• ang wasn't expeeting. That
throweg me, an the hose turneg arming to stomp me. I was flat on
ay stonaeh with the wing knoiskrg out of se, awl the hoes (Paul* have
easily stomps! as flatter's a hot oak* if 4a4 hamlet of shot him.
"Thou, two houses were the oaly two that ever throws
but I ham one to stumble with as one tine. /inn I sure like to have
been brang en for the eternal rave ntone: but that was Glen:
reekon I hag just tarneg 1.4 2.1011 410 ban his man Tolman his
settle men sag the sal• cattle to the hers he"4 just bought from
the other ran oho* renagabout., '"ip none that, *an 4rov 1,)O his'
of mixeg, two to four-year-olgs to 'Port Worth..
.e parke". the her" on the hillsige. Just east of Hemphill
That was none in the ay when there wasn't a house there, annP
there wasn't even a street out Vat way. There *4 been a lot of
water fell Just befor• this, an' the whole fiat from where the
street is to the ransom., traeke was wince water. There was eVOS
rage 8
"woos y
Rangel or
/Pr
Tarrant 0o.,nist.f 7
a few inches of water over the tragic'. Well, we has to wait for
the water to it Swan ass the railroad, oompany to get us some
cattle cars before we couls loss them at the little ols
ttp-
ping point the T.?. hes at the east ens of the ols ',spot. The
say after we parkes the her, there some the gosh-swItillest
rain an thuitserstorn t guess I ever saw. An lightning! /here
were just big streaks of it an* it locket to us like every
streak hit the earth an* struck smoothing. 4ontt recall whether
it *V now or not, but ow real bag flash set the hers a-/oing.
Tt was alreasy skittish as the very mischief, an' just waiting
Tor something to run from. U.1 of a sussen, they 'tartest ans
ran towers* the water in the flat. They were gang to try ens
3.et on the other elite.
"Pa been in a number of stampeses before, ens has seen how
the stopping was sons, so when I happen's to be closedit to the
water, I was the only one is a position to roe& the leasers an4
try to turn them into a mill. I ros• my hoes right out there
like a veteran, an st4 get in front of the leasers, but just
whelk I got to where I cools $o the most goo4, my hose stumbles'
row, T'il tell you Vint there's far better ?Lieee to be than in
front of a staspesitv her, that woalsn't think nothing of stomp-
ing you right into the groans, espeoially if your thot was hung
in the stirrup like mine was,
"The hose fell on his sine), an" my foot was caught. The
only saving part about it was that I was on the far seise from
the hers, ale the leasers coulset keep from seein the hoes fall,
lon't know how come then to go it, but they split arouns the
Phil'Ai. "'we y
Rangelor•
Tarrant Oe.,nist. 7
e ;49
T1:0
hose ehieh Iles trying to get be up, awl the rest of the her,"
kept splitting the same loPy 'tit the last eritter peewee by. Ely
the time the etre:miers passe, my hose was bask up was in t*
.4W
sal 41.111, se we were reieg towar4s the main her'. P4 hear' some
shots wile t Wilt* in that mess, an* it was ono of the eowpunehers
ari
4a4 ha e hire4 extra to help "rive the here to Port "frath. TT*
.40
shot over four of the lealters, an' turne4 the here into a mill.
NO.
ri,Fht at the %later's s4gs.Tlght in the niekle of time, r" say,
be other bail staapeee we he, the boys 4i4n4t even try to
stop it, an t 41.4atit either. mnstes4 I jerke4 ay esa41.• off
an* hale it over ay hens. riu. tell you lety. ha' a little
over 500 hea* r)ri those same flats r was telling you about, an,
there ogle up one of those sae 4en 4/1ortherst Texas is note.* for.
'ell, there was a big eraw 4 CHSVI there this *i4e of the tradts, an
we got in there to start a fire. Vetty 13401k. there ease some hail-
stones ems. 'Nigger 4n any I've ever Met before an' sines. Thera
stones were so big, Viey Male* about It hes4 out of the hers*. Yon
nes, cattle turn their bi-sts to say wing, or rather, their tails.,
an* their soft spot is up lust behine their horns env ears.
That ,s where you slug one when you kill it. These stones wattle
hit there, an* the critter wout* mrop. goon'e it sort of liTh-
tens., mpg the whole shebang 'taupe*, south. I reekon it took
us over 1.5 hours to roue the hoe up agate an' straighten it out.
V.1.k to Viese here boys in the nelghborhooil scoletimee,
4,00
an* they Just can't 13 sti-* ly believe Vet the grou.n* they live over
was once a hol*ing groan* for esttle that earns into Port forth
for shipment. Why, r can ?iek out *coigne of places where I
?hips, "'oo/y Page ,10
Itangelce
Tarrant ao .oniet.f 7
pc
threeel my flop aye slept, an/ tooay, there's houses on pieces
of grouse too small for even a hoes sorrel, that are morth more
than whole noshes us* to amt. I never Mee steppe/ won/er-
Lng at the 4rowth of this tom. Cut there where T.1.17. int r
one. woke up with over a foot of snow covering the gream4, ale
went to be/ with the stars shining ale not a Glow/ in sight. RV
to pulls the snow away solo r ooal/ see out from my flop. knotber
thing, too, the winters est/ to be eolaer, an/ more water ass/ to
fall, rivers use/ to stay up for several weeks at a time, where
to*ay tree:el har/ly ever even up over a couple of feet.
°I guess r was a little over lb when /am amiss*/ a few halo
from the range. "To Reet/e/ to tak• his han/s an go west a few
4.0
miles, an maybe Ifiesover soils with his brae blotto/ into some-
thing else. lines t'tat was a 4sageroun Job to /o, as it meant
off,
a killing any time you hung the 'ea/woo on ommeboky for rustling.
You"' either get kill.', or you'', kill one. If you he' the /if-
_
foresee with you an/ you won the argument, the rustler weal/
probably be naturalise', or nati's an honest citizen. 'tort o r the
42.1*
way they make ecoil N°1'1.117111 out of Wiens, only this was unially
4on• with a rope whereas the other was Just shoot them an/ let ea
lay.
":e got out past Breekenri/ge a ways, an/ to an/ beholat I
we ease to t‘ -e *Age of a woo/e/ strip lee t'lere was about 1.5 heal!
of buffalo grazinc: away as if nothing elt aLl tom wrong with that.
1"/ never even seen one before, beanies the aovernment ha/ 110
them all kilts' out before I was even been.
'lloore literally ha/ to hol4 as to keep me from barging
woo4y Page Ill
Rangel °re
Tarrant Co..list.t7 r
.00
right out there an/ shooting all I oou14. The men talks/
arouse a little about this, thinking that maybe this was a
AwrI
private her' an4 maybe beloage4 to sorsebooly, but they finally
4eoi4e4 to bag all of them they coulA. Wow, here's wt.?e
the queer part of the thing comes La. uy /a4, a notoriously
be' shot, always earriel my gran4-4e's 014 biun4erbuse with
.1•0
him welTywhers he went, instea4 of the regular guns °orris/ by
other Gowpaashers. This ol4 gun was a buffalo gun that gran/-
_
ae he4 411001 when everybo4y in the country was trying to see
Just how many hea4 of buffalo they eoul4 shalt. The man 4sel4e4
to ,vet together, anall work this gun who 41An't have powerful
rifles, an' 3rown ro4e throw,h the timber to reaoh a 4raw that
.1•1I
ro. writ
en4e4 up just the other sit', of the '141r4.
"We all got reany, an' when Brown shame up the way he 4ont,
the her' otampe404 right towar4s us. "'al he him a rifle rest,
an' isleo one of them oame in alone enough, he got him. The rest
of the her' stopps4 an/ went to milling orating the one that was
4own, ans 4a4 got in throe more go0 4110ta. k$ a rule, a buffalo
her' was suppose4 to mill lite that 'til the last one was shot,
but this one 414114. They starte4 running again, an/ way from
the spot we were in. I?NV* my ol4ost boy the knife T use' La
skinflint: them oritters. '°e took their Wes, a't' a lot of meat
an/ thou come on iitak home. e he/ meat fbr quite a while, al-
though I oan't soy that I like4 it better t:Ian the beef I'4 been
use* to. The himes we 3 IWO into overcoats an' *has. A buffalo
_
hi4e will almost outlast a asn beg:muse they're tougher than iron.
7)hippe. '"oo•y rags 112
Hangelore
Tarrant 0o.,-}ist.,
.10
"I reckon t was around 16 when 4a meoiae• to sell out
an' go for some other range. He ha• a little over 1,530 hoe,
an' was having a Little trouble over his whiskey tasking. rt
seeme• to me like sonlebo4y ai•n't want him to make it, an was,
.01
fighting him over it. tt wasn't the Government, but someboity.
ma•• a lot of money in it, an there's still a few o]
as
titers aroLut• Ybrt '''arth slho bought an' frank his soma/line. t
can roue up 10 or 12 of thee in a it ay's time.
"Re so].' out to the Hart Brothers, who alreamy ha' a rat
in triter ana just north of the Hoeg, ',minty Line. ?hey haa ovor
4,000 hug in their 'Heart' iron. You make it just like a herwt.
Buck !iart an• Frank /tart were t lr names.
'The other ran Chars aroun4 us were .Tim Hart, who ran ova'
1,500 hea• in the 117 Heart' iron. You name a lazy heart, one
that waa laying 'own, any put the II insi4e it the gate way to
make his iron. Tte gol* out the next year. JUst cleans up the
stock an' aulq it t the Harts, then loll his Lae an* iron to
.7.*':.1stes, who ran a ran& north of iest
+I
"Zia 'Russell )vi• a pretty goos size' ranch, but he al4n't
ran all beef. is run aroun• 2,100 het* of beef, WO hen' of
houses. 800 hogs, 600 goats, an' 430 gluey. Nis place was (e)out
rag,
a mile northwest of as, an" on the rAittle !'lun•sy Ore*. The In'
was his iron.
"There was another ranch man 4on• some business At h at
times, but it was in ''alo "into county. Jeff en' on flowlen run
about 1,300 hetet in their 'Z1' iron on that pima*. na• bought
as
from them, but t lay bought more from 4a4. They'• buy up eno.Jgh
111i;Pe. 'ooay
Raagelore
Tarrant Cos,niste;!?
Page 0713
A1110,1
to make a Irive, t'an they'" "riv4 to Re River or to 7'brt
Worth the sum ea.,* "on..
"Then we moveR, we locate JUSt'south of Corona in VIM/.
4•0
°aunty. -la/ establishe" a stock fava tiers, an' run the 1.2 hereof
that bit save out of hie IOU irole to over 1,000 has* in a
few years. Cf wurse, that 12 hes" Ain't bring that may. I
4 on't mean that a -tall. but Ras bought with stoney he mane from
pe""ling his moonshine an" money he ma4e in his saloon he open*"
up in Gorgon, right after he got the farm going., nother thing,
any Maverick we ounl, we bran" e" him right on the spot. --4i1 hal
soli his ilirolo CU' iron, so his new brut" was just TOU'iwith-
out the overheaa carols.
460
"Yep, seems" like "a" was aroun" likker aU his life, av r
ion't believe I ever took over half a aosen shots in my life. I
never jflsmoke, an" the only time t ever taste" tobaooe was when
someboa7na4 use. the arinking cup just ahee of as. "Ivere were
always some loose women aroun" his saloon, but that never bother
et :as, either, an I was at an age that when they bother a fellow
the most.
'1'14U4 DO about six years after he cpake4 the saloon up.
led when was aroun" 22 or 23. r guess Imarrie" my wife about
seven months after he /tea. Ter name was Raohel Reioroat, an"
we live" together about 30 years. he WAN the one who cause,' me
to give up the range an" come to lobrt 7orth, where I mu).* t a
job paying so:iething. r went to work for the 1.1.,an" they
sent me to Mingus• Iftsr aroun" 35 years _lbr the T.P. ana other
ro.
railrowas, Ii:ot into other work aroan4 lora, an" now run this
Niko ,a, looay
Rangelore
Tarrant co.,liet.1?
"age 7.14
-1"1"rt
rooming house here. via not much goo'', for not'Aing etas
now, but that. T Incas.