History: J. H. Hurley, Old Time Trail Driver - Coke County, TX Contributed by Jo Collier 23 May 2007 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/tx/txfiles.htm *********************************************************************** The Observer/Enterprise, Robert Lee, Coke County, TX -July 21, 1989 Hurley averts participation in duel J. H. HURLEY, 80, old-time trail driver, averted participation in a duel once upon a time and there-by kept himself eligible, just in case, to hold public office. It was a simple matter. On a trip up the trail with 4,000 longhorns, he and a negro named WASH were riding herd on the Washita River. In a shooting contest, Hurley outpointed the negro. Chagrined, Wash said, "You beat me shooting at a tree. Now, how about shootin' at each other's eyes?" Hurley had his gun still in his hand and he lost no time in covering the negro's head. Wash became tearful. Hurley relented after taking the negro's gun and finding it wasn't loaded. No Gates to Open Born in 1856, Mr. Hurley came to Texas in 1877 by rail. Wilson county, where he landed, was a wilderness of blackjack and post-oaks, and is now a well settled farming country. The next year, the last year cattle were allowed to be driven up the trail to Kansas, he helped drive the 4,000 longhorns for Withers and Blanks. Dr. Blanks, a merchant of Jacksboro, financed the outfit, Withers bossed on the range and trail. They had no gates to open from Lockhart to Sidney Bridge on the North Platte river where the last 500 steers in the outfit were sold, in sight of the Black Hills. A young negro named TOM was with the outfit, and wanted in on every stampede, and they had several. One night when the boys were trying to get around the lead cattle, with only flashes of lightning to guide them in the darkness, this negro boy piled out of the wagon, on his horse and into the melee. Passing Hurley, he rode off a bluff about eight feet high, got up all right and cussing, but couldn't calm his horse. Beggin "Mistah Jess" (Hurley) to help him, he was left scuffling with his mount while Hurley rode a hundred yards further and by firing his pistol several times turned the leaders in time to keep them from running over the low bluff and over the negro boy. Fort Worth Town of 500 Fort Griffin was the first town he remembers going through after leaving Austin. Soldiers were stationed there. He saw Fort Worth from the top of a hill as they drove the herd, and as he recalls the scene, it looked like a town of 500 people. At one place 300 Indians were being held prisoners by soldiers. The red men had to answer roll call night and morning and could move around freely rest of the day. Mr. Hurley tells a story of the old wooden cannon at Galveston, as told him by a Mr. Bailey who said 30 or 40 men captured a Federal gunboat with it. Seeing it manned and in position to blow them out of the water, the Yanks ran up a white rag and ran their ship to shore, while the Confederates boarded her. Permission granted by The Observer/Enterprise for publication in the Coke County TXGenWeb Archives.