[From J. Marvin Hunter’s Frontier Times Magazine, October, 1928]

Kansas City, Mo., August 25, 1928

Mr. J. Marvin Hunter, Bandera, Texas.

Dear Sir :—In your last issue of Frontier Times I see a history of the life of Mr. Wright Mooar of Snyder, Texas, a man who I have known a long time. I want to tell you of two instances that have come up in my life that makes me remember Mr. Mooar so well. Mr. Mooar's brand was ZXT, not SXT as given in your last magazine. I was on the general round-up in the fall of 1884 in the Nunn Bros. range on Rough Creek and there was a two-year old heifer showed up in the round-up with a peculiar brand, which caused quite a lot of talk among the many cowpunchers on the work. It was finally agreed that the animal should be killed for beef to settle the dispute as to whether she was a burnt animal or a maverick brand. This was done and when the hide was spread out flesh side up in the sun you could plainly see Mr. Mooar's ZXT brand. I had heard it many times that you could tell a burnt brand that way, before this case came up, but this was the first time I ever saw it done. I have seen several burnt animals since, but this case I think was the smoothest one I ever saw, except one other case which does not concern Mr. Mooar.

In the summer of 1885, I was in Colorado City, Texas, to meet a man with a bunch of ponies he was bringing through the country from below San Antonio. Mr. Mooar was running a big livery stable and wagon yard in Colorado City then, and of course there was where I put my horse. Sometime in the morning Mr. Mooar, to clean out his stable, parked several buggies directly across the street from his stable. When he went over a few minutes after dinner to get the buggies back, there was a fellow who worked on Archie Johnson's ranch, in the west part of town, asleep in one of the buggies: Mr. Mooar awoke him and started back to the front door of his stable, when this fellow began shooting at him. He shot at him four times at a distance of a few feet, but never touched him. Jim Woods, City Marshall Tom Reed and myself all tied into the gunman about the same time and he lasted about as long as a jack rabbit would with a bunch of grey hounds. and he was taken to jail by Mr. Woods. This same day I was dining at the old Hamilton Hotel and saw and drank my first iced tea, and did not have sense enough to put in any sugar, but will say I like it much.

LOD CALOHAN

Brand Inspector K. C. Stock Yards.

_____________________________________

Love Texas history?

JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP

Never  miss a story!

Free downloads

_____________________________________