Christmas Letter from Edgar Hudgins (Emperor) to Henry O. Partin

December 25, 2009

One of my favorite Brahman stories is this letter that was written in 1946 by Edgar Hudgins. The letter was written to cattleman Henry O. Partin in 1946 after Edgar leased the famous Partin bull “Emperor.” After his unbeaten show career, Emperor lived on the JDH ranch for six months and was bred to many top 2-year-old-heifers. In the words of Cher, if I could turn back time….oh how I would have loved to been able to drive the short drive from my house over to the JDH ranch and see this great bull in person. Or to be there when they loaded King of Kaplan on the trailer and to have seen Emperor bow up when this other bull got on the trailer. Or most of all, be there when they first stepped him off the trailer after a long drive and saw him buck and play when he got in those beautiful Texas pastures….

emperor 200
Emperor, Famous Brahman Bull

Hope you enjoy as much as I do….

December 25, 1946

Mr. Henry O. Partin
Kissimmee, Florida

My Dear Old Timer:
This being Christmas day, I have taken a few minutes off and will tell you something of my stay in Texas up until now. Today’s dinner will be something special for you and all of the Partins but with me it is Christmas dinner all of the time. My wives and I are doing fine and I have gained over 200 pounds since I got here.

Boy, was I upset when a red truck, driven by a big slow moving fellow, loaded me off of my island and drove away. I thought that my old friend has treated me mighty bad and thrown me away. I thought that he had forgotten all of the good times that we had had together. The times like when we won the big Florida Brahman shows and all eyes were on me and how you smiled and slid your hat back on your head a little and went walking around on air.

Well we rode for two days and stopped once and picked up an old bull named King of Kaplan. They all said that he was my uncle. I would have gone to the mat with him when they first put him in the truck but the old slow moving fellow had a steel gate between us and we couldn’t get together. I gave him a good cussin tho and watched him all the way to Texas.

We finally got to a little stop on the highway and the old slow moving fellow got out and told his wife that we were home. It was a little before dark and in a few minutes there was a crowd of folks around. I felt a little better then they started saying so many nice things about me, but I kept looking for a Partin and thinking about my island. I worried so much on my trip over that I did not eat or drink very much. You know how you feel when you get away from Florida and start thinking about home.

They finally got around to getting me out of the truck and I was sure glad to stretch my legs and feel the ground again, but it wasn’t Florida ground. They didn’t give me much to eat that night but the next morning I got some real food and have been doing fine ever since.

About noon of that same day, they opened a door and, old friend, I knew right about then you had not let me down. There were six of the most beautiful cows eating grass about a hundred yards away athat I most ever saw. Boy, them women were fat. I didn’t walk, I trotted over to get acquainted with them. At first, they were bashful and a little scared of me but I knew that would be only for a few days. Well, to make a long story short, I married all six of them in less time than three weeks. These women, I learned later, had all kinds of show records and I know that you will be proud of my sons and daughters.

After I had been in Texas about a month, and about to forget my island, they put me with fifty heifers that were a sight for sore eyes. These young gals wouldn’t let me get close to them at all for a while. They were scared to death of a man. I later learned they had never been with any men before and such a proud fellow as me would naturally scare them. Well since that day I was out, I have married quite a number of them. I have been so busy I have forgot the number. I have also forgiven you for sending me away from my island. I hear that I will be going back to Florida in the spring, and naturally I will be glad but if I could have my wish I would be two bulls – one of me in Florida and the other in Texas.

I get a kick out of cussing a whole herd of big Brahman bulls that are close by. Since there is a double fence between us, I call them all kinds of low down names and threaten their lives. I get my horns all muddy by hooking in the dirt and I walk the fence and cuss them some more and all of the time my wives are eyeing me proudly. Those bulls don’t know it, but I would run like the very devil if that crew could get to me.

I better get back to my wives, but I want to wish you a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year and tell you that I have forgotten all of the bad things that I thought about you when you sent me away.

EMPEROR

Source: American Brahman book by Joe Ackerman. Pages 120-121.

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