Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-01-13
A KING or THE PLAINS.
THE SUDDEN DEATH OF FAMOUS VHOS
TIER STOCK GROwER-HIs HENAHg-
ABLE HISTORY


orado cattle king. But old cattle buy
ers III the East who knew him in his
early days could hardly credit the
dispatch that came yesterday, an.
nounclng that the heroic fropticrsmau
had actual y come 10 his end by being
thrown from that luxurious vehicle Of
civilization, carriage. There were
bigger stock growers on the plains than
Hlttson. Colonel Richard King. on
his rancho on the Santa Gcrtrudcs
river, Texas, kept $4,000 cattle. Milf
lin Kennedy built board fence thir-
ty-one miles long across the neck Of n
peninsula projecting into the Gulf Of
Mexico, and had 10000 head Of cattle
and thousands Of horses and sheep in
the 10000 acre enclosure. Hitt-on
in his palmic.t days never had over
10000 head Of cattle, but he was bet.
ter known 10 all cattle men than any
of the rest.
John Ilittson was born in the wood.
Of Tennessee fifty years ago, and hi.
earl Y years were spent in telling tim
Der, pulling stumps, aud breaking
ground for crops Of corn and wheat.
/ Before he was twenty-five he began to
grow discontcntcd with his outlook.
and he sought for some escape from a
long life Of struggle against poverty.
The Mexican war had opened up
Texas and the adjacent country for
settlement, and IIittson made 40 his
mind 10 go thither 10 seek 10 better
his fortunes. He sold his Tennessee
farm, bought sixty COWS aud nine
brood marc-, and struck out into the
wilderness beyond the Brazo- river.
lie employed men n fearless a. him
self to hcl p him, and established hi-
rancho in country filed with hostile
Indians aud predatory bands Of Mexi.
can outlaws. For the next fifteen
years his life was Il continual warfare.
and his reputation for bold and daring
deeds became known far and wide.
lie was a man Of commanding pres.
cnce, a splendid hor,emau, and a dead
shot No Comanchc who got within
range Of the long, muzzlc.loading rifle
that t1liitson took with him from Ten
nc,scc ever returned 10 his camp fire.
When llltt.on opened fire on them
from brccch.loadcr, one of the first
repeating rife. ever seen on the iron.
tier, and gave them a dozen shots a
minute, his enemies were more than
ever convinced that they were dealing
with n -upcrhuman being. He carved
out grazing place IN this hostile
country, and maintained it against
great odd. in repeated attacks. As
civilization approached be moved .
further on to the frontier, and grazed (
his cattle up the Peco- Valley into (
New Mexico Hi. fortunes in this I
time had many change. The bands .
of cattle thieves aud Indians would /
sometimes attack and Kill hi- cow /.
boys and drive away the herds. but /
Hiitson would rally a mounted force. I
run down. and shoot or hang the .
thieves and gather up his cattle again. /
AT other times Indians would success 4
fully drive away his cattle. and. again. .
would nearly ruin him. But at the .
end Of eighteen years from the time .
he started out llittson had 10000 .
head of cattle, $4,000 acres Of land. /
aud long bank account For the
past dozen years he experienced more
bad than good fortune Ten years ago
he quit the Pecos country, in New
Mexico. and bought 10000 acres of
land fifty miles east Of Denver, Col.
His purchase lay along the only
streams in that section of country, aud
the 100000 acres Of adjoining land.
belonging 10 the government. was
valuelcss except a a grazing ground
for Hittson's cattle. He stocked the
rancho with 10000 to 10000 head of
cattle and 400 to 500 ponies, and en-
ployed about 300 men. All this
property, his house. and all its be-
longings amounting in value 10 $780,
600 or more, was vested in bis wife.
The assigning Of the property was
made necessary by the series of costly
litigations in which he had become in
volved over cattle of disputed owner.
ship that he had bought.
Mr.. Hittson was in the prime of
manhood at the time of his death.
He was six feet one inch tall, straight,
1.-THE. aud sinewy. He was blond in
complexion, and wore his light-colored
hair long. He had finely cut face,
the striking feature of which was the
firm, square-set jaws, which stamped
him as a man of resolution. His eyes
were n clear, steely blue, ordinarily
pleasant in expression, but flashing
fire when he was aroused. Mr.. Hit
son was usually genial, companion.
able man, but when excited by liquor,
as he not infrequently was in his later
years, he was dangerous man to cross.
He alwavs carried n nair of heavy