Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-05

San Antonio He would be spotted Is Q COW
man anywhere, and q biography Of him would
be the history Of the cattle industry since 1t
became recognized as an industry in America.
His name is w. B. Slaughter; his friends call
him Bib; some people refer to him as Buff
falo Bill" Slaughter-from his having driven a
herd Of 104 buffaloes from the Texas Panhan-
die to Fort Garland, Colo. The Slaughter men
have been riding in Texas for 100 years. The
father of the family was a cowman on the New
Orleans Beef Trail at the time of the battle of
San Jacinto. After the Civil War the Slaugh-
ter brothers handled cattle by the tens Of thou
sands from the Rio Grande to the Platte, driv-
ing them over dozen trails. Their descend
ants still ranch over Texas and Arizona. When
Bill Slaughter was Is years old he rode half
way across Texas with $4,000 in gold In pair
of old saddebags. But the ride he recalls
oftenest was that to Fort Mason with $25 OoO
Early in 1875" he tells the story, Just
before grass had started, my brother, j. B.
Slaughter and HE 10 and %
came down from North Texas to Mason County
and contracted for 500 head Of steers at SIG
around, delivery to be made two months later
1 had already handled two herds up the Kansas
Trail and figured that we could make some
money out Of this bunch.
nCROM the day we made the contract cattle
went up, and by the date set for delivery
those SIG steers were worth s26. Naturally the
owners were feeling sore. If they could break
the contract they would make $4,000, and they
were the kind Of men to break contracts. When
got to Mason with our outfits to receive the
cattle and start up the trail we found splen
bunch.
Have you got the money to pay for these
cattle?' they demanded first thing.
I'VE answered that we had the money.
"'Show It
lat this time the cattle people were beginning
% anil S1raf Srcka nf
around In Mexican morals and on pack mules.
We produced q letter of credit for $4,000 on a
Dallas bank. Those fellows laughed at 1t. There
was a little bank In the town Of Mason, and we
took the letter Of credit there, but the banker
had only 81 900 in his safeeand couldn't
do thing for The only thing to do
to go to San Antonio and get the cash. took
the stage.
In San Antonio old Col Breckenridge the
big banker, advised me as to the best kind Of
money belt to buy and helped me pack SIS 600
worth Of gold into 1t. The coins were in de-
nominations Of $40 and $40. When the money
was all packed away. the belt weighed l04
pounds.
Then I went to q cheap store and dickered
for the sorriest hat and the most rundown
pair of boots could find. At one Of the horse
pens picked out q pony that looked worthless,
but tough and why. 1 paid SIS for him
and IS for old shell of a saddle. Toward
shutdown set out. My route was across the
open range west Of the stage road. II met
anybody 1 was to pass as q greener from Con-
zales looking for a job.
IT was expected back In Mason with the
cash. and did not care to meet some of the
men expecting me-not until had got rid Of
my load. The rough Llano country was at that
time the hiding out place OF about the toughest
set of outlaws Texas ever had There were 30
many Of them and they were so bad that two
years later the rangers rounded up every man
in the country put the whole herd in q corral
and cut out the goats from the sheep just as
you would cut cattle. The good men had moth
ing to fear and were glad to be rid of their
neighbors.
The first night out I rode about so miles
At daylight watered my horse and staked him
in a little opening surrounded by brush. Then
/ crawled into a thicket If the horse was To-
Gated by gang of outlaws, and my money
belt would still be to capture. OF course I
had six-shooter. At dark saddled up again
and rode on north. About every Is miles I'd
unsaddle and let my pony Craze for a spell
straight in, made a big circle and came in
from the side opposite to that on which I was
being expected. learned later that a few
miles down the road the stage from San An
tonic had been carefully looked over by some
well armed men.
After we had planked down the cash for
our steers, the Mason banker refused to take
1t on deposit for the ranchmen. No. sir; he did
not want any gold In his bank. guess the
owners took 1t back to San Antonio. Nobody
in the country cared to let even his BROTHER
know that he had money about. We trailed
our cattle on up as far as Red River and there
we sold out at $2s around. After all, the ride
was not hard one and have always consid-
Yed IA WAS well Maid fOr