Annie McAulay
Maverick, Texas {Begin handwritten}#15{End handwritten}
SEP 30 1938
RANGE-LORE
Hugh Campbell, was born in Austin County, Texas in 1878. His father, David Campbell, was also a native of Austin County. His grandfather moved to Texas in 1812 with a group of very early colonists. He fought in the war between Texas and Mexico, taking part in the battle of San Jacinto. Mr. Hugh Campbell moved to Midland, and points in New Mexico where he worked until 1897. In 1901 he moved out to Winkler County and started ranching for himself. He moved to Runnels County in 1917 and bought a ranch near Ballinger. {Begin note}{Begin handwritten}C.12 - 2/11/41 - Texas{End handwritten}{End note}{Begin page no. 2}There he has made his home ever since. He also owns a ranch in Concho County.
Mr. Campbell says: "I've been ridin' a horse ever since I can remember. I came of a family that rode and ranched. My father was a stockman in Austin and Milam counties, and my grandfather was a stockman before him.
"It was all open range in the early days when I was a kid; they had lots of trouble with horse thieves in that country then, too. I remember riding upon three dead men hanging to a tree, not many miles from our house. I was out looking for certain stock that we had on the range when I saw them. I was all alone and was sure frightened. They had been caught by some of the ranchers in the business of stealing and branding somebody else's stuff. So they hung 'em to a tree 'til they was plum dead and no questions was asked, nobody knew them or ever found out where they come from.
"We used to make lots of long cattle drives. I've been over the trail lots of times. I helped with my first drive to Dodge City, Kansas, when I was fourteen years old. We had a right smart trouble on that trip. The herd stampeded a time or two, and when we got to the Red River we ran into quicksand. We managed, with a lot of riding and patience, to get all the cattle across the river but we lost our bed wagon in the quicksand.
"We drove about 3000 head of cattle from Midland to South Dakota once. I believe that was about the longest drive I ever {Begin page no. 3}helped with. Bill Roberson was the trail boss. We had trouble aplenty that time. Seem like that was an unlucky trip. We ran in to high water two or three times and had several stampedes, one of the worst ones I ever saw. We had camped we thought in a very good place. We always tried to bed the cattle on the side of a hill sloping west if possible. They were supposed to stay quieter if you did that. This time we stopped on the bald prairie somewhere in New Mexico. The herd was as quiet as you please 'til along about eleven o'clock. One of the boys on guard struck a match to make a smoke. That made his pony jump and that frightened the cattle. They jumped up, and away they went like a streak.
"We all got in the saddle as quick as possible and rode as fast as we could until we out run 'em and got them to circlin'. That took a long time and we had lost a third, which we had to get together next day. That was the hardest ridin' I ever done on a stretch. We rode all night and all next day through a cold drizzle of rain that had come up in the night.
"I worked on ranches in Midland County, at Odessa and in New Mexico when I was a young feller. I worked for a long time for the [?] outfit in New Mexico also for Jals ranch at Midland. Lee Richards, Bob Grimes and Cas Russel were working there at that time.
"I've known some awful good riders, both women and men. I've rode some broncs myself, but I don't deny having my head stuck in the sand several times. {Begin page no. 4}"Billy O'brien was sure a good woman rider. She lived at Stanton. She married Bill Wear, the notorious roper. They live in Oklahoma now. Billy could ride and rope like a man. Then there was a Mrs. Race in Winkler County that rode a side-saddle. She did stunt riding and also ranch riding on it. She rode wild steers, too.
"Kid Owens and Fish Pollard of Pecos and New Mexico were the two best bronc riders I ever knew. They caught and saddled their broncs. They rode by the month and guaranteed to ride anything.
"Pink Paschul and Barnes Tillas were the best ropers I ever knew. Tillas ran the Con Sabe ranch. I saw them in a roping contest. Tillas roped 332 calves and Pink 333 without missing a rope.
"They sure used to razz the new hands somethin' awful. They'd give 'em {Begin deleted text}tricy{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}tricky{End handwritten}{End inserted text} horses to ride, or do anything they could think of for a joke.
"Once when I was out there they hired a negro to ride on the Buchannan ranch. Mollie Williams was the boss then. Some of the boys told the negro the first day he was there that a certain rider there sometimes throwed some fits. (Beverley was his name). That night after all had gone to bed, Beverley began having one of his false fits, and kept chanting that the ghosts had told him to kill a rider. He got an axe and started on the rounds going from bunk to bunk and still talking to {Begin page no. 5}himself. When he come to the negro he said, 'Here he is.' The negro jumped and shouted, 'It wasn't me,' and started running as fast as he could. He ran all that night. He reached Odessa at 4 o'clock in the morning and told the sheriff excitedly that a crazy man had murdered everything on the Buchannan ranch except him."
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REFERENCE:- Hugh Campbell, Ballinger, Texas. Interviewed September 19, 1938. {Begin page}{Begin handwritten}Beliefs and customs - [??] Typed{End handwritten}
COWBOY LORE
Hugh Campbell, was born in Austin {Begin deleted text}county texas{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}County, Texas{End handwritten}{End inserted text} in 1878. His father, David Campbell, was also a native of Austin {Begin deleted text}county{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}County{End handwritten}{End inserted text}. {Begin deleted text}[?]{End deleted text} His {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}/{End handwritten}{End inserted text} Grandfather moved to Texas in 1812 with a group {Begin deleted text}n{End deleted text} of very early {Begin deleted text}[?]{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}colonists{End handwritten}{End inserted text}. He fought in the war between Texas and Mexico {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},{End handwritten}{End inserted text} {Begin deleted text}. He took{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}taking{End handwritten}{End inserted text} part in the {Begin deleted text}[?]{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}battle{End handwritten}{End inserted text} of San Jacinto {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}.{End handwritten}{End inserted text} {Begin deleted text}the battle that end the war.{End deleted text} Mr. {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}Hugh{End handwritten}{End inserted text} Campbell moved {Begin deleted text}[?]{End deleted text} to Midland, and points in New Mexico where he worked until 1897. In 1901 he moved out to Winkler {Begin deleted text}county{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}County{End handwritten}{End inserted text} and started ranching for himself. He moved to Runnels county in 1917 and bought {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}a{End handwritten}{End inserted text} ranch near Ballinger. {Begin deleted text}[?]{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}There{End handwritten}{End inserted text} he has made his home ever since. He also owns a ranch in Concho County.
Mr. Campbell says {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}:{End handwritten}{End inserted text} "I've been {Begin deleted text}ridin{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}ridin'{End handwritten}{End inserted text} a horse ever since I can remember. I came of a family that rode and ranched. My father was a stockman in Austin and Milam counties, and my {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}/{End handwritten}{End inserted text} Grandfather was a stockman before him. {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}"{End handwritten}{End inserted text} It was all open range in the early days when I was a kid; they had lots of trouble with horse {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}/{End handwritten}{End inserted text} thieves in that country then {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},{End handwritten}{End inserted text} too. I remember riding upon three dead men hanging to a {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}/{End handwritten}{End inserted text} tree, not many miles from our house. I was out looking for certain stock that we had on the range when I saw them. I was all alone and {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}was sure{End handwritten}{End inserted text} {Begin deleted text}[?]{End deleted text} frightened {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}.{End handwritten}{End inserted text} {Begin deleted text}I guess.{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}"{End handwritten}{End inserted text} They had been caught by some of the ranchers in the business of stealing and branding somebody else's stuff. So they hung 'em to a tree 'til they was plum dead and no questions was asked, nobody knew them or ever found out where they come from. {Begin note}{Begin handwritten}C12 - Texas{End handwritten}{End note}{Begin page no. 2}{Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}"{End handwritten}{End inserted text} We used to make lots of long cattle drives. I've been {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}/{End handwritten}{End inserted text} over the trail lots of times. I helped with my first drive to Dodge {Begin deleted text}city{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}City,{End handwritten}{End inserted text} Kansas {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},{End handwritten}{End inserted text} when I was fourteen years old. {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}"{End handwritten}{End inserted text} We had a right smart trouble on that trip. The herd stampeded {Begin deleted text}on us{End deleted text} a time or two, and when we got to the Red {Begin deleted text}river{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}River{End handwritten}{End inserted text} we ran into quicksand. We managed {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},{End handwritten}{End inserted text} with a lot of riding and patience {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},{End handwritten}{End inserted text} to get all the cattle across the river but we lost our bed wagon in the quicksand.
"We drove about {Begin deleted text}[?]{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}3000{End handwritten}{End inserted text} head of cattle from Midland to South Dakota once. I believe that was about the longest drive I ever helped with. Bill Roberson was the trail boss. We had trouble aplenty that time. Seem like that was an unlucky trip. We ran in to high water two or three times and had several stampedes {Begin deleted text}.{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},{End handwritten}{End inserted text} {Begin deleted text}[??]{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}one of/{End handwritten}{End inserted text} the worst {Begin deleted text}stampedes{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}ones{End handwritten}{End inserted text} I ever saw. We had camped we thought in a very good place. We always tried to bed the cattle {Begin deleted text}if [?]{End deleted text} on the side of a hill sloping west {Begin deleted text}.{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}if possible.{End handwritten}{End inserted text} They were supposed to stay quieter if you did that. This time we stopped on the {Begin deleted text}[?]{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}bald{End handwritten}{End inserted text} prairie somewhere in New Mexico. The herd was as quiet as you please 'til along about eleven {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}/{End handwritten}{End inserted text} O'clock. One of the boys on guard struck a match to make a smoke. That made {Begin deleted text}the{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}his{End handwritten}{End inserted text} pony {Begin deleted text}he [?]{End deleted text} jump and that {Begin deleted text}put fright{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}frightened{End handwritten}{End inserted text} the cattle. They jumped up {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},{End handwritten}{End inserted text} and away they went like a streak. {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}"{End handwritten}{End inserted text} We all got in the saddle as quick as possible and rode as fast as we could until we outrun 'em and got them to circlin {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}'{End handwritten}{End inserted text}. That took a long time and we had lost a third {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},{End handwritten}{End inserted text} which we had to get together {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}/{End handwritten}{End inserted text} Next day. That was the hardest {Begin deleted text}ridin{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}ridin'{End handwritten}{End inserted text} I ever {Begin deleted text}[?]{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}done{End handwritten}{End inserted text} on a stretch. We rode all night and all next day through a cold drizzle of rain that had come up in the night.
{Begin page no. 3}"I worked on ranches in Midland {Begin deleted text}county{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}County{End handwritten}{End inserted text}, at Odessa and in New Mexico when I was a young feller. I worked for a long time for the Hat outfit in New Mexico {Begin deleted text}. I worked{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}also{End handwritten}{End inserted text} for Jals ranch at Midland. Lee Richards {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},{End handwritten}{End inserted text} Bob Grimes and Cas Russel {Begin deleted text}was{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}were{End handwritten}{End inserted text} working there at that time.
"I've known some awful good riders {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},{End handwritten}{End inserted text} both women and men. I've rode some broncs myself, but I don't deny having my head stuck in the sand several times.
"Billy O'brien was {Begin deleted text}shore{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}sure{End handwritten}{End inserted text} a good woman rider. She lived at {Begin deleted text}[?]. [?]{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}Stanton. She{End handwritten}{End inserted text} married Bill Wear, the notorious roper. They live in Oklahoma now. Billy could ride and rope like a man. Then there was a Mrs. Race in Winkler {Begin deleted text}county{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}County{End handwritten}{End inserted text} that rode a side saddle. She did stunt riding and also ranch riding on it. She rode wild steers {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},{End handwritten}{End inserted text} too.
"Kid Owens and Fish Pollard of Pecos and New Mexico were the two best bronc riders I ever knew. They caught and saddled their broncs. They rode by the month and guaranteed to ride {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}/{End handwritten}{End inserted text} anything.
"Pink Paschul and {Begin deleted text}[??]{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}Barnes Tillas{End handwritten}{End inserted text} were the best ropers I ever knew. Tillas ran the Con Sabe ranch. I saw them in a roping contest. Tillas roped 332 calves and Pink 333 without missing a rope.
"They {Begin deleted text}[?]{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}sure{End handwritten}{End inserted text} used to razz the new hands {Begin deleted text}somethin{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}somethin'{End handwritten}{End inserted text} awful. They'd give 'em {Begin deleted text}[?]{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}tricky{End handwritten}{End inserted text} horses to ride {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},{End handwritten}{End inserted text} or {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}do{End handwritten}{End inserted text} anything they could think of for a joke.
"Once when I was out there they hired a negro to ride on the Buchannan ranch. Mollie Williams was the boss then. Some of the boys told the negro the first day he was there that a certain rider there sometimes throwed some fits. (Beverley {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}was{End handwritten}{End inserted text} his name {Begin deleted text}was{End deleted text} ). That night after all had gone to bed, Beverley began having one of his false fits and {Begin page no. 4}kept chanting that the ghosts had told him to kill a rider. He got an ax and {Begin deleted text}stated{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}started{End handwritten}{End inserted text} on the rounds going from bunk to bunk and still talking to himself. When he come to the negro he said {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}, 'Here{End handwritten}{End inserted text} {Begin deleted text}here{End deleted text} he is. {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}"{End handwritten}{End inserted text} The {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}/{End handwritten}{End inserted text} Negro jumped and shouted, "It wasn't me {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten},"{End handwritten}{End inserted text} and started running as fast as he could. He ran all that night. He reached Odessa at four {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}/{End handwritten}{End inserted text} O'clock in the morning {Begin deleted text}. He{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}and{End handwritten}{End inserted text} told the sheriff excitedly {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}that{End handwritten}{End inserted text} a crazy man had murdered everything on the Buchannan ranch except him. {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}"{End handwritten}{End inserted text}{Begin page}{Begin handwritten}Bibliography, Hugh Campbell, Ballinger Texas. Pioneer Citizen & Cowman of West Texas. Interviewed Sept. 19.{End handwritten}