Old West Words and Phrases

[Delmonico]

My turn: 

bite

DuPont

ripper

needle gun

stand

stinker

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

needle gun - what they called the first version of the Trapdoor Springfield, which was in .50-70 caliber.

stand - could be any number of things, but most likely it is what the buff hunters did when they "took a stand".  They would stalk within range of a group of buffalo and set up with crossed sticks, etc., shoot the most likely leader of the group, and then shoot as many of the others as they could before the buffs stampeded or the hunters ran out of ammo.

DuPont - black powder?

[Delmonico]

Yup, yer pretty good there.

The called it a needle gun cause it had such a long firin' pin. 

stand it good, ya guessed buff hunters is the theme here.

DuPont kinda becane a generic name fer gunpowder, it was all blackpowder and they didn't call it blackpowder til poudre blanc (french term) came out in the 1880's.

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

stinker - what the buff hunters called new guys on the range who were hired to do the skinning.

[Delmonico]

never heard that before, but it could be true?  The poem/song "Range of the Buffalo mentions skinning an ol stinker.  Have seen that term elswhere a time or two.  Since the bulls were worth more per hide in the Souther Hunt and durin' the rut the bull liked ta urinate (don't tell Slim I didn't say pee. ) in a wallow and roll in it, I would bet they would be a stinker.

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

My "stinker" source is Cowboy Lingo, by Ramon F. Adams.

[Delmonico]

Ya know which poem/song I mean don't ya?  I got the words around here.  R.W. Hampton sings it on a CD thats on the player at work, a local fella sometimes sings it around here.

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Might this be the one you are thinkin' of?  Now here's a question for you.  If the wallow is dry, how's a poor old bull gonna find mud to roll in 'less he pees in the dry dirt?  Guess he just might smell la bit strong after a while.  Got a billy goat that likes to pee on hisself and he gets pretty rank pretty quick. 

The Buffalo Skinners

'Twas in the town of Jacksboro, in the spring of seventy-three
A man by the name of Crego came stepping up to me,
Saying "How do you do, young fellow, and how would you like to go
And spend one summer pleasantly on the range of the buffalo?"

It's me being out of employment, this to Crego I did say,
"This going out on the buffalo range depends upon the pay.
But if you will pay good wages, and transportation to and fro
I think, Sir, I will go with you to the range of the buffalo."

"Yes I will pay good wages, give transportation too
Provided you will go with me and stay the summer through;
But if you should grow homesick, come back to Jacksboro
I won't pay transportation from the range of the buffalo."

It's now our outfit was complete, seven able-bodied men,
With navy six and needle gun, our troubles did begin;
Our way it was a pleasant one, the route we had to go
Until we crossed Pease River, on the range of the buffalo.

It's now we've crossed Pease River, our troubles have begun,
The first damned tail I went to rip, Christ! how I cut my thumb!
While skinning the damned old stinkers, our lives they had no show
For the Indians watched to pick us off while skinning the buffalo.

He fed us on such sorry chuck, I wished myself most dead
It was old jerked beef, croton coffee and sour bread.
Pease River's as salty as hell fire, the water I never could go
O God! I wished I had never come to the the range of the buffalo.

Our meat it was buffalo hump and iron wedge bread
And all we had to sleep on was a buffalo robe for a bed.
The fleas and gray-backs worked on us, O boys, it was not slow
I tell you there's no worse hell on earth than the the range of the buffalo.

Our hearts were cased with buffalo hocks, our souls were cased with steel,
And the hardships of that summer would nearly make us reel;
While skinning the damned old stinkers, our lives they had no show
For the Indians watched to pick us off on the hills of Mexico.

The season being near over,  old Crego he did say
The crowd had been extravagant, was in debt to him that day;
We coaxed him and we begged him, and still it was no go,
So we left old Crego's bones to bleach on the range of the buffalo.

Oh, it's now we've crossed Pease River, and homeward we are bound,
No more in that hell-fired country shall ever we be found.
Go home to our wives and sweethearts, tell others not to go
For God's forsaken the buffalo range, and the damned old buffalo.

From Lomax, Cowboy Songs

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

ripper = skinning knife?

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Goner

Gone up the flume

Here's how!

Shove the queer

[Delmonico]

That's it, although 73 is a bit early to be in Jacksboro, 73 they were still workin' and sellin' round Dodge City. 

The ripper is a straighter bladen knife used ta split the skin on the belly and legs.  The curved bladed skinner is used ta seperate the hide from the beast.  A skinner/hunter carried a sheath or three sheaths on the side. The steel is in back, the curved bladed skinner is next and the ripper first, edge forward.  That way when in the saloon of some soldier or cowboy makes a crack bout the smell, ya pull it and Rip his belly. 

By the way the skinner ussually made 25 cents a hide and did 25-50 a day.  Do the math, better than 20 dollars a month fer an 1870's cowboy or $13 dollars a month fer a Privite or $21 fer a Seargent.

A goner is bout dead

gone up the flume is wasted

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Pretty good, Del.

Goner ~ lost, dead.

Gone up the flume ~ same as goner!


Don't ferget these.

Here's how!

Shove the queer

[Delmonico]

I'm still thinkin'  bout those.

Yoa ain't got bite yet, very important if ya go huntin' the Southern Herd, might wish ya had it fer a couple a days.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Mudsill ~ low-life, thoroughly disreputable person.
Odd stick ~ eccentric person. "Ol' Farmer Jones sure is an odd stick."
Get it in the neck ~ get cheated, misled, bamboozled.

What I'm still tryin' to figger out is if Slim is a Mudsill or an Odd Stick, cuz ever time I have dealins with him I think I get it in the neck .

I am more of an odd stick (also odd duck) than a mudsill. 

Slim

[Silver Creek Slim]

Shove the queer

pass funny money

Slim

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Shove the queer

pass funny money

Slim

Nuthin' funny 'bout that answer. 

Shove the queer ~ to pass counterfeit money.

[Russ T Chambers]

Here's how!  - Like "over the lips, between the gums, look out stomach, here it comes"?  A toast.  ( not the bread kind)

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

I'm still thinkin'  bout those.

Yoa ain't got bite yet, very important if ya go huntin' the Southern Herd, might wish ya had it fer a couple a days.

"And then McRae explained the poison vial or tube, which he invented and which became common with runners on all ranges. One day he came upon the body of a teamster, who had been stripped, scalped while alive, his privates cut off and stuck into his mouth and fastened there with a sinew cord. Fat pine splinters had been stuck into his flesh from ankles to chin until he resembled a hedgehog. These were ignited at his feet, causing an upward slow flame which literally roasted him alive. His body had been fastened to a dead tree trunk with his own chains.

"No Indian will scalp a dead man," McRae explained. "And wouldn't you rather have a quick painless death from poison than a tortured lingering death like that teamster? Always carry this," handing me a device made by sticking a .40 caliber shell inside a .45 caliber. I took them apart. Inside the .40 caliber shell was a very thin glass tube, like a test tube, filled with a whitish powder.

"Hydrocyanic acid," McRae explained. "If Indians seem fit to capture you, bite hard on the tube. It's sure medicine against scalping and torture."

Thereafter I carried my tube religiously. I never had to "bite the white," as we used to put it, but I know of two instances of runners who did. Their bodies had not been mutilated or even scalped after death.

                                                      from Frank Mayer's The Buffalo Harvest

[Delmonico]

Never leave home with out it, I got's a 45-70 case on a thong round ma neck when ever I leave home and it's got white powder in it.   

I used mine a time er twoo.  But's I carry Benadryl in mine, good fer "lergic's.

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Here's how!  - Like "over the lips, between the gums, look out stomach, here it comes"?  A toast.  ( not the bread kind)

Reckon it could be toasted "Rye" bread?

Russ T can chalk up another win.