TX BIOS:  Mrs. Missouri Borders
   Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress.
   
   Washington, 1994.
   
   Preceding element provides place and date of transcription only.
   
   This transcription intended to be 99.95% accurate.
   
   For more information about this text and this American Memory
   collection, refer to accompanying matter.
   
   U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore
   Project, Life Histories, 1936-39); Manuscript Division, Library of
   Congress.Copyright status not determined.
   
   0001
   
   FOLKSTUFF - PERSONAL NARRATIVE
   
   Range-lore
   
   Ruby Mosley
   
   San Angelo
   
   RANGE-LORE
   
   "I was born in the little town of Belton, Texas 84 years ago, it was a
   very little town then," relates Mrs. Missouri Borders:
   
   "My father was not selfish but longed for plenty of range, as other
   old settlers did. He put the first works in [Comoncho?] then as people
   settled too close around he moved on out. We then established a little
   town that was called Dennis, which was named for himself, Mr. [L.?] D.
   Dennis. Which is known today as Cisco. We then moved to [DEL:
   Grandburry :DEL] Grandbury where father had an extensive range. As
   Little Miss Missouri I learned to ride. I was the oldest child
   
     NOTE: C12 - 2/11/41 - Texas
     
   00022and took my position right by the side of my father when I was
   seven years of age, we started out for the range.
   
   "Soon my daddy, my pal, was called to war, he only had time to say
   good-bye when he was called, we were left behind as most other
   families, in God ' s care. We were fortunate to have a grandfather and
   family a few miles away. Grandfather sent a buck slave to help feed
   and manage the stock. I could not stay from the barn and horses I had
   acquired the love and appreciation of the dumb animals, before my
   father was taken away. The old black buck would shuck corn to the tune
   of old hymns that he could sing and blubber so well with his large
   black lips. I can recall peeping my head with pigtails on either side,
   over the very top rail of the fence until the last ear was shucked. I
   just lived from one feeding time until the next, so that I could get
   outside with life. Indians were running wild and we were not allowed
   out of the little one room log cabin which had one door and one window
   until the old buck came to feed the livestock.
   
   "My mother was a very brave women and proved it by her daily life.
   When my father had been away about three months a baby brother was
   born. My grandmother played the doctor's part very nicely. My father
   was in Louisiana at that time and was glad the addition was a boy. At
   the very first 00033chance he sent his welcomed son a creole pony and
   blanket.
   
   "My father was educated and known as Dr. D. [B?]. Dennis, he was made
   a lieutenant during his service in the Civil War.
   
   "A Yankee General was wounded, my father took him to his quarters and
   treated him, nevertheless death approached, and the general knew that
   be must die. He often heard my father speak of me and gave his Bible
   and ring to father to send to me.
   
   "Home life was more disagreeable during that war than any other that I
   have lived through. Our food consisted of what we could raise at home,
   and sometime that was destroyed or taken. We had corn mush and milk
   for supper regardless of Sunday or company, always corn mush and milk.
   Our Sunday breakfast consisted of biscuit, butter and honey, the
   noonday meal was beef and some vegetable if there was one in season.
   
   "One night while father was gone, we spent the night at my
   grandfather's, when we returned the next morning the Indiand had
   killed two of our calves and cooked them in our yard; the fire was
   still burning and fragments of the calves were scattered over the
   yard. We were so happy that we spent the night away and had escaped
   their deadly clutches.
   
   "Soon the flags of peace moved and my father returned safe and whole,
   what a joyful reunion after the four years of absence. We were among
   the fortunate as we had escaped the 00044Indians at home and father
   was saved from afar. The evening and most of the night was spent
   reminiscening the events of four years. Father was happy to caress his
   son most 4 years old for the first time. Plans were made for the next
   morning. My father and mother were going to grandfather's to show him
   what a fine looking lieutenant his son made.
   
   "Father and mother started out early on the war horse and little
   creole pony that father had sent to baby brother. As they started off
   father said that the Indians could easily catch them when riding the
   little creole. Mother thought of two cows that needed attention, soon
   they went to see about them, and while winding their way in and out,
   father saw sixteen mounted horses. He asked mother if his good friend
   Washbourne was still scouting with his men. He said, "Look that's
   Washbourne, we will ride slow and see him.' Mother insisted that they
   go on, it could be Indians. They kept their eyes on the riders and saw
   each of them get down and tighten up on their saddles, then made a two
   by two formation as a scouting crew would. They rode along in an
   ordinary pace to not arouse the suspicion of my parents. Indians were
   very clever and immitated the whites. As they rode nearer my parents
   recognized them as Indians, and ran for life. As the Indians rode in
   circles and gave their 00055war whoops, father fired into them just as
   long as his ammunition lasted. Father was knocked off of his horse and
   lanced through and through the upper part of the right side of his
   chest. Mother was knocked off of her horse and they tried to capture
   her but they were more interested in catching their horses and took in
   after them.
   
   "Mother took father's gun down in a little ravine and reloaded it, she
   did not know that father was wounded until he turned sick.
   
   "The horses ran home as fast as they could go, we children were out in
   the yard, the old negro was shucking corn and yelled, 'You chillun get
   in dat house, Injuns am comin',' we lost no time in getting inside,
   the negro crawled under the shucks. The Lord took care of us again;
   the Indians never stopped. They were only after the horses. During
   their chase after horses mother helped father to a vacant spot but
   where he stretched out deathly sick. He told mother he would die if he
   didn't get some water. The only thing mother could think of to carry
   water in was her shoes, so she went to the creek and returned with
   both of them full of water and father emptied both of them. He told
   mother that he felt better and she went up the creek as fast as she
   could for about two mlles to father's parents. When she got there they
   were finishing a skirmish 00066with the same Indians. Mother hid until
   the last Indian had gone. The family went with her to my father as
   soon as possible, wondering and hoping to find him alive. They placed
   him in a quilt and carried him home. They could get no doctor but
   finally found an old quack that removed the lance with a pocket knife
   and bullet mold, he then drew a silk handkerchief through his body;
   that procedure was repeated every day for a long time.
   
   "The citizens went an a hunt for the Indians and found them in a hole
   of water. There were 14 braves and 2 squaws in the bunch. They were
   held there four days before enough citizens came to help capture them.
   Uncle John blew the bugle for more help and at that instance they
   fired and killed four of our men. Our men waited no longer and did not
   consider capturing but fired and killed the 16 Indians as soon as they
   could pull the trigger. Uncle John cut a dead squaw's finger off and
   took her ring, which he kept for a while but soon discarded it to try
   and forget the memories. One of the men took the scalps of the two
   squaws and presented them to my father. He kept them and the spike
   that was cut out of his chest until the [Lampasasa?] flood come and
   washed them away. Father was an invalid for twelve years after the
   fight.
   
   "The Indians made an attack on a family that lived 00077near us, and
   killed and scalped the women and put the baby to her breast, burned
   the house, tore the feather beds open and stole the little girl. I
   went with my grandparents to see the horrible sight. The Indians
   killed and took the scalps of Uncle Luke Smith and his two sons.
   
   "One time father went to Belton for supplies and was gone two weeks;
   we two families stayed together and lived on curd the enter time. We
   had no salt or any thing to season it.
   
   "We moved to [Lampasasas?] when I was about 15 years old. The Indians
   came through and killed some horses in the yards of the old water mill
   and when they failed to get them out of the pen they shot them to
   death.
   
   "I married Mr. Borders when I was 23 years of age and we moved to
   Coleman and lived there until the World War came on and we lost most
   of our holdings and my husband died. I then came to San Angelo where I
   have lived since.
   
   ***********
   
   REFERENCE: Mrs. Missouri Border. San Angelo, Texas. Interviewed
   October 6, 1938.

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