The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-11-21
A TRANSFERS STORY.

4 TRANSFERS STORY.
On q ranch near San Antonio lives
Thomas Cullen, n veteran of the
Texas revolution. He is indeed the
veteran of three wars, having fought
under Hotston ut San Jancinto, Tnv-
lor at Bucna Vista, aud Albert Sid.
ney Johnston ut Shiloh.
1t is the old mans greatest delight
to recall the memories of his adven-
turous past. and lie will spin yarns
OF the olden time by the hour to any
one who will do him the grace to
listen. Among the rest lie tells u
tale OF the early days of Corpus
Christi.
81 was tcamstcr them days." lie
says, "and hauled goods for Col. II.
l.. Kinney. There wartime blamed
railroads runnin' all over the coun-
try then, and IL man that owned IL
good wagon and team was sure OF IL
Twin. Lord! mind we'll how Texas
looked them days! The perarics
stretchin ont on every side as far as
the eye could reach, just covered
with wild flowers of all kinds and
color, and dotted all over with cat
tie, and maybe II long train of white.
topped wagons movin' along the
roaL. Some folks thinks it looks IL
sight prittier now, all fenced in and
planted, but ant one OF 'em.
There warn't no way of carryin'
goods then, except haulin' ,andevery
settlement of the coast had to
depend OH teams for everything i'll
the way Of dry goods and groceries.
And, l can tell you, when the team
sters held the road everybody. stuge
drivers and all, had to turn out and
give 'em room.
well, Us l was sayin,' l teamed
for Col. Kinney, who was the first
man that settled Corpus Christi an!
held the place in spite of lnjuns an
MeXicnns till u sort of II town gree.
up around him. He had lot o.
wagons haulin' goods all through
the country, and tellyou for IL fact,
most OF the goods we hauled was
struggled across the Rio Grande.
Lord! how them greasers did cheat
their government, to be sure! Fine
lace mnntillys, Mexican blankets,
saddles and brides, all shiny with
silver work, besides great drovcs of
cattle and mustangs, al! slipped over
the river right under the noses of the
comisiones who, for the most part,
was said not to keep their eyes skin
ned too clean. Then they'd take
buck goods for out side, and not
cent Of duty paid either way.
"kinney's Runcl, as Corpus was
called in them days, was the head
quarters ofthis trade, and what with
teams haulin' goods from the river
and tennis startin' off with goods
through the country, crowds OF
greasers and gringos laughin',
talkin', drinkin, and shootin', them
was lively times, l tell you, ut Kin.
ney's ranch.
Especially when the teams got
back from u trip with the goods all
safely delivered and the tenmster got
paid of. Dollars vas plentiful then,
and the way we made them spin was
acaution. Galnblin' was the favor
lite way of chuckin' 'em about. The
greasers played monte, of course,
but the games with the gringos was
draw-poker and seven-up.
II wasn't 20 years old then, IL slim
young slip of u TELLER, with nary IL
sign If this here hyar brush OF u
beard, and n skin as fair and smooth
rs girls. But soon got tanned
sinside and out. I'd have been done
brown enough to eat and ben eat
up alive ii it hadn't been for some tcl-
lers from the states that took IL fun
~ to me and sorter stood 'twixt me
and harm. They were older'n me
and knew the ropes II sight bettsr'n
did.
"Well, as l was sayin', when we
warn't teamin' We were gamblin'
most Of the time, and rough as the
crowd was I will shy for 'em that in
general they played on the squnr.
Fact is, I've noticed when guns arc
pulled OH such shortnotice folks gen-
orally mind their eye and IRE mighty
cautious how they step. Anyhow,
them that lost. lost by wait of luck
or skill, not by cheatin'; and we'd
rather, any of us, been stood up agin
a tree and riddlcd with bullets tnan
caught in any tricks.
"One night was havin' a tremen-
dous run of luck and the other tel-
lers were lookin' sorter blue, but
they took it quietly, bein' used to
ups and downs of that sort. Just
as | was dom my level best there
walked up to our campfire IL big six
foot TELLER from Arkinsaw. lie warn't
n teamster, but belonged to a com
pany Col. Kinney kept on guard mt
the ranch. lie was quarrelsome,
bullyin' sorter TELLER and none of us
liked him much. Tonight lie was
chocklul of whisky and just spilin'
for o fight.
HE sat down close by and begun
to Drag. He could do this and lie
could do that. He could back the
buckin'est broncho OH the ranch; he
could hit the eagle's head on dol
lar with q bullet ut twenty PAGES; he
could carve live meat better'n
any butcher in Texas; lie could bluff
any man alive ut draw-poker; lie
could plank down 81 to any other
mans 81.
Nobody paid any 'tention to him,
and seeing he couldn't stir up the
crowd he jumped OH me, partly,
suppose, because l was young and
green and he thought 1 was safe
game, partly because it riled him to
see me rakin' in the dollars so tast.
"He swaggered up, put down his