Connecticut western news., 1891-07-30
A TRANSFERS TALE.

On ranch near San Antonio lives Thomas Cullen, a veteran of the Texan revolution. He is indeed the veteran of three wars. having fought under Hous- ton at San Jacinto, Taylor at Buena Vista and Albert Sidney Johnston at Shiloh.
 It is the old mans greatest delight to recall the memories of his adventurous past, and he will spin yarns of the olden time by the hour to any one who will do him the grace to listen. Among the rest he tells a tale of the early days of Corpus Christi
 "1 was teamster in them days" he says, land hauled goods for Col. H. l.. Kinney. There warnt no blamed rail- roads runnin' all over the country then, and man that owned a good wagon and team was sure of Twin. Lord! mind we'll how Texas looked them days! The peraries stretchin' out on every side as far as the eye could reach, just cov- cred with wild flowers of all kinds and color, and dotted all over with cattle; and maybe a long train of white topped wagons movin' along the road. Some folks thinks it looks sight prettier now all fenced in and planted. but ain't one of 'em.
 sThere warnt no way of carryin goods then, except haulin', and every settlement off the coast had to depend on teams for everything in the way of dry goods and groceries. And, can tell you, when the teamsters held the road everybody, stage drivers and all. had to turn out and give 'em room.
 "Well as 1 was sayin', teamed for Col. Kinney, who was the first man that settled Corpus Christi, and held the place in spite of Injuns and Mexicans till a sort of town grew up round him. He had a lot of wagons haulin' goods all through the country, and tell you for a fact most all the goods we hauled was smuggled across the Rio Grande. Lord! how them greasers did cheat their gov ernment, to be sure. Fine lace mantl- lys, Mexican blankets, saddles and bri- dies, all shiny with silver work, besides great droves of cattle and mustangs, all slipped over the river right under the noses of. the colnisiones. who for the most part was paid not to keep their eyes skinned too clean Then they'd take back goods from our side. and not cent of duty paid either way.
 "Kinney's Ranch, as Corpus was call ed in them days. was the headquarters of this trade: and what with teams haul in goods from the river and teams start in off with goods through the country, crowds of greasers and gringoes laugh in, talkin', singin', dancin'. gamblin', drinkin' and shootin', them was lively times, tell you. at Kinney's Ranch. Specially when the teams got back from trip with the goods all safely de livered and the teamsters got paid off. Dollars was plentiful then, and the way we made 'em spin was caution. Gam blin' was the favorite way of chuckin 'em about. The greasers played monte, of course, but the games with the grin goes was draw poker and seven up. "l wasn't 20 year old then, slim young slip of a feller with nary sign of this here h'arth brush of beard, and . skin as fair and smooth as girls. But l soon got tanned inside and out I'd have been done brown enough to eat. and been eat up alive if it hadn't been for some fellers from the states that took fancy to me, and sorter stood 'twixt me and harm. They was older'n me and knew the ropes a sight better'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, will say for 'em that in general they played on the squar. Fact is, I've noticed when guns are pulled on such | short notice folks generally mind their eye and are mighty cautious how they step. Anyhow, them that lost, lost by want of luck or skill. not by cheatin'; | and we'd rather, any of us, been stood | up agin tree and riddled with bullets | than caught in any tricks
 "One night was havin' a tremendous run of luck and the other fellows was lookin' sorter blue, but they took it | quietly, bein used to ups and downs of that sort. Just as 1 was doin my level
 best there walked up to our camp fire . big six foot feller from Arkinsaw. He warnt teamster, but belonged to a company that Col. Kinney kept on guard at the ranch. He was quarrelsome,
 bullyin' sorter feller. and none of us liked him very much. Tonight he was chock full of whisky and just spilin for fight.
 "He set down close by and begun to
 brag. He could do this and he could do that. He could back the buckin'es
 broncho on the ranch: he could hit the
 eagles head on a dollar with bullet at
 twenty paces: he could carve live meat
 better'n any butcher in Texas: he could
 bluff any man alive at draw poker; he
 could plank down two dollars to any
 other mans one.
 Nobody paid any 'tention to him,
 and seeing he couldn't stir up the crowd
 he jumped on me: partly, I suppose, be.
 cause 1 was young and green, and he
 thought was safe game; partly because
 it riled him to see me rakin' in the dol
 lars so fast.
 "He swaggered up, put down his dol
 lars and began bettin' high. He lost
 agin and agin. which didn't sweeten hi:
 temper bit. All of sudden he brought
 luis big foot down on the ground with {
 thump that made me jump.
 "'I won't stand this any longer. Tha
 young buck ain't won his money fair
 and Iain't goin' to pay nary mother con
 tinental red Lookye here, young feller
 just hand back that money you'v'
 cheated me out of. or it Il be bad fo
 your health
 "At The last word his pistol was out
 but quick as he was, the men rount
 about was quicker. Before his gun Wa
 we'll pulled dozen cornered him. Yol
 oughter seen how cowed he looked
 They'd got the drop on him and no mis
 take.
 GA dozen agin one aint fair play h
 muttered, thrusting the pistol back. ] "'WeIl see fair play; don't you b