The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-14
THE TEXAS TRAIL.
"Peet" Matthew'S Original Way of
Dealing With Cattle Thieves.

OANtle lnleNeSs
From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.
"Peet' Matthews was the most valuable
ally of the ranchers in Southwest Texas
twenty years ago. Peets position as re-
CARDS legal authority was somewhat ano-
maious. During the five years or such
matter that he and his mustang secured
the wastes of tall prairie grass, the skirts
of sage brush and mesquite between San
Marcos and the coast he must have
brought to justice over two score of cattle
thieves, SINNERS, branders, and purveyors
of stolen herds. Yet he derived his pow
ers solely as he often said himself from
God an the white men O. this neck o.
the woods" In those days sheriffs and
marshals were well enough as far as they
went, but it was the general opinion that
they never "kivered the territory" When
a citizen in top boots, flannel shirt, and
SLOUGH hat was caught once too often with
a smoking branding iron in his hand, or
a job lot of hides and horns which could
not be accounted for, or too many year
lngs when the round up came, he was
dealt with in a way to guard against a
repetition of his offense.
Peet never Dragged He was a quiet
man, though handy with shootin' irons
He was a Tennesseean originally and did
some good service as a detective in Cali
fornia in 1S49. He must have been in some
rough scrimmages, though he never took
the trouble to tell about them.
"It beats me-" he used to remark. "how
some fellers I'D alters rather talk than
chaw terbaccer." Peet made a speciality
of chewing tobacco and playing poker.
He combined the two to perfection. 'Ef
a Teller has a chaw of terbaccer," he was
once heard to explain lucidly, "he jest
natchuly bankers fer poker, which, ac-
In M my 1iRbta ghQtG>Off
ton, as 1t were, which might git to goin'
like buzz saw, so to speak; whereas, on
the other ham, a deck o. guards likewise
is suggestn' of q ckaw of terbaccer be-
kase as egsplained, aforesaid chaw of ter
baccer is insurin' of peace an a sitoowa-
ton of quietude necessary to rakin' in er
fair pot"
Nobody pretended to understand this
speech least of all Peet himself. 1t was
the first and only time he had ever put
two sentences together The community
therefore regarded it as Peets MASTER
piece and Peet accepted the verdict as YER
diets upon masterpieces are usually ac-
cepted-without inquiry as to their under
pinnings.
AS far as business qualities were con-
cerned Peet had all the shiftlessness of the
Tennessee mountaineer. He carried scam
ty living by his services as a sort of quasi
marshal for the ranchers. He constituted
sheriffs and their deputies. He never ac-
cepted pay unless he CHANGED to be out Of
money at the time, or supplies rather, for
money meant to him only the possibility
of so much bacon an aigs." His cabin
was soon filed up with trophies Of his
hunting expeditions, bear skins, antlers,
nests, etc.
wing of q partridge I shot onct" he
commented, running over the catalogue for
a visitor. HIN! Pa'tridges is quare things.
I've seen 'em Almost human.
Tibet? Oh, thets a piece o. the rope at
we used in swinging Bill Simmons. Pore
Bill. he want to blame; just born ornery.
Furder overs Jack simmons Winchester.
Keep as relict," etc.
one spring IL became apparent that
wholesale cattle thieving was being prac-
ticed. Old man Starring had a roundup Of
one bunch, and fifty 10 seventy-five 3-year-
olds were missing. "Roany' 'Hatif re-
ported 200 gone. The Todd boys had sus-
tanned heavy losses, as had three or four
other ranchers. Peet was notified at once.
This here has got to be called Off sudden"
said Starring, "pd see my whole burned
bunch sunk In the bottom o. the gulf afore
I'd have 'em branded an stole by any of
them farmers" Whenever trouble OF the
kind arose suspicion often fell upon set
tiers who had pre-empted land within the
limits Of some ranch. These farmers per-
sisted In planting potatoes, milking COWS,