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HISTORY OF THE CHISUM WAR OR LIFE OF IKE FRIDGE
Stirring Events of Cowboy Life on the Frontier
T B F898
HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
R01064 47425
lates
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation
http://www.archive.org/details/historyofchisumw00frid
HISTORY OF THE CHISUM WAR OR LIFE OF IKE FRIDGE
Printed by SMITH, Electra
Stirring Events of Cowboy Life on the Frontier
txr
HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
R01064 47425
IKE FRIDGE
Page 2
THE CHISUM WAR
THE CHISUM TRAILS
Every Texan has read of the Chisum Trail, and has heard stories of the happenings there- on, and of the great beef herds piloted to northern markets over this "Hoof Railway" from the Lone Star State to Kansas.
This trail had its beginning in Denton Coun- ty, near the center of this great state, and cross- ed the Red River near where St. Jo now stands. It continued through the Indian Territory, cross- ing the Big Blue near where McAlister, Okla. now is, and passed through the Osage Country where the world's wealthiest Indians are at present. This historic trail could be followed on to Coffeyville, Wichita, Abilene, and Fort Dodge, Kansas.
This "Hoof Railway" derived its name from that noble cattle king, Col. John Chisum, who opened the trail and drove cattle herds from his Clear Creek ranch in Denton county, to the Kan- sas markets and the end of steel.
That interpid pioneer, at the age of forty- five-a calm, peaceful and sober man, a gentle- man in every respect, raised in cow country and determined to live in cow country-saw the ap- proach of the settlers and the tenderfoot crowd- ing the ranges, and his dark brow was knitted in thought as he decided to push westward still, and he opened another "Chisum Trail," little known to the present day reader, but a trail that served its purpose and played a big part in the opening of the western part of the Grand Empire of Texas and of the New Mexico country.
Col. Chisum purchased large herds of cattle
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IKE FRIDGE, COWBOY
and started his drive to New Mexico from his "Home Creek Ranch" near the Concho river, go- ing up the Concho to where Big Springs, Texas, is at present. He then made a cross-country drive to the Pecos river, a country that was well water- ed in the rainy seasons but in dry times present- ed an almost impossible obstacle, as there wasn't enough water for a distance of ninety miles to serve a trail herd.
He struck the Pecos at Horse Head Crossing, and proceeded up the river into New Mexico, es- tablishing a ranch about thirty miles from Fort Sumner, where United States troops were sta- tioned.
Cattle from this ranch were driven through to Denver, Colo., and marketed at Pueblo. Thus had the brave pioneer established another trail to live after him and to be used by his fellow men. This constituted the "Western Chisum Trail."
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IKE FRIDGE, COWBOY
IKE FRIDGE-A CHISUM COWPUNCHER
I had been with Col. Chisum since I was four- teen years old, and in April, 1869, we left the Clear Creek Ranch in Denton county to go to the Chisum ranch on Home creek, forty miles east of Fort Concho.
I was just a boy but I was skilled in riding, roping and shooting, as these had been my daily pastimes practically all of my life.
Our outfit consisted of three thousand Texas cattle, thirty men, chuck wagons and three yoke of oxen-those patient, slow but strong and effi- cient beasts of 'burden that always reach their destination with their load, if they are given care and time.
We had a saddle remuda of one hundred head of horses, among which was every kind of cayuse you could wish for. There were horses that were trained for roping and holding, for cutting herd; and all the tricks known to the typical cow horse of the Southwest were in that bunch. Among these horses were to be found tough buckers, easy saddlers and a few good racers to furnish amuse- ment at the proper time.
Ideal weather and good grazing for the herds made this a wonderful trip. Crossing through country that was a treat to the eye, and fording beautiful streams at intervals, we had a fine time on the drive.
Crossing the Brazos at Fort Belknap, out by where Colorado City, Texas, now stands. we reach ed the ranch about the middle of May.
This western ranch owned by the Colonel was
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THE CHISUM WAR
situated in fine cattle country ; there was lots of Mesquite grass over the broad plains and enough hills and rocks to furnish shelter in the winter. It seemed a veritable breeding ground for the hearty Long Horns. The ranch house was built of pecan logs, with' three large rooms, and was so sturdy that it would serve for a good fort in time of trouble. Large corrals were all about, constructed for the most part, of pecan, but with hackberry and other native timber used for con- venience.
The Coggins Ranch headquarters were about four miles away, and that was considered a close neighbor. Chisum built a stone commissary, where he stored supplies for his men and the outfits in the surrounding country. This build- ing, about 20x40, feet, had port holes for use in 1 epulsing the Indians, and was surrounded by a high picket fence of Mesquite posts. Five or six families used this for a school which was taught at that time by a Prof. Whitius.
Numerous Indian fights in the country made it necessary to have a fortified place for the school.
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THE CHISUM WAR MY FIRST INDIAN FIGHT
The roaming fever and a desire for more range caused this dauntless pioneer to seek fur- ther west for another ranch, and we set about gathering his cattle which were scattered over plains. It was open range country from the Colo- rado river to the San Saba, and during the brief period Col. Chisum had been in the country, his stock had learned to use quite a bit of territory in their quest for food and water.
We started on a cow hunt with an outfit of twenty men, with three horses to the man, and two pack horses. We had no skillets for frying, but each man had a tin for his coffee, and a rusty bread pan was tied on a pack horse. Our bread was made of flour, cold water, salt and soda. Each man cut him a green stick for his cooking. We trimmed the bark off, took the dough and rolled it around the stick and cooked it over the fire. Our meat was also cooked over the fire on the green boughs.
We worked until we had gathered a thousand head of cattle, when the boys remarked that we had not seen any Indians yet. Then one morning we had our herd in pens and were eating break- fast when a man from another outfit came and told us that the Indians were in the country, and they had had a fight with them and had set them afoot by capturing their horses.
It had rained that morning and the trail would be easy to follow, so the boss decided that we would follow them and detailed five men to stay with the cattle and horses, leaving the cattle
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IKE FRIDGE, COWBOY
in the pens. As I had never seen any, Indians I asked the boss man to let me go along with them. He objected, saying :
"Kid, you had better stay at the camp."
But I said: "No, I want to go."
The men urged him to let me go, but before I got back, I wished that I had listened to him.
We followed the red men about six miles down the Colorado river. Bluff Creek came in on the north side of the Colorado and at the mouth of the creek, in a pecan thicket, we struck the Indians, being right at them before we saw them.
There was a rain of arrows and lead, com- ing thick and fast. Jeff Singleton, an old-time pioneer man, raised on the frontier and who had a sister and a brother-in-law killed by the In- dians, was anxious to get at them and get re- venge, so he was in front and began to snap his gun, which he found to be empty. As he whirled his horse to run an Indian shot him in the back with an arrow. One of the boys ran to him, took his knife and cut the sinew that held the spike to the wood. Singleton pulled the arrow out but he left the spike in his back.
We fought them about twenty minutes, kill- ing ten and wounding two, who later were drown- ed as the band swam the river in making their escape.
We had had about enough excitement and went back to our camp. Singleton didn't seem to suffer from the wound, which was washed by his brother, who upon reaching the camp got an old
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pair of horseshoe pinchers and pulled the spike out of Jeff's back. Three of the men then took him to the home ranch where he rested up about a week and came on back to the camp. We fin- ished gathering the herd and went on back to the ranch.
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THE CHISUM WAR
NEW MEXICO
The first of September we started this herd to the ranch that Col. Chisum was establishing in New Mexico, thus opening up the western Chisum Trail described in the preceding chapters. The new ranch was named the "Bosque Grande," meaning "Big Timbers."
Arriving at the ranch without any serious trouble we branded the cattle and turned them loose on their new range in a short time. The range that Chisum used then was crossed by the Pecos, the Seven Rivers, Maso and the Hondo; and after leaving the Pecos Valley was a hilly and mountainous country, but it afforded good grazing for the stock.
My work that winter was, with the help of five other men, to keep the Buffalo off the range.
During the cold "northers" the Buffalo would drift in by the thousand, and we had to turn them from the choice range to save it for the cattle.
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THE CHISUM WAR
BURIED WITH HIS BOOTS ON
On Christmas Day Col. Chisum invited all the men to his ranch for dinner, and while we were at the ranch a big negro got wild and killed a dog that belonged to a Mexican boy. When we got to them the boy was crying.
In the crowd was Charlie Nebow, a tall, slen- der, light complexioned Irishman. Nebow was a fine, jovial fellow when he was sober but he was quick tempered and easily stirred up when he was drunk. He wore his hair long like so many of the early day men, and was as true as steel at all times.
Charlie asked the boy what was wrong. The answer was:
"That negro killed my dog."
Nebow went over to the negro and asked him why he killed the boy's dog.
The negro said, "Maybe you don't like it."
They both pulled their guns which, worn in true cowboy style, were easy to get to. The ne- gro was just a little the quicker on the draw and he shot Nebow in the top of the head. As Nebow fell he shot the negro through the thigh.
The ball had merely creased Nebow, glancing so he was not seriously hurt, and he got up and ran to the negro. He struck the black over the head with a gun barrel, knocking him over a box. He then pulled out his knife to cut the negro's head off but the father of the Mexican boy ran
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IKE FRIDGE, COWBOY
to Nebow and pulled him off the negro who be- gan running' and shooting back at the crowd.
We all returned the fire, killing him instant- ly. The next morning we buried him. Some of the boys got a spade and went down to the Pe- cos river where they dug his grave. Taylor Ridge and I were detailed as a hearse, so we put a rope around his legs and got on our horses and dragged him to his grave. We wrapped him in his saddle blanket and buried him with his boots on.
Page 12 IKE FRIDGE, COWBOY INDIANS STEAL OUR HORSES
In the spring of 1871 we went back to Texas with an outfit to gather another herd of cattle. We got to the Home Creek Ranch about the middle of May.
Five men and I stayed at the ranch while Col. Chisum and the rest of the bunch went to San Antonio, that famous frontier town that has seen so much bloodshed in its many battles, in- cluding the fall of the Alamo and its valiant de- fenders-that city that has been under five differ- flags-where he bought a cavy of horses.
When Chisum got back with the horses, he hired an outfit to gather thej steers for the re- turn trip to Mexico. They were gathered without any unusual happenings and were planning to take the trail the next morning but like a thun- derbolt from a clear sky, an Indian attack was made against us.
After a short skirmish the red skins succeed- ed in getting away with all of our horses except five head.
Another trip was made after saddle stock, with Col. Chisum mounted on a mule and accom- panied by a man by the name of Smith, myself and a half-breed Indian.
After the purchases were made we started back with the bunch of horses, and Col. Chisum Jeft us to go to his old home in Denton county on business, leaving Smith in charge. He entrusted $2000 to Smith's care with instructions to take it to the foreman, Jim McDaniel, at the ranch.
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THE CHISUM WAR
When we were near Cleburne, then a very small village, Smith rode ahead to locate a field to hold the horses in over night. Darkness came without his returning, so I sent the half-breed to a house where he secured a field in which to put the horses. Upon inquiring about our leader we found that he had not stopped to ask about grazing for the stock but had "lit-a-shuck" so to speak, taking the two thousand bucks with him.
The half-breed and I got two fresh horses and left the remainder of the cavy with the farmer to care for until we should return, telling him that we would go in search of Smith. We went back about eight miles and found a house where, upon inquiry, we learned that he had passed headed north. Riding on until about midnight we decided to stop until daybreak. Next morning we hit his trail, which was; easily followed as a number of people along the way had seen him. After pushing our horses hard all day we overtook Mr. Smith about two miles north of Denison.
We got his horse and saddle and the two thousand dollars with which he was trying to es- cape, and we went back to where the horses had been left, proceeding on to the ranch with them.
When the Colonel returned from Denton we all started up the trail to Mexico again, with Col. Chisum as our trail boss. This was a slow, hard trip and we ran out of flour when we hit the Pecos river. There followed nineteen days of liv- ing just on beef. We had a preacher with us who prayed for flour ,and expected his prayers to be answered literally. He was very timid when we started on the trip but he didn't have the stuff to stick, and was very tough when we reached the ranch, renouncing his religion.
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THE CHISUM WAR
SET AFOOT WITH FOUR THOUSAND STEERS
In the spring of 1872 we gathered more cat- tle in Texas. Chisum had bought Coggins' cat- tle, the neighboring rancher on Home creek. One outfit hit the trail and I came on with the sec- ond bunch' of four thousand steers, all headed for the Bosque Grande Ranch in New Mexico.
When we reached the Pecos River we found where one of the cowboys with the first bunch had been killed by Indians. We drove on to Lov- ing's Bend before we had any trouble but there the Indians surprised us at night and drove off all the horses except four that were being ridden on guard around the steers.
Had it not been for the fact that the herd was used to handling by this time and trail-weary from the many miles they had come we would have lost them all without more horses, but as they were accustomed to the routine of the trail, we used the four horses to point the herd and for flankers, the other boys driving on foot and helping to keep the bunch moving. We made it to the ranch in fifteen days with the entire herd except possibly a few which the boys afoot had to use their "Colts"" on to keep from being run down and gored by the long keen horns known only to the "Texas Longhorn" and other kindred breeds.
You, of course, know that a cowboy has a decided distaste for "foot work" and it is easy to imagine the delight of all when the ranch was reached and "mounts" secured.
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IKE FRIDGE, COWBOY
THE WAR BEGINS
The Maxwell Ranch near Fort Sumner was considered a Mexican outfit. Although Maxwell was a white man, he had married a Mexican girl and he used Mexican punchers.
He was driving lots of stock from South Tex- as and I had been left at the ranch to cut trail herds that were being brought through Chisum range by Maxwell and others who were moving cattle either from Texas or to the markets. The two or three years passed had done much toward settling up the country and a lot of Texas cattle had been brought into Mexico.
One morning a herd was sighted, and Tabb and I went out to cut it for Chisum stock. It proved to be a Maxwell herd, all the punchers be- ing Mex except the boss man. He and Tabb got into a dispute over some cattle and as Tabb rode into the herd, Maxwell's boss man shot him in the back.
When Tabb fell off his horse the Maxwell man struck a lope, and I began shooting at him. He ran off about a hundred yards and fell off his horse. The boss man at the ranch heard the shooting and came hurriedly toward us.
Two Mexicans ran up to me and said, "May- be so Gringo dead." My gun was empty but I kept them off with it, as I was afraid to reach for Tabb's gun, knowing that would be giving away the fact that mine was empty, and knew they could shoot me before I could get Tabb's gun into position.
When the boys rode up, they ran into the Mexicans' and killed one of them. Four or five
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IKE FRIDGE, COWBOY
other Mexicans went to their fallen boss, picked him up and put him in their chuck wagon. We took Tabb back to the ranch where he died in a few minutes. We buried him the next day.
Cattle thieves had been making things mis- erable for us and there had been several skirmish- es from time to time, but Col. Chisum had held the boys in, knowing full well what a range war meant. However, when Tabb, who was a very efficient man and was the Colonel's trusted book- keeper, was killed so cowardly, having been shot in the back while trying to cut out some of Chis- um's cows which would have been carried on with the herd if not taken out, the Colonel declared war. He said the rustlers had to be exterminated or driven off the range. That meant fight to the death, as every loyal cowboy would stay with his outfit and fight for his boss as though for his general in time of war.
Tabb was particularly valuable to the ranch in that he was not only a good bookkeeper, which was a scarce article in that country then, but he was a high spirited Kentuckian and a good man in a fight. Fighting men were needed to help conquer the enemies of the stockmen and estab- lish law and order. If his face had not been turn- ed when the Maxwell boss started to make trou- ble it might have been a diffrent story.
A few days later Jeff Chisum, the invalid brother of the intrepid Colonel, went to a dance at Port de Luna in company with another man. They were set upon by the Mexicans and robbed and beaten almost to death. This following so closely after the death of Tabb, put the Colonel on the war path and he told the boys not to let a Mexican go through the range.
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THE CHISUM WAR
BILLIE THE KID
"Billie the Kid," one of the most noted and among the most dangerous of all New Mexico outlaws, joined with the rustlers in a crusade against our ranch. They organized and began a series of well planned cattle raids.
The Kid's career of crime started when he was quite young, and he literally grew up to kill -and to be killed. He was sixteen when his fa- ther died. Billy was a great lover of his mother but when she married again he began to drift. Hle bought the best horse that could be found and secured the very best in firearms that existed in that day. Long rides over the country alone fol- lowed and his mother talked to him time and again in an effort to settle him down but all to no avail.
Billy went into a Mexican sheep herder's camp one day and found it deserted at the time. It was the custom of the times to make yourself at home if in need of food and shelter, whether the owner was at home or not. In keeping with that custom the Kid began the preparation of a meal. Just as he had it ready to eat the Mexican came in and began abusing him. The Mex ran at Billy with a knife, but was stopped by a bullet from the Kid's gun.
This was the first man Billie had ever killed, and though he went home and was not suspected of having killed the Mex, he was put on the war path. His murderous career was definitely be- gun and though the first killing was probably jus- tifiable, and in self defense, others followed that
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THE CHISUM WAR
were not.
Soon after this incident the Kid saw four prospectors in the mountains. They had good horses and Billie thought they had plenty of mon- ey. He laid a plan to kill them .; Stealing into their camp one night while they were asleep, he brutally killed the four of them. He took what money they had and hid the horses in the moun- tains.
The Kid then returned home but his frequent absences and roaming disposition attracted atten- tion and the cloud of suspicion settled upon him. His mother's home was surrounded at night and the Kid demanded. Instead of surrendering he fixed up a kind of dummy and put it in the door- way. Firing a few shots from near the dummy to attract the officers' attention in that direction, he whirled and ran out a back door. However, he was discovered and fired upon as he ran, re- ceiving two bad wounds. The faithful mother made trips to his mountain rendezvous daily and nursed her! outlaw son back to health. There could be no more of deceiving the public. The die was cast. So as soon as he could ride, "Billie the Kid," as he was ever afterward known, took the trail. Hiding out in Colorado for awhile, then boldly returning to his old haunts, he joined hands with the cattle rustlers of the district, where his skill with firearms and his reckless daring won him the leadership.
A period of raiding followed that was never before equalled and frequently United States troops had to take a part to defend the ranchers and their property.
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IKE FRIDGE, COWBOY
IKE FRIDGE AND CHISUM PUNCHERS ARE CAPTURED
A few days after the Colonel declared war on the rustlers, two of the boys on the north side of the range killed a Mexican. They were arrested and put in jail in Las Vegas. Then one day about a week later while eight of us were on the range branding' calves, a detachment of soldiers from Las Vegas surrounded us and we were ar- rested for the killing of the Maxwell boss in the trail herd the day Tabb was killed. We were put in jail with the other two boys.
A white man in Las Vegas, who was a friend of Chisum's got in touch with the Colonel in Kan- sas City where he had gone on business. The friend informed him that his boss man and nine punchers were in jail in the Mexican town which was controlled by the rustlers and their element.
After several weeks of confinement we were tried before a justice of the peace and with the aid of a lawyer Chisum had sent from Kansas City, eight of us were turned loose. However, they refused to release the first two that were locked up, announcing that it was their intention to hang them. Jim McDaniel, our boss man, said: "You will never hang them unless you do it in two or three days." McDaniel told the men to be ready to go at any time, as he would soon come after them.
We got back to the north camp and McDaniel went on to the ranch . He got a bunch of men and twenty of us went back to Las Vegas for the prisoners. We arrived there about daybreak with
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IKE FRIDGE, COWBOY
six extra horses and saddles. Three other white men and a negro were in the jail and the boss figured he would take them away from the Mexi- cans, too.
McDaniel took five men and went to the jail, leaving the rest of us to guard the streets. He said upon leaving us: "When you see any men, go to shooting up and down the street." They found two Mexican guards, both asleep. Jim McDaniel took their guns away from them and pushed the door in where the keeper slept, capturing him and securing the keys to the jail itself. Then he put the two guards and the jailer in a cell and took the five white men and negro out and armed them with the guns he had secured from the Mexicans. He locked the jail and threw the keys away on the way back to our camp.
On the return trip to the camp I was talking to the negro and said: "Snowball," (that was the nickname I had given him) "if those Mexicans follow us we will have to put up a fight." He was greatly excited, but as the jail delivery was accomplished without any shooting or other dis- turbance and before the citizens were awake, we got away without any, trouble and went to the ranch that night.
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THE CHISUM WAR
MEXICANS KILL CHARLIE RANKINS
A couple of days after the Las Vegas trip and the jail delivery, McDaniel told Charlie Rank- ins and me that he wanted us to go to Port de Luna that night.
Rankins was about thirty-five and high- strung. He was as brave as need be, but was too reckless. When we went after our saddle horses that evening I told him he had better catch the fastest horse in his string as we were liable to have to do some running. He was older and thought that I was unduly excited, and replied:
"Oh, you are only scared."
I said: "No, not that, but you know how those Mexicans are."
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