TX BIOS:  William F. Holt
   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.
   
   00011
   
   Pioneer [DEL: [??] :DEL] history
   
   Range-lore
   
   Nellie B. Cox
   
   San Angelo, Texas.
   
   Page one
   
   RANGE-LORE
   
   William F. Holt was one of the earliest settlers at Ben Ficklin. He
   had many years of adventure before coming to the West. He says:
   
   "I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1850 but do not remember any
   thing of my parents. I was passed around, it seems, among friends and
   kinfolks. I have never gone to school a day in my life but I have
   learned to read and write. When I was about ten, a family in Baltimore
   was going to send me to school and in return I was to wash dishes,
   look after the younger children and to be generally useful.
   
     NOTE: C12 - Texas
     
   00022I carried out my part very well, I hope, but I didn't get to go
   to school.
   
   "Several years later I was living with some relatives. They sent me to
   look up their cow, an old, red cow. As I walked in the woods, I made
   up my mind to leave, which I did and I suppose they are still waiting
   for me to return with that cow.
   
   "I made my way to an uncle in San Francisco, California, joining with
   a wagon train of settlers bound for that state. The Indians attacked
   us twice as we crossed the Plains. The first attack was during the
   day. The two scouts saw the band and we had time to form our wagons in
   a circle and fight the Indians off. It was only a small bunch of
   Indians, evidently some who had been on a hunting trip. They used bows
   and arrows and even as a young boy, I marveled at their skill. This
   attack was, I think, in Iowa and the Indians were of the Dakota tribe.
   
   "I don't remember how many were in the wagon train, but when the
   wagons all got under way, it was to me an inspiring sight. The
   hardships of the journey were passed over lightly, really were never
   mentioned. To the men and boys, California was a land of gold and to
   the women it meant the establishing of homes away from what they
   considered a crowded East. Most of us larger boys walked every day and
   all day, but what was the difference? We were in no hurry. 00033"The
   Indians attacked our train at night the next time. They swooped down
   on us in a sudden attack just as we were retiring. Every thing was
   thrown into disorder for a short time but our men were always on the
   lookout, so it wasn't long before they were pouring lead into the red
   rascals. We didn't come out so easily that time. One of our young men
   was killed and two more wounded, but we repulsed the Indians. We fully
   expected another attack during the night and close watch was kept.
   Clouds arose and under cover of the darkness the Indians carried away
   their dead. They must have carried many arrows for there were lots of
   them left on the ground.
   
   "The young man who was killed was shot in the abdomen. Even at this
   late day, the horror and terror of this occasion remain with me.
   
   "We stayed in camp the next day and sorrowfully buried our dead and
   made the wounded as comfortable as possible. Then we proceeded on our
   journey.
   
   "When I reached my uncle in San Francisco, I found that he was captain
   of a whaling boat and was ready to start on a voyage. He shipped me as
   cabin boy and I followed the sea for four years. I have been in every
   country in the world except parts of Europe. To me, Australia was the
   most wonderful country we found. On one island in the Pacific Ocean,
   the cannibals caught me 00044and were going to eat me. I know they had
   that intention. They felt of me, tested my flesh by pinching, and
   showed their pleasure in the fact that I was young and tender. They
   began to beat their drums to call the others to come and see their
   next meal but some of the sailors, hearing the drums, came to my
   rescue. On another occasion, I was very ill and my uncle left me on an
   island where the natives were friendly and I was nursed to health by
   the queen of the island. If these islands were named at that time, I
   did not learn any of the names. We went around Cape Horn several times
   and always in storms. On the ship the sailors cursed and swore and I
   did likewise but in port and at my uncle's home my aunt reprimanded me
   severely for my language and I vowed never to be guilty of foul words
   again and I have kept the vow all these years.
   
   "The whales we caught were divided, the captain receiving one out of
   every three and the sailors getting the other two as their share. We
   were paid at the end of a voyage. As we were returning home after I
   had been on the sea for over four years, I decided to try something
   else so another sailor and I left the ship (and with it our profits
   from the whales) on the west coast of Mexico. We had only a little
   money and long pearl-handled knifes but I made my way a-foot to Fort
   Concho, Texas. What became of my companion? He stayed drunk 00055so I
   was compelled to go off and leave him. The Mexicans were good to us
   and fed us but every where they wanted those knives that my companion
   and I had. We lay down to sleep one night and the next morning our
   knives were gone. Well, I was so glad to reach Fort Concho that I have
   stayed here.
   
   "I married Miss Sallie Johnson. Her father furnished the soldiers in
   the fort with buffalo meat. I had gone to California for some sheep
   for the Stinson Ranch at the time of the Ben [Ficklin?] flood.
   
   "I made several trips to California for sheep, trailing them back
   through the Imperial Valley, deserts, and mountains. In the spring of
   1884, four men were driving a herd of horses north to some ranch,
   possibly the Goodnight Ranch. I was to come along and gather up the
   stragglers. The man told me the exact place they were to camp, on the
   edge of a small canyon in a mott of trees.
   
   "I reached the place where they were to camp just before sun-down.
   Seeing the camp fire, I rode right in, only to be seized by Indians.
   They had killed and scalped the four men and were waiting for
   moonlight to round-up the horses. I had only a knife, the only weapon
   I have ever carried. By their motions and actions, I knew they thought
   there was something queer about me. They evidently expected a large
   bunch of men to follow 00066but when no others showed up they took me
   and the horses and started to the north.
   
   "I have never reasoned out why they let me go, but after keeping me
   prisoner for two days and nights they untied me and gave me to
   understand that I was free. I eventually made my way back home.
   
   "At one time in my travels, I think it was in Mexico, I came to a
   village where the people were dying of a plague. The dead were left as
   they had died and others who were able were leaving their sick and
   dead and fleeing. I stayed in an old church at night, as the dark
   caught me there. As I lay on the floor I could hear a peculiar,
   ghostly noise somewhere in the building. The noise seemed to come from
   the belfry. I never believed in ghosts but with the thought of those
   dead and dying people all around, I began to wonder if I hadn't been
   mistaken about ghosts. Finally, I got up courage enough to climb up
   into the belfry and there sat a big owl. He looked at me with his big
   eyes as if to say 'Man, do you see what I see?' At the first peep of
   light, I was gone from that place.
   
   "I have served as Justice of Peace of the Knickerbocker district for
   more than 18 years. I was one of the first commissioners elected when
   [Fort?] Green was first organized as a county and have held court
   during hectic times. I organized the first Sunday School at Ben
   Ficklin 00077and also at Knickerbocker. The early days were not so bad
   as they are sometimes pictured." 0008Range-lore
   
   Nellie B. Cox
   
   San Angelo, Texas.
   
   BIBLIOGRAPHY
   
   W. F. Holt, San Angelo, Texas, interviewed, January 13, 1938.

************************************************************************
USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE:  These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced 
in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or
persons.  Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must
obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative
of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of
this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives
to store the file permanently for free access.

http://www.usgwarchives.net/

Thanks to the Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaintro/txcat.html
***********************************************************************