Not So Wild, The Old West: A Collection of Facts, Fables and Fun

By Clara Toombs Harvey

These are stories of early days in and around Union County, New Mexico. The biographies and thumbnail sketches of many of our pioneers who were builders of this part of the Old West, were preserved in scrapbooks, old letters, interviews and my own recollections.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barakaldo Books
• Release date: May 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839745300

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Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

NOT SO WILD, THE OLD WEST

A COLLECTION OF FACTS, FABLES AND FUN

BY

CLARA TOOMBS HARVEY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

Foreword 5

DEDICATION 6

PART I 7

Chapter 1—Talk of the Town 7

Chapter 2—Little Dramas of the Past 14

Chapter 3—Thumbnail Sketches 22

Chapter 4—Vignettes 25

Chapter 5—I Remember When 27

Chapter 6—Excerpts from the Clayton Enterprise 1894-1895 53

Chapter 7—Old Court Cases and Killings 75

Chapter 8—Blizzards and Smallpox 85

Chapter 9—Sheepherders 90

Chapter 10—Indians of Northern New Mexico 92

Chapter 11—Wagon Trains 94

Chapter 12—The Rise and Fall of Stephen W. Dorsey 96

Chapter 13—Retrospection 99

Chapter 14—Folsom Country 103

Chapter 15—Capulin Mountain 117

Chapter 16—Pasamonte Country 120

Chapter 17—OKLAHOMA 124

Chapter 18—Amistad 139

Chapter 19—Homesteaders 145

Chapter 20—Tornado 176

PART II 180

Chapter 1—Early Settlers 180

Chapter 2—Epilogue—New Mexicana 256

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 256

Foreword

For those approaching the winter of life, there is always a quick and delightful way to become young again and that is to take a swift journey into yesteryear with cherished memories. Many of these memories are within the covers of this book.

These are stories of early days in and around Union County, New Mexico. The biographies and thumbnail sketches of many of our pioneers who were builders of this part of the Old West, were preserved in scrapbooks, old letters, interviews and my own recollections.

In my effort to sift fact from fancy, to separate truth from legend, I have held interviews and have written many letters to verify stories which are used. If there are discrepancies, I ask forgiveness and forbearance.

Throughout the book I have referred to our Spanish-Americans as Mexicans. The reason for this is that from 1821 to 1846, New Mexico was part of the Republic on our southern boundary and we were under Mexican rule. My research for this treatise begins less than two decades from that time. These people were proud to call themselves Mexicans, although many of their ancestors came from Spain. The Indians, then the Mexicans, were our first settlers; to them I pay tribute.

Without the assistance given me by the descendants of our pioneers who are long gone, many of these biographies might have been lost to posterity. To these descendants I express deep appreciation.

I gratefully acknowledge the assistance given me by the following: Dr. and Mrs. D. D. Monroe for granting me access to their fine library during my research for material used; to Mrs. Goldie Thompson for her article, Retrospection which she so graciously sent me and for her helpful suggestions which I have found of great value in compiling my material.

To my four treasured friends whose names happen to be Alice; Alice Porter Blake, Alice Emery, Alice Schleter John and Alice Gill Benton, I express appreciation for the use of material they furnished me. Paul Drew, George Hardesty and Jay T. Brown, Jr. gave me much interesting material for the Folsom chapter. John Otto, Ed Heringa and John Zurick were among those who have assisted me in compiling data of our early settlers.

CLARA TOOMBS HARVEY

DEDICATION

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF MY PARENTS

JUDGE AND MRS. O. T. TOOMBS

PART I

Chapter 1—Talk of the Town

THE railroads in the early days were the arbiters of destiny all over the West. Every town they touched was given new life and those they by-passed, were doomed.

Early settlers in north-eastern New Mexico bought their grain and other supplies in Trinidad, Colorado where they periodically sent wagons by way of the upper Cimarron and Trinchera Pass over rough roads. The wool clip of our sheepman was also hauled to Trinidad for shipment to the east, a long and expensive process.

In 1886 a line of rails had been laid from Fort Worth, to Clarendon, Texas and in September of 1887 a survey was made to bring the railroad through north-eastern New Mexico to connect with Trinidad. Much credit was given Stephen W. Dorsey for contacting his friend, Gen. Granville Dodge of New York, who became the commanding figure in getting the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad through what later became the town of Clayton.

A location for a town was agreed upon midway between Amarillo, Tex. and Trinidad, Colo. to facilitate shipping of cattle, sheep and wool. A mile and a quarter north of the site chosen, was a spring with sufficient water supply so that the railroad company could install a pumping plant and bring water to the right-of-way.

Homer Byler had filed a claim on this fine spring and had named it Apache Spring. He moved his stock of merchandise and the Perico Post Office to this location.

Travelers and surveyers came to look over the possibilities of the new town and Byler’s business boomed. He had the only store and also served meals in his dugout.

A town company was organized under the laws of the Territory of New Mexico known as the Clayton Land and Investment Company with John C. Hill, its president. As a courtesy to Stephen and Helen Dorsey, the town was named for their young son, Clayton, who grew to manhood and became well known as an attorney in Denver, Colo. The incorporators of the company were Thomas S. Holland, M. D. Harrison, both civil engineers, Charles M. Perrin, who made the first survey, and John C. Hill and Stephen Dorsey.

The town site was surveyed, as those who live here well know, just slightly off from the true compass directions. Town lots were for sale and business ventures came into being and in 1887-88 the town of Clayton was born.

The railroad shops were to be located here in Clayton but Homer Byler and the railroad officials got into an argument and the shops were placed in Texline, Texas. Otherwise Clayton would have become the division point. A turntable for engines had already been unloaded in Clayton when the difficulty with Byler arose.

Byler decided to move the post office, store and restaurant to Clayton. He bought lots, erected a building, part frame with canvas sides and top, on the south side of Main Street. The lots are still in the Byler family. Byler was Post Master when the post office was at Perico and in March of 1888 he was named Post Master when Clayton became a town.

In the next few years, the first fine homes were erected, most of them made of adobe which were later weatherboarded on the outside. Clayton became a busy shipping center with many buyers from the East here frequently.

The need of a hotel was evident, so Senator Dorsey built a two-story edifice called the Clayton House. Here weddings, funerals, court and sometimes religious services were held.

Dr. North bought the Clayton House from Dorsey and later the Jack Porter family owned it. This building was on the lots where the present R. W. Isaacs Hardware Company now stands.

Carl Eklund and Christian Otto had rock hauled to Clayton which became two of the two-story buildings on Main Street, directly across from the other. Mr. Schleter erected business buildings on the north side of Main street and across from them Homer Byler put up a substantial business house. After more than sixty years these buildings are still in the families of the early settlers who erected them. The Eklund Hotel is owned by Hilma Lee Eklund Alford and her husband John Alford. The Otto building is now owned by Myldreth Otto Haaren, and the son of Homer Byler who bears the same name, still owns the buildings which were erected on the first lots bought in the new town of Clayton. Robert Caldwell’s jewelry store, Huggs department store and the City Drug store are in the original Schleter buildings which are now owned by Alice Schleter John.

With the erection of these and other buildings on Main Street, the era of a tent town had drawn to a close.

As important to the early day settlements as the blacksmith shops, were the livery stables and the wagon yards. Having covered blacksmith shops in writing of Bill Kuhns of Clayton, I will write what I have heard of these other places of business which were a part of early-day Clayton.

Senator Dorsey started the first livery stable and wagon yard with space for many covered wagons, huge wool wagons and other vehicles. Corrals for a goodly number of horses were built with stalls and feeding racks. An area for campers was laid out, as many who came in town, chose to bring camping equipment and stay in the wagon yard.

Bill Chadburn, first husband of Gretta Lackey, was the next owner. Mrs. Goldie Thompson fills in from there, stating that Saturnino Pinard, who later became sheriff of Union County, was the next owner. He sold this famous horse hostelry to Harry Thompson, a young Englishman, who had come here from Kidder-minster, England to visit the Bushnell brothers and decided to stay. Here, also were the town scales. Herzsteins store now stands on this location.

Further up the street where now is located the Pioneer Auto Co. was the wagon yard of Joe Melton. Ranchers and freighters could unhitch their teams and go about their business knowing that the stock and property would be properly cared for and their vehicles guarded. Many brought bed rolls and slept in the wagons, thus saving a hotel bill.

Fred Doran and Jenks Sayre were also livery stable owners in the early days. The Sayre Stable was located where Clayton’s Post Office now stands.

Mrs. Sayre was a large lady who sat in a willow rocking chair in front of the place of business on pleasant days visiting and exchanging the gossip of the day with all who passed by.

Lumber was hard to come by in those early days. The first which was brought to the new town of Clayton was from the Thomas O. Boggs sheep ranch. Mr. Boggs sold his sheep and moved away. John C. Hill purchased the lumber in the barns, corrals and sheds and hauled it to town where several buildings were erected from this used lumber.

Samuel Dyson, a Methodist minister, uncle of John Knox, was the first minister of the gospel to locate in Clayton. Rev. Dyson conducted union services which were attended by people of all faiths.

Saloons sprang up on both sides of Main Street. Charlie Meredith’s Favorite saloon was the first one, I believe. Cone and Duran started a mercantile company selling groceries and grain as did Bushnell Brothers. In a short time there were three newspapers printed in Clayton. N. Faustin Gallegos started El Fenix, printed mostly in Spanish. John Guyer had the Clayton News and J. E. Curren had moved down from Folsom and was publishing the Clayton Enterprise.

The Clayton Commercial company had come into being and elected officers in January of 1894 with Chris Otto, president; Col. Love, Secretary and Bob Ervien, manager. Later Bob Ervien bought the others out and became sole owner of this emporium.

Carl Eklund’s bar and hotel were the general meeting places for cowboys and town people. This sturdy building was erected of stone in 1892, the second story was built in 1898 and in 1905 the third story was added.

Many of our Mexican women walked the dusty streets of Clayton hooding their faces with their great black, fringed shawls both winter and summer. The children of these women were often in Convents in the large cities learning the fine arts and social graces.

Mr. and Mrs. Alex Wamsley had arrived in Clayton by this time. They built a large square two-story frame house and here Mrs. Wamsley plied her needle, making dresses for the elite of the town who had formerly had to send to the large cities for their clothes. She must have covered a span of fifty years as our leading dressmaker.

Two lawyers opened offices in Clayton. The first that I find any record of was Ollin E. Smith. He was married to an Alabama girl. They maintained a gracious home here for many years adding much to the social life of Clayton. Judge O. T. Toombs seems to have been the next lawyer to settle in Clayton. He moved here from Texline about 1895. His experiences as a jurist and his life in Clayton are covered in another chapter.

Where the First Methodist Church now stands was erected the first school building. It was 14 feet wide and 25 feet long. This building also served as a court room and a place for public gatherings. G. W. Guyer was the first school principal, Mrs. Ida Love and Miss Mary Wagner also taught there. Mr. Guyer purchased the building after the brick school house was completed. He improved it and made it a comfortable home for his family. George Guyer, while he was principal of the school, organized a brass band of local talent which gave frequent concerts at social gatherings in Ervien Hall.

A. W. Thompson started the first drug store in Clayton about 1891. It is one of the few buildings which has continuously housed the same business. Other owners than Mr. Thompson were Bob Dean, Webb McQueen, Morris Johnson, Frank and Bob Butt, Dr. D. W. Hayden, W. L. Wanser, Gus Reck and many others whose names I do not remember. This drug store is now the City Drug Co. owned by Bill Brown.

In 1888 the stockyards on the south edge of Clayton were completed. Dipping vats were built there which were an important adjunct to stock pens as many cattle and sheep had to be dipped in a solution to kill scab and ticks before they could be shipped.

Prior to the extension of the railroad from Amarillo to Roswell, thousands of cattle which were contracted and sold from the Pecos Valley, were driven to the Clayton stock yards to be loaded in stock cars. I have an excerpt from the Clayton News dated May 1893 which states that Joe Handy from Pecos with 2,700 head of beef steers, J. P. White of Roswell with 2,200 head of cattle, 1,800 steers and 400 dry cows, arrived in Clayton to ship them to Montana as soon as cars could be obtained. M. Ryan of the Bell Ranch is mentioned in another item in the paper as shipping from Clayton to the Montana ranges 1,700 two-year olds.

These big outfits usually camped on the outskirts of town, purchasing needed supplies from the local merchants. The men made the hotels and bars their headquarters while waiting to ship the cattle. This added to the economy of the new town as money was freely spent by the men who came to this shipping point. Water was plentiful, the prairie lakes usually held water and the lake in our town, which was finally filled in, was a good source of water for the stock. While here the cowboys entered into the casual life of the town.

Most of the cowboys were good men but far from being romantic. They were tough and courageous. In dress they wore clothing that served their needs. The tight levis were comfortable under chaps. Most of them wore vests unbuttoned, over their shirts in summer, a black silk neckerchief was usually worn, loosely knotted. The pockets of the vests would be filled with burned matches. Because of prairie fires, a good cowboy never threw a used match away. He always snubbed his cigarette between his thumb and forefinger to make sure no spark remained. In his upper vest pocket he usually kept his makins’, his bag of Bull Durham and a packet of brown cigarette papers. He could roll a cigarette with one hand while he held his bridle reins in the other, using his teeth to hold one string to draw the tobacco bag together.

In dust and heat a cowboy’s lips often blistered, especially on long trail drives with many hours between water holes. He would stick one of the brown cigarette papers on his bottom lip and in this way he could often ward off blisters.

When shipping from Clayton by train, the cowboys sometimes accompanied the cattle, riding in the caboose. Many of the cattle were shipped to commission houses in Kansas City. When the boys went to the city, they took their good suits and best boots with them and upon their return they boasted of how much money they spent on food, fun and liquor. The story was told of one old cowboy who had never been anywhere but on a ranch or eaten at a larger restaurant than John Spring’s in Clayton. He got the long wished for opportunity to ride the cattle train from Clayton to Kansas City. He bought new clothes, got a haircut, and left Clayton for the bright lights of the city.

Upon his arrival in Kansas City, he went to one of the finest hotels. Entering the swank dining room, he could make little of the menu handed him. Many dishes listed were in French and many had fancy names he had never heard. This cowboy wanted to come back and top all other boys with the price he paid for a single meal. After scanning the menu for several minutes, he asked the waiter to bring him $10.00 worth of pork and beans.

The New England Cattle Co. of Fort Sumner of which Jack Potter was manager, began shipping from Clayton when the railroad was completed. Prior to this time they had made the long trail drives of hundreds of miles to get the cattle to markets. Among other large cattle companies which terminated their long trail drives with the advent of the iron horse, was the Prairie Land and Cattle company owned by a syndicate of Edinburgh, Scotland, which had a division on the Tramperos, thirty miles south of Clayton. This cattle company was said to be the largest to operate in the U.S. It was liquidated in 1918. Murdo McKinsie and his brother Alec, both from Scotland, were managers of this vast spread for many years.

The Capital Syndicate, usually called the XIT of Buffalo Springs was among those shipping large herds from Clayton. The N bar N which incorporated the Home Land and Cattle Co. were also large cattle shippers from here. The HT outfit from Ute Creek, Jeff Towner, manager, which was not one of the larger companies, but they shipped many head of cattle from Clayton soon after the advent of the railroad. The Cross L, and the 101 ranches shipped more cattle from other points than from Clayton, after the railroad was extended from Trinidad.

The XIT Syndicate of Channing shipped from points in the Texas Panhandle. Al G. Boyce was manager of it from 1890 until 1912. It was a three million acre spread. It is reported that the State of Texas gave this land to the company to repay them for furnishing the money to build the Capitol in Austin.

Frequently seen on the streets of Clayton, in the early days, was the chuck wagon loading up to start out on a round-up or on a trail drive. This cumbersome vehicle was home for the cowboys when out on the range. Their bedrolls were thrown in the back, also any extra gear and their few personal belongings went into the chuck wagon.

On the back of these high bed wagons was the chuck box, this served as pantry, kitchen and medicine chest. The box built on the back of the wagon was divided into shelves, pigeon holes and bins. A good chuck wagon cook knew where every article of his kitchen stores was placed. The cabinet part stood upright and was covered by a door which could be let down and braced from underneath with a bar. This became the cook’s work table.

Often two or four mules pulled the chuck wagon and at meal time it was stopped conveniently near a spring or water hole, if one could be found. It would not be long before a good meal was ready and the call, Come and git it, before I throw it away, could be heard. The staple foods prepared were good and filling but the menu seldom varied very much. Dessert was often rice cooked with raisins. Sometimes stewed fruit was served but this was a rare treat.

A cask on the side of the wagon filled with fresh spring water was a necessity. The cask was wrapped in many layers of gunny sacking and kept moist during hot weather, which kept the water cool for a parched throat. When the cowboy had been riding behind the herd, taking all the dust in his face for many weary miles, a dipper of cold water was the most pleasant refreshment he could wish for.

The owner of a small herd of cattle often threw his in with the larger herds during a trail-drive. He received little or no wages but gave his work to the whole herd, standing night guard when his time came. For this he ate three square meals a day at the chuck wagon. He also, could choose a fresh mount for himself from the remuda.

Of these small herds it was said that a man who was good with a rope and had a running iron could always get a start—maybe they were mavericks—no one ever asked. It was many of these little herds that became the larger ones in a few years.

The work of the cowboys was often dangerous and remote from civilization. The trail drives were wearisome and monotonous. Trailing in a cloud of dust behind a few hundred drags was anything but exciting.

These long trail drives lasted a matter of 50 years, beginning in the 1860’s. The Texas longhorns could be bought in that state for $6.00 a head and sold in the northern markets for $40.00 a head. These tough, rangy, multi-colored critters were driven through Clayton by the thousands more than half century ago. They were driven from Texas to Montana and Wyoming where there were good markets for them.

The real honest-to-goodness cowboy is a rarity on our streets in these times. I have a friend whose rancher husband wears chaps, boots and spurs while riding his fence lines. She said he often finds he lacks some fence mending materials and jumps into his pickup and heads for town but before he walks the streets he sheds his chaps and spurs as he does not want to be conspicuous. This little incident tends to show how times have changed in our western country.

The jingle of the cowboys’ spurs and the tinkling sound of the conchos on his chaps and the sound of his high heel boots on the sidewalks are almost a thing of the past.

Also gone are watering troughs. Clayton had a large round one, enclosed by a low wall, just east of the railway station. It was always kept brimful the year round. On hot days many animals watered there.

Gone with the watering troughs are the hitching racks. Along Main Street in Clayton were rows of hitching racks and in front of most homes were hitching posts, many of them quite ornamental.

Chapter 2—Little Dramas of the Past

GAMBLING was much indulged in during Clayton’s early days. Carl Eklund had a small room in the saloon, the doorway heavily draped with dark green chenille curtains. The center of this room was taken up with a round table covered with green felt. Around the table were arranged about a half a dozen straight back chairs. As poker games often continued all night, Mr. Eklund had a large kerosene hanging lamp suspended from the ceiling by chains. This could be lowered or raised to suit the players.

On this night in particular, five men were playing stud poker. Late in the night one of the men, a cowboy named Zeke, became sleepy. He tilted his chair back against the wall and went sound asleep. The other men quietly lowered the lamp, blew out the flame, leaving the room in total darkness. Soon they awakened Zeke and told him to pull up and sit in which meant for him to rejoin the game. The front legs of the chair hit the floor with a bang as he awakened. No one said anything more to him but went on rattling poker chips and slapping down cards.

Zeke sat quietly for a moment, then said, I can’t see. No one paid the slightest attention to him. The necessary conversation went on concerning who would stay and how many cards each one would take, sweetening the kitty, and other terms used in poker games. The rattling of the chips and the riffling of cards went on in an exaggerated manner. Zeke repeated his remark more loudly, I can’t see. This time there was panic in his voice. One of the players, with feigned concern, repeated in an awed tone what Zeke had said. The others joined in saying, He says he can’t see. At that the panic stricken Zeke screamed out, I’ve gone BLIND. He began feeling his way toward the heavily draped doorway, parted the curtains and stepped into the brightly lighted saloon, not understanding for a moment what had happened to him. Blinking in the bright light, he made his way to the bar and was so shaken by his experience that he asked, in a trembling voice, for a double shot of whiskey.

In the meantime the four pranksters had relighted the lamp, adjusted it above the table and resumed the game. After a few moments the curtains parted and Zeke, grinning, stuck his head in the doorway and called them all a name which reflected unfavorably on their ancestors, adding, I’ll get even with you.

*****

A tale of two monkeys might be a good heading for this little story. No account of early days in Clayton would be complete without mentioning them and their pranks.

A saloon keeper got the pair of Simians thinking they would be an added attraction to his place of business, but they literally took over the town. They made life miserable for many people and for the livestock which roamed the streets at will. Clayton had long hitching racks on both sides of the street and when a monkey leaped on the back of a hog, holding onto an ear, the frightened swine soon learned to dislodge his unwelcome rider by running under a hitching rack.

Mrs. Porter who owned the two-story Clayton House, seemed to be the most plagued by these monkeys. She would tidy the rooms, place fresh towels on the washstands, fill the pitchers with fresh water and set them properly in the wash bowls, which was standard equipment for hotel rooms in those days. A soap dish was in place on the stand with a fresh bar of soap and all was in readiness for the next occupant. A short time later she would ascend the stairs to show a room to a prospective guest and to her horror, it would be a shambles. The towels would be pushed down into the water pitcher, the soap gone and all of the bed clothing would be in the middle of the floor. Mrs. Porter finally came to the end of her patience with the monkeys but we will relate that later.

The following story told by Alice Porter Blake is what brought the downfall of the monkey. By this time there was only the one, someone had done away with the other and in its loneliness, the remaining monkey played more havoc than the two had before.

The monkeys would steal kittens, puppies and little pigs. Alice, the small daughter of the Porters took a little kitten from the monkey at one time and from then on he was her enemy. He would try in every way to get to the child, but most of the time she would see him in time to run away. One afternoon the opportunity came when the monkey was in a tall cottonwood tree which overhung the upstairs porch of the hotel. Alice was playing with her dolls on this porch, never suspecting she was being watched by this crafty little simian. Finally he saw his chance and leaped down on Alice, choking and scratching her until she was nearly unconscious. Some men from across the street looked up and saw the child trying to free herself from the monkey and rescued her just in time.

When there were two of these mischievous little beasts they often caused embarrassing situations among the guests in the hotels. They would jump from the trees into a room, steal a lady’s high button shoes and go into another room and place them neatly under the edge of some man’s bed.

One of the stories which went the rounds was about a lady who lost her stays. A large and well corsetted lady from a ranch came to town to attend some social function, stopping at the Eklund Hotel for the night.

Arriving after dark the evening before, she went to her room, undressed, placed her clothing on a chair near an open window, and went blissfully to sleep. Some time during the night one of the monkeys lifted her corset through the window and made off with it. Came the dawn and the portly lady awakened and started to dress. Great was her consternation when she could not find this necessary part of her habiliment. Finally, after looking in every conceivable place in the room, she summoned someone from the hotel office. A Mexican boy responded to her call and duly reported back to the clerk that the lady was very unhappy but that she wanted to stay. This sounded puzzling to the clerk, so he went up to the room and there sat the lady in her ample nightgown, crying, and saying over and over, I want my stays. Things went from bad to worse and so the distracted clerk sent someone from the hotel to Mrs. Eklund’s home a few blocks away on Main Street to ask her for a solution to the dilemma.

On the way up the street a strange sight met the eye of the messenger. Hanging over a hitching rack with the strings dangling in the mud and the supporters swinging in the breeze, was the garment which had caused a near catastrophe.

To quote Alice Blake on the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the last monkey, I will give the following account:

After the monkey nearly choked me to death, Mother knew there had to be an end to the situation. She and a friend sat up all night and lured the monkey into a crate, wired the crate securely and placed it on the back platform of a passenger train which came through Clayton just before daylight. The disappearance of the monkey remained a mystery for many years.

*****

The Bruns Hotel, owned and managed by Herman Bruns, a man of large physical proportions, comes in for some history making data of the early days in Clayton.

The Clayton Citizen, issue of February 7, 1909 carries the following:

Pennock-Orender

"Mr. Will Pennock and Miss Bertha Orender were united in marriage in the parlor of the Bruns Hotel at high noon Saturday, with only a few friends and relatives present.

The bride was gowned in Copenhagen blue taffeta which was very becoming. The groom, a well known rancher from over on the River, is highly respected by all who know him.

The young couple, accompanied by Miss Emma Orender, left directly after noon for their future home on the Cimarron. The Citizen extends best wishes."

*****

Odell Harris and a lady from a neighboring ranch drove into Clayton one evening from out on the River and asked for rooms at the Bruns Hotel. Mr. Bruns had vacant a small room at the rear and a large front room with two beds in.

Mr. Harris signed the register for the larger room and the lady took the smaller one. As the lady went down the hall to the rear room, Mr. Harris followed carrying her overnight bag. When he saw the small, dark room, he insisted they exchange rooms and she take the large front one.

From the midnight train a salesman, then called a drummer, got off at Clayton and went to the Bruns Hotel for a room. Mr. Bruns, ever obliging, and seeing a way to have every bed filled with paying guests, told the drummer that he had rented a room with two beds in, to a man and that if he, the salesman, would be quiet and not disturb the occupant, he could sleep in the unused bed.

The drummer must have been as quiet as a mouse about getting to bed. When the lady awakened the next morning she was horrified to see a large man with a heavy black mustache, lying in the other bed.

Ranch women were not the kind to scream and make scenes. This lady quietly gathered up her clothing to go elsewhere to dress. Just as she got to the door and turned the knob, she dropped a shoe.

The stranger was as surprised as the lady had been a few minutes before. He sat up in bed and said, What the devil goes on here? When he saw the lady in the doorway in her long nightgown, he thought she was coming into the room.

It was a mix-up too good to keep secret, so between the drummer telling the story as he made his rounds (the situation had been explained to him) and Mr. Harris and Mr. Bruns enjoying the joke so much, it soon spread over town.

It was the usual thing in the horse and wagon days for a rancher who was coming to town to ask his neighbors if any of them were needing supplies or had business to transact, to ride in with him. Because of the long distances they had to travel, they prepared to remain overnight.

One day T. E. Mitchell drove into Clayton from the ranch, prior to the turn of the century, bringing his wife who was in a delicate condition as it was spoken of in those days. She was to remain here for the blessed event where she could have the services of either Dr. North or Dr. Slack. Mr. Mitchell secured a room for her at Grandma Herron’s commodious home on Main Street.

Modesty forbade a lady displaying herself in public just prior to the birth of a baby, so late in the evenings Mrs. Mitchell would take a walk around the block. My parents lived around the corner from the Herron home, and often my mother would join her on these little constitutional walks.

One morning Grandma Herron called over the back fence to my mother, telling her that Mrs. Mitchell had a fine baby boy who had been named Albert Knell Mitchell.

Jack Porter had an accident that might have proved fatal but turned out to be an amusing story. Jack had his thumb almost torn off and was brought to Clayton from his ranch so that he could receive medical care. No doctor was available. Due to the pain and loss of blood, his friends decided something must be done at once, so they laid him on a pool table in a saloon and someone went to A. W. Thompson’s drugstore bringing back chloroform and it was decided that John C. Hill would do the amputation and Homer Byler give the anesthetic. Hill was watching the effects of the chloroform and in his booming voice would say, Give him more, he’s still breathing. Fortunately, Dr. North arrived at that time and saved both the thumb and Tack Porter’s life.

The above little drama was copied from Alice Porter Blake’s article, My Mother, and Early Day Clayton.

Mrs. Stewart’s boarding house became quite an institution in the early days in Clayton. It was a commodious home of many rooms and a large room where meals were served.

Mrs. Stewart was a widow with three children, Benton, Ethel and Bobo, who assisted her in every way they could. Mrs. Stewart also gave music lessons to the children of the town and country.

Several of the young men who worked in Clayton had rooms there and many evenings the long table would be pushed aside and the young people of the town danced in the dining room while Mrs. Stewart played the piano.

On Sundays she usually had several extra guests who dropped in for dinner. The glowing stove in winter and the Sunday papers, made this dining room a cheerful place for those without homes, to gather. Ben Peach was one who dropped in for Sunday dinners occasionally, while he was still a bachelor. Someone would hand him a section of the Sunday paper and he would hold it up before him, just as the others did, but as often as not it would be upside down, as he had never learned to read. No one was ever unkind enough to let him know the difference. Only a suppressed smile would be seen on the faces of those sitting near him.

Death came to Mrs. Stewart while she was in the prime of life. Her two sons who had left Clayton have also passed away. The only remaining member of this family which added much to Clayton’s history, is the daughter, Mrs. Ethel Humphrey, who resides in Dallas, Texas.

In the early days in Clayton a group of young matrons drove in their buggies out to the Ricketts’ Grove for a picnic. All was merry as the women placed quilts on the ground for the babies to lie on and cautioned the toddlers to stay close by while the baskets and hampers of food were being unpacked. Suddenly