TX BIOS:  Tom J. Snow
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   Washington, 1994.
   
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   U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore
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   00011
   
   Folk Stuff - Range lore
   
   Gauthier, Sheldon F.
   
   Rangelore
   
   Tarrant Co., Dist. #7 [15?]
   
   Page #1
   
   FEC
   
   Tom J. Snow, 74, living at 1704 May St., Fort Worth, Tex., was born
   Dec. 15, 1863, in Cleburne co., Ala., on a farm owned by his father,
   T.J. Snow, Sr. His father, who served in the Confederate Army during
   the Civil War, died five years after the war terminated, when young
   Tom was only seven years old. Tom possessed a natural ability for
   handling and riding horses and at the age of 15 was able to ride
   almost any horse. He was so proficient that he was able to earn his
   livelihood breaking wild Texas bronchos which were shipped into Ala.,
   for sale. Tom came to Fort Worth, Tex., in 1883, where he has since
   continued to reside, with the exception of 18 months he worked on a
   ranch. His first job in Texas was tending bar. His next job was on a
   cattle ranch owned by Lewis Hunter. After termination of his work on
   the ranch, Tom became employed as a peace officer, continuing in this
   profession ever since. At the present time (1938) he is a Tarrant co.
   Deputy Sheriff. His Story:
   
   I was born in Cleburne co., Ala., Dec 15, 1863. My father, T.J. Snow,
   Sr., owned a plantation and was one of the prosperous citizens of the
   county before the Civil War. He entered the Confederate Army the
   second year of the war and served until the war terminated. Father,
   like many other Southern men, was in destitute circumstances when the
   war ended.
   
   "Father died five years after he returned from the army. His death
   caused the family to separate and it was not long until I was on my
   own resources.
   
   "I possessed a natural ability to ride a horse, during my 'teen years
   I did a great amount of riding, and had learned to handle any horse or
   mule. I had learned how to stay in the saddle with a pitching horse.
   
   00022
   
   "At the time I went on my own, a great many of the wild Texas bronchos
   were shipped into Ala. and Miss., and sold for saddle horses. In those
   days, saddle horses were used extensively. Because of my ability as a
   rider and in handling horses, I was in demand as a horse wrangler, I
   devoted five years to the business of breaking the wild critters and
   received $5.00 a head for the work.
   
   "I trained the horses for saddle work. If the buyer wished to train
   the animal to be driven hitched to a vehicle, the animal was ready for
   further training by the buyer.
   
   "After devoting five years to wrangling bronchos to earn my
   livelihood, I then got the idea of going to Texas. I arrived in Fort
   Worth in 1883, and Fort Worth has been my home ever since that date.
   
   "I did not engage in range work when I first arrived in Texas. My
   first work was bar tending for B. Smith, who operated a saloon on the
   corner of Fifth & Main Sts, and followed working for several other
   saloon men.
   
   "At the time I worked as a bartender, Fort Worth was a pure cowtown.
   Cowboys and ranchers, by the score, visited Fort Worth, bent on
   business and pleasure.
   
   "My experience back of the bar, while waiting on the cowboys and
   ranchers, was interesting and enjoyable. For one to be successful as a
   dealer with the cowhands, it was necessary to take the fellows as they
   presented themselves. However, one could always depend on the cowmen
   playing fair.
   
   "I recollect many incidents which illustrates the rough,
   00033humorous, but fair characteristics of the men who lived on the
   range. To present some idea of the things I experienced, I shall tell
   of some incidents which took place.
   
   "One morning five waddies walked into the saloon and called for a
   'frosty cocktail'. This particular drink was in great favor at the
   time and was among the expensive drinks. I mixed the five drinks and
   set the cocktails on the bar. The boys drank with great relish, and
   commended me on my ability as a mixer of the cocktail. When they had
   finished drinking, one of the party asked me if I had any chalk. I had
   an abundant supply of chalk, because we operated a few domino tables
   and chalk was used by the players to mark their score. Naturally, I
   informed the boys to the effect that I had a large supply.
   
   "When the question was asked, I noticed each of the boys put a hand on
   his six-gun. Also, I saw a flickering smile on the lips of each. Well,
   when I told the boys we had a large supply of chalk, the spokesman
   asked:
   
   "'What is the bad news on the cocktails?'
   
   "'Just a dollar two-bits', I replied.
   
   "'Mighty fair, Mr. bartender', the fellow commended.' 'You take some
   of the chalk and mark the charge on the seat of your pants. We'll be
   back and kick the marks off after a spell of time'. With this
   statement made, the party walked out of the saloon.
   
   "I was certain the boys would be back, but could not anticipate their
   next move. I put a chalk mark reading '$1.25' on the seat of my pants.
   I reasoned that the boys might refuse to 00044pay if they could not
   see the charge as ordered, but was somewhat disturbed about what might
   take place to remove the marks after they did pay the charge. However,
   I was determined to be game.
   
   "The waddies returned within the hour, and as soon as they entered the
   bar I turned and showed the charge on the seat of my pants. Well, my
   act took them off their feet, and perhaps saved me from being the
   object of some rough fun.
   
   "One of the party ordered another frosty cocktail. When the drink had
   been mixed and drank, one of the waddies threw a $20.00 gold piece on
   the bar. I started to give the fellow his change, but he refused to
   accept the money, saying, 'fellow you beat us to the finish. You hold
   'er, and we'll be back, now and then, to spend what's left of the gold
   !
   
   "I soon learned to play with the cowhands instead of opposing them. By
   taking their puns and jokes in a spirit of good nature, one never
   needed to fear of being treated unjustly.
   
   "Some of the cowhands' favorite sport was to shoot out the lights of
   an establishment, or start shooting suddenly near a crowd of people.
   They enjoyed watching the scared folks running away from the shooting.
   Also, the boys enjoyed fainting a gun battle, with someone between
   them.
   
   "One night there was a stranger in the bar who had indulged in the cup
   that cheers slightly too much. He was a sociable fellow and had
   invited a couple of waddies to join him in taking a drink. The waddies
   reciprocated by buying a drink, but when it came to pay for their
   order they became involved in an argument 00055over which one should
   do the paying. The waddies didn't waste many words, but started to
   shoot with the stranger in line of their fire. The stranger attempted
   to move out from between the two men, but the waddies maneuvered to
   keep the fellow in the line of fire. There was some fast stepping and
   dodging for a minute and then, either from exhaustion or an idea, the
   stranger dropped to the floor.
   
   "The stranger was as white as an Easter lily and perspiring profusely.
   The shooting stopped when the stranger dropped to the floor. The scene
   then changed to the crowd indulging in more refreshments, paid for by
   the stranger.
   
   "Having our lights shot out was an expected event any time a party of
   waddies arrived at the singing stage. I shall relate one incident when
   the light were shot out in our place and there happened to be an
   Easterner who knew we had a couple of 45's under the bar, because I
   had shown the guns to him while descussing some of the problems of
   conducting a saloon.
   
   "The party of waddies were happy, as usual when something is pulled,
   and suddenly shooting started and the light went out. It was only a
   second after the shooting started till I felt someone's hand brush
   against me. It was the Easterner, who had jumped the bar and was
   looking for the guns. His intention was to get busy with a gun on the
   waddies. If the fellow had not brushed against me, or had found one of
   the guns, he may have caused some fun not intended by the other
   players.
   
   "One night a party of commercial travelers were standing in front of
   the Metropolitan Hotel and engaged in conversation. A 00066party of
   waddies came walking past the hotel and saw the travelers in earnest
   conversation. The waddies [fainted?] a gun battle with the travelers
   in line of fire. It is needless for me to state how fast those
   travelers scattered.
   
   "I tended bar four years, then accepted a job on the ranch operated by
   Lewis Hunter. The ranch was located about 18 miles west of Fort Worth.
   
   "Hunter did the foreman's work himself and ranged about 3,000 head of
   cattle under the brand of '[LH?]'. The range consisted of about two
   sections of land, all under fence.
   
   "Situated in the adjacent territory were the Wooton's, Corn's, Scott's
   and Eph Daggett's ranches. Daggett's range was the largest of all the
   ranches in this section and included all the territory northwest of
   Fort Worth for a distance of about 20 miles. Daggett owned a large
   number of acres in and around Fort Worth. He donated a part of a 300
   acre tract of land to the T. & P. railroad on which to build their
   yards, depot, and other buildings, when the road came to Forth Worth.
   
   "At the Hunter ranch, there was on an average of six cowboys employed.
   We lived in a ranch house and, during my day on the range, the boys
   slept inside practically every night. Of course, farther west the open
   range still existed and the waddies were compelled to live in the open
   a great deal. Due to the fence, our work did not require us to do
   night riding, because the fence held the cattle. One man did night
   work and he was kept to watch-over the herd. Our chief concern was the
   cattle thieves.
   
   "One man was employed to ride the fence line each day. His 00077duty
   was to repair all minor breaks. He carried a hammer, pliers, and
   staples, in his saddlebags. When he found a loose wire, or a broken
   one, he would repair it. All major breaks, such as broken posts and
   breaks of that nature, he would report to the repair crew, at the same
   time giving location of same. The repair crew consisted of two men and
   they would drive the repair wagon to the location and make the
   repairs.
   
   "Besides watching the fence, our work consisted of attending to the
   injured critters, cutting out market critters and driving the sale
   herd to the Fort Worth market. We had no roundup to make, except to
   round up the ranch's herd within the fence, for the purpose of
   branding and marking the calves in the Spring, also to count the herd.
   
   "Hunter ranged from 75 to 100 [horses?], in addition to the herd of
   cattle. My time was devoted to attending to the horse herd. My job was
   watching the horse herd and doing the wrangling. I was the wrangler of
   the outfit and credited with being among the best of wranglers in this
   section of the range.
   
   "A horse which I could not ride had to be a snake-blood. Snake-blood
   was the term applied to an animal which could not be ridden or driven.
   The fact is, such animal is mentally abnormal by nature.
   
   "I met a few of the snake-bloods back in Ala., which came off of the
   Texas range; but while working for Hunter, I was lucky in not having
   to deal with a single snake-blood.
   
   "A snake-blood will buck until it is tuckered out and will then lay
   down. The balky critter among the work animals is a 00088counter-part
   of the snake-blood saddle stock. All horsemen know it is useless to
   whip a balky horse. One has to wait until the animal changes its mind.
   The only difference between a balky horse and a snake-blood is that
   the snake-blood will not change its mind.
   
   "One of the favorite tricks of the cowhand was to put a greener on a
   bucking horse and tell the fellow the animal was a good saddle.
   
   "All the waddies at Hunter's ranch knew me, because I had waited on
   them while tending bar at the various saloons. Therefore, the boys
   were going to give me an extra treat. The morning I reported for duty,
   Lewis Hunter pointed out a critter for me to use as my mount. I could
   tell the way the critter layed back its ears, it was no rocking chair.
   I put the saddle on the animal's back and mounted. The horse gave me
   something to do besides chewing my wax, but I was in no danger at any
   time. I soon convinced the animal it could not put me on the ground. I
   surprised the boys and convinced them I was a real rawhide, instead of
   a bartender.
   
   "I worked 18 months for the Hunter outfit and then came back to Fort
   Worth. I engaged in law enforcement work thereafter. I have been a
   policeman, detective or deputy sheriff ever since.
   
   "As a law enforcing officer, I have dealt with many cowmen while they
   were in town on pleasure bent. Very few cowhands caused undue trouble.
   They were rough, but did not desire to injure anybody.
   
   "We knew how to handle the cowmen and, during the late 80's and early
   90's, we looked upon noise as harmless. Also, we did not 00099molest
   the boys if they wanted to shoot the lights out, or practice shooting
   using the glass on the back bar as their target, because we knew that
   the damage property would be paid for. However, we insisted that they
   not injure anybody.
   
   "We would run into a hybrid cowhand occasionally. What I mean is one
   who wanted to be tough because he thought toughness was one of the
   ingredients that went into the waddy's makeup.
   
   "I recollect one hybird who came under my charge while I was guarding
   a county road gang of prisoners. He repeated continually that he was
   tough, a cowhand, and would not work at anything else. He many times
   repeated the following:
   
   "'I'm from Bitter Root Creek where folks are tough. The farther up the
   creek you go the tougher they get and I come from the last shack at
   the far end of the creek'.
   
   "When I arrived at the camp with the hybird, I showed him a pick and
   shovel to handle, and then he went to pitching. He picked up a chain
   and hit a negro over the head, because the colored fellow brought the
   working tools.
   
   "It was necessary to tame the boy, so I had four men hold the hybrid
   while I applied a strap on his seat. With the third wallop he let out
   a yell, saying, 'I'll be good, I'll work'.
   
   "The fellow knew how to swing a pick and handle a shovel as if he'd
   been on the work before. He did his bit during the entire time he was
   at the camp. The day he was released I brought him back to town, and
   when we parted he thanked me for teaching him a lesson.
   
   "During my time, we in this section only had one or two 001010real
   tough cattle rustlers to deal with. However, we were called upon many
   times to apprehend cattle thieves. In fact, the call to catch cattle
   rustlers has been, and is now, more or less regular.
   
   "When I first became connected with law enforcement, I was called on
   to catch a rustler who was getting Jim Corn's cattle. It was in the
   early 90's and Jim was losing cattle off his ranch regularly. Officers
   were trying to catch the rustler for several months, but had failed to
   catch the culprit. Corn finally offered a $500.00 reward for the
   capture of the thief. Corn was forced to do something because, as he
   said, 'they will have me broke very soon unless the stealing is
   stopped'.
   
   "Corn's foreman was a man named Mitchell and a fellow with a good
   reputation for being a dependable fellow. I knew Mitchell to be a
   straight fellow, so called on him for help. He agreed to follow my
   instructions about watching the identifying marks, such as shape of
   horns, color and size of critters, as they disappeared, and report to
   me. The brand could not be wholly depended upon, because it could be
   blotted. Mitchell reported as he agreed.
   
   "The stealing continued for some time after my arrangement with
   Mitchell. One morning he reported a large cow stolen. The following
   day a negro came with some letters. He said the letters had dropped
   out of the pocket of his boss's coat while they were skinning a big
   cow. The negro's trouble was his boss had failed to pay him. I
   questioned the colored fellow and learned the cattle had been hauled
   from Corn's ranch, and always loaded after midnight 001111"This
   particular cow was fat and the day was hot. She became overheated and
   died. So the negro and his [boss?] hauled the carcass east of town to
   a ravine and there skinned and quartered the body. The meat was sold
   to a retail butcher by the name of Zimmerman.
   
   "The letters turned over to me were addressed to Mitchell, but the
   negro did not know his boss by the name of Mitchell, but the letters
   were Mitchell's. How did these letters get into the pocket of the
   negro's boss? The answer would solve our problem.
   
   "I communicated with Corn. He knew about the stolen cow. I asked him
   about Mitchell's movements and Corn scoffed at the idea that Mitchell
   had any dealings with the thief.
   
   "I requested Corn to hold Mitchell at the ranch, in the event the
   foreman was intending to go somewhere.
   
   "I went to the ranch immediately and place Mitchell under arrest. He
   was confronted with the Negro and the letters. He admitted his guilt
   and was sent to the penitentiary for several years. I collected the
   $500.00 reward, which Corn gladly paid because his cattle business was
   saved.
   
   "I shall relate an unusual case of cowboys rustling an Englishmen,
   which was turned over to me for investigation. The Chief, Johnny
   Connalley, had a complaint laid before him by an English dude who
   claimed, he was deprived of his liberty and that great mental
   suffering was inflicted on him while at Hunter's ranch. The Chief
   called me in and said:
   
   "'You know all of Hunter's cowhands, because you have worked at the
   place. Go out there and investigate this complaint'. 001212"I called
   at the ranch and the boys readily told me what had happened.
   
   "The Englishman called at the ranch while on a trip looking over the
   territory. The Englishman was dressed in a stiff front white shirt,
   claw-hammer coat, patent-leather shoes and a high silk hat. He also
   wore a monocle. Well, to the cowhand, the party was a curiosity worth
   a thorough examination. To make certain their curiosity would not get
   away before all hands had an opportunity to scrutinize it properly,
   the boys put the fellow in the snubbing pen, which was built from
   upright poles set close in the ground and was about seven feet high.
   
   "The boys guarded their wonder of wonders until all hands had looked
   the object over several times. Finally, the Englishman was turned
   loose and he came straight to town, lodging his complaint.
   
   "I made my report to Connalley and he took the matter up with the
   dude. He convinced the fellow that the matter had better be dropped.
   Of course, the Chief knew it was one of the cowboys' jokes and that
   they did not intend any harm.
   
   "Continuing with rustlers, I shall tell of the biggest haul of all
   made coming into this section. It was two carloads of horses shipped
   in here.
   
   "I overheard horseman talking about the excellent bunch of range
   horses at the railroad yard and being offered for sale at an
   exceedingly low price. I looked the horses over and compared the price
   with the normal cost at the time. The variation caused me to become
   suspicious. 001313"I was informed by the railroad agent the horses
   were shipped from Roscoe. I wired Roscoe and word came back that the
   shipment was regular and made by a man named Crane.
   
   "During the next few days I learned to know Crane by sight and found
   out he hung out at Jim Miller's joint. Miller was no angle. I shall
   take up his subject later. The fact Crane and Miller were intimate
   caused me to be satisfied we would hear something about the horses.
   
   "The horses were sold in a very short time. Gus Zimmerman bought most
   of the two carloads.
   
   "It was within a week later when we heard from Big Springs about a
   bunch of missing horses and the description tallied with Crane's
   horses. From information we could trace the horses from a range north
   of big Springs to Roscoe and from there by train to Fort Worth.
   
   "We gathered all the horses from the buyers and then set out to find
   Crane. We received information about Crane, which was to the effect
   that he would swap-out shots and was a quick true shooter.
   
   "I received a report that Crane was at Miller's place one night. I
   called for two men to assist me and two men were detailed to go with
   me and get Crane.
   
   "Before entering the joint, I sent in a dummy to buy drinks and locate
   what part of the joint Crane was in. While waiting for a report, my
   assistants and I talked about Crane. The two began to think of their
   family and said they did not want to swap out with Crane. I suggested
   that we should do our duty or resign. This suggestion did not meet
   with their approval. Well, I knew they would not do in a swap-out. I
   put the matter of assisting me 001414up to McClothen. He agreed to go
   into the joint with me and get Crane.
   
   "The dummy reported that Crane was in a certain room with a girl. We
   entered the place and, a few seconds after we had entered, a girl came
   out of the certain room flustered. I stepped over to her and made a
   friendly inquiry. She readily told me that he was in the room and was
   sitting in the middle of the bed with two 45's at his side and had
   threatened to shoot her, because of some dissatisfaction. I asked her
   if it was Crane, and she answered "yes'.
   
   "I asked her if the lights were off or on when she left the room and
   she stated the lights were out. I asked her where the light switch was
   located and she gave me the position, which was about chest high, next
   to the door casing on the right.
   
   "I thought the situation out. I reasoned that if the lights were on I
   could step into the room quickly, with my gun leveled, and get the
   drop on him. I figured he would think it was the girl entering when
   the door started to open. Then, if the lights were still out, which I
   could determine by looking in the key hole, I could step into the room
   quickly and switch on the light, with my gun leveled when the lights
   came on.
   
   "I called McClothen and requested him to stay at my heels, after
   informing him of my plans.
   
   "We went to the room's door. I looked through the key hole and saw
   that the lights were out. The only thing I feared then was whether or
   not he was still on the bed. If he had stepped to one side or the
   other of the room, he could cover me before I could locate him after I
   turned on the lights. But, that chance I had to take. 001515"With my
   gun ready in my left hand, I turned the knob and threw the door back
   quickly. I reached for the light switch and felt for a split second
   before my hand reached it, but I located it and pressed the button.
   The lights came on and there, sitting in the center of the bed, was
   Crane, with his gun at his side.
   
   "He looked astonished. I said, 'Crane, we have you covered, don't make
   a move. We want you down at headquarters'. He left the bed saying,
   'damn that girl! I reckoned it was she entering the room. If I had my
   idea it was you fellows, I sure would have swapped it out with you
   fellows.'
   
   "We had caught one of the meanest and biggest horse rustlers in the
   entire section. He did his time in the penitentiary.
   
   "Now I shall talk about Jim Miller. His wife looked after operating
   their joint and Jim was the schemer. Miller had one scrap with the law
   in Fort Worth. It was on a charge of murder. The killing took place in
   a washroom with no eye witness. The plea of self defense was
   successfully made at his trail.
   
   "Jim Miller came here from Oklahoma, because it was too hot for him
   there. He had been mixed up with horse and cattle rustlers in
   Oklahoma, and we suspected he was in with Crane on the two carloads of
   horses. In Oklahoma, he was credited with 27 killings and it was
   claimed he would hire out to kill.
   
   "Just a short time before the Crane incident, Miller had sneaked into
   Oklahoma and killed a man named Gus Bobby. He was back in this
   vicinity hiding. After the Bobby killing was definitely placed on
   Miller, a $2,500.00 reward was offered for the capture of Miller, dead
   or alive. 001616"Two officers from Oklahoma came here to locate
   Miller. They had a map which purposed to give the correct location of
   the man. After looking over the map, I knew it was incorrect and so
   informed the officers. But, they were obstinate and insisted on
   following the map.
   
   "They said, 'all we want is a local officer to go with us, we'll do
   the rest'.
   
   "So it was agreed that I should go with them and let the boys follow
   out their map, but if the map proved to be a piece of bunk, then I was
   to take charge of the hunt. The map proved to be incorrect, so I took
   charge.
   
   "I had an idea where Miller was hiding. Miller had an Indian girl, a
   beautiful woman, who was his sweetie. She was seen going towards Mat
   Morris's ranch, which indicated to us Miller was somewhere in the
   vicinity.
   
   "I led the two men out to Mat's ranch. The ranch house was located in
   sort of a ravine. I described the location and we talked about Miller.
   We all agreed Miller would swap-out with us if he had a chance,
   because he had proven by his prior actions that he was a killer.
   
   "The location of the ranch house provided Miller with the chance to
   see us coming into the ravine. After getting the situation described,
   the two Oklahoma officers lost some of their courage and were
   perfectly willing that I should do the leading.
   
   "On the way he passed Mat Morris on his way to Fort Worth. When I saw
   Mat headed for town, I told the men that we would have to hurry,
   because Mat would surely get word to Miller about us 001717being
   headed towards the ranch.
   
   "We arrived near the ravine and there my two partners refused to
   continue any farther, but wanted to wait until dark and then sneak
   upon the house. I knew waiting would be futile, because Miller would
   leave the ranch, if he was there, the moment he received word from
   Mat. However, the two officers failed to see the matter my way and
   would not go down into the ravine.
   
   "I proceeded alone, and, as my mount started down the incline, I saw a
   man come out of the back door of the ranch house. The fellow appeared
   to be Miller's size and shape, from the distance I was looking. He
   looked my way and immediately reentered the house. I rode to the front
   of the house and hollered:
   
   "'Hello in there!' The Indian girl appeared at the door and asked:
   
   "'What do you want?'
   
   "'I want to see Jim Miller', I answered.
   
   "'He's not here' was her answer.
   
   "'Who was that I saw at the back door as I came riding down the hill?'
   
   "'A fellow who works here' was her reply.
   
   "'I want to see him' I told her.
   
   "Without waiting for her reply, I dismounted and walked to the door.
   
   "I didn't draw my gun, but walked with my hands swinging at my sides,
   leisurely. The girl stepped aside as I approached the door. I opened
   the door and saw, standing in the center of the room, Jim Miller with
   two 45's leveled at me. 001818"I pretended to not mind the guns, but I
   did. The guns looked mighty big and menacing to me. I said:
   
   "'Jim, I have come to talk with you'.
   
   "'What do you want, Snow', he asked.
   
   "'You are wanted in Oklahoma for the Bobby killing. This ranch is
   surrounded by men nd they will get you dead if there is no other way
   out. Will you come with me, or should I return and tell the posse you
   want to swap-out with them?'
   
   "'Snow! he answered, 'you have come to me without flashing a gun and
   to give me a chance to decide what to do. I'll go with you, but no one
   else'.
   
   "'Alright Jim, give me your guns and let's get going'. I demanded, and
   he complied. I took me bad man back and lodged him in the Tarrant
   county jail to wait for extradition papers. We had corralled another
   cattle rustler and menace to the citizens.
   
   "The two Oklahoma officers returned home. The extradition papers
   arrived in a couple of days and I started with Miller to deliver him
   to the sheriff at Ada, Okla.
   
   "After the train crossed from Texas to Oklahoma, people were gathered
   at the depots and wanted to get a peep at Miller.
   
   "The sheriff of Pontotoe co., at Ada, boarded the train several miles
   this side of Ada. He told me that there were 2,000 people or more
   gathered at Ada, all bent on lynching Miller. I informed the sheriff
   that I was entrusted with the prisoner with instructions to deliver
   him at the jail, and would stay with the man until I turned him in at
   the jail. 001919"I requested the sheriff to wire ahead and instruct
   his deputies to be at the depot and stand where the mob could see
   them. Thus the mob would be expecting Miller to be turned over at the
   depot, and that he did.
   
   "I had Miller's personal effects in a grip. Among the effect were
   Miller's two guns which he had handed to me at the ranch house. I said
   to Miller:
   
   "'A mob of several thousand people are gathered at Ada, bent on
   lynching you. I am going to defend you'. Pointing at the grip, I
   continued:
   
   "'In that grip are your two guns. If I toss the grip to you, I will
   expect you to use the guns'.
   
   "'Tom, you and I can give them plenty of lead. I am telling you I'll
   stay with you. If you go down, and I can make it to the jail, your
   delivery will be made', he said, and I knew he meant it.
   
   "'Alright, Jim', I said. 'From now on we are partners till you are
   delivered'. I said this to show him I had confidence in him doing what
   we planned.
   
   "The train pulled into the depot and, as it was slowing down, I peeped
   out of the window and the crowd appeared like a small army in numbers.
   
   "I took Miller to the rear platform of the next to the last coach and
   we squatted on the steps opposite to the depot.
   
   "As I anticipated, the crowd was watching for the prisoner to appear
   where the sheriff's deputies were standing on the platform. That gave
   me a chance to drop off from the train at the opposite side from the
   depot and take a short cut to the jail. 002020"The success of my
   venture depended on no one seeing us leave the train and, also, not
   running into a crowd at the jail.
   
   "We dropped off of the train just as it slowed to a stop. Before the
   crowd at the depot had time to realize the prisoner had been slipped
   off of the train, and decide on their next move, Miller and I had
   arrived at the jail.
   
   "It was not long till the crowd moved to the jail, but were not sure
   that the prisoner was in the jail. However, the crowd was menacing. I
   stayed in the Ada jail during the night and returned to Fort Worth the
   next day.
   
   "During the day, after delivery of the prisoner, a man named West and
   another named Allen appeared, to make Miller's bond. The crowd lynched
   both of the men. One other fellow, named Washington, appeared to make
   bond and narrowly escaped being lynched. Miller was taken out of the
   jail the second night he was there by the mob and lynched. Thus the
   career of Miller, the cattle rustler, killer for hire, and other
   depredations, ended with the lynching of himself and two other men.
   
   "I am still engaged in law enforcement work, but my work is confined
   largely to court work. At 72 I am still active, but do not feel
   capable to do the kind of work I did a few years back.

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