In the fall of 1882 Stephens and Harris bought out Hall and the brand. Then, in the spring of 1883 they sold the brand and cattle to The Espuela Cattle Company, later The Espuela Land and Cattle Company of Fort Worth. This same year Espuela purchased railroad lands and some small holdings, aggregating 569,120 acres, at about $1.00 per acre. In 1885 the Spur Ranch and cattle were sold to an English/Scottish syndicate, with some interest retained. The name became The Espuela Land and Cattle Company, Ltd. of London, England. The ranch would always be known as the "Spurs."

The Matadors came to Dickens County in 1878 and leased 75,000 acres of school land from the State for 4 cents per acre for five years. They eventually purchased sizeable holdings from the State and from nesters. They were spread across several counties, including the northern part of Dickens. In 1902 the Matadors bought over 300 sections west of Amarillo on the Canadian River from the Capitol Syndicate (XIT) for $2.40 per acre.⁽⁹⁾

By 1880 the county had three houses, one school, and 28 cowboys working on the Spur and Matador ranches.

Settlers moving to homesteads in the Pecos Valley of New Mexico and others traveling to the High Plains used three primary routes through this part of the country. One road passed through the Matadors on the east and north, and ran from Fort Worth through Seymour and on to the Yellow House. There was the well-worn "Mackenzie Trail" from Fort Griffin that crossed Dockum Flat to the Plains and then north. Thirdly, there was the route from Colorado City via Dockum's store to Estacado, in Crosby County.⁽¹⁰⁾

In 1883 the Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company was formed in east central Dickens County on the Wichita River, and eventually increased to about 163,000 acres.

The school land and the mesquite and shinnery land not held by the large ranches was relatively cheap and was attracting settlers. State land was available for $2.00 per acre and was later reduced to $1.00. Tracts of 160 acres were also available for homesteading (preempting), if the settler would live on the land for three years and pay a small amount for a "patent."

The first settlements came into being in the 1880s. Espuela, originally called Dickens City, was among the oldest, and could trace its origin to Mr Parrish's arrival in 1870. The present-day town of Dickens began as a supply point for the large ranches in the area, evolving from ranch line camps. Of early significance, Estacado, northwest of Espuela about 30 miles, was settled by Quakers in 1881 and was the county seat of Crosby for a period.

Markets remained far distant from Dickens and farming tools were scarce. Quanah, to the northeast about 75-100 miles (according to where you started), was a ten- to fourteen-day round trip by wagon, longer if the Wichita or Pease rivers were up. Colorado City to the south, and Stamford to the southeast were equally distant. To reach the southern trading points, one had to cross the Salt and Double Mountain Forks of the Brazos River. Both rivers could be very unforgiving when it rained.

The term "nester" was generally applied to those early settlers who nested in on the available land within the rangelands "used" by the large ranches--the prairie land was all open grazing. Much western history puts a negative connotation on nesters--as intruders and interrupters. The early cattlemen, intruding into the open claim of the Indian, have been recorded in a more favorable context. This clash of cultures, although subdued, remains alive a century later, as does the romantic recall of the settling of the west.

The early tillers and stock farmers of Dickens would unashamedly call themselves nesters, as the relationship between the ranchers and farmers was good. The ranchers would permit the nesters to keep ranch cows for milking, the only provision being that the nester not stunt the calf. The cowboys would eventually come along and brand the calf. The nester was permitted to run his few head of cattle on the ranch pastures. The ranchers also let the nesters cut mesquite for firewood and haul water from the stock tanks as needed. The nester, in turn, returned the favors by doing whatever he could; helping with the roundups, pulling cows from bogs, and so forth.

The hot, dry summer winds parched the crops, coyotes and skunks caught the chickens, and rabbits ate the gardens. Blizzards would push the nester's few cows right out of the county. Or, they would become mixed with the ranch cattle and be sent to market. There were back-to-back droughts that burned out the grass, dried up the water holes, and left nesters with little else to do but skin cattle, or haul bones for fertilizer, or pack up and leave.

Those who chose the flat land up on the plains found that underground water was too deep to reach by digging, and the winters were extremely harsh. Later in life, many who forsook the High Plains would reflect on those early decisions as they saw windmills dot the landscape. Still later, many would gaze across long, straight rows of high-yielding cotton and milo as the whole Plains economy pumped life from the Ogallala aquifer.

The nesters were "discouraged" by the drought of 1886 and many were bought out by, and went to work for the large ranches. Others returned eastward to old home surroundings and the relatives they had earlier left behind. Such was the case with a group of Quakers who, in 1881, had settled on the Caprock at Estacado, about thirty miles northeast of the Spur Ranch headquarters. They were hard-working and neighborly, and more likely than most to survive the harsh environment. But they didn't.

The early settlers in timberless Dickens expected to live in dugouts, or half-dugouts. In the 1870s and 1880s dugouts were used most. These were literally caves dug into the side of a hill and covered in front with poles and brush. Sometimes they were rock-faced. No lumber was available.

Some dugouts were dug on flat ground, but covered with willow poles or cottonwood logs hauled in from the creeks, then again covered with brush, leaves and dirt. A trap door provided the entrance, and there were holes for ventilation. These were called half-dugouts.

The half-dugout became more common during the 1880s and 1890s, as only a limited amount of lumber could be freighted in from distant, but closer rail terminals. A hole was dug four to six feet deep and a four-foot frame wall with sliding frame windows was added above ground, along with a pitched roof that, hopefully, leaked less frequently. A fireplace was usually built in one end. Some half-dugouts were quite spacious, fourteen by thirty-six feet, with partitioned rooms decorated by imagination. The dirt walls were sometimes hid by hanging unbleached "domestic" material from the roof. Glass windows were usually added in time, as were wooden floors. Single-room frame additions would be made as the inhabitants prospered. Some would add a brush arbor "porch" to increase livability. Folks then, as well as today, spoke of dugouts and half-dugouts interchangeably.

First Settlers at Red Mud

The Red Mud community was located in the southwest corner of the county along Red Mud Creek--so named for the red clay that meets the shinnery-sand and sandy loam in that area. The community is about twelve miles southwest of Spur, Texas. Kent County joins lower Red Mud on the south. The White River almost divides Dickens and Crosby counties on the west, with Garza County joining diagonally in the southwest corner. The community of Catfish was to the west on the White River, and the Watson (Kalgary) community was across the White in Crosby County. The West End community, later called the Highway Community when the county road was graveled, joined Red Mud on the north.

Red Mud's first inhabitants were the buffalo hunters, who established a camp there (complete with dance hall). The first "settlers" came in the late 1870s and early 1880s. Jess P. Adamson lived where the old camp had been, which later became the location of the Tap general mercantile store and post office. He hand-dug a water well and lined it with rock. The water was good, and plentiful, and served the settlers for years.

Adamson's neighbors were A. M. Locket, E. Luce, and John Luce to the west, Clint Garrett to the north, Wil Barger to the immediate south, and Alf M. Manning just south of the Bargers. The R. M. Parrishs, Jim Johnsons and the W. F. Gilberts were also nearby.

According to "Scotch" Bill Elliot, Alf Manning came to the area in 1870 with J. H. Parrish, who opened the first store at Espuela. Alf soon afterward quit working for Parrish and started killing buffalo. He moved to Red Mud where he made his home for a long time, and is buried in the Red Mud Cemetery.⁽¹¹⁾

William Clinton "Clint" Garrett and Malinda Jones were married in Palo Pinto, Texas on Christmas Eve, 1885. They moved to Red Mud the following July and bought a farm one mile north of the cemetery--just south of Adamson. Clint and Malinda's first three children, Edna, Annie, and Jim were born on this farm.

E. Luce, his wife Georgia and children, including their grown son John N., came to Dickens in the mid-1880s. Both men patented land at Red Mud and also twelve miles further west in the Spur's west pasture area known as Watson, later Kalgary. In 1886 E. Luce planted the first cotton in Dickens--on his Red Mud place next to the "Shinnery Strip," now known as the Perkins farm. The crop failed to mature.⁽¹²⁾

The Shinnery Strip was a ridge three miles wide and fourteen miles long. In 1870, when the surveyor laid off the lands that would be given the H. & G. N. Railroad, he did not like the shinnery ridge and stopped the West line of Block 1, and jumped three miles before beginning Block 2. This strip became public domain, and afterwards added to the school fund, available for homesteading.⁽¹³⁾

In May 1886, following a dispute over a horse, Adamson hid behind a chaparral bush and ambushed his neighbor Wil Barger with buckshot as Wil rode by. Barger was buried on his land east of the house in which he was living. E. Luce used wagon sideboards to make a coffin. Grandma Thomas, mother of Mrs. Alf Manning, helped lower the coffin into the grave, and assisted Luce and Garrett in filling the grave.⁽¹⁴⁾

As settlements frequently grew from buffalo hunter camps, so did cemeteries often start from killings. And so it was with Red Mud and its cemetery. Barger's wife died three months later from consumption (tuberculosis) and was buried with Wil. Adelia Parrish and her infant child, both of whom died at the birth, were buried in the cemetery in 1886. She was likely related to Kitty and Roof M. Parrish.

The cemetery became known as the Red Mud Cemetery and remains a focal point of the history of the community. The 119-acre tract containing the cemetery today has changed ownership through the years without anyone objecting to the cemetery being included, or about paying for the two acres devoted to the cemetery. There has never been a deed issued to the Red Mud Cemetery Association. Today, a bronze marker at the cemetery entrance tells of the cemetery's beginning:

In 1887, on one of his freighting trips to the railroad, Clint Garrett brought back lumber to line the walls and floor of their dugout. Soon afterward, Francis Wilson and his small child died of pneumonia, When lumber could not be found for Mr. Wilson's coffin, who died a week after the child, Clint used a part of his new walls to build the coffin.

E. Luce planted cotton again in 1889 and realized a successful crop. He hauled the crop to Sweetwater to be ginned.

In 1890 Zona Thomas rode a freight wagon west from Hunt County to visit her grandmother, Mrs. Thomas, and Zona's aunt, Mrs. Alf Manning. They lived just south of the Bargers. Zona liked the country (and a certain young neighbor nearby, by the name of John Luce) so she decided to make Red Mud her home.

Jim H. Airhart brought his wife and five children to upper Red Mud in 1890 and settled on the Hudson homestead. Bertha, age seven, was the oldest, followed by Elsie, Edna, Edgar, and Elonzo. Later, Jewel, Beecher, and Johnny would be born on this place. Bertha and Edna would marry brothers Jim and Ed McArthur, respectively. The Airhart place was adjacent to the later location of the Tap store. The first single-room school at Tap was called the Airhart schoolhouse.

W. C. and Suzie McArthur moved their family to Red Mud in 1890 and settled in the Spur Ranch's south pasture. During the prolonged drought that followed, they moved to Jones County for a time, but returned and settled in the Spring Creek community. Their daughter Florence was already married to Sam Rather and they homesteaded at the same time. In addition to Florence, there were Willie, Maude, twins Tom and Jim, Bill, and Ed. All of the children attended the Airhart school.

In October of 1890 Willis Anderson "Toby" Smith and wife Martha Ann (Mattie) began their 150-mile trip from Comanche County to Red Mud. They were accompanied by Albert and Mollie Smith, and a neighboring family named Slarky. As mentioned earlier, Toby and Albert were married to sisters. The women drove the wagons while the men herded the cattle and horses. The children rode in the wagons, or if old enough, walked along side. Toby's six children ranged from one month to age ten. Albert's three children ranged from age one to eight. The journey was hard work for the adults, but the children usually considered it great adventure.⁽¹⁵⁾

Toby located 160 acres to homestead in lower Red Mud, actually in Kent County. A half-dugout was dug and covered with poles and dirt. The poles had been left by Indians who had camped there not too many years previous. This was evidenced by the abundance of arrowheads and buffalo horns found at the sight. There were also enough poles to build a small corral for the livestock. The poles were a blessing as there were very few trees large enough to supply timbers or posts.⁽¹⁶⁾

Dickens Territory Becomes A County⁽¹⁷⁾

By 1890 the county population had increased to 295. Although the county had been formally created August 21, 1876 from the territory, it could not be "organized" until there were 150 or more legally qualified voters in the county. Women had not yet been granted suffrage. Everyone knew that the country would remain primitive until a county government could be created and a tax base formed to bring about schools, roads, railways, law, and all the other order necessary to any civilization.

The rancher and the nester had coexisted peacefully and neighborly during early settlement. But there is nothing like politics to divide neighbors and friends. Dickens County was no exception. Time has healed the early wounds, leaving only brief sketches of the bitter struggle that occurred over early county government.

Red Mud settlers played an active role in the formation and early transition of the county and in the selection of a county seat. The petition for organization, filed January 9, 1891 contained the signatures of Alf Manning, S. J. Keltner, W. A. Smith, A. J. McClain, E. Luce, John Luce, and Clint Garrett.⁽¹⁸⁾

The Crosby County judge, E. B. Covington, certified the petition, declared Dickens County organized, established voting precincts, and ordered an election of county officers and the selection by vote of a county seat.

A. J. McClain had arrived in Dickens in 1890 and was staying at Espuela while he waited on the approval of his application for a homestead on Red Mud, on the Kent County line. His friends persuaded him to run for county judge in the March 14 election, which he won.⁽¹⁹⁾

In Precinct Three (Red Mud) W. F. Gilbert won the commissioner and justice of peace seats, and Clint Garrett was elected constable. McClain had been designated to preside over the election in the precinct, and voting was done at the Dockum Ranch.

The settlements of Espuela, Dickens, and Frankfort (Croton) had contended for designation as county seat but none garnered a majority vote to win. On March 21, Judge McClain was ordered by the Crosby judge to hold a second election for a county seat. On April 1 the commissioners met at Dockum and designated Espuela as the temporary county seat. On April 16 they met at Espuela, set May 8 as election day, and designated the Alf Manning residence as voting place for Precinct Three.

The dispute between the Espuela Land and Cattle Company and the nesters over the location of the county seat heated up and grew more bitter. The ranchers wanted to locate the seat at Espuela on the ranch property. The nesters did not trust the ranchers and wanted the location at or near the settlement of Dickens. Frankfort had dropped out of contention.

On the May 8 ballot Espuela received 74 votes and Dickens 58. Precinct Three voted 31 for Espuela, none for Dickens. Judge McClain declared Espuela the new county seat. Four days later the county officials met and established tax rates and school districts.

On August 12 a new petition was filed requesting a new county seat election. McClain ruled that a recall could not be held for five years. The next day the commissioners approved bond sales of $10,000 for a "temporary" courthouse facility and jail at Espuela. This was blocked by an injunction filed in the District Court at Estacado.

Meanwhile, a new interpretation of the state law held that neither Espuela nor Dickens had won. Dickens, within five miles of the geographical center, did not receive a simple majority. Espuela, outside the five mile limit, did not receive a two-thirds majority of the vote.

It was also determined in early 1892 that Judge McClain's residence (dugout) at Red Mud was 200 yards across the county line in Kent County. On February 12 District Judge McGill appointed A. J. Hagins of Duck Creek as county judge and issued a proclamation for a new vote on the location of the county seat.

In the March 8 vote Dickens received 112, Espuela none--an obvious voting statement by the ranchers regarding the distance and majority requirements, and a grand victory for the farmers.

W. R. Stafford's store at Dickens was rented for $15 per month as a place to store records and hold court. On May 11 bonds for a new courthouse were approved, with a $20,000 maximum indebtedness, at six per cent. The building contract was awarded June 15 and the courthouse was constructed that same year from native stone nearby. It was formally accepted by the county on April 1, 1893 for a total cost of $19,475.

The new courthouse loomed majestically above the flat, open prairie and the few simple structures that made up Dickens. A U.S. windmill, with a wooden, overhead storage tank and watering trough, was erected close by. Plans for laying out city lots proceeded.

The courthouse has its own story. Suffice to say, it was hard won, beautifully built, and has served Dickens County well. It underwent a major modernization in 1936. Perhaps the most noticeable change was the flattening of the roof and the removal of the cupola that adorned the top and which had provided many with a grand view of the surroundings. Today it is one of 65 courthouses built before 1900 that is still in use--prideworthy when one considers that Texas has 254 county capitols.

Zona Thomas and John Luce rode horseback to Espuela, the temporary county seat, and obtained the first marriage license recorded in the newly organized county. They were married in Espuela August 4, 1891 by their new neighbor and the new county's new judge, A. J. McClain. They settled on the Kalgary place after first clearing out a road and digging a half-dugout. Their first furniture consisted of nail kegs, dry goods boxes, and whatever else was available.

Zona's nearest neighbors were at Red Mud, twelve miles to the east, and the afternoons would get very lonely for the isolated young woman. After a time Mr. and Mrs. E. Luce moved near them, which provide some company for Zona.

The last half of 1891 was extremely dry, and the spring rains of 1892 failed to materialize. What may have been the worst drought in history was on hand. All crops except Johnson grass were complete failures, the ranges were about gone, and water holes were critically low. Yearling heifers sold for $4.00 a head and some two-year-old steers brought $15.00.

The sandstorms in 1892 and 1893 were the worst that had been experienced. In early morning, a reddish cloud could be seen moving in from the west and northwest. By eleven o'clock, all outside work would have to be suspended. The dust storm would last all day, die down at night, and invariably return the next day.

In the November 1892 general election the Precinct Three box was tossed out. Judge Hagins appointed Jim Airhart as commissioner for the Red Mud area. He served as commissioner through 1893. That same month, the county denied Jess Adamson payment for predator scalps since they appeared to have been obtained in Kent and Garza counties.

On a cold, stormy day in January 1893, John Isidore and Mattie Greer arrived at their 160 acre homestead in lower Red Mud with their ten children and family belongings in wagons, and their few head of livestock. Unfortunately, they arrived during the latter part of the prolonged drought and almost didn't make it. They were thankful for the hand-dug Keltner well nearby that supplied them drinking water when their own supply failed.

During the February 15, 1893 Commissioner's Court, road crews were established to maintain the primary county roads. Road one went from Dickens east to King County, two went from Dickens north to Afton, three went from Dickens west to Crosby County, four from Dickens southeast to Kent County, and six was between Guthrie and Matador. William Albert "Will" McKay (future husband of Alice Smith) was assigned to road one, division two, which was the half between Dickens and the Little Croton Creek.

The Red Mud road started from the Dickens-Crosby road, about two miles west of Espuela, and ran southwest to the Kent County line "at or near W. A. Smith's farm." Dave Land was appointed overseer with the following hands: J. P. Adamson, J. E. Johnson, S. J. Keltner, S. D. Smith, J. A. Greear, and Alf Manning.

In their February 1893 session the Commissioners Court payments for predator scalps included $87.41 to ex-judge A. J. McClain for 119 ½ dozen prairie dogs, 4 3/4 dozen rabbits, one bobcat and eleven coyotes. This was substantial severance pay for losing the judgeship. It was equal to two or three month's wages and probably would have bought a good wagon or a quarter-section of shinnery land.

There was essentially no rain in 1893. All cattle that were too poor to drive to market died on the range. Jack rabbits died by the hundreds. Unfortunately, Greer's east Texas cattle got mixed with the Spurs herds and were driven to market. With the two work horses left, he hauled cattle bones to Colorado City where they were ground for fertilizer. Although 1894 was a soaker, Greer gave up his clay soil and filed on 160 acres of sandy loam about 19 miles southwest of Dickens.

It was in July of 1893 that the first rain of consequence fell. Every nester that could, planted sorghum, hoping to make enough feed for the winter. Most made a crop, as more showers fell in August.

In that same year the Clint Garrett and R. M. Parrish families moved to Oklahoma, having heard of opportunities there. Later, when Malinda Garrett became ill and desired to spend her remaining days in Dickens County, the family returned and settled about three miles north of the cemetery. Malinda was buried in the Red Mud Cemetery March 14, 1900. Clint continued to live on this place. The Parrish's daughter, Lessie, would later marry Clint's nephew, Jack Garrett.

Suzie McArthur's brother and his three sons Harve H., Charles, and Rob Harris had visited her in 1891, while in search of a homestead. Finding none, they ran their cattle up on the Plains. The Harrises returned in 1897 and traded for a small place at Red Mud which included the mercantile store and post office, which Charles and Rob operated. They ran their small cattle herd on the Spur's south pasture.

The McArthurs sold out and returned to Jones County and farmed for a brief period. They later returned and settled near Catfish where Jim and Tom caught, broke, and sold wild mustangs. They finally settled back at Red Mud, built homes, and accumulated more land. Tom McArthur traded the new buggy he had brought from Jones County for 80 acres of the Stagner homestead. He also bought the Keltner and J. E. Johnson homesteads nearby.

It was during this time that the State of Texas ceased to renew the absolute leases of public school lands that had been given the ranchers. These lands were placed on the market, subject to settlement by anyone who made the first payment of $64.00 per section and "proved up" their filing with three year's occupancy. Some of those who filed on sections within fenced pastures hoped to sell to the ranchers for a profit.

Three more children (Norma, Milton, and Naomi) were born to Toby and Mattie at Red Mud. Their first dugout became too small so Toby traded a mare to E. Luce for a one-room house. The house was moved close to a gyp spring near Red Mud Creek. The lumber in the house had been hauled from Palo Pinto County about 200 miles away. Near the house a larger half-dugout was made with a door at each end.⁽²⁰⁾

For the Toby Smith family, sending a letter from Red Mud to friends and loved ones was no quick accomplishment during this period. The letter was carried first to the Dockum store about 20 miles away on the monthly trip to the post office. From there, the letter would travel by mail hack to the appropriate train terminal, about 100 miles and probably a week away, considering the stops along the way.

In East Texas, course-haired, red-headed Carl Brantner had turned nine and was big enough to escape house chores and help Ambrose around the place. Ray Lil and Reba had a new baby brother, Kay Parrak, born October 20, 1899, and didn't really mind seeing to him--it was almost like play. Three-year-old Ruth was no longer the baby and was suffering from the lack of attention.

Lugenia had lost her father Pleasant Smith in this, the same year that she had her sixth child. So it had been a year of mixed emotions. And with a large family, mostly underfoot, she had plenty to keep her busy. She would, however, eagerly await those infrequent letters from Red Mud that told of both the pleasures and hardships of West Texas living.

In addition to Albert, who came with Toby, most, if not all of Toby's brothers and sisters eventually moved to the Red Mud community. It is certain that W. P. T. (Billy) and Columbus Jeff moved there. Mary Elizabeth Copeland lived there after she and Thomas Jefferson moved to Madison and then Walker County (perhaps after she was widowed in 1907 or 1908).

Maranda Amanda Goes To Red Mud

After the death of Pleasant, Maranda moved to Red Mud, probably with her youngest son, Columbus Jeff, and joined her other sons. The June 25, 1900 Census for Dickens County indicated she was living with Jeff, Susan, and their five young children--the youngest less than one month old. Maranda was 66.⁽²¹⁾

On the last day of 1899 Will McKay and Alice Smith were married by J. L. Cross. Alice, 19, was Toby and Mattie's oldest daughter and was Lugenia Brantner's niece. The marriage was to be performed at Toby's dugout. But because the license was issued in Dickens County, and the dugout was across the line in Kent, Cross wasn't sure the marriage would be legal. So everyone, in their best clothes, walked a quarter of a mile up the road to Dickens County. Alice was a very pretty bride. Standing in a big prairie dog town, they were married. Then, everyone walked back to the dugout to enjoy a feast of wild turkey, ham and cakes beautifully decorated with crushed stick candy.⁽²²⁾

J. L. Cross was a Church of Christ preacher who performed the marriage ceremony for most of the couples at Tap. J. L. was the grandfather of Elmer Cross, who married Leeoma Hoover, Marie Brantner's sister.

ENDNOTES

1. W. J. Elliot, The Spurs (Spur, Texas: The Texas Spur, 1939), p. 202. Mr. Elliot came from Scotland in 1888 to work on the Espuela Land and Cattle Company. (See this title, p. 37.) He lived in the Red Mud community in later years and was known as "Scotch Bill." He was also known to "tell a good story!"

2. Frederick W. Rathjen, The Texas Panhandle Frontier. Austin: The Univ. of Texas Press, 1985.

3. Fred Arrington, A History of Dickens County. (Nortex Offset Publications, Inc., 1971), p. 4.

4. Federal Writers Project, Works Progress Administration. Texas - A Guide to the Lone Star State.

5. Ibid.

6. Rathjen.

7. Elliot, p. 4.

8. Arrington, p. 95.

9. J. Evetts Haley, The XIT Ranch of Texas and the Early Days of the Llano Estacado. (Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1967, Western Frontier Library Edition, p. 218.

10. Elliot, p. 59.

11. Ibid., p. 202.

12. E. Luce was prominent in the county history. He was a Confederate veteran and was named Elihu or Elihue, a name he obviously never used. One record says he brought his wife and five children to Dickens in 1887, living in the county until death on August 21 1920.

13. Elliot, p. 143.

14. The July arrival of Clint Garrett and his assisting with a May burial are inconsistent. The Wil Barger farm is known today as the Johnnie H. Sparks place. Jess Adamson apparently was never charged with the shooting. County records show that he served as a Precinct Three election clerk in 1891 and was paid for rabbit scalps that year. He was on the county road crew that served Red Mud in 1893.

15. Watkins, p. 3.

16. Ibid., p. 3.

17. Arrington p. 27.

18. Ibid., p. 7. This W. A. Smith was Toby Smith.

19. Ibid., p. 300.

20. Watkins, p. 4.

21. 1900 Census, Dickens, Texas, C. J. Smith.

22. Watkins, p.5.