The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-14
/ Cattle nE Of TEXAS.


way back before TIE WAT ha@8S ea1sr "
Texas from the wee state OF hnooe issano
= fsll rav-boned youth. who wanted 20
MAKE hfs Fortune He was not jet OF age
ard hfs stature was unusual that it was
not many days before he became known
by the pobriQuet Of -Shanghs- The youth
WAS earnest pair<;a.-lng and willing to
work He had nothing In the world bat
good health. fair amount o. strength.
common eensca.fon and the clothes that he
vore. Today that tall. raw-boned youth
from little Rhody Is perhaps the richest
man In Texas and the bess-known stock
man ia the world The sobriques OF sas
early days has stuck 10 him. and, although
he signs his name "a. r. Pierce noooay
In Texas ever refers TO him except As
'-Shanghi'' Pierce. Sixty-threc winters
have come and gone since "6hanshi' first
saw the light OF day. but he IL rs hearty
and vigorous now and as earnest IN par
sl.ing his work as IL he were under the
iwo-score mark.
There Is not q town OF any account IN
Texas in which ..3hanghi" Pierce is not
known. Tho same may be said OF the In
dian territory and Oklahoma, while as for
Kansas City. st. Louis and Chicago. the
stockmen OF those cities are as well ac-
qilainted with him SIS IL he had been born
sn1 raised among them. He Is mighty
traveller and by reason Of his unusual size.
he In marked among men, A man VINO aas
never seen him. but has heard him de-
scribed will ErconsctousIy recognize him.
Some great stories are told about this
unique man. Most Of them are fanctsul or
haze bat a grain Of truth, bur the plain.
Invaraszhad facts about "ShaEghis" ca
reer IL once gathered, would serve for
tales o: adventure sufficient IN keep
writer busy for many day. But "Shans-
hi Is ehary about telling the story him
seif, and few OF those who know him well
f.sff auf of N hantHass{Y5Vg In
the days before he became recognized as
ana OF the characters ard one OF the big
nfsn Of the state.
His friends say that when he came TO
Texas he went 10 work on farm, but left
In disgs.st when he discovered that negro
was worth more than a white man. II
seems that the farmer by whom he was
employed owned several slaves. On the
plantation YVES horse that only negro
rsmsd Pete and young Pierce could ride.
The animal was unusually fractions one
day. and threw Pete and then fell upon
him This happened near the planters
house The planter and his wife and a lot
OF attendants ran to the assistance OF
Pete. The negro appeared 10 be dead. The
planters wife. as soon as she saw the
slaves body. exclaimed: "Oh. goodness,
how unfortunate, There's an $500 niger
killed. Now II It had only been 'Shanghi'
IL wouldn't be so bad
.'Shanghi'' tells this story himself. so It
II probably true.
The young Rhode Islander was a natural
horseman and his knowledge OF cattle was
good. When he. in disgust, left the planter
he naturally drifted into the cattle busi-
ness. in those days-this was In 1ss4-there
was little else than cattle raised in Texas.
"Shanghi" became a cowboy. and for sew
eral years he endured all the trials and
hardsh'ps OF that Wild life. Occasionally
nowadays hs tells OF the times when he
slept the bleak prairie In midw!nter
when II was so cold that rattlesnakes erept
into his blankets 10 get warm.
IL Old not take the cattlemen long to dis
cover that the ianky fellow who rode so
well was not only remarkably good Judge
OF cattle. but had considerable latent abil-
ity. There was a cattle merchant named
W, p. Grimes. who got to know "Shang-
hi, and he employed the young man TO
travel through Southern and Western Tex
as and buy beeves for MIN. The cattle
bought by "Shanghi" were shipped by
Grimes 20 New Orleans. and the merchant
.s said 70 have made big profits owing 10
the shrewdness displayed by .fe young
Yankee When the war came on the repu-
tation or s'Shanghi'' a. cowman was so
Well established that contract was made
With him 10 supply a Texas command with
beef. IL Is said he was always on hand
with good supply of beeves, and that he
ard his herd made up tire rear guard IN al
advances and led the vanguard on retreats.
Immediately after the close Of the war
"Sharrhf' formed a connection with the
great arm of Allen & Pooie. He traversed
Texas For three years a. the representative
OF the flrrn. buying droses OF cattle and
sending them to Galveston, where they
were shipped to New Orleans IN 1859 this
firm discontinued the business "shanghf'
had ar Interest and drew cut sina.fHa0 "a
araund for wear. buying here s9A there
siFvaya wakin- money hnt In 1871 he got a
notion that fortune AWAITED him IN Kan
~9s Be moved there and embarked in
business on large scale. Three years
experience in The Sunaower safe con-
siuccsl him THAI he was in the wrcrg pew.
ard Il only by exercising Sdrairs hie
business Judgment that he managed TO
savc hiUseiF from heavy loss.
''Gfaughl" returned ~ Texas and has
made hts borne here ewes since He estah-
iieNe} u ranch iu Wharton county. got to-
;-CthVf = hpneh - cattle and began raising
tecyes o. his ovsu account. while incaen-
:sliy he did suth trading as he could lie
rrofnarEl amazingly. As Ms capital grew
larger ~ purchases tact Of lard or add
10 his Aert II cattle. In those times a
vesfltng tc'ouRed 30 the mar who man
AGED a. sct his hvard an first. ard 'Shang-
al like all the other cattiemen. was In
continual warfare. "Shanchf' cos mixed
up in several gun plays. but always
came out or top These were tire DAYS that
tried mems souls least cattiemen's souls
ard there Il no one h..: who will admit
i.at "Shanghl'' had courage equal 10 the
ramest men IN the state.
rtss desritr feues sr,, retty warfsres ds-
eriie gums" and hiustcr. 'shanghi" at
tended strictly 20 business Hts range wild
sned bis herds gsew and soon ne ic >med
~ as tho biggest eaftleFnan IN the state.
lie sitcrdH- 20 nj his affairs himself was
continually on the go. visited every section
N which be mad cattle took his ctecrs 20
market ~ tsc right time and supervised
every detail % his scattered business xFith
watch gulneES and care that was sGrpFis-
tIs - his II rsneg.tors. Somehow II seemed
that "Sbanghi" always did SGT ,aiags luSs
righ.. wAe5her Il WAS In the little for selling
cattle oy re selection 81 land FOR grazing
Hls csetls were always So good as the hes,
ina, went 70 market from Texas.
With ia continued success s'Shanghi''
began . have snoTe msney shan he could
conveniently handle in his ordinary bust
ness. lie sess>a cat The surplus a; \ good
percentage, ana has continued aotnS SO ur
&c ere present time.
wat BE Is worthy today neither he nor
any aV!Hs man kaows fer certainty
saw an lnvsstoEy ~ his nefangiugs wNA,h
was prepared IN iS@s K showed that he
thsa owned Ise ~ acres ~ bard haa e ~
head 90 cattle. haa $50 ase aat al later~x'
ana Rad properly here ard sne~e whish
brought bis entire possessions III t. = sos =
fsA Tits inventory was ca vsry eoNxer.
ssg.ve basis aai was prepared gaaer MS
direction. Since 1894 re has has the sAres
NEST prosperous years In his career. and
has aided greatly 70 his wealth ~artfn =.