Memorial and biographical history of Ellis county, Texas ... Containing a history of this important section of the great state of Texas, from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its future prospects; with full-page portraits of the presidents of the United States, and also full-page portraits of some of the most eminent men of the county, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers, and also of prominent citizens of to-day ... Page: 91
573, [1] 123, [1] p. incl. 23 port. front., 2 pl., 28 port. 28 x 22 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
HISTORY OF ELLIS COUNTY.
Another source of amusement practiced by
the early settlers was the catching of mustaugs.
There were three methods: The first
was to ambush them, being well mounted and
equipped with a good lariat made of rawhide
or horse-hair, and then dash upon them,
throwing the noose of the rope over their
heads, or under a foot; but this method, except
to the best experts with the lasso, rarely
resulted in anything better than the catching
of a colt or some old, worn-down animal.
Occasionally a stallion was caught, as he
clung to the rear of the troop and acted as
herder or driver. But the lassoist often paid
dearly for his catch, and was glad enough to
get away with the loss of his lariat. Another
method was for a number of men to go into
the range of a herd and divide into three or
four divisions, one division to give chase for
several hours, then another division took tiup
the chase, and so on, lasting two or three
days, thus running the mustangs down.
This was exciting and afforded considerable
sport, even if one or more were hurt
by the falling of their horses, as frequently
was the case. This method, however, was
not very profitable, as the horses that were
ridden were worsted to a greater extent than
what the captured ones were worth. The
third method was to build a circular pen, or
corral, with an opening to the south and
having wings running out some distance.
The opening to the south was in consequence
of the winds in spring and summer blowing
from that direction. The dust created by
the moving herd would hide the pen, as it
preceded the mustangs. When once in thepen the real fun commenced, as well as the
tug of war with the frightened but not the
less courageous beasts. The stallions, and
even others of the herd, would fight like
tigers, driving the men from the pen, who
would be glad to make their escape. Then a
scene of shooting the poor beasts would be.
gin. Some of the mustangs would be caught
and occasionally a good American horse was
taken, which had been driven into the herd
by the stallions. There were other and more
exciting scenes, but not attended with as
much sport as catching wild mustangs, and
that was the chasing of wild Indians, who
occasionally passed through the country,
ostensibly for hunting., but really for stealing.
They ran off stock, frightened women and
children, and killed or captured any one
who was so unfortunate as to be found alone
by the red-skins. None, however, were
killed in Ellis county, and the depredations
were nearly all in adjoining counties. The
chasing of the Indians was about all the satisfaction
the settlers had, for it was such a
short distance to the brakes of the mountains,
which they would reach by morning,
and reaching which they disappeared as completely
as though they had sunk into the
earth. In those brakes they left no trail,
and when they did and the whites followed
the latter would be ambushed, killing and
wounding some of them. There were, however,
frequent alarms of approaching Indians
when there were none near. There
was a settlement made near where the town
of Alvarado now is, which was formed principally
from the families making up the por91
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Memorial and biographical history of Ellis county, Texas ... Containing a history of this important section of the great state of Texas, from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its future prospects; with full-page portraits of the presidents of the United States, and also full-page portraits of some of the most eminent men of the county, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers, and also of prominent citizens of to-day ..., book, 1892; Chicago. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth33018/m1/93/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library.