Document text
i4tions, -1dy
an e1ore
.Firr%nt co., lat. '7
kev. :.D. Arnold, ol, was born in La
Vaoa co., ex. He learned to ride a
horse by herding mi7k 00Ws before he was
10 Yrs. old. He was emaloyed in 1888,
as a cowboy by Tom Daggs, who operated a
ranch in Brazoria oce., Tex. le quit to
work in an East Tex. oil mill, in 1892.
was again employed as a cowboy in 1895
13/ flenry Skeets, who operated a ranoh
near •11tin, in Brazoris co., 'ex. His
cowboy oarevr ended in 1898, when he re-
turned to the oil mill work. !Tis story:
page :1
FC
'Yes suhl I knows about de cow pokes an' de wo'k dey does.
:ourse now, 1 wasn't born on n ranch but a kid is always trying to
7ive a little candy money so I wns larnt to ride a hoss so's 7 could
Iler so .e milk oows fo' some folks down whar I was born in llc.
a'' ca county, exas. low, night not tell all dis straight enough
fo' sonc fo'lc: but I will do da best I can. 1 was bo'n on "fly, de
1st, 12377, en' I m now 51 yeah' old.
e names of de ro'ks I herded fo' am done plun 'soaped rar
but 't:las 'bout r,0 cows in de herd. I first rode P 71ule named 'Spedy'.
e .Tasso neried 'cause he was so tarnally slow 'bout getting any
place. -hen I was 10 yeahs old, an old trail hand dat had done quit
de cow work on 'count of old age, had a couple of cows to herd, an'
he hEd an old hoes Oat he didn't went to riild 'cause he was getting
so heavy an' de hoss was getting so old. e being 8 liht weight,
he let me ride de hoss an I Olim give ipitledy de gate.
-I'd alrea'y lamed to ride tolerably well on 1oecly,
do ol hos lamed me some mo"cause he liked to pitch a Tittle on
a frosty 71o'ning. I guess 1 was broke in on riding hosaes like you
brew- in a new car. I just took it e-sy and by stages so dot I was
never t'l'owed by any hoes 'til 1 tried to do lak de box era, stage a
'11,F
Phipps, :oody
Rangelore
arrant Co., Dist. 47
come -back. I guess I was about 40 yeah* old when I tries it, and I
was almost kilt when de hose starts to jump about a six foot bank
wid me -on. f knew I was a goner so I eased out of de stirrups so's
to light easy. I was laid up to' 'bout two weeks, an' aint never
bern aboard since.
•-As'', when I was about 11 yeahs old, Tom Daggs, who owned
about f5,000 head of oattle in the Northern pert of Braroria county,
hired me es a cow hand. Now, you can't expect me to know much 'bout
de business end of handling cattle, but I do know the working end.
don't recollect de Daggs brand. I guess det's 'cause 'twee just
all in de day's work.
"-rwarnt so '-any cullud cow pokes on de place, 'bout f)ur
or five. eye just lak de white punchers, just drift in en' out.
-:e5 all lived in dugouts when we warnt out on de range, gathering and
brandin oi.Llo. 4:1 611 had our own hoses det we broke in ourselves
and kept in de regular ranch remuda 'ail we wantev one of dem. I
don't recolleot whar de hosses come from but dey come to de "lace
wild Artless dey was sired right on de place.
"Dis hoes busting was a lotto fun when you got a peppery
hose tulle spiing steel and a disposition on a par with a Gila
Monster on the ra71page. De only way to beet one of den when dey
gits dis way am to stay wid him or bust. Just for fun, I busted
nearly ell de hoses anywhere I went. As I said, I was never theowed
but it wanAt 'muse some of den didn't try to thtow me and kill me
to boot. Now, I know all dis sounds ink brag,ring but I knew my
hoses. De first thing I did when I went to bust a hosl, was to
watch him buck and rave before I ever toped hi. You see, all
Phipps, 7oody
Raagelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. 7
Page 43
hosses have a certain way to buck. De regller huge busters in de
business have it all clasefied into oertain style's. tell, I was
just a nigger that had a natural knack of staying on a hose, and I
watched dem so I'd know which way to 'upset den to jump when dpy
starts deys rough stuff wit me on deck. I always 'predated de
fact dat one toss could end all my brono stomping days so I was
extra careful in de work, on' had good results.
"when 1 first started to work on de range, a fence was a
cur'osity. I'never sew but mighty few. De cattle on de xange just,
got all mixed up through de yeah, den, when de roundup came, all de
punchers on de different pleoes got together and rounded all dy
cattle up dat was in sight. Then we got *em all. into one herd,
den de cow pokes on de beet out mg hoses, went into de herd and
cut out de brands det b'longed to de men present 'til all de cattle
am seplrated into small herds. *Twarnt no trouble to tell which
calves bilonged to which cow for del' just naturally follered de
mammy cow through de herd. Den, when de =ammo cow am outside, an*
de calf am follerinA, de calf am branded de some as de brand de
mammy cow wears.
"De way to train a hoes to watoh your rope 'til it stopped
a cow, ant den stop sudden so to keep de rope tight, 'twarnt done
in a day. -ou just had to work wid 90 hoss an/ have patience.
Just thtow ant th'ow 'til de hosz begins to understand. Posses
em more lak humans den you maybe 'spects. Some of den lame. faster
den de °Viers. Fvery cow poke had from four to ten houses in his
string dot de boss wrangler kept in de remuda 'til called for, an'
we always had one or two bosses dat was smarter dad all de rest in
Phipps, aoody
fi,ngelore
L'ar7ent co., lAst.
i)age /4
FC
our strings. ro de best of my 'collection, 'Grey Moneylwwas de best
hoes T ever straddled, an' I hadchim on de Duggs place.
"De Iieggs place had de. rerlar Fall en' Spring roundups
lek de other places, and had de trail drive to de markets, but I
was always kept on de place to do de chores, tend do critters rig'
sich while de other oow pokes took to de trail.
"Another thing 'bout die 'tending to de different ohores
an' sioh wrs dat it came in mighty handy at times to have de 'souse
to f;et out of something I didn't lak very much. You know, dat was
a wild country in dem days, and 'twee lotss rustlers an' sich goin'
'round from place to place. Dey don't make a thing off de Daggs
place 'cause all de waddies am pretty handy wid de rope and six
shooter. Sev'tel of den could trail you right 'cross any place just
irk a blood hound. ;hen dey misAid a bunoh of critters, de ram
rod would come 'round and gather de boys all up to take de trail
efter de rustlers. Then.he got to me, I was always on my way to do
something real 'portent 'round de place dat just had to be took
care of right now. I guess he understood 'cause he don't press me
to go. ITiwouldn't do no good anyway, 'cause I never lost any
rustlers an' I sho' didn't went to find any.
"-I got a bad fright one day though. I we out hunting
strays in a place pretty far from headquarters, an' I can just see
de way dc thing hspnened right now. I was riding 'long, minding my
own business, whistling some tune, an, riding down into a c-.-rek
bottom -,hen all a -sudden, I looks right ahead an' I sees two men
hanging from a tree *id ropes tied to d. ys necks. Well, it don't
take me long to tell you how quick I got away from dat place. I
W08 dere one minute, den I wasn't.
Phippe, vody
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. •17
Begs J5
FC
Not knowing who de men was, I 'ported to de ranch *pick
rs I could. Then I 'ported to de boss, he didn't get a big *cited.
He just says, 'Well, ell. I guess dey just got tired of living*,
en* turned 'round an' walked of. I studied de proposition over
in my mind an' cided dat I better take off from dat place myself,
so I quit an' lit out for de Fast Texas Oil Mills.
"'wouldn't be very easy for me to tell all de places I
worked at 'til I /ent to work for Henry Skeets in 1895, three reahs
after I quit d, D,aaga ranch. I don't 'collect do Ske' ts, brand
either. -ranch was to de south of de D.aggs place in Brazoria.
county, and neah 'lvin, eexas.
I 'speot dat *twee over 15,000
critters on de place and day mixed wid de tadder critters just lak
de D-Aggs cattle did.
"De cow pokes lived on de range just lak de tudder place
too. 'Bout de only difference dat I can 'collect Ns de boys names.
1 'members more of dem. Henry an, Bill Skeets, dey was good riders,
an' George gashington, he was a oullud fellow lak myself an, was
a good all around cow poke. Den, Simon Harrison, he was kinds fair
to middling as a cow poke. 41 was a better yard man den he was a
oow ioke 'cause he was altays piddling 'round de house an, de
headquarters yard. One fellow I recalls good was leorge -ng-oner.
He was a top hand when it came to critters. He could do anything
on a hoss that he ever saw done.
"De rustling business was handled de same es 'twits on de
other places 'rludd an' *bout. "was always a shooting OMe
when de rustlers am caught, an' die heah oullud fellow warnt no
whar neah when it one off. My cow punching days ended when the
Xaggoners come down into die territory ami buys up a lot of cattle
Phipps., Woody page #5
Tangelo?.
Tarrant co., ist. !7 110
to' specslation pu'poses. "Men dey drives de herd North, I goes
'long for A few miles, den outs loose an' finds me an oil mill to
make my ,money by.
"To de best of my knowings, dat's 'bout all can tell.
you /bout my cow poke days. De only thing T can add to it am de
name of de hose dat lak to kilt me. ITU name was'Old Dun' en^
it heopened on de Butler Ranch in Terris county. I was trying for
a job on de place but when I maw dat I couldn't make de gr,!de wid
one hoes, I just quit de ranching business for good.
7ost of my life was connected y;id de oil mills tti I
went t3 preaching de 'Old i'ite Teligion Gospel'. pa chuloh you
sees in de buildin 'cross.de way am a Missionary DAptist chu'oh,
an/ l's de preacher. I lives here at 3,000 Cliff Jtreet, an' any
time you wants to come see me some more, you em more den welcome.
Alva, oody
'111,1aLore
.:;721.t;
sv. Arnold,60,. W*8 born in
-,a91101 learmod to rid•
a horse by lording milk same, bebre
he was 10 roars old. nil was mnployed
as 3 oenvbv tn 1.8139 by on "eggs. who
operat sd renoh Lu Ilrasoris co.
but quit in Ian to work in an Tex.
oil. mill. Ks was *gain employed as a
oowboy in 1.395, by Rom' lkssts, who
olerat ad a rani in ...twin. tnArasoria,
oo.,l'ex. -sue weber smear ended in
1.898, when lie returned to the oil mill
work. MO story:
-Fes Ruh! I )7nrsvie.4 about d, cc io'748 an' de wo'k dey
laurel* nos, T naeatt ken on a ran* but a kid iS
wa tryin to malce a lit t/ok candy money, so 1: was Ilarnt
ride a- boss so's T oould herd. some mil.k vows .fr), slne
-ollts down attar T was been in /Tallettsvills„ vaos03.
!light not tall all dis stratt7ht onourn fol Rome 131.17a.
'Jut 1: will do de best t con. I was be'* on nay lo 1377, 911
ncr 60ysahe old,
"a names of de :"'o'ks I herded lb' so don* plum
b;:t. 'twat) 'bout PI COM, in de herd. I first rode a riul.e
'-lpeedy1-. Flo wail so named 'onus* hs wls so tarnally
.11.nw 'bout glottis' ra ñoe. '-'hen I was 10 yeahs old, an
tr111 nand let het done quit is sow work on 'count of o
73 71ad a couple of cows to herd, an' he had an old hose dat
didn't want to rids teams he was gettinl so heavy an' de
•nv p!ettin7 so old. tte bete a'11,Tht irlotf:ht, 7.10 lot me
rtill de hose, an -I plum give 1peedy' de ,•7stio.
"rid already 'alined to ride t•olsrably well on 12e,.dsr, arty
old hoes Urns!, me moms no' lasu.so he like4 to pltoh Little
'111pps,
*,angelmre
Tarrant lo.,Dists
on a frosty movning. I guess was broll in on riding
homes like you break in a now oar r just took ..it easy
and by stages no dat t was never th!oed by any ho ss 'til I
tried to do lsk de boxers °tags a oome-badk. tip's* I was
about =i0 ysahs old whom t trial it, and t was aLmost kilt
when de-hons starts to :ump about a six foot bank wid mo on.
I kasw r was a aims', se I used out of de stirrups go'a to
11ht Rosy. I was laid up fp' 'bout two make, an' aint nevlr
boon aboard sine*.
when r was about II yeah. Daggs, -Oho
owned about 25,100 head of Gatti* in the northern part of
Iraseita county, hired me as a coo hand. Row, you ()set expect
me to know mudh 'bout de bustnoss esid of handlie Gatti*, but
do know .the workins sok. I don't ripoolloat do Iaggs° brand.
t Tusss !ems* 'twee just all in do day's work.
'"Twarnt so many culled oom pokes on Is .plooe, 'bout four
jr five. nays just lak do whit* pusehers, Just drift in ant out.
'et *11 lived in dugouts in we waist out on de ranla gathering
and branding Gatti..., e all hod our man hossos dot we broke
in ourselves and kept n do roelar ranoh %Ramada ltil we wanted
ono of den. r don't resolloot. Mbar do /vases ooma from, but
day ooms to dip plat's wild 'less day was sired right on do plies.
lnis hose busting was a lotta-fms whom you got a pop7ory
hogs fulls spring stool and a disposition on a pat *id a lila
.02ster on do rampaloa. 'et only way to best one of dsa wion dey
glts dis way ma -to stay wool. WA sr bust. lust to' fan, r busted
noarly all de be410$ anPftere 110,111' &/8 I said, I was never
rhippa. ''"oody
Rangelore
Tarrant Co..piet. 7
rage !3
thtowed, but it want loouse some of dem didn't try to th'ow
me an' kill Me to boot. Vow, Z *sae all dSs sounds lak brag-
cing. but I knew my boson. vle first thing I didoilan I want
to bust a hoes. WEIS to watch him buck and rave beTh' I over
toppod 1dm. You seer all bosses have a certain way to but.
's regUar hoes buster::: in to business lanve it all olass'fied
into oartain styles. twee just a nigger that had a
natexal knack of staying on a hose. and T watched tam so- I'd
know whioh way to 'spot dem to Jump when day starts day's
rough stuff yid ms on dedtia always opr.eciated ds fact dat
one toes oou_ld end all my bronco *tamping days, so I was extra
o r cabal in do work an' had good results.
"nien T first started to work on de r.infre, a fenoe was a
ou'oeity. I never saw but mighty fan: -le cattle on de rang,*
just got all mixed up through le yalh, don *ten de roundup same
1 de punehsre on de .different plasm' got tocather and rounded
all de cattle up dat.rue in sight. ',Uas we 1.7ot 'am all into ona
herd, den the *ow pokes on dis beet ,outtin, hoesoe went int() 40
lierd and out out ao brands dot vslongod to do men present. 'til
al.1 de (tattle, am eoptrated into ane' 11 horde. "7warnt no trouble
to tall whioh calves bilongard to whtch, eow, fbr day Just natuy
fi,llered de m.ausey at througa de hord en,when de may sow
am outside, an' di calf am following, de calf WI branded de same
as de brand de mammy cow years.
”e way to train a hose to watch your rope 'ttl it stopped
a sow, an' den stop stables so to keep de rope tip;hto itwarnt
dons in a day. To% Just had to work *lade holm ant' have
7'hipps, oody
lan3elors
Tarrant
Pogo #4
"la
pAisnoe; just thios an' Wow 913.1 de boss begins to understand.
ROOM! OM MON* likk humans dam you maybe 'armlets. Some of tea
19rne faster den de °that's. Ivory oow poke had from four to
ten home in his string dat to hoes wrangler kept in de romuda
'til tinned for, an' we asap's bad one or two bosses dat was
snorter den all de rant in our strings. to de but of my
loollsotios. 'ray Money* was die beet bow r over straddled,
1 had him on de laggel plum.
"le Daggs' pleoe had di regUar fall an' spring roandaps,
lak do other Names, as' ;1 4 de trail &iv* to do markets, but
I was always kept on de plea* to do 0 chores, 'tool de critters
an, cieh, 'hilt) de *that ewe psis took to de trail.
"Another thing 'bout die *Waking to to different chores
siah waa dat it came in sighii bandy at times to have di
didn't
'souse to get out of sonething t/lnk very mush. Toa know, eat
"as s wild wintry in dam days, an' tar was lots* runtime an'
sioh plots" 'round. from Oleos to pleas. Day don't milks a thing
off de Daggs' plum 'oause all de waddles ea pretty amAywid
de sap. an' sixehooter. sev'ral of Isle could trail you right
.oross any pLaice, juel lak a bloodhound. "lien toy nicest a banah
o2 crittors, de ramrod wild omme ground an" gather de boys all
up to take de trail after di eastlem. Ihen he got to no, Ivan
always on *yew to do nometkint reel 'portant 'round do pinto
dat Just had to be tot* care of right now. I uess he understood
'attune be,don't press me to go. 'Illosuidalt do him no good anYo47.
'oauseI nevtir loot any milers as' I lobo' didn't want to awl
any,
rhippep wow"
Range's?,
Tarrant
rage •fa
rto
T lot a bed ttt ma, dsys though. T was oat hunting
strays in a. plseø pietty far from de headquarters. r OOR
just see de way de thing happened right now. t wan riding 'long,
mindin' my asn buminese, whiatling some tune. May rtaint dlwa
into a creak bottom, when all a -sadden r loots right ahead, an'
T sees to men hangins from s tree wid ropes tied to dey's ned;:s.
it don't take me long to tell you bow quidk t o.it sway from
dot piaos; I was.dere one minute.. den wasn't.
'Tot knowing wbc la men was, I 'ported to de ranch quick as
r ooald. '"hen 'ported to d* boss, he didn't get a bit 'oited.
Re jast says, '411, well', .t guess dey j,x7t rrot tired of Waal',
ant turned 'round 311' walked off. r studiea de proposition over
in my mind an' 'aided dat I better take off from dat plume swear.
mo r quit ant lit out far de last Texas oil mills.
"''wouldn't be vary easy tar me to tell all de places I
wored st vtil I went to um& tar RenrY qkeete in 1896. three
.yeahs after I quit de lagss' run*. I don't 'collect de Ikeots°
brand, either. 'ne rliadh was to de south of de Ia' place. in
Irasoria ocunty; an' neer Alvin, Tex. I Ispoot dat 'twee over
15.000 critters Al do plod,, an' dopy mixed wid di other critters
just lek d* oattle did.
"ne sow poke lived on de range just lak de other plows, too.
'lout de .only diff*renoo dat I on toolloot am de boys' names
'members more of den. Tammy and 3111 Ikeets day was :ooi ridare;
anvoserge Tashington 'howls* oallud follow lak myself, an' was
:.Tood all 'round oow poke.. 1).14, noon RaIvieon, he sap kinds
fair to middling an a sow pa,. ge was a better yard man dan be
Phia,Toody
Rangeloro
Tarrant 10.0ietd,
was a *ow poker, *onus. ho was olden pidtlia', 'round 3aoune
and do headquarters yard. Os fellow •I resells good was disarm
%mortar. -tio was a top hand atm it mane to orittore. no ootild
do anythiProg on a hoes dot he over saw don,.
'lc rustling business was handlod de ISM as tine on diS
other pl000n 'round an, 'out 'Twos alwRys a shooting anal*
when Is maitre am caught, ant din here *blind follow carat no
whar noir when it owe off. My oompunahins7 deYe ended when de
uggonors acme down into die territory an' buys up a lotto cattle
Lo' *moo 'lotion DurPo otte "tee dos drives de host north. I es
'long for a few miles, des auto loose an' finds me an oil mill
to make ny nicneY by.
"To de best of my knowilass, d 'bout all I Gen. tell you
1)0-4.t my cow poko days. Is only thing I oan add to it an do name
or do has. dat lab to hilt as. Etc mane was 1034 limn'. an, it
happenet on do Butler ran* in Morrie *Dusty t was trying tbr
a Job on 4* plaoe4 but *ken I saw dot I couldn't arks de ,3rado
wid ono hossi I Just quit de randking business or good.
-vMost of my life was oonneeted mid do oil mills 1111
went to preaching de 'Old Tine ,aeliSion abePele. /4, ohu'oh yen
woos in do buildinl 'Groom de way as a Missionary laptiet
ehu'oh. an I's de preacezer. I lives her* at 3.300 Cliff
treot, an' any time you *ante t oomo wee me son* kore, you
ma more don **looms.