The border vidette., 1932-04-23
! 1874. His father, John 81. Bow.
man, was q railroad man in
| Miaaianin mi md maa oka &iax.


Mississippi and was station
agent at West Point, Mississippi,
for the M. & O. Railroad during
the Civil War. He resigned his
position in 1885 account of bad
health and moved to Childress
county, Texas, where be filed on
section of land in 1886 under
the old Texas law. two dollars
per acre with forty years to pay.
When young Writ had reached
the age of IL, be rode horseback
from West Point, Mississippi, to
Kirkland. Texas. following the
wagon train of his cousin. It
took seven weeks to reach his
destination. He wore the latter
ed and only clothes be possessed
night and day. to the end of the
journey.
COWPUNCHER AND RAILROAD
TELEGRAPHER
Reaching the age of IA he be
came cowpuncher and worked
at this job for SIS a month and
his board. He stayed in the
saddle for some three years. In
1892 Writ left his parents and
| Texas and came westward.
Reaching Colorado. Bowman
obtained work in a lumber mill.
He made up his mind that he'd
have to do something else to get
ahead, but first be must acquire
q little stake so be gave up his
job in the lumber mill and went
to work on the railroad as sec
tion-hand and for three months
he welded q pick and shovel.
When be bad saved up $40, be
beat his way from Trinidad, !,
Colorado, to Elsinore, California.
This was the year 1898. His
oldest brother was station agent
there. He stayed with his
brother for about seven months,
getting q schooling and studying
railroad telegraphy.
He secured his first railroad
job at Temecula, working as an
extra for the Santa Fe. He
worked here until July, 1894,
when the Eugene V. Debs strike
broke out and be lost of his job
for refusing to work as q strike
breaker. After the strike be
wentto Hemet. California, where
a Miss Heffelfnger had been
appointed agent to open that
station. She knew telegraphy
but no station work. Writ taught
her how to run q station for
which she got $50 a month and
paid Writ $25 for teaching her.
After she could handle the sta
ton, be went to work in the
hardware store of her father.
He remained until October of '94
and then headed for Nogales in
the state of Arizona. 'In 1896
be met and married Senorita
Magdalena j. Bernaldo of Quay
mas, Mexico.
He got employment as station
agent with the old Sonora Rail
road Company. now the Southern
Pacific of Mexico. Promotion
came fast for him. and be was
given all the best stations on the
line as agent and telegraph
operator.
CATTLE BUSINESS PROVED
VERY SUCCESSFUL
The road was, taken over by
the Southern Pacific in 1895. he
worked in all 18 years with this
line and held almost every posi-
tion. Train master, assistant
terminal superintendent at No
gales for eight years, assistant
superintendent and finally super
intendent of the northern di
vision of the Nogales. Arizona
to San Bias line. he resigned
from the railroad business on
November 30. 1912.
While Mr.. Bowman was agent
at Nogales, there came that
movement in cattle out of Sonora
which was a marked feature OF
the revolutionary situation. All
cattlemen we're anxious to move
out their herds and thousands oi
animals we're brought out and
sold. Bowman seized the oppor
tunity to get into the trade. He
resigned from the railroad and
esta blished headquarters at No
gales, Arizona and went into the
buying and selling of cattle.
His knowledge of ranches,
cattle and cattlemen enabled him
to handle many thousand head,