CLAUDE HUDSPETH
Member of tlie Texas Legislature from Crockett
County--He ia Short on Education, but
Has Grit and “Get There.”
There is one typical cowboy in
the Texas legislature. He is Claude
Hudspeth of Crockett county. Al
though he is only 27 rears old, he
is serving his second term as a
member of the house. He is an
eloquent debater and takes the lead
in all legislation affecting the inter
ests of the stockmen. He never
went to school but a few months,
and what education he has was
obtained through his own efforts
while working on tlie ranches of
west Texas. He is a sou of Capt.
H. S. Hudspeth, who was for many
years sheriff ot Bandera county,
and while filling that office ran
down and captured some of the
most desperate criminals of the
frontier country.
Claude was born on a little cow
ranch which his father owned.
When 9 years old he ran away from
home and hired c tit to a ranchman
as goat heider. He worked as sheep
and goat herder for several years
and graduated into a full-fledged
cowboy. He became an adept rider
and roper. No bronco could buck j
him off. He could shoot as well as
lie could ride. There is no cowboy
prank that is unknown to him. His
nerve was put to the test many
times and was never tound wanting.
In i$95 Claude Hudspeth led a
select party of American cowboys
into a daring raid into Mexico. His
brother. Street Hudspeth, was run
ning the Big X ranch for Israel
King in the state of Chihuahua.
The Mexicans attempted to confis
cate the property. The cowboys,
led by Street Hudspeth, resisted an
attempt to oust them and a battle
took place between them and Mex
ican soldiers. The soldiers were
driven off after a number had been
killed and wounded. The attack |
was renewed and Street Hudspeth
and Israel King were captured.
They were taken to Juarez and put
in prison. King, being a delegate
in the United States congress from
New Mexico, gave bond in the sum
of $10,000 iii gold and was released
from custody. Hudspeth was re
fused a public trial, but w.i> tried
secretly, found guilty ami sentenced
to nine tears iii the salt mines of
Mexico. This prat tically tut ant a
death sentence, as no j ri*oner could
live that long tn the mines.
Street Hudspeth bribed a guard
and sent word to his brother Claude,
who was working on a ranch on
htvtl'r rivet, when a messenger
rode tip and gave him the message.
Claude read it, and then without a
moment's hesitation he mounted!
his horse.
A few hours later Claude and;
four cowboy associates were riding :
hard toward the Rio Grande. It j
was a long ride, but they showed
no signs of fatigue as in the dusk of|
the evening of May 30 they rode
from HI Paso across the interna
tional bridge and entered the town
of Juarez. It was quite dark when
they rode to a place neat the prison,
where they hitched their horses.
They boldly walked up to the
prison entrance and made a sudden
onslaught upon the guards. The
outside guards were quichly over
powered and bound. The five cow
boys then rushed into the prison,
where they overpowered the other |
guards that obstructed their way.
They reached the filthy cell wheie
Street Hudspeth was confined and
a few moments later he and his
rescuers were tiding like mad for
the American side of the river.
They were pursued bv police, but
gained United States soil in safety.
The rescuers were Claude Huds
peth, Roy Hudspeth, Sam Murray,
Sol Moore and John Cox. Claude
Hudspeth was just 17 years old.
Five years ago when a man rode
into a cow camp on the Pecos river
and informed Claude Hudspeth that j
a Democratic convention just held |
at Ozona had nominated him for
the legislature he did not believe it.
He thought his friends were trying 1
to get a joke on him. But he soon
received letters notifying him of his i
nomination. Two men ran against!
him, and his first campaign speech
was as follows
Folks, you don’t expect much of a ;
sfnrcch from me. I am a west Texas row* I
puncher, and I can sling a lasso better
than I can the Knglish language. Mv
two opponents are both learned gentle
men. One of them i" a pill-roller and
the other has swallowed Black >tone whole
and eaten Oreetileaf by piecemeal; but if
those fellows down at Austii plav poker
ami -moke cgarettcs I'll know more men
in a week than they'd know during the
whole session. They «*ay that the other
two ft llows art- married, and w ill go d<>w n
to Austin and attend to business. and
that I 'm single, and if 1 go down there I
won't do a thing but grin at the women
committee clerk* and tile assistant i*»*t
nmtres*. I'll tell >011. gentlemen, I am
single I w.o horn that way. But I've
got a gihnl deal on foot, and if I success
ful! v make the roundup I'll put the fin
ishing touche** to it and le traveling in
double harness inside of ninety da vs.
Thev say that I'm too %oung. Well,
that s not mv fault. If vmi fellows don't
cut me hack voti'U think v*»u've got the
last range boss in that legislature \ou
ever lt.nl there since o|«| Texas secede*!
fiotlt the hot tamale people of Mexico
lit ul ibv *|<tch .tltrr
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The Highest Priced but
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BILLIARD
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l^-year-old Crow Whiskey—The Only Stork.”
Somet 11 i njj New Try Our Apricot Cocktail
I'rof. Hewett in Alaska to Search for the Remains of His
Sister, Who Was Lost in the Goodpaster Country
in 1901—She Died of Starvation.
From the Skagwny Alaskan, April i.
The mission in Alaska of the
Ffewett family, who are now giving
a series of entertainments at Klks’
hall in this city, is not solely ot e
that is designed for the amusement
and instruction of the people of
Alaska nor is it all for the purpose
of adding lucre to the family treas
ury. There is a more serious and
much sadder purpose for their ap
pearance in the north The Alas
kan trip of Prof. Hewett is prima
rily for the purpose of recovering
the remains of a sister, I)r. Edith
Chambers, whom it is believed per
ished in the Alaskan interior of
.
starvation.
I)r. Chambers went to Dawson in
1900 from Chicago, and in the fall
of that year she went to the Forty
mile country, down the Goodpaster
river to the Tanaiia, and back to
Dawson by way of the Yukon. She
located some property that she re
garded as good. The following
year she s'.arttd on a second trip to
her locations. She left the Forty
mile country with the purpose in
view ot going down the Goodpaster
river on a raft. She never has been
seen since that time, though many
traces have been found of the miss
ing woman
Writings received front her indi
cate that her raft w is wrecked on
the Goodpaster river and -he at
tempted to make her way across
the country back to the Fortymile
district. A diary, covering the time
from July i, 1901, to August 23,
following, portions of the woman’s
wearing apparel, her pack, and let
ters written as late as October of
1901 have been recovered. One of
the letters requested that if her
body should be found her husband
and children should be notified. It
is certain that she died of starva
tion.
Many of the entries in the diary
tell of 1 lie starving condition of the
lost woman, who was all alone in
the uninhabited wilderness. Once
die said she had killed three birds
since being wrecked. One of the
letters said she had been three weeks
without food.
Most of the traces of I)r. Cham
bers were discovered b}' William
Shafer, a sergeant in the United
States signal corps, who was hunt
ing moose in the mountains of the
flood paster country. Prospectors
and others have discovered traces of
the lost woman.
It is to discover the body of his
sister that Prof Heuett is now in
Alaska. He w ill remain in Alaska,
he says, until he shall be rewarded
with success He has corresponded
with Sergeant Shafer, who gave
him letters of introduction to others
who can help him in the interior.
He believes he will be successful.
wanl ht tletcrihed the 'eti*.ition> he
tX|*ri(tlfnl .i>> follow*
When I fir»l »f<>t «tt> Iwfnre th.it hunch
itf |ie.»^lc ill. knit. ktt.K'kr.l t«tt<-thrr
liki .» j 'H.r 1 *•-» .»- . *>», Jiml cvcrv ti.ur nn
my h* u«! lit* like the bristle* on .»
janrltw ,th. wil.l iuu*kh<>K>.
He c4fttt'il every county in the
district in hit first race. In hit
i.iu- for re-election 4 Mj(>ti*t preacher
wa* jitni|•«.*«I out against him. In
joint debate at Haltiuger he said:
Mv »t>]nm<*nt claim* to lie a follower of
the meek amt lowly NtMlilw. That *
a higher calluiK than I ever e\)>ect to
fii.h. lie claim* to Iw e*|wc tally callnt
Itv tltr I Heine Killer to go amt preuli
Then, gentlemen. il be would throw otf
on the l.ord. what nouhl he do with ion
rtattle alter he got in the legislature
>% nctvel.