The Holly chieftain., 1911-03-03
John Cores Once Brayed Death to Deliver
Four Barrels of Whisky to Awaiting Troops
Once Shot Buffalo Where Holly Postoffice Now Stands
-..Broueht Indian Alarm that Started Clusters Campaign

A book, "The Making Of Holly, BY
One Who Helped Do IT, could easily
be written by q man who is still a resi-
dent o: thi, city, but who came here when
buffalo were grazing on the ground on
which the postofiice building now stands,
snd Indians were skulkins around the
awaiting an opportunity to gather unto
themselves the foreiock Of some pas.ing
cOwpuncher. This man is John Cores,
and half hours interview with him is
like the perussi Of history.
John Cores came to Holly in "'73,"
u he calls it. At that time the end Of
the railroad WAS 1t Coolidge, and Holly
wos compelled to 60 to Coolidge for
everything she wanted. Crhink of thatD
The country WIS infested with Indians,
but I'll. ). Holly, the man for whom this
town WAS later named, was here with =
bunch Of cowboys, making history, and
incidentally coming whole lot of money.
Mr.. Holly was what We would call to-
day captain Of industry-and Mr.. Hoi-
ley's industry" was raising cattle and
taking up homestesd land. Making q
business Of taking up homestead land
would be rather peril0us in these days.
He hired cowpunchers to 6ie on the land
.sa The ,sss " g.. I: 81 eyss .l e his Hs hsd
-c6Gkf yl.HelEr BSslk ~ ~: sshiciT WIZ
called dwelling, = and when final proof
on . piece Of land was to be made, the
dwelling" was hauled out to the section
Of land herein described. and the affiant
truthfulIy swore that he had house on
the land.
In those days the headquarters of the
ranch was q stone house, now part Of
the Wiley residence. This was also used
a. 4 fortress when the cowpunchers were
forced to abandon their herds and come
to town on the kallop to avoid an unpieas.
ant controversy with redskins.
Mr.. Holly finally disposed Of his hold
inks to an English company for close to q
million dollars. The company went into
bankruptcy shortly afterward as . result
of buying Holly's cattle at SIS per head
and selling them at $3.50. They also
lost about 5000 head in the awful bliz.
zard that visited this section this year.
So bad was the tieup on the railroad
as q result Of this storm that no train
came into Coolidge for twenty-five days.
An unwritten law Of the prairie was to
the effect that whoever took the trouble
to skin q steer that had frozen to death
was entitled to half the value OF the hide.
For days the railway risht-of-way fences
wsshwomsn, SO thoroughly covered were
they with hides that had been peeled
from the late lamented cattle, and hung
up with tag bearing the name Of the
name Of the man who had done the skin
ming.
II was this storm that busted" q Mr..
Puilen, once wealthy ''hish-roiler, but
more recently q clerk in Denver dry
foods store. Pullen had gone into Texas
aud bought 900 head Of cattle. After
the storm he had but ten head left, and
was q ruined man. He never retained
his fortunes.
But this story is not to deal so much
with that part Of the towns history A.
the part John Cores had in il on divers
occasi0ns.
John Cores once taved an army.
Had John Cores not arrived 1t the op.
portune moment with four barrels Of St.
Louis whisky, the dispositions Of two
thousand brave boys in blue would have
been ruined forever. incidentally it
might be mentioned that Mr. Cores
made So 900 for himself in performing
this patriotic service.) But nobody was
Is too often the fatal sequences. Foley's
Honey and Tar expeIs The cold, checks the Ia.