James Cape
From:
Texas
JAMES CAPE, centenarian, now living in a dilapidated little shack
in the rear of the stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, was born a
slave to Mr. Bob Houston, who owned a large ranch in southeast
Texas. James' parents came direct from Africa into slavery. James
spent his youth as a cowboy, fought in the Confederate army, was
wounded and has an ugly shoulder scar. After the war, James
unknowingly took a job with the outlaw, Jesse James, for whom he
worked three years, in Missouri. He then came back to Texas, and
worked in the stockyards until 1928. Documentary proof of James'
age is lacking, but various facts told him by his parents and
others lead him to think he must be over 100 years old.
"I's bo'n in yonder southeast Texas and I don' know what month or de
year for sho', but 'twas more dan 100 years ago. My mammy and pappy was
bo'n in Africa, dats what dey's tol' me. Dey was owned by Marster Bob
Houston and him had de ranch down dere, whar dey have cattle and hosses.
"When I's old 'nough to set on de hoss, dey larned me to ride, tendin'
hosses. 'Cause I's good hoss rider, dey uses me all de time gwine after
hosses. I goes with dem to Mexico. We crosses de river lots of times. I
'members once when we was a drivin' 'bout 200 hosses north'ards. Dey was
a bad hail storm comes into de face of de herd and dat herd turns and
starts de other way. Dere was five of us riders and we had to keep dem
hosses from scatterment. I was de leader and do you know what happens to
dis nigger if my hoss stumbles? Right dere's whar I'd still be! Marster
give me a new saddle for savin' de hosses.
"One day Marster Bob comes to me and says, 'Jim, how you like to jine de
army?' You see, de war had started. I says to him, 'What does I have to
do?' And he says, 'Tend hosses and ride 'em.' I was young den and
thought it would be lots of fun, so I says I'd go. So de first thing I
knows, I's in de army away off east from here, somewhar dis side of St.
Louis and in Tennessee and Arkansas and other places. I goes in de army
'stead of Dr. Carroll.
"After I gits in de army, it wasn' so much fun, 'cause tendin' hosses
and ridin' wasn' all I does. No, sar, I has to do shootin' and git
shooted at! One time we stops de train, takes Yankee money and lots of
other things off dat train. Dat was way up de other side of Tennessee.
"You's heard of de battle of Independence? Dat's whar we fights for
three days and nights. I's not tendin' hosses dat time. Dey gives me a
rifle and sends me up front fightin', when we wasn' running'. We does a
heap of runnin' and dat suits dis nigger. I could do dat better'n
advance. When de order comes to 'treat, I's all ready.
"I gits shot in de shoulder in dat fight and lots of our soldiers gits
killed and we loses our supply, jus' leaves it and runs. 'Nother time we
fights two days and nights and de Yankees was bad dat time, too, and we
had to run through de river. I sho' thought I's gwine git drowned den.
Dat's de time we tries to git in St. Louis, but de Yankee mans stop us.
"I's free after de war and goes back to Texas, to Gonzales County, and
gits a job doin' cowboy work for Marster Ross herdin' cattle. And right
dere's whar I's lucky for not gittin' in jail or hanged. It was dis
way: I's in town and dat man, Ross, says to me, 'I unnerstan' you's a
good cowhand,' and he hires me and takes me way out. No house for miles
'fore we comes to de ranch with cattle and I goes to work. After I's
workin' a while, I wonders how come dey brings in sich fine steers so
often and I says to myself, 'Marster Ross mus' have heaps of money for
to buy all dem steers.' Dey pays no 'tention to de raisin' of cattle,
jus' brings 'em in and drives dem 'way.
"One time Marster Ross and six mens was gone a week and when dey comes
back, one of 'em was missin'. Dey had no steers dat time and dey talks
'bout gittin' frusterated and how one man gits shot. I says to myself,
'What for was dey chased and shot at?' Den I 'members Marster Bob
Houston done tol' me 'bout rustlers and how dey's hanged when dey's
caught, and I knows den dat's how come all dem fine steers is driv in
and out all de time. But how to git 'way, dere's de puzzlement. I not
know which way to go and dere's no houses anywhere near. I keeps gittin'
scarter, and ever' time somebody comes, I thinks its de law. But Marster
Ross drives de cattle north and I says to him, 'I's good hand at de
drive. Kin I go with you nex' time you goes north?' And not long after
dat we starts and we gits to Kansas City. After Marster Ross gets shut
of de critters, he says. 'We'll res' for couple days, den starts back.'
I says to me, 'Not dis nigger.'
"I sneaks 'way and was settin' on a bench when 'long comes a white man
and he's tall, had dark hair and was fine lookin'. He says to me, 'Is
you a cowhand?' So I tells him I is, and he says he wants a hand on his
farm in Missouri and he says, 'Come with me.' He tells me his name was
James and takes me to his farm whar I tends cattle and hosses for three
years and he pays me well. He gives me more'n I earns. After three years
I leaves, but not 'cause I larned he was outlaw, 'cause I larned dat
long time afterwa'ds. I's lonesome for Texas and dat's how I comes to
Fort Worth and here's whar I's stayed ever' since.
"I's married 'bout 40 years ago to a woman dat had eight chillens. We
sep'rated 'cause dem chillens cause arg'ments. I can fight one, but not
de army.
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