Telling Tales

There’s something about getting the mail. I look forward to it because each day holds the promise of a mini Christmas—you just never know what might be in that box.

Recently, my daily anticipation was rewarded when an unexpected package arrived. It was a book, Cowboys Who Rode Proudly, sent to me by my great-uncle Buster from the Haley Memorial Library in Midland, Texas.

It’s a wonderful collection of biographies and stories of some of the most interesting cowboy characters of West Texas. I called Buster to thank him, and immediately he began annotating the book. The main story of one cowboy profiled, “Bell Cord” Rutherford, in particular, he wanted to discuss. According to the book, Bell Cord was shot by Cody Bell in a dispute over a cow. Buster told a different story.

The way the story was told to Buster, Rutherford caught Cody Bell stealing firewood for the second time while prowling pastures. Now, that seems like a minor crime, but in Midland County, Texas, there’s not much wood to go around, and in the days before electricity, fire was the only method for cooking and heating. The first time Rutherford caught Bell with a load of firewood, he made him unload it. The second time, Rutherford didn’t even have to tell Bell to unload, he just stopped his wagon and went to chucking the wood out.

Rutherford said he should have known Bell was too eager in his unloading work, and about halfway through the load, Bell came up with a .30-.30 and shot Rutherford through the chest. When he fell from his spooky horse, Rutherford, inexplicably, held the reins. Bell took off and left Rutherford for dead.

But he didn’t die. When he came to, his horse was still there. Rutherford was too weak to stand and mount, but slowly he dragged himself up despite the skeptical horse. When he arrived at his house, he could see his wife working in the kitchen, but was too weak to shout for her. The yard gate was not latched securely, so Rutherford rode his horse into the gate repeatedly and the noise alerted his wife and she came to his rescue.

Rutherford spent six months in the care of the doctor in Midland—the bullet passing through his lung—and made a full recovery.

Now, who’s to say which story is true, but I’ll go with Buster. Regardless, the book is filled with wonderful sketches that shed a light on the men who have often gone unrecognized for their contributions in taming and settling the West as we now know it.

Cowboys Who Rode Proudly; $50; hayleylibrary.com