October Star

8/11/2019 October Star

1/24

North Texas StarOctober 2014

The Legacy ofLawrence Sullivan (Sul) Ross

Chasing Our Tales

SMITH FAMILY

The trial of Satanta and Big Tree Outdoors Along the Brazos


2/24

October 2014 NORTH TEXAS STAR Page 2

MEMBER FDIC

940-327-5400 | ffin.com

YOU FIRST

#1 BANK IN THE NATION

#1 CUSTOMERS IN TEXAS.

-Bank Director Magazine

-Us

At First Financial, were proud to be recognized by our peers for outstanding

financial performance. But were most proud of the fact that it wouldnt be

possible without having outstanding customers. Thank you for allowing us

to put you first.

O b 2014 NORTHTEXAS STAR P 3


3/24


ADVERTISING

Mary Jo Watson(940) 229-9941

[email protected]

CIRCULATION

[email protected]

PUBLISHER

Jeff [email protected]

GENERAL MANAGER/EDITOR

David May

[email protected]

LAYOUT & DESIGN

Lindsay [email protected]

CALL

940-325-4465

ONLINE

www.mineralwellsindex.com

North Texas Star

4OUTDOORS ALONG THE BRAZOSFreedom Means Crossing the BridgeBy Don Price

20

8CHASING OUR TALESSmith FamilyBy Sue Seibert

16H.H. MCCONNELLThe trial of Satanta and Big Tree

12By Jim Dillard

By Wynnell Catlin

THE LEGACY OF LAWRENCESULLIVAN (SUL) ROSS (part 3)

STORIES & SNIPPETS

October 2014 NORTHTEXAS STAR Page 4


4/24


Outdoors Along the BrazosBy DON PRICEFreedom Means Crossing the Bridge

To those of you who want to flee the hullabaloothis fall, to those of you who have second thoughtsabout the terrific spiels of telemarketers, and to thoseof you who would like to check the needle of yourown compass, perhaps a sojourn in a canoe down thissection of the Upper-Middle Brazos would berefreshing.

Surely there's more to the lifestyle of quality andhappiness than making excessive dollars with whichto purchase bric-a-brac and going in debt over your

head or, worse, dying before you allotted time.You must cross over the bridge to escape, to leave

the marketplace before you can spot the shady poolbelow Flint Bend. Flint Bend was named for JackFlint, son-in-law of Oliver Loving, a lot of historyhere near the mouth of Loving Creek (The KimberlinRanch).

Cross over the bridge but leave your chattelsbehind if only to clear your mind.

You may pinch yourself now because you're notdreaming. You've done it! You've got yourself nowbecause you're not dreaming. You've done i t! You've

got yourself sacked out this very moment on a gravel

bar in Fortune Bend's serenity for the deepest sleep ofyour life. It's only a couple of bends down river.

Next morning's misty coolness will bring forth thevigor of someone much younger, not drowsinessupon awakening, a numbness which seems to shackleone's soul in town. Black river coffee in an old tinbucket never tasted better!

Countless times you've maneuvered your carthrough pockets in city traffic only to find someoneelse has beaten you to your own personal niche, your

parking spot.Then you insert your key in the door of your shop

to unlock it for the day's business, grab a broom andopen the cash register to count coins and up pulls an18-wheeler full of merchandise you badly needbecause you've already promised your customers andno one else has shown up for work and you've got thewhole thing all by yourself. Plus the phone is ringingoff the wall.

Checking an invoice on a large shipment of freightis not easy when a customer is standing between youand the merchandise you're checking (why doesn't he

move over a tad?). All this guy wants to talk about is

small-town politics; he's looking at you askance,wondering what the problem is, wondering why youare quietly pulling your hair out.

This customer has nothing better to do than standaround and take up what little time you have by rant-ing on-and-on about town government. He's an experton everything, but he's never been across the bridge,the bridge I mentioned earlier, the bridge you mustcross before you can bask in the shady pool belowFlint Bend.

I'll bet good money the town's politico doesn'tknow a red fox from a gray fox, a channel cat form ablue cat, a redbreast bream from a redear. It doesn'tmatter because he'll never cross over the bridge any-way; he thinks you're crazy, a ne'er-do-well, whenyou get a hankering yourself to cross over the bridge.

The most difficult thing to do is to slow downwhen you cross the bridge: You won't need a wrist-watch. Wonderful.

Pocks of limestone here, the Brazos seemingly age-less, not fizzling out of style tomorrow as CalvinKlein. On down river the limestone bluffs change to

sandstone. A wind picks up and the cottonwoods rat-

Continued on page 6



5/24




6/24


Judy Myers, O.D.

Dwayne Roberts, M.D.David Hendricks, M.D.

Unni Nair, M.D.

Medical & Surgical

Eye CareIncluding Cataract Evaluations and Surgery, Pediatric Eye

Care, Glaucoma and other Ocular Diseases, Routine Eye

Exams, Contact Lens Exams

Schedule an appointment today.

Call 817-594-9500804 Santa Fe

Weatherford, TX 76086www.fortworth2020.com

tle, at least you pray it's the cottonwoods' rattling you hear as you stand very still in adraw of pokeweed, so dense you can't see the loamy floor.

This will cause a mild rush of adrenalin but is not serious normally; it will besomething to remember perhaps fifty years later, to chuckle about amongst your bestfriends.

I'll never forget my first float trip as long as I live. My partner was Ft. Wolter'sCivil Service employee James "Jim" Foley. It was 1956 and there was no flow in theriver channel. You simply dragged your boat from pot hole to pot hole. The poor little12-foot AlumaCraft boat was paper thin when we got to Rochelle's. Then the rainscame (did they!) in 1957 and Los Brazos de Dios was bank-to-bank all the way.

That's when John Graves, "Goodbye to a River," floated, in 1957 when the droughtbroke. John only had one passenger (his little dog) in his canoe. He had a paddle, nomotor. For gosh sakes, he didn't need one.

What excites newcomers doesn't seem to faze the rivermen, the countrymen of oldwho were born on the Brazos. In old Snoddy's Cafe, in Brad, the cutters who weregood, highly skilled with a 3-pound Kelly, didn't hear you when you slurred louderthan the background din about your latest long-as-your-arm channel cat you yankedout of Seaman Hole.

What I'm fixing to tell you, you just won't believe. I really just wanted to impress

hunter-trapper-fisherman Joe Taylor and his Palo Pinto bunch so bad I couldn't seestraight, but they wouldn't even acknowledge me, didn't even bother to learn myname.

You only had to increase the SIZE of your fish to get their attention. Snoddy's Cafewas busy, all counter stools taken, a lot of guys in for coffee and pie after a day'swork. A nickelodeon was playing, something unusual for Snoddy's, and so you wereconcerned a little with the din.

You had just slowly worked yourself around to the center where even the hard-of-hearing fishermen could hear you. And maybe you had to shout just to be sure theyheard you good and loud.

"It must have been 20 feet deep or more to start with!" I yelled. The juke box keptplaying but I was louder.

"Square Rock Hole went almost dry while I was there. I couldn't believe it. I had toput the big yeller back in that was in my boat in order to have enough water to floatme back to the bank."

Somebody doubted my story, I could tell, but he was asking for it when he got tothe length. "How long was it, reckon?"

"Longer than I am tall." Then I mentioned Moby Dick, well, sort of.The juke box seemed to cough, then died a natural death all by itself apparently.One trapper, who was wearing a red shirt and who was as good as any I'd ever seen

making cedar chips fly with a 3-pound Kelly, was the first man to leave. He neversaid a word. He didn't look mad. He just got up and left.

Then the levee just seemed to break all at once. It couldn't have been much overfive minutes. Even their pickup trucks were gone from the gas pumps.

Only two were left, me and the waitress.So I asked, "What happened?"The waitress replied, "Hon, you over-did it."

Continued from page 4



7/24




8/24

g

Chasing Our TalesSmith FamilyBy SUE SEIBERT

Ireceived a query, and because there are soextremely many Smith families both in our areaand all around the English-speaking world, I

thought I would look into it.It reminded me that when our youngest daughter

was about to marry, she told us the young mans namewas Smith, and he was from Graham, Texas, but, she

said, They arent related to any of the other Smithsin Graham.

To me that was quite startling but, you mustremember, I grew up with the name Ficke, and I mar-ried a Seibert. We are, and were, the only ones in thecounty, let alone in the town!

So here goes:My name is Jennifer (Harmon) Barton. I was won-

dering if you could help me in any way. I amresearching my husbands family. One of his grandfa-thers is a total mystery. We have numerous cousinssearching for this man. His name is James Morgan

Horton Smith. His wife's name is Sarah Emma TannerSmith. The first we know of them is in Hill county.James was born about 1850. There are conflictingbirth places on census records, including Tennessee,Arkansas and even Texas. The last we know of him,he was living with his son, Homer in Palo PintoCounty. In the 1909 or 1910 Mineral Wells directoryit lists James M. H. Smith and S. Emma Smith. Jamesis listed as an engineer. It is said he died in MineralWells but no record have I been able to find. I realizeit is a ton of work to research (I have been workingfor years on this family). I was just wondering

if that family, by chance, came up in any ofyour Palo Pinto research? We have goodreason to believe that he is at leasthalf Native decent due to his sonsdraft card. We are still researchingthis. Thanks for any help you maybe able to offer. Advice welcomeas well. Thanks :-) [email protected].

I responded that I had found aJohn Henry Tanner who was born

in Mineral Wells (no date) married a Bertie Irene Bassin Athens, Texas, and they had one child, in Athens,named Sarah. This was a part of the KilloughGenealogy which included Clyde Mainer born inMineral Wells along with a Grace Hortense Mainerwho died in Mineral Wells, and a Melissa AnnKillough born in Mineral Wells. However, there were

no dates of birth, marriage or death listed.She responded with the following:Emma May Smith Barton B: July 30, 1893 Ellis

County Texas.Daughter of James William Smith B: Jan. 28, 1874

Hill County, Texas married Martha "Mattie" AnnHelms on Sep 1, 1893 Hill Co TX.

Son of James Morgan Horton Smith was bornsomewhere in the 1850s: Mississippi, Tennessee,Arkansas or Texas and married Sarah Emma Tanner.

Known Children of James MH Smith and SarahEmma Tanner are:

All born (supposedly) in Hill County Texas James William Smith, Spouse MarthaWalter Elwood Smith, Spouse Emma Josephine

HelmSarah Edna Smith, Spouse William Julius Tanner

(Henderson County)John Henry Smith, Spouse Nellie TrippHomer Lee Smith Relatives say he died in

California. I have not found any death records as ofyet.

Sarah Edna's spouse is where Tannerfamily gets kind of confus-

ing. There is no relation that Ihave found.

We have the Smith fami-ly in Palo Pinto County,Jack County, HendersonCounty, and Jim WellsCounty (Where Johnpassed).

In the 1920 MineralWells, Palo PintoCounty Census we

have as follows:Homer Smith 33Mattie Smith 30Chas P. Smith 13Herns C. Smith 8JC Smith 4James Smith 71 (B: TN)

Emma Smith 63 (James Wife Sarah Emma Tanner)TC Ensey (Homer's father-in-law) 69I don't have the whereabouts in the 1910 census but

in 1900 they were in Jack County:James H. Smith B: May 1850Emma 44John H. 18Homer L. 14So what can we do to assist Jennifer Barton in find-

ing her Smith family in Palo Pinto and Jack counties?I discovered that Sarah was born in 1856 and was

living in Hill County by the age of four. One sources

states that her husbands whole name was JamesMorgan Cesar Horton Smith. My goodness, I supposethey wanted him to stand out from all the otherSmiths in the area.

Sarah married James in 1871, and by 1880 theywere supposedly living in Austin, Travis County,Texas, but by 1900 they were living in Jack County,Texas, and by 1909 they were listed in a city directoryin Mineral Wells where they lived through 1920 whenshe was sixty-four. She died and is buried in HillCounty, Texas.

One source states their children were Alfred, Robert

C., James William, Sarah Edna, Walter Elwood, Johnor Joh Henry, Homer Lee, Ollie, Henry, Rosa, andMattie.

James Smith was perhaps born in 1850, perhaps inArkansas. His mother may have been Jerusha Tanner.Jerusha was born in Kentucky in 1810 and died in1850, maybe while giving birth to James. One sourcestates she was married to John Calvin Parks, but thatall her children were called Smith. However, asTanner was Sarahs maiden name, I find this all oddand perhaps incorrect. But who knows?

Continued on page 10



9/24

g



10/24

In the 1910 Census in Palo Pinto County, James stated his birthplace was inTennessee. He stated that his father was born in Tennessee and that his mother

was born in the United States. This could harken back to Jerusha who probably diedat his birth. He stated that he was a laborer at what looks like some sort of wells but

the census takers hand writing was terrible. However, since, of course, there were manywells in Mineral Wells, that could be true. He stated he had not worked that year, which

would have made sense since he was in his 60s.Further, on the Census, Sarah stated that she was born in Texas and that her parents were born in

Tennessee.Another source states James was born in Tennessee in May of 1850 and that he died in Mineral Wells

in 1920. It also states that he and Sarah had only the following children; Buddy William, Sarah Edna,Walter Elwood, John Henry, Homer Lee, and Mable. It shows that his father was John Smith and that his

mother was a Tanner. Since both families may have come from Tennessee, it is surely possible that cousins mar-ried in Tennessee and later again in Texas.Searching queries online I found the following on Smith Official DNA and One Name Project, http://www.smith-

sworldwide.org/blogg/?p=795, which may be a lead:John B. Smith born Nov. 15, 1940 says: Census records have conflicting information on where James Morgan

Horton Smith was born, but he can be tracked in Hill Co TX, Parker Co, Palo Pinto County, TX. Heres the lineage, weare looking for a YDNA tester for this line. My father was August B. Smithb. March 20, 1904d. March 26, 1992.

His father was James William Smithb. Jan. 28, 1873d. April 19, 1943. His father was James Morgan Horton Smithb.May, 1858-d. after 1920. August married Nola Margaret Harris, James William married Martha Ann Helms, and JamesMorgan Horton married Sarah Emma Tanner.

On Descendants of Jimmy Smith, http://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Smith-Descendants-45059, I found this which seemsto tie in with the above query. There are folks looking for James Morgan Horton Smith!James Morgan Horton Smith ( m. Emma Tanner ) is the father of one child and the grandfather of one grandchild. Listed

below are details on up to five generations of descendants. Icons after childrens' names link to their family tree charts ancestorsand descendant lists descendants. Click here for Jimmy Smith's ancestors.

James William Smith ancestors/descendants (January 28, 1873 - April 19, 1943) m. Martha HelmsAugust B. Smith ancestors (1900's - 1990's)] m. [private spouse]John B. Smith ancestors (1940's - unknown)] m. [private spouse]And finally:I am a life long resident of Texas and have been looking for information about my family lines and ancestors. I was born in

1940, and my father was August B. Smith, born in 1904, and my grandfather was James William Smith, born in 1873. Mygrandfather was raised by his maternal grandparents, Nathan W. Tanner and Sarah Elizabeth (former Yarborough) Tanner

somewhere around Hill County, Texas. I am pretty sure that my great grandfather was James Morgan Horton Smith. It isbelieved he was of the Creek Indian tribe, and was married to Sarah Emma Tanner. If anyone can help me authenticate thesefacts or give me new information about them I would be extremely grateful. John Smith

So, do you have information about the Tanner/Smith connection in Palo PintoCounty? If so, please contact Jennifer Barton whose email is above, or contact me

at [email protected].




11/24

Shop Historic Granbury

Campers ClubsWelcome

Bath house, laundry roomclub house available.

Full hook-ups including

50 Amp service locateddirectly behind

Bennetts Camping CenterNightly, weekly &monthly rates.

Bennetts

Registration office: 2708 Hwy 377 Granbury, TXPark entrance: 3101 Old Granbury Rd.

Hours: Monday-Friday 9-6 Saturday 9-5

817-573-3665 * 817-279-7500

RV

RANCH

Granburys Newest RV Park

www.bennettsrvranch.com



12/24

The Legacy of Lawrence

Sullivan (Sul) RossBy JIM DILLARD

Sul Ross's reputation as the popular sheriff ofMcLennan County, Indian fighter and Civil Wargeneral made him a likely candidate as one of the

delegates for the Nineteenth Senatorial District (Waco) toparticipate in the re-writing of the Texas Constitution.During August 1875 he was elected to the position andtendered his resignation as sheriff. When the convention

opened in Austin on September 6, 1875, Ross saw a num-ber of his former acquaintances he had served with duringhis Indian campaigns and Civil War days. Seventy-ninedelegates from across the state assembled to begin workon a new constitution. Ross was appointed as one of acommittee of three to wait upon convention president-elect E. B. Pickett and conduct him to the chair for hisopening address to the delegates.

Pickett then appointed a committee of fifteen delegatesthat included Ross to determine what officers andemployees were needed by the convention and the rate ofper diem and mileage to be allowed for the delegates.Ross was subsequently appointed to the Standing

Committee on the Legislative Department, Committee onRevenue and Taxation, Committee on Apportionment,Select Committee on Frontier Affairs, Select Committeeon Education, and a special committee concerning publicschools. Sul was active throughout the convention andwas involved in the resolution of many important issuesin preparing the constitution, the document that is stillused today (but with amendments.) He also learnedmuch about the parliamentary procedure process and roleof compromise anddebate on issues thatwould benefit him in

his future politicalcareer. One item hepursued was arrangingfor the sale of threemillion acres of landto be set aside as reve-nue to build a newstate capitol building.The constitutional con-vention completed itswork and called for theratification of the doc-ument by voters during

elections in earlyFebruary 1876.

Ross eagerlyreturned home to hisfamily in Waco and

resumed his daily life as a plantation farmer, and for thenext four years, showed little interest in politics. Hebecame active in maintaining an organization of his oldConfederate comrades and wrote a book on the history ofhis brigade. However, in 1878 friends and acquaintancesbegan to pressure him to seek high state office as lieuten-ant governor on a ticket with U.S. Congressman Roger Q.

Milles of Corsicana; other supporters wanted him to runfor governor. Ross emphatically refused to seek theoffice of governor during 1880 but did agree to run forstate senator in the Twenty-Second District. When theselection of two other candidates by the nominating com-mitted could not be decided with the necessary two-thirdsmajority vote, Ross's name was proposed as a compro-mise candidate. Even without Ross's consent, the conven-tion nominated him with a unanimous vote andadjourned.

Ross reluctantly agreed to run for the Texas senate seaton a Democratic party ticket and was elected by a widemajority of votes. Now, at age forty-two Sul Ross

embarked on this new opportunity to serve his fellowTexans and thrust himself into the midst of the politicalarena that would define his life for years to come. Hewas appointed to several committees including Finance,Educational Affairs, Internal Improvement, Penitentiaries,Military Affairs, Stock and Stock Raising, AgriculturalAffairs, and others. Early in the session he received newsfrom his wife Lizzie that their month-old son was gravelyill, but duties in Austin prevented his from returning

home. The following dayhis son died and Ross leftthe legislature to be with

his family for a weekbefore returning to Austin.When he arrived home hefound another of his sonswas also seriously ill.

When the session of thelegislature closed and theappropriations bill finallypassed, Sul returned hometo comfort his wife andresume his farming opera-tions until the next sessionof the legislature con-

vened in two years.However, when the capitolbuilding burned to theground in November of1881, a special session of

the legislature was called and Ross returned to Austin.The session initially dealt with matters relating to housingand operation of the government until a new capitolbuilding could be constructed. In addition, legislatorsdeliberated issues relating to irregularities at the BlindAsylum, a burned building at the Lunatic Asylum, stormdamage to Prairie View Normal College, treatment of

convicts, the boundary issue between Texas andOklahoma, and several others. Before the session ended,a bill passed for the construction of a new state capitolbuilding and another that reduced the term of senators totwo years. Having served two years of his four year termof office as state senator, Ross declined to run again foroffice and returned to Waco.

Although two years had passed since Sul Ross had leftAustin as a state senator, his supporters and friends onceagain began a campaign to put him in the governor's seat.Sul finally acquiesced and tossed hat into the ring for the1886 election year. At the state Democratic Conventionin Galveston, which was held in a skating rink, he

received the necessary two-thirds vote of the delegatesand began his campaign for election to the governorship.In the general election on November 2, Ross received thelargest number of popular votes any candidate hadreceived up to that time. He was inaugurated on January18, 1887 as the nineteenth governor of Texas. The inau-gural ball was held in the Driskill Hotel in Austin, a tradi-tion that remains today.

Sul Ross proved to be a popular governor for the peo-ple of Texas through his leadership and unique qualitiesof strength, integrity, and dignity he brought to the officeof governor. He used his considerable influence to rec-

ommend legislation and initiate needed reforms that pro-moted an era of prosperity for Texas as it began transfor-mation into an industrial and progressive state. As amember of the Capitol Board, he closely monitored con-struction of the new capitol building and presided over itsdedication when it was completed during May 1888. Hewas instrumental in initiating legislation concerning thestate's vast public lands to classify them to know theirtrue value and insure title and t rue boundaries, allow acre-age to be sold at low interest rates over a long period oftime, restore the power of the Land Office Commissionso lands could be controlled by a single authority, andprescribe punishment for people occupying and using

state lands illegally.Sul Ross ran for the office of governor again during

1888 and was reelected, defeating Marion Martin whowas supported by a coalition party of Prohibitionists,Knights of Labor and the Farmers' Alliance by 151,891

(Part 3 of a series of articles on the life of Lawrence Sullivan (Sul) Ross who served as a frontier ranger, soldier,statesman, and educator devoting his life to the growth and expansion of Texas to become the great state we know today.)

PHOTO BY JIM DILLARD Continued on page 15



13/24

Country ResortPerrin

15 miles north of

Mineral Wells on 281

112 RV Sites46 Cottages

9 Hole Golf Course

18 Hole Mini-Golf

4 Swimming Pools

Including Toddler

Splash Zone & POOL

10,000 sq. ft.

Event Center

Year Round Events

(940) 798-4615

Mitchell Resort

and RV Park

Livestock Trailers

Neckover Dealer Open Mon-Sat

Graham Livestock Commission, LLC

Sale Every Monday12:00 noon

We would like to have the opportunity to sell your cattle.

You will receive top money for your cattle.

We receive cattle 7 days a week.

Hauling available if needed

Ronnie Hardin Jackie Bishop

Owner Ofce Manager

940.521.2158 940.549.0078 940.550.5977



14/24

October 2014 NORTH TEXAS STAR Page 15Continued from page 12


15/24

votes. His inauguration was the first to be celebrated in thenew capitol building, and in keeping with tradition, no inau-gural ball was held for a second term governor.

During his second term, Ross was forced to intervene in theJaybird-Woodpecker War, a dispute in Fort Bend Countybetween a faction of white supremacist Democrats (theJaybirds) and black men who had retained political powerthere (the Woodpeckers.) Ross dispatched two companies ofmilitia and four Texas Rangers to quell the volatile situation

which left four people dead including Sherriff Jim Garvey.Six other people were wounded during the violence includinga ranger. Ross arrived with the Attorney General and anothermilitia company and fired all local officials. After a meetingwith representatives of the two factions, a compromise candi-date for a new sheriff was agreed on and the conflict ended.

After the Attorney General of the United States filed suitagainst Texas for ownership of 1.5 million acre tract of land(Green County located in present southwestern Oklahoma)claimed jointly by Texas and the United State, Ross and hiswife traveled to Washington, D.C. in an effort to resolve thedispute. They met with president Benjamin Harrison while inWashington, D. C. and former president Grover Cleveland in

New York while on the trip. His visit resulted in an increasedinterest in investments, tourism, and immigration to Texas.The dispute over Greer County was not settled until 1896when the land was given to Oklahoma.

Significant accomplishments during Sul Ross' tenure asgovernor included tax reform laws for more equitable assess-ment of property values, passage of antitrust laws, opening ofa state orphan's home, state institute for the deaf, dumb, andblind black children, a branch asylum for the insane, and pur-chase of land near Gatesville for a future open farm reforma-tory for juveniles. He also declared the third Friday inJanuary as Arbor Day to promote civic improvement and

encourage children to plant trees. He supported legislation forthe purchase of the Huddle Portrait Gallery, a collection ofportraits of all governors that continues to be on display in theTexas State Capitol rotunda. To adequately care forConfederate veterans, the first home was dedicated during hisfirst term in office and expanded during 1890 to a larger facil-ity. During his four years as governor, he had vetoed only tenbills and pardoned 861 people. Sul Ross did not seek reelec-tion to a third term as governor and officially left office onJanuary 20, 1891.

Sul now had several options: he could return to his farm inWaco and pursue his farming operations; go to Mississippiand operate a large plantation offered by friends there; acceptone of several lucrative offers for his services; or take thelower paying position as president of Texas Agricultural andMechanical College that many of his friends and supportershad urged him to accept. He had previously been offered theposition while governor but refused to leave office for the job.

With passage of the Morrill Act of Congress in 1862, thefederal government donated 180,000 acres of public land forthe benefit and establishment of an agricultural and mechani-cal college in Texas. With Texas being a Confederate state,the college was not established until after the Civil War duringthe reconstruction period. By a joint resolution of the TexasLegislature In 1871, it accepted the 1862 provision of the act

and passed its own act creating an institution to teach an agri-cultural, mechanical, military, and scientific curriculum. Inthe Texas State Constitution of 1876, A&M College became abranch of the state university system to be supported by taxrevenues. It was the first public institution of higher educa-tion to be established in Texas. The University of Texas inAustin was not created until 1883 and was administered by a

separate Board of Directors.Brazos County donated, 2,416 acres near Bryan as the loca-

tion for the school's campus. The Houston and Texas CentralRailroad had been built through the area in 1860 and a railstation was established south of Bryan where a small commu-nity began to grow. In 1877 the Postal Service named thecommunity College Station since it was located just west ofthe A&M College campus. The doors of Texas A&MCollege were open to students during October 1876 when six

students enrolled and by the end of the spring semester of1877, 106 students had enrolled. Enrollment was limited towhite males only who were required to participate in theCorps of Cadets and receive military training. The college,which was initially administered by the chairman of the facul-ty, Louis Lowry McInnis, suffered from mismanagement dur-ing its early years and was soon floundering in financial woes,student discontent, disciplinary problems, scandals, and a dis-satisfied faculty. The need to establish the position of a pres-ident independent of the faculty of the university was recog-nized by the legislature and promoted through Texas newspa-pers.

After much consideration and support from across the state,

Sul Ross finally decided to accept the position as President ofTexas A&M College on August 8, 1890 and began the finalchapter of his illustrious life and career of service to Texas.After making upgrades to the dilapidated president's home andmoving Lizzie and the family from Waco, he took charge ofthe university on February 2, 1891.

With his vast knowledge of administration, a strong militarybearing, and background as a farmer, Ross was the right man forthe job and quickly set about initiating changes to make the institu-tion "the pride of the state." Many of the existing faculty resignedor were encouraged by the Board of Directors to find employmentelsewhere, thus giving Ross a clean slate to hire the best qualified

educators and staff that could be found. Soon the Board ofDirectors began looking for new building sites and set aside $4,500for the construction of a new president's home. The existing build-ings were electrified and a request for $128,000 was made to thelegislature for new buildings and other improvements. By the fallsemester of 1890-91, 500 students applied for admission but only361 could be accommodated. To improve accounting responsibili-ties and fiscal affairs of the school, Ross was designated treasurerfor the school. He also became involved in the matriculation pro-cess by personally interviewing prospective students to determinewhether or not they would be admitted.

The turnover of faculty and staff by Ross and the Board ofDirectors created many changes in curriculum and an increase inthe hours required for the four degrees offered by the university:Bachelor of Science Agriculture or Scientific Horticulture andBachelor of Mechanical Engineering or Civil Engineering. Rossalso became involved in the appointment and rank of cadets basedon their handling of duties and responsibilities, conduct and classstanding, and skill as soldiers. He reduced the minimum age foradmission from 16 to 15 and initiated a policy prohibiting hazing.The name of the elite Scott Volunteers, a company made up of thebest-drilled cadets, was changed to the Ross Volunteers during thesummer of 1890. With increased funding by the legislature forimprovements, support and management and monies from thenation's Morrill college fund, the university was on good financial

standing. More and more families were sending their sons toA&M College because of Ross' presidency there. Although theuniversity and Ross would undergo scrutiny by the legislature andretaliations by politicians who sought to undermine his administra-tion, he weathered the storms and continued to lead the college intoa period of growth and prosperity.

During his tenure as president of Texas A&M College from

1891-1898 , the campus expanded with the construction of manynew facilities including a 500 seat mess hall, dormitories, infirmarywith an indoor toilet, artesian well, natatorium, electric light plant,four faculty residences, ice plant, laundry, cold storage facility,slaughterhouse, gymnasium, warehouse and an artillery shed. Hewas assessable to students and participated in as many studentactivities as his busy schedule would allow. Every month, he pre-pared grade sheets for each student and called students into hisoffice for counseling if grades were not up to standard. Although

Sul believed a policy of co-education at the college should beadopted, admission of women other than the wives and daughtersof faculty and staff would not become a reality until 1965.

Many of the traditions and iconic symbols that remain at TexasA&M University today were originated during Sul Ross' tenure aspresident including the Aggie ring, formation of the Aggie band,the first intercollegiate football game (played against theUniversity of Texas,) the glee club (Singing Cadets,) publication ofthe Battalion newspaper, the original yearbook called The Olio,and creation of many other campus organizations.

During Christmas vacation of 1897, Sul went on a deer huntingtrip along the Navasota River with his son Neville and several fam-ily friends. During the outing, he suffered a severe case of indiges-

tion accompanies by chills. He decided to return home and arrivedback in College Station on December 30th to consult with a doctor.After several days of pain, he unexpectedly died on January 8,1898 at the age of 59 years and 3 months. It is believed his deathwas due to food poisoning or a coronary heart attack. The entirestudent body accompanied his body back to Waco where he wasburied in the Oakwood Cemetery. An honor guard of Confederateveterans dressed in gray uniforms assembled at the grave site alongwith several thousand people for his final corps trip. Studentsimmediately began raising funds for a lasting memorial to their lostleader and president.

In 1917 the Texas Legislature appropriated $10,000 for a monu-

ment to be constructed to honor Sul Ross for his lifetime contribu-tion of service to the state and Texas A&M College. Two yearslater the ten foot bronze statue of Lawrence Sullivan (Sul) Rossthat stands today in the Academic Plaza at Texas A&M Universitywas dedicated. Legend has it that Sul often tutored students butwould only take one penny as payment. Students still leave pen-nies at the foot of Sul Ross' stature before taking exams inhopes for his divine intervention. An additional tribute to SulRoss was the establishment of Sul Ross Normal College inAlpine, now Sul Ross State University, which was created bythe Thirty-fifth Legislature in 1917.

An editorial in Dallas Morning News published the morn-ing after his death offered a fitting tribute to Sul Ross. "Ithas been the lot of few men to be of such great service toTexas as Sul Ross. . .Throughout his life he has been closelyconnected with the public welfare and. . .discharged everyduty imposed upon him with diligence, ability, honesty andpatriotism. . .He was not a brilliant chieftain in the field, norwas he masterful in the art of politics, but, better than either,he was a well-balanced, well-rounded man from whateverstandpoint one might estimate him. In his public relations heexhibited sterling common sense, lofty patriotism, inflexiblehonesty and withal a character so exalted that he commandedat all times not only the confidence but the affection of thepeople. . . He leaves a name that will be honored as long as

chivalry, devotion to duty and spotless integrity are standardsof our civilization and an example which ought to be an inspi-ration to all young men of Texas who aspire to careers of pub-lic usefulness and honorable renown.

Sources: Sul Ross: Soldier, Statesman, Educator by JudithAnn Benner; Handbook of Texas Online and other internetsources.



h l d


16/24

The trial of Satanta and Big TreeBy WYNELLE CATLIN

H.H. McConnell, who wrote

Five Years A Cavalryman, joinedthe army in 1866 and was sent tothe Texas frontier to protect set-tlers from Indian depredations.

Arriving at Jacksboro, the soldiers began to puttogether picket cabins for barracks. (Logswere set upright in trenches to make the

walls.) Before they got settled in, orders came and partof the troops were sent to Fort Belknap, a pre-war fort

that was being refurbished, and part were sent toBuffalo Springs where a fort was being established.

McConnell went to Fort Belknap for a short time,then on to Buffalo Springs. North and west were isolat-ed countrysides. Though soldiers were ordered not totravel about alone, Indians were rarely seen and mostlyarmy life was monotonous. He participated in only oneincident with Indians when a raiding party camethrough the countryside stealing horses and mules.

Buffalo Springs was ordered abandoned when it wasdiscovered there was not a sufficient water supply for afort. Orders were to erect a fort at the south edge of

Jacksboro on the banks of Lost Creek.McConnell went to Jacksboro with troops who hastily

erected shelters for themselves from worn out tents and'paulins. The fort was being erected with a nice largehospital of locally quarried rock. Also a rock bakeryand commissary. Five wooden officers' quarters werebuilt. Again, the soldiers had picket barracks, which atone time sheltered 3,000 men.

He was sent to Kansas, but was back to FortRichardson before the Warren Wagon Train Massacre in1871. Following is his account of the event:

During the early months of 1871, the incursions of

hostile Indians had been unusually frequent and weremarked by a degree of ferocity unknown during recentyears. So loud and urgent were the appeals made by thecitizens to the authorities in Washington that GeneralW.T. Sherman, then commanding the army, determinedto tour the frontier posts, including Fort Richardson inTexas and Fort Sill in Indian Territory.

On the evening of May 17th General Sherman,accompanied by General Randolph R. Marcy, InspectorGeneral of the Army, with an escort of seventeen menof the Tenth Infantry, arrived at Fort Richardson. Marcy,one of the most accomplished soldiers of the old army,

took occasion to remark in his journal, as he rode fromFort Belknap to Jacksboro, 'This rich and beautiful sec-tion of country does not contain today as many whitepeople as it did when I was stationed here eighteen

years ago, and if the Indian marauders are not punishedthe whole country seems to be in fair way of becoming

depopulated.'The day after General Sherman arrived at Fort

Richardson, the mule train of Captain Henry Warren, agovernment contractor at Fort Griffin, was attacked bya band of 150 Indians near Flat Top Mountain abouthalfway between Jacksboro andBelknap. The wagonmaster and sixteamsters killed, one severelywounded, and two teamstersescaping.

The very spot onwhich the massacre took

place had been passedover by the Generaland his party the dayprevious. Had theIndians attackedthem, so over-whelming wastheir number, heand those whoaccompanied himmight have met asimilar fate tothose with thewagon train.

Immediately onreceipt of the news,the General sentGeneral Mackenziewith one hundred andfifty cavalry and thirtydays rations on pack ani-mals, to pursue and chastisethe marauders.

On the last day of GeneralSherman's stay at Fort Richardson, a dele-gation of citizens from Jacksboro proceeded to visit himand lay before him the exact condition of affairs grow-ing out of the policy of allowing the Indians to leavetheir reservations, and assured him that unless decisiveaction was taken, and these raids stopped, NorthwestTexas would soon become depopulated, and a delightfuland improving country allowed to lapse into barbarism.

The General listened attentively and seemed to graspthe situation, stating that he felt keenly the injustice ofthe Indian policy of the government and promised to do

all in his power to remedy the existing conditions. Thedeputation obtained permission to go to Fort Sill andrecover stock stolen from them by the Indians, in casethey could identify, satisfactorily, the animals.

During the day, General Mackenzie verified thereport of the massacre of the teamsters of Captain

Warren's train; their bodies were found to be horriblymutilated, and one was burned to a cinder, the savageshaving chained the poor fellow between the wheels of awagon and built a fire under him.

On the 20th day of May, General Sherman and hisescort left for Fort Sill, via Victoria Peak and Red

River Station, reaching there on the after-noon of the 23rd.

Lowrie Tatem, agent of the Kiowasand Comanches, an estimable

Quaker gentleman, called onGeneral Sherman soon after his

arrival, and it was very evidentthat he conscientiouslybelieved the experiment thenbeing tried with thoseIndians was a failure in agreat measure.

On the afternoon ofMay 27, about fouro'clock, several Kiowachiefs, among themSatanta, Satank, KickingBird and Lone Wolf, cameto the agency to draw theirrations. In a talk with the

agent, Satanta boasted thathe, with one hundred twenty

warriors, had made the recentattack on the train, that he, or

they, had killed seven teamstersand drove off forty-one mules. Said

he, 'If any other Indian said he did it,he was a liar. He was the chief who

commanded.' He pointed out Satank and

Big (or Tall) Tree and also another chief ashaving taken part in the action.The interpreter having conveyed Satanta's words to

the agent, the latter at once reported the facts to GeneralSherman, and requested him to arrest the Indians con-cerned. The General sent for them and Satanta acknowl-edged what he had stated to the agent and the Generalimmediately informed him he would confine them andsend them to Texas for trial by the civil authorities.

Satanta now began to see the serious trouble he wasin, and to protest that he did not personally kill anybodyin the fight, nor did he even blow his bugle; that his

young men wanted to have a little fight and to take afew white scalps and he went with them to show themhow to make war.

(Author's Note: Satanta had been given the bugle by

Continued on page 18



17/24

Star Classifieds

14,500 copies distributed monthly in Parker, Palo Pinto, Hood, Johnson, Jack & Young counties. Get your ad seen call (940) 327-0838, (817) 645-8093, (817) 598-0857

215 Drivers

Sign-On-Bonus

CLASS A CDLDRIVERS NEEDED

Our drivers can make upto $80,000 per year or

more!

Competitive pay Quarterly bonuses, night differential, night shift bonus Drive locally Medical, dental, life, supplemental insurance Paid vacation, paid holidays 401K match Unused vacation paid out Annual Safety Bucks Employees get Rangers, Cowboys, NASCAR, Stars and

other tickets in regular drawings

Minimum age 22 yrs, Class ACDL + Tanker, 2 yrs drivingexp or 1 year driving inoilfield; acceptable MVR;medical card or the ability toobtain one.

For more information aboutBTT and open Driverpositions, call(940) 577-7231 and ask forChris.

BTT is an Equal OpportunityEmployer.

215 Drivers

Sign-On-BonusHIRINGTransport Drivers 2yearsverifiabledriving experience or 1 year in the

oilfield. Clean MVR and

Back ground ClassA License + Tanker Endorsement 22 years or older

Excellent benefits and bonuses.

Hiring for

Jacksboro AreaCONTACT :

940-393-5525 - Danny817-925-5154 - Jon

EOE

REAL ESTATE SPECIAL

3 Months In TheMineral Wells Index

With A Picture Of Your HouseFor Only *$200

(Based On 20 word Minimum)

Call Teresa or April940-327-0838

A Value Of $498Non-Refundable

SELL YOUR VEHICLEYour Ad Will Run 3 weeks

In Print & Online

For Only$55.00

940-327-0838

868 General Services

All Electrical work

Guaranteed!

Straight forward pricing.

You know what it will cost

before we start the work!

Azle & Aledo: 800-687-8556Mineral Wells: 940-328-3051

Weatherford: 817-594-4981

Emergency Number:

800-687-8556

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buddy Glimore

Master electrician

John Durr -Service

Manager

817-629-9033

Tecl#19948

Buying or Selling a Car?Mineral Wells Index

Classified AdsWork!

Call 940-327-0838

If this were your ad, a potentialbuyer would be looking at itright now. Call 940-327-0838to place your ad here.

If this were your ad, a potentialbuyer would be looking at itright now. Call 940-327-0838to place your ad here.

If this were your ad, a potential

buyer would be looking at itright now. Call 940-327-0838to place your ad here.

General Services

Lewallens

Remodel & Repair

Mobile Home Repair~

Porches~ Decks~

Metal Roofs ~

Painting

All Types of

Remodeling

Small & Large

Jobs OKVeteran Own

and Operated.

Established in 1977

(940) 745-5077

876 HomeImprovement

Mendoza HouseLeveling & Foundation

Repair

Pier & Beam RepairRe-level also Brick Homeswith concrete slabs.30 years experience.

Reasonable Rates.

817-565-5336 940-704-2892Manuel MendozaWeatherford Mineral Wells

Looking for a Job? Subscribeto the Mineral Wells Index foryour employment information

Looking for a Job? Subscribeto the Mineral Wells Index foryour employment information

Withhundredsof used cars tochoose from,

youll find yournew set of

wheels in theclassifieds.

BECHOOSY

Place your auto adfor ...

$45 for 1month

or $85 for 2months

in print and on ourNational Autoconx

website. Includes pic-tures. Call for details!

AUTOCONXSPECIAL

To Place

Your Ad Call

940-327-0838

Want to DownsizeYour Gas Guzzler?

To Place Your Ad Please Call 940-327-0838

Find your answer in the Classifieds!

AUTOCONXSPECIALPlaceyourautoadfor...$45for1month

or$85for2monthsinprintandonourNationalAutoconxwebsite.Includespictures.Callfordetails!



18/24

Jesse, son of General Leavenworth. Satanta and Jessewere friends as teenagers and roamed the prairiestogether. And remained friends until their middleyears.)

Satanta added that awhile before this the whiteshad killed three of his people and wounded fourmore, and he thought he was now square and ready to

quit. General Sherman told him it was very cowardlyfor a hundred warriors to attack twelve poor teamstersand that he would send the three Indians implicated toTexas. Seeing no escape, Satanta remarked that ratherthan be sent to Texas, he preferred being shot on thespot.

Kicking Bird, one of the most influential chiefs ofhis tribe, interceded for his friends but the General,while informing him that he was aware of his goodinfluences, firmly told him that the arrested Indiansmust be sent to Texas.

Satanta was long a name on the plains to hate and

abhor; an abject beggar in the camps of the pale-face,a demon on the trail. All of which means that saidSatanta was a typical Indian, and consequently a badone. The truth is that neither Satanta nor Big Treewere either exceptionally bad or unusually distin-guished above their fellows; in fact, they were notvery prominent as chiefs in their tribe, but as theyhappened to be caught in the perpetration of thiscrime during the opportune visit of the General of thearmy and were made examples of, as was proper, it isin order to depict them in the blackest colors, andascribe to them all the crimes in the (Indian) calendar

and all the savage traits in the superlative degree.They have at any rate achieved celebrity, and theircapture and trial will go down into history as one ofthe causes 'celebre.'

At the conclusion of Kicking Bird's harangue, adetachment of about twenty soldiers came up in frontof the piazza where everyone was assembled, atwhich the Indians seemed much excited, nearly all ofhem having either a Colt's revolver or a Spencer car-bine, or both. Lone Wolf, a chief, now rode up on afine horse, dismounted, laid two carbines and a bowand quiver of arrows on the ground, tied his horse to

the fence. Then throwing his blanket from his shoul-ders fastened it around his waist, picked up the car-bine in one hand and the bow and arrows in the other,and with the most deliberate and defiant air strode upto the piazza; then giving one of the carbines to anIndian who had no arms, and the bow and arrows toanother, who at once strung the bow and pulled out ahandful of arrows, he seated himself and cocked hiscarbine, at which the soldiers all brought their carbineto an 'aim' upon the crowd. Whereupon Satanta andsome other Indians held up their hands and cried,'No! No! No! Don't shoot!'

The soldiers were directed not to fire, but just at

this moment shots were heard being fired outside ofthe fort. The guard had been ordered to permit noIndians to leave without further instructions. SomeIndians in attempting to go out had been halted by thesentinels, when one of them shot an arrow woundingone of the sentinels. The shot was returned by the sol-dier, killing the Indian as he was riding off.

When the excitement had subsided a little, theGeneral told the Indians they must return the forty-one mules, which Kicking Bird promised to do. Hewent off for them, but on his arrival at the camp, hediscovered the squaws had been frightened and ranoff with all their animals except eight, which weretaken possession of. All the Indians were allowed toleave except the prisoners who were put in irons andclosely guarded.

Satanta, Big Tree and Satank were heavily ironed(what Colonel Starr used to call 'shoeing them allaround', and on the 31st two of them were safely

lodged in the guardhouse of Fort Richardson byColonel Mackenzie, under whose escort, with adetachment of soldiers, they were brought from FortSill.

One day while on the trip, Satank loosed his heavyhandcuffs by gnawing and stripping the flesh to thebone. With the swiftness and ferocity of a tiger heseized a carbine, and, springing from the wagon,attempted to shoot one of the soldiers, although hemust have known the consequences, but preferreddeath to taking the chances of Texas justice. A soldierat once sent a calibre fifty-six Spencer ball through

him, and he fell lifeless to the ground. This incidenthad a salutary effect on Satanta and Big Tree and theywere exceedingly docile during the balance of thetrip.

The arrest of these Indians and their approachingtrial created great interest throughout NorthwestTexas, and Judge Charles Soward, as soon as he wasinformed of their arrival, fixed for their trial at theapproaching term of the district court.

Upon the opening of the July term of court, thegrand jury, with S.W. Eastin, foreman, promptlyindicted the two distinguished cut-throats, and on

Wednesday, July 5, 1871, the memorable trial com-menced in the old courthouse in Jacksboro with hisHonor Charles Soward on the bench. The prosecutionwas conducted by Hon. S.W.T. Lanham, district attor-ney. Thomas Ball and Joe Woolfork appeared ascounsel for the prisoners. The jury consisted ofThomas Williams, foreman; John Cameron, EvertJohnson, Jr.,

H.B. Verner, Stanley Cooper, William Hensley,John H. Brown, Peter Lynn, Peter Hart, Daniel C.Brown, L.P. Bunch and James Cooley.

The principal witnesses were General Mackenzie,

Lowrie Tatem and Thomas Brazeale, one of the team-

sters who escaped the massacre. At the conclusion ofthe testimony, the attorneys for the prisoners madeevery effort to convince the jury of the innocence oftheir clients (?) after which Mr. Lanham closed with apowerful address.

Lanham said, in part, This is a novel and impor-tant trial, and has perhaps no precedent in the history

of American criminal jurisprudence. The remarkablecharacter of the prisoners, who are leading represen-tatives of their race, their crude and barbarous appear-ance, the gravity of the charge, the number of the vic-tims, the horrid brutality and inhuman butcheryinflicted upon the bodies of the dead, the dreadful andterrible spectacle of seven men who were husbands,fathers, brothers, sons and lovers on he morning ofthe dark and bloody day of this atrocious deed, androse from their rude tents, bright with hope, in primeand pride of manhood, found at a later hour beyondrecognition, in every condition of horrid disfiguration,

unutterable mutilation and death. Mistaken sympa-thy for these vile creatures has kindled the flamearound the cabin of the pioneer and despoiled him ofhis hard earnings, murdered and scalped our peopleand carried off our women into captivity worse thandeath. We have cried aloud for help, we havebegged for relief, deaf ears have been turned to ourcries,and the story of our wrongs has been discredit-ed. Had it not been for General Sherman and his mostopportune journey through this section and his per-sonal observation of this dire tragedy, it may well bedoubted whether these brutes in human shape would

ever have been brought to trial. McConnell wrote, The evidence against the pris-

oners was so direct, their absence from the reserva-tion for thirty days, their return with the capturedmules and other property, the boasting of Satanta thatit was he, Satank and Big Tree who led the raid, theevidence of the sergeant who identified and describedthe arrows as those of the Kiowas; in short, the sameamount of evidence would have convicted white menhad they been charged with similar crimes.

On July 8th Judge Soward delivered his charge tothe jury, minutely detailing the facts as adduced at the

trial and after a brief absence the jury returned andrendered their verdict of 'murder in the first degree.'The prisoners were remanded to the custody of theSheriff and subsequently sentenced to be hung.

Author's note: For fear of reprisal from the Indians,the death sentence was changed to life imprisonment.

Later, Satanta and Big Tree were released with thestipulation that they refrain from their warlike ways.Satanta was arrested again and returned to Huntsvillewhere he committed suicide by throwing himself offan upper story balcony. Big Tree remained peacefully

on the reservation the rest of his life.




19/24

2103 E. Hubbard Mineral Wells, Texas 76067

940-327-0985

Watch for our specials!

Sponsored by:

A

Placein TimeOCTOBER 11, 1878

Kiowa Chief Satanta, incarcerated in the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, leaps to his death from a prison window.The chief had been convicted in the Warren Wagontrain incident in North Texas. He and fellow chieftain Big Tree wereconvicted and sentenced to hang; but the Texas governor, fearing Kiowa reprisals and humanitarian flak commuted thesentences. After being pardoned, Satanta fell back in with raiding parties and was rearrested and returned to Huntsville.Learning he would never again be free, he chose suicide.OCTOBER 13,1824

Palo Pinto County pioneer Simpson Crawford is born near Bear Creek in Breathitt County, Ky. In 1854 he built a homethree-quarters of a mile northwest of Graford in the Keechi Valley. He was a successful rancher, owning some 3,100

acres. He also served in the Mexican War and as a Texas Ranger. He died Aug. 17, 1908, and is buried in CrawfordCemetery near Graford.OCTOBER 13, 1940

Announcement is made that Mineral Wells has been selected for location of Infantry Replacement Training Center(Camp Wolters).OCTOBER 18, 1918

Palo Pinto County pioneer and educator Jonathan Hamilton Baker dies. He kept a 60-year diary often used as a localhistorical reference. He established the first school in Palo Pinto. "In 1859 Baker was chosen to lead a company of localmen organized to defend the area against Indian attacks. He first served under Capt. J.R. Baylor and later participated withCapt. Lawrence Sullivan Ross in the recovery of Cynthia Ann Parker, the white woman seized by Comanches in 1836.During the Civil War he served as the leader of the home guard. Baker was also an open range cattleman, and in 1869he began driving his herds to Kansas railheads. Active in local government, he served as deputy sheriff, justice of peace,deputy postmaster and clerk of the county and district. In 1890 he moved to Granbury, where he became a successfulnurseryman. For over 60 years Baker kept a detailed diary, which now provides a thorough account of his distinguishedlife and the frontier of Texas." Quoted text from his state marker.


STORIES & SNIPPETS


20/24

STORIES & SNIPPETSThursdayJuly 18, 1963

Residents Urged To Curb UseOf Fresh Water For 40 Days

Residents were urged today to curb their use of fresh water for the

next 40 days by City Water and Sanitation Commissioner Harry Shufer.

The community has repeatedly been put in a precarious position this sum-

mer because residents did not heed the request to cut down on the use of

water, he pointed out.

I have asked the people to please not use any more water than nec-

essary during the months of July and August, but they do not pay atten-

tion to my appeal, Shufer said. He continued: Every evening around 5 or 6 oclock, some parts of town are

completely out of water while other parts are watering up a storm. If this

continues to happen, we are going to be forced to shut off booster pumps

so the water will be distributed equally.

We start off every morning with a full storage capacity and run

every pump during the day, but we lose ground all day. And around 5

or 6 oclock every evening the tank is so low that some parts of town are

completely out of water for three or four hours until we can gain it back in

the tank. Please do not use water that is not necessary for the next 40 days._____________________________________________________________

This series of pieces from the past is meant to remind us of this areas unique

history. The material comes from old issues maintained at the Index ofce and

is presented pretty much as it appeared in print. These papers are quite yel-

lowed and brittle, deteriorating from age. By publishing these pieces perhaps

we can keep them in play in the digital world for years to come. For clarity,

some punctuation issues have been addressed. Hopefully you will enjoy these

tiny windows to the past. Feedback is appreciated and will be shared. E-mail

[email protected] or send your letter to Mineral Wells Index,

P.O. Box 370, Mineral Wells, Texas 76068, attention publisher. You may also

drop it by our ofce at 300 S.E. 1st. St. in Mineral Wells. Thanks for reading!



21/24



22/24

First National BankAlbany/BreckenridgeStrawn Branch

P.O. Box 338 254-672-5211

Strawn, Texas

Serving Mineral Wells & Surrounding Areas For Over 20 Years

Submersible Pumps Pressure Tanks Repair & Service New Pumps

940-325-7293Lic#5009

FREE ESTIMATESPe rsonal - Fr iendly - Service

Mini Storage & Climate ControlledControlled Access &Security Lighting

940-328-60603101 M.H. 379 Mineral Wells

(On Corner of S.E. 25th Ave. & South Loop)

Assortment of Sizes Available

SECURITYSTORAGE

First Month

1/2 PRICEClimate Controlled

Only

F R E E E S T I M A T E S

NAPA Auto PartsTwo Locations

Mineral Wells

940-325-9564800 S.E. 1st Street

Weatherford

817-594-27361512 Ft. Worth Hwy.

Todd Hamilton316 East Hubbard 940-325-9434

Mineral Wells, TX 76067 Fax 940-325-4009



23/24

HOOK UP WITH US

PossumKingdomLake.com

Possum Kingdom Chamber of Commerce

LakeNews

You can reach us at 940-779-2424

Events

VisitorInfo

WhereTo Stay

Meeting

Room

MemberMeetings

BusinessDirectory

Camping

BusinessReferrals

Lake

MapsBoat

Rentals

What

To Do

Cabins

VisitorGuide

HikeBike

Trails



24/24

Documents

October Star