Rocky Ford’S Adventures in the Old West

By Byron Oberst M.D. FAAP

This book is a tale of a young chap who was raised by the Lakota Sioux. He was imbued with gifts few persons possessed. He grew and developed into an outstanding man who was fearless. He worked various jobs from being a ranch hand where he encountered a prairie fire, rustlers, a cattle drive, a stampede, hostile cattle robbers, and hostile Indians. He was able to rescue his future sweetheart from nefarious villains concerning terrible fates not once but twice. He encountered gold robbers, a crooked gambler, and aided in subduing a large gang of outlaws bent on terrorizing the defenseless settlers. He joined the Texas Rangers where his adventures placed him in many precarious situations including a range war and confronting a crooked and ruthless sheriff. He was almost killed in a planned ambush. His life was saved in an unorthodox manner by his future bride.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Oct 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490766164

Byron Oberst M.D. FAAP

Dr. Oberst is a ninety-two-year-old author of medical books, including a trilogy on his many medical experiences. He was in the private practice of pediatrics for thirty-seven years. He was certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. He was a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was very active within the American Academy of Pediatrics at the national level for over fifteen years. He has received many awards and accolades. He was the president of the Omaha Children’s Clinic PC for over twenty years. In addition to his very large general pediatric practice, he had a very large consultative practice. He was a pioneer in the use of the exchange transfusion for the rH negative mother with an rH positive infant. He was an early participant in the private practice of adolescent medicine and was a leader in caring for children and adolescents with the attention deficit disorder with and without hyperactivity. He was an early proponent in the use of computers in pediatrics. He was an authority in private practice office management. He retired from medical practice in 1988. He now lives in the Immanuel Lakeside Village Retirement Facility in Omaha, Nebraska.

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Copyright 2015 Byron Oberst M.D.,FAAP.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN:

978-1-4907-6617-1 (sc)

ISBN:

978-1-4907-6616-4 (e)

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Chapter 1 Life with the Lakota Sioux Indians

Chapter 2 Rocky and the 3 B Ranch

2.1. The Prairie Fire

2.2. The Rustlers

2.3. The Cattle Drive

2.4. Moving On

Chapter 3 The Gambler

Chapter 4 Rocky and the Outlaws

Chapter 5 Rocky to the Rescue

Chapter 6 Gold Robbers

Chapter 7 Onward to Texas

Chapter 8 Among the Texas Rangers

Chapter 9 Train Robbers

Chapter 10 A Bank Robbery

Chapter 11 The Ruthless Sheriff

Chapter 12 The Ambush

Chapter 13 Their New Home

Chapter 14 Years Later

Curriculum Vitae

Dedication

To my beautiful and wonderful Beloved Mary who was the rudder that kept our ship of life always moving forward in both placid and rough seas. She was my life and the love of my entire being.

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Acknowledgements

To my wonderful Beloved Mary who kept our ship of life sailing on mostly pleasant waters and help to navigate the rough seas with skill.

To my oldest son – Byron – a retired Anesthesiologist who enjoys the challenge and the zest of outdoor physical activity and competition.

To my second son – Terrance – a published poet and director of a Creative Work Shop who doubles as my very mean and unforgiving editor, who thoroughly enjoys correcting his father.

To my third son – Matthew – an accomplished computer expert and the General Manager for his popular Inde Rock Star son – Conor – known in the music circles as Bright Eyes, who is a noted composer and musician. Matt bails me out frequently when I am in over my head because the computer is being irascible.

Prologue

In the old West, the only controlling factors for success were a sharp mind, a strong back, fists that were like rocks, and a fast hand with the Colt 44. Into this land of sometimes lawlessness and out of the pages of time, rode an imposing man with piercing blue eyes of steel. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, stood six foot five in his stocking feet, weighed about two hundred and twenty pounds, and had muscles like Hercules. He rode a magnificent horse which measured seventeen hands high with a broad chest, great lung capacity, and had such staying power so that it could run forever with blinding speed at full gallop for time on end and never become winded. He was named Wild Fire. As a spare horse, there was a stable mate with much the same configurations. Her name was Prairie Rose. His other constant companion was a wolf that he had raised from a pup and which was totally devoted to Rocky and woe to any person with a harmful intent. He answered to the name of Wulf.

Rocky’s hearing was so acute that he could hear a leaf falling at least fifty feet away. His rifle accuracy was uncanny and beyond the pale. With his long rifle he could shoot the eye out of a squirrel at one hundred and fifty yards. His hands could clear the Colt 44 out of the holster quicker that an eye could follow.

His name was Rocky Ford, his horse was Wild Fire, the exquisite mare was Prairie Rose, and the great wolf with a massive head and snapping jaws which were like a vise with alligator looking razor sharp teeth answered to Wulf". This fearsome foursome was more than formidable, and outlaws and marauders learned to their consternation to beware of them. Rock’s mission in life seemed to be to protect the weak and downtrodden, to right wrongs, and to restore justice. He never looked for trouble but never passed it bye. Trouble seemed to gravitate for him to rectify.

He wore twin holsters low on his hips with ivory handled twin Colt 44’s with which he was extremely accurate with either hand. His saddle contained rifle sheaths on both sides of it, one for his long rifle’ the other for his Winchester, saddle bags carrying his supplies hung behind the saddle, and his Possibles" [extra clothing, blanket, and poncho] were rolled in the poncho and tied behind the saddle.

Out of Old West strode this fearsome quartet of Righter of Wrongs for the weak, defender of the lesser, and the protector of the downtrodden. In action, they acted in unison as one body; each contributing their specified tasks. Woe to the cheats, outlaws, and marauders who crossed their pathway. Justice was swift and decisive in those days.

After several adventures, he began to slowly wend his way towards Texas where he planned to join the Texas Rangers. He was in no hurry; this story begins thusly:

Chapter 1

Life with the Lakota Sioux Indians

The skies were heavy, sullen colored like pewter, hanging low overhead and stretching to the horizon as far as one could see. The sky was split open by frequent bolts of lightning that lit up the landscape like a mid day sun. The flashes were frequently followed by immense crashes of thunder which shook the very earth.

They were traveling from Independence, Missouri; three lonely Prairie Schooners had set forth hoping on becoming a part of the large covered wagon train which had left two days prior. They planned on meeting them near Fort Kearney on the Oregon Trail¹ before the worrisome Indian Country was reached.

The pioneers were three families from Ohio who had come to Independence, Missouri to join the advertized Wagon Train to resettle in the far distant lands of Oregon. While in Independence, they had purchased the last three covered wagons available. There was a team of four oxen with each wagon. As they had missed the wagon train, for a considerable period of time they were in a major delimina as to go back home or to wait until the next season to join a group. This was the last train which could get through the Rockies before the snows set in.

They had a hurried council with the three families as to stay or go on. They elected to go as the lands between here and Fort Kearney were considered fairly safe from Indian attacks. It was late July when they decided to take off and begin their long journey to homestead in Oregon. The men were good hunters and one of the ladies could shoot the eye out of a squirrel at one hundred paces. She offered to teach Rocky how to shoot; and so she did. He was seven but a very precocious child who readily learned new things which interested him. He had the promise of becoming a wee broth of a magnificent man. He was very fast in running, strong for his age, and very agile. He acted much older for his age than he was. He portended to be a real positive addition to life in the Old West.

They hired a grizzled old wagon master, who had planned to retire but was short of funds and could use the pay. It was against his better judgment to lead a group of tenderfeet, but he said, Yes, at the last minute; and so they left with high hopes and filled with the spirit of adventure.

It was 1859 just before the War Between the States [Civil War] began; they became part of the great migration west in earnest. The Indian Tribes had become alarmed at the huge number of Whites moving through their lands and had become very agitated by some of their antics and practices. They began to indulge in the age old adage of an, Eye for an Eye or a Scalp for a Scalp.

The Arapahos, Cheyenne’s, Kiowa’s, and Comanche’s were going to defend against this enroachment vigorously, and so they did. The various wagon trails such as the Bozeman, the Santa Fe, California, and Mormon and others were subjected to close scrutiny by the Indians, and the travelers were subjected to many surprise attacks. The fierce Apaches were further south; some came north, and caused much havoc on these northern trails.

Most of the Indians endeavored to Count Coup [meaning they would touch their adversary with a lance or hatchet before killing them] by coming close to the victim. By 1869, a transcontinental Railroad² gradually caused the demise of these trails.

The teams of oxen plodded along two weeks out. The heavily threatening skies opened up with immense volumes of water making the Trail a morass of mud which slowed the wagons almost to a stop. The wagons seemed as though they were standing still.

Young Rocky, age seven, went away from the wagons a short distance to relieve himself in a thicket. A horde of Indians sprang up out of nowhere. In a short moment of time, all of the travelers were gone and the wagons burning. Rocky had the presence of mind to hide in the deep grass.

White Eagle, chief of this tribe, heard a sound, saw a bit of movement. He raised his tomahawk to throw at whoever was there. As he looked, he saw a young boy. He stayed his hand. Rocky found himself pinned to the ground with a heavy moccasin foot. Looking up, he saw the fierce hideous, grotesque, painted face of White Eagle.

He picked up Rocky, who was crying and squalling like a banshee. White Eagle called his warriors together to head back to their camp with their newly acquired rifles, ammunition, and flour. He placed Rocky in front of him on his Indian pony. He was