covered the men. There being a large party of these Indians and only a few white men, a running fight took place as the men started back to camp, the Indians shooting with bows and arrows, while the men used their guns and pistols. After the Indians had retreated search was made for my father and he was found about a mile and a half from the camp, lying in a branch, where he had been killed by the Indians. He had fought them single-handed for some time, and several pools of blood were found near the battle ground. The Indians were in the canyon preparing to carry off their wounded when the settlers came upon them. After killing my father they did not disturb him except to take his gun, pistol, horse, saddle and bridle. The men went back to the camp, procured a wagon and brought father's body to the ranch the next day. The soldiers came and took the trail of the retreating Indians to the westward, and followed them for several days. The Indians attacked the Ledbetter salt works and then continued their flight westward until overtaken by the cattlemen out near the plains. They were still carrying their wounded, some three or four Indians and a negro. Seeing that they could not retreat further with their wounded they abandoned them in order to make their own escape, and the pursuing settlers coming upon them, killed the wounded themselves. Among these wounded was the Indian who slew my father. A careful examination being made of him, it was found that two of his fingers on the left hand, where he had held the bow, were injured by a bullet wound corresponding to the hole in the bow; the bullet passed on through the bow into the Indian's breast, ranging around his side and coming out at his back. This was conclusive evidence, after the finding of the bow and the blood stains thereon and comparing the wounds found upon the Indian, that he was the same one who slew my father. This bow was afterwards turned over to the government, and is now in the

museum of the Smithsonian Institute at Washington, D. C.

The description of the death of my father on this Indian raid is almost identical in manner and form with hundreds of others who were killed in the early days. while West Texas was being settled, and while the account may differ in some few respects, their method was always the same, their character of fighting was always the same, and what has been said of the death of my father would only be a repetition if I should describe the death of a number of other pioneers who were killed during Indian raids, and I am merely giving these facts to show the uncertainties under which the early pioneers lived, the great danger which they constantly faced, and the trials through which they had to pass in order that they might build up the ground work of a greater civilization in this Western country.

My father was a pioneer trail driver, and participated in a number of the drives of cattle from the plains of West Texas to the Kansas markets.

WORKED FOR GEORGE W. SAUNDERS IN 1875

L. T. Clark, Quanah, Texas

In 1869 I hired to Randolph Paine of Denton county to help drive 3,000 four and five year old steers to Abilene, Kansas. We left Denton some time in May and crossed the Red River above Gainsville, crossed the Washita at Fort Arbuckle, crossed the Canadian and Arkansas rivers and went on to the Smoky River. It was a good year and the steers fattened all the way. Paine bought these cattle at $12 per head on time and sold them for $30. He brought the money back to Denton county in a wagon and paid for the steers. Although Mr. Paine was owner and boss of the herd he stood guard at night with the rest of us.

In 1870 I hired to Hopkins of Denton county to help

L. T. CLARK

drive 2,500 big steers to Baxter Springs, Kansas. But Hopkins sold the steers before we reached there, and we came back to Texas.

In 1871 Randolph Paine drove 3,200 steers to the end of the M. K. & T. railroad, where a town of tents and shipping pens had sprung up. On this trip we encountered many electrical storms and had several stampedes.

In 1872 Mr. Paine drove three herds to Denison, which was a short drive from Denton county.

Mr. Paine died in 1873 and Alec Belcher bought the Paine stock of cattle. I helped to gather and move them to Cook county.

In 1874 J. H. Paine, a nephew to Randolph Paine, and I bought 125 saddle horses and drove them to Brown county, where we traded them for 540 grown cattle which we drove to Denison and shipped them to Saint Louis.

In 1875 I decided to drift south where they worked cattle the year round. My first stop was south of Goliad, where I hired to George W. Saunders to help gather a herd of cattle he had sold to Dillard Fant of Goliad. When the cattle were counted out to Fant my job was finished. I then went to Atascosa county and hired to Jerry Ellis, who was taking three herds to Dodge City, Kansas. I went up with the last herd of 3,100 head. Moore was boss, and he was a good trail man. When we reached Denton county I went to see my father. J. H. Paine was going to drive a herd of stock cattle to Young county to ranch them, and I made a trade with him to run those cattle four years for one-fourth of the entire

herd, I to pay all expenses. At the end of the four years. Mr. Paine sold the cattle to Ikard of Henrietta, Texas, for $60,000, range delivery. Paine paid me $15,000. I then bought an interest in J. W. Medlin's cattle, range delivery, ranching in Archer county, and in 1885 moved them to Greer county. Then in 1886 I bought an interest in S. F. Reynold's cattle, located in Greer county, and we claimed a range twenty miles wide and thirty miles long, but we did not own any of the land. In 1888 I gathered 1,200 steers and drove them to the Cherokee Strip to pasture. After we crossed the Cimarron River I went on ahead of the herd to secure grazing, and when I reached the next stream it seemed to be bank full and about 400 yards wide, so I decided to swim it. I pulled off my clothes and tied them securely to my saddle and as I started to take the water a man and a woman galloped down on the other side to see me cross. I surmised that I could stand the ordeal if she could, and in I went. The water was not so deep as it seemed to be, and did not swim my horse at all. As I approached the opposite bank where the man and woman were, they turned and galloped away. The woman was from Chicago and her father was one of the stockholders of the Rock Island railroad. They evidently did not like the cut of my "birthday" suit, for they did not remain to see me "come out" in it.

In 1890 the settlers moved inside of our range and Medlin and Reynolds thought it best to sell, as the nesters were going to take the country. We sold the cattle to Clark & Plumb of Fort Worth for $9 per head, calves not counted. I drove the cattle to Archer county and turned over 9,030 to them, then sold them the remnant of 300 head on the range. Dayton Moses, now the attorney for the Cattle Raisers' Association, went with the first herd, and made an excellent hand.

In 1891 I engaged in buying yearlings for myself, holding them until they were three or four years old and

shipping to market. I was ranching in the northwest corner of Greer county, and fattened my steers in the Kiowa country, which joined me on the north. I never had any trouble with the Indians. In 1898 a lot of Kansas farmers came into my pasture, so it was my move again. I drove my steers north of Woodward, Oklahoma, fattened them there and put them on the market, sold my claim in Greer county and moved back to Texas, and have been in the cow business ever since. I now own a ranch in Tom Green county, which is in charge of my son, who is twenty-four years old. We have about 2,000 cattle on the ranch.

I have been in partnership with J. H. Paine, J. W. Medlin, and S. F. Reynolds, all first-class gentlemen, and all lived in Denton county. They have all passed away. No better men ever lived. I sold steers to E. H. East for four years. He never put up a forfeit, and we never counted a bunch twice. East lived at that time in Archer City, and owned a ranch in Archer county. He now lives at Kingsville.

WAS A FREIGHTER AND TRAIL DRIVER

J. M. Cowley, Fentress, Texas

My father was born in Tennessee, and he and my mother, whose maiden name was Miss N. G. More, were married in Alabama. They came to Texas in 1853 and located in Milam county, on Little River, where they remained until 1855, then moved to Guadalupe county, where they bought cattle and after a time took them to Caldwell county and located on the San Marcos River. Six children were born to my parents, three of whom are dead. Father bought some mares near the King ranch and drove them to Caldwell county, where he raised horses and mules. The year 1857 was very dry and we had to go to the Brazos River region to buy corn for bread. Cornbread, beef, sorghum molasses and coffee