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
   
   Range-lore
   
   Annie McAulay
   
   Maverick, Texas Folk stuff - Range lore
   
   RANGE-LORE
   
   Ellis Petty was born in Brown County, on Salt Creek, August 6, 1874.
   He tells the following story of his ranching experiences:
   
   "I helped make my first cattle drive when only twelve years of age. My
   father's outfit drove a herd of cattle from Bell County to Brady in
   1886 and took me along. It wasn't a long drive and we didn't have any
   serious trouble, but I thought it was a big trip. I can remember I had
   a grand time, but I sure got tired, and sometimes scared. The riders
   would tell ghost or Indian stories around the fire every night and I
   wouldn't have been surprised to see a band of Indian warriors or some
   of their dead victims make an attack on us at any time.
   
     NOTE: C12 - 2/11/41 - Texas
     
   00022"When I was about fifteen I went to work for my grandmother's (S
   3bars) ranch in Brown County. She had a pretty big outfit, and kept a
   lot of horses. The country was for the most part open range then;
   however, they were beginning to fence some of it. There was one good
   bronc buster working for grandmother while I was there. His name was
   Cooke. He made a good cowhand when necessary, but his trade was bronc
   riding. He contracted to break horses and he sure got some tough ones
   sometimes. I don't believe old Booger Red had anything on him. I know
   another good rider, Oran Webb, for many years a cowhand and stockman
   in Runnels County. He was a good all around rider, and was well known
   in these parts for his nervy riding.
   
   "The women all rode on side-saddles in early days. My wife rode a
   side-saddle to her wedding and on her honey-moon trip. Some of the
   girls were good riders. Mrs. Coffey was about the best one I knew.
   
   "I worked for my father-in-law, J. M. Franks, for some time. His ranch
   was on the line of Coryell and Bosque Counties. I practically lived in
   the saddle. I remember one drive we made from Coryell to a point
   south, and west. We crossed the Colorado River at Red Bluff crossing
   and we were nearly a month making the drive. The cattle were thin and
   we grazed them along as we went. It rained a lot on us and the
   Colorado and other streams got up, the Colorado staying up for many
   days. When it finally ran down enough that we could swim across, we
   carried the cattle across a few at a time. 00033"They'd razz the new
   hands, especially green riders, in them days something terrible.
   "Toadies," one bunch dubbed them. It was the old hand's delight to get
   'em on a buckin' horse and see them get thrown off.
   
   "I was just a lad of a boy, but I can remember something about the
   wire cutting period. They had quite a lot of trouble over it in Brown
   and other counties in that country. It took a long time for people to
   live down those differences, too.
   
   "When we made a cattle drive to Brady in 1886, we camped one night
   right on a line fence of a feller's pasture that had been lately
   fenced in. We didn't know it that night, but the fence cutters came in
   the night and cut his wires all to pieces. We saw many places next
   morning where the wires had been cut.
   
   "In them days many of the small men would hire to a big stockman and
   although he worked his cattle too, he would be drawing wages from the
   big man all the time. It is said that many times these little men
   would brand lots of the bosses' calves for themselves, in fact were
   rustlers. Well, of course fencing the land let them out. Many of the
   cutters, especially the leaders, were just such men. But, on the other
   hand, the man that could afford it would buy up a lot of land and
   often fence in a small man that had improved a little place and
   perhaps lived on it for several years. There were good men and unfair
   ones, too, on both sides.
   
   "One man, a prominent stockman, got a hint his fence was going to be
   cut on a certain night and he had the Texas Rangers 00044lying in wait
   when they came. When they attempted to arrest the cutters they began
   shooting. One of their bunch was killed and another wounded, also a
   Ranger was hurt in the fight. Bill Adams was sheriff at the time and
   was threatened many times because he tried to keep peace. Old Bill was
   a good man. I worked for him awhile in his wagon yard at Brownwood.
   Fence cutting, or the right to fence the land, was the main political
   issue at the time. Should the old open range survive or could it.
   Every candidate had to come out on one side and there were some bitter
   arguments, and some almost came to blows. Many felt that it was only
   justice to the poor man to leave a large part, at least of school
   land, open for free range."
   
   **************
   
   REFERENCES
   
   Ellis Petty, Maverick, Texas. Interviewed May 5, 1938.