Transcribed For Online by Geraldine cookie@oakhurst.net
Records Contributed by Vicki Bell-Reynolds rreynolds@pdq.net

next morning and that was every night until saturday night  we would break it off at 12 midnight for we would be dancing sunday and that was a day of worship.  At midnight where the dance was being had would cook chicken, homemade light bread, coffee and cake.  My brother and me would make the music for nearly all the dances that was to be  when they brought the food in to us  I would turn my guitar over spread a cloth over the back of it and eat my supper right there in the dance room.

There were 3 brothers living near Woodville, by the names of Luke, Cull, and Dick Jones they were cattle men and also raised hogs but, at the same time they were theives.  they would get out at night and steal all the hogs in the country that was close to their place that wasnt marked and drive tham off to market and sell them, at times they would get caught and tried for stealing hogs and be sentenced to one to two years in the pen.  maybe one of them would be prisoned than two of them would go.

It was a common thing after the territory became statehood for men to go and serve time in the pen for stealing things.  there were two or three men there that had killed another man in another state before statehood in the teritory but, they were left alone.

There was one man there by the name of Ben Talent that stole a riding bridle and served 5 years in the pen for the crime.

Another man by the name of Steve Bustle that was with his uncle who name was Alec Juzon with a gang of toughs, so the sheriff started chasing the gang  all the gang broke up and went different directions, so Steve and his uncle also went one way the sheriff killed his uncle  Also and still chasing Steve he arrived at a creek, Glasass creek, it was full of water Steve started to make his horse swim the creek, the sheriff arrived at the just as Steven jumped into the water, the sheriff threw a rope and roped Steve and brought him back to the bank of the creek, when they had his trial for murder they gave him life in the pen.  He served 13 years 4 months and 20 days of the term.  My father originated a petition and got him pardoned out.  steve lost the sight of one of his eyes while in the pen, his job while there was making buttons.

There was wild hogs and wild turkeys that roamed the prairie and if you wanted some fresh meat all you had to do was go out on the prairie and take your gun and pick your choice and kill all the hogs and turkeys that you wanted.

If you wanted a place or home all you had to do was measure you off 160 acres of land build you a house on it and live on it for three years and the place would be yours

If you wanted to burn lights at night you would have to pull all the window shades down, if you didn't there would be a gang ride by your house and shoot all the lights out, this gang was called the night riders.  It was dangerous to be out at night and people wouldnt be out after dark unless it was absolutely necessary. The lights were coal oil lamps and tallor candles and the candles were home made, most nearly everbody had a mold that was a round piece of iron with a hole through the center of it  the people would melt tallor and pour the hot grease into this mold with a piece of twine string in the center and let it coll off.  then they would open the mold and take out the candles, some of these molds would have as many as 10 or 12 candles to a mold.

My father was a very religous man he certainly believed in serving his lord, he would read from his bible at breakfast table a chapter from a book of the bible and at noon meal he would ask  the blessing and at evening meal he  would again ask the blessing, then at bed time he would have family prayers, he would read from his several chapters then would all get down on our knees and he would pray.  We lived in a log house out in the country and the house only had two rooms to it, and around the house at the roof the wall and roof liked several inches meeting, there

Next Page
Page Index