Document text
Rebertsen* Mrs.lYndham
December 30th, 1936.
VI,
0)-(1
J
Lubbock °gun y 240
District 17 Pg. 1
BIBLIOGRAPHY1 J. I. Millwee, Cattleman.
"THUS WORK AND T. A CATTLMAN1
Among the old timers who came to these glorious Plains during the N 704"
Ia
stands out a. picturesque charcter, J. K. Millirem.
I first met him while in search of same one really seasoned in the intri-
cacies of the cattle business if early and later days.
We get to talking abet attle drives, Indians, Colonel Geednight, Oliver
Loving and John Chinni. When I inquired Mr. Millweets age, he cleared his threat and
saidlf Say, I was born in Pennbrookw, and when I looked at him questioningly, he csontinn-
ed, 1].) new, you would not knew that place by that name now, it is called Paris nowadays,
0 Well, I was Urn there on the 16th day if January, 1851, and my father was a
lawyer. I went to werk at a young age, and my first job was driving 1600 head of cattle
to Klls+th, Kansas and Smoky River, and. we went by way of Wichita, Kansas, which than
1
only had one saloon and &blacksmith shop. The cattle were sold to private parties in
nearby ranches and not shipped..
On this drive, Mr. Millwee went en,II saw ens if the biggest herds of iruffale
and the beys figured that they numbered about 5000 head in that one herd. They were se
thick, they took up the entire Panhandle it seemed like.We had to step our cattle and
let the buffalo have the right of way* We encountered some Indians toe, but I never
saw an Indian killed. The tribes we would usually encounter were Apaches, and they
hankered after trouble. It was en account of the Indians and of course the advancing
r
settlements, ak+eh_wsuld-drep the cattle trailsimere and more westward every year.
In 1868 I worked fer.thi/640 outfit in Archer county and worked for them off
1
and in for tweway years. Robert Strayhorn of Chicago, Ill., and 1. B. Harold of Pt.
Werth, Texas, owned this ranch, which extended ever Archer,Wichita and Young counties,
and they ran about 40.000 Mad of cattle.
Robertson, lire. Wyndham
Lubbock, COusig 240
December 30th 1936.
District 17 pg. 2
NUM SOORZ AND INN A CATTIARMANN'
Here Mr. Rillwee took a deep pull at his cigar before he went en. Them: NSW,
want to tell you about John Chisnm. Nobody that has ever written anything about
him, has ever told the truth. Say, John Ohisum was an educated man a big cowman
and a good friend of my father's. Chisum wab the first County Clerk of Lamar county.
W.H.Millwee, my fatherand he weroboys together. I went to .work for him in 1869, in
Coleman county. Helped him move a:herd of cattle to his hosque Grande ranch. in New.
!mice, semeWhat northeast of where -Res)( well is now heated.
11
Well, as I started to say, we rounded up the cattle at Bolivar en Clear Crook,
in Dentin county, and moved to a. point on Home Brook in Celeman county, from where we
started on the trail drive to New Nexice, where Shisum had built himself a magnificent
ranch house, about three miles northeast of Roswell, on the South Spring river,
His cattle brand was the OBarb or tRaill, placed in the left hindFluarter, and the
cattle were given a ijingle—boba on each ear, which did net prove practhcal, however,
as in cud weather the ends would freeze off. John Chivum Used this brand between
1869 and 1892. He probably sold the first herd of cattle ti the Matador people.
His career became a rather sketchy and checkered one in later life. lspecially so du*
ing thelLinceln cfounty wari which was started by:Billy the Kid0.4wever, let me say,
1
that ;Billy the Itie was friendly toward Chisum and he had no trouble with him.
*After leaving Chit= in 1872n, Mr. Millwee resumithe conversation, said:
I went back home and attended sdheel in Mansfield, Tarrant county, for three years.
There I also attained membership if the Masonic Las Order.
11 a s _J
After that, in 1875, I joined.the.A,Da411' ranch in Archer county again, about 115
miles northwest of It. Worth,Texas. Also worked fir the ACircle, outfit, 40.miles east
of Albuquerque,N.M., at Antelope Springs, in 1880. Then I went with 'Jess Hitsenrand
drove trail fir two years to Obeer TrailleCelorade, for him.
4 Some time after that I ranched in Crosby county, about one to two miles south of
Lorenzo. Here I branded my cattle the 'flying Mw/t, and ran about 1500 heada used
Robertson. Mts. Wyndham Lubbock County, 240
December 30th, 1936 District 17 pg. 3
*TER= SCORN AND TIN GATTLZMAN"
,X0
this brand for Monty years, even while I was managing the stress Of.
In the year 1885 I came to LubbecOounty and helped organize thewl 0
ranch. I had the first six wells dug in Lubbock ciountyland also planted the first 100
acres of sorghum in this lockity The next year X punehased 8000 head of hress 0:1IP
cattle for the OW/wrench, which were tally branded, by putting a Imo on the hind
quarter, which indicated that they had been purchased.
"By 1887 approximately 30,000 head of cattle were grazing on the open range
which extended over a 65 to 75 mile area. At that time the A Anchorgwas the only
fenced range.
,'II went into Lynn county 4.21 1896, where I acquired apart of 40 sections of land
for which I paid $50,000. ran around 2000 cattle and bought about 1000 head from
the /Deuce of Hearts g% from J.L.Vanghn, in Kale county, but did not use his brand..
St,
I disc*nued and wound up my business in 1935.
At this point Mi. Millwee paused, as if for reflection. Directly he "turned to me
and maidurDid you want to know about say,I have had several experiences When
XI
I was a young bey,: It was When I was helping. drive that herd of 1600 cattle from
Coleman count4P Bisque Grande for Kohn Chisum. We were in the neighborhood of /old
Mddyl, which is now known as Carlsbad, 45";--ar the Delvero river, when some of the boys,
1
wanted to stop to ishoot fish'.( you shoot fish only in shallow water). One follow
was left at the head of the herd, he was Ad Burlingham. After a little while he rode up
I
to where we were fishing and told the boys to take their time, that some Indians had
driven off the cattle anyway. Re said that the Indians last swooped down upon the herd
and that he alone cod nit give chase. Our estraw boss* decide& to go after the mu
Indians and try to get the cattle back, but when the boys made the bend in the creek
they counted at least fifty Indians. reeling that they were outnumberedecided to let
the Indians keep the cattle. Say, we never did get them cattle back.
tt
Once while we had a. herd. bedded down on heven Rivers* in New Mexico, the MI
Atobertson, Mrs* Wyndham Lubbedk County
Deceriberr3Oth, 1936 District 17
'240
pg.4m
THUM SCORN AND TIIN A CATTLIMANN
Indians stampeded them. Five of us boys worked like everything and finally succeeded
in calming and settling the animals down again. kn1ian. had caused this stampede
and Jim McDaniel and I were clese upon their heels, for we had been nearest to them
and given chase on an impulse. They shot Jimts hers* from under him and as the horse
fell it turned ever and pinned Jim under its body. I was plenty scared and plenty mad
toe. In order to keep Jim from being killed by the Nedilkins, I kept en firing at
them* found we had killed three Indian ponies. Well, for some reasen the red
devils went off and Jim and I thought that maybe they were going after reinfercements,
we decided to get away, and as we went40/41W-4;;; of hackberry buShess scared and
expecting to be found and killed any time,erYstarve to death. Shortly we heard *he
clop clop of galloping horses, and now we were sure that it was theiedskins back again
However, it turned out to be 20 of Miguel; boys. Seems that they had been rounding up
some cattle and had heard shits and had also found my riderless horse, which mad& them
think we had been killed.
A
Say, we sure were glad to see the boys that time.