BIOS:  Annie Hightower, Ft. Worth, TX

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   U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore
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   00011
   
   Rangelore
   
   Gauthier, [Sheldon?] [F.?] FOLKSTUFF [Rangelore?]
   
   Tarrant Co., [Dist.#7?] [46?]
   
   Page #1
   
   [FEC?]
   
   Annie Hightower, 75, [living?] at 110 1/2 E. [Second?] [St.?], Fort
   Worth, Tex., was born on her father's farm in [Saline?] co., [Ark.?],
   Mar. 8, 1863. Her, father, Jason [W.?] [Heckman?], joined the
   [Confederate?] Army and served through the [Civil?] [War?]. He
   received wounds while in the army which proved fatal after he was
   [mustered?] out of service and his death took place in 1870. Her
   [mother?], Mrs. Jason W. Heckman, moved to Texas in 1872, with her two
   younger children and an orphan child, Hugh [Vermillion?]. She located
   in Bell co., Tex., where she had a son, John W. Hackman, who was then
   farming in the [Little?] River bottom, [adjacent?] to the town of
   [Belton?]. The Heckman family boarded a train at Benton, Ark., and
   traveled to [Texarkana?], Tex. From Texarkana, [they?] traveled by
   horse team and wagon to their destination. [After?] the family located
   in Bell co., they entered the cattle business. The children gathered
   [Mavericks?] to start a [herd?]. The Heckman brand was registered in
   the name of [Annie?] Heckman at Belton, and was 'A bar over O', made
   thus: [Annie?] Heckman was one of the few cowhands working on the
   range, as well as one of the few women who furnished music at the
   [dances?] by [playing?] the fiddle. Her story of range life follows:
   
   "Before I became a married woman, my named was Annie Heckman. I was
   born in [?] co., [Ark.?], March 8, 1863. My father's name was Jason W.
   Heckman, and he lived on a tract of land near the little [town?] of
   Benton, Ark. He [made?] a living for his family by doing a little
   farming and operating a small [whiskey?] still. [In?] those days,
   there was no tax or license required to operate a still or sell
   liquor. He made the whiskey from corn which was raised on our farm,
   and sold it in [Little?] Rock. [With?] the money he made from the sale
   of liquor, he bought the few things that were required for family use.
   
   "A little money want a long way in meeting that which my folks had to
   buy, because we raised in our field and obtained from the country
   around practically all we required at home.
   
     NOTE: C12 - 2/11/41 - Texas
     
   00022
   
   "[Our?] beef was obtained from the few cattle that father raised.
   [They?] also furnished the milk, butter and cream for our table. The
   pork was obtained from the hogs that raised themselves in the river
   bottom, living on nuts and vegetation, [and?] was excellent meat.
   Besides the beef and pork, we has access to an [abundance?] of
   [edible?] wild animals and fowls. [Deer?] would be seen nearly any
   time one went into the woods. In fact, deer were a nuisance to our
   [vegetable?] patch. It was necessary to build an extra high fence to
   keep the animals out of our garden. Wild turkey were in various
   places, in flocks of a hundred or more. There were also brushhen,
   rabbits and bear to be had, if one cared to hunt for them.
   
   "[Father?] raised a little wheat, corn, cane and cotton, besides the
   [vegetables?].
   
   "The wheat was used for our flour supply, cane for syrup, cotton for
   clothes, [and?] [the?] corn for corn meal and whiskey mash.
   
   "I have [spent?] many [hours?], with mother and the rest of the
   children, [picking?] cotton seeds out of the [lint?]. We spun the lint
   into threads, which we wove into cloth. [We?] had a few sheep, also,
   [?] [used?] the wool for making clothes. By mixing the cotton and
   woolen threads, we made a sort of linsey-woolsey cloth.
   
   "Home-spun clothes were the only kind of clothes I had ever seen, or
   knew existed, until I was at the age of about six, and then father
   bought a blot of [calico?] cloth. [Then?] he bought that calico and
   brought it home, we thought its flowers [and?] figures were the most
   [beautiful in the world. Now, you may have seen folks as proud, but
   not any prouder than mother and I when we were dressed in that calico.
   00033["We?] had 30 hives of bees, which furnished all the honey, and
   more, than the family could eat. I can't recall the number of apple
   trees we had in the orchard, but we had apples by the bushels; [and?]
   bushels of nice, large, red juicy apples, [rotted?] on the ground.
   [We?] couldn't sell the fruit, because everyone in that section [had?]
   more apples then they could use; and I may add [that?] there was
   plenty of cider around, of the hard and soft variety. [We?] went to
   the [lowlands?] [during?] strawberry season and picked [oodles?] of
   the wild strawberries. Mother canned, preserved, and made jell cut of
   the berries. Raspberries were plentiful and we did the same with those
   berries.
   
   "From all this, you can see that we lived on the best of food, had the
   warmest of clothes, and didn't worry about the supply of food.
   
   "Our home was main from logs, but was warm and comfortable; so we were
   happy [and?] well taken care of.
   
   "The family's first sad event took place when father went to the army.
   I was not old enough to realize what was taking place, because I was
   only two years old, but I have recollection of his departure
   registered [on?] my mine.
   
   "His absence, while he was in the [Confederate?] Army, did not cause
   the family any physical discomfort. [He?] returned at the close of the
   war, but was crippled from wound's and finally died from the effects
   of his injuries, in 1870.
   
   "I was the youngest of the three children. I had two brothers who were
   my seniors, and [?] Vermillion, a young lad who was orphaned when a
   child, lived with us. [He?] took care of the farm while father was in
   the army. 00044"There was no railroad near our Arkansas home, until
   about 1870 or '71. [Little?] [Rock?] was around 50 miles away and
   Benton was our [nearest?] [town?], a distance of 20 miles from our
   farm. Benton was the farthest we ever were away from home, and that
   was only on rare occasions. Of course, what there was to be seen at
   Benton wasn't much.
   
   "[During?] 1870, rumor had it that a railroad wa going to [be?] built
   into Benton; and did during the 12 months following. [I?] [?] never
   forget our anticipation of that coming event. [We?] children pestered
   mother every day for an explanation of a railroad and [a?] train. It
   was to us the wonder of all wonders. Mother promised to take us to
   Benton [the?] day the first train came in, and she did.
   
   "[On?] the day of the big event, the team of horsed were hitched to
   the wagon and we started before daylight on our 20 mile ride to [see?]
   a railroad and its train. [We?] females carried along our calico
   dresses, made from the bolt of calico father had bought, which was the
   proper dress for the occasion. [Those?] dresses were only worn on
   special occasions. For instance, if we were called upon to [?] a
   reception committee to welcome some high [official?]. [When?] we were
   about a mile from town, we changed form our home-spun to the calico
   and arrived in town properly attired.
   
   "We drove up to near the depot where we tied the team to a [sapling?],
   then joined a crowd of people on the platform who were waiting for the
   train's arrival. It was an anxious wait, but finally the smoke from
   the [engine?] was sighted [and?] there went up a chorus of voices
   yelling, 'there she comes!' The train, which was an [engine?], several
   box cars and a caboose, came rolling up to the 00055depot. To us, it
   was a majestic thing. But when it reached the platform over half the
   people left the [platform?] [?] a run, and we Heckman children were in
   the crowd of runners. No sir, we wouldn't take any chances with that
   engine staying on the track or not [bursting?]. The way the train was
   swaying on that newly layed track and the engine popping off steam,
   indicated to us the darn thing was about to destroy everything around
   there. [To?] our better judgment and common sense told us to give the
   contrivance plenty of room.
   
   "Our team, which had been raised in the hills and valleys of [?]
   county like us folks, had never seen a train, and the team used the
   same kind of common sense that we humans did. There was a difference,
   however, in that the team didn't consider the wagon, harness, and our
   lunch which was in the [wagon?]. That team reared back a couple times
   which put such a strain on the tie ropes that it caused the ties to
   bread, and the horses started for some other place going at their best
   speed.
   
   "The result of that team's run was a broken wagon and harness, beyond
   repair. That was a disaster for mother to face. However, the calamity
   for us children was the loss of the lunch. Mother had roasted an
   excellent fat young turkey hen with dressing. [She?] [had?] also,
   baked a raspberry pie some strawberry preserve tarts, and made some
   vegetable salad, all of which was to be enjoyed under the shade of a
   tree after the train's arrival. In addition, mother had promised to
   buy each of us a bottle of red pop. Being deprived of the pop by the
   run-away was the crushing misfortune for us children, because red pop,
   those days, was the greatest treat children could receive. 00066"[My?]
   brother John had gone to Texas, and settle in [Bell?] county, a short
   time before the railroad built into Benton. He located at the
   [Little?] [River?] bottom and started a farm. Mother desired to move
   to where brother was. Carrying out her wishes, mother moved her family
   to the [Little?] River section of Bell County in 1872, and made her
   home with brother John.
   
   "[We?] sold our property for a trifle. In those days land in the
   section of [?] county in Arkansas did not bring any price. [What?] we
   received was about enough to pay for the labor time spent in making
   the improvements and that was not much.
   
   "[We?] packed our personal effects [and?] took a train at Benton with
   Texardana as our destination, because that was the farthest point we
   could travel by rail at the time. [From?] Texarkana to [Belton?], Bell
   county, we traveled in a wagon pulled by a team of horses.
   
   "The accommodations furnished passengers on that Arkansas train was a
   box car to ride in, with wooden benches for seats. However, we enjoyed
   the trip [exceedingly?] well. since it was an experience and one that
   not many folks in our section had an opportunity to enjoy, and we felt
   very [important?].
   
   "[To?] find a means of transportation from Texarkana to Bell county
   presented a [problem?] for mother to overcome. She finally located a
   party who was in the freighting business and he agreed [to?] haul the
   family to Rockdale, which was his home, for [$70.00?]. Rockdale was
   about 30 miles beyond and 30 miles east of Belton, but that was the
   best we could do, so mother accepted and we started on the overland
   trip.
   
   "The freighter had a load without mother and us children, so 00077he
   let his team take its time and requested us to walk all we could.
   [We?] children walked a great deal of the trip and when the freighter
   arrived at the flat prairie country between Texarkana and [Dallas?],
   the [scene?] was a revelation to us children. [We?] had never seen
   anything but a country of hills, valleys and woods.
   
   "There, on the flat prairie, we could see for miles, and there were
   large herds of cattle grazing, here and there, in every direction that
   we looked; but just [occasionally?] would we see a house.
   
   "[We?] could easily walk as fast, or faster, than the team traveled.
   [We?] children being interested in the new scenery, would examine
   thing as we passed along the trail. Sometimes we would lag
   considerable distance behind, the dog-trot to catch up with the wagon.
   [We?] padded quite close to a [herd?] of cattle one afternoon and
   stopped to look at the animals, because the longhorns were
   [interesting?] to us. [We?] didn't think the animals would not any
   different from the tame cattle we had at home, but we soon learned
   there was a difference in the nature of the two kinds of cattle.
   Several of the steers snorted and started after us. We ran for the
   wagon, yelling as loud as we could. Our yelling attracted the
   attention of the freighter and [he?] stopped. By stopping, the
   freighter enable us to reach the wagon just in time to beat the
   longhorns out of their designs.
   
   "All our meals were cooked in the open over a campfire, and we slept
   under the wagon on a pallet. [We?] had experienced one period of two
   days rain, which interfered with our meal making and was disagreeable
   otherwise. [We?] traveled over some black land and the team nearly
   became exhausted pulling the load. [We?] were compelled to walk, to
   keep the load as light as possible, and walking in that sticky
   00088[mud?] was a job nearly put me out.
   
   ["We?] [forded?] creeks, rivers and streams of various kinds. [We?]
   traveled over rocks, sand and mud roads, but finally arrived at
   [Dallas?] after what seemed ages.
   
   "[Dallas?] was a [small?] place then, but interesting to us children,
   because it was the largest town we had ever seen. The freighter rested
   his team for a day and transacted business while at Dallas. [We?]
   Heckmans took advantage of the stay and enjoyed ourselves viewing the
   town and its stores with the many things for sale. One of the things I
   saw for sale was apples, which I could not understand a reason for
   because no one thought of selling apples in Arkansas where we had
   lived.
   
   "[While?] at Dallas I saw my first paper bag. Mother and I were
   walking on the street and met a man carrying a paper bag, full of some
   article. My [curiosity?] was aroused and I asked mother what was the
   thing the man was carrying. She replied: Where I was reared in
   Missouri, we called it a paper bag, but where you have been reared the
   folks call it a poke. I pestered mother till I secured a satisfactory
   explanation from her of the functions of a paper bag.
   
   "The freighter finally arrived at Rockdale with his load of freight
   and passengers, but there we were about 60 miles from brother's farm.
   Mother had mailed a letter to brother about our departure from
   Arkansas, for Belton, Tex., and there is where we expected to meet
   him. However, it took about a week or more for a letter to reach its
   destination from Arkansas to middle Texas, and the time it would be
   placed in the hands of the addressee [depended?] on when he made a
   trip to town for his mail. However, brother had 00099received our
   letter and was watching at Belton for our arrival.
   
   "When we arrived in Rockdale our money was getting low, making it
   necessary to conserve it, so we waited for a chance to get word to
   brother, or find someone who was traveling with a wagon to Belton and
   would give us [transportation?] for a small sum. [While?] waiting to
   find a way to reach Belton, my brother James and I washed dishes in a
   hotel to pay for our meals.
   
   ["We?] were at Rockdale for three weeks and [during?] that time word
   reached Belton, through some cowboy, about John Heckman's mother and
   children being stranded at [Rockdale?]. [?] cowboy at Belton, hearing
   the news, hunted up brother and reported our location to him. He then,
   of course, came after us [and?] we [finally?] arrived at his farm and
   what was our future home.
   
   "Just as soon as we became settled, we children started to get into
   the cattle business.
   
   "The [?] was an open range and full of cattle. [What?] farms existed
   in that country then were in the river bottoms. Horses ran wild in
   places and brother John caught and wrangled some for us to ride. Soon
   as we [had?] a [?] ready for work we all became busy.
   
   "[First?], we built a corral on the upland near brother's farm. Then
   we hunted Mavericks, which were driven into the corral. [When?] the
   corral became filled, we then branded the animals with a brand made
   thus: It was referred to as the bar over brand. [We?] adopted and
   registered that brand at Belton in my name, Annie Heckman.
   
   "I was [nearing?] my tenth year, and took to riding and other cow work
   as a boy does. I worked with the boys riding over the range looking
   for Mavericks. There were a good number of the unbranded 001010cattle
   to be found that were not the property of anyone, and at that time a
   number of people started herds by picking up Mavericks.
   
   "By [early?] [Spring?] of 1873 there were around 200 cows carrying the
   bar over brand and about that many steers. We had a [good?] [crop?] of
   calves that Spring and, with our constant hunting [for?] Mavericks, by
   Fall we had a nice herd, numbering close to [?]. In the Spring of
   ['74?] we were ready to sell some cattle.
   
   ["We?] kept a [number?] of salt licks located in the timber near the
   river bottom, adjacent to the farm, and they held the cattle in that
   [vicinity?] quite well. [The?] animals would do most of their grazing
   on the upland, but during bad weather the herd would drift to the
   timber.
   
   "[When?] 1874 arrived I was able to do my share of the cowhand's work.
   I could ride'em, throw and loop with the rope, and handle the branding
   iron, about equal with the boys. Of course, because of the
   [difference?] in [strength?], the boys could beat me at bulldogging
   and work of that nature. [Such?] work was too strenuous for me and [?]
   left it for the boys to do. I did do some wrangling, because I enjoyed
   the work, but not the worst of the pitchers. The near [snakebloods?] I
   left for the boys to handle. I have taken many of spills off of a
   horse and it's a wonder I did not have every bone in my body broken.
   However, [I?] was taught the art [of?] handling my body in a fall out
   of a saddle, by my brother John.
   
   "I had great [agility?] and easily learned how to throw my body in the
   direction it was [going?], instead of trying to break the fall. It is
   a matter of balance, and controling the body to meet the fall.
   
   The cattle we sold were driven to market in other herds. There were
   two men we turned our market cattle over to, [Sol?] White and
   001111Joe [Bundle?]. Each of them drove herds regularly, and [when?]
   we cut in some of our cattle our money would be paid [promptly?] as
   soon as they completed the drive.
   
   "Brother's farm was located near what we called the [Three?] Works of
   the [Little?] River, about 10 miles south of Belton. Just a few miles
   from the farm was a crossing of the river, called the Griffin
   crossing. The drovers usually watered and bedded their [herds?] at the
   crossing. [Whenever?[ we had cattle to [?] with either [White's?] or
   Bundle's herd, we would cut our [cattle?] into the herd just before
   bedding time; therefore, our cattle would always drift off with the
   driving herd without any trouble.
   
   "[During?] the time I worked on our range we experienced just one
   stampede handling our market while cutting the herd into [drover's?]
   cattle. We were expecting [?] White and had cut out 75 steers in the
   class of threes, to turn into his herd. [We?] [had?] our steers and
   were holding them about two miles from the crossing. When [?] arrived,
   we started [to?] move our herd towards Griffin's crossing. The wind
   was blowing quite strong, and just as we [approached?] [Sol's?] chuck
   wagon a piece of canvas torn loose from it. This piece of canvas began
   to flap with the wind and our steers started in the opposite
   direction, going at their best speed. Brother James and I rode at the
   head of the herd, trying to turn the animals so we could put them to
   [?]. [We?] rode about an hour before we could accomplish our purpose.
   
   "By the time we had the [herd?] milling, [?] and several other waddies
   from [Sol's?] crew came and the whole crowd stayed with the herd till
   the animals showed a tendency to bed; then we drifted the herd
   001212to the crossing, where they mixed with the other cattle and soon
   became scattered among 2,500 animals.
   
   "During the run my ability to handle my body in a spill, perhaps,
   saved my life. My horse hit a hole and stumbled to its knees. I went,
   head forward, out of the saddle and landed in front of the horse, but
   I was on my feet as soon as the horse regained his and had my hand
   hold of the saddle horn. I swung into the saddle and was away again.
   If that horse had gotten away from me, the steers would surely have
   stomped me to death.
   
   "Our [herd?] was not large and it gave us very little trouble. We were
   somewhat fortunate, so far as trouble was concerned. Ranchers and
   settlers west of us had to meet Indian [depredations?] and rustler
   troubles, but in our section we were bothered with neither.
   
   "Besides attending to our herd, our only excitement was attending the
   [dances?], which were held frequently, first at one place and then
   another.
   
   "I showed musical talent at an early age and learned to play a fiddle,
   therefore I was in great demand to agitate the [cutgut?], as the
   cowboys called playing the fiddle.
   
   "Mother had a very good education and considerable musical knowledge.
   She was the only teacher we children had. In addition to teaching me
   my three R's, she taught me the fundamentals of music. My first
   instrument was a gourd that resembled a fiddle, which my brother made
   for me. On that gourd affair I learned to play tunes. When I was eight
   years old, the folks bought me a fiddle and [then?] I did my
   practicing with it. By the time I was 13 years old, I could pull a
   mean bow, [?] the expression of our neighbors about my playing.
   001313"Because of my playing ability, I was called upon to agitate the
   [catgut?] at the cowboy's dances. I have ridden horseback for a
   distance of 30 miles to attend and play for a settlement [dance?]. The
   dances those days were the big event and all enjoyed the affairs
   greatly.
   
   "[The?] cowboys came from a distance of 60 miles at times and the boys
   presented an unusual appearance dressed in their working clothes,
   except their spurs and [six-gun?]. That part of their equipment would
   be left outside. That [applied?] to me, too, as I wore my six-gun and
   could use it quite well. While I was never called on to use my gun, in
   those days one never knew when it would be necessary.
   
   ["?] room in the house where the dance was held would be cleared of
   all furniture, and a platform for the fiddlers would be arranged in
   one corner. Upon that platform, which was usually the eating table, I
   would sit, just a tot of a girl; and, as the cowboys would say, I
   'poured it on". I certainly enjoyed doing it. [??] usually played
   second with me and we made an excellent team.
   
   "Now, I shall tell where my big thrill came in [?] the close [of?] the
   dance, the cowboys would say, 'now [Annie?] stand the platform and
   play us your favorite tune. That I would do, and while [?] was playing
   money would come flying onto the platform. I have secured money gifts
   amounting to $150.00 by a money shower form the cowhands for my
   playing.
   
   "One of the difficulties the men had to contend with, at dances, was
   the shortage of women. There were more males than females in the
   country those days; and of course, at the dances, there were two Jacks
   to every Jill. To meet the uneven number in sex, some 001414men were
   compelled to dance the female part. The men taking the female part
   always wore a ribbon to designate their part and were a source of
   merriment to all those present.
   
   "Trouble at the dances was rare, [and?] [during?] all the time I
   [played?] for cowboy dances only once was there trouble that ended
   fatally. It took place during a dance held at [Little?] River City.
   [Two?] cowhands became involved in an argument over a girl. One [of?]
   the waddies, it seemed, considered he had the right of a certain girls
   attention and the other waddy didn't agree with him. The two did the
   customary thing by going outside of the house to [?] the issue. I may
   state that what few quarrels I saw at a dance, none were settled in
   the house. [Well?], the two waddies went outside and each must have
   went [for?] his gun, because it wasn't long before we on the inside
   heard shooting. The usual thing took place: those who had not already
   gone to watch the [fight?], rushed out with the [sound?] of the first
   shot. Naturally, I followed the crowd; [?] when I reached the scene of
   the shooting, on the ground lay one of the men. He was shot high up in
   the left breast and bleeding [?]. [?] [Millet?] gave me his red
   bandana, [?] which I wrapped my white handkerchief, and plugged the
   bullet hole the best I could. That stopped the blood from flowing to a
   [great?] extent. A couple of men started to a doctor with the fellow,
   but the man [died?] before they had traveled very far.
   
   "After the party had departed with the wounded fellow, the rest
   resumed dancing. It may seem that the dancers were a hard and
   cold-hearted lot, but the fact is they were not. Arguments were
   settled so often with the six gun in those days that the folks became
   001515accustomed to shooting affairs.
   
   One other thing I was called upon to do, for the entertainment [of?]
   the crowd at dances, was tap and jig dancing occasionally. [?] came to
   me naturally, the same as music. I was in one of my natural elements
   when doing a jig. I could watch a person and copy the routine easily,
   and in a short time execute the steps.
   
   "I practiced the [Arkansas?] Traveler jig in a small space until I
   could do it in a space two feet square. After I had the dance
   [perfected, we were at a dance and my brother offered to bet that I
   could do the dance on his bandana. The bet was taken quickly. Brother
   placed his bandana on the floor and I did the dance and won the bet
   for him, which money he gave to me.
   
   "After the dance was completed, the cowhands said they knew that they
   would lose the bet, but made it to have the chance of seeing me do the
   dance, and that they had received their money's worth.
   
   "I have never given up dancing and fiddling entirely. [As?] late as
   1935 I won a prize in an [oldtimers'?] fiddling contest, held at the
   Fort Worth Recreation Building and sponsored by the Good Fellows and
   Santa Pals organization. I also won a prize for jigging.
   
   "I married Albert [?] in [1880?] and then quit the range. My husband
   was intent on farming and we took up a piece of land in the [Little?]
   River bottom. Our closest neighbor was six miles away. There my first
   four children were born, and without the attention of a physician. My
   first child was born without the [?] of a midwife or a neighbor. The
   child's birth took place while my husband was on his way to get a
   neighbor's wife to be with me. When the [?] people 001616returned, the
   child was nursing. Such was what women often experienced during our
   early days, and thought nothing of it.
   
   "I lost my husband in 1903, then I came to Fort Worth. Since that time
   I have operated rooming house for a livelihood. I married Hightower in
   the middle of the 1900's, but continued with my rooming house
   business.

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