Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-01
JOHN HlTTSON, CATTLE KING
The sudden Death Of n Famous
Frontier Stock Grower.

PREDICTION PARTLY vERIFIgD-TH2 MAN WHO
WAS FEARED ABOVE ALL orHsRs BY INDIANS
AND oUTLAWs-HIS PRINCELY HOSPITALITY.
That John Hittson would die with his boots
On was confidently predicted by everybody Wno
knew the great Colorado cattle king. But old
days could hardly credit the dispatch that
came yesterday, announcing that the heroic
tronfiersman had actually come TO his end by
telng thrown from that luxurious vehicle OF
sock growers on the plains than Hittson. Col.
richard King. on his ranch On the Santa Ger
iiudes river, Iexas. kept 81, 600 cattle Mlfiin
Kennedy Quilt board fence thirty one miles
ong across the neck OF a peninsula projecting
INTO the Gulf OF Mexico, and had 80 COO head OF
cattle and thousands Of horses ana sheep In the
10000 acre enclosure. Hittson In bis palrniest
days never had over 40 900 head OF cattle but
he was better known to all cattle men than any
OF the rest.
John Hittson was born In the woods Of Ten
nessee nifty years ago. and his early years were
spent in telling timber, pulling stumps, and
breaking ground for crops Of corn and wheat.
jefore he was 70 he began TO grow discon-
some escape from long life of struggle against
poverty. The Mexican war had opened up
iexas ana the adjacent country for settlement,
snd ~ made s,u up n nina to tntner
Tennessee farm. bought sixty Texas cows and
nine brood mares. and struck out into the
Wilderness beyond the Brazos river. He en-
ard established his ranch In q country filled
with hostile Indians and predatory bands of
Mexican outlaws. For the next fifteen years
tat!on for bold and daring deeds became
known far and wide. He was a ran
., commanding sna Saa splendid horse
within range of the long. muzzle- loading rife
that Hittson took with him from Tennessee
ever returned to his camp fire. When .Hittson
opened nre on them from breech- loader one
OF the first repeating rifles ever seen on the
frontier, and gave them a dozen shots min.
ute: his enemies were more than ever convinced
mat they were dealing with a superhuman
being. He carved out grazing place In this
hostile country and maintained IL against great
cdds In repeated attacks. As civilization ap-
Preached he moved further on to the frontier
end grazed his cattle up the Pecos valley
into New Mexico. His fortunes In this time
bad many changes. The bands of cattle thieves
md Indians would sometimes attack and kill
littson would rally mounted force, run
down, and shoot or hang the thieves and
gather up his cattle again. At other times
Indians would successfully drive away his cat.
lie, and. again. severe winters disease, or bad
markets would nearly ruin him. But at the
end OF eighteen years from the time he started
Fifty thousand acres OF land, and long bank
account. For the past dozen years he expert
6nced more bad than good fortune Ten years
Ego he quit the Pecos country, IN New Mexico,
End bought q, 900 acres Of land fifty miles east
Gf Denver, Col. His purchase lay along the
only sire ANS In that section OF countrs and
inc ZOOeto acres OF aoJOlnlDg land. belonging
10 the goyeTnme nt, was valueless except as a
grazing ground for Htttson's cattle. He stocked
The ranth with 10000 to IL 900 head OF cattle
aid 400 or 500 ponies. and employed about 200
Len All this property, his house, aud all its
belongings. amounting In value to 1900 900 or
lnOre, was vested In hia wife. The aSstgnt az of
tie property was made necessary by the series
o. costly llt1gatiOHS In which he had become in.
yolved over cattle OF disputed ownership that
he had bought.
MI: Hittson was in the prime of manhood at
inch tall, straight, 1.-THE and slnewy He was
blonde in complexion. and wore his lighIcol.
ored hair long. He had finely cut face, the
striking feature OF which was the firm, SQUARE
ser Jaws, which stamped him as man OF res.
Olutton. His eyes were clear. Steely blue. or.
dnarily pleasant in expression. but flashing
IRE when he was aroused. Mr.. HtttSon was
usually q genial, compantonable man. but
when excited by liquor, as he not infrsQue1sly
to cross. He always carried q pair OF heavy
pistols, and they were used in twinkling
when his passion was up. His cowboys liked
him. but feared him. and his long battles With
the MeXicanS on the Texas frontier made the
heTders OF that race give him wide BIRTH
His lifetime on the frontier had made him q
sort OF law unto himself and courts and turies
were to him slow means OF administering Jus
tice. He believed In dealing with Offenders on
the spot, without any waste OF time.
AS host on hts big ranch Hittson was q royal
ente rtairer, and no one who has been hts guest
vii ever forget his generous, almost lavish
no. Iitalfty. Other particulars OF his death,
tbsn that he was thrown from carriage by q
rU AWAY horse on Christmas day. have not
bee n received BY his friends in this TN. r.
Sun.