Connecticut western news., 1881-01-05
JOHN HITTSON, CATTLE KING.
The Sudden Death of a Famous From
 tier Stock Grower.

John Hittson, the cattle king, who was lately killed by being thrown from wagon, was a Tennessee farmer. He sold his Tennessee farm, bought sixty Texas COWS and nine brood mares, and struck out into the wilderness beyond the Brazos River. He employed men as fearless as himself to help him, and established his ranch in country filled with hostile Indians. For the next fif- teen years his life was 8 continual war fare, and his reputation for bold and daring deeds became known far and wide. He was 8 man of commanding presence, a splendid horseman, and & dead shot. No Comanche who got with in range of the long, muzzle-loading rife that Hittson took with him from Tennessee ever returned to his camp fire. When Hittson opened fire on them from breech-loader, one of the first repeating rifles ever seen on the frontier, and gave them dozen shots minute, his enemies were more than ever con- vinced that they were dealing with a superhuman being. He carved out 8 grazing place in this hostile country and maintained it against great odds in repeated attacks. As civilization ap- preached he moved further on to the frontier and grazed his cattle up the Pecos Valley into New Mexico. His fortunes in this time had many changes. The bands of cattle thieves and Indians would sometimes attack and kill hls cow boys and drive away the herds, but Hittson 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 cattle, and, again, severe winters, disease, or bad markets would nearly ruin him. But at the end of eighteen years from the time he started out Hittson had forty thousand head of cattle, fifty thousand acres of land, and a 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 sec. tion of country, and the 100000 acres o1 adjoining land, belonging to the Gov. ernment, was valueless except as graz ing ground for Hittson's cattle. He stocked the ranch with 10000 to 12,0O( head of cattle and 400 or 500 ponies, anc employed about 200 men. All this prop erty, his house, and all it's belongings amounting in value to $500, 900 or more was vested in his wife. The assigning of the property WAS made necessary by the series of costly Allegations in whicl he had become involved over cattle O disputed ownership that he had bought
 MT. Hittson was in the prime of man hood at the time of his death. He was six feet one inch tall, straight, 1.-the anc sinewy. He was blond in complexion
 and wore his light hair long He had finely cut face, the striking feature of which was the firm, square set jaws, which stamped him as mar of resolution. His eyes were clear steely blue, ordinarily pleasant in ex pression, but flashing fire when he waE aroused. MT. Hittson was usually genial, companionable man, but whe1 excited by liquor, as he not infrequent ly was in his later years, he was dan
 gerous man to cross. He always carried a pair of heavy pistols, and they wer used in twinkling when his passio1 was up His cowboys liked him, bu feared him, and his long battles witl the Mexicans on the Texas frontier mad
 the herders of that race glve him wid
 berth. His lifetime on the frontier hat made him sort of law unto himself and courts and juries were to him slov means of administering justice. He be lieved in dealing with offenders on tn spot, without any waste of time.