Ecce and Velma Bradfute, 1942

Told by Roland Bradfute, 1999 –

When we were growing up, we always had numerous arrow heads and Indian relics, even though it had been quite some time since the Indians had roamed the area. I remember very little about where they came from or where my older brothers got them, but evidently they were plentiful on the place where we lived in Bee County, Texas, about two miles from Olmos. I remember Dad telling of one time, when plowing on what we called the Green Place, he plowed through a cache of arrow heads and Indian relics, evidently placed there in a hole the ground. I am sure when they were placed there it was properly marked but was forgotten over the years. This would have been in about 1932 or '33.

In the mid '40's we were living at Clareville in Bee County, Texas. I often went to visit cousins at Calallen, Texas. My cousins were Luther and Mae O'Neal and family. L.B. and I were about the same age and Nolan (Brother) was just older than us. A draw came through a field joining their place. We could walk up the draw and fill our pockets with arrow heads and Indian relics. After the next rain we could do the same thing. The State Highway Department has a yard right where their house stood and the draw ran north from there. I always assumed an Indian camp ground must have been in that area.

In 1937 or '38 (I think it was '38), we were living near Banquette, Texas, on the Knight Place. The place belonged to a Dr. Knight. Dad farmed it on third and fourths. I am sure any farmer c tell you what that means. I never really did understand it. Anyway, that must have been a good crop year. I was only six or seven years old. Until then, Mom had always cooked on a wood stove, washed clothes on a rub board, and used an ice box instead of a refrigerator. We had no electricity. We did have an old car. I don't recall what it was. But that year, Dad got Mom a kerosene cook stove, a kerosene refrigerator, and a gasoline Maytag washing machine with a kick start; he sold the mules and bought an old Farmall Regular tractor. We also got a wind charger that year and put a light up in the living room and got a radio. We played the radio with the wind charger. We traded cars and got a Chevrolet (I think it was a 1937 model). That car ran good but, on more than one occasion, it blew the top out of a piston. Dad traded that car, I think in 1939, and got a '38 Chevrolet.We had moved to the Watson Place at Banquette, Texas, and in 1939 Dad traded the Farmall Regular tractor for an Oliver 80. The Farmall had a draw bar all the way across the back of the tractor. The Oliver 80 draw bar just stuck straight out from under the differential. Dad was driving the tractor pulling a stalk cutter and pulling a tandem disc behind it. The stalk cutter made of a 10" pipe filled with concrete and five blades on it; approximate weight, 1400 pounds.

My brother Gene (Eugene) and I were riding our horse, "Old Dick", behind the tractor just back and forth following Dad. Gene was 10 years old and wanted to learn to drive the tractor so Dad let him drive and Dad stood on the draw bar. When they neared the end, Dad told Gene, "Let me turn it here at the end." Dad thought Gene would remain in the seat but instead Gene jumped out of the seat, thinking of the old tractor with the draw bar all the way across, and stepped back for it but fell in front of the stalk cutter; it and the disc went over Gene. I was screaming. By the time Dad stopped the tractor, the back disc was on top of Gene. Dad started to pull it off of Gene but in the excitement he put it in reverse and backed the front disc over Gene. Dad jumped off the tractor then picked the disc up with one hand and pulled Gene out with the other hand then told me to stay with Gene.

We were about a half a mile from the house. Dad got on Old Dick and whipped him every step to the house to get the car. Warner saw Dad and wondered what was wrong. Dad jumped into the car and told Warner, "I ran over Gene with the stalk cutter and disc!" He went back down in the field to get Gene. Mom heard him and thought he was going to town. She came out of the house chasing Dad and putting on her dress. While I was there alone with Gene I kept saying, "Gene", just to see if he was alive. When he answered me I would say, "Oh, nothing." I did that repeatedly. Finally, Gene said, "I wish you would shut up." Dad took him to Robstown to the hospital. Gene only had a cut on his forehead and nub broken on his tailbone. They treated and released Gene but kept Dad overnight, treating him for shock.