Rindinger Interview

I was born in 1851 Council Bluffs, Iowa. I swam the Mo. river when I was a boy when it was half mile wide and I went to Kans. I left home when I was 11 and took care of myself after that. My first wife was part Indian, well educated and one of the best singers I have ever heard. I worked for her father when I was a kid in Iowa and when I went back he sent for me to work. Her name was Canon, her father was a cousin to old Joe Canon, the political man.

I rode the range 10 years, trailed cattle up from Texas and Oklahoma to Abeleen in Kans. I rode 10 years and quit and came here in 1885. I rode here for Plummer Jewett and McCully 4 years for them and then I quit and went into hay business. I shipped thousands and thousands of dollars worth of hay out to Denver and Kansas City and Omaha and other places.

I leased the Bratt place, North.

Then I went into the broom busines 1890, Lived in the sandhills but I worked in the broom corn business, I ran 50 60 hands 2 years. I used to make brooms out [S?]. of N. Platte, N. of Maxwell.

I worked in a distillery at Nebraska City thru the winters when I was about 20 ears old and I learned how to make whiskey.

I got some broom corn out to “Grandpa Bowers” out South of Grainton and I went out to make up brooms. He lived with his son Lon Bowers and I went over there. I moved my broom machines where I got the broom corn. Bowers was out there makin’ up whiskey and I learnt him so he could make good whiskey. I [brot?] [?] in a gallon and I got $12.00 for it and they said it was better than any bonded whiskey, that was in prohibition days.

My Uncle was a captain in the Civil War and the old man Tillian[?] served under my Uncle. I was peddlin’ brooms up by Hershey and ran onto Tillians and they made me stay a week with them. Hunter’s [Huntin’s?] different than what it was when I came here. The 4 years I rode here I killed 600 coyotes and got $1.00 cash for everyone. I only got $28.00 a month for 4 years that I rode here but I made $600 killing the coyotes. I lived out at the head of Pawnee Creek.

I was on the “Dismal” (river) 2 or 3 times every year. Used to be a gang of thieves, Doc Middleton and his bunch, was up in [there?], they finally got cleaned out but I was up there once with a fellow by name of Harris and I found some fellows campin’ up in there and I went back to our camp and told Harris there was some of the Middleton gang campin’ near. He got all the guns on he could carry and “cum” along. We slipped up near and I told him I’d talk and I went up and said “You ain’t any of Doc Middletons bunch are you” and all the time Harris was scared to death and never knowed any better.

They said while I was in the hospital last fall I talked about old Zeb Parker. Almost 60 years age he was supposed to have buried that in Trade-rat gulch. It was gold, he claimed he buried it. I wouldn’t swear as he was ——-.

A fellow shot at me down in Arizona. I had long hair black and curly. Billy the kid was just about 1 1/2 inches taller than me and [they?] said I looked like him. When that happened I got my hair cut and left that country.