Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-09
BY TEX RICHARD.

the fact that ! always nave WORKED
alone, never have sought counse
in my operations, is subject Of
frequent comment. To me this is MOI
strange. Always I have had to WORK
out my problems alone.
The hard side of life. the tragedies
that leave their imprint upon the faces
of CITY dwellers, were old stories to me
long before had become ri. I never
had any boyhood in the sense that the
ordinary boy does today. C1rcum-
stances forced me into cutting out my
own way when most boys are hylng
kites and playing marbles.
Though I may not show these things
In nv face. memories OF those carry
Iavx can never be erased from mind
7 lived the life that most boys imagine
they want to live when they read dire
when I was only 4 or 5 years old my
father. who was millwright. picked
IN the family and moved to Sherman,
Tex. That was a wild section OF the
country then. 1t was not easy 10 earn
a living for a wife and five chldren.
He heard Of prospects further west,
and in a covered wagon We migrated TO
Tenrietta. Tex. There my life really
started. All my recollections date back
to Henrietta.
Worked at Age Of 10.
In 1880. when I was 10 years old, my
father took sick. It was necessary for
me to 90 to work. I went to live with
a big cattleman named Jim Curtis at
Cambridge. Clay County, Tex. That
was not far from Henrietta. In TACT,
Cambridge soon thereafter practically
ceased to exist. The two towns were
One night a band Of cowboys rode
down on Cambridge and stole the post
Office, which they brought back ana
established at Henrietta. MY mind Is
hazy on the details of this. but Tor
years remember the fact OF HENRIETTA
having stolen the post Office from Cam
bridge being a matter of bitter contro-
versy.
Jim Curtis was big-hearted and kind
and SO was his family. did the chores
and ran errands for the ranch. It was
there that faced my first tragedy.
One of my duties was to go down
To the town and tell Mr.. Curtis whsn
dinner was ready-dinner was served at
IA o'clock. At that hour the cowboys
usually were in town and always in or
around the saloons. They were rough
shooting fellows.
In the Spring one Gay MTS' NuI eLo
told me to go down and tell her nus
band that dinner was on the taple. l
went to the regular saloon gatnerlng
place, but he had Just leit. Luz! !uss
missed him In two or three places, leaV-
ing word at each.
"He was around here a while ago
with Van Rice" cowboy told me. You
better get on home, SON"
Even at that age I recognized some
thing ominous in the mans tone.
Hears Shots Across Road.
Just as I was turning toward the
ranch I heard some shots in saloon
across the road.
Jim Curtis and Van Rice, both cattle
men, had been standing at the par. "A
disagreement arose over the branding
of some cattle. But few words were
spoken. Van Rice, dead shot, as was
Curtis, drew his gun in a Hash and
opened. Before Curtis could get his SIX
shooter from its holster three bullets
had gone through him.
Don't! For Gods sake, don't shoot-
don't kill anybody" a cowboy called
to them, but too late. He actually leaped
toward the two men, holding his hand
between them. So quickly ano oea1ly
was the aim that two bullets went
-
the body of Curtisl
NV boss tumbled over behind stove
In the center of the room, dying. With
his last gasp, though, he pulled him.
self I'D on one elbow, took deliberate
aim and fired bullet squarely through
his assailant's heart.
Both men dropped dead.
Those are not pleasant recollections,
but 1t was the atmosphere In which I
started life.
It's until the Fall, when Joined a
group of cattlemen and started on one
of the most momentous Journeys In his
tory. We drove an immense herd OF
longhorns all the way to Honeywell.
Kans., then considered a strange ana
foreign country.
Duplicated Pioneers Feat.
Though we did not grasp its mean
ing. We were really helping to knot to-
West. Just a few OF the herds had
been driven north of the seth
meridian. In fact. we we're duplicating
the feat Of the Red River pioneers, who
went to Abilene, IS told in Emerson
Hough's great historic novel.
The reason for driving these herds
north was to reach a new market, the
Texas market having been killed by
the Civil War and the political troubles
following it.
1t may seem odd that a boy of II
years, little more than a baby, should
be out on a rough expedition like this
actually working for living. Nothing
was thought of it then. I was little
We each had our job to do.
On that long drive we didn't see &
single house, not the slightest sign Of
civilization. until after we had swun
the herd across the Red River. W.
followed the route of the previous herd
although we kept little west Of the
Chisolfn trail. Buffalo were common
sight in those days. In fact, / nav
helped my father hunt buffalo owe
what is now Wichita Falls, Tex, al
important city.
Longest, Lones0mest Night.
On a like journey I spent the lone
soonest and longest night in my Who'll
life. 1t may indicate how my youthful
mind grew hardened to tragedy.
Two of the cowboys got into al
argument over the cattle and one o
them shot the other, wounding hin
badly AS they brought the Wounds
man to little tent, one OF the cowboy
recalled that doctor lived in littl
village 40 or so miles away. II wa
suggested that I be left with tn
wounded cowboy while the riders wen
for the doctor. I never thought of pro
testing. We didn't complain in thos
days.
I sat with the wounded man an
listened to his moans bringing waite
and waiting on him as best coulC
T7.A. LII .ni1
hear the shrek of coyote or wolf.
W vea 0us % '0 "''0'e p"'A
~g GGSS0Z .Sss esSsg sagssc :s.