Barbour County index., 1910-02-02

locked In a room in the hotel. He broke
window before morning and promptly pald lor
it by McDonalds request
Removing to Hardeman county was the
only thing that saved Bill Mcdonald from be-
ing drafted into official service where he was
In the counties bordering on Indian territory
and up through the Panhandle a man had to
stand pat" whatever his hand and hold his
own by strength of arm and qu1ckness or
trigger Cow thieves and cutthroats abounded
Officials often worked in accord with them or
were afraid to prosecute The man who would
neither cooperate with outlaws nor condone
their offenses was already on the ground ana
would presently be in the field.
Hardeman county had lately been organ
lied and the settlers were cowmen, cowboys
and gamblers-lawless enough themselves
and another element, which pretended to be
these things, but in reality were outlaws, pure
and simple. The latter lived chiefly off the
herds driving off horses and cattle and hiding
them in remote and inaccessible places. Often
the cattle were butchered, their hides. which
were marked with brand and earmarks, de-
stroyed to avoid identification and the meat
sold. Men who did these things known
we'll enough, but went unapprehended for the
reasons named. In certain sections of the
territory itself and in No-mans Land Ga piece
of disputed ground lying to the north Of the
Panhandle. now a part Of Okahoma) matters
hardly a semblance Of law.
1t was In 1885 that Bill Mcdonald disposed
of his lumber interests in Wichita Falls,
invested in cattle and set out once more for
the still farther west. He had filed some
school land on Wanderers creek in Hardeman
county, about four miles from where the town
of Quanah now stands, the heart of what was
then the wilderness. He did not go there i'm
mediately, however; he conducted for brief
time lumber business at Harold, Wibarger
county-a circumstance hardly worth men,
toning save for incident of another sort
which occurred at this place and period. Nc
Donald, whose reputation a of nerve
had travelled to Harold, was one night called
upon by Ranger Lieut.. Sam Platt to assist him
in handling a gang of outlaws, known the
Brooken band, that infested that neighborhood.
The Brookens had ridden into Harold and
were running things pretty much in their own
way. Platt and Mcdonald promptly bore down
upon them and running fight ensued as the
Brookens retreated. About 100 shots were
fired altogether, but it dark and the range
too great for accuracy Nothing accom-
plshed, but the event marked the beginning
of a warfare between Bill Mcdonald and
band of cutthroats, the end of which would
be history. 1t was soon after this first skir-
mish that Mcdonald sold out his business in
Harold and set out for his Hardeman county
ranch AS on his former migration, he drove
MS cattle TO the new land and after the first
hard days drive camped at nightfall in
pleasant spot where grass was plentiful and
water was handy.
The next morning. when preparations for
an early start were under headway it was
suddenly discovered that four of the best
horses and a fine Newfoundland dog were
missing. Two of the horses were found astray
evidently having broken loose from their cap
tors. 1t was further discovered that the
Brooken band had a rendezvous in what was
known as the Cedar Brakes, a stretch of rough
country. densely covered with scrubby CEDAR
located about II miles to the southwestward
Mcdonald naturally felt that it was now his
turn to move again in the Brooken game but
it did not seem expedient to stop the Journey
with the herd and undertake the move lust
then. so. biding his time. he pushed on to his
land on Wanderers creek, where he estab-
lished his ranch. fenced his property built
habitation for himself and the wife who was
always ready to follow him into the wilder
ness. then promptly he rode over to Margaret
at that time the county seat, ana asked Sheriff
Jim Aley-a good man with his hands over
full-to appoint him deputy. that he might be-
gin the work which clearly must be done in
that country before it could become a proper
habitation for white men," The commission
was readily granted and from that appoint