“You boys are doing a good job,” I assured them.
We needed another plow so I decided to get one. Sergeant Bexter and I went to town and bought it. While we were there, the priest told us he had a 13 year old boy with wanted to send back with us. I wanted as much hay in winter as possible, so I needed all the help I could get.
There was an 80-acre farm next to us that was for sale that included a plow and a two and a half year old filly. The owner wanted 100 dollars and an extra 20 dollars to pay some back taxes that he owed in Texas. I bought the farm and got one more boy to plow. We used the filly on the buckboard with my gelding. They made a nice pair. Sergeant Bexter’s two geldings plowed as well.
We had to keep a close eye on the mares, as they were getting close to foaling. I had the vet come out to check on them and he told me that they each had about one more month before they would foal.
The vet said, “Work them another two weeks, and then put them in the corral so they can foal.”
When they finally did foal, we had two nice horse colts. We had no idea when the third mare would foal. The vet said that it was hard to tell, but he would check her next month. He came back out to check on her and three weeks later she had a nice filly colt. As soon as the colts were 10 days old, the mares went back to work and the colts just ran around and stayed in the field.
We had to separate the teams and they plowed in different fields. This way, we could manage the colts better. The 80-acre farm had a three-room house and we told the priest that he could put some girls in it. He put six girls in the house. I had to buy a cook stove for it because the farmer took his with him when he left. I also stocked the house with food as well. There was a creek on one end and deer were around all the time. Sergeant Bexter shot several bucks down by the creek and distributed the meat. We also butchered some hogs and distributed the smoked meat. We always bought extra bacon because it went a lot faster.
Chapter Three
Teresa and I got married and she moved in with me. Together, we managed everything. We made a great team. She had a full time helper in the kitchen, and boy, she sure needed one. Both Teresa and her helper worked hard. Whenever I took Teresa shopping, she got all the girls dresses and shoes, and anything else they needed. With winter coming, she also got the girls got some jeans and warm underwear so they could still work outside when needed. The girls regularly went after wood with the wagon for all three fireplaces.
Sergeant Bexter married Betty and moved over to the Wilson house. He usually handled the wagon going for wood and took a bunch of girls with him every time. He usually cut down the dead trees and used the big saw to do so. Once he cut the wood, the girls would stack it in the wagon. They had a good system going. Sometimes he brought home some posts and poles for the corrals too. On his way home, he always stopped at the baker’s for some rolls. One girl was in charge of bringing some old newspapers to start a fire so they could make some coffee. All the girls wore jeans for this job. He always took two of the boys with him as well, and they also dressed for the occasion. The boys stacked up the posts and poles back at home, they would also shoot a deer or two on the way home and the girls would make a big stew. It was good winter food.
We had a foot of snow on the wheat field and were planning on having 250 acres of wheat. On the trail out to the woods, the snow got packed down and the ground was frozen, so it was not a bad pull.
Before Christmas, Sergeant Bexter went out with his girls to get Christmas trees. Teresa planned a big party. We would butcher a young steer and a couple pigs, and the butcher would come out to smoke and cut up the meat. Teresa kept a lot of meat covered up out on the porch so that it would freeze and last a long while. I told her to give 20 dollars gold to all the girls and all the boys for Christmas. She also bought them all some nice warm socks and warm sweaters. She knew what they needed. She bought a nice coat for Betty and baked some cookies for the sergeant. We invited the priest out for Christmas. He said that we were the best Catholics he had. We all had a nice dinner. Everybody was there.
The priest told us about a 640-acre area right next to town with a big house that he wanted for the orphanage. It was going to be auctioned off at the tax sale in March and he was planning on bidding on it.
“If I get it, I will have to put in crops. You are the only ones with horses,” he said.
“Do you know if the property comes with has a plow?” I asked him.
“I am not sure, but I heard that the owner is selling everything. He has a big three-ton wagon that he’s selling for 60 dollars. It’s a real good wagon,” he said.
“We could use that wagon,” I stated. “Is there anything else going up for sale around us?”
“Ask the county clerk, he has a list already,” he said.
After Christmas, I went to the county building and asked the clerk for a list of properties for sale and he gave me one. We had four farms around us on the list. The clerk told me that one of the farms had a pair of horses and a big colt, but the owner couldn’t work because he had a clubfoot like me. The owner wanted to sell the colt to the army but they were no longer buying two-year-olds, only three-year-olds on up.
I told Bexter to offer the man 75 dollars for the colt. I then asked the priest, “Do you know if he was in the army?”
“He was a colonel in the cavalry. A short timer like you,” he answered.
Sergeant Bexter went to inquire about the colt. When he came back, he said that the man wanted 80 dollars for it.
“That’s much more than it’s worth, but we need him for a team to pair with our filly,” I told him.
I gave Sergeant Bexter the 80 dollars for the horse and he went to buy it. He brought it back and put it in his corral. We also had a horse colt from the third mare, so in the spring all three mares could work. They would also be bred again. We wanted to find a Morgan stud and were willing to buy one if we could.
Sergeant Bexter said, “The colt we just bought is supposed to be a Morgan, but it’s only two years old.”
“Where is he?” I asked.
“He’s in my corral,” he said.
“Do you know anything about these other farms for sale? Any more livestock? If they have milk cows, we could use those,” I asked him.
“There are three sections bordering us and a section bordering the corporal’s section. The minimum bids are high because they’ve added in the unpaid taxes. Most of them haven’t paid their taxes for four years,” Bexter said.
“Let’s go visit each one,” I told him.
“That sounds good. I will be over for breakfast and we can go from there,” he said.
He came over for breakfast and I had the buckboard all hitched up with a mare and a gelding. Teresa wanted to come with us, so we waited for her. When we got to nearest farm, we knocked on the door and a lady answered. We asked if her husband was around.
“He died in the war,” she said. “I have three children, and we are going to lose our house.”
I told her, “If we buy this place, you and your children can stay in your home as long as you want, as long as we can use your equipment. What kind of equipment do you have?”
“We have a plow and a harrow. No seed and we are running out of hay. We also have a mare and a cow with a calf,” she replied.
“You said you have a mare?”
“Yes, and a horse colt, three months old,” she said.
“We could take the mare to our place with the colt and could bring some hay and cracked corn for your cow. How much do you owe in taxes?” I asked.
“I owe 107 dollars,” she answered.
“What if we buy the farm from you? We will pay your taxes and take the two horses, and also pay you 150 dollars for the land. You can stay in the home as long as you would like. We could even bring you some food as well. What do you need the most?” I asked.
“Flour, potatoes, carrots, meat, and cracked corn for the cow and chickens,” she answered.
“Sergeant Bexter wil
l bring you all that tomorrow and then we will take the mare and colt with us. He lives over where the Wilsons used to live. We own the Wilson farm now. Sergeant Bexter is my partner and he lives there with his wife,” I told her.
“You must be the folks that the priest was talking about in his sermon,” she said.
“We are going to talk to your neighbors too. Their place is coming up for sale as well. I will send the 150 dollars with Sergeant Bexter when he brings you the supplies tomorrow,” I said.
We went over to the Burns’ farm, which was the next section, and knocked on their.
Mr. Burns came to the door and I said, “I am your east neighbor and I hear that your place is coming up for sale. I was wondering if you had any equipment you are going to sell like a wagon or a cow calf. That way, you could bid that much more for your property.”
“Come in and sit down,” he said.
“We’re interested in this property because it is next to our own land. We also own the Wilson’s farm as well. My partner is Sergeant Bexter and he lives at the Wilson’s old place with his wife.” He had a noticeable limp and I asked him, “Were you wounded in the war?”
“I lost part of my right leg,” he said.
“That happened to Sergeant Bexter too,” I said. “If you want, I can buy your property and you can work for me. You’ll keep your house but I will need your barn. Do you have a horse?”
“No,” he said, “but I have a cow and a calf.”
“How old is your calf?”
“Five months,” he said.
“We you planning on selling your calf?”
“Yes,” he said.
I pulled a gold 20 out of my vest pocket and said, “I’ll buy your calf. How much do you owe in taxes?”
“I was in the army so we didn’t pay for four years,” he said.
“How about you come work for me?” I asked.
“I can’t plow,” he said.
“That’s not a problem. We can get boys from the orphanage to plow for us. You can cut at harvest though, right?”
“I’m afraid not very well,” he replied.
“Well, can drive a wagon?”
“I can definitely do that,” he assured me.
“What if I paid your taxes, give you 100 dollars, and you sign the property over to me. You can stay and work for me and I will pay you. Do your kids go to school?” I asked.
“No,” he said.
“They should be going to school,” I told him.
“I know they should, but our buckboard needs wheels and we don’t have horses. It’s too far for them to walk,” he said.
“So do you want to sell to me and stay in your home, or do have other plans?” I asked.
“Your offer is pretty hard to refuse; you’ve got a deal. I’ll stay and work for you too,” he said.
I then told him, “We just bought Mrs. Pilsner’s land too. Sergeant Bexter is bringing her some flour, potatoes, carrots, and cracked corn tomorrow; I will have him bring you some as well, along with a side of bacon. I will have Sergeant Bexter bring your 100 dollars and I will pay your taxes. All I need from you is a bill of sale for your section of land. I will also buy your plow and harrow as well. How are you doing on hay?”
“I have some, but not much,” he said.
“What’s your first name?” I asked.
“John,” he answered.
“So is mine,” I told him.
“You can call me Burney, everyone does,” he said.
“Okay, Burney, we will see you tomorrow. What do you know about the Dexters?”
He said, “They have a wagon, but they are going west. They also have three mares and a cow. They have a plow and some tools, but they are taking them with them. They didn’t plow because they had no money for seed. He didn’t go to war, so I don’t know why didn’t pay his taxes. He owes three years. I guess he figured he would beat the system with the war going on.”
“The states need the money just as badly as we do. They can not operate without some income,” I told him.
“Are we going to the Dexters?” Teresa asked.
“No, but we are going to try to get their place at the tax sales as well,” I told her.
We then went home and had chitchatted some. I told Sergeant Bexter to come over for breakfast in the morning.
I told him, “We need to go into town with the buckboard to do some shopping.”
We went to our grocer and picked up some flour, and potatoes. The grocer said, “I have pinto beans as well.” I got two sacks of beans and two big bundles of carrots. I also got two sides of bacon and two sacks of cracked corn for both houses. We then went to the county building and paid the taxes for Mrs. Pilsner and Mr. Burns.
The clerk laughed and said, “The banker wanted those farms.”
“That’s too bad,” I said.
After I paid the taxes, we went to deliver the food to our new friends’ places. I brought some paper with met to write up the sales agreements.
We went to Mrs. Pilsner’s first. When she saw all of the food we had on the wagon she told us how grateful she was for us. I took in the potatoes, carrots, pinto beans, and bacon. She was so happy she wanted to kiss me. I told her that I had her 150 dollars in gold and I would write up a sales agreement with her keeping the house for life. We wrote it up and she signed it.
We then went to the Burns’ house and did the same there. I carried in the flour and Mrs. Burns told her kids that she would have some bread and they would get bacon and fried potatoes as well. You would have thought it was Christmas morning with how excited those kids were. We put the corn out to the barn and looked at everything out there. He had some harnesses for horses, so I figured that I would bring a team up to him and get his buckboard fixed so he could start taking the kids to school. He signed the sales agreement and was happy with the arrangement.
We went back to the county building and took in the bills of sale and had everything transferred into my name. I went by the church and talked to the priest about the wagon and gave him the money. I told him to hold the wagon for me and he said that he would. I told him that I would be bidding for the Dexter farm at the tax sale and he was confident that I would get it.
On the way home, we met three men with four horses.
“They look like bandits,” I told Sergeant Bexter.
“I am ready,” he assured me.
“If they tell us to stop, I will start shooting,” I told him.
Sure enough, they split with one going to one side and the other two staying in the middle. When the big guy told us to stop, we started shooting. We got all three of them and they fell from their horses. One gelding was a U.S. horse, so we took the saddle off of him and turned him loose. He went grazing. The other three we tied to the back of the buckboard and took them home.
When we got home, we took the horses to the corral and gave all of them a nosebag. I got two moneybags from the bandits, and ended up with more than 1,000 dollars. Both had money belts and roping saddles too. Sergeant Bexter also got a money belt and a lot of cash. He was happy with his share. The packhorse was a mare. This now gave us two more teams. I decided to take the two geldings over to Burney because he had the harnesses. We would have him work with the two and then get the wheels off his buckboard and take them to the wheelwright to exchange them for new wheels. Then Burney would have wheels.
We went back to Burney’s with the two new geldings and he helped take the wheels off his buckboard. We took the wheels to the wheelwright and he gave us a new set for 20 dollars. We took them back to Burney and then he tried to put the harnesses on the two geldings. One took harness but the other wouldn’t. We took the gelding that refused the harness back home and brought back a mare that we knew would take harness. Now Burney had a nice team.
We then tried to harness the mare that Sergeant Bexter got and she took it just fine. She must have taken harness before, but the two geldings would not. We forced
harnesses on them and took them out for a ride with our other mare and they started to behave. We worked with both geldings for a month.
That March, the tax sales were held in the county building council room. There were a lot of houses up first and then the farms started to come up. When the Dexter’s farm came up, he was there to bid. He bid the minimum and the banker bid 50 dollars more. I bid 100 dollars and got the farm.
The banker came over to me and asked, “Don’t you have enough farming land yet?”
“No,” I told him. “I want my money out of your bank; you are using depositor’s money to bid on farms and homes.”
A lot of people heard what I said to the banker, and a lot of them ran to the bank and took their money out.
When I went out to the Dexter farm, the banker had broken every window in that house. The doors were busted as well. It looked like he used an axe. I went to the sheriff and he arrested the banker for destroying property. He ended up having to make full repairs to the house, all new windows and doors. Dexter had a lot of hay in the barn, so I got Burney to haul some to Mrs. Pilsner’s for her cow and calf. I also told Burney to haul as much as he needed to his place for his animals.
After the banker fixed everything, he took off with his wagon. A month later, one of the banker’s mules got away and came back to the farm. I had six girls in the house and they told me about the mule. I told them if no one had come after the mule in three weeks’ time, they could go ahead and sell it and split the money between them.
The priest got me a big wagon. It had been out at his farm and I finally went over with a team and brought it home. It was a nice big wagon that we needed for harvesting the wheat. We now had two and seven plows to work with.
We plowed 300 acres at Burney’s and planted oats, 300 acres at the Pilsner’s farm for corn, and 100 acres for potatoes at my place. After that, we plowed over at Wilson’s for winter wheat. Of course, we needed some horses when we were haying and harvesting. It was a lot of work to hay and harvest, but we were getting it done.
They had a corn planter for sale at the local equipment dealer’s. It would plant corn, peas, and beans. We bought it and planted the corn with that next May. Then we harvested the wheat. We needed men to cut and the priest got us six men. The men started cutting and we had the girls raking it in. I had the big wagon and Sergeant Bexter had the other wagon that we loaded up. We had two boys driving the wagons. Sergeant Bexter came over and helped me get a good load on my wagon. I went on top and tried to distribute the wheat so that we could get a nice even load. We took things to the trash machine and Burney came and helped. The priest, a cutter, and the sergeant helped too.
Lieutenant John Holbrook, Sergeant John Wheeler Page 3
