Reminicences: Jack Bentley (1896-1969)

Trip to Nebraska I was playing baseball with the Philadelphia National League team in 1926. my roommate that year was a man named Clarence Mitchell, one of the best fellows I ever knew. He was born in Nebraska and was part Indian, he kept telling me about the hunting trip in Nebraska and wanted to come out and visit him after the baseball season was over. Mitch had a cousin named Ross Hager, he had the homesteaded near the famous town of Hyanis, a small place but the richest town per capita in the world, there was a widow and daughter named Devers who owned a five thousand acre ranch near where Ross had settled and they asked him to help out on roundups, finnaly they made him foreman of their ranch. Ross fell in love with Miss Devers but couldnt ask to marry her because he had nothing and she was wealthy. on one day after an all day ride together and as they approached the last gate before reaching home neither one would get out and open the gate and they sat there and argured about who was going to give them in first Miss Hager said, Ross, if we are going to argue the rest of our lives we might as well get married and so the were wed. I drove out to Nebraska in October, the country got more and more sparsley settled and I stopped and called Mitch when I was about a hundred miles from his home in Franklyn, sure enough within an hour there he was waiting for me in the road and I was glad to see him too. We got into Franklyn and they had gotten up a dinner to welcome me to their town, they had a very special dish for me, catfish, it was a treat to them as they were far from any water to get fish from. There were thirty men there and the dinner was great.

Mrs. Mitchell made me feel right at home and we spent a couple of days with her and started up into sand hill country, on our way to North Platte we passed through a thousand acres of alfalfa fields and thousands of stacks, spending the night in North Platte we turned off into a field anf from then on we traveled most of the day along cattle trails and I hadnt seen a town or a house until noon and then a store and resurant with with one or two other buildings came in sight, we stopped for lunch, nothing but steak and two girls to wait on tables with short dresses on and two cowboys were the only people we saw while there. We arrived at Hyannis about four oclock and and Ross Hager was waiting there for us and we drove out to to his home ranch, we stopped at the coral and side bawling for thir oftspring, such a noise you never heard, they were giving the calves shots and other treatments. The foreman walked up to the car and when we were introduced he greeted Mitch who he knew of course and favored me with a nod, then he said Ross one of the damned calves got caught in the fence and I had to kill him, as he walked away, Ross said, he just watned to have some fresh veal. The foreman was handsome and he wore a cow hide coat with the hair still on the outside, well cut too and black

and white. The bell rang for dinner and in we went, the cowboys and Mitch and I sat on either side and the Hagers on each end, we had duck, wil duck and only the breast, they threww away the rest, such a fine meal and as we were eating and during an absolute silence one of the cowboys looked down at me and said, "what do you think of this country"? Well I replied, if I had seen a straw stack I would have stopped and set fire to it and started to wave a hankerchief. Mitch had warned me that they would give me a hard time, you will have to get hurt before they will accept you. I had tried to prepare myself to say the right thing and this was a good start because they knew what I meant, the country was too big for me or I was too small for it. In another silence the foreman said "kin you ride a hoss"? Well I reckon the folks back in Maryland figure the best in the state". This made them gulp, they had me now for sure and so I let that sink in and then I said I did all my riding on a merry go round. I knew that when they have a horse ride the next day I might not get a really bad one and they did just that, about five oclock Ross threww in some chaps and a sombreyo, we had a good breakfast and went to the coral they roped a white horse for me and we saddled up. My horse bucked a bit but it didnt bother me as I had ridden all my life and then they saw I had tricked them, the foreman came over to me and said

GRAHAM, ANDERSON, PROBST & WHITE INCORPORATED ARCHITECTS - ENGINEERS RAILWAY EXCHANGE, CHICAGO 4 MARVIN G. PROBST EDWARD E. PROBST evening at home when some friends came unexpectedly to dinner, his mother told him to ride to town and get some meat, as he went to the stable to get his horse a flock of Prairie Chickens flew low over the house and three birds fell in his yard after hitting the wires, he just chopped off their heads and took them into the kitchen for supper. Mitch had five beautiful greyhounds and we went hunting several times before I left, he had a crate built on the back and a trap door at the back with a cord up to the front seat, when the dogs or we saw a coyote he would pull the chord and away they would go. These dogs would watch for a coyote every second and they could spot them away off and as soon as or sooner than we could. The greyhound cannot scent and so they could only follow the coyote as long as they could see them. We flushed one not noo far from the car and away they went, there was an arroyo which is a dry wash and there are many of these in the sand-hills, the coyote sliped down the bank, but the but the dogs jumped out into space, they fell in a bunch and the coyote got away, other times we would be near a patch of corn stalks and again the dogs would lose sight of thie quarry and come back. However we caught several and it was good sport, Mitch had caught some fifty the winter before and he got a good bounty for them. it was a great visit with a great man and I always will remember it with a lot of pleasure.

Graham, Anderson, Probst & White Architects - Engineers Railway Exchange, Chicago 4

Marvin G. Probst Edward E. Probst

Nebraska I was playing baseball for the Philidelphia ball club in 1926. My roomate's name was Clarence Mitchell, he was one of the best fellows I ever knew. He was born in Nebraska & was part Indian. During the year, Mitch kept talking about my coming out to visit with him in the fall & hunt. Mitch had a cousin named Ross Hager - he home steaded near Hyannis which was the center of a rich cattle country & was the richest town per capita in the world. There was a Mrs. Devers & daughter owning a ranch of 5000 acres near Ross Hagers homestead & during round up time Ross worked for them. He finally was made foreman of the ranch and did well. Mitch said we were invited to go up there a [?]. Ross had fallen in love with Miss Devers & yet he could not tell her as she was wealthy & he didn't have any thing. After several years they had been out looking for cattle all day & stopped at a wire gate. They sat and argued about who would open the gate - finally Miss Devers said, Ross if we are going to argue all the time we might as well get married, & so they were wed.

I started out in October & drove it by myself - the country became more & more sparsely settled and I stopped & called Mitch when I was about a hundred miles from Franklyn - sure enough I met him half way in & we were sure glad to see each other. No sooner than I made town than we went to a dinner in my honor. Cat fish was a great treat & that [with?] are wonderful lot of food made up a fine welcome. We were made at home with Mrs. Mitchell & in a day or two we took off to Hyannis. Mitch had the back of his Chevy fixed with a crate & in it were five big noble dogs - half Irish Wolfe hounds & half Greyhound, these were to run [Coyotes?]. On the way up to North Platte we went through thousands of acres of alfalfa [land?] with thousands of stacks in unending array. We spent the night at North Platte & then took of into the sand hill county for all day we rode in cow paths & came to one town & there we had a steak lunch, real cowboys & two waitresses with short skirts. We hit Hyannis at 4 PM & Ross met us to lead us out to his ranch. When we arrived there were five hundred calves in the corral & five hundred mothers on the outside & everyone bawling they were branding & dehorning the calves. The fore man walked up to the car & hollered howdy. He said to Ross, "one of those damned calves got caught in the fence & we had to kill him. Ross said they just wanted some fresh meat. This foreman was wearing a horse hair coat with the hair left on. He was as 1997.0005.0445