Snake Whips - Boys Use Rattlesnakes For Whips

Bill and Bert Gillette were twin brothers born to my great grandfather A.R. Gillette. From the start, they were onery as can be and there are many stories to that affect. Here are two for your enjoyment.

They lived out south of Dodge on the farm and so, there were many rattlesnakes in those days. These boys liked to chase them down and grab them by the tale and whip them snapping their heads off.

One day, I think it was Bert, missed his timing and the snake came back and bit him and he almost died. Grandma Gillette laid down the law and there were no more snake snapping after that. They probably did it without her knowing. I knew them well and spend a lot of time with them in my childhood. They were godly men and kind and gentle as I recall. I knew Bill best of all as he spent time at my Grandmother Mable Hoofnagles house along with Alice Bradley.

Another time, Bill and Bert were going on a date and had their dates with them in the car. Traveling to Dodge to see a movie, they spied 8 skunks running down a well, They stopped the car and proceeded to climb down in the well and kill the skunks getting sprayed in the process.

In those days, a skunk would be worth as much as $1 for the hide and that was huge money. Probably in the depression or right before. They got back in the car, stinking to high heaven and drove on to town. The went in the show and the audience was going WHO EEEE>>>>WHOEEEE...but they sat through the whole thing and then went home.

Can you imagine their dates. We have never had to suffer like those people did and be hungry so its hard to imagine today.

Egg Money - Mabel Gillette Hoofnagle and Alice Gillette Bradley

Mabel and Alice and the Egg Money

This is a story about Mabel Gillette Hoofnagle and Alice Gillette Bradley, two sisters who grew up south of Dodge City at the turn of the century. By the time I was a boy old enough to remember, they were older of course and Mable was my grandmother on my moms side. She had married Glen Hoofnagle whose real name was Ross as he was adopted by Harvey Hoofnagle when a small child. They lived out by Satanta and the Gillettes by out that way also.

Alice lived in South Dodge which by definition was everything south of the railroad tracks. That was part of the original town and grew mainly due to the cattle herds coming in from that direction and the close proximity to the Arkansas River which was vital to towns back in the early days for water.  Wright Park is down there along the river and we spent many a summer afternoon there with the Bradleys and Weiss and Hoofnagles at picnics.

So Alice like many people, had chickens in her back yard. She had a chicken house and pen and provided eggs to people for extra cash money. Now we are talking 10 ro 15 cents a dozen here back in those days but gasoline was 15 cents a gallon too then.

Alice's house was on a railroad spur line and we used to go over there and play on the railroad cars and get in trouble whenever my grandma took me down there to visit. hah. Just a side note.

So Alice would come to my grandmothers on Saturday and deliver eggs for the week and I was often there as my father, Fred Kirkpatrick, came to Dodge to help Charles Williams with a Friday night meeting he was preaching at. I always spent the night at Mabels as they were so much fun.

So they would sit at the kitchen table and talk and talk and talk and talk. Then it came time to leave and Mabel would ask what she owed. Alice would say,. "Now Mabel, you know that two weeks ago, you didn't have change and gave me a quarter so I owed you 15 cents?" And Mabel would say, "No, Alice, I think you gave me two extra eggs that week so I owe you two more cents for those, too." Alice: "Mabel, eggs are 10 cents a dozen so that's not a penny each." Mabel:" but alice, I know I didn't have a nickel last week and you said it was okay?" Alice: "Yes but Mabel, you gave me some tomatoes three weeks ago and a cucumber last Sunday at church?.

So you get the drift., This would go on and on and on while Grandpa Glen and I would sit in the living room and just giggle at them. ITS one of our favorite family stories about Grandma and Alice.

Early Family History Dodge City Kansas-Trip East

My great grandfather was a full blooded Indian although we don't know of what tribe. We do know from conversations I had with my Grandmother, that he lived in either Arkansas or Louisiana most likely or maybe Missouri. Her Mother, Mrs. A.R. Gillette went on her honey moon to see him. She only met him that one time and the story here relates that to you.

My great grandfather, A.R. Gillette told his children that being of Indian descent back in those days was not something you wanted to be known for. They had lived in town until one day some marauding Indians came into town and killed everyone but them. From that day on, they were blackballed from living with the whites so always lived in the country. A.R. Gillette, the son, came west to homestead land south of Dodge City, Kansas. Doing so helped him escape many of the prejudices found in the east and also gave him a chance to have his own farm for free.

They went to visit the old man the one time and Grandmother Gillette related that he sat around on the cabin porch a lot in a blanket and never said a word to her. Some Indians came into the yard several times to raid and all he had to do was stand up and look at them and they would leave. He must have been known among the tribes there.

She also said that the mother was nowhere to be found and no mention was ever made of her again. She was probably white or of white descent and I assume that the name Gillette came from her as its not an Indian name. She may have been from Lousianna also but no one seems to have known and back in those days, no one asked either. Too bad.

They settled on a farm south of Dodge City, Kansas and raised a large family. Names associated with that family are Gillette, Bradley, Hoofnagle, Kirkpatrick, Weiss, Burnett, Klack, Thomas and others.

If you would like more info on Dodge City please feel free to ask.

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