"Catch 'em Alive Jack": The Life and Adventures of an American Pioneer

by John R. Abernathy, Kermit Roosevelt (Introduction), Jon T. Coleman (Foreword)

Best known for catching wolves alive with his bare hands, John R. Abernathy (1876–1941) was born to Scottish ancestors in Texas. Raised in the burgeoning railroad town of Sweetwater, Abernathy considered himself a true son of the Wild West. In his amazing life he worked as a U.S. marshal, sheriff, Secret Service agent, and wildcat oil driller. But it was the accidental discovery of a bold means of catching wolves alive that made Abernathy famous and drew the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt. By forcing his hand deep enough into a wolf's mouth, he could stun the creature long enough to capture it, a service for which he was paid fifty dollars by eager ranchers.

 

This Bison Books edition brings Abernathy's vivid account of his life into print for the first time since its original publication in 1936.

215 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1935

Reviews

[Lindsey Albers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some amazing stories! However, I do dock a star because the flow of the book can be somewhat confusing. Mr. Abernathy certainly had an interesting life and it was neat to hear of his adventures with Teddy Roosevelt. But to have an entire chapter dedicated to falling in love and the lengths he went to in order to marry her and then only mention the woman two times later in the book seems very disjointed.

I do think these are worthy stories to hear about that time in our nation’s history (although I wonder which parts have been embellished). Readers should understand that this is not a novel with a storyline. Rather it is a collection of stories from his life, sometimes in chronological order and sometimes thrown in as an afterthought. A worthy read for sure, even if not five star worthy.

The book about his sons, Bud and Me, is a five star read and I highly recommend it!

[Joshua Horn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to my kids and we all enjoyed it. Abernathy was quite a man - he caught countless wolves barehanded in a way that no one has been able to do - before or since. And that's just the beginning of the exciting stories in this book. He is a working cowboy at a very young age, teaches himself to read off of tobacco packaging (IIRC), barely escapes death several times, arrests dangerous outlaws as US Marshall, becomes a good friend of Theodore Roosevelt. This is like if Ralph Moody of Little Britches was a bit worse of a writer, but led an even more interesting life.

The book is a little too disorganized, and sometimes ventures into minutia (like exactly who was on a hunting trip) that is meaningless for the general reader. But this can be easily excused in an autobiography of a remarkable man.

[Kkhunt5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this autobiography even though some of the events were likely exaggerated. Jack Abernathy was quite a character: wolf catcher, bronc rider, Marshall, oil wildcatter, and even secret agent. He made friends with people in high places such as Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Edison. Even his children were interesting characters and rode horses from Oklahoma to Washington D.C. at ages 9 and 5. I especially enjoyed mentions of many places in Texas and Southwest Oklahoma that I am familiar with. The author refers to Al Bivins from Amarillo, who was a brother to Lee Bivins. I was also familiar with the Abernathy family in Southwest Oklahoma, and they likely were related to the author.

[Nancy Noble · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was great fun to read - I read it to my husband, and we really enjoyed the adventures of Jack Abernathy, although we found them incredible and a bit overwhelming at times ("really????"). Still it was an interesting view of a unique time and period of American history, the whole manliness of Teddy Roosevelt and his rough riders, where a man who caught wolves would thrive (Jack wouldn't do as well in these more modern times, when the ASPCA would be picketing Jack's front door).

[Stowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating true-life tale of an era never to return.