Yale Uiiivtnsitv Library
39002028021518

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

TEXAS
THE COUNTRY AND ITS MEN

HISTORICAL :: BIOGRAPHIC A f.
DESCRIPTIVE

By
L. E. DANIELL
Author of Types of Successful Business Men of Texas
Personnel Texas State Government
Publisher of Brown's History of Texas; Indian Wars
and Pioneers of Texas; Elements of Pleading,
by Ex-Governor Oran M. Roberts;
Railways and Politicians
of Texas

DEDICATORY PREFACE

As a recognition of the men who have made Texas, as a tribute
to his own great merit, and in grateful remembrance,
this volume is
DEDICATED to
CAPT. CHARLES SCHREINER
of
KERRVILLE, TEXAS
Patriot, State-builder ani moiil citizm, w\o illustralei in his life the highest
qualities that adorn humanity and tlie best attributes of the Texan character, and
the influence of whose example will ever serv3 as a vital inspiration to State pride,
love of Texas and unselfish labor for the common wsal.

INTRODUCTORY

The first contest on the soil of Texas between Americans and
Indians antedates the visit of Moses Austin to the country in 1820;
but the combatants were not colonists; they were a part of the
second expedition of Capt. James Long in aid of the patriots in
the Mexican revolution. His first expedition, entering East Texas
by land, had been defeated in detail and driven from the country
by the troops of Spain, sent from San Antonio. This second
expedition came by water to Bolivar Point, opposite the east end
of Galveston Island, and fortified that place. Some of the expe
dition, under Don Felix Trespalacios, and among whom was the
subsequently distinguished martyr of Bexar in 1835, Col. Ben
jamin R. Milam, sailed down the coast and landed near Tampico.
Fifty-two men remained with Long, among whom were John
Austin (commander at Velasco in 1832), John McHenry, de
ceased m Jackson County in 1885, and a number of educated and
daring Americans from different States in the Union.
While Long was at Bolivar, a French sloop, freighted with
wines and Mexican supplies, bound to Cassano, stranded on Gal
veston Island near the present city. The Carancahua Indians, to
the number of 200 warriors, were then encamped in the imme
diate vicinity, and at once attacked and butchered all oji board the
sloop, plundered the craft, and entered upon a general jollification
and war-dance. Long (discovering these facts) determined to
chastise them for their baseness. Accordingly after nightfall, at
the head of thirty men (including McHenry), he passed over in
small boats to the island, and made an unexpected assault upon
the guilty wretches, who were then greatly heated by the wines.
The Carancahuas, however, though surprised, instantly seized
their weapons, and yelling furiously, met their assailants with de
termined courage. With such superior numbers, they were a full
match for Long. The combatants soon came to a hand-to-hand
fight of doubtful issue ; but Long directed his men in a masterly

(1)

Texas — The Country and Its Men

manner and effected a retreat to his boats, leaving thirty-two
Indians killed, three of his own men dead, and two badly besides
several slightly wounded. George Early was severely wounded.
Long's party took two Indian boys prisoners, and retained them,
one of whom was accidentally killed some time afterwards. This
is doubtless the first engagement known between the war-like
Carancahuas and the Americans.
THE FIRST CONTEST WITH THE COLONISTS.
The first two schooner loads of immigrants to Texas, under
the auspices of Stephen F. Austin, landed on the west bank, three
miles above the mouth of the Colorado, late in March, 1822, hav
ing left New Orleans on the 7th of February. The first of the
two vessels to arrive was the schooner Only Son, owned by
Kincheloe and Anderson, two of the immigrants, and commanded
by Capt. Benjamin Ellison, who made many subsequent trips to
our coast and died at his home in Groton, Connecticut, July
17, 1880. Among those arriving on the Only Son were Abram
M. Clare, from Kentucky, who, till his death about forty years
later, was a worthy citizen; Maj. George Helm, of Kentucky, who
died on the eve of leaving to bring out his family, one of whose
sons, John L. Helm, was afterwards Governor of Kentucky, while
another is the venerable Rev. Dr. Samuel Larne Helm, of the
Baptist Church, still of that State ; Charles Whitson and family,
James Morgan and family ; Greenup Hayes, a grandson of Daniel
Boone, who did not remain in the country; Mr. Bray, who settled
at the mouth of Bray's Bayou, now Harrisburg, and his son-in-law.
While in Galveston Bay a number of the colonists died of yellow
fever, before reaching Matagorda Bay. Among those who arrived
by the other vessel were Samuel M. W'illiams, afterwards so long
Secretary of Austin's Colony, and Jonathan C. Peyton and wife,
Angelina B., a sister of Bailie Peyton of Tennessee, afterwards
the wife of Jacob Eberly, by which name she was widely known
and esteemed throughout Texas, till her death about i860. These
personal facts are mentioned in justice to those who were the first
of our countrymen to cross the Gulf and seek homes in the wilder
ness of Texas — the first, in that mode, to vindicate the grand con
ception of the already deceased Moses Austin, at the very moment

Texas — The Country and Its Men

that his son and successor, Stephen F. Austin, was encountering
in San Antonio de Bexar the first of a long series of obstacles to
the prosecution of the enterprise — an enterprise in the fruition of
which, as time has already shown, was directly involved the wel
fare of four and a half millions of people now on the soil of Texas,
besides indirectly affecting other vast multitudes now resident in
California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.
The politico-economical aspect of this question would fill a volume
in following the march of our race from Jamestown, Plymouth
and Beaufort to the present time, both interesting and edifying to
the highest order of political philosophers ; but its discussion does
not fall within the scope of this work.
These immigrants, leaving a small guard with their effects,
somewhat aided by a few persons who had settled on and near
the Colorado, within the present bounds of the counties of Colo
rado and Fayette, moved up in that portion of the wilderness.
James Cummins, Jesse Burnham, and a few others constituted
the infant settlements referred to at that time.
Before leaving their supplies under guard those savages of
the coast, the Carancahuas,* had visited the immigrants, pto-
fessed friendship, and entered into a verbal treaty of good will.
But, in keeping with their instincts, as soon as the families and
main strength of the party had been gone sufficiently long, they
clandestinely assailed the camp— the guard escaping more or less
wounded — and seized its contents. On learning this a party
marched down and chastised a small encampment of the Indians,
giving them a foretaste of what they realized, when too late, that
they must either in good faith be at peace with the Americans or
suffer annihilation. Thirty years later their once powerful tribe-
long the scourge of wrecked vessels and their crews — was practi
cally, if not absolutely, extinct. This was the first blood shed
between the settlers and the Indians.
The- Carancahuas were both treacherous and troublesome,

*I follow the correct Spanish spelling of the names of the Texas
Indian tribes, giving also the correct pronunciation. Thus, Car-an-ca-
hua, pronounced Kar-an-ka-wah. There has been no uniformity in the
orthography of these names among American writers. All, however, will
agree that there should be.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

often stealing from the settlers and often firing upon them from
ambush. The earlier colonists living in proximity to the coast
were greatly annoyed by them. But there is no reliable account
of many of their earlier depredations. About 1851 a small volume
was published, purporting to consist of letters by an early
settler in the section mentioned to a friend in Kentucky, giving
current accounts of events from 1822 to about 1845, when in fact
they were written by another, and a stranger in the country, from
the verbal recitals from memory of the assumed author. The
gross inaccuracies in regard to events occurring much later, espe
cially in 1832 and 1840, necessarily weaken confidence in his state
ments in regard to earlier occurrences. We must, therefore, be
content with more or less imperfect summaries of the conflicts
with the Carancahuas for the first few years of the colony.
Among the first of which any account has been preserved was
an attack from ambush by these savages upon three young men
in a canoe in the Colorado River, in the spring of 1823. The
locality is now in Colorado County. Loy and Alley (the latter
one of several brothers) were killed. Clark, their companion,
escaped to the opposite bank, severely but not mortally wounded.
On the same day another young man named Robert Brotherton
was fired upon and wounded by them, but escaped on horseback
to convey the news to the settlers above, these two attacks being
near the mouth of Skull Creek.
This was Robert Brotherton from St. Louis County, Missouri,
of which his two brothers, James and Marshall, were successively
sheriff, from 1834 to 1842. Robert died unmarried at Columbus,
Texas, about 1857, leaving his estate to his nephew, Joseph W.
McClurg, who, after a short residence in Texas, returned to Mis
souri, to become later a Congressman and Governor of the State.
A party of the settlers, numbering fourteen or fifteen, by a
cautious night march arrived at the Indian camp in time to attack
it at dawn on the following morning. Completely surprised, the
Indians fled into the brush, leaving several dead. This was on
Skull Creek, a few miles from Columbus.
The depredations of the Carancahuas continued with such
frequency that Austin determined to chastise and if possible force
them into pacific behavior. [Having left San Antonio very un-

Texas — The Country and Its Men

expectedly for the City of Mexico in March, 1822, to secure a
ratification of his colonization scheme by the newly formed gov
ernment of Iturbide, the original concession of 1821 to Moses
Austin having been made by the expiring authorities under Spain,
Austin was now, in the summer of 1824, at his new home on the
Brazos, clothed temporarily with authority to administer the civil
and judicial affairs of the colony, and to command the militia
with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.] Capt. Randall Jones, in
command of twenty-three men, in the month of September, moved
down the Brazos in canoes. On the lower river he was visited by
some of the Indians who, on seeing his strength, manifested
friendship. But learning that about thirty warriors of the tribe
were encamped on a tributary of the Bernard, about seven miles
distant, and also that about a dozen others had gone to Bailey's,
further up the river, to buy ammunition. Captain Jones sent two
messengers up the river for help. These two found a small num
ber already collected to watch the party at Bailey's. Becoming
assured of their hostile intent, the settlers attacked them, killed
several and the others fled.
Without waiting for reinforcements. Captain Jones deter
mined to attack the party on the creek. Crossing to its west side
he moved down in the night abreast the Indian camp, which was
on the margin of a marshy expansion of the creek, covered with
high grass, reeds, etc. At daylight the whites fired, charging into
the camp. In a moment the Indians were secreted in the rank
vegetation, hurling arrows with dangerous precision into their
exposed assailants. In another moment one or two of the whites
fell dead, and several were woundeds. To maintain their position
was suicidal ; to charge upon the hidden foe was madness ; to retire
as best they could was the dictate of common sense. This they
did, pursued up the creek to where they recrossed it. They had
three men killed, bearing the names of Spencer, Singer, and
Bailey, and several wounded. It was claimed that fifteen Indians
were killed, but of this there was no assurance when we remember
the arms then in use. Be that as it may, it was a clear repulse of
the whites, whose leader. Captain Jones, was an experienced sol
dier of approved courage. Such a result was lamentable at that
period in the colony's infancy. It was this affair which caused
the name of "Jones" to be bestowed on that creek.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

Soon after this the Carancahuas, a little above the mouth of
the Colorado, captured an American named White and two Mexi
cans, in a canoe, who had gone from the San Antonio to buy
corn. They let White go under a promise that he would bring
down corn from the settlement and divide it with them — the canoe
and the Mexicans remaining as hostages. When White reported
the affair to the people above, Capt. Jesse Burnham, with about
thirty men, hastened to the spot agreed upon, and very soon am
bushed a canoe containing seven or eight Indians, nearly all of
whom were slain at the first fire, and it was not certain that a
single one escaped.
Colonel Austin, near this time, raised about a hundred volun
teers and marched from the Brazos southwesterly in search of the
Carancahuas. Some accounts say that he went to meet them, at
their request, to make a treaty. Others assert that he started forth
to chastise them, and that after crossing the Guadalupe at Vic
toria he met messengers from the Indians, sent through the priests
of Goliad, proposing to meet and enter into a treaty with him.
This is undoubtedly the true version. Austin started prepared and
determined to punish the Indians for their repeated outrages, or
force them to leave the limits of his colony. Had he only gone in
response to their invitation, he would not have taken with him over
a dozen men. He met them on the Menahuilla Creek, a few miles
east of La Bahia, and, being much persuaded thereto by the clergy
and Alcalde of that town, made a treaty with them, in which they
pledged themselves never again to come east of the San Antonio
River. More than one writer has been led to assert that the Car
ancahuas kept that pledge, which is notoriously untrue, as they
committed occasional depredations east of that river at intervals
for twenty-one years, and at other intervals lived at peace with
settlements, hunting and sometimes picking cotton for the people.
In 1842 they were living on the margins of Matagorda Bay. The
last American blood shed by them was that of Capt. John F.
Kem'pen, in Victoria County, whom they murdered in November,
1845. [Vide Victor M. Rose's History of Victoria County,
page 21.]
Austin's movement was a wise one. It convinced those un
faithful creatures that the Americans had become strong enough

Texas — The Country and Its Men

to hold the country and punish their overt acts. They had form
erly been partially under the influence of the missionaries, and
still had their children baptized by the priests who stood somewhat
as sponsors for them in the treaty, probably a stroke of policy
mvitually understood by them and Colonel Austin, as sure to have
no evil effect, and with the hope that it might exert a salutary
influence, as it doubtless did. W'e must not forget that those
were the days of infancy and small things in Texas.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

MRS. LONG AT BOLIVAR POINT
1820

Bolivar Point lies, green and inviting, a high point of land in
sight of Galveston. It seems to say to pleasure-seekers, "Come
and visit me. I have shady groves, fresh breezes, and in the season
fine melons and fruits to offer, but there are events of historic
and romantic interest connected with me, which add tenfold to
my attractiveness." Yes, truly, ninety-six years ago Bolivar was
the scene of events now known to comparatively few, except per
haps members of old Texas families, who have heard them related
by the remarkable woman who there displayed a heroic devotion
and courage rarely equaled in modern times.
First we see her, in the year 1815, at Natchez, Miss., with
sun-bonnet hiding her clustering curls, and school satchel on arm,
as she wends her way to the academy. The same day she meets,
for the first time. Dr. Long, who has just distinguished himself in
the battle of New Orleans, where he won from General Jackson
the sobriquet of "The Young Lion." The stream which separates
simple acquaintance from passionate love was soon crossed, and
the boy surgeon of twenty and Jane Wilkinson, the school girl of
fifteen, became husband and wife. A few years of quiet domestic
life, and the adventurous spirit and manly ambition of the soldier
assumed full sway over a mind which could not be content with
the peaceful pursuits of the farmer, nor yet with the humdrum
traffic of the merchant, which Long successively engaged in after
his marriage. Mexico was struggling to be free from Spain, and in 1819
General Long became the leader of a gallant band of men raised
in Natchez for the purpose of wresting that portion of Mexico
called Texas from the Spanish yoke. Through the many exciting
scenes incident to a soldier's life in this almost unknown country,
Mrs. Long followed her husband, content if she could but be near
him. In 1820 she found a resting place in a rude fort at Bolivar

Texas — The Country and Its Men

Point, fortified and provisioned by General Long before his de
parture for La Bahia, or Goliad. Here the adoring wife long
awaited a return, of whose impossibility her boundless faith would
not allow her to conceive. As time wore on, and no news of the
General's fate arrived, Bolivar was deserted by the two men who
constituted the guard. Although several vessels touched at the
point for the purpose of conveying Mrs. Long to New Orleans,
she, with her little daughter and negro servant girl, Kian, deter
mined, at all hazards, to await her husband's return.
\A'hen we look upon the Galveston Island of today, with its
city rising from the sea, its market gardens and dairy farms, its
beach gay with costly equipages, and surf noisy with the shouts
of bathers, it is difficult to recognize in it the Galveston Island of
ninety-six years ago. At that time, deserted even by the pirate
Lafitte. the red house and the three trees the only objects that rose
above the water's edge, the cry of seagulls and pelicans, mingled
with the doleful sighing of breaking waves, the only sounds to
reach the ear of the brave woman who kept her lonely watch at
Bolivar, as we view the incoming ships, laden with freight from
every quarter of the globe, and the sailing yachts bearing pleasure
parties perhaps to the very spot whence Mrs. Long often strained
her eyes to descry a distant sail which might bring good tidings, it
is almost impossible to form a true conception of the extreme
desolateness of her situation.
In the midst of a region little known by whites, the only
human beings she could expect to see were the savage Carancahua
Indians, who might be tempted to return to their old haunts on
the island, now that Lafitte had deserted the place, or other In
dians who might approach from the Trinity. Whenever they came
near enough to cause her to dread' an attack, she had presence of
mind to fire off the cannon, and give other indications that the
fort was occupied by a formidable force. There were times when,
not daring to go out by day, Kian would visit the beach at night,
in order to get oysters, which were often their only article of food.
Great was the rejoicing when, during that severe winter of
1820-21, which converted the bay into a sheet of ice, Kian
found numbers of benumbed or frozen fish beneath the icy sur
face, and, with Mrs. Long's assistance, a hole was cut, and a good
supply obtained and packed in the brine of mackerel barrels. The

10 Texas — The Country and Its Men
cold was at this time so intense that the ice was strong enough to
bear the weight of a bear which calmly pursued its way across
the bay, unmolested save by the barking of Mrs. Long's dog,
"Galveston." At length the period of lonely waiting drew to a close. One
day there came a Mexican from San Antonio, sent by General
Palacios, bearing a message ; but how different were the tidings
from those for which the devoted wife had fondly hoped !
The tragic manner of General Long's death in the City of
Mexico is well known to readers of Texas history, but none can
ever know the shock which this young wife experienced at this
rude awakening from her long dream of a happy reunion. Some
weeks later a second messenger came, provided with mules to con
vey her and her little family, consisting of two girls (an infant
having been born during her sojourn at Bolivar) and the faithful
servant, to San Antonio. Here she was treated with marked dis
tinction by the Mexican Government, as the widovi^ of a patriot
and a hero.
Her long life of widowhood, intimately bound up with the
history of Texas, came to a close, at the age of eighty-two, on the
30th day of December, 1880, at Richmond, Texas, where her
son-in-law. Judge Sullivan, and granddaughter still reside. Her
Spartan qualities became the legacy of Texians, for historians
have concurred in bestowing upon her the worthy title, "The
Mother of Texas."

Texas — The Country and Its Men

11

FIGHT OF BOWIES WITH INDIANS
ON THE SAN SABA IN 1831

nnruniiiiaiijiuiiiiiiGiiiirriiiiiiuiuiiiiunii

In 1832 Rezin P. Bowie furnished a Philadelphia paper with
the following narrative. It has been published in several books
since. Col. James Bowie made a report to the Mexican Governor
at San Antonio, not so full but in accord with this report. It gives
an account of one of the most extraordinary events in the pioneei
history of America.
"On the 2nd of November, 1831, we left the town of San
Antonio de Bexar for the silver mines on the San Saba River;
the party consisting of the fol
lowing named persons : Rezin
P. Bowie, James Bowie, David
Buchanan, Robert Armstrong,
Jesse Wallace, Matthew
Doyle, Cephas D. Hamm,
James Coryell, Thomas Mc-
Caslin, Gonzales and Charles,
servant boys. Nothing par
ticular occurred until the 19th,
on which day, about 10 a. m.,
we were overhauled by two
Comanche Indians and a Mex
ican captive, who had struck
our trail and followed it. They
stated that they belonged to
Isaonie's party, a chief of the
Comanche tribe, sixteen in
number, and were on their
way to San Antonio with a
drove of horses, which they had taken from the Wacos and Ta-
wackanies, and were about returning to their owners, citizens of
San Antonio. After smoking and talking with them about an

JAMES BOWIE

12 Texas — The Country and Its Men
hour, and making them a few presents of tobacco, powder, shot,
etc., they returned to their party, who were waiting at the Llano
River. "We continued on our journey until night closed upon us,
when we encamped. The next morning, the above named Mexican
captive returned to our camp, his horse was much fatigued, and
who, after eating and smoking, stated that he had been sent
by his chief, Isaonie, to inform us we were followed by 124
Tawackanie and Waco Indians, and 40 Caddos had joined
them, who were determined to have our scalps at all risks. Isaonie
had held a talk with them all the previous afternoon, and endeav
ored to dissuade them from their purpose ; but they still persisted,
and left him enraged and pursued our trail. As a voucher for the
truth of the above, the Mexican produced his chief's silver medal,
which is common among the natives in such cases. He further
stated that his chief requested him to say, that he had but sixteen
men, badly armed and without ammunition; but if we would re
turn and join him, such succor as he could give us he would. But
knowing that the enemy lay between us and him, we deemed it
more prudent to pursue our journey and endeavor to reach the
old fort on the San Saba River before night, distance thirty miles.
The Mexican then returned to his party, and we proceeded on.
"Throughout the day we encountered bad roads, being cov
ered with rocks, and the horses' feet being worn out, we were
disappointed in not reaching the fort. In the evening we had some
little difficulty in picking out an advantageous spot where to en
camp for the night. We, however, made choice of the best that
offered, which was a cluster of live oak trees, some thirty or forty
in number, about the size of a man's body. To the north of them
a thicket of live oak bushes, about ten feet high, forty yards in
length and twenty in breadth, to the west, at the distance of
thirty-five or forty yards, ran a stream of water.
"The surrounding country was an open prairie, interspersed
with a few trees, rocks, and broken land. The trail which we
came on lay to the east of our encampment. After taking the
precaution to prepare our spot for defense, by cutting a road in
side the thicket of bushes, ten feet from the outer edge all around,
and clearing the prickly pears from amongst the bushes, we hob
bled our horses and placed sentinels for the night. We were now

Texas — The Country and Its Men 13
distant six miles from the old fort above mentioned, which was
built by the Spaniards in 1752, for the purpose of protecting them
while working the silver mines, which are a mile distant. A few
years after, it was attacked by the Comanche Indians and every
soul put to death. Since that time it has never been occupied.
Within the fort is a church, which, had we reached before night,
it was our intention to have occupied to defend ourselves against
the Indians. The fort surrounds about one acre of land under a
twelve-foot stone wall.
"Nothing occurred during the night, and we lost no time in
the morning in making preparations for continuing our journey
to the fort; and when in the act of starting, we discovered the
Indians on our trail to the east, about two hundred yards distant,
and a footman about fifty yards ahead of the main body, with his
face to the ground, tracking. The cry of 'Indians' was given, and
'All hands to arms.' We dismounted, and both saddle and pack
horses were made fast to the trees. As soon as they found we
had discovered them, they gave the war whoop, halted and com
menced stripping, preparatory to action. A number of mounted
Indians were reconnoitering the ground ; among them we discov
ered a few Caddo Indians, by the cut of their hair, who had
always previously been friendly to Americans.
"Their number being so far greater than ours (one hundred
and sixty-four to eleven), it was agreed that Rezin P. Bowie
should be sent out to talk with them, and endeavor to compromise
with them rather than attempt a fight. He accordingly started,
with David Buchanan in company, and walked up to within about
forty yards of where they had halted, and requested them in their
own tongue to send forward their chief, as he wanted to talk
with him. Their answer was, 'how-de-do? how-de-do?' in Eng
lish, and a discharge of twelve shots at us, one of which broke
Buchanan's leg. Bowie returned their salutation with the con
tents of a double-barreled gun and a pistol. He then took Buchanan
on his shoulder, and started back to the encampment. They then
opened a heavy fire upon us, which wounded Buchanan in two
more places slightly, and pierced Bowie's hunting shirt in several
places without doing him any injury. When they found their
shot failed to bring Bowie down, eight Indians on foot took after
him with their tomahawks, and when close upon him were dis-

14 Texas — The Country and Its Men
covered by his party, who rushed out with their rifles and brought
down four of them — the other four retreating back to the main
bod}'. We then returned to our position, and all was still for
about five minutes.
"We then discovered a hill to the northeast at the distance of
sixty yards, red with Indians who opened a heavy fire upon us
with loud yells, their chief, on horseback, urging them in a loud
and audible voice to the charge, walking his horse perfectly com
posed. When we first discovered him, our guns were all empty,
with the exception of Mr. Hamm's. James Bowie cried out, '\Mio
is loaded?' Mr. Hamm observed, 'I am.' He was then told to
shoot that Indian on horseback. He did so, and broke his leg and
killed his horse. We now discovered him hopping around his
horse on one leg, with his shield on his arm to keep off the balls.
By this time four of our party being reloaded, fired at the same
instant, and all the balls took effect through the shield. He fell
and was immediately surrounded by six or eight of his tribe, who
picked him up and bore him off. Several of these were shot by
our party. The whole party then retreated back of the hill, out
of sight, with the exception of a few Indians who were running
about from tree to tree, out of gunshot.
"They now covered the hill a second time, bringing up their
bowmen, who had not been in action before, and commenced a
heavy fire with balls and arrows, which we returned by a well
directed aim with our rifles. At this instant, another chief ap
peared on horseback, near the spot where the last one fell. The
same question of who was loaded, was asked ; the answer was
nobody ; when little Charles, the mulatto servant, came running
up with Buchanan's rifle, which had not been discharged since
he was wounded, and handed it to James Bowie, who instantly
fired and brought him down from his horse. He was surrounded
by six or eight of his tribe, as was the last, and borne off under
Our fire. During the time we were engaged in defending ourselves
from the Indians on the hill, some fifteen or twenty of the Caddo
tribe had succeeded in getting under the bank of the creek in our
rear at about forty yards distance, and opened a heavy fire upon
us, which wounded Matthew Doyle, the ball entering the left
breast and passing out of the back. As soon as he cried out he
was wounded, Thomas McCaslin hastened to the spot where he

Texas — The Country and Its Men 15
fell, and observed, 'Where is the Indian that shot Doyle?' He
was told by a more experienced hand not to venture there, as,
from the report of their guns, they must be riflemen. At that
instant they discovered an Indian, and while in the act of raising
his piece, ^.IcCaslin was shot through the center of the body and
expired. Robert Armstrong exclaimed, 'D — n the Indian that shot
McCaslin! Where is he?' He was told not to venture there, as
they must be riflemen ; but, on discovering an Indian, and while
bringing his gun up, he was fired at, and part of the stock of his
gun cut off, and the ball lodged against the barrel. During this
time our enemies had formed a complete circle around us, occu
pying the points of rocks, scattering trees and bushes. The firing
then became general from all quarters.
"Finding our situation too much exposed among the trees,
we were obliged to leave it, and take to the thickets. The first
thing necessary was to dislodge the riflemen from under the bank
of the creek, who were within point-blank shot. This we soon
succeeded in, by shooting the most of them through the head, as
we had the advantage of seeing them when they could not see us.
"The road we had cut around the thicket the night previous,
gave us now an advantageous situation over that of our enemies,
and we had a fair view of them in the prairie, while we were
completely hid. We baffled their shots by moving six or eight
feet the moment we had fired, as their only mark was the smoke
of our guns. They would put twenty balls within the size of a
pocket handkerchief, where they had seen the smoke. In this
manner we fought them two hours, and had one man wounded,
James Coryell, who was shot through the arm, and the ball lodged
in the side, first cutting away a bush which prevented it from
penetrating deeper than the size of it.
"They now discovered that we were not to be dislodged from
the thicket, and the uncertainty of killing us at a random shot ;
they suffering very much from the fire of our rifles, which brought
a half dozen down at every round. They now determined to re
sort to stratagem, by putting fire to the dry grass in the prairie,
for the double purpose of routing us from our position, and under
cover of the smoke, to carry away their dead and wounded, which
lay near us. The wind was now blowing from the west, they
placed the fire in that quarter, where it burnt down all the grass to

16 Texas — The Country and Its Men
the creek, and bore off to the right, and leaving around our position
a space of about five acres that was untouched by fire. Under
cover of this smoke they succeeded in carrying off a portion of
their dead and wounded. In the meantime, our party were en
gaged in scraping away the dry grass and leaves from our wound
ed men and baggage to prevent the fire from passing over it ; and
likewise, in pulling up rocks and bushes to answer the purpose of
a breastwork. "They now discovered they had failed in routing us by the
fire, as they had anticipated. They then reoccupied the points of
rocks and trees in the prairie, and commenced another attack. The
firing continued for some time when the wind suddenly shifted to
the north, and blew very hard. We now discovered our dangerous
situation, should the Indians succeed in putting fire to the small
spot which we occupied, and kept a strict watch all around. The
two servant boys were employed in scraping away dry grass and
leaves from around the baggage, and pulling up rocks and placing
them around the wounded men. The remainder of the party were
warmly engaged with the enemy. The point from which the wind
now blew being favorable to fire our position, one of the Indians
succeeded in crawling down the creek and putting fire to the
grass that had not yet been burnt ; but before he could retreat back
to his party, was killed by Robert Armstrong.
"At this time we saw no hopes of escape, as the fire was com
ing down rapidly before the wind, flaming ten feet high, and
directly for the spot we occupied. What was to be done? We
must either be burned up alive, or driven into the prairie among
the savages. This encouraged the Indians ; and to make it more
awful, their shouts and yells rent the air, they at the same time
firing upon us about twenty shots a minute. As soon as the smoke
hid us from their view, we collected together and held a con
sultation as to what was best to be done. Our first impression
was, that they might charge us under cover of the smoke, as we
could make but one effectual fire, the sparks were flying about so
thickly that no man could open his powder horn without running
the risk of being blown up. However, we finally came to a deter
mination had they charged us to give them one fire, place our
backs together, and draw our knives and fight them as long as any
one of us was left alive. The next question was, should they not

Tr.xAs — The Country and Its Men 17

charge us, and we retain our position, we must be burned up. It
was then decided that each man should take care of himself as best
he could, until the fire arrived at the ring around our baggage and
wounded men, and there it should be smothered with buffalo
robes, bear skins, deer skins, and blankets, which, after a great
deal of exertion, we succeeded in doing.
"Our thicket being so much burned and scorched, that it af
forded us little or no shelter, we all got into the ring that was
around our wounded men and baggage, and commenced building
our breastwork higher, with the loose rocks from the inside, and
dirt dug up with our knives and sticks. During this last fire, the
Indians had succeeded in removing all their killed and wounded
which lay near us. It was now sundown, and we had been warmly
engaged with the Indians since sunrise, a period of thirteen hours ;
and they seeing us still alive and ready for fight, drew off at a
distance of three hundred yards, and encamped for the night with
their dead and wounded. Our party now commenced to work
in raising our fortification higher, and succeeded in getting it
breast high by lo p. m. We now filled all our vessels and skins
with water, expecting another attack the next morning. We could
distinctly hear the Indians, nearly all night, crying over their
dead, which is their custom ; and at daylight, they shot a wounded
chief — it being also a custom to shoot any of their tribe that are
mortally wounded. They, after that, set out with their dead and
wounded to a mountain about a mile distant, where they deposited
their dead in a cave on the side of it. At eight in the morning,
two of the party went out from the fortification to the encamp
ment, where the Indians had lain the night previous, and counted
forty-eight bloody spots on the grass where the Indians had been
lying. As near as we could judge, their loss must have been forty
killed and thirty wounded. [We afterwards learned from the
Comanche Indians that their loss was eighty-two killed and
wounded.] "Finding ourselves much cut up, having one man killed, and
three wounded — five horses killed, and three wounded — we recom
menced strengthening our little fort, and continued our labors
until I p. m., when the arrival of thirteen Indians drew us into
the fort again. As soon as they discovered we were still there
and ready for action and well fortified they put off. We, after

18 Texas — The Country and Its Men
that, remained in our fort eight days, recruiting our wounded
men and horses, at the expiration of which time, being all in
pretty good order, we set out on our return to San Antonio de
Bexar. We left our fort at dark, and traveled all night and until
afternoon of the next day, when we picked out an advantageous
spot and fortified ourselves, expecting the Indians would, when
recruited, follow our trail ; but, however, we saw no more of them.
"David Buchanan's wounded leg here mortified, and having
no surgical instruments, or medicine of any kind, not even a dose
of salts, we boiled some live oak bark very strong, and thickened
it with pounded charcoal and Indian meal, made a poultice of it,
and tied it around his leg, over which we sewed a buffalo skin,
and traveled along five days without looking at it; when it was
opened, it was in a fair way for healing, which it finally did, and
the mortified parts all dropped off, and his leg now is as well as
it ever was. There was none of the party but had his skin cut
in several places, and numerous shot holes through his clothes.
"On the twelfth day we arrived in good order, with our
wounded men and horses, at San Antonio de Bexar."

Texas — The Country and Its Men 19

The Scalping of Wilbarger and the Death
of Christian and Strother, in 1833

In the year 1828, Josiah Wilbarger, recently married to a
daughter of Leman Barker, of Lincoln County, Mo., arrived at
Matagorda, Texas. The Wilbarger family lived on a thousand
arpents of the richest land, one mile east of the present village of
Ashley, Pike County, Mo., sixteen miles from the Mississippi
River and seventy-five miles above St. Louis. In the autumn of
1826, Capt. Henry S. Brown returned home from Texas, after
having spent two years in that then terra incognita and Northern
Mexico. His descriptions of the country deeply impressed young
Wilbarger, as well as a large number of persons in the adjoining
county of Lincoln, whose names subsequently shed luster on the
pioneer life of Texas. The remainder of the Wilbarger family,
or rather two brothers and three sisters of their number, came to
Texas in 1837. Josiah spent a year in Matagorda, another in
Colorado County, and in 1831 settled on his headright league, ten
miles above Bastrop on the Colorado, with his wife, child and two
transietit young men. He was temporarily the outside settler, but
soon others located along the river below and two or three above,
the elder Reuben Hornsby becoming the outer sentinel, and so
remaining for a number of years. Mr. Wilbarger located various
lands for other parties in that section, it being in Austin's second
grant above the old San Antonio and Nacogdoches road, which
crossed at Bastrop.
In August, 1833, accompanied by four others, viz.. Christian,
a surveyor ; Strother, Standifer and Haynie, Mr. Wilbarger left
on a land-locating expedition, above where Austin now is. Arriv
ing on the ground and on the eve of beginning work, an Indian
was discovered on a neighboring ridge, watching their movements.
Wilbarger, after vainly beckoning to him to approach, rode toward
him, manifesting friendship, but the Indian, pointing toward a
smoke rising from a cedar brake at the base of a hill, in plain view,

20 Texas — The Country and Its Men

indicated a desire for his visitor to go to camp and galloped away.
The party, after a short pursuit, became satisfied there was a
considerable body of Indians, hostile in feeling, and determined
at once to return to the settlement. They started in, intending to
go directly to Hornsby's place, but they stopped at a spring on
the way to take lunch, to which Wilbarger objected, being quite
sure the Indians would pursue them, while the others thought
otherwise. Very soon, however, about sixty savages suddenly
charged, fired and fell back under the protection of brush. Strother
fell dead and Christian apparently so. Wilbarger's horse broke
away and fled. He followed a short distance, but failed to re
cover him. Hastening back, he found the other two men mounted
and ready to flee, and discovered that Christian, though helpless,
was not dead. He implored the two mounted men to stay with
him in the ravine, and endeavor to save Christian. Just then the
Indians renewed the fire at long range and struck Wilbarger in the
hip. He then asked to be taken behind one of them, but seeing
the enemy approaching, they fled at full speed, leaving him to his
fate. The Indians, one having mounted Christian's horse, en
circled him on all sides. He had seized the guns of the fallen
men and thus with these, partly protected by a tree, just as he
was taking deliberate aim at the mounted warrior, a ball entered
his neck, paralyzing him, so that he fell to the ground and was at
once at the mercy of the wretches. Though perfectly helpless
and apparently dead, he was conscious of all that transpired. A
knife was passed entirely around his head and the scalp torn off.
While suffering no pain, he ever asserted that neither a storm
in the forest nor the roar of artillery could have sounded more
terrible to a sound man than did this scalping process to him. The
shrieks and exultant yells of the brutes were indescribable.
Christian's life ebbed away, all three were stripped and
scalped ; the savages retired and Wilbarger lay in a dreamy state
of semi-consciousness, visions flitting through his mind bordering
on the marvelous and the supernatural.
The loss of blood finally aroused him and he realized several
wounds unknown to him before. He crawled to a limpid stream
close by and submerged his body in it both to quench a burning
thirst and stop the flow of blood, and succeeded in both ; but in
an hour or two became greatly chilled and crawled out, but was

Texas — The Country and Its Men 21

so weak he fell into a sound sleep — for how long he knew not — on
awakening from which he found his wounds covered with those
disgusting insects, "blow flies." Occasionally refreshing himself
in the pool, the hours sped and night came. He had realized that
the escaped men would spread the news and as soon as the few
settlers below could collect, relief might come. After dark and
many efforts he was able to rise and stand — then to stagger
along — and resolved to make an effort to reach the Hornsby place.
He traveled about a quarter of a mile, utterly failed in strength
and sank under a large tree, intensely suffering with cold. When
morning came he was unable to move and his suffering, till the
sun rose and warned him, was intense. He became able to rise
again, but not to walk. He affirmed that while reclining against
the tree his sister, Margaret,* vividly appeared before him, saying,
"Brother Josiah ! you are too weak to go in by yourself ! Remain
here and before the sun sets friends will take you in." She dis
appeared, going directly towards the settlement. He piteously called
to her: "Margaret, my sister, Margaret! stay with me till they
come!" But she disappeared, and when relief did come he told
them of the vision and believed till that time that it was a reality.
During the day — that long and agonizing day — between pe
riods of drowsy slumber, he would sit or stand, intensely gazing in
the direction Margaret had taken.
The two men who fled gave the alarm at Hornsby's, and
runners were sent below for aid, which could not be expected
before the next day ; and here occurs one of those incidents which,
however remarkable, unless a whole family and several other per
sons of unquestionable integrity were themselves falsifiers, is true,
and so held by all the early settlers of the Colorado. During the
night in which \Mlbarger lay under the tree, notwithstanding the
two men asserted positively that they saw A\'ilbarger, Christian
and Strother killed, Mrs. Hornsby, one of the best of women and
regarded as the mother of the new colony, about midnight, sprang
from bed, aroused all the house, and said : "Wilbarger is not dead !
He sits against a large tree and is scalped I I saw him and know it
is so !" Those present reassured and remonstrated, even ridiculed
her dream, and all again retired. But about three o'clock, she
*This sister. was Mrs. Margaret Clifton, who had died the day be
fore at Florissant, St. Louis County, Missouri.

22 Texas — The Country and Its Men
again sprang from the bed, under intense excitement, repeated
her former statement and added: "I saw him again! As sure
as God lives Josiah Wilbarger is alive, scalped and under a large
tree by himself ! I saw him as plainly as I now see you who are
present ! If you are not cowards go at once or he will die !" "But,"
said one of the escaped men, "Mrs. Hornsby, I saw fifty Indians
around his body and it is impossible for him to be alive."
"I care not what you saw," replied the seemingly inspired
old mother, "I saw as plainly as you could have seen, and I know
he is alive ! Go to him at once." Her husband suggested that if
the men all left before help came from below she would be in
danger. "Never mind me ! I can take to the dogwood thicket
and save myself ! Go, I tell you, to poor Wilbarger !"
The few men present determined to await till morning the
arrival of succor from below, but Mrs. Hornsby refused to retire
again, and busied herself cooking till sunrise, so as to avoid any
delay when aid should come. When the men came in the morn
ing, she repeated to them in the most earnest manner her dual
vision, urged them to eat quickly and hasten forward and, as
they were leaving, took from her bed a strong sheet, handed it to
them and said : "Take this, you will have to bring him on a
litter; he cannot sit on a horse." The men left and after long
search found and buried the bodies of Christian and Strother.
Wilbarger spent the day in alternate watching and dozing
till, late in the evening, completely exhausted, having crawled to
a stump from which a more extended view was obtained, he was
sinking into a despairing slumber, when the rumbling of horses'
feet fell upon his ear. He arose and now beheld his deliverers.
When, after quite a search, they discovered the ghastly object —
a mass of blood — they involuntarily halted, seeing which he beck
oned and finally called : "Come on, friends ; it is ^^llbarger."
They came up, even then hesitating, for he was disfigured beyond
recognition. He begged for water! water! which was promptly
furnished him. He was wrapped in the sheet, placed on Mr.
Hornsby's horse and that gentleman, mounting behind, held him in
his arms, and thus, slowly, he was borne to the house, to be em
braced with a mother's warmth by her who had seen him in the
vision. The great loss of blood prevented febrile tendencies, and.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 23
under good nursing, Mr. Wilbarger recovered his usual health;
but the scalp having taken with it the inner membrane, followed
by two days' exposure to the sun, never healed. The dome of the
skull remained bare, only protected by artificial covering. For
eleven years he enjoyed health, prospered and accumulated a
handsome estate. At the end of that time the skull rapidly de
cayed, exposed the brain, brought on delirium, and in a few weeks,
just before the assurance of annexation and in the twelfth year
from his calamity, his soul went to join that of his waiting sister
Margaret in that abode "where the wicked cease from troubling
and the weary are at rest." In 1858 the County of Wilbarger was
named jointly for him and his brother Matthias, a surveyor.
John Wilbarger, one of the sons of Josiah, while a ranger,
was killed by Indians in the Nueces country, in 1847.

QUANAH PARKER WITH WAR BONNET

(24)

Texas — The Country and Its Men 25

FALL OF PARKER'S FORT IN 1836
The Killed, Wounded and Captured — Van
Dorn's Victory in 1858 — The Recovery of
Cynthia Ann Parker — Quanah Parker, the
Comanche Chief

In the fall of 1833 the Parker family came from Cole County,
Illinois, to East Texas — one or two came a little earlier and some
a little later. The elder Parker was a native of Virginia, resided
for a time in Georgia, but chiefly reared his family in Bedford
County, Tennessee, whence, in 1818, he removed to Illinois. The
family, with perhaps one exception, belonged to one branch of
the primitive Baptist Church, commonly designated as Two Seed
Baptists. Parker's Fort, or block-house, a mile west of the Navasota
Creek and two and a half northwesterly from the present town
of Groesbeck, in Limestone County, was established in 1834, with
accessions afterwards up to the revolution in the fall of 1835. At
the time of the attack upon it. May 19, 1836, it was occupied by
Elder John Parker, patriarch of the family, and his wife, his son,
James W. Parker, wife, four single children and his daughter,
Mrs. Rachel Plummer, her husband, L. T. M. Plummer, and
infant son, .15 months old; Mrs. Sarah Nixon, another daughter,
and her husband, L. D. Nixon ; .Silas M. Parker (another son of
Elder John), his wife and four children; Benjamin F. Parker, an
unmarried son of the Elder; Mrs. Nixon, Sr., mother of Mrs.
James W. Parker; Mrs. Elizabeth Kellogg, daughter of Mrs.
Nixon; Mrs. Duty; Samuel M. Frost, wife and children; G. E.
Dwight, wife and children ; David Faulkenberry, his son Evan ;
Silas H. Bates, and Abram Anglin, a youth of nineteen years.
The latter four sometimes slept in the fort and sometimes in their
cabins on their farms, perhaps two miles distant. They, however,
were in the fort on the night of May 18.
On the morning of May 19, James W. Parker and Nixon re-

26 Texas — The Country and Its Men
paired to their field, a mile distant, on the Navasota. The two
Faulkenberrys, Bates and Anglin went to their fields, a mile fur
ther and a little below. About 9 a. m. several hundred Indians
appeared in the prairie, about three hundred yards, halted, and
hoisted a white flag. Benjamin F. Parker went over to them, had
a talk and returned, expressing the opinion that the Indians in
tended to fight ; but added that he would go back and try to avert
it. His brother Silas remonstrated, but he persisted in going, and
was immediately surrounded and killed ; whereupon the whole
force sent forth terrific yells, and charged upon the works, the
occupants numbering but three men, wholly unprepared for de
fense. Cries and confusion reigned. They killed Silas M. Parker
on the outside of the fort, while he was bravely fighting to save
Mrs. Plummer. They knocked Mrs. Plummer down with a hoe
and made her captive. Elder John Parker, wife and Mrs. Kel
logg attempted to escape, and got about three-fourths of a mile,
when they were overtaken, and driven back near to the fort,
where the old gentleman was stripped, murdered and scalped.
They stripped and speared Mrs. Parker, leaving her as dead — but
she revived, as will be seen further on. Mrs. Kellogg remained
captive. When the Indians first appeared, Mrs. Sarah Nixon hastened
to the field to advise her father, husband and Plummer. Plummer
hastened down to inform the Faulkenberrys, Bates and Anglin.
David Faulkenberry was first met and started immediately to the
fort. The others followed as soon as found by Plummer. J. W.
Parker and Nixon started to the fort, but the former met his
family on the way, and took them to the Navasota bottom. Nixon,
though unarmed, continued on toward the fort, and met Mrs.
Lucy, wife of the dead Silas Parker, with her four children, just
as she was overtaken by the Indians. They compelled her to lift
behind two mounted warriors her nine-year-old daughter,
Cynthia Ann, and her little boy, John. The foot Indians took her
and her two younger children back to the fort, Nixon following.
On arriving, she passed around and Nixon through the fort. Just
as the Indians were about to kill Nixon, David Faulkenberry ap
peared with his rifle, and caused them to fall back. Nixon then
hurried away to find his wife, and soon overtook Dwight, with

Texas — The Country and Its Men 27

his own and Frost's family. Dwight met J. W Parker and
went with him to his hiding place in the bottom.
Faulkenberry, thus left with Mrs. Silas Parker and her two
children, bade her follow him. With the infant in her arms and
the other child held by the hand, she obeyed. The Indians made
several feints, but were held in check by the brave man's rifle.
One warrior dashed up so near that Mrs. Parker's faithful dog
seized his pony by the nose, whereupon both horse and rider
somersaulted, alighting on their backs in a ditch.
At this time Silas Bates, Abram Anglin and Evan Faulken
berry, armed, and Plummer, unarmed, came up. They passed
through Silas Parker's field, when Plummer, as if aroused from
a dream, demanded to know what had become of his wife and
child. Armed only with the butcher knife of Abram Anglin, he
left the party in search of his wife, and was seen no more for six
days. The Indians made no further assault.
During the assault on the fort, Samuel M. Frost and his son
Robert fell while heroically defending the women and children
inside the stockade.
The result so far was :
Killed — Elder John Parker, Benjamin F. Parker, Silas M.
Parker, Samuel M. Frost and his son Robert.
Wounded dangerously — Mrs. John Parker and Mrs. Duty.
Captured — Mrs. Elizabeth Kellogg, Cynthia Ann and John,
children of Silas M. Parker; Mrs. Rachel Plummer and infant
James Pratt Plummer.
The Faulkenberrys, Bates and Anglin, with Mrs. Parker and
children, secreted themselves in a small creek bottom. On the
way they were met and joined by Seth Bates, father of Silas, and
Mr. Lunn, also an old man. Whether they had slept in the fort
or in the cabins during the previous night all accounts fail to say.
Elisha Anglin was the father of Abram, but his whereabouts do
not appear in any of the accounts. At twilight Abram Anglin and
Evan Faulkenberry started back to the fort. On reaching Elisha
Anglin's cabin, they found old mother Parker covered with blood
and nearly naked. They secreted her and went on to the fort,
where they found no one alive, but found $106.50 where the old
lady had secreted the money under a book. They returned and
conducted her to those in the bottom, where they also found

28 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Nixon, who had failed to find his wife, for, as he ought to have
known, she was with her father. On the next morning. Bates,
Anglin and E. Faulkenberry went back to the fort, secured five
horses and provisions and the party in the bottom were thus
enabled to reach Fort Houston without material suffering. Fort
Houston, an asylum on this as on many other occasions, stood on
what has been for many )'ears the field of a wise statesman, a
chivalrous soldier and an incorruptible patriot — John H. Reagan —
two miles west of Palestine.
After six da3's of starvation, with their clothing torn into
shreds, their bodies lacerated with briars and thorns, the women
and children with unshod and bleeding feet, the party of James
\\ . Parker, 2 men, 19 women and children — reached Tinnin's, at
the old San Antonio and Nacogdoches crossing of the Navasota.
Being informed of their approach, Messrs. Carter and Courtney,
with fne horses, met them some miles away, and thus enabled the
women and children to ride. The few people around, though but
returned to their deserted homes after the victory of San Jacinto,
shared all they had of food and clothing with them. Plummer,
after six days of wanderings, joined the party the same day. In
due time the members of the party located temporarily as best
suited the respective families. A party from Fort Houston went
up and buried the dead.
The experienced frontiersman of later days will be struck
with the apparent lack of leadership or organization among the
settlers. Had they existed, combined with proper signals, there
can be little doubt but that the Indians would have been held
at bay. THE captives.
Mrs. Kellogg fell into the hands of the Keechis, from whom,
six months after her capture, she was purchased by some Dela-
wares, who carried her into Nacogdoches and delivered her to
General Houston, who paid them $150.00, the amount they had
paid and all they asked. On the way thence to Fort Houston,
escorted by J. \A'. Parker and others, a hostile Indian was slightly
wounded and temporarily disabled by a Mr. Smith. Mrs. Kellogg
instantly recognized him as the savage who had scalped the patri
arch. Elder John Parker, whereupon, without judge, jury or

Texas — The Country and Its Men 29

court martial, or even dallying with Judge Lynch, he was in
voluntarily hastened on to the happy hunting ground of his fathers.
]Mrs. Rachel Plummer, after a brutal captivity, through the
agency of some iMexican Santa Fe traders, was ransomed by a
noble-hearted American merchant of that place, Mr. AA'illiam
Donoho. She was purchased in the Rocky Mountains so far
north of Santa Fe that seventeen days were consumed in reaching
that place. She was at once made a member of her benefactor's
family, after a captivity of one and a half years. She, ere long,
accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Donoho to Independence, Missouri,
and in due time embraced her brother-in-law, Nixon, and by him
was escorted back to her people. On the 19th of February, 1838,
she reached her father's house, exactly twenty-one months from
her capture. She had never seen her infant son, James P., since
soon after their capture, and knew nothing of his fate. She wrote,
or dictated, an account of her sufferings and observations among
the savages, and died on the 19th of February, 1839. About six
months after her capture she gave birth to a child, but it was
cruelly murdered in her presence. As remarkable coincidences
it may be stated that she was born on the 19th, married on the
19th, captured on the 19th, released on the 19th, reached Inde
pendence on the 19th, arrived at home on the 19th, and died on
the 19th of the month. Her child, James Pratt Plummer, was
ransomed and taken to Fort Gibson late in 1842, and reached
home in February, in 1843, ''^ charge of his grandfather. He
became a respected citizen of Anderson County. This still left
in captivity Cynthia Ann and John Parker, who, as subsequently
learned, were held by separate bands. John grew to manhood and
became a warrior. In a raid into Mexico he captured a Mexican
girl and made her his wife. Afterwards he was seized with small
pox. His tribe fled in dismay, taking his wife and leaving him
alone to die; but she escaped from them and returned to nurse
him. He recovered and in disgust quit the Indians to go and live
with his wife's people, which he did, and when the civil war broke
out, he joined a Mexican company in the Confederate service. He,
however, refused to leave the soil of Texas and would, under no
circumstance, cross the Sabine into Louisiana. He was still living
across the Rio Grande a few years ago, but up to that time had
never visited any of his Texas cousins.

30

Texas — The Country and Its Men

recovery of CYNTHIA ANN PARKER
From May 19, 1836, to December 18, i860, was twenty-four
years and seven months. Add to this nine years, her age when
captured, and, at the latter date Cynthia Ann Parker was in her
thirty-fourth year. During that quarter of a century no reliable
tidings had ever been received of her. She had long been given up
as dead or irretrievably lost to civilization. As a prelude to her
reclamation, a fe-w other important events may be narrated.
When, in 1858, Major Earl Van Dorn, United States
dragoons, was about leaving Fort Belknap on his famous cam
paign against the hostile tribes, Lawrence Sullivan Ross (the Gen.
"Sul" Ross, a household favorite throughout Texas today), then
a frontier Texas youth of eighteen, had just returned for vacation
from college. He raised and took command of 135 friendly Waco,
Tehuacano, Toncahua and Caddo Indians and tendered their serv
ices to Van Dorn, which were gladly accepted. He was sent in
advance to "spy out the land," the troops and supply trains fol
lowing. Reaching the Wichi
ta Mountains, Ross sent a con
fidential Waco and Tehuacano
to the Wichita village, 75 miles
east of the Washita River,
hoping to learn where the
hostile Corhanches were. On
approaching the village these
two scouts, to their surprise,
found that Buffalo Hump and
his band of Comanches,
against whom Van Dorn's ex
pedition was intended, were
there and trading and gambling
with the Wichitas. The scouts
lay concealed till night, then
stole two Comanche horses and
hastily rejoined Ross with the
vidings. With some difficulty
Ross convinced Van Dorn of
the reliability of the scouts and

CYNTHIA ANN PARKER

Texas — The Country and Its Men 31

persuaded him to deflect his course and make a forced march for
the village. At sunrise, on the first day of October, they struck
the village as a whirlwind, almost annihilating Buffalo Hump and
his powerful band, capturing horses, tents, equipage and numer
ous prisoners, among whom was the white girl, "Lizzie," never
recognized or claimed by kindred, but adopted, educated and ten
derly reared by General Ross and subsequently married and died
in California. Van Dorn was dangerously wounded; as was also
Ross, by a rifle ball, whose youthful gallantry was such that every
United States officer, while yet on the battle field, signed a petition
to the President to commission him as an officer in the regular
army, and he soon received from Gen. ^^'infield Scott a most com
plimentary official recognition of his wise and dauntless bearing.
Graduating at college a year later (in 1859), in i860 and till
secession occurred in the beginning of 1861, young Ross was
kept, more or less, in the frontier service. In the fall of i860,
under the commission of Governor Sam Houston, he was stationed
near Fort Belknap, in command of a company of rangers. Late
in November a band of Comanches raided Parker County, com
mitted serious depredations and retreated with many horses, cre
ating great excitement among the sparsely settled inhabitants.
Ross, in command of a party of his own men, a sergeant and
twenty United States cavalry, placed at his service by Capt. N. G.
Evans, commanding at Camp Cooper, and seventy citizens from
Palo Pinto County, under Capt. Jack Curington, followed the
marauders a few days later. Early on the i8th of December near
some cedar mountains, on the headwaters of Pease River, they
suddenly came upon an Indian village, which the occupants, with
their horses already packed, were about leaving. Curington's
company was several miles behind, and twenty of the rangers on
foot, leading their broken down horses, the only food for them
for several days having been the bark and sprigs of young cotton-
woods. \\'ith the dragoons and only twenty of his own men, see
ing that he was undiscovered, Ross charged the camp, completely
surprising the Indians. In less than half an hour he had complete
possession of the camp, their supplies and 350 horses, besides
killing many. Two Indians, mounted, attempted to escape to the
mountains, about six miles distant. Lieut. Thomas Killiher pur
sued one; Ross and Lieutenant Somerville followed the other.

32 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Somerville's heavy weight soon caused his horse to fail, and Ross
pursued alone till, in about two -miles, he came up with Mohee,
chief of the band. After a short combat, Ross triumphed in the
death of his adversary, securing his lance, shield, quiver and head
dress, all of which remain to the present time among similar
trophies in the State collection at Austin.- Very soon Lieutenant
Killiher joined him in charge of the Indian he had followed, who
proved to be a woman, with her girl child, about two and a half
years old. On the way back a Comanche boy was picked up by
Lieutenant Sublett. Ross took charge of him, and he grew up at
A\'aco, bearing the name of Pease, suggested doubtless by the
locality of his capture.
It soon became evident that the captured woman was an
American, and through a Mexican interpreter it became equally
certain that she had been captured in childhood — that her hus
band had been killed in the fight, and that she had two little boys
elsewhere among the band to which she belonged. Ross, from all
the facts, suspected that she might be one of the missing Parker
children, and on reaching the settlements, sent for the venerable
Isaac Parker, of Tarrant County, son and brother respectively of
those killed at the Fort in 1836. On his arrival it was soon made
manifest that the captured woman was Cynthia Ann Parker, as
perfectly an Indian in habit as if she had been so born. She
recognized her name when distinctly pronounced by her uncle ;
otherwise she knew not an English word. She sought every op
portunity to escape, and had to be closely watched for some time.
Her uncle brought herself and child into his home — then took
them to Austin, where the secession convention was in session.
Mrs. John Henry Brown and Mrs. N. C. Raymond interested
themselves in her, dressed her neatly, and on one occasion took
her into the gallery of the hall while the convention was in session.
They soon realized that she was greatly alarmed by the belief
that the assemblage was a council of chiefs, sitting in judgment
on her life. Mrs. Brown beckoned to her husband, who was a
member of the convention, who appeared and succeeded in reas
suring her that she was among friends.
Gradually her mother tongue came back, and with it occa
sional incidents of her childhood, including a recognition of the
venerable Mr. Anglin and perhaps one or two others. She proved

Te.xas — The Country and Its Men

33

MRS. BIRDSONG
Quanah Parker's Daughter

34 Texas — The Country and Its Men
to be a sensible and comely woman, and died at her brother's in
Anderson County,, in 1870, preceded a short time by her sprightly
little daughter, ".Prairie Flower."
One of the little sons of Cynthia Ann died some years later.
The other, now known as Capt. Quanah Parker, born, as he in
formed me, at Wichita Falls, in 1854, was a popular and trust
worthy chief of the Comanches, on their reservation in the Indian
Territory. He spoke English, was considerably advanced in civili
zation, and owned a ranch with considerable live stock and a small
farm — withal a fine looking and dignified son of the plains.
Quanah died at his home near Casche, Oklahoma, September
II, 1913. Thus ended the sad story begun May 19, 1836. Various de
tached accounts have been given of it. Some years ago I wrote it
up from the best data at command. Since then I have used every
effort to get more complete details from those best informed, and
am persuaded that this narrative states correctly every material
fact connected with it.
NOTE. Elder Daniel Parker, a man of strong mental powers, a son
of Elder John, does not figure in these events. He signed the Declara
tion of Independence in 1-836, and preached to his people till his death in
Anderson County, in 1845. Ex-Representative Ben F. Parker is his son
and successor in preaching at the same place. Isaac Parker, before
named, another son, long represented Houston and Anderson Counties
in the Senate and House, and in 1855 represented Tarrant County. He
died in 1884, not far from eighty-eight years of age. Isaac D. Parker
of Tarrant is his son.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 35

TEXAS' INDEPENDENCE
A Glimpse at the First Capitols — Harrisburg, Galveston, Velasco,
Columbia {the First Real Capitol), Houston, and
Austin, the First Permanent Capitol

Independence was declared in a log cabin, without glass in its
windows, in the now almost extinct town of \\'ashington-on-the-
Brazos, on the second day of March, 1836. The government ad
interim, then established, with David G. Burnet as President, and
Lorenzo de Zavala as Vice President, first organized at Harris
burg, but soon fled from Santa Anna's army down to the barren
island of Galveston, where it remained till a short time after the
battle of San Jacinto, when it moved to Velasco, at the mouth of
the Brazos. After the first election under the Republic, President
Burnet, by proclamation, assembled the First Congress, President
and Vice President, at the town of Columbia, on the Brazos, on
the 3rd of October, 1836. No other place in Texas, at the time
(excepting, perhaps, Nacogdoches, in the extreme east), had suf
ficient house room to meet the emergency. There was in Columbia
a large two-story house, divided in the center by a wide hall and
stairway into large rooms above and below — one on each side of
the hall, and an ell containing several rooms. It had been erected
and occupied in 1832-33 by Capt. Henry S. Brown, father of the
author of Brown's History of Texas, and in it he died on July 26,
1834, his attending physician being Dr. Anson Jones, afterwards
the last President of the Republic. This building was torn down
early in 1888.
In this building the First Congress of the Republic of Texas
assembled under President Burnet's proclamation on the third
of October, 1836. In it on the 22nd of the same month. President
Burnet delivered his farewell message, and at the same time Sam
Houston, as first constitutional President, and Mirabeau B. La
mar, as Vice President, took the oath of office and delivered their
inaugural addresses. In it all of the first Cabinet took the oath of

36 Texas — The Country and Its Men
office, viz.: Stephen F. Austin as Secretary of State (died on
the 27th of December following) ; Ex-Governor' Henry Smith, as
Secretary of the Treasury (died in the mountains of California,
March 4, 1851) ; Thomas J. Rusk, as Secretary of War (resigned
a few weeks later and was succeeded by AVilliam S. Fisher, who
died in 1845, while General Rusk died in 1857) ; and Samuel
Rhoads Fisher, as Secretary of the Navy (who died in 1839).
A portion of the officers were in other buildings and for a time
one House of the Congress occupied a different building.
In this really first Capitol of Texas were enacted all the origi
nal laws for organizing the Republic and its counties, and the
afterwards famous law defining its boundaries, the western line of
which was the Rio Grande del Norte from its source to its en
trance into the Gulf of Mexico; and in it Robert J. AA'alker, of
Mississippi, then a distinguished member of the United States
Senate, was received as the guest of the infant nation.
From Columbia the capital was moved to the new town of
Houston in the spring of 1837. From Houston it was removed to
the newly planned frontier town of Austin in October, 1839, and
here is where I locate what follows.
The government was established at Austin in October, 1839.
Mirabeau B. Lamar, one of the truest knights of chivalry that
ever figured on Texas soil, was President ; David G. Burnet,
the embodiment of integrity — learned and experienced — was Vice
President ; Abner S. Lipscomb, one of the trio who subsequently
gave fame to the judicial decisions of Texas, was Secretary of
State; Albert Sidney Johnston, the great soldier and patriot who
fell at Shiloh on the 6th of April, 1862, was Secretary of Wilt;
Louis P. Cooke, who died of cholera at Brownsville in 1849, and
had been a student at West Point, was Secretary of the Navy ;
Dr. James H. Starr, of Nacogdoches, was Secretary of the Treas
ury ; John Rice Jones was Postmaster General ; John P. Borden
was Commissioner of the Land Office ; Thomas J. Rusk was Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, the Associates being the District
Judges of the Republic ; James Webb was Attorney General ; Asa
Brigham, Treasurer; E. Lawrence Stickney, Stock Commissioner;
William G. Cooke, Quartermaster General; Hugh McLeod, Adju
tant General ; William L. Cazneau, Commissary General ; Jacob
Snively, Paymaster General ; Peter H. Bell (afterwards Govern-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 37
or). Inspector General; Edward Burleson was Colonel command
ing the regular army ; Charles DeMorse was Fund Commissioner.
These men arri^'ed in Austin as the government, in September
and October. 1839, Austin was the outside settlement on the
Colorado and so remained until annexation was perfected on the
19th of February, 1846. Through those six years it remained
exposed to the forays of all the hostile Indians in upper Texas,
from which many valuable lives were lost and quite a number of
women and children carried into savage captivity.
No new town, in this or any other country, ever began its
existence with a larger ratio of educated, talented and honorable
men, especially young men.
The then future of Austin, seemingly bright, was invisibly por
tentous of evil. On the capture of San Antonio by Mexicans, in
March, 1842, Austin was abandoned as the seat of government,
and so remained for four years, or until February, 1846. Many
of the inhabitants thereupon left their homes, and with a greatly
depleted population, the town was left open to savage attacks from
the north, east and west. Their trial and deprivations were great.
The day of comparative deliverance came when, in connection
with annexation, the government was returned to Austin, from
which period the place slowly grew until railroads reached it,
since which time its increase in population, wealth and costly
edifices has been rapid, until, with ample public buildings, and
four State asylums, and a State House pronounced equal in
grandeur and appointments to any in the Union, it is regarded
with pride by the State and admiration by strangers as one of the
most charming and beautiful State capitals of the Union. Though
perhaps the youngest of its self-governing inhabitants at the time
of its birth.

38 Texas — The Country and Its Men

SOME REMINISCENCES
First Anniversary Ball of the Republic of Texas, and
Other Items of Interest

The following, relating to the first anniversary celebration
of Texian Independence and the battle of San Jacinto, respective
ly, given at AA'ashington, March 2, 1837, and at the newly laid out
town of Houston, April 21, 1837, will doubtless interest the reader.
The invitation to the first Independence ball ran thus :
"A\''ashington, 28th February, 1837. — The pleasure of your
company is respectfully solicited at a party to be given in A\'ash-
ington on Thursday, 2nd of March, to celebrate the birthday of
our national independence.
"Devereau J. AA'oodlief, Thomas Gay, R. Stevenson, W. B.
Scates, Asa Hoxey, James R. Cook, W. W. Hill, J. C. Hunt,
Thomas P. Shapard, managers."
All these nine now sleep with their fathers. Mr. Scates, the
last to die a few years since, was a signer of the Declaration of
Independence ; AA'oodlief was terribly wounded at San Jacinto ;
the gallant James R. Cook, a lieutenant at San Jacinto and a
colonel under Somervell in 1842-43, was killed in a momentary
difficulty about the first of April, 1843, ^ deeply lamented oc
currence. For a description of the ball in Houston credit is due to the
gifted pen of a lady survivor of the scene, then little more than
a child :
"Following the impulses common to humanity, as the 2ist of
April, 1837, drew near, the patriotic citizens of Texas, with the
memory of San Jacinto still fresh in their minds and appreciating
the advantages resulting from it, resolved that the event should be
celebrated at the capital of the Republic, which this victory had
made possible, and which had been most appropriately named for
him who wore the laurel. The City of Houston was at that time'
a mere name, or at best a camp in the woods. AMiite tents and

Texas — The Country and Its Men 39

temporary structures of clapboards and pine poles were scattered
here and there near the banks of the bayou, the substantial log
house of the pioneer was rare, or altogether wanting, it being the
intention of the builders soon to replace what the needs of the
hour demanded, with buildings fitted to adorn the capital of a
great Republic.
"The site of the capitol had been selected where now stands
the Rice Hotel. There was, however, a large two-story building
about half finished on the spot now occupied by the First National
Bank. It vv^as the property of the firm of Kelsey & Hubbard, and,
having been tendered for the free use of the public on this occa
sion, men worked night and day that it might at least have floor,
walls and roof, which were indeed the chief essentials of a dancing
hall. As there was neither time nor material at hand for ceiling
or laying the second floor, a canopy of green boughs was spread
over the beams to do away with the unpleasant effect of skeleton
timbers and great space between floor and pointed roof.
"Chandeliers were suspended from the beams overheard, but
they resembled the glittering ornament of today in naught save
use for which they were intended. Made of wood, with sockets
to hold the sperm candles, and distributed at regular distances,
each pendant comprised of five or six lights, which shed a dim
radiance, but alas, a liberal spattering of sperm upon the dancers
beneath. The floor being twenty-five feet wide, by fifty feet in
length, could easily accommodate several cotillions, and, although
the citizens of Houston were very few, all the space was required
for the large number who came from Brazoria, Columbia, San
Felipe, Harrisburg and all the adjacent country. Ladies and
gentlemen came in parties on horseback, distances of fifty and
sixty miles, accompanied by men servants and ladies' maids, who
had in charge the elegant ball costumes for the important occa
sion. From Harrisburg they came in large row boats, that mode
of conveyance being preferable to a horseback ride through the
thick undergrowth, for at that time there was nothing more than
a bridle path to guide the traveler between the two places.
"Capt. Mosley Baker, a captain at San Jacinto, and one of
Houston's first citizens, was living with his wife and child (now
Mrs. Fannie Darden), in a small house built of clapboards; the
house comprised one large room designed to serve as parlor, bed

40 Texas — The Country and Its Men
room and dining room, and a small shed room at the back. The
floor, or rather the lack of the floor, in the large apartment, was
concealed by a carpet, which gave an air of comfort contrasting
strongly with the surroundings.
"As the time for going to the ball- drew near, which was as
soon as convenient after dark, several persons assembled at Cap
tain Baker's for the purpose of going together. These were Gen
eral Houston, Frank R. Lubbock, afterwards Governor, and his
wife; John Birdsall (soon after Attorney General), and Mary
Jane Harris (the surviving widow of Andrew Briscoe). General
Houston was Mrs. Baker's escort. Captain Baker having gone to
see that some lady friends were provided for. When this party
approached the ball room, where dancing had already begun, the
music, which was rendered by a violin, bass violin and fife, imme
diately struck up 'Hail to the Chief,' the dancers withdrew to
each side of the hall, and the whole party, General Houston and
Mrs. Baker leading, the maids bringing up the rear, marched to
the upper end of the room. Having here laid aside wraps, and
exchanged black slippers for white ones, for there was no dressing
room, they were ready to join in the dance, which was soon re
sumed. A new cotillion was formed by the party who had just
entered, with the addition of another couple, whose names are not
preserved, and Mr. Jacob Cruger took the place of Mr. Birdsall,
who did not dance. General Plouston and Mrs. Baker were part
ners, Mrs. Lubbock and Mr. Cruger, and Mr. Lubbock and Miss
Harris. Then were the solemn figures of the stately cotillion
executed with care and precision, the grave balancing steps, the
dos-a-dos, and others to test the nimbleness and grace of dancers.
"General Houston, the President, was, of course, the hero
of the day, and his dress on this occasion was unique and some
what striking. His ruffled shirt, scarlet cassimere waistcoat and
suit of black silk velvet, corded with gold, was admirably adapted
to set off his fine, tall figure ; his boots, with short, red tops, were
laced and folded down in such as a way as to reach but little
above the ankles, and were finished at the heels with silver spurs.
The spurs were, of course, quite a useless adornment, but they
were in those days so commonly worn as to seem almost a part
of the boots. The weakness of General Houston's ankle, resulting
from the wound he received at the battle of San Jacinto, was his

Te.xas — The Country and Its Men 41

reason for substituting boots for the slippers, then universally
worn by gentlemen for dancing.
"Mrs. Baker's dress of white satin, with black lace overdress,
corresponded in elegance with that of her escort, and the dresses
of most of the other ladies were likewise rich and tasteful. Some
wore white mull, with satin trimmings; others were dressed in
white and colored satins, but naturally in so large an assembly,
gathered from many different places, there was great variety in
the quality of costumes. All, however, wore their dresses short,
cut low in the neck, sleeves generally short, and all wore orna
ments or flowers or feathers in their hair, some flowers of Mexi
can manufacture being particularly noticeable, on account of their
beauty and rarity.
"But one e\'ent occurred to mar the happiness of the evening.
Whilst all were dancing merrily, the sad news arrived that the
brother of the Misses Cooper, who were at the time on the floor,
had been killed by Indians at some point on the Colorado River.
Although the young ladies were strangers to most of those pres
ent, earnest expressions of sympathy were heard on all sides, and
the pleasure of their immediate friends was of course destroyed.
"At about midnight the signal for supper was given, and the
dancers marched over to the hotel of Capt. Ben Fort Smith, which
stood near the middle of the block now occupied by the Southern
Pacific Office Building. This building consisted of two very large
rooms, built of pine poles, laid up like a log house, with a long
shed extending the full length of the rooms. Under this shed,
quite innocent of floor or carpet, the supper was spread; the
tempting turkeys, venison, cakes, etc., displayed in rich profusion ;
the e.Kcellent coffee and sparkling wines invited all to partake free
ly, and soon the witty toast and hearty laugh went round.

"Returning to the ball room, dancing was resumed with re
newed zest, and continued until the energy of the musicians began
to flag, and the prompter failed to call out the figures with his
accustomed gusto; then the cotillion gave place to the time-
honored Virginia reel, and by the time each couple had enjoyed
the privilege of 'going down the middle,' daylight began to dawn.

42 Texas — The Country and Its Men
parting salutations were exchanged, and the throng of dancers
separated, many of them never to meet again.
"Ere long the memory of .San Jacinto's first ball was laid
away among the mementos of the dead, which, being withdrawn
from their obscurity only on each recurring anniversary, continue
to retain their freshness even after fifty years have flown.
"Of all the merry company who participated in that festival
none are living."

Texas — The Country and Its Men

43

FAMOUS COUNCIL HOUSE FIGHT
In San Antonio March 19, 18^0 — A Bloody
Tragedy — Official Details.

From the retreat of the people before Santa Anna in the
spring of 1836, down to the close of 1839, the Comanches and
other wild tribes had depredated along our entire line of frontier,
stealing horses,' killing men, and carrying into captivity women
and children, more especially the latter, for they often murdered
the women also.
On several occasions, as at Houston in 1837, and perhaps
twice at San Antonio, they had made quasi-treaties, promising
peace and good behavior, but
on receiving presents and
leaving for home they uni
formly broke faith and com
mitted depredations. The peo
ple and the government be
came outraged at such per
fidy and finally the govern
ment determined, if possible,
to recover our captives and
inculcate among the hostiles
respect for pledges and a de
sire for peace.
The seat of government
in the fall of 1839 was re
moved from Houston to Aus
tin, a newly planned town,
forming the outside settlement
on the Colorado. There was
not even a single cabin above
or beyond the place, west, north, or east, above the falls of the
Brazos. So stood matters when the first day of January, 1840,

44 Texas — The Country and Its Men
arrived, with Mirabeau B. Lamar as President, David G. Burnet
as Vice President, and Albert Sidney Johnston on the eve of re
signing as Secretary of War, to be succeeded by Dr. Branch T.
Archer. On the loth of January, 1840, from San Antonio, Col. Henry
W. Karnes (then out of office), wrote General Johnston, Secre
tary of AVar, announcing that three Comanche chiefs had been in
on the previous day, expressing a desire for peace, stating also
that their tribe, eighteen days previously, had held a council,
agreed to ask for peace and had chosen a prominent chief to
represent them in the negotiation. They said they had rejected
overtures and presents from the hostile Cherokees, and also of
the Centralists, of Mexico,' who had emissaries among their peo
ple. Colonel Karnes told them no treaty was possible unless they
brought in all prisoners and stolen property held by them. To
this they said their people had already assented in council. They
left, promising to return in twenty or thirty days with a large
party of chiefs and warriors, prepared to make a treaty, and that
all white prisoners in their hands would be brought in with them.
From their broken faith on former occasions, and their known
diplomatic treachery with Mexico from time immemorial, neither
the President, Secretary of AA'ar nor Colonel Karnes (who had
been a prisoner among them) had any faith in their promises,
beyond their dread of our power to punish them. Official action
was based on this apprehension of their intended duplicity.
On the 30th of January Lieut. -Col. AAllliam S. Fisher, com
manding the First Regiment of Infantry, was instructed to march
three companies to San Antonio under his own command, and
to take such position there as would enable him to detain the
Comanches, should they come in without our prisoners. In that
case, says the order of General Johnston, "some of their number
will be dispatched as messengers to the tribe to inform them that
those retained will be held as hostages until the (our) prisoners
are delivered up, when the hostages will be released." The in
structions further say: "It has been usual, heretofore, to give
presents. For the future such custom will be dispensed with."
Following this military order, and in harmony with the sug
gestion of Colonel Karnes, President Lamar dispatched Col. Hugh
McLeod, Adjutant General, and Col. AA'illiam G. Cooke, Quarter-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 45
master General, as commissioners to treat with the Comanches,
should they come in, and with instructions in accord with those
given Colonel Fisher. They repaired to .San Antonio and awaited
events. On the 19th of March, in the morning, two Comanche run
ners entered San Antonio and announced the arrival in the
vicinity of a party of sixty-five men, women and children, and
only one prisoner, a girl of about thirteen years, Matilda Lockhart. .
In reporting the subsequent facts to the President on the next
day Colonel McLeod wrote :
"They (the Indians) came into town. The little girl was
very intelligent and told us that she had seen several of the other
prisoners at the principal camp a few days before she left, and
that they had brought her in to see if they could get a high price
for her, and, if so, they intended to bring in the rest, one at a time.
"Having ascertained this, it became necessary to execute your
orders and take hostages for the safe return of our people, and the
order was accordingly given by Col. William G. Cooke, acting
Secretary of War. Lieutenant-Colonel Fisher, First Infantry, was
ordered to march up two companies of his command and post
them in the immediate vicinity of the council room.
"The chiefs were then called together and asked: 'Where
are the prisoners you promised to bring in to the talk?'
"Muke-war-rah, the chief who held the last talk with us and
made the promise, replied: 'AVe have brought in the only one
we had ; the others are with other tribes.'
"A pause ensued because, as this was a palpable lie, and a
direct violation of their pledge, solemnly given scarcely a month
since, we had the only alternative left. He observed this pause
and asked quickly : 'How do you like the answer?'
"The order was now given to march one company into the
council room and the other in rear of the building, where the
warriors were assembled. During the execution of this order the
talk was reopened and the terms of a treaty, directed by your
excellency to be made with them in case the prisoners were re
stored, were discussed, and they were told the treaty would be
made when they brought in the prisoners. They acknowledged
that they had violated all their previous treaties, and yet tauntingly

46 Texas — The Country and Its Men

demanded that new confidence should be reposed in another prom
ise to bring in the prisoners.
"The troops being now posted, the (twelve) chiefs and cap
tains were told that they were our prisoners and would be kept
as hostages for the safety of our people then in their hands, and
that they might send their young men to the tribe, and as soori as
our friends were restored they should be liberated.
"Captain (George T.) Howard, whose company was sta
tioned in the council house, posted sentinels at the doors and drew
up his men across the room. We told the chiefs that the soldiers
they saw were their guards, and descended from the platform.
The chiefs immediately followed. One sprang to the back door
and attempted to pass the sentinel, who presented his musket,
when the chief drew his knife and stabbed him. A rush was then
made to the door. Captain Howard collared one of them and re
ceived a severe stab from him in the side. He ordered the senti
nel to fire upon him, which he immediately did, and the Indian
fell dead. They then all drew their knives and bows, and evidently
resolved to fight to the last. Colonel Fisher ordered : 'Fire, if
they do not desist !' The Indians rushed on, attacked us desper
ately, and a general order to fire became necessary.
"After a short but desperate struggle every one of the twelve
chiefs and captains in the council house lay dead upon the floor,
but not until, in the hand-to-hand struggle, they had wounded a
nvimber of persons.
"The indoor work being finished. Captain Howard's com
pany was formed in front to prevent retreat in that direction ;
but, in consequence of the severity of his wound, he was relieved
by Captain Gillen, who commanded the company till the close of
the action. "Captain Redd, whose company was formed in the rear of
the council house, was attacked by the warriors in the yard, who
fought like wild beasts. They, however, took refuge in some stone
houses, from which they kept up a galling fire with bows and
arrows and a few rifles. Their arrows, wherever they struck one
of our men, were driven to the feather. A small party escaped
across the river, but were pursued by Col. Lysander Wells with
a few mounted men and all killed. The only one of the whole
band who escaped was a renegade Mexican among them, who

Te.xas — The Country and Its Men 47

slipped away unobserved. A single warrior took refuge in a stone
house, refusing every overture sent him by squaws, with promise
of security, and killing or wounding several till, after night, when
a ball of rags, soaked in turpentine and ignited, was dropped
through the smoke escape in the roof onto his head. Thus, in a
blaze of fire, he sprang through the door and was riddled with
bullets. "In such an action — so unexpected, so sudden and terrific —
it was impossible at times to distinguish between the sexes, and
three squaws were killed. The short struggle was fruitful in
blood. Our losses were :
"Killed: Judge Hood, of San Antonio; Judge Thompson, of
Houston; Mr.  Casey, of Matagorda County; Lieut AA' M.
Dunnington, First Infantry ; Privates Kaminske and AA^hitney, and
a Mexican — 7.
"AA'^ounded : Capt. George T. Howard, Lieut. Edward A.
Thompson and Private Kelly, severely; Capt. Matthew Caldwell,
Judge James AA'. Robinson, Messrs. Higgenbottom, Morgan and
Carson — 8.
"John Hemphill, then District Judge and afterward so long
Chief Justice, assailed in the council house by a chief and slightly
wounded, felt reluctantly compelled (as he remarked to the writer
afterwards) to disembowel his assailant with his bowie knife, but
declared that he did so under a sense of duty, while he had no
personal acquaintance with nor personal ill-will towards his an
tagonist. "The Indian loss stood : Thirty chiefs and warriors, 3 women
and 2 children killed. Total, 35.
"Prisoners taken : Twenty-seven women and children and 2
old men. Total, 29.
"Escaped, the renegade Mexican, i. Grand total, 65."
Over a hundred horses and a large quantity of buffalo robes
and peltries remained to the victors.
By request of the prisoners one squaw was released, mounted,
provisioned and allowed to go to her people and say that the
prisoners would be released whenever they brought in the Texas
prisoners held by them.
A short time afterwards a party of Comanches displayed a
white flag on a hill some distance from town, evidently afraid to

48 Texas — The Country and Its Men
come nearer. AA'hen a flag was sent out, it was found that they
had brought in several white children to exchange for their people.
Their mission was successful and they hurried away, seeming to
be indeed "wild Indians."
These are the facts as shown by the official papers, copies of
which have been in my possession ever since the bloody tragedy.
At that time a few papers in the United States, uninformed of the
underlying and antecedent facts dictating the action of Texas,
criticised the affair with more or less condemnation ; but the people
of today, enlightened by the massacre of General Canby in Ore
gon, the fall of the chivalrous General Custer, the hundreds of
inhuman acts of barbarism along the whole frontier of the United
States, and the recent demonisms pf Geronimo and his band of
cut-throats, will realize and indorse the genuine spirit of humanity
which prompted that as the only mode of bringing those treacher
ous savages to a realization of the fact that their fiendish mode
of warfare would bring calamities upon their own people. Be
that as it may, the then pioneers of Texas, with their children in
savage captivity, shed no tears on that occasion, nor do their sur
vivors now. Their children of today dispense with that liquid,
eye-yielding manifestation of grief.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 49

THE GREAT INDIAN RAID OF 1840
Attack on Victoria — Sacking and Burning of
Linnville — Skirmish at Casa Grande Creek —
Overthrow of the Indians at Plum Creek.

Of this, the most remarkable Indian raid in the annals of
Texas, numerous fragmentary and often erroneous, or extremely
partial, accounts in former years have been published. It was a
sudden and remarkable inroad by the savages, took the country
by surprise, drew the fighting population together from different
localities for a few days, to speedily disperse to their homes, and
there being no official control, no one was charged with the duty
of recording the facts. The great majority of the participants,
as will be seen in the narrative, witnessed but a portion, here or
there, of the incident.
At the time of this raid the country between the Guadalupe
,and San Marcos, on the west, arid the Colorado on the east, above
a line drawn from Gonzales to La Grange, was a wilderness,
while below that line it was thinly settled. Between Gonzales and
Austin, on Plum Creek, were, two recent settlers, Isom J. Goode
and John A. Neill. From Gonzales to within a few miles of La
Grange there was not a settler. There was not one between Gon
zales and Bastrop, nor one between Austin and San Antonio. A
road from Gonzales to Austin, then in the first year of its exist
ence, had been opened in July, 1839.
This Indian raid was known to and encouraged by Gen. Val
entin Canalizo, commanding in Northern Mexico, with head
quarters in Matamoras. The Comanches were easily persuaded
into it in retaliation for their loss of thirty-odd warriors in the
Council fight in San Antonio during the previous March. Rene
gade Mexicans and lawless Indians from some of the half-civilized-

50

Texas — The Country and Its Men

Texas — The Country and Its Men

tribes were induced to join it. Dr. Branch T. Archer, Secretary
of AA'ar, from information reaching him gave a warning to the
country two months earlier; but as no enemy appeared, the occa
sion became derisively known as the "Archer war."
the raid.
On August 5, 1840, Dr. Joel Ponton and Tucker Foley, citi
zens of the Lavaca (now Hallettsville) neighborhood, en route to
Gonzales, on the road from Columbus and just west of Ponton's
Creek, fell in with twenty-seven mounted warriors, and were
chased about three miles back to the creek. Foley was captured,
mutilated and killed. Ponton received two wounds, but escaped,
and during the following night reached home. The alarm was
given, and next day thirty-six men, under Capt. Adam Zumwalt,
hastened to the scene, found and buried Foley, and then pursued
the trail of the savages.
In the meantime the mail carrier from Austin arrived at Gon
zales and reported a large and fresh Indian trail crossing the
road in the vicinity of Plum Creek, bearing towards the coast.
Thereupon twenty-four volunteers, under Ben McCuUoch, has
tened eastwardly to the Big Hill neighborhood, about sixteen
miles east. This is an extended ridge bearing northeast and
southwest, separating the waters of the Peach Creeks of the
Guadalupe from the heads of Rocky, Ponton's, and other tribu
taries of the Lavaca and the latter stream itself. Indian raiders,
bound below, almost invariably crossed the Columbus and Gon
zales road at the most conspicuous elevation of this ridge — the
Big Hill. Hence McCulloch's haste to that point. On the 6th
McCulloch and Zumwalt united on the trail and rapidly followed
it in the direction of Victoria. Some miles below they fell in
with sixty-five men from the Cuero (now DeAVitt County) settle
ments on the Guadalupe, and some from Victoria, commanded by
Capt. John J. Tumlinson. The latter assumed command of the
whole 125 by request and the march was continued.
On the same afternoon the Indians approached Victoria. At
Spring Creek, above the town, they killed four negroes belonging
to Mr. Poage. On the Texana road, east side of town, they met
and killed Col. Pinkney Caldwell, a prominent citizen and soldier
of 1836. They chased various persons into the town, killing an

52 Texas — The Country and Its Men
unknown German, a Mexican, and three more negroes. A party
hastily repaired to the suburbs to confront the enemy. Of their
number Dr. Gray, Varlan Richardson, William McNuner and
Mr. Daniels were killed, a total of thirteen.
The Indians retired and passed the night on Spring Creek,
having secured about fifteen hundred horses and mules on the
prairie in front of Victoria, a large portion of which, belonging
to "Scotch" Sutherland, had just arrived en route east. On Fri
day, August 7, the Indians reappeared, made serious demonstra
tions, but were held in check by citizens under cover of houses.
Securing several hundred more horses, they bore down the coun
try to Nine Mile Point, where they captured young Mrs. Crosby,
a granddaughter of Daniel Boone, and her infant. They then
deflected to the east, across the prairie in the direction of Linnville.
They camped for a portion of the night on Placido Creek, killed
a teamster named Stephens, but failed to discover a Frenchman
ensconced in the moss and foliage of a giant live oak over their
heads. Moving before dawn on Sunday, August 8, as they approached
Linnville, its inhabitants entirely unconscious of impending dan
ger, they killed Mr. O'Neal and two negro men belonging to Maj.
H. O. AA''atts. The people, believing the enemy to be friendly
Mexicans with horses to sell, realized the fearful truth only in
time to escape into the sail boats anchored in shoal water about
one hundred yards from shore. In attempting this. Major AA'atts
was killed in the water. His young bride, negro woman, and a
little son of the latter were captured. There was an immense
amount of goods in the warehouses destined for San Antonio and
the Mexican trade. Rapidly were these goods packed on horses
and mules, but it consumed the day, and late in the afternoon
every building but one warehouse was burned, the citizens, be
calmed all day in their boats, witnessing the destruction of their
homes and business houses.
During the night the jubilant savages began their return
march for their mountain homes, taking a route that passes up
the west side of the Garcitas Creek, about fifteen miles east of
Victoria. On the 8th of August (Sunday) while Linnville was being
sacked, Tumlinson reached Victoria about sunset, rested for a

Texas — The Country and Its Men 53

time, received some supplies, left about twenty-five men and re
ceived an equal number, continuing his effective force at 125 men.
They moved east on the Texana road and at midnight camped
on the Casa Blanca Creek, a small tributary of the Garcitas from
the west. George Kerr was dispatched for recruits to Texana,
but at Kitchen's ranch, on the east side of the Arenoso, near tide
water junction with the Garcitas, he found Capt. Clark L. Owen
of Texana with forty men. It was then too late to unite with
Tumlinson. The enemy in force had come between them. Owen
sent out three scouts, of whom Dr. Bell was chased and killed.
Nail escaped by the fleetness of his horse towards the Lavaca,
and the noble John S. Menefee (deceased in 1884) escaped in
some drift brush with seven arrows piercing his body, all of which
he extracted and preserved to the day of his death.
Thus Tumlinson early in the day (August 9) confronted the
whole body of the Indians with their immense booty, on a level
and treeless prairie. He dismounted his men and was continually
encircled by cunning warriors, to divert attention while their herds
were being forced forward. McCulloch impetuously insisted on
charging into the midst of the enemy as the only road to victory.
The brave and oft-tried Tumlinson, seeing hesitancy in his ranks,
yielded, and the enemy, after immaterial skirmishing, was allowed
to move on with herds and booty. Later in the day Owen's party
joined them and desultory pursuit was continued, but the pur
suers never came up with the Indians, nor did any other party
till the battle of Plum Creek was fought by entirely different
parties. In this skirmish one Indian was killed and also Mr.
Mordecai of Victoria.
On reaching the timber of the Chicolita, some twenty miles
above the Casa Blanca, writhing under what he considered a lost
opportunity, Ben JilcCulloch, accompanied by Alsey S. Miller,
Archibald Gipson and Barney Randall, left the command, de
flected to the west so as to pass the enemy, and made such speed
via Gonzales that these four alone of all men at any time in
pursuit, were in the battle of Plum Creek. The pursuers, however,
were gallant men, and many of them reached the battle ground a
few hours after the fight.
Let us now turn to the series of movements that culminated

54 Texas— The Country and Its Men

in the overwhelming overthrow of the Indians at Plum Creek.
On the night of August 7, advised by courier of the attack on
Victoria, twenty-two volunteers left the house of Maj. James
Kerr on the Lavaca River. Lafayette Ward was called to the
command. Reaching the Big Hill, heretofore described, and
finding the Indians had not passed up, the opinion prevailed
that they had crossed over and were returning on the west
side of the Guadalupe. They hastened on to Gonzales
where the old hero, Capt. Matthew Caldwell, had just ar
rived. He adopted the same view, and announced that the
Indians would recross the Guadalupe where New Braunfels now
stands. In an hour he was at the head of thirty-seven men, mak
ing their united number fifty-nine. They followed his lead, traveled
all night, and at sunrise on the loth, reached Seguin. As we did
so, "Big" Hall, of Gonzales, on foaming steed, overtook us with
the news from Victoria and Linnville, and that the Indians, pur
sued, were retreating on their downward made trail. The old
veteran Caldwell at once said we must meet and fight them at
Plum Creek. After rest and breakfast, and strengthened by a few
recruits, we moved on and camped that night at the old San
Antonio crossing of the San Marcos. The nth was intensely
hot, and our ride was chiefly over a burnt prairie, the flying ashes
being blinding to the eyes. Waiting some hours at noon, watching
for the approach of the enemy after night, we arrived at Goode's
cabin, on the Gonzales and Austin road, a little east of Plum
Creek. Here Felix Huston, General of militia, with his aide,
James Izard, arrived from Austin about the same time. AA'e
moved two or three miles and camped on Plum Creek, above the
Indian trail. Here we met the gallant Capt. James Bird, of Gon-'
zales, with about thirty men, who had come up the road directly
from that place, and with the indefatigable Ben McCulloch and
his three comrades. Their united force was then one hundred men.
They camped at midnight and sent pickets to watch the trail. Men
and horses were greatly jaded, but the horses had to eat while
the men slept.
At daylight the pickets dashed in and reported the Indians
advancing about three miles below. In twenty minutes every man
was mounted and in line. Captain Caldwell, in the bigness of his

Texas — The Country and Its Men 55
heart, rode out in front and moved that Gen. Feli.x Huston take
command. A few responded aye and none said nay, but in fact
the men wanted the old Indian fighter Caldwell himself to lead.
They respected General Huston as a military man in regular war.
They knew he had no experience in the business then in hand, but
they were too polite to say nay, having a real respect for the man.
The command moved forward across one or two ravines and
glades till they entered a small open space hidden from the large
prairie by a branch, thickly studded with trees and bushes. At
this moment the gallant young Owen Hardeman, and Reed of
Bastrop dashed up with the information that Col. Edward Burle
son, with eighty-seven volunteers and thirteen Toncahua Indians
(the latter on foot) were within three or four miles, advancing at
a gallop. They were too invaluable to be left. A halt was called.
General Huston then announced his plan : a hollow square, open
in front, Burleson on the right, Caldwell on the left. Bird and
AA'ard forming the rear line, under Maj. Thomas Monroe Harde
man. During this delay they had a full view of the Indians passing
diagonally across their front, about a mile distant. They were
singing and gyrating in divers grotesque ways, evidencing their
great triumph, and utterly oblivious of danger. Up to this time
they had lost but one warrior, at the Casa Blanca ; they had killed
twenty persons, from Tucker Foley, the first, to Mordecai, the
last; they had as prisoners Mrs. Watts, Mrs. Crosby and child, and
the negro woman and child ; they had about 2,000 captured horses
and mules, and an immense booty in goods of various kinds. Be
fore Burleson arrived the main body had passed our front, leaving
only stragglers bringing up bunches of animals from the timber
in their rear. It must be understood that the whole country,
about forty miles from the Big Hill to the north side of Plum
Creek, is heavily timbered, while beyond that it is an open prairie
to the foot of the mountains, with the Clear Fork of Plum Creek
on the left and parallel to the Indian trail.
Here is an appropriate place to speak of the number of
Indians. Their number was variously estimated, but from all the
facts and the judgment of the most experienced, it is safe to say
they numbered about 1,000. Our force was :

56 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Number under Caldwell, including Bird and AA'ard  loo
Under Burleson, 87; and 13 Indians  100
Total  200
As soon as Burleson arrived the troops were formed as before
mentioned, and the advance made at a trot, soon increasing into
a gallop. The main body of the Indians were perhaps a mile and
a half ahead. As soon as we ascended from the valley on to the
level plain, they had a full view of us, and at once prepared for
action. Small parties of their more daring warriors met and con
tested with a few of our men voluntarily acting as skirmishers,
and some heroic acts were performed. I remember well the gal
lantry of Capt. Andrew Neill, Ben McCulloch, Arch. Gipson,
Reed of Bastrop, Capt. Alonzo B. Sweitzer (severely wounded in
the arm), Columbus C. Dewitt, Henry E. McCulloch, and;-bthers.
The Indians, as the Texians neared them, took position in a
point of oaks on the left, with the Clear Fork in their rear, and a
small boggy branch on their left, but in the line of their retreat. It
was only boggy a short distance, and was easily turned their right
advance. AA^hen within about two hundred yards of the enemy they
were halted and dismounted on the open plain. Bands of warriors
then began encircling them, firing and using their shields with
great effect. From the timber a steady fire was kept up, by muskets
and some long range rifles, while about thirty of their men, still
mounted, were dashing to and fro among the mounted Indians,
illustrating a series of personal heroisms worthy of all praise. In
one of these Reed of Bastrop had an arrow driven through his
body, piercing his lungs, though he lived long afterwards. Among
the dismounted men several were vi^ounded and a number of
horses were killed. In all this time the herds and pack animals were
being hurried onwards, and our oldest fighters, especially Bur
leson, Caldwell, Ben McCulloch, and others, were eager for a
charge into the midst of the savages. At last, perhaps half an
hour after dismounting, an Indian chief, wearing a tremendous
head dress, who had been exceedingly daring, approached so near
that several shots struck him, and he fell forward on the pommel
of his saddle, but was caught by a comrade on either side and

Tex.as — The Country and Its Men 57
borne away, evidently dead or dying, for as soon as he was led
among his people in the oaks they set up a peculiar howl, when
Captain Caldwell sang out, "Now, General, is your time to charge
them ! they are whipped." The charge was ordered, and gallantly
made. Very soon the Indians broke into parties and ran, but ran
fighting all the time. At the boggy branch quite a number were
killed, and they were killed in clusters for ten or twelve miles,
our men scattering as did the Indians, every man acting as he
pleased. There was no pretense of command after the boggy
branch was passed. A few of our men pursued small bodies for
twelve or more miles.
During the running fight Mrs. AA'atts was severely wounded
in the breast by an arrow, but was rescued. The negro woman
shared a similar fate, and her little son was recovered without
wounds. Mrs. Crosby, by some means (probably her own act),
was dismounted during the retreat near a small thicket, and sought
to enter it, but in the act a fleeing warrior drove a lance through
her heart. The heroic action of Placido, chief of the Toncahuas, at
tracted universal praise. He seemed reckless of life, and his
twelve foUovi^ers, as rapidly as mounted, emulated his example.
All being on foot, they could only be mounted by each vaulting
into the saddle of a slain Comanche, but they were all mounted
in a marvelously short time after the action commenced.
Great numbers of 'the loose and pack animals stampeded dur
ing the engagement, and were seen no more ; but large numbers on
the return were driven in, and about the middle of the afternoon
the men had generally returned to the point where the action
began, and near which a camp was pitched. A welcome shower
proved refreshing about this time. Later in the afternoon Col.
John FI. Moore, of Fayette, Captain Owen, previously mentioned,
and in all about 150 men arrived on the ground, having followed
the trail that far.
The Indians lost everything, with a death loss of 138. The
defeat was unexpected — a surprise, complete and crushing. Fol
lowed by a great victory over them in the following October, near
where Colorado City now stands, won by Col. John H. Moore and
his brave volunteers, the Comanches were taught lessons hitherto
unknown to them.

58 Texas— The Country and Its Men

CAPTIVITY OF SIMPSON CHILDREN
The Murder of Emma and the Recovery
of Thomas, 1844-

Among the residents of Austin in the days of its partial
abandonment, from the spring of 1842 to the final act of annexa
tion in the winter of 1845-46, was an estimable widow named
Simpson. During that period Austin was but an outpost, without
troops and ever exposed to inroads from the Indians. Mrs.
Simpson had a daughter named Emma, fourteen years of age, and
a son named Thomas, aged twelve. On a summer afternoon in
1844, her two children went out a short distance to drive home
the cows. Soon their mother heard them scream at the ravine,
not over 400 yards west of the center of the town. In the lan
guage of Col. John S. Ford, a part of whose narrative I adopt :
"She required no explanation of the cause; she knew at once the
Indians had captured her darlings. Sorrowing, and almost heart
broken, she rushed to the more thickly settled part of the town
to implore citizens to turn out, and endeavor to recapture her
children. A party of men were soon in the saddle, and on the
trail. "They discovered the savages were on foot — about four in
number — and were moving in the timber, parallel to the river,
and up it. They found on the trail shreds of the girl's dress, yet
it was difficult to follow the footsteps of the fleeing red men.
From a hill they descried the Indians just before they entered the
ravine south of Mount Bonnell. The whites moved at a run, yet
they failed to overtake the barbarians. A piece of an under
garment was certain evidence that the captors had passed over
Mount Barker. The rocky surface of the ground precluded the
possibility of fast trailing, and almost the possibility of trailing at
all. Every conceivable effort was made to track the Indians, and
all proved unavailing. ' They were loth to return to Austin to
inform the grief-stricken mother her loved ones were indeed the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 59

prisoners of savages, and would be subjected to all the brutal
cruelties and outrages of a captivity a thousand times more terrible
than the pangs of death. The scene which ensued, when the
dread news reached Mrs. Simpson's ears, can not be painted with
pen or pencil. The wail of agony and despair rent the air, and
tears of sympathy were wrung from frontiersmen who have
quailed when danger came in its most fearful form. The pursuing
party was small. All the names have not been ascertained. Judge
Joe Lee, Columbus Browning and Thomas AA'ooldridge, were
among them."
Pursuit under the then condition of the almost defenseless
people of Austin was impossible. No further tidings of the lost
children were had for a year or more. About that time Thomas
Simpson was ransomed by a trader at Taos, New Mexico. He
was finally returned to his mother, and then the fate of Emma
became manifest. Thomas said "his sister fought the Indians all
the time. They carried her by force — dragged her frequently,
tore her clothing and handled her roughly. Thomas was led by
two Indians. He offered no resistance, knowing he would be
killed if he did.
"AA'hen the Indians discovered they were followed they dou
bled, coming back rather in the direction of Austin. They made
a short halt not far from Hon. John Hancock's place. Thomas
begged his sister not to resist, and told her such a course would
cause her to be put to death."
The Indians then divided for a short time, the sister in the
charge of one and the brother of the other couple. AA'hen they
reunited on Shoal Creek, about six miles from Austin, Thomas
saw "his sister's scalp dangling from one's belt. No one will ever
know the details of the bloody deed. Indeed, a knowledge of
Indian customs justifies the belief that the sacrifice of an innocent
life involved incidents of a more revolting character than mere
murder. In the course of time the bones of the unfortunate girl
were found near the place where Mr. George \A'. Davis erected
his residence, and to that extent corroborated the account of
Thomas Simpson. It is no difficult matter to conceive what were
the impressions produced upon parents then living in Austin by
this event. It is easy to imagine how vivid the conviction must
have been that their sons and daughters might become the victims

60 Texas — The Country and Its Men
of similar misfortunes, suffering and outrages."
In the language of Colonel Ford : "Let the reader extend
the idea, and include the whole frontier of Texas in the scope,
extending, as it did, from Red River to the Rio Grande, in a
sinuous line upon the outer tiers of settlements, and including a
large extent of the Gulf coast. Let him remember that the country
was then so sparsely populated it was quite all frontier, and open
to the incursions of the merciless tribes who made war upon
women and children, and flourished the tomahawk and the scalp
ing knife in the bedrooms and the boudoirs, as well as in the
forests and upon the bosoms of the prairies. AA'hen he shall have
done this he can form a proximate conception of the privations
and perils endured by the pioneers who reclaimed Texas from
the dominion of the Indian and made it the abode of civilized

Texas — The Country and Its Men 61

BRIEF HISTORY CASTRO'S COLONY

AVith the declaration of Texian independence, March 2, 1836,
all prior colonial grants and contracts with Mexico or the State of
Coahuila and Texas ceased. Really and practically they ceased
on the 13th of November, 1835, by a decree of the first revolu
tionary assembly., known as the consultation, which, as a pre
ventive measure against frauds and villainy, wisely and honestly
closed all land office business until a permanent government could
be organized. Hence, as a historical fact, the colonial contracts
of Stephen F. Austin, Austin & Williams, Sterling C. Robertson,
Green DeAA'itt, Martin DeLeon, Power & Hewetson and Mc-
Mullen & McGloin ceased on the 13th of November, 1835. The
concessions to David G. Burnet, Joseph Vehlein and Lorenzo de
Zavala, previously transferred to a New York syndicate, known
as the New York and Galveston Bay Company, of which Archi
bald Hotchkiss, of Nacogdoches, was made resident agent, and
which, in reality, accomplished little or nothing, also expired by
the decree of the 13th of November, 1835.
The Republic was born March 2, 1836, and for the five suc
ceeding years, until February 4, 1841, in the last year of Lamar's
administration, there was no law authorizing colonial contracts.
But on the last named day a law was passed authorizing the
President, under conditions set forth, to enter into contracts for
the colonization of wild lands in Northwest and Southwest Texas.
That act was amended January i, 1843.
President Lamar entered into a contract for what became
known as Peters Colony, in North Texas, August 30, 1841, which
was altered November 20, 1841, and, by President Houston, on
the 26th of July, 1842, Houston having succeeded Lamar as
President. Under this law, besides the Peters Colony, already
granted. President Houston made grants to Henry F. Fisher and

62 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Burchard Miller, for what afterwards became known as the Ger
man Colony, which did much to populate the beautiful mountain
country drained by the Perdernales, Llano and San Saba Rivers.
On the 15th of January, 1842, Henry Castro entered into a
contract with President Houston for settling a colony west of the
Medina, to continue for five years, the eastern boundary being
four miles west of the Medina and cutting him off from that
beautiful stream; but he bought from private parties the lands
on it and thereby made the Medina his eastern boundary. At the
same time President Houston appointed Mr. Castro Texian Con-
sul-General to France.
AA'ho was Henry Castro? He was an educated and accom
plished Frenchman, bearing a Spanish name, and was rightfully
Henri de Castro, Owing to the invasion of Texas in 1842 and
other obstacles, on the 25th of December, 1844, after he had
brought over seven hundred immigrants, on seven different ships,
chartered at his own cost, his contract was prolonged for three
years from its original period of termination — a just and honor
able concession by Texas to one of such approved zeal and energy.
A volume of interest could be written descriptive of the
efforts of Mr. Castro to settle his colony, then exposed to the
attacks of bandit and guerilla Mexicans but a little to its west,
and to all the hostile Indians north and west of his proposed
settlement. He hurried to France and besides his official and
personal affairs, did great service in aiding Gen. James Hamilton,
the Texian minister, in popularizing the cause of Texas in France.
He encountered great obstacles, as the French government was
using immense efforts to encourage migration to its colony in
Algiers; but on the 13th of November, 1842, he dispatched the
ship, Ebro, from Havre with 113 immigrants for Texas. Soon
afterwards the ships Lyons, from Havre, and the Louis Philippe,
from Dunkirk, followed with immigrants, accompanied by the
Abbe Menitrier. These were followed from Antwerp on the 25th
of October, 1843, by the ship, Jeane Key; and on May 4 by the
Jeanette Marie. The seven ships named brought over seven hun
dred colonists. In all, in thirty-seven ships, he introduced into
Texas over five thousand immigrants, farmers, orchardists and
vine-growers, chiefly from the Rhenish provinces, an excellent
class of industrious, law-abiding people, whose deeds "do follow

Texas — The Country and Its Men 63
them" in the beautiful gardens, fields and homes in Medina and
the contiguous counties on the west.
On the 3rd of September, 1844, after many delays, the heroic
Castro, at the head of the first party to arrive on the ground,
formally inaugurated his colony as a living fact. A town was
laid out on the west bank of the Medina, and by the unanimous
vote of the colonists, named Castroville. It was a bold step, con
fronting dangers unknown to the first American colonists in 1822,
for besides hostile savages, now accustomed to the use of fire
arms, it challenged inroads from the whole Rio Grande Mexican
frontier, which, in 1822 furnished friends and not enemies to
foreign settlement in Texas. It was doing what both Spanish
and Mexican power had failed to do in 153 years — 1692 to 1844 —
since the first settlement at San Antonio. It was founding a
permanent settlement of civilized. Christian men, between San
Antonio and the Rio Grande, the settlements and towns on which,
from Matamoros (Reynosa, Camargo, Mier, Guerrero, Larioredo,
Dolores, San Fernando, Santa Rosa, Presidio del Rio Grande,
Presidio del Norte), bristled in hostility to Texas and its people.
It was an achievement entitling the name of Henri de Castro to be
enrolled among the most prominent pioneers of civilization in
modern times. Yet the youth of today, joyously and peacefully
galloping over the beautiful and fertile hills and valleys he rescued
from savagery, are largely ignorant of his great services.
The gallant Col. John C. Hays, the big-hearted Col. George
T. (Tom) Howard, John James, the surveyor, and, among others,
the pure, warm-hearted and fatherly John M. Odin, the first
Catholic Bishop of Texas, besides many generous hearted Ameri
cans, visited Castroville and bade Godspeed to the new settlers
from La Belle France, and the Rhine. Bishop Odin (friend of
my youth and of my mother's house), laid and blessed the corner
stone of the first house dedicated to the worship of God — a service
rendered before the settlers had completed respectable huts to
shelter their families. On his return from this mission the good
bishop dined at my mother's house, and, though a Baptist, both
by inheritance and forty-six years of membership, in the broader
spirit of civilization and that spirit which embraces all true and
pure hearts, regardless of party and creed, she congratulated him
on the work he had done. But, in fact, every man, woman and

64 Texas — The Country and Its Men
child who knew Bishop Odin (O-deen) in those years of trials
and sorrow in Texas, loved him, and sorrowed when he returned
to and died in his native Lombardy.
Mr. Castro, soon after inaugurating his colony, was com
pelled to revisit France. He delivered a parting farewell to his
people. On the 25th of November, 1844, to the number of fifty-
three heads of families, they responded. Their address is before
me. They say : "We take pleasure in acknowledging that since
the first of September — the date at which we signed the process
verbal of taking possession — you have treated us like a liberal and
kind father. * * * Our best wishes accompany you on your voy
age and we take this occasion to express to you our ardent desire
to see you return soon among us, to continue to us your paternal
protection." Signed by Leopold Mentrier, J. H. Burgeois, George
Cupples, Jean Baptiste Lecomte, Joseph AA'eber, Michael Simon
and forty-seven others.
The Indians sorely perplexed these exposed people. In the
rear of one of their first immigrating parties, the Indians, forty
miles below San Antonio, attacked and burnt a wagon. The
driver, an American, rifle in hand, reached a thicket and killed
several of them ; but they killed a boy of nineteen — a Frenchman —
cut off his head and nailed it to a tree. In the burnt wagon was
a trunk containing a considerable amount of gold and silver. In
the ashes the silver was found melted — the gold only blackened.
This was one of the first parties following the advance settlers.
In this enterprise -Henry Castro expended of his personal
means over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. He fed his
colonists for a year — furnished them milch cows, farming imple
ments, seeds, medicines and whatever they needed. He was a
father, dispensing blessings hitherto unknown in the colonization
of Texas. He was a learned, wise and humane man, unappreci
ated by many, because he was modest and in nowise Self-asserting,
and his tastes were literary. He was a devoted friend of Presi
dents Lamar, Houston and Jones, all of whom were his friends
and did all in their power, each during his term, to advance his
great and patriotic idea of planting permanent civilization in
Southwest Texas. He was a devout believer in the capacity of
intelligent men for self-government, and abhorred despotism as
illustrated in the kingly governments of Europe — the rule of na-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 65
tions by succession in particular families regardless of sense, honor
or capacity. He believed with Jefferson, in the God-given right
of every association of men, whether in commonwealth, nations
or empires, to select their own officers, and, by chosen representa
tives, to make their own laws. Hence he was, in every sense, a
valuable accession to the infant Republic of Texas.
AA'hen war raged and our ports were closed, Mr. Castro
sought to visit the land of his birth, and, to that end, reached
Monterey in Mexico. There he sickened and died, and there, at
the base of the Sierra Madre, his remains repose.

GOVERNORS

THE STATE OF TEXAS
FROM ITS BIRTH TO
THE PRESENT
TIME

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Texas — The Country and Its Men

HENRY SMITH

Henry .Smith was born in Kentucky in 1784 and went in
early life to Missouri. In 1821 he entered Texas, and after
spending some time in the settlement near Bolivar on the Brazos
River, became in 1827 a permanent resident of the jurisdiction of
Brazoria where he held suc
cessively the offices of Alcalde
and Political Chief of the De
partment and farmed and sur
veyed lands. He was wounded
in the head at Velasco in
1832; was a member of the
convention in 1833, and an Al
calde and acting political chief
the following year ; was a
member of the General Con
sultation in 1835; and was ap
pointed Provisional Governor
of the new State, which it was
then expected would remain a
member of the Mexican Con
federation. A serious misun
derstanding" between the Gov
ernor and a violent faction in
the Executive Council op
posed to independence led less
than a quorum of that body to pass a resolution deposing him;
but he declined to surrender the reins of government and con
tinued to faithfully and ably discharge the duties of his office
until the Provisional Government was displaced by the new Gov
ernment ad interim, created by the Plenary Convention that met
in March, 1836, and issued the declaration of Texan independence.
At the election in the fall of 1836, Governor Smith was put
forward as a candidate for President, but declined to run and
urged his friends to vote for Houston. Owing to poor mail fa-

HENRY SMITH
First Provisional Governor 1835-1836

Te.xas — The Country and Its Men 69
cilities, many did not learn of his refusal and he secured a large
vote, anyway. He was invited by President Houston to the office
of Secretary of the Treasury and filled that position with marked
ability. At the close of Houston's term Governor Smith retired to
his home in Brazoria County. He also served as a member of the
Republican Congress. In 1850 Governor Smith emigrated to Cali
fornia, where he died in 1851.
-\t the time of his death he was making preparations to return
to Texas. Governor Smith successively married three sisters (Gillette)
in 1815. 1822 and 1839. Two brothers of these ladies. Rev. Ros-
well and Samuel Gillette, were early residents in Brazoria County.
A younger brother, James S. Gillette, came to North Texas at a
later day — represented Lamar County in the Legislature, and was
Adjutant- General of the State during the administration of Gov
ernor Pease. By his second marriage. Governor Smith had five
daughters, viz: Harriet G., who, March 12, 1840, was united in
marriage in Brazoria County to Colonel George AA^ Fulton, a
native of Philadelphia, a soldier of the Texas revolution, after
wards a distinguished civil engineer in Pennsylvania, Maryland,
Kentucky and the west, and since 1867 until his death a large
stockraiser at Fulton, on Aransas Bay. Jane, the second daughter
of the Governor, married Pulaski J. Fisk in Brazoria, and was
thrown from a horse and killed in 1845 under the most distressing
circumstances, causing a shock to her father which cast a shadow
over the remainder of his life. She left an infant eight months
old who died in Galveston in 1854 of yellow fever. Sarah, the
Governor's third daughter,- died in 1851. Emily and Sophronia
died in youth at Brazoria.
The intrepid and immortal Travis was, from first to last, an
admirer and devoted friend of Henry Smith. Governor Smith
also enjoyed the confidence, esteem and support of General Sam
Houston, Thomas J. Rusk, Wharton, Archer, AA'illiamson, and
other patriots who stand, Saul-like, in the early history of Texas.
From the beginning, Henry Smith, by spoken word, act and pen,
urged that Texas should declare her independence and fight for
the establishment of a separate Republic.

70 Texas— The Country and Its Men
San Felipe, August 24, 1835.
My Dear Sir— 1 received yours of the ISth yesterday, and^ am much
gratified at the result of your meeting at Columbia- I hope all Texas will
follow the example. This neighborhood is unanimous for a grand council
of all Texas, but I am told Stephen F. .Austin is violently opposed to it,
and has sworn that it shall not be held; that there shall lie a counter
meeting and counter resolutions at Columbia. This is only rumor, how
ever, as I have not seen him lately. * * * I admire the spirit of the
people of Velasco. Let the towns be once garrisoned and we are slaves.
Give mv respects to AVharton, and believe me as ever, your friend.
To Henry Smith. TRAVIS.
Advices were received to the effect that large garrisons would
be at once established at San Felipe, Nacogdoches, Tenoxtitlan,
Anahuac and Velasco, and that General Cos had already reached
San Antonio with several hundred men. his object evidently be
ing to expell large numbers of Americans from the country and
overawe the remainder. The people were ripe for action — rapidly
organizing — and everything indicated a speedy appeal to arms.
Travis wrote :
Principle has at last triumphed over prejudice, cowardice and sel
fishness. The tories are routed, horse and foot. The unqualified sub
mission men are ashamed to hold up their heads. You will be agreeably
surprised to hear that the whole upper country has come out almost
unanimously for a convention. Nacogdoches and the whole east have
come out for it. I have just heard similar accounts from Matagorda.
We are to have a great meeting here on the 12th on the subject, when I
think it will be carried by an overwhelming majority. ,-Ml will become
united in resistance to a military government. Coahuila and Texas ha\c
been created into a military government, and Colonel Bradburne is now
at Monclova organizing the same. * * *
Tidings of this kind sent a thrill of joy through the heart of
Henry Smith, who saw in them the glimmerings of the early in
dependence of Texas. At the election for delegates to the Con
sultation, or Convention, Brazoria selected Henry .Smith, John
A. AA'harton, Edwin AA'aller and J. S. D. Bynum. The Consul
tation met at San Felipe, October i6, 1835, and a quorum not
being present, adjourned until November i, and on the 3d of
No\ember organized and went to work. There was much \-ari-
ance of opinion and more or less bitterness of spirit between those
in favor of independence, of whom Henrj^ .Smith, John A. AA^har-
ton and Branch T. Archer were champions and recognized lead
ers, and those who favored Texas remaining a part of Mexico

Te.xas — The Country and Its Men 71

and fighting for the Federal Constitution of 1824. News was
recei\ed of a number of small battles in which the Texian forces
were victorious, and suitable resolutions of thanks were passed
by the Consultation. The adoption of a declaration, setting forth
to the world the causes that had impelled the people of Texas to
take up arms and the objects for the attainment of which they
w-ere fighting, was discussed on the 4th, 5th and 6th ; AA'harton,
Henry .Smith and their supporters favoring a declaration of in
dependence, and others a declaration in favor of the Constitution
of 1824. A test vote on the 6th stood, for independence, 15; for
the Constitution of 1824, 33; and on the 7th. resolutions in ac
cordance with the \iews of the majority were adopted. On mo
tion of John A. AA'harton, it was
Resolved, That the Governor and Council be empowered to issue
writs of election to fill any vacancies that may occur in this body ; to pro
vide for the representation of those jurisdictions not yet represented; or
to cause a new election in toto for delegates to the Convention of the 1st
of March n^xt.
It was under this important resolution that the Council,
December 15, 1835, called the Convention of Independence,
clothed with plenary powers, to meet in AA'ashington March I,
1836. In pursuance of a resolution submitted by Mr. Millard,
of Liberty, a committee of twelve, one from each municipality
represented in the Consultation, was appointed by the president
to dravv- up and submit a plan or system for a "Provisional Gov
ernment for all Texas." The president appointed Messrs. Millard,
Henry Smith, Jones, AA'ilson, Dyer, Hoxry, Lester, Arrington,
Robinson, Everett and A. Houston. The constitution prepared by
this committee, reported November 9 and adopted by the Conven
tion with slight modifications on the nth, is a model document.
Henry Smith chiefly drew the plan for the civil and A. Houston
for the m.ilitary government. On the 12th of November the
Consultation proceeded to the election of officers to carry out the
organic law as established the preceding day. Henry Smith
received 31 votes for governor and Stephen F. Austin 22. James
AA'. Robinson was elected Lieutenant-Governor. Stephen F Aus
tin, Branch T. Archer and William H. Wharton were selected as
Commissioners to the United States ; General .Sam Houston was
elected Commander of the armies of Texas, and a General or

72 Texas — The Country and Its Men

Legislati\e Council, consisting of thirteen members (one for each
municipality), was created. The Consultation adjourned sine die
November 14, and on the iSth Governor Smith sent his first mes
sage to the Council. It reviewed the situation in a masterly man
ner and was full of wise recommendations, and closed with the
following expressions :
I conclude, gentlemen, by expressing the hope that the Supreme
Ruler of Nations will smile upon your Council, and that by our united
efforts we will be enabled to place Texas in a situation to become what
the God of Nature designed her to be — a land of liberty and of laws, of
agriculture and commerce; the pride and support of our lives, and a
legacy of price unspeakable to posterity.
As soon as Governor Smith received the dispatch of Travis,
dated Commandancy of Bexar, 3 o'clock p. m., February 23,
1836, announcing: "The enemy in large force is in sight. AA'e
want men and provisions. Send them to us. AA'e have 150 men
and are determined to defend the Alamo to the last," he had it
printed in hand bill with the following :
appeal to the people of TEXAS.
Fellow Citizens and Countrymen — The foregoing official communi
cation from Colonel Travis, now in command at Bexar, needs no com
ment. The garrison, composed of only 150 Americans, engaged in a
deadly conflict with 1000 of the mercenary troops of the Dictator, who
arc daily receiving reinforcements, should be a sufficient call upon you
without saying more. However secure, however fortunate our garrison
may be, they have not the provisions nor ammunition to stand more than
a thirty days siege at farthest. I call upon you as an officer, I emplore
you as a man, to fly to the aid of your besieged countrymen and not
permit them to be massacred by a mercenary foe. I slight none ! The
call is upon all who are able to bear arms to rally without one moment's
delay, or in fifteen days the heart of Texas will be the seat of war. This
is not imaginary. The enemy from 6000 to 8000 strong are on our border
and rapidly moving by forced marches for the colonies. The campaign
has commenced- We must promptly meet the enemy or all will be lost.
Do you possess honor? Suffer it not to be insulted or tarnished! Do
you possess patriotism? Evince it by your bold, prompt and manly action.
If you possess even humanity, you will rally without a moment's delay
to the aid of your besieged countrymen. HENRY SMITH,
February II . 1836. Governor.
Governor Smith did all that the unsettled state of affairs
would permit to secure relief for the beleaguered garrison, but
without effect, and the brave defenders of the Alamo perished

Texas — The Country and Its Men 73
like Leonidas and his three hundred in the pass of Thermopylae.
Governor .Smith was a wise, vigilant and patriotic executive.
A majority of the council were opposed to Texas declaring
her independence, and a bitter faction comprising less than one-
third of the members circulated misstatements and opened a
breach between that body and the Governor that grew wider and
deeper until finally less than a legal quorum attempted to depose
him. This faction was composed of men who had all to lose by
Texas becoming a Republic, and all to gain by speculating in lands
under the loose Mexican government. Hon. John Henry Brown,
of Dallas, in his full and accurate "Life and Times of Henry
.Smith" publishes all the correspondence .connected with this un
happy controversy, and to any impartial reader it not only ex
onerates Governor Smith, but shows forth his noble character
in bold relief against the black background of intrigue that was
meant to overshadow it. The annihilation of Johnson's and
Grant's followers on and beyond the Nueces, and the perfidious
slaughter of Fannin and his four hundred men were largely the
bitter fruits of the Council's intermeddling usurpation of powers
lodged by the organic law with the Governor and General-in-
Chief of the Army. Even after Santa Anna had overwhelmingly
defeated the Mexican Republican forces at Zacatecas, and his
minions had overthrown with the bayonet the State government
of Coahuila at Monclova, the Council passed resolutions pledging
co-operation with the Mexican liberal or federal party, and sup
port of the Constitution of 1824, that too when both had been
crushed out of existence. About this time, however, Stephen F.
Austin, who had theretofore favored fighting for the Constitution
of 1824 (fearful that Texas could not secure necessary support
from the United States) wrote from New Orleans, urging with
resistless force a declaration of independence. This was the
straw that broke the Council's back, and no further effectual op
position came from that quarter.
The following is Austin's letter :
New Orleans, January 7, 1836.
General Sam Houston ;
Dear Sir— In all our Texas affairs, as you are well apprised, I have
felt it my duty to be cautious in involving the pioneers and actual settlers
of the country by any act of mine until I was fairly and fully convinced

74 Texas — The Country and Its Men

of the necessity and capability of uur country to sustain it. Hence it is
that I have been censured by some for being overly cautious AVhere
the fate of a whole people is in question it is difficult to be over cautious
or too prudent. Besides these general considerations, there are others
which ought to weigh with me individually. I have been, either directly
or indirectly, the cause of drawing many families to Texas ; also the
situation and circumstances in which I have been placed have given
considerable weight to my opinions. This has drawn a heavy responsi
bility upon me; so much so that I ha\'e considered it my duty to be
prudent, and even to control my own impulses and feelings. These have
long been impatient under the state of things which has existed in Texas,
and in favor of a speedy and radical change. But I have never approved
of the c.iurse of forestalling public opinion by p.irty or partial feelings,
or by management of any kind. The true course is to lay facts before
the people and let them judge for themselves. I have endeavored to
pursue this course.
.A. question of vital importance is yet to be decided bj- Texas, which
is a declaration of independence. When I left Texas I thought it was pre-
I'nature to stir this question, and that we ought to be very cautious of tak
ing any step that would make the Texas war purely a national war, which
would unite all parties against us, instead of it being a party wai . which
would secure to us the aid of the. federal party. In this 1 acted contrary
to my own impulses, for I wish to see Texas free from religious intcler-
ance and other anti-republican restrictions, and independent at once ; and,
as an individual, have always been ready to risk my all to olitain it; but
I could not feel justifiable in precipitating and involving others until
I was fully satisfied that they could be sustained. Since my arrival here
I have received information which has satisfied me on the suliject. I
have no doubt that we can obtain all and even much more help than
we need. I now think the time has come for Texas to assert her natural
rights, and v/ere I in the convention I would urge an immediate declara
tion of independence. I form this opinion from the information now
before me. I have not heard of any movement in the interior in favor
of Texas or of the Constitution, On the contrary, the information from
Mexico is that all parties are against us, owing to what has already
been said and done in Texas in favor of independence, and that we have
nothing to expect from that quarter but hostility. I am acting on this
information, if it be true, and I have no reason to doubt it. Our pre.-ent
position in favor of the republic-m principles of the Constitution of 1824
can do us no good, and it is doing us harm l)y deterring that kind of
men from joining us that are most useful. I know not what information
you may have in Texas as to the movements of the federal party in our
favor, nor \vhat influence they ought to have on the decision of this
question, this being a matter on which the conventitin alone cm deter
mine, I can only say that, with the information now licfore me, I am
in favor of an iinmediate declaration of independence. Santa Anna was
at San Luis Potosi at last accounts, marching on rapidlv with a large
force against Texas. We must be united and firm, and look well to
the month of March and be ready, I shall tr.\' to lie at home 1)>- that time.
^'ours respectfully, S, F. .-XI'STIN,
-March i, [836, a convention with plenary powers (called by

Texas — The Country and Its Men 75

an ordinance adopted by the Council December 15, 1835,) met
in AA'ashington, on the Brazos, and in less than twenty-four hours
thereafter set forth to the world the Declaration of Texan Inde
pendence. On the 17th, the Constitution of the Republic was
adopted, and on the i8th, the convention completed its labors by
electing Da\id G. Burnet, President ; Lorenzo de Zavala, Vice-
President, and filling, in like manner, all the other executi\'e
offices created by the new organic law. The stormy Provisional
Government was at an end and the Government ad interim had
succeeded it. Governor Smith, as Secretary of the Treasury
under General Sam Houston, who was elected President of the
new-born Republic in the fall of 1836, brought order out of chaos
and did much to put the fiscal affairs of Texas in a sound and
healthful condition.
The third Congress assembled on the 5th of November, 183S.
On the loth of December President Houston delivered his fare
well address, and Mirabeau B. Lamar was installed as President,
and David G. Burnet as Vice-President. On that day Governor
Smith ceased to be Secretary of the Treasury, and on the 14th the
House of Representatives adopted the following resolution :
Resolved, That the thanks of this House lie voted to the Honorable
Henry .Smith, late Secretary of the Treasury, for his able and statesman
like report furnished this House in accordance with its resolution, and
also for the ability and integrity Avith which he has managed the finances
of the country and presided over the treasury department during his con
nection with the same.
[ certify that the above is a true copy of a resolution passed by the
House of Representatives, this the 14th day of December, 1S38,
JOHN W. ELDRIDGE, Clerk.
Governor Smith retired to his farm and devoted himself to
the maintenance of his family. His domestic life was a model of
felicity, and it was a source of much annoyance that his friends
preceding every election urged him to re-enter public service.
These demands became so pressing that in 1840 he yielded so
far as to stand for a seat in Congress, and was overwhelmingly
elected. He served as Chairman of the Committee on Finance
and made such an able and exhaustive report as to lead to the
enactment of much wise and greatly needed legislation by the
succeeding Congress in 1841-2. This closed his public career.
In 1 841, in anticipation of the presidential election to occur in

76 Texas — The Country and Its Men
September, a widely-spread call was made upon Governor Smith
by the friends of General Houston to stand for the Vice-Presi
dency on the same ticket. Doubts arising as to the Governor's
willingness to become a candidate, a very large meeting as
sembled in the city of Houston on the 15th of April, of which
Dr. Alexander Ewing was president and Francis R. Lubbock
(since Governor and Treasurer of the State) was secretary.
Francis R. Lubbock, James AA'. Scott, George Fisher, Dr. AA'm.
M. Carper and Dr. C. H. Jaeger were appointed a committee to
report resolutions for the action of the meeting. They reported
the following, which were adopted with great enthusiasm :
Whereas, A doubt exists on the part of the political friends of Gen
eral Houston as to the willingness of Hon, Henry Smith, of the county
of Brazoria, to be considered a candidate for the Vice-Presidency of this
Republic at the election in September next; and,
AVhereas, The good of the country requires a union of action in
regard to the election for A'ice-President, and the nomination of a suitable
candidate to be supported for said office, with effect, by the political
friends of General Sam Houston ; and.
Whereas, Several candidates are already mentioned for said office;
therefore, to insure a successful issue to said election, by the majority of
the friends of General Houston, in electing a man of their choice as the
Vice-President of this Republic, who, in case of being called by the Con
stitution to fill temporarily the Executive chair, would pursue the steps
and carry out the measures of General Houston ; therefore,
Resolved, That a committee of one hundred and one be appointed by
the chair to request the Honorable Henry Smith to allow his name to
be placed before the people as a candidate for the office of Vice-President
of this Republic.
The committee of one hundred and one promptly communi
cated these proceedings to Governor Smith, accompanied by an
urgent letter. He replied on the ist of May, declining to be a
candidate, and supporting the candidacy of Dr. Anson Jones,
who later determined not to run, and General Edward Burleson
was elected. In the early part of 1849 Governor Smith started, \vith his
sons John G. and James Smith and Stewart, a negro servant, for
California in search of the "golden fleece," as he declared in a
letter to his son-in-law. Captain George AA'. Fulton, then living in
Baltimore, Maryland. The journey was long and full of stirring
incidents common to a trip across the plains at that day. One of
the most singular events was the fact that accident made Gover
nor Smith and Lieutenant-Governor James AA'. Robinson (his

Tex.as — The Country and Its Men 77

most bitter enemy during the troubleous days of the Provisional
Government) traveling companions during a greater part of the
way. In the vast western wilderness they came to know each
other better, and former asperities gave place to sentiments ap
proaching friendship. The golden sands of California could not
efface from his heart and brain the memorjr of Texas, and had
Governor Smith lived he would have returned to the land to
which so many fond associations bound him. Providence de
creed that he should find a resting place in California. The fol
lowing letter gives an account of his death :
Los Angeles County, Cal, March 17, 1851.
My Dear Brother — It is with emotions of the deepest sorrow and
heartfelt grief that I undertake to inform 3'ou of the melancholy event of
the night of the 4th of this month. My father (who will be ever dear to
my memory) departed this life, seemingly in good health and to all
appearance while asleep. He seemed to have died without a strug.gle,
as I found him lying in an easy position with his eyes closed. He died
in this canyon, far remote from any human habitation, without anyone
near him except Stewart, who says father ate a hearty supper and retired
early to rest, without complaining, and that he did not know of his
death until the next morning. Brother James and myself were ten or
twelve miles further up the canyon, prospecting for gold, leaving our
-father and Stewart to keep camp. Our provisions becoming short, I
returned for a new supplj'. On reaching the camp and not seeing my
father about, I asked for him. Stewart said he was dead. "Great God !"
I exclaimed, "is it possible?" I stepped into the tent, and behold, there
lay my father, a lifeless corpse! Stewart said he had been dead two
days. I then hurried back to let James know what had happened. Our
way lying through mountains and being very rou,gh, we did not reach
camp until the next morning at 9 o'clock. We were fortunate enough to
have some lumber, out of which I went to work making the coffin, while
James was employed in digging the grave. We interred the body about
sunset that evening as well as our circumstances would allow. We buried
him by a cluster of sycamore trees, on one of which, standing at the head
of the grave, I inscribed his name and country, the day of his death, etc.
I should have mentioned that James visited the camp on the 1st and
left father in good health and spirits, believing that we would soon
make a rich discovery. But alas, we know not what the future conceals
in wait for us. He is now, on earth no more forever. We will take his
remains back to Texas with us when we return. He was greatly disap
pointed in regard to this country, and said that if he was back home
he would be satisfied to remain there. * * * I vvish, Mr. Fulton, you
would take charge of the estate. Father, on his way to this country,
made some presents of some lands to some of the government officers,
who had treated us very kindly. I cannot specify the property, but their
papers will show for themselves. I have written a letter to send hom.e to
Texas. Trulv your brother,
JOHN G. SMITH.

78

Tex,a.s — The Country and Its Men

DAVID G. BURNET

David G. Burnet was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1788.
In ]8o6 he joined Miranda's expedition against Venezuela,
served in the capacity of lieutenant and commanded a launch in
an attack upon a coast village. The enterprise not proving suc
cessful, he returned to N'ew

'"*^.

York, but joined Miranda
again in his attack upon Ca
racas in 1808. Miranda was
captured but Burnet escaped.
In 1813 he became a citizen of
Ohio ; in 181 7 engaged in mer
cantile business at Natchi
toches, Louisiana ; became a
citizen of Texas in 1826, and
the next year obtained an Em-
presario contract, which he
soon sold, not being able to
carry it out with his limited
means. Early in 1831 he mar
ried Miss Estis, of A^ew York,
and sailed for Texas. He rep
resented Liberty in the Con
vention of 1833, and intro
duced a number of the most
important resolutions that
were adopted by that body. In 1834 he was appointed District
Judge for the Department of the Brazos, and held court at .San
Felipe. At the organization of the CSovernment ad interim, March
16, 1836, he was elected President of the young republic of Te.xas.
In 1838 he was elected Vice-President. President Lamar's health
being precarious, Congress, in 1841, gave him leave of absence
and Burnet administered the government during the remainder of
the term. During Governor Henderson's administration, Burnet
was Secretary of State. In i8(y.) he was elected to the United

DAVID G. BURNET
President Ad Interim 1836

Texas— The Country and Its Men 79

States .'Senate, but not admitted to his seat. Mrs, Burnet died
in 1858, and an only son, who entered the Confederate ser\'ice
as captain of artillery, was killed March 31, 1865, while in
command of a battery at Spanish Fort, near Mobile, Alabama.
After the breaking up of his family by death. Judge Burnet found
a home in the family of Mr. Preston Perry, of Galveston, where
he died December 5, 1870, aged eighty-three years.
On the evening of the day of his inauguration as President
came the news of the fall of the Alamo and its braye defenders.
This was followed in quick succession by tidings of the defeat of
Grant, the battle of the Coleta, the surrender of Fannin, and the
horrible m.assacre at Goliad. Nothing daunted, he went to work,
brought order out of chaos, made provision for supporting the
army, and before the close of his administration saw the war hap
pily ended and Texan independence firmly established.

80 Texas — The Country and Its Men

SAM HOUSTON
General Sam Houston was born in Rockbridge County, Vir
ginia, in 1793. AA^hen fourteen years of age his father died,
leaving a widow and nine children in straightened circumstances.
The family removed to Blount County, Tennessee, where young
Houston spent his time alternately at school, at farm work and
as clerk in a store. He left home and joined a band of Cherokee
Indians hunting in the neighborhood, but returned and taught
school until he earned enough money to pay a few small debts.
In 1813 he served as a soldier. At the battle of the Horse Shoe,
fought on the Tallapoosa River, March 24, 1814, Major Mont
gomery, the first to ascend the enemy's breastworks, fell riddled
with bullets. Ensign Houston, who was just behind him, was
badly wounded with an arrow and two rifle balls and it was
nearly a year before he was able to make the journey to his home.
Houston's intrepid gallantry won for him the life-long friendship
of General Jackson. In November, 1817, he was appointed In
dian agent, but soon after resigned his agency and commission
as lieutenant in the army and commenced the study of law. In
1819 he was elected District Attorney for Davidson County, and
at the same time Major-General of Militia. In 1823 he was
elected to Congress; was re-elected in 1825. At the close of his
second term was elected Governor of Tennessee by an over
whelming majority, and in January, 1829, married a Miss AA'hite.
No man was so popular in the State. A brilliant career lav be
fore him. He and his lovely bride seemed to be li\ing happily
together. One morning in April the people of Nash\-ille were
startled with the intelligence that Mrs. Houston had returned to
her father's house at Gallatin, and that Houston had resigned
his office and left the city the night before, never to return.
AA'hat led to these sad and strange events remains to this day a
profound mystery, the two persons most deeply interested never
having vouchsafed an explanation.
Houston rejoined his friends, the Cherokees, then living on
the Arkansas River, and October 29, 1829, was admitted to citi-

j?^!^* ^ *?'

Texas — The Country and Its Men 81

zenship among them. In 1832 he went to AA'ashington to look after
the interests of certain Indian tribes and succeeded in having a
number of corrupt agents removed. Flis efforts were opposed
and resulted in a personal encounter with an Ohio Congress
man. Houston was arrested and fined five hundred dollars, but
President Jackson remitted the fine and gave him a commission
as Confidential Indian Agent, with instructions to negotiate
treaties with tribes in the Southwest. In December, 1832, he went
to Nacogdoches and thence to San Felipe, where he met James
Bowie, who invited him to visit San Antonio and have a talk
with some Comanche chiefs then camped near that city. From
this time Texas became his home, and for thirty years he was
the most striking and colossal figure in her history. He was a
member of the convention held at San Felipe in 1833, and chair
man of the committee that drafted a constitution for the State
as it was to be when separated from Coahuila. Owing to the
subversion of the Mexican Constitution, Texas never became a
Mexican .State. Houston succeeded in defeating a project
formed in 1834 for introducing large bodies of Creek Indians into
East Texas. He was a member of the General Constitution at
San Felipe in 1835, and upon the organization of the Provisional
Government, November 13 of that year, was elected commander
of forces in the field. Houston remained in San Felipe some
time assisting the Executive Council in framing ordinances for
the government of the army. December 17, in obedience to or
ders from Governor Smith, he set out to join his troops and carry
into effect certain military operations recommended by that gen-
.tleman. On arriving at Refugio he was shown an act of the
Council that empowered Colonel Johnson to lead an independent
force against Matamoros, and learned that Colonel Fannin had
similar authority. Considering that his power as Commander-
in-Chief had been disregarded, he returned to Washington and
reported to Governor Smith. The citizens and a few soldiers at
Refugio elected Houston to the convention that was to assemble
in March at Washington. Houston took his seat in the conven
tion on the first of March. The Declaration of Independence
took place on the second, and on the fourth he was elected Com
mander-in-Chief, and on the sixth left for the army, then on the

82 Texas — The Country and Its Men

banks of the Guadalupe. It is needless to give the details of the
retreat from Gonzales to the San Jacinto River.
April 21, 1836, Santa Anna was joined by General Cos, with
five hundred additional troops. In obedience to Houston's or
ders. Deaf Smith, with a few companions, burned Vince's bridge
over Simm's Bayou, thereby rendering impossible the arrival of
further Mexican reinforcements. The Texans were eager for
battle and with the bridge destroyed knew that the hour had
come for victory or death. At 12 m. a council of officers was
held in Houston's headquarters and a few minutes after 3 p. m.
the bugle sounded and the troops paraded for action. Burleson's
regiment occupied the center, Sherman commanded the left wing,
and the artiller)', under Hockley, and the cavalry, under Lamar,
were on the right. As the Texans rushed to the charge they
shouted : "Remember the Alamo ! Remember Goliad !" The
enemy, after discharging a few volleys, fled in the utmost disor
der. Six hundred and thirty Mexicans were killed, two hundred
and thirty-eight were wounded and seven hundred and thirty
were made prisoners. The Texan loss amounted to eight killed
and twenty-five wounded. Santa Anna was captured the follow
ing day. Notwithstanding the massacres at the Alamo and Go
liad, he was treated with magnanimity; his personal baggage
was restored and he was permitted to have the society of his
staff. General Houston was in the front ranks in the battle, his
commanding form being conspicuous where the struggle seemed
most desperate. He was severely wounded in the foot. Obtain
ing a leave of absence, he embarked May 5 upon a government
vessel and sailed for New Orleans, where he secured skillful sur
gical aid. On the 4th of June he wrote to Lamar :
My wound has improved ;• some twenty or more bones have been
taken out of it; my general health improves steadily, but it is only within
the last four or five days that I have been enabled to sit up any portion
of the day.
He returned to Texas in July, and in September was elected
President of the Republic. By the Constitution the first Presi
dent held office only two years, and was ineligible at the next
ensuing election. He was succeeded by Vice-President Lamar,
but was re-elected in 1841. Both of his administrations were
gloriously successful, and established his fame as a statesman

Texas — The Country and Its Men 83

upon a foundation no less secure than his reputation as a soldier.
He secured an armistice with Mexico that lasted until the an
nexation of Texas to the United States under the administration
of his successor President Anson Jones. He was elected to the
Annexation Convention but did not take his seat. At the first
session of the Legislature in 1846 he was elected to the United
States Senate, and was re-elected in 1847, ^nd again in 1851.
Houston ^•oted against the extension of the thirty-six degrees and
thirty minutes line across the continent, and insisted upon main
taining the Missouri Compromise as first adopted, thus virtually
voting to exclude slavery from the Pacific Coast; and in 1854 he
boldly opposed Squatter Sovereignty. About this time he affili
ated with the Know Nothing, or American party. In 1857 he an
nounced himself an independent candidate for Governor and was
beaten by PI. R. Runnels, the regular Democratic nominee.
Governor Runnels was nominated for re-election two years later.
General Houston made a vigorous canvass of the State, and in
his speeches boldly avowed his devotion to the Union and reit
erated his love for Texas and was elected over Governor Runnels
by a handsome majority. Houston was pronounced in his oppo
sition to secession, and it soon became evident that a majority of
the Legislature were in favor of that measure. The Secession
Convention met in Austin January 27, 1861, and February i
passed the ordinance withdrawing the State from the Union.
The convention reassembled March 2. Houston, seeing it was
too late to further oppose secession, quietly urged his friends to
do all that was possible to induce the convention to refrain from
joining the State to the Confederacy recently formed at Mont
gomery, and advised that Texas reassume her position as a free
and independent Republic. The convention, however, on the
5th of March, passed a bill uniting Texas to the Confederate
States of America. All State officers were required (on the
14th) to take the oath to support the new government. This
Houston refused to do. He was joined by his Secretary of State,
Mr. Cave. They were displaced from office and Lieutenant-
Governor Edward Clark succeeded to the gubernatorial chair.
Houston made no serious opposition to retiring to private life.
He, however, published an address in which he said :

84 Texas — The Country and Its Men

I protest in the name of the people of Texas against the acts of this
Convention, and pronounce them null and void. * * * I love Texas
too well to bring civil strife and bloodshed upon her. To avert this ca
lamity, I shall make no endeavor to maintain my authority as Chief
Executive of this State except by the peaceful exercise of my functions.
When I can no longer do this I shall calmly withdraw from the scene.
Fellow-citizens, think not that I complain of the lot which Providence has
now assigned me. It is, perhaps, meet that my career should close thus.
I have seen the patriots and statesmen of my youth, one by one, gathered
to their fathers, and the government which they had reared rent in twain,
and none like them are now left to reunite it again. I stand almost the
last of a race who learned from them the lessons of human freedom.
His last appearance before a public audience was in Houston,
March i8, 1863. The following is an extract from his speech:
Ladies and Fellow-Citizens — With feelings of pleasure and friendly
greeting I once again stand before this, an assemblage of my countrymen.
As I behold this large assemblage, who, from their homes and daily toil,
have come to greet once again the man who has so often known their kind
ness and affections, I can feel that even yet I hold a place in their high
regard. This manifestation is the highest compliment that can be paid to
the citizen and patriot. As you have gathered here to listen to the senti
ments of my heart, knowing that the days draw nigh unto me when all
thoughts of ambition and worldly pride give place to the earnestness of
age, I know you will bear with me, while with calmness, and without the
fervor and eloquence of youth, I express those sentiments which seem
natural to my mind in vi-ew of the condition of the country. I have been
buffeted by the waves as I have been borne along time's ocean, until,
shattered and worn, I approach the narrow isthmus which divides it from
the sea of eternity beyond. Ere I step forward to journey through the
pilgrimage of death, I would say that all my thoughts and hopes are
with my country. If one impulse arises above another, it is for the hap
piness of these people; the welfare and glory of Texas will be the upper
most thought while the spark of life lingers in this breast.
He died on the 26th of July, 1863. The autumnal sadness of
his latter days calls forth the sympathetic tear, and the memory
of his valor, eloquence and unselfish patriotism inspires admira
tion and affection. Peace to his ashes.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

85

MIRABEAU B. LAMAR

Mirabeau B. Lamar was born in Louisville, Georgia, August
i6, 1798; belonged to an old Hugenot family; in early life was
private secretary to Governor Troupe; in 1828 was editor of a
States' rights paper, and in 1835 came to Texas and advocated a
declaration of independence.
He revisited his native State,
but learning of the invasion of
the country by Santa Anna,
hurried back and enlisted as a
private soldier in the Texan
army. In the preliminary skir
mish at San Jacinto he dis
tinguished himself by an act of
heroic gallantr}', and on the
next day, when the battle was
fought, commanded the caval
ry. At the first election La
mar was elected Vice-Presi
dent, and when General Hous
ton's first term was out, was
elected President of Texas. At
the commencement of the
Mexican war Lamar was ap
pointed Division Inspector un
der General Henderson. At
the storming of Monterey he behaved with conspicuous gallantry.
In 1847 he was Post Commander at Laredo. On his return to
Texas he was elected to the Legislature. In 1851 he married for
his second wife Miss Maffit, and settled on a plantation near
Richmond, Fort Bend County. After this he was for a short pe
riod United States Minister to the Argentine Confederation. He
died at his home in Texas December 19, 1859. Mr. Lamar was
not only a statesman and an intrepid soldier, but a poet who has

iVlIRABEAU B. LAIVIAR
President 1838

86 Texas — The Country and Its Men
left behind him a number of poems of rare beauty. The following
poem is from his pen :
THE DAL'GHTER OF MENDOZA.
O ! lend to me, sweet nightingales.
Your music by the fountains ;
And lend to me your cadences,
O I rivers of the mountains.
That I may sing, my gay brunette —
A diamond spark in coral set.
Gem for a prince's coronet —
The daughter of Mendoza.
How brilliant is the morning star.
The evening" star, how tender —
The light of both is in her eyes,
Their softness and their splendor.
But for the lash that shades their light
They were too dazzling for the sight,
.And when she shuts them all is night —
The daughter of Mendoza.
Oh ! ever bright and beauteous one.
Bewildering and beguiling,
The lute is in thy silvery tones.
The rainbow is thy smiling.
And thine is, too, o'er hill and dell
The bounding of the young gazelle,
The arrow's flight and ocean's swell —
Sweet daughter of Mendoza.
What though perchance we meet no more;
What though too soon we sever;
Thy form will flit like emerald light
Before my vision ever.
For who can see and e'er forget
The glories of my gay brunette?
Thou art too bright a star to set.
Sweet daughter of Mendoza,

Texas — The Country and Its Me

EN

87

ANSON JONES

Dr. Anson Jones was born in Great Barrington, Massachu
setts, in 1798; was licensed to practice medicine in 1820, and after
spending two years in A'enezuela, ,came to Texas and settled in
Brazoria in 1833. At a public meeting held in 1836 he advocated
Texan Independence, and in
troduced a resolution, which
was adopted, calling the ¦;on-
vention that rnet in AA'ashing
ton in March, 1836. AA'hen
hostilities commenced he en
listed in Captain Calder's com
pany, and was soon appointed
surgeon in Burleson's regi
ment. In 1837 he represented
Brazoria County in Congress;
in 1838 was Minister to the
l.hiited States, and the same
year was elected to the Sen
ate, of which he was chosen
President to act in the absence
of the Vice-President of the
Texan Republic. D ur i n g
Houston s second term he was
.Secretary of State, and in
1844 was elected President of
the Republic. To his skillful statesmanship was due in a large
measure the success of the negotiations that led to the annexa
tion of Texas to the United States before half of his term of
office had expired. On retiring to private life he repaired to
his plantation in AA'ashington County, where he resided eleven
years. In 1857 some of his friends brought him forward as a
candidate for election to the United States .Senate, but he was
defeated, AVigfall and Hemphill being selected as .Senators. Al
though Dr. Jones anticipated the result, the blow fell upon him

ANSON JONES
Last President of Republic of Texas 1844

Texas — The Country and Its Men

with crushing force and superinduced a dejection of spirits that
led to his untimely death. In 1857 he sold his plantation in
AA'ashington County, intending to establish himself on the -coast
between Galveston and Houston. January 7, 1858, while in the
old Capitol at Houston, he said sadly to a friend : "Here, in this
house, twenty years ago, I commenced my political career in
Texas, as a member of the Senate, and here I would like to
close it." Shortly after a pistol shot was heard in his room
and he was found in a dying condition. On the admission of
Texas as a member of the Union nearly every man who had
played a distinguished part in her political history was rewarded
with some State or Federal office. Dr. Jones, who had per
formed his duties as Secretary of State and President with such
marked ability and unselfish patriotism — hastening the end of
his term as Chief Executive that Texas might find .security in
the Federal Union — alone seemed to be overlooked. A sketch
of Dr. Jones, prepared by Ex-President Burnet, appeared in the
Texas Almanac. Referring to the deaths of Rusk and Jones,
President Burnet said :
Both these distinguished patriots had succeeded in all the objects of
an honorable ambition, probably even beyond their own aspirations.
What, then, are the unfortunate circumstances that so prey upon the mind
as to render life a burden, even in the midst of family endearments, of
friends, and honors, and distinctions? All we can say in explanation is
to refer to the undoubted fact that Dr. Jones was subject to occasional
paroxysms of mental gloom and deep despondency, which he could not
overcome or control and which often well nigh destroyed his balance of
mind. During the latter years of his life, this unhappy temperament had
gradually assumed more and more the character of a disease, under the
influence of a physical derangement to which he was subject. Those who
have any knowledge of this painful mental depression will need no fur
ther explanation, and those who best understood the intensity' of suffering
from this cause, to which the most sensitive and noble minds are chiefly
subject, will be the last to cast reproach upon the memory of the unhappy
victim.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

JAMES PINCKNEY HENDERSON

J. Pinckney Henderson was born in Lincoln County, North
Carolina, on the 31st of March, 1809, and descended from a fam
ily whose name is prominent in the early history of that .State.
His early educational advantages were good, and he was for sev
eral years a student at the
University of the State at
Chapel Hill. He studied law
and was admitted to the bar
before he was twenty-one
years of age. At the age of
twenty-two, he was appointed
aide-de-camp, with the rank
of m.ajor, to Major-General
Dorrett, of the North Carolina
militia, and was afterward
elected colonel of a regiment.
In the fall of 1835, Colonel
Henderson removed to Mis
sissippi, and, having settled at
Canton, began the practice of
law with the brightest pros
pects of success. But he had
scarcely tested the opportuni
ties offered him in this new
field before his attention was
attracted to the struggles of the province of Texas to throw off
the oppressive and degrading yoke of Mexican rule. His sym
pathy was at once enlisted in the cause of the patriots who had
hoisted the banner of liberty and the Lone Star, and he de
termined to devote his energies to their interest. Judge Foote,
who was at that time a prominent lawyer and politician in Mis
sissippi, in referring to a speech which he made to an assembly

J. p. HENDERSON
Governor 1846

90 Texas — The Country and Its Men

of Texas sympathizers at Canton, in the spring of 1836, thus de
scribes Colonel Henderson at that period :
When I stepped down from the rostrum it was gracefully ascended
bv a young gentleman whom I had never seen before. The person of that
young gentleman was noble and commanding ; his voice presently proved
itself to be both strong and musical; his eyes and whole countenance
flashed forth the light of commingled thought and passion. That young
orator swept the audience before him like a whirhvind. "Who is he.-'"
exclaimed many voices, and the response was, "That is Mr. Henderson,
a young lawyer of uncommon promise and of easy fortune, who has just
emigrated from North Carolina and settled among us." To the honor
of Madison County, be it said that several thousand dollars were at once
subscribed, and various young men resolved to go forth to the rescue
of their brethren in Texas. I was soon introduced to General Henderson,
for by such title is that young orator now distinguished. I spent a day
in his society, and have never seen him since. Next morning he started
to Texas. .Soon after his arri\al in Texas, Colonel Henderson was
commissioned by President Burnet to return to the United States
and recruit for the Texan army. He proceeded to his old home
in North Carolina and raised a company which he transported to
Texas at his own expense. He returned in November, 1836,
and was immediately appointed by President Houston A ttorne}'-
General of the Republic, and in December following he was
made Secretary of State, to fill the vacancy in that office occa
sioned by the death of Stephen F Austin.
Early in the year 1837, Colonel Henderson was sent as Min
ister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary from the Repub
lic of Texas to the courts of France and England. He was
commissioned to solicit the recognition of the independence of
Texas by these powers, and was invested with plenary authority,
as ambassador, to conclude treaties of amity and commerce with
them. His mission was successful. Both of these powers soon
recognized the independence of the Republic and entered into
cordial treaty relations with the new nationality.
In 1840 Colonel Henderson returned to Texas and was wel
comed by a universal outburst of applause and the warmest con
gratulations of his countrymen. A grand dinner was gi^'en him
at Galveston, and demonstrations of public gratitude and esteem
were tendered him by several other towns, which he modestly
declined. At the expiration of General Lamar's Presidential

Texas — The Country and Its Men 91

term, he was strongly urged to become a candidate for the Pres
idency of the Republic, but being somewhat under the constitu
tional age required for that office he declined the candidacy.
Colonel Henderson now settled at San Augustine and re
sumed the practice of his profession, but in 1844 he was sent by
his government to AA'ashington as Minister Plenipotentiary to act
in concert with Mr. Van Zandt, the Texan Charge d'Affairs, in
negotiating a treaty for the annexation of Texas to the United
States. Mr. Calhoun, who was then Secretary of State, fa^'ored
their cause, and they had but little difficulty in accomplishing
their object. The treaty was at first, however, rejected by the
United .States, but through the exertions of the Texan ministers
and their friends in Congress, it was subsequently ratified.
In June, 1845, he was elected one of the members from San
Augustine County to the convention which framed the Constitu
tion of the new State. In November, 1845, he was elected Gov
ernor of Texas.
AA hen the bill providing for the annexation of Texas passed
the United States Congress it was evident that war with Me.xico
was inevitable : The Mexican Minister at AA'ashington demanded
his passports and left the country, and a Mexican army immedi
ately crossed the Rio Grande. Texas was called upon to furnish
four regiments of volunteers. They were soon organized, and
Governor Henderson was authorized and requested by the Legis
lature to take command of the new regiments of Texas troops ;
but at the time of their departure for the seat of war he was
confined to his bed. A week later he started- in a carriage,
without an escort, though it was necessary to pass in close prox
imity to a large body of Mexican troops, and safely joined the
United States army. On the third day of the battle of Monterey
he led the Second Texas regiment in person, and during the
attack was cut off from his men while reconnoitering, and was
compelled to crawl upon his hands and knees, as Bonaparte did
while at Vienna, in order to reach his command. Hon. Jefferson
Davis, whose command was near that of General Henderson, in
describing this circumstance, says :
On the third and last, day of the attack, when night was closing
around us, and we were near to the Main Plaza, we learned that we
were isolated; that orders had been sent to us to retire; that the supports

92 Texas — The Country and Its Men
had been withdrawn, and that we were surrotmded by a large number
of the enemy. .A. heart less resolved, a mind less self-reliant than Hen
derson's might have doubted, wavered, and been lost. The idternative
was presented to him of maintaining a post which he was confident we
could not hold, or of retiring, when it was doubtful whether we could
cut our way through the enemy; he asked no other question than, ".Are
we ordered to retire?" On learning that such was the fact he decided,
at whatever hazard, to obey ; and narrowly on that occasion escaped
with his life. The sense of duty rose with him superior to all other con
siderations; and he obeyed an order which he might have been justified
in disobeying, because of the dangers to which it would subject him.
Again says Mr. Davis :
He was gentle as a lamb in the hour of peace and in the midst of
his friends ; but bold as a lion in the face of danger and when confronted
by an enemy.
He was one of the commissioners appointed by General
Taylor to negotiate with General Ampudia for the surrender of
Monterey, and for his services in that battle Congress voted him
a sword. He was soon after appointed a major-general in the
army of the United States, and was therefore entitled to the pay
of that office as well as his salary as Governor of Texas ; but he
declined to accept a dollar of his salary or any compensation
from Texas while he held his position in the United States Army.
After the close of the war he resigned his commission in the
army and resumed his duties as Governor of Texas ; and at the
expiration of his term, declining a renomination, he returned to
the practice of his profession, which he continued until 1857,
when, upon the death of General Rusk, he was almost unani
mously chosen his successor in the United States Senafe. He
accepted the position with reluctance. His health had become
feeble. In deference to the entreaties of his friends he delayed
his departure for the Federal capital. His health continued to
decline; but, impelled by an unswerving sense of duty and a
desire to be upon the field of his labors, he undertook the jour
ney, and, having tarried a short time amid the orange groves of
Cuba, with painful exertion he reached Washington and took his
seat in the Senate. But he occupied it only a few days before a
fatal reaction ensued, and his spirit passed away.
AA'hile in Paris he met Miss Frances Cox, daughter of Mr.
John Cox, of Philadelphia, who was residing in Paris for the
purpose of educating his daughters, and they were married in

Te.xas — The Country and Its Men ^ 93
the city of London in 1839. She was a lady of fine intellectual
and social accomplishments, and was highly esteemed by the
citizens of San Augustine, where she long resided.

GEORGE T. WOOD
George T. AA'ood was born in Georgia ; removed to Texas in
1836 and served several terms as a member of the Texas Con
gress, and was for some time brigadier-general of militia. In
1846 he raised a regiment and served with distinction in the
Mexican war. After his term expired he returned home and was
elected to the State Senate. In 1847 he was elected Governor,
and upon the expiration of his term of office retired to private
life. Governor Wood died in Panola County in i^

P. HANSBOROUGH BELL
p. Hansborough Bell, a native of Virginia, landed at Velasco
in 1836, and made his way to Green's, where the Texan army
was then encamped. He fought at San Jacinto as a private and
proved himself a worthy scion of the Old Dominion. In 1839
he was inspector-general. In 1845 he was captain of rangers.
During the war between the United States and Mexico he dis
tinguished himself as a brave colonel of volunteers. He was
Governor of Texas from 1850 to 1853 and afterward represented
the western district in the United States Congress. At the ex
piration of his second congressional term he married and settled
in North Carolina, where he has since resided. As a recogni
tion of his patriotic services, and as an aid to him in his old age,
the Twenty-Second Texas Legislature, in 1891, voted him a do
nation of land and a liberal pension.

94

Texas — The Country and Its Men

ELISHA MARSHALL PEASE

The subject of this memoir was born in Enfield, Connecticut,
on the 3d of January, 1812. At the age of fourteen years he was
placed as a clerk in a country store.
AA'hile in New Orleans on business in the fall of 1834 he was
allured by the glowing ac
counts which he heard of the
country west of the Sabine,
and determined to seek a
home and fortune in its virgin
wastes. He proceeded to Ve
lasco and thence to the fron
tier settlements on the Colo
rado, and located at Mina,
now the . town of Bastrop,
where he began the study of
law in the office of Colonel
D. C. Barrett, who had just
entered upon the practice of
the profession. He was soon
afterward appointed secretary
of the committee of safety for
the jurisdiction of Mina.
The first sounds of the
Texas Revolution in 1835
kindled the most ardent senti
ments of patriotism and awakened every energy of the people.
Mr. Pease was engaged in the first skirmish of the war at Gon
zales, and was soon afterward made Secretary of the Council of
the Provisional government, and held that position until the gov
ernment ad interim intervened in March, 1836. During the sum
mer of 1836 he served successively as chief clerk of the Na\-y
and Treasury departments, and for a short time acted as Secre
tary of the Treasury upon the death of Secretary Hardeman.

E. iVl. PEASE
Governor 1853-1867

Texas — The Country and Its Men 95
In November, 1836, he was appointed clerk of the judiciary
committee of the House of Representati\ es, and drafted the laws
organizing the judiciary of the Republic, and the laws creating
and defining the duties of the various county officers. At the
close of the first session of Congress in December, 1836, President
Houston tendered him the position of Postmaster-General, but
he declined the office and returned to the study of law in the
office of Colonel John .\. AA'harton, of Brazoria.
In .\pril, 1837, he was admitted to the bar at the town of
AA'ashington, but soon afterward accepted the office of Comp
troller of Public Accounts. He resigned this position in the en
suing December and retired to Brazoria, where he resumed the
practice of law in co-partnership with Colonel John A. AA'harton.
In 1838 John AA'. Harris became associated vA'ith them, and after
the death of Colonel AA'harton, which occurred soon after, the firm
of Harris & Pease continued for many years, and became one of
the m.ost distinguished in the State. During this period Mr.
Pease served as district attorney for a short time, and after an
nexation, in 1846, was elected to the First Legislature from Bra
zoria County. In the business of this assembly he took an active
part, and was the author of the laws regulating proceedings in
the district courts and of many other laws of importance enacted
during that session. He was re-elected to the House in the Sec
ond Legislature, and as chairman of the judiciary committee
originated the probate laws of 1848.
In 1850 he was elected to the Senate in the Third Legislature,
and served during the regular session, but being absent from the
State when an extra session was convened by Governor Bell dur
ing that year, he resigned and terminated his legislative services.
In 1853 he was elected Governor of the State and was re
elected in 1855. Governor Pease always acted with the Demo
cratic party until the policy of secession drove him .from it in
1861. He remained in Texas during the war, but took no part
in public affairs, and after its close acted with the Republican
party. In 1867 he was appointed Provisional Governor of the
State by the military authorities and held that office until 1869,
when he resigned in consequence of a difference of opinion
between him and the commander of the district in regard to the

96

Texas — The Country and Its Men

reorganization of the State government. He represented Texas
in the convention at Cincinnati in 1872, which nominated Hor
ace Greely for President. In 1874 the office of collector of the
port of Galveston was offered him by Secretary Bristow, which
he declined, but accepted the position in 1879 when it was ten
dered him by President Hayes, which was his last public service.
He was afterward vice-president of the First National Bank of
Austin, and died at Lampasas on the 26th of August, 1883.
He was married to Miss L. C. Niles, of AA^indsor, Connecticut,
in 1850.
HARDIN R. RUNNELS

Came to Texas from Mississippi in 1841 and established a cotton
plantation on Red River ; represented Bowie County eight years

HARDfN RUNNELS
Governor 1855

in the legislature ; was speaker of the House of Representatives
in 1853-5; in 1855 was elected Governor, and died at his home in
Bowie County in 1873.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

97

EDWARD CLARK

Edward Clark was a native of Georgia. He was a member
of the Constitutional Convention in 1845; was secretary of the
House in the First Texas Legislature, and Senator in the Sec
ond; was Secretary of State under Governor Pease; was elected
Lieutenant-Governor in 1859
and became Governor on the
retirement of General Hous
ton in 1861. Governor Clark
died at his home in Marshall,
Plarrison County, a few years
since, leaving a widow and a
number of children as surviv
ors of his immediate family.
Governor Clark w'as a man
of the highest integrity, a de-
^-out Christian, and a gentle
man whose civic virtues en
deared him to the people
among whom he spent his long
and useful life. A number of
the most important provisions
incorporated in the Constitu
tion of 1845 were either intro
duced by him or adopted as
a result of their advocacy by
him. He also made an excellent record as a State Senator and
presiding officer. He was a man plain and unostentatious. As
a speaker he laid no claim to oratory, but went straight to the
gist of his subject and was listened to with close attention by
his colleagues.

EDWARD CLARK
Governor 1861

Texas — The Country and Its Men

FRANCIS R. LUBBOCK

Francis R. Lubbock is a South Carolinian— a descendant
from an ancient English stock. He was born on the i 5th day of
October, 181 5. Early in life, and without the advantages of a
thorough education, he engaged in mercantile pursuits, which,
being neither congenial nor
successful, were soon aban
doned. He removed to New-
Orleans at the age of eighteen
and two years later came to
Texas, then a Republic. His
first public service was in the
office of clerk of the House of.
Representatives, at Houston,
in 1837, and at the next ses
sion of the Republican Con
gress he was made chief clerk.
President Houston early rec
ognized in Mr. Lubbock rare
business traits and capacity
for public service and made
him his Comptroller. .About
that time what is known as
the Bonnell Command was or
ganized for the protection of
the extensive frontier from
depredations of hostile savages, and Mr. Lubbock was transferred
from the office to the field, as adjutant of the command.
In 1 84 1 Mr. Lubbock was again appointed Comptroller by
President Houston, but in the same year resigned, as he was
elected district clerk of Harris County. He served as district clerk
until 1857, a period of sixteen years. He was, in 1857, nominated
for Lieutenant-Governor by the State Democratic convention at
AA'aco, and subsequently elected at the polls. In 1861 he was
elected (jovernor of Texas, and for his term of two years de-

FRANK LUBBOCK
Governor 1861

Texas — The Country and Its Men 99

voted his entire time to the interests of the State and the promo
tion of the cause of the Confederacy. Ninety thousand men were
put into the Confederate States army by Texas during his term of
service. He declined to be a candidate for a second term, pre
ferring to enter the military service of the Confederate States, and
cast his lot with the brave Texans he had assisted in putting in
the field. On the very day that he ceased to be Governor he en
tered the army as assistant adjutant-general and was assigned to
duty with General Magruder. In a short time General Tom Green
requested that he be assigned to him, which was done. General
Green was killed about the time Colonel Lubbock arrived in Lou
isiana, and he was assigned to General John A. Wharton, com
manding the cavalry in the trans-Mississippi department. AVhile
with General AA'harton in Louisiana, Colonel Lubbock was ten
dered a position on the staff of President Davis. This distin
guished honor he accepted at once, and hastening to Richmond
was commissioned colonel in the regular service of the Confed
erate States and became one of President Davis' military family
and household. An intimacy and lasting friendship soon grew up
between them. He was with President Davis when captured and
imprisoned by Union troops after the fall of the Confederacy.
Colonel Lubbock was incarcerated in Fort Delaware and kept
in solitary confinement until the end of the year 1865. He was
one of the pall bearers who lovingly and reverently bore the
mortal remains of the Chieftain of the Lost Cause to their last
resting place. He had been one of the trusted lieutenants of Mr.
Davis in the hours when success seemed ready to wreathe his
brows with laurel; he was with him amid the gathering clouds
of adversity, and he stood beside him as a noble and undaunted
companion amid the gloom of defeat and the crumbling ruins of
the Confederacy. Their friendship never suffered diminution.
Returning to Texas upon being released from imprisonment. Gov
ernor Lubbock remained at his old home (Houston) for a year,
and in 1867 settled in Galveston. In 1878 he was elected State
Treasurer and filled that office until succeeded by Hon. W. B.
Wortham in January, 1891.
Ex-Governor Lubbock died at Austin, Texas, in 1905.

100

Texas — The Country and Its Men

PENDLETON MURRAH

Governor Pendleton Murrah was a native of South Carolina ;
a lawyer by profession. He went in early life to Alabama and
came from that State to Texas and settled in Marshall, Harrison
County. In 1857 he represented the county in the legislature
and was elected Governor of
Texas in 1S63. Upon the fall
of the Confederate States of
America, in June, 1865, Go\-
ernor Murrah left Austin and
sought refuge in Mexico. He
died in Monterey the follow
ing July.
He was considered an emi
nent lawyer and accomplished
orator at a time when the
Texas bar boasted a galaxy
of legal and forensic talent
unsurpassed by that of any
other State. During the
Know Nothing excitement
Murrah was the Democratic
nominee for Congress and
opened the campaign with his
usual energy and ability. The
Know Nothing, or American
party, was a secret, oath-bound political organization, and it was
an impossibility to estimate the strength that it had attained. This
strength, however, was greatly underestimated by Murrah and
his friends. They believed that the excitemnt was of an ephem
eral character and was confined to a few individuals who hoped
to secure office by playing the roles of political agitators. There
fore, in a speech delivered at the court house in INIarshall, Mr.
.Alurrah assailed the leaders and principles of Know Nothingism
with all the vigor of which he was capable, hoping to give- the

PENDLETON IVIURRAH
Governor 1863

Texas — The Country and Its Men 101

American party, so far as his district was concerned, its coup
d'grace. One of the leading citizens of the county arose and de
clared that the gentlemen who composed the American party had
been insulted, and called upon all members of the party to follow
him from the court room. There was a moment of breathless
expectation, succeeded by the audience arising well nigh en
masse and moving toward the door. Soon Mr. Murrah and two
or three friends alone remained. They were dumfounded. The
scene they had witnessed was a revelation. Thy realized that
there was no hope of Democratic success, and that the Know
Nothing party would sweep the district. Mr. Murrah declared
his intention to at once withdraw from the race. Colonel R. AA'.
Loughery, then editor of the Texas Republican, urged him to
continue the campaign, and that with increased vigor.
If you retire now in the face of the enem.y your political history will
have reached its end to-day. Although defeat is certain, nevertheless
make a gallant fight, and when the Know Nothing party is condemned
by the sober second thought of the people, and the Democratic banner
again leads to victory, you will be remembered and honored.
Mr. Murrah followed this advice and, as we have seen, was
later elected Governor of the State.
A. L HAMILTON
Andrew Jackson Hamilton was born in Madison County, Ala
bama, on the 28th of January, 181 5, and was admitted to the bar
of that State in 1841.
In 1846 he emigrated to Texas, and located at La Grange.
In 1849 he was appointed by Governor Bell Attorney-General of
the State, and from that time made Austin his permanent resi
dence. Fie served as the representative of Travis County in the
Legislature of 1851, and again in 1853. In 1856 he was an elector
on the Buchanan ticket, and in 1859 was elected to a seat in the
United States Congress, as an independent candidate, in opposi
tion to General T. N. Waul, the regular nominee of the Demo
cratic party. He was a strenuous opponent of the policy of se
cession, and retained his seat in Congress after the other mem
bers from the seceded States had returned to their constituencies.
He returned to Austin in the latter part of 1861, and was made

102 Texas — The Country and Its Men
the Union candidate for the State Senate, to which he was
elected; but Texas had now cast her lot with the Confederacy,
and he declined to take the required oath of qualification.
In 1862, being still opposed to the purposes and progress of
the war on the part of the South, he left the State and, making his
way through Mexico, repaired to the city of AA'ashington, and
was immediately appointed brigadier-general of the Texas troops
in the Union service. In 1865 he was made Provisional Gov
ernor of Texas by President Johnson, as the most suitable person
he could find in the State to effect his conservative plan of re
construction. In 1866 he was appointed an associate justice of
the Supreme Court, and was a prominent member of the Recon
struction Convention of 1868, in which he was the author and
chief promotor of the electoral bill and franchise measures, which
were engrafted in the new constitution. In 1870 he was the
Conservative candidate for Governor, but was defeated by E. J.
Davis, the Republican nominee, in a contest so close as to give
excuse for the intervention and decision of the military authori
ties. Returning now to the seclusion of private life, he eschewed
any further active participation in the political events of the
period, and, falling into a decline of health, died in .\ustin dur
ing the month of April, 1875.
His decisions as a judge of the Supreme Court, while com
paratively few, are noted for learning, dignity and force. Chief
among these is his opinion on ab initio, rendered in 1808 in the
case of Luter v. Hunter, 30 Texas, 690, and in Culbreath v.
Hunter, 30 Texas, 712, known as the sequestration cases, in
which he held that the States composing the Confederacy occu
pied a higher ground than the Confederate governm.ent, having
been in their origin peaceful, legitimate and constitutional ; that
they continued to exist, notwithstanding the war, without a hiatus
or interregnum, and that the United States government had not
interfered with the mere civil laws of the States, whether en
acted before or during the war, except as to such laws as natur
ally resulted from the war, and such as were unconstitutional or
in hostility to the United States. It would have been well in
deed if the doctrine enunciated in these cases had been accepted
by the dominant party; the hostility of the heart would have
ceased with the hostility of the sword.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 103

J. W. THROCKMORTON
James AA'. Throckmorton, ex-Governor of Texas, was born in
Sparta, Tennessee, on the ist day of February, 1825. His father.
Dr. AVilliam E. Throckmorton, was a physician of high standing
and an excellent gentleman, and, having removed to Texas, was
one of the first settlers of Collin County, where he died in 1843.
The county of Throckmorton was named in his honor.
The subject of this sketch received a good common school
education, and removed to Texas in 1841. In 1844 he began the
study of medicine at Princeton, Kentucky, under the supervision
of his uncle. Dr. James E. Throckmorton, and having prepared
himself for the medical profession, returned to Texas and en
joyed for a number of years an extensive practice and the repu
tation of being a skillful physician. During the war with Mexico
he volunteered his services to the army and was made surgeon
of Major Chevallie's Texas Rangers. He afterwards resumed
his practice in Collin County, and pursued the duties of his pro
fession until the year 1859, when, in consequence of fgling health
induced by the exposure and irregularity attending an extensi\ e
medical practice, he determined to follow the dictates of a natural
taste and prepare himself for the bar and, having studied the
general principles of law, entered upon a successful legal career.
He was married to Miss Annie Ratten, whose father moved to
Texas from Illinois at an early day.
In 1851 he was elected a member of the legislature, and was
re-elected in 1853 and 1855, and in 1857 he was elected to the
State Senate for a term of four years.
He had been reared a AVhig in politics and was one of the
electors of Texas on the Scott ticket in 1852, but on the dissolu
tion of that party at the end of the campaign, spurning the doc
trine of the Know Nothings, which was then urged in opposition
to Democracy, he affiliated with the party of Jefferson, which he
believed to be the only palladium left of American liberty and of
the principles upon which the American government was founded.

104 Texas — The Country and Its Men

and it was as a Democrat that he was elected to the Texas legis
lature. Mr. Throckmorton strenuously opposed secession, but when
that step was taken he went with his State and was a brave Con
federate officer.
He commanded a company in one of the first regiments or
ganized in the State, and participated in the capture of Forts
AA'ashita and Arbuckle, on the Texas frontier. He was after
ward captain of a company in the famous Sixth regiment of
Texas ca\'alry, and rendered important ser^¦ice in the Missouri
campaign. He led his company in the Indian fight at Chusten-
nallah and in the two days' battle at Elkhorn.
In the latter part of 1862 he was transferred to Corinth, Mis
sissippi, where his command was reorganized, and, declining re
election to the captaincy in consequence of broken health, he
returned to Texas, where he was for some time disabled by dis
ease for active duty. He afterward performed efficient service
in the campaign in Louisiana, and his health again failing, he
retired once more, and was afterward appointed by the Gov
ernor of Texas to the command of State troops, with the rank of
brigadier-general, in which position he acquitted himself with
honor and efficiency. He was soon afterward elected to another
term of four years in the State Senate, and as soon as the session
of that body was over he resumed his command in the field.
At the close of the war he returned to his home and resumed
the practice of his profession. In 1866 he was elected a mem
ber of the reconstruction convention assembled under President
Johnson's proclamation, and was chosen president of that bod3^
In June of the same year he was elected Governor of Texas,
under the new constitution, by a large majority, and was inau
gurated on the 8th of August. As Governor, his course was
wise and conservative. His efforts were directed to the building
up of the waste places scourged by the besom of civil war, and
to the restoration of peace and friendship between the dissevered
and discordant sections of the country. But his efforts were
soon thwarted by the partisan and revengeful process of recon
struction adopted by the Federal Congress, which superseded
the more pacific and just designs of the President. On the 9th
of August, 18(17, he was deposed by a missal containing three

Texas — The Country and Its Men 105
lines from an officer of the United States army at New Orleans,
who was temporarily in command of the military district of
Louisiana and Texas.
In 1874, on the restoration of the ballot box to the people, he
was elected to a seat in the United States Congress by a large
majority of the voters of his district, and was re-elected in 1876.
After serving several terms in Congress he resigned, and
held no office up to the time of his death.

E. J. DAVIS
Born in Florida; came to Texas in 1848; 1850-52 was deputy
collector of customs on the Rio Grande; in 1853 was district at
torney, and 1855 to i860 was district judge. He left Texas and
entered the Federal lines when war was declared between the
-States, and in 1862 raised a regiment of cavalry for the Union
army. In 1864 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general.
After the war he returned to Texas and was elected to the first
reconstruction convention in 1866. He was also a member and
president of the second reconstruction convention. In 1869 the
State government was in the hands of the military authorities.
By order of General Reynolds an election was held for Gov
ernor and other officers. Davis was elected and became Gov
ernor January 18, 1870, and held the office until Janviary 13,
1874. He resumed the practice of law in Austin, where he died
in 1883.
RICHARD COKE
Richard Coke has long been a colossal figure in Texas poli
tics. It has been the good fortune of few men so soon to acquire
by their merits and so long retain such an exalted place in the es
teem, confidence and affection of the people. Time and time
again has he been re-elected without opposition and amid the
greatest enthusiasm to the high position which he has so well
honored and graced by his abilities and virtues. He is a Vir
ginian by birth — a scion of a fine old cavalier family, who con
secrated their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor, their

106 Texas — The Country and Its Men

talents, and their swords to the cause of American freedom. He
was born at Williamsburg, Virginia, March 13, 1829; completed
his education at William and Mary College, and was admitted
to the bar when just twenty-one years of age. In 1850 he re
moved to Texas and located at Waco, McLennan County, where
he has since resided. He served in the Confederate army during
the late war, first as a private and then as captain, making a gal
lant and faithful soldier. He was district judge of his district in
1865, and the following year was nominated by the Democratic
party and elected a judge of the Supreme Court of Texas, but
served only one year in the latter capacity, being removed by
General Sheridan as an impediment to reconstruction. This un
just treatment ^ndeared him to his people.
At the general election held in December, 1873, in pursuance
of an act of the legislature and the jproclamation of E. J. Davis,
then Governor of Texas, the Democrats elected the entire dele
gation of Congressmen, a large majority of the members of the
State legislature, and at the same time elected Richard Coke
Governor of Texas by a majority of nearly fifty thousand votes.
The Supreme Court was at that time composed of partisans, some
of whom were of military importation ; and the leaders of the Re
publican party, having procured an individual to act as desig
nated, concocted a fictitious case to enable the court to decide
upon the political question as to the validity of the election. For
this purpose one Jose Rodriguez, a Mexican, applied to Chief Jus
tice AA^esley Ogden of the Supreme Court for a writ of habeas
corpus, alleging in his petition that he was restrained in his lib
erty by one A. B. Hall, sheriff of Harris County, upon the charge
of having voted illegally at the late election. The case came up on
the trial of the writ under the style of Ex Parte Rodriguez, re
ported in 39 Texas, 705, and Hon. Frank M. Spencer, district
attorney for Harris County, was, in the absence of the Attor
ney-General, appointed by the court to represent the .State. A
number of gentlemen representing the Austin bar obtained the
consent of the court to assist him. These were M. A. Long, C.
S. West, Thomas E. .Sneed, AV. M. AValton and A. AA'. Terrell;
while A. J. Hamilton represented the relator. The counsel for
the State promptly challenged the jurisdiction of the court upon
the ground that the case was fictitious and was invented for the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 107
purpose of extorting from the court an opinion as to the consti
tutionality of the election. This position was substantiated by
the sworn testimony of Judge George Goldthwaite, of Houston,
who was cognizant of the facts, and by the personal averment
of the district attorney, who asked permission of the court to
expose the fraud, or that Rodriguez be discharged. The mo
tion to dismiss for want of jurisdiction was overruled, whereupon
the district attorney, representing the Attorney-General, indig
nantly withdrew from the case. The court then proceeded to
the extremity of the issue and declared the election illegal and
void, upon which Governor Davis issued his proclamation pro
hibiting the assembling of the newly elected legislature. That
body, however, promptly convened on the day appointed for its
meeting; yet the Governor declined to receive any communica
tion from it, and appealed to General Grant, then President of
the United States, but he declined to interfere. Da\is finally
vacated the Governor's office and Governor Coke took peaceable
possession of it.
On the 15th of January, 1874, Governor Cok'e and Lieuten
ant-Governor Hubbard were duly inaugurated and installed in
their respective offices, and the legislature immediately enacted
an amendment to the constitution reorganizing the .Supreme
Court and increasing the number of judges to five, upon the adop
tion of which Governor Coke promptly reorganized the, court and
removed the three judges of Ex Parte Rodriguez fame. His ap
pointments to the bench and to all other important positions
were highly judicious, and during his administration the entire
machinery of the State government, wrenched from partisan con
trol and the clogs of imbecility and corruption, was again brought
into smooth and harmonious motion. New avenues of prosperity
were opened up to the people, new enterprises were stimulated,
and new hopes inspired. Railroad communications of the most
vital importance were established, and a constant tide of immi
gration flowed into the State.
The people of Texas smarted under the constitution forced
upon them by military authority and its allies in the State, and
it was under the auspices of the administration of Governor Coke
that the excellent Constitution of 1875 was framed and adopted,
and which forms the present organic law of the State. This

108

Texas — The Country and Its Men

Constitution effected a change in the tenure of office, and in
April, 1876, the Governor and Lieutenant-Governor were rein-
augurated; but in May Governor Coke was elected to the United
States Senate. He, however, continued to perform the duties of
the gubernatorial office until December, and on the 4th of March,
1877, took his seat in the Senate, to which he was repeatedly
re-elected. He died at Waco, Texas, in 1897.

RICHARD B. HUBBARD

Richard Bennett Hubbard, late minister of the United States
to the Japanese Empire, was born in Walton County, Georgia,
in the )rear 1834. He enjoyed excellent early advantages and
graduated at Mercer University in 1851. Having afterward at
tended a course of law lec
tures in the University of Vir
ginia, he graduated in the law
department of Harvard Col
lege in 1852, and soon after
ward removed to Texas and
located in Tyler, where he en
tered upon the practice of his
profession and has since con
tinued to reside.
In 185 s he canvassed the
State in the interest of the
Democratic party against the
Knownothing organization. In
1852 he was sent as a delegate
to the convention at Cincin
nati, which nominated Mr.
Buchanan for the presidency,
and canvassed Texas in advo
cacy of his election. Through
the influence of General Rusk
and J. Pinckney Henderson, he was appointed by Mr. Buchanan
United States Attorney for the AA'estern District of Texas, and
discharged the duties of that office until 1S58, when he resigned

RICHARD B. HUBBARD
Governor 1876

Texas — The Country and Its Men 109
it and was chosen to represent his county in the legislature. In
i860 he was elected one of the delegates from Texas to the
Charleston convention, in which he was a supporter of Breckin
ridge and Lane, and exerted all his powers to secure their election
in the heated campaign which ensued.
He favored secession, and when hostilities began he raised
and commanded the Twenty-Second Regiment of Texas Infantry
and served in the field until the close of the war. He then re
turned to Texas and devoted himself to agricultural pursuits on
his farm in Smith County, until his political disabilities were re
moved, when he resumed his practice and has since de\'oted him
self almost exclusively to his profession.
He was chosen by the Democratic convention of 1872 one of
the electors for the State at large on the Greeley ticket. In 1874
he was the president of the Democratic .State convention which
assembled at Austin, and was made chairman of the State execu
tive committee. He was also a candidate for the nomination for
Governor ; received the next highest vote to that which nominated
Governor Coke, and was afterward the choice of the convention
for the office of Lieutenant-Governor. The new Constitution of
1875 vacated all the offices of the State, and in the following con
vention at Galveston he was renominated for Lieutenant-Gov
ernor and re-elected.
In December, 1876, he was elevated to the gubernatorial chair
in consequence of the election of Governor Coke to a seat in the
Unitd States Senate.
In 1884 he was sent as a delegate to the convention at Chi
cago which nominated Mr. Cleveland for the presidency, and
was chosen temporary chairman of that assembly.
During the presidential campaign of 1884, at the request of
the Democratic national committee, he canvassed the State of In
diana for the election of Cleveland and Hendricks, and his
services were recognized in his appointment as Envoy Extraordi
nary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Empire of Japan.
Ex-Governor Hubbard has been twice married. His first
wife was Miss Eliza Hudson, daughter of a distinguished physi
cian of Lafayette, Alabama, and his second wife. Miss Janie
Roberts, of .Smith County, Texas.
He died on July 13, 1901, at Tyler, Texas.

no

Texas — The Country and Its Men

ORAN M. ROBERTS
Oran M. Roberts was born in South Carolina in 1815. He
was educated at the University of Alabama ; studied law, and in
1838 was admitted to the bar. He served one term in the legis
lature, and in 1841 came to Texas, located at San Augustine and
engaged in the practice of his
,488'^^*^. ,. profession. He was district
attorney in 1844, and the next
year district judge. After the
annexation of Texas to the
Union Judge Roberts resumed
the practice of law, which he
continued until 1857, when he
was elected one of the asso
ciate justices of the Supreme
Court. He was president of
the secession convention held
in 1 86 1, and in 1862 entered
the Confederate Army, raised
a regiment, and was assigned
to duty in Walker's division.
While in the army he was
elected Chief Justice of Texas.
He was in the first reconstruc
tion convention in 1866, and
chairman of the committee on
judiciary. The legislature at its ensuing session elected Judge
Roberts and Judge Burnet to the United States Senate, but they
were not prmitted to take their seats. Judge Roberts resumed
the practice of his profession, and in conjunction taught a law
school at Gilmer. Upon the reorganization of the Supreme
Court by Governor Coke in 1874, Judge Roberts was returned to
his position as Chief Justice of the State, and was re-elected under
the newly adopted constitution in 1876. He was nominated by
the Democratic party and elected Governor in 1878, and was re
elected in 1880. Governor Roberts having been selected, in con
nection with ex-Chief Justice Robert S. Gould, a professor in
the law department of the University of Texas, returned to

O. iVI. ROBERTS
Governor 1878-1880

Texas — The Country and Its Men

111

Austin and entered upon the discharge of his duties at the first
opening of the University, September 15, 1883, and occupied that
position until his death in 1898.

JOHN IRELAND
The distinguished subject of this sketch was born in Hart
County, Kentucky, January i, 1827. The place of his birth
was on the banks of the Nolyn River, near Millerstown. He
was raised on a farm, and obtained an "oldfield school" educa
tion to which he greatly added
in after years. He has always
been a tireless student. His
parents were Patrick and Ra
chel Ireland. He had six sis
ters and seven brothers, of
whom only two sisters and one
brother survive. .A.t the age
of eighteen he was, by special
act of the legislature of the
State of Kentucky, declared
of age. This act was pro
cured by the business men of
Mumfordsville, Kentucky, to
enable him to qualify as con
stable of that county, which
office, as well as that of dep
uty sheriff, he held some
years with great satisfaction
to the people.
He then studied law under
Robert D. Murray and Henry C. AVoods, and obtaining license in
Kentucky he removed to Texas in the winter of 1852-3, and in
April, 1853, located in Seguin, Texas, which has ever since been
his unofficial home.
At Seguin he entered upon the practice of law. He was suc
cessful and did a good practice up to the breaking out of the war.
During this time he was elected mayor of Seguin, and at the call
of the people for a constitutional convention in 1861 — known in

JOHN IRELAND
Governor 1882

112 Texas — The Country and Its Men
history as the secession convention — he was elected a delegate,
voted for secession, and signed that now historic document, the
ordinance of secession. During the progress of the war, when it
was demonstrated by the result of the battles of Pea Ridge, Don
aldson, and Fort Henry that troops were needed, he promptly
volunteered as a private soldier. He rose rapidly, and was elected
siiccessively captain of his company, major of his regiment, and
then lieutenant-colonel. He was kept on dufy on the coast of
Texas during the remainder of the war, and consequently saw
but little more active service — that is, fighting. At the close of
the war he was elected a member of the constitutional conven
tion under the Johnson reconstruction policy, and at the election
ordered by that convention he was chosen district judge. This
position he filled with much satisfaction until removed in 1867
by the military "as an obstruction to reconstruction.'' From that
time he took an active part in politics. In 1872 he was elected
a member of the House in the Thirteenth Legislature, a bod}^
famous in history for having achieved much for the people of
Texas, despite a Republican Senate and Governor. His con
stituency appreciated his services, and the next veaLV (1875) re
turned him to the Senate. Here, as in the House the year pre
vious, he was distinguished by vigorous opposition to the amend
ments of the constitution allowing the legislature to give public
lands to the railroads, and in his fight against all subsidies, and
especially that granted the International and Great Northern
Railroad, he was very determined and relentless.
.Such statesman-like qualities could not fail to elicit applause
and marks of appreciation from an intelligent constituency. In
1875 he was tendered, and at first declined, but at the persuasion
of friends, finally accepted a place as associate justice on the
Supreme Court bench, but was retired in April the following
year, the newly adopted constitution requiring the court to con
sist of only three judges.
His decisions are found in the 43d, 44th and 45th \-olumes
of Texas reports. His assiduous habits and fondness for close
analytical investigation, his thorough legal training, his firm
and well-grounded ideas of right and wrong, and his natural
strength of mind made him an excellent supreme judge, and his
decisions manifest a steady and profound search for truth and

Te.xas — The Country and Its Men 113

justice. His opinion in Lewis v. Aylett, 45 Texas, 190, first
settled the principle in Texas jurisprudence that real estate can
not pass by a nuncupative will. In this case he traces the power
of de\-ising real estate from its origin in the Statute of Uses, and
through its enlargement by the abolition of feudal tenures, when
the custom of making nuncupative wills was engrafted upon it,
but restricted to certain cases of imperative necessity. He showed
that there was nothing in the jurisprudence of Texas that war
ranted the extension of the power of nuncupative devise to real
property under the tenures of the State, and said in regard to the
competency of de^'isees to establish a verbal devise of personal
estate :
Every dictate of humanity and the daily lessons of life warn and
teach us of the folly and impropriety of placing not only the fortunes,
but the lives of the sick, aged, and afflicted at the mercy and avarice
of the corrupt and the vicious. That a code of laws should allow dev
isees to go before a clerk or judge on an ex parte proceeding- and prove
a verbal will, giving to strangers an estate, leaving kindred and family
without provision, cannot be readily admitted and would deserve uni
versal condemnation.
In 1882 he was unanimously nominated by the Democratic
State convention for Governor of Texas and was elected by a
majority of forty-eight thousand votes. The free grass system
resulted in the enclosure of large bodies of land by the leading
stockmen of the State, often enveloping and shutting in the
smaller herdsmen and excluding them from access to the water
courses. This produced an organized system of fence cutting,
which was soon employed against lawful owners as well as in
truders upon the public lands, and so outrageous and general
grew this evil that the Governor convened an extra session of
the legislature in January, 1884, to enact legislation to stamp it
out. Governor Ireland being clothed with the necessary powers,
adopted vigorous measures, displayed masterly executive ability,
and in a short time fence cutting became a thing of the past.
At the Houston convention in 1884 he was renominated by
acclamation and without opposition, and in November following
was re-elected by the then unprecedented majority of over one
hundred thousand votes. His second administration was no less
successful than the first. During the time that he occupied the

114 Texas — The Country and Its Men

executi\ e chair many grave issues arose, but he was alwa}'s
equal to the emergency of the hour, and displayed that quickness
and correctness of apprehension, faithfulness to duty, firmness
of character, courage and ability that had theretofore distin
guished him as a pri^'ate citizen, soldier, lawyer, judge and pub
lic servant. The fact that Texas now owns a magnificent granite capitol
(a structure that ranks among the finest public buildings in the
world) is due to the exertions of Governor Ireland. The con
tract with Messrs. Farwell & Taylor was for a building to be
constructed of Texas limestone. It soon became apparent that a
sufficient quantity of suitable limestone could not be procured in
the State and the contractors proposed to the capitol board to
substitute Indiana limestone. The board voted to accept the
proposition, but Governor Ireland, whose approval was neces
sary to make the agreement binding, interposed an emphatic
negative. By his firm stand and sound business judgment he
succeeded in securing a contract under which Texas granite
(quarried at Burnet) was used. The capitol is an enduring
monument to his statesmanship, integrit)' and zeal in behalf of
the interests of the people of Texas.
During his two administrations taxes were greatly reduced.
and the tide of prosperity given additional impetus, and that, too,
without creating a deficiency in the treasury.
Upon the assembling of the Fourteenth Legislature, the sec
ond Tuesday in January, 1874, Governor Ireland was elected
president of the Senate and for a week, during that perilous time
when an armed conflict between the supporters of Governor Coke
and E. J. Davis seemed inevitable, he directed the operations of
the patriots who succeeded in re-establishing constitutional gov
ernment. The Travis Rifles had been ordered out bv Davis but
reported to Governor Ireland and, together with the sheriff of
Travis County, acted under his orders. The peaceful inaugura
tion of Governor Coke and the Democratic administration is due
to Governor Ireland.
Go\ernor Ireland has been twice married. His first \\'ife
was Mrs. Faircloth, nee AA'icks, by whom he had one child, the
present wife of Mr. E. Carpenter. His wife died in 1855, and
in 1857 he was married to Miss Anna Penn. B)- this marriage

Texas — The Country and Its Men

115

there were four children, one of whom survive— Rosalie, the
wife of E. S. Hurt.

Governor Ireland died March i6, 1896.

L. S. ROSS

Ex-Governor L. S. Ross was born at Benton's Post, Iowa,
in 1838. His father, Captain S. P. Ross, and family came to
Texas in 1839 and located in Milam County ; removed to Austin
in 1846, and in 1849 permanently established themselves near
W^aco on a farm. Captain S.
P. Ross was a well known
Indian fighter, and in a hand-
to-hand combat killed Big
Foot, the dreaded Comanche
chief. In 1856 L. S. Ross at
tended Baylor University and
the same year was sent to the
Wesleyan University, at Flor
ence, Alabama. Returning
home in 1858 to spend the
summer vacation, he assem
bled a company of one hun
dred and thirty-five Indian
warriors and hurried to the
support of Major Earl Van
Dorn, who was leading the
Second United States Cavalry
against the Comanches; joined
forces with that officer, and
in October of that j'ear played
a conspicuous part in the battle of AA'ichita, and, by an act of
daring bravery, rescued a little white girl eight years of age, who
had been with the Indians perhaps from infancy. He named her

L. S. ROSS
Governor 1886-88

116 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Lizzie Ross. In after years she married a wealthy Californian,
and died at her home in Los Angeles in 1886.
The Indians were completely routed in the battle, but both
A^an Dorn and Ross were badly wounded. AA'hen sufficiently
recovered, the subject of this sketch resumed his studies at Flor
ence; graduated in 1859; hastened back to Texas, and in i860,
at the head of Pease River, as captain of a company of sixty
rangers, employed to guard the western frontier, administered
a blow that forever crushed the warlike Comanches. In the bat
tle he killed Pata Nocona, the last of the great Comanche chief
tains; captured all the effects of the savages, and restored to
civilization Cynthia Ann Parker, who had been captured by the
Comanches at Parker's Fort in 1836. Very few of the Indians
escaped the fury of the Rangers. As a recognition of his serv
ices. Governor Sam Houston appointed Ross an aide-de-camp
with the rank of Colonel. Ross tendered his resignation to Gov
ernor Houston in February, 1861 ; served for a brief period on
the Indian Embassy with Governor Clark, and then entered the
Confederate Army as a private in Company G of the Sixth Texas
Cavalry, commanded by his brother. Colonel P. F Ross. His
experience as a border ranger stood him well in hand. Being thus
equipped his rise was rapid, and in the following September he
was elected Major of his regiment. In May, 1862, he became
Colonel, and was immediately assigned by Major General L.
Jones to command the brigade, but modestly declined the honor.
General Phifer being subsequently selected.
General Earl Van Dorn, with about 15,000 men, was sent
on a forced march towards Corinth, Mississippi, but not being
supported by reinforcements, as he had expected, was repulsed
after a sharp engagement by Rosecrans, who, with 30,000 men,
was strongly entrenched at that place. The enemy followed up
the disorderly retreat of the Confederate troops towards the
Hatchee River bridge. Here Ross, on the following day with
1,000 men, held over 10,000 Union soldiers at bay for over an
hour and a half — long enough to enable Van Dorn to reform his
troops and retreat safely and in good order. General Maury was
requested by the War Department at Richmond to give the name
of the officer who had especially distinguished himself in this
action, and at once reported that of Colonel Ross. AA'ithout the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 117

knowledge of Ross, General Joseph E. Johnston wrote to the
Secretary of AA'ar, October 3, 1863, and had him appointed
Brigadier General, a position filled by him until the close of hos
tilities. Ross served in the Trans-Mississippi Department, and
also "across the river," under General Joseph E. Johnston and
General Hood, fighting through the famous Georgia campaign.
He was elected Sheriff of McLennan County in 1875; served
the same year as a member of the Constitutional Convention ; was
a member of the State Senate from 1881 to 1883 ; was nominated
by the Democratic Party and elected Governor in 1886; was re
elected in 1888, practically without opposition, and on retiring
from office early in 1891, was made President of the State Agri
cultural and Mechanical College at Bryan. Governor Ross died
at Bryan on January 3, 1893.

118

Texas — The Country and Its Men

JAMES STEPHEN HOGG

Governor James S. Hogg was born in the "Mountain Home"
near Rusk, in Cherokee County, March 24, 1851. He was left
an orphan at twelve years of age. The property of the family
was swept away by the war, and the boy was compelled to,
unaided, take his part in
that struggle for existence in
which "if the race is not al
ways to the swift, the battle
is assuredly with the strong."
He disdained no honest em
ployment and did any work
his hands could find to do. To
secure a practical education
he entered a newspaper office
as printer's devil, and worked
his way until he owned and
edited a paper, the Long^'iew
News, which was subsequent
ly removed to Quitman, AA'ood
County, Texas, and 'the name
changed to Quitman News.
He read law four years while
residing at the towns of Tyler,
Longview and Quitman; was
admitted to the bar in 1875;
after three years' successful practice was elected County Attorney
of AA'ood County, and after filling that oft'ice two years, was
elected District Attorney for the Seventh Judicial District, a
position that he held for four years. On the close of his official
term as District Attorney, he settled at Tyler, where he secured a
fine paying practice.
April 22, 1874 (before he was admitted to the bar), he was
united in marriage to Miss Sallie Stinson, daughter of Colonel
James A. Stinson, an intelligent and highly respected farmer, in

JAIWES STEPHEN HOGG
Governor 1891

Texas — The Country and Its Men 119
AA ood County. They had four children : AA'illiam C, Ima, Mike
and Tom. Governor Hogg was nominated by the State Convention of
1886, over three opponents, for Attorney General, and was elected
in November of that year, and in 1888 he was renominated with
out opposition and re-elected.
James Stephen Hogg was the successful candidate for the
office of Governor at the election of 1890. Some of his policies
were not cordially endorsed by thousands of Texas Democrats,
the result being that his renomination met with strong opposition.
It may be said that the history of the entire country presents no
parallel with this race for place. His canvass for the nomination
began in March, 1892, Hon, George Clark, of AA'aco, having been
persuaded to enter the lists on behalf of many of the wealthier
and more prominent members of the party. For eight months,
prior and subsequent to the convention, the State fairly reeked
with daily installments of slander, vituperation and abuse. How
ever, Governor Hogg was re-elected by a phenomenal majority.
He continued his policy of constructive legislation ; placed on the
statute books many laws that have benefited the State in various
directions, and is now generally looked upon as one of the best
Chief Executives Texas has ever had.

120

Texas — The Country and Its Men

S. W. T. LANHAM

S. A¥, T. Lanham was born on his father's farm in Spartan
burg District, S. C, July 4, 1846. As a boy he was very fond of
reading; often when sent into the field to work he would be
found curled up under a tree buried in some good book. At
the age of 14 he knew by
heart Pollock's "Course of
Time." AVhen he was 15, he
had his first and only teacher.
He never tired of paying trib
ute to the influence and in
spiration of this man, under
whose tutelage he learned as
much Latin, Greek and Eng
lish in one year as most boys
learn in four. AVhile still a
boy he entered the Con
federate Army and did gal
lant service till the end of
the war. Returning home he
married, and in 1866 started
overland with his pretty
young bride to Texas. His
property consisted of two
mules, a wagon and $200.00.
The trip took three months,
but the young people were never once discouraged. After look
ing over the country, Mr. Lanham chose AVeatherford as a
permanent home. He taught school for a time, assisted by his
wife. Indeed, Gov. Lanham has often said that his wife contrib
uted greatly to his education.
Mrs. Lanham, whose maiden name was Sarah Meng, was
born in Spartanburg, S. C, and she died at AVeatherford on
July 2, 1908. vSurviving Gov. and Mrs. Lanham are Dr. H. M,
Lanham of AVaco, E. M. Lanham and Fritz G. Lanham of

s. w. t. lanham
Governor 1902

Texas — The Country and Its Men 121
AA'eatherford, Mrs. Ed. C. Connor of Dallas and Frank B.
Lanham of Fort Worth.
Gov. Lanham was admitted to the bar at Weatherford in
1869, and was soon thereafter made District Attorney. He was
elected to Congress in November, 1882, and was re-elected four
times. He then devoted himself to the practice of law for four
years, but was again made Congressman in November, 1896, and
continued to serve in that position until inaugurated as Governor
in January, 1903. He was re-elected in 1904 to the chief mag
istracy of the State and served in that position until January
1907, when he retired to his home at Weatherford- He did
valuable service in Congress, especially on the Judiciary Com
mittee. Those who knew him best attribute his success in life
to his untiring industry, his perfect sincerity and his high moral
ideals. Mr, Lanham was a candidate for the Democratic nomina
tion for Governor in 1894, but was defeated by Hon. Charles A.
Culberson. After a period of four years he returned to Con
gress, and then in 1902 made a successful race for Governor,
being nominated by acclamation. The duties of his office were
heavy; he was conscientious in the performance of them, and
it soon became apparent to his friends and acquaintances that
he was impairing his health. He retired from office in 1907 very
much broken physically, but with the good opinion of the people.
His condition continued to grow worse, and he declined rapidly
after Mrs. Lanham's death.
Gov. Lanham was a self-made man. As he often remarked,
he had, in his youth, to contend both v«th ignorance and poverty.
He became a scholarly man, and his writings and speeches, both
public and private, were models of correct English.
Governor Lanham died on July 29, 1908, at his home in
AVeatherford, Texas.

122

Texas — The Country and Its Men

JOSEPH D. SAYERS

Ex-Governor Joseph D. Bayers is a native of Grenada,
Miss., where he was born September 23, 1841. At the age of
ten he came to Texas with his father, the late Dr. David Sayers.
He became a preparatory student at the Bastrop Mihtary In
stitute. While reading law in
preparation for that profes
sion, war between the States
was declared. Young Sayers,
at the age of tw^enty, gave up
his books to enlist under the
"Bonnie blue flag that bore
the stars and bars." He was
a gallant soldier; served
throughout the contest, par
ticipating in many of the
fierce engagements that
marked the progress of the four
years struggle ; returning home
at its close bearing a commis
sion as Captain. Financially
wrecked, he was undismayed.
While teaching a country
school he pursued his law
studies and was admitted to
the bar in 1866. Being a
close and exhaustive reader of political history of the State and
Nation, he determined to enter the field of active politics. In
his thirty-second year he was elected to the State Senate, where
he at once took a leading and influential position. Two years
later he became one of the members of the State Executive Com
mittee, serving in that capacity four years. In 1879 he was
elected and sent to Congress, where he served many years, be
ing recognized as among the ablest men in the Lower House.
He has since been Governor of the State, which office has never
been more ably and conscientiously filled, and is now li^•ing in

JOSEPH D. sayers
Governor 1899

CHAS. A. CULBERSON

Texas — The Country and Its Men 123
Austin, occupying a position under the State Government, and
enjoying the friendship of all who come within his presence.
Texas has few men of greater ability or higher character
than "Joe" Sayers, as he has been affectionately called for many
years.
CHARLES A. CULBERSON
Charles A. Culberson, United States Senator from Texas,
was bom at Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, June 10,
1855. He is the son of the late D. B. Culberson and Eugenia
Kimbal Culberson, daughter of the late Dr. Allen Kimbal of
Alabama. His father was for twenty-two years a Representa
tive in Congress from Texas; was one of the foremost members
of the Texas bar prior to his election to the House, and universally
regarded as the ablest lawyer in that body, where he served as
a member and Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Senator
Culberson's parents removed from Alabama to Gilmer, Texas,
in 1856, and in 1861 to Jefferson, where they afterwards resided.
Mr. Culberson received his academic education in the
academy of Prof. Morgan H. Looney, one of the noted teachers
of his day, at Gilmer; in the common schools at Jefferson, and
in the Virginia Military Iiistitute, where he graduated in the
class of 1874.
Beginning the study of law in his father's office at Jefferson,
he entered the Law Department of the University of Virginia
in 1876, where he was chosen judge of the moot court, one of
the highest student honors, and final orator of the Jefferson
Literary Society.
He was admitted to the bar in 1877 and rose steadily in
his profession. While engaged in a number of important cases,
his skillful handling of the Le Grand case in 1882 won him a
prominent and deserved reputation as a student and lawyer.
Le Grand was indicted and convicted in the Federal Court for
a violation of the so-called Ku-Klux law, one of the measures
passed by the ,, Congress of the United States during the bitter
days of reconstruction. Against the advice of older and more
experienced counsel, single-handed he attacked the constitu
tionality of the. Jaw as an invasion of the rights of the States and
secured a reversal and dismissal of the case and a declaration

124 Texas — The Country and Its Men

from the Circuit Court on appeal that the law was beyond the
constitutional power of Congress to enact — a position which was
shortly after sustained by the Supreme Court of the United
States. He was elected County Attorney of Marion County in 1880,
but because of the demands of his private practice soon resigned,
and for a like reason declined a proffered nomination to the
Legislature in 1882. In 1886 he removed to Dallas, forming a
partnership with Judge John Bookhout under the firm name of
Bookhout & Culberson, which continued until his nomination
without opposition as Attorney General in 1890, a position to
which he was again nominated and re-elected in 1892.
As Attorney General Mr. Culberson sustained his excellent
reputation as a lawyer in the conduct and direction of the ex
tensive and important litigation in which the State was en
gaged during the Hogg administration. He did much to uphold
and carry out the policies of that administration, the wisdom
of which has become more and more apparent as time has
passed. Among a number of other important cases, he success
fully combated from the time of the institution of the suits,
through the Supreme Court of the United States, the combined
efforts of the great railroad corporations, represented by eminent
counsel from Texas and the East, to defeat and destroy the newly
created railroad commission, entering upon a field of litigation
until that time practically novel.
In 1894, after a spirited contest with ex-Senator John H.
Reagan, for many years a Representative and Senator in the
Congress of the United States and the only surviving member
of the Confederate cabinet; with Governor S. W. T. Lanham,
long a popular and able Representative in Congress; and with
John D. McCall, Comptroller of the State and widely and
favorably known, Mr. Culberson was nominated on the first
ballot by the Democratic convention for Governor of the State
and easily elected. Re-nominated vrithout opposition in 1896,
he was opposed for re-election by a powerful coalition of Repub-
Hcans, Populists and Democrats disaffected over the silver ques
tion and the administration fights against corporate domina
tion of State affairs, but was again elected by a handsome
majority.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 125

During his administration as Governor a large deficit in
the State treasury was extinguished, growing extravagance in
State affairs was halted, the iniquitous fee system with its
attendant corruption and abuses was materially curtailed, the
railroad commission law was broadened and strengthened, efforts
at railroad consolidation were defeated, many wholesome re
forms in vState affairs were instituted, and the State govern
ment left in a healthy and prosperous condition.
In 1898 he was nominated for United States Senator vice
Hon. Roger Q. Mills, elected by the legislature in 1899, and re
elected without opposition in 1905 and 1911, his present term
expiring in 19 17, a term of service in the United States Senate
allotted to but one other Texan, Hon. Richard Coke.
AA'hile somewhat handicapped by ill health upon two occa
sions, in the Senate Mr. Culberson has served his State, hi
country and his party well. As a member of that great delibera
tive body he ranks high. Upon questions of law his opinion is
sought and respected by his colleagues regardless of party.
A deep student and thinker, indefatigable and thorough in re
search, possessed of a clear, lucid and forceful style, noted for
his accuracy of expression, faithful and attentive to his duties,
and a devoted adherent to true democratic tenets, no man
stands higher in the party councils at the national capital. The
confidence and esteem of his colleagues was evidenced in his
unanimous and unsolicited selection as the leader of his party
in the Senate in 1907, a position to which he was again unani
mously chosen, but resigned because of ill health, in 1909.
Under his leadership and direction the Senate has but re
cently passed a bill supplementing existing anti-trust laws,
which denounces and strikes down the monstrous evils which
have developed out of the iniquitous system of interlocking
directorates and intercorporate stockholding of the great in
dustrial and transportation companies of this country— a system
which, as has been conclusively demonstrated, has practically
vested the financial control of the United States in the hands of
a small group of uuscrupulous manipulators in New York City.
The bill also safeguards the natural and inherent right of labor
ing men to organize for their own betterment and protection and
forbids the employment of the writ of injunction, too often un-

126

Texas — The Country and Its Men

justly and improvidently issued against them by the Federal
Courts at the behest of powerful corporate interests.
As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, one of the great
committees of the Senate, to which is entrusted the remodeling
and perfecting of all measures looking to judicial reform, all
amendments to the Constitution, as well as much of the legisla
tion aimed at the regulation and restraint of the trusts and
allied forms of corporate monopoly, he occupies today a com
manding position and wields an influence in national affairs
that few possess. To those who know him it is needless to say
that he exercises that influence worthily and well and for the
best interests of the country.
THOMAS M. CAMPBELL
Thomas Mitchell Campbell, the second native Texan to
attain the exalted office of Governor, was born April 22, 1856,
at Rusk. He spent his boyhood attending school and working
on his father's farm. In 1873, he entered Trinity University at
Tehuacana, where he made an
excellent record. Returning
home in June of that year, he
found the family in their new
home at Longview, and ascer-
tained that his father has sus
tained serious reverses. With
out a word, the lad, then
seventeen, gave up his cher
ished hope of graduating at
Trinity, and went to work at
a shingle mill, turning over all
his earnings to his step-moth
er, whom he idolized. Gov.
Campbell never fails to tell
his young friends, that all his
life he has regretted his in
ability to complete his college
course. By hard study at night,
and whenever he had a mo
ment's leisure, he read the law books thoughtfully, and secured

THOS. M. CAMPBELL
Governor 1905

O. B. COLQUITT

Texas — The Country and Its Men 127

a license to practice in 1878. He prospered from the start, and
in 189 1 became receiver of the International & Great Northern
Railway, with headquarters at Palestine. Two years later he
was made General Manager of the company, but resigned in
1897 to resume practice at the bar. He was elected Governor
in 1906, and is the only Texan who never held public office
until chosen Governor. From his earliest recollection, he has
two fixed ambitions: to become a successful lawyer, and to be
true to his friends. As a child, whenever he was missed from his
home, his step-mother was wont to say: "Go to the Court
House; you'll find Tom there listening to the lawyers speak."
The Governor traces the highest ideals of his boyhood to this
gentle mother, and a great teacher, both of whom spoke by
deeds, rather than by words.
O. B. COLQUITT
Oscar Branch Colquitt was born at Camilla, Mitchell County,
Georgia, December 16, 1861, a son of Thomas J. and Ana E.
(Burkhalter) Colquitt. On both sides his parents were of stock
distinguished in several of the learned professions, while in poli
tics, a profession in which the subject of this sketch has eminently
succeeded by reason of his marked ability and knowledge of public
affairs, he is related to several of the most distinguished men in
National and State politics. The paternal grandparents of Gov
ernor Colquitt were natives of Fairfax County, Virginia, who
emigrated to Green County, Georgia, in 1801, where the Gov
ernor's grandfather was a large planter, who took part in the
Indian wars in Alabama under command of General Andrew
Jackson. AA'alter T. Colquitt, a leading criminal lawyer in Georgia
and a member of the National Senate prior to the war between
the States, was the father of Alfred H. Colquitt, a Confederate
General, who, after the war, became Governor and United States
Senator from Georgia. Both these well known public figures
were relatives of the subject of this sketch. Governor Colquitt's
paternal grandmother, Lizzie Franklin, was a distant relative of
Benjamin Franklin, the most versatile American of any age, the
writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac."
Oscar Branch Colquitt was sixteen years old when he came

128 Texas — The Country and Its Men
to Texas. He settled with his parents at Daingerfield, Morris
County, in 1878, where for three years he was employed on a
rented farm, attending school at intervals when opportunity of
fered, afterwards securing more advanced instruction in the old
Daingerfield College, where he paid his board by making fires,
chopping wood and caring for the stock. Upon leaving school
he was refused a position as fireman or brakeman on the old East
Line & Red River Railroad, but finally succeeded in being selected
for the exalted position of baggage master at Daingerfield Station.
He graduated into the trying occupation of tending a lathe in a
furniture factory whence, after a time, he was persuaded to accept
the position as handy all-round man in the office of the Morris
County Banner, at twelve dollars per month. After getting the
benefit of several years spent among the cases and presses, he
procured the necessary credit and founded the Pittsburg Gazette,
which he conducted for two years, when he sold the plant to a
younger brother.
Henceforward his history is familiar to most Texans. He
was admitted to the bar ; elected to the State Senate from Kauf
man, Navarro and Henderson Counties, and served there four
years with distinguished ability; was elected Railroad Commis
sioner, where he served eight years; where, based largely upon
his record as Railroad Commissioner, and the further fact he had
never been found wanting in the performance of all public trusts,
he made the race for Governor. In the convention he withdrew
in favor of Thomas M. Campbell, but in 1910 he was elected
Governor and re-elected in 1912, in both cases demonstrating his
strength with the people.
Whether in private or official life he has maintained the
highest standards of honor and integrity, is a thorough student of
poltical economy, and has never defaulted in his fealty to his
friends. In December, 1885, at Pittsburg, Texas, Governor Colquitt
married Miss Alice Morrell, a native of Louisiana. They are the
parents of five children, as follows : Rollins M., who resides in
Houston, Texas; Sidney B., Second Lieutenant in the Twenty-
third Infantry, U. S. A.; Oscar B., Jr., a civil engineer; AA^illiam
F., who died October 7, 1910, and Mary Alice, who lives at home.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

129

JAMES E. FERGUSON
AVas born on Salado Creek, near Temple, Texas, on August 31,
1871. He was inaugurated Governor in 1914 and has been re
nominated to succeed himself.

-130 Texas — The Country and Its Men

PROMINENT MEN OF TEXAS
OFFICIAL :: JCDICIAL :: COMMERCIAL

CHAS. SCHREINER
The biographies of successful business m'en form the basis
of the history of a people's growth and industrial development,
and when the historian shall at some future time write the story
of the development of Southwest Texas, the record of Charles
Schreiner's life and the chronicle of his business achievements
will furnish a large part of the material in the- web and woof of
the interesting story.
He is a native of La Belle France, having been born in
Alsace-Lorraine, February 22, 1838, and he has the restless
energy of his people.
His father was Gustave Adolph Schreiner; his mother
Charlotte 'Bippert) Schreiner. His father was a physician and
one of his ancestors served as an officer under Gustavus Adol-
phus, King of .Sweden, in the thirty years' war. At the close of
that war, this ancestor, with others of his command, settled in
Alsace- Charles' grandfather, on his father's side, was a physician
and his grandfather, on the maternal side, was a surgeon in the
French army.
The father of Charles Schreiner died in 1852, soon after his
arrival at San Antonio, and his mother, four years later, passed
away. Young Schreiner received but a limited education in the
public schools of France, as he was only thirteen >'cars old when
his father brotight him to America.
His first business was a petty clerkship in San Antonio. In
1858 he engaged in the live stock business in Kerr County, which
he followed until called to take up arms in defense of his adopted
countr}'- Prior to the Civil AA'ar, however, he, when a mere
Idov of sixteen, served in Captain Henry's company of Texas

CHAS. SCHREINER

MRS. CHAS. SCHREINER

Texas — The Country and Its Men 131

Rangers on the frontier of the State, and the next year, 1856,
in Captain Sansom's company of Rangers, and in 1857 in Captain
McFadden's company. He was accordingly inured to the
hardships of camp life when the Civil War burst upon the
country. He enhsted for that war in Captain S. G. Newton's
compan}-. Third Texas Infantry, Colonel Luckett's regiment,
and later attached to Scurry's Brigade, and Walker's Division
C- S- A.
He followed the flag of Generals Price and Dick Taylor in
their memorable campaigns and was in numerous engagements,
in all of which he acted well his part and was faithful to the end.
Returning after the war to Texas, he resumed his live stock
business with all the zeal of a French soldier's fiery and impetuous
nature. In 1869 he added mercantile business to his cattle in
terests. For this a silent partner furnished $5,000.00 with which
the stock of merchandise was purchased. In 1878 he bought
out his partner and since has conducted the business on his own
account -
In 1 86 1 he married Miss Lena Enderle, and to them were
born eight children — Aime C, Gustav F., Lena M- Partee,
Louis A., Charles A. Jr., Mimmie L. Rigsby, Frances H. Jeffers
and AA'alter R.
In 1889 he opened a private bank at Kerrville, which he
has continued to operate successfully. In 1901 he organized
"The Charles Schreiner Company" to take over the mercantile
business at Kerrville, his sons taking some stock in the company.
In r902 he founded a wholesale and retail mercantile busi
ness in Junction, county seat of Kimble County, in 1903 started
a similar enterprise in Rock Springs, county seat of Edwards
County. All these enterprises he has guided and governed with
such skill and wisdom that they have succeeded as revenue
producers. He has recently disposed of these interests.
These numerous and varied ventures would seem to be
enough to engage all his time and tax his tireless energy. But
not so In addition to these interests, he is President of the
First State Bank, of Rock Springs, Edwards County; President
of the Kerrville Water Works Company ; President and practically
owner of the Schreiner Live Stock Company, with a capital of
•^500,000.00; owner of the Kerrville Roller Mills; Vice-President

132 Texas — The Country and Its Men

of the Central Trust Company of San Antonio; director of the
S. A. & A. P. Ry. Co.; director of the National Bank of Com
merce of Houston ; Vice-President of the Guarantee Life Insurance
Company of Houston; director of the National Bank of Com
merce, San Antonio; director of Commonwealth Fire Insurance
Co., Dallas; and director in numerous other banks and com
panies. He owns half a million acres of land, many thousand head
of cattle, horses, sheep. Angora goats, and hogs.
He handles the wool and mohair of seven counties west of
Kerrville, amounting to over two million pounds annually, and
his estate to-day is estimated at between two and a half and three
million dollars.
A record of such unvarying success and the accumulation
of such a vast fortune practically since the close of the Civil
War is almost unparalleled, even in the great State of Texas,
where vastness in nearly everything is common. It reads al
most like one of the stories of Aladdin's Lamp. It teaches the
young that energy, pluck, honesty and courage can accomplish
wonders in every field of human endeavor.
Mr. Schreiner is a Mason and a Democrat in politics. He
has served as County Clerk and County Treasurer of Kerr
County for twenty-eight years, and has also served on the
State Democratic Executive Committee.
It seems almost impossible for one man to have crowded
so much into one brief life. But Mr. Schreiner is no ordinary
man in the world's wide field of action. He has a genius for
organization, a special aptitude for handling large affairs, and
nothing in the way of obstacles or hard work has any terrors for
him. He rises above difficulties, surmounts obstacles, and wins
victories where less persevering and ambitious men would be
overwhelmed in defeat. He is a tower of financial strength in
his section, a beacon light to guide aspiring youth in the un
charted seas of industrial effort, and business enterprise.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

133

Charles Schreiner, At the Age of Fifteen, Leaving the Scenes of His
Boyhood (San Antonio) for Kerrville, With All of His
Worldly Possessions on His Back.

134 Texas — The Country and Its Men

GEORGE W. LITTLEFIELD
George W Littlefield, eldest son of Fleming and Mildred
T. Littlefield, was born in Panola County, Mississippi, June
2 1, 1842. His father was a native of Tennessee; his mother of
the State of Georgia. She was Miss Mildred T. Satterwhite,
who married first, John H. White, by whom she had six children,
five boys and one girl. Mr. White died in 1838. In 1841 the
widow married Fleming Littlefield, a cotton planter, who im
migrated to Texas in the fall of 1850, settling on the rich valley
land of the Guadalupe River, about fifteen miles above the town
of Gonzales, where he soon after had several hundred acres
under cultivation, Fleming and Mildred T. Littlefield had four
children, George being the oldest. The others were Mildred
M., who married Theo. E. Harral; Fleming who died in infancy.
and Wm. P., now a resident of New Mexico-
When the family settled in Gonzales County, it was a new
country. The settlements were confined almost entirely to the
river valleys. Schools were scarce, and the father employed a
competent tutor to instruct the children of the household. In
February, 1853, after a protracted illness, his father died of
pneumonia, and was buried with Masonic rites as a Royal Arch
Mason, in the family burial ground on the plantation. His
widow continued the cotton planting business, and being recog
nized as an excellent business woman, met with success and
continued to increase her property, up to the breaking out of
the Civil War in 1861. During that period of blood and carnage,
her home and purse were always open to the Confederate cause.
At the close of the war, Mrs. Littlefield had liberated 200 slaves.
She died of heart disease at Gonzales on Jtme 8, 18S0. George
was first sent to school at Gonzales, when twelve years old,
where he remained two years. He then entered Ba\'lor UniA'cr-
sity at Independence, Washington County.
He remained at that school ten months, returning to the
plantation in 1858 to assist his mother in some business affairs,
in which he gave evidence of those characteristics which have
since made him conspicuous in commercial life. After an ab-

M?.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 135
sence of twelve months, he resumed his studies under Prof- A.
A- Brooks of Gonzales, where he remained but a short time, but
long enough howe\'er to acquire the erroneous impression that
he then had sufficient education — a course of reasoning which
he has since frequently regretted.
He remained at home until the outbreak of the Civil War.
In August, 1 86 1, at the age of nineteen, he enlisted in Capt.
Isham G. Jones' Company of B. F. Terry's Regiment, which,
after organization was designated as Company I; Eighth Texas
Cavalry, but better known as Terry's Texas Rangers. In the
organization of the company, he was elected Second Sergeant.
The regiment was ordered to join the command of Gen. Albert
Sidney Johnston at Bowling Green, Kentucky, and was a part
of the Army of the Tennessee until the latter part of the war,
operating meanwhile in Georgia and North and South Carolina
until the close of the struggle. In February, 1862, the First
Lieutenant of Company I resigned his office because of ill health.
The Second Lieutenant succeeded him, Sergeant Littlefield be
ing elected to the rank of Second Lieutenant. He com
manded his company on the retreat from Bowling Green, Ken
tucky, to Corinth, Mississippi, and led them through the Battle
of Shiloh. In this engagement, the first great struggle in the
west, his company lost one third of its members. The Captain
and First Lieutenant obtained leave of absence at Nashville,
Tennessee, and returned to Texas, and shortly thereafter the
Captain, a victim of consumption, resigned his commission. In
May, 1862, after the battle of Shiloh, the First Lieutenant was
elected Captain, and Littlefield elected First Lieutenant. Ten
days later Captain Harris, so recently promoted, was killed, and
Lieutenant Littlefield was elected Captain of his company.
With reluctance he consented to accept the responsibiHty, as
he was next to the youngest man in the command, not having
yet reached his twentieth year. In the company were much
older men of wider experience, but nevertheless he was elected
by acclamation, and served gallantly through numberless battles
and skirmishes until called to still higher station. He accom
panied Gen. Bragg on his raid into Kentucky in the fall of 1862;
engaged in the Battle of Woodsonville, continuing in this com
mand until the advance of Bragg's Army reached the A-icinity

136 Texas — The Country and Its Men

of Louisville. He was detailed to take eight companies made
up from the Brigade upon a reconnoissance in that locality.
Within four miles of the city he encountered the advance cavalry
of Gen. Buell's Army, moving towards the Confederate fines,
and after a slight skirmish withdrew his force and fell back on
the main Confederate force, then moving towards Bardstown.
In this retrograde movement the Texas Brigade was cut off and
compelled to charge a large force of the enemy's cavalry in order
to reach the Confederate Hnes. Gen. John A. Wharton, who was
in command, grasping the situation, ordered his men to charge,
revolvers in hand. The result was a complete victory for the
Texans, who captured about 800 of the enemy. Captain Little
field was separated from his command during the fight. With
three of his Ranger comrades he followed a squad of Ohio cavalry,
and killed and captured twelve men including four commissioned
officers. While returning to the command, they were charged
upon by the enemy's cavalry, who re-captured these prisoners,
but Littlefield and the three Rangers made their escape, reach
ing camp late that night. For a time both armies were engaged
daily in a series of running skirmishes until they met at Perry-
ville, pronounced by many one of the bloodiest contests of the
war. Captain Littlefield and his Rangers were in the thick of
the fight from noon until 10 o'clock that night, and in line of
battle until morning in the midst of a pelting rain storm, ac
companied by a piercing cold wind. Next day they moved
towards Cumberland Gap, the army carrying with it large
quantities of supplies of all kinds captured during the raid.
Near Knoxville, Tennessee, in November, 1862, Captain Little
field and two other line officers were ordered to Texas on recruit
ing service, with instructions to return within ninety days.
When he returned to Gonzales, he found men very scarce.
However, he succeeded in getting a few to join him, and returned
to his command near Murfrecsboro, Tennessee, about February
15th. While in Texas on January 14, 1862, he married Miss
AKce P Tiller, stepdaughter of Mr. Whitfield Harral, the cere
mony taking place at Houston. Three weeks after this interest
ing event, he was again in the firing line, arriving in time to
participate in the deadly struggle at Chickamauga. The night
after the battle he was detailed to report to Gen. Joe Wheeler,

Texas — The Country and Its Men

137

RESIDENCE OF GEORGE W. LITTLEFIELD
AUSTiN

138 Texas — The Country and Its Men

Commander of the Cavalry Division of Bragg's Army, who
placed him in command of six companies, composed of men
from the Texas Brigade, ordering him to move back over the
battlefield on the north side of Chickamauga Creek, for the
purpose of capturing a ford fifteen miles up the stream. It was
known that a brigade of the enemy's cavalry, guarding a supply
train, had been cut off the previous day, and was supposed to
be between Chickamauga Creek and the mountain range, a few
miles away. His orders were to hold the ford and attempt to
locate the enemy. The ride from division headquarters over
the battlefield was a sight never to be forgotten. The field was
literally strewn with the dead and dying; the prayers of the
conscious, and the death rattle from the throats of those in
Blue and Grey, could be heard as they lay stretched upon the
bloody field awaiting the ominous visit of the surgeon, or the
arrival of the burial parties. Captain Littlefield's orders were
to cross to the south side of Chickamauga Creek at a ford, some
three miles below thfe one he had originally been sent to guard.
It was known that Colonel Avery's Georgia Regiment was on
duty there, and some difficulty was experienced in convincing
Avery's videttes that friends were approaching, but they were
finally recognized and allowed to pass. The Commander took
possession of the ford and a scouting party was sent out to locate
the enemy. About daylight a courier hurriedly arrived with the
news that the enemy were approaching. Gen. AA'heeler had
dispatched Gen. John A. Wharton up the north side of the
creek with a brigade of cavalry. Wharton came upon the
enemy about lo a. m., and prevented a detachment from cross
ing the ford guarded by Littlefield's command. The skirmishers
of both armies continued firing across the Chickamauga, until
Gen, Wharton's force fell heavily upon the enemy, capturing
over 300 prisoners and all the supplies in sight. The rest of the
enemy fled over the mountain towards Will's A''alley. Imme
diately after the battle of Chickamauga, the Rangers were ordered
to join Gen, Wheeler in a second raid. The command forded the
Tennessee fifty miles above Chattanooga; passed over into
Middle Tennessee; again crossed the river near Elkhorn, seventy-
five miles below Chattanooga, when, retracing their steps, they
a.^'ain found themselves on the Chickamauga battlefield. Man\-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 139
of the slain had not been buried. On that raid many thousand
dollars worth of supplies and wagon loads of ammunition des
tined for Rosecrans' army at Chattanooga were destroyed.
The Rangers returned from this raid much fatigued, having
been in the saddle night and day for nearly three weeks. How
ever, they were the best dressed regiment in the Confederate
Army. Having found sutler's stores in every village and town
they had appropriated what they wanted in the way of clothing
and consequently were "all dressed up." This raid entirely
circled the enemy's position at Chattanooga. The command
took part in the battle at Lookout Mountain, and was with
Gen. Longstreet's Army in the pursuit of Burnside towards
Knoxville, Tennessee. It remained at Knoxville during the
siege; participated in the East Tennessee campaign, engaged
in daily skirmishes with the enemy. On the 26th day of Decem
ber, 1863, Captain Littlefield, then acting as Major of his regi
ment, was hit by a piece of flying shell. The missile struck a
cartridge box on his pistol belt on the left side, exploded the
cartridges, driving a number of pistol balls into his hip, making
a wound eleven by nine inches, completely tearing the flesh
from the joint. He fell from his horse and while on the ground,
Gen. Tom Harrison looked at him, and said "I promote him to
the rank of Major for gallantry on the field of battle." He was
picked up, conveyed to an ambulance and thence taken four
miles to the rear. He was wounded about three p. m. but re
ceived no attention at the hands of the surgeon until ten o'clock
that night. The Division Surgeon said, when at last he arrived,
"Just give him a little morphine, he will die before morning,"
and passed out. About that time, W H. Kyle, Captain Little
field's old orderly Sergeant, came in with a bottle of apple
brandy, and Gen. Tom Harrison appeared fresh from the battle
field covered with sleet and snow. Surmising that a little of the
brandy would not come amiss. Captain Littlefield called him
to where he was lying on the hospital floor, and offered him the
bottle. The General offered a toast to the speedy recovery of
the Captain. Littlefield remarked that he would drink to Major
Holmes, the Division Surgeon, who had predicted his death
before morning. Then the General, ascertaining that Little
field had not received attention, sent for the Surgeon and order-

140 Texas — The Country and Its Men
ed the wound dressed at once. The enemy were reported close
at hand, necessitating the removal of the wounded before day
light. A twelve-mile ride was made to the nearest farm house.
The following day orders came to move still further to the rear.
The wounded Ranger Was loaded in the ambulance and driven
fifteen miles to the home of people who tenderly cared for him.
He was partially unconscious for nearly three weeks, being kept
alive on morphine and brandy. General Harrison was exceed
ingly solicitous regarding his welfare, and permitted Ed. Rhodes,
a member of Company I, to remain with Captain Littlefield.
Rhodes and old Nathan, his colored body servant, were at his
side constantly administering to his wants, and the good ladies
of the hospitable Southern home gave him every possible at
tention. His comrades who visited him had no idea that he could
ever get well, but he surprised them by recovering. In the
following April, the army moved toward West Virginia, and
Littlefield was put on a cot and moved to Morristown, and from
there to Abington, Virginia, where he remained until able to
get about on crutches. About June i, accompanied by Ed.
Rhodes and his faithful negro servant, he reached the camp of
the Rangers near Dalton, Georgia, where he was granted a
furlough for sixty days. With old Nathan he spent the time in
Alabama with relatives. At the expiration of his furlough, be
ing still incapacitated and unfit for duty, the Surgeons advised
his retirement. He forwarded his resignation to Army Head
quarters at Richmond, Virginia, and it was at once accepted.
With Nathan still at his side he started on the long journey
to Texas, on horseback, carrying his crutches. After many
vicissitudes they arrived at Gonzales, about the last of Septem
ber, 1864. On November 4, still suffering from his wound, he
took possession of a plantation belonging to himself and brother,
and went to work to assist in rebuilding the family fortunes.
In 1865, a bountiful crop was made, and the following year he
established a small mercantile business on his mother's planta
tion, increasing it every year up to and including 1868. In 1869-
70 there was a destructive overflow of the San Marcos and Guad
alupe Rivers, which completely inundated and washed away
most of the crops in the valley, leaving but little with which to
pay the many outstanding debts which had been incurred. In

Texas — The Country and Its Men 141
the spring of 187 1, being unable to continue either the farm or
mercantile business, Capt. Littlefield gathered up what cattle
he could find belonging to himself and brother; bought others
on time; drove the herd to Abilene, Kansas; sold the cattle and
within ninety days was back at home with the proceeds. With
this money he paid off his indebtedness, leaving but $3,600,
with which to begin business. That fall he opened a general
mercantile establishment in the town of Gonzales in company
with J. C. Dil worth, a boyhood friend and comrade during the
war. Their capital was about $8,000. In the spring of 1872
they bought two herds of cattle on time, and drove them to the
Northern markets, paying for the greater part during the sum
mer in goods; Littlefield giving his attention to the cattle, while
Dilworth attended to the mercantile end of the business. This
partnership continued up to the fall of 1877, when Dilworth
having died, the affairs of the firm were liquidated, showing that
they had realized handsome fortunes in their transactions.
Littlefield continued the cattle business on his own account,
- though he occasionally had a partner in special deals.
In 1877 he stocked a range in Oldham County, Texas, and
in 1881 sold it to a Scotch Syndicate for $253,000 realizing a
very handsome profit. In February, 1882, he established a
ranch on the Pecos River, in Chaves County, New Mexico,
where he owned about 15,000 head of high grade cattle. In
addition to his cattle interests in New Alexico, he owns a fenced
pasture of 75,000 acres in Mason County on which are 6,000
head of cattle. With his nephews, J. P. and T. D. White, he
also owns 300,000 acres in the Texas Panhandle Country, on
which they had about 20,000 head of stock. In addition, the
Captain with his nephew, J. P- White, owns a model stock farm
of 1,250 acres all enclosed and under irrigation, near Roswell,
New Mexico. His other properties, consisting of lands and
mortgages, are scattered over the State. His wealth is estimated
at $5,000,000, all of which he has accumulated since 187 1. Two
children were born to the family, a boy and a girl, both dying in
infancy. The boy was called Ed. Rhodes Littlefield, after the
comrade who nobly aided him after his desperate wound in
1863. The old negro servant Nathan, still lives and is a subject

142 Texas — The Country and Its Men

of speciail attention and care by the man he has served with such
striking fidelity for three generations.
Mr. Littlefield organized the American National Bank of
Austin, Texas, July i, 1890, with a capital of $100,000. He was
made its President. The bank is now capitalized at $300,000,
with a suEplus aggregating upwards of $700,000. He is at this
date the only man who was with the bank when first organized.
He erected the Littlefield Office Building, one of the finest
structures in the State, in 19 12, in which the American National
Bank is now located. Major Littlefield always has been a Demo
crat. He is a Knight Templar Mason and belongs to Gonzales
Commandery. He is not a church member, but acknowledges
allegiance to the Southern Presbyterian faith. True to his
friends and family, he has educated and started in life twelve
nephews and seventeen nieces, presenting each of the young
ladies with a home, or the money to pay for one, when she
married, and as his nephews arrive at man's estate, he estab
lishes them in business.
He was appointed a member of the Board of Regents for the
Texas State University by Gov. 0- B. Colquitt in February,
igii, and was made chairman of the Land Committee which
controls and leases the 2,000,000 acres belonging to the Uni
versity Fund- During his Chairmanship to July i, 1916, the
income from those lands has increased over .;i;55,ooo per annum.
On April 28, 19 14, he donated to the University .§25,000
to create the G. W. Littlefield Historj^ Fund, "to secure a true
and correct history of the United States, especially the part the
South played in -the upbuilding of the same, and an impartial
statement of facts from i860 to 1866 during the AA'ar between
the States," and a few months later donated an additional
$15,000 for the purpose of buying manuscripts to assist in the
compilation of the work. The space allotted to Maj. Littlefield
in this volume will not permit of even a casual review of the hun
dreds of laudatory articles that have appeared in the Texas press,
many of them written from sections beyond the confines of the
State. To incorporate them all would require a volume in itself.
The publishcrof thiswork has known Major Littlefield intimately
f(-)r a quarter of a century, and knows that he has done inore
towards educating and u'plifting the youth of this country.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 143
and alleviating the sufferings of others than any other man in
the State. His man}- noble and generous acts will live forever
in the memory of Texas people.
The following correspondence is self-explanatory:
"Austin, Texas, April 24, 1914-
"Hon. Clarence Ouslej-, Chairman, and Board of Regents, Texas
"University:"Gentlemen: It has been my desire to see a history written
of the United States with the plain facts concerning the South
and her acts since the foundation of the Government, especially
since i860, fairly stated — that the children of the South may be
truthfully taught, and persons matured since i860 may be given
opportunity to inform themselves correctly; and to secure such
a history, I feel that someone must make the sacrifice to get it,
therefore, I make the following proposition to you: I will gi-re
to the University of Texas the sum of $25,000, which shall be
known as the Littlefield Fund for Southern Historj-- Said
§25,000 is as follows: $24,739,20 is made up of four vendor's
lien notes of J. E, White of Brady, Texas, given for lands sold
him September 13, 1909, and their face value $24,739.20, dated
September 13, 1909, bearing interest at 6 per cent from date,
payable annually. These four notes are the last of fifteen notes
given for balance on that land, and I am giving the University
the last of the series of notes, and they will fall due September
13, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924. They are endorsed by J. W. White
of Mason, Texas, and myself. There were originally fifteen
notes given for the land, but there have been four taken up as
they fell due, and interest on all paid promptly at maturity.
The amount paid in cash on the land was $30,000, so you see
about one-half the purchase money has been paid. I make up
the balance of the $25,000 in my check pinned hereto for $262,80
and when the University collects the interest September 13
next, they can pay me the interest on the four notes up to April
13, 1914, same being seven months, and they retaining the bal
ance of the annual interest.
"I believe, gentlemen, that it is better to give the notes to
the fund than the cash, and if I were to give you the cash, you

144 Texas — The Country and Its Men
would have difficulty in getting it invested for so long a time in
this character of securities.
"The following committee shall direct the expenditures of
the fund for the purposes outlined below: H. A. Wroe, Vice-
President of the American National Bank of Austin, Texas,
Chairman; E. C. Barker, Professor of American History in the
University of Texas, A^'ice-Chairman ; the Librarian of State
Library or his successors in office, and the Librarian for the Uni
versity of Texas or his successors in office, and President of the
University of Texas or his successors in the office. Should H. A.
Wroe die or refuse to act, then the Board of Regents shall name
someone in his stead as a member of the Committee, and also
provide for a chairman of the Committee. It shall be the duty
of the Chairman to assist the Regents in keeping the funds, as
well as possible, interest beariiig. It is my desire that the
Committee use the income from this fund for twenty-five years
to secure such papers and data as are in their judgment needed.
At the expiration of that time any part of the principal that may
be necessary may be used for the same purpose. It shall be
the duty of the Chairman of this Committee to submit an an
nual statement to the Regents at their annual meeting, stating
the condition of the fund, and how invested, and that the Presi
dent of the University at the same meeting of Regents report
the state and progress of the History Committee, together with
an estimate as far as may be possible of the influence the col
lection has had in stimulating the study of Southern History,
and that a copy of such reports be mailed to myself; and I ask
also, that my old comrade, Capt. James H. Parramore, of
Abilene, Texas, be served with a copy of the Committee's report
as long as he lives. The Committee is fully empowered to use
the fund as their judgment may dictate to purchase books,
pamphlets, newspaper files, maps, manuscripts, etc., bearing on
the history of the South. The Committee which directs the
purchase shall endeavor to lay with it the foundation of a collec
tion that shall be of fundamental value for the full and im
partial study of the South and of its part in American History.
Books purchased by the fund shall be marked with an appro
priate book plate showing that they were obtained from the
Littlefield Fund for Southern History.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 145

"I have suggested the above persons as members of the
Committee, as it is in their business to keep in touch with books,
to know where to find them, and something of their value, and
in naming the Chairman, I feel that he will take deep interest
in keeping the fund invested in safe and good paying securities.
I ask you, gentlemen, to accept this, my proposition, believing
it will be of great value to the present and incoming generations.
"Respectfully, "George W. Littlefield. "
To this the Board of Regents replied as follows:
The University of Texas
office of the registrar. "Austin, May 6, 1914-
"Hon. Geo. W. Littlefield, Austin, Texas.
"Dear Sir; It is my pleasure at the direction of your
colleagues on the Board of Regents, to assure j^ou further and
formally of their deep and growing appreciation of the genuine
and far reaching service you have done the University, the
South and the Nation in your generous donation of $25,000 to
the Regents of the University for the foundation of the Little
field Fund for Southern History.
"The colleges and universities of the South have found it
impossible to secure a text on American history containing true
and correct presentation of the South's attitude and accom
plishments in the development of the nation, that was at the
same time otherwise at all suitable. No such book has been
published; the material for it has never been collected. While
there have been many men who possessed the necessary means,
it has remained for you to recognize the need and the opportunity
and to respond thereto in a thoroughly adequate way.
"You are therefore assured of the Regent's and the Univer
sity's pride in this action, and of their gratitude to you.
"Very sincerely yours,
"E. J. MATHrWS, "Secretary."
The possession of wealth has in no way changed the genial
character or friendly spirit of George Littlefield. He is the same

146 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Littlefield who led his loyal and devoted troopers amidst the
leaden hail of battle, the same Littlefield, who in the olden
days rode the range and rounded up his herds while laying the
foundation of his princely fortune. No man in Texas has done
more for the general benefit of the State, and none retain a
greater share of pubHc respect than the subject of this sketch.
An authentic history of this State cannot be written without
reference to the public benefactions and personal worth and
patriotism of George Washington Littlefield.

HIRAM GLASS
AUSTIN, TEXAS
One of the most distinguished lawyers of Texas, was born
June 25, 1859. His father, Alexander Glass, who died in 1911,
and his mother Jane Glass (whose maiden name was Blake),
who died in 1887, were natives of the mountain district of East
Tennessee. Returning from the Mexican war, through which
he had fought with distinction, Alexander Glass married in 1852,
came to Texas soon after, purchased and settled on the tract
near Mount Vernon, where the subject of this sketch was bom.
Judge Glass attended the common schools of his native county,
and subsequently graduated from Lebanon College, Tennessee.
Previous to his college days, and until grown, he assisted his
father on the home estate, taught school successfully, and with
the money thus earned returned to Cumberland UniA^ersity, at
Lebanon, Tenn. Entered the law department, from which he
was graduated with signal honors in June, 1883, in the same
class with ex-Senator Joseph W. Bailey, and others who have
since acquired prominence. In his twenty-fourth year he began
the practice of law in his home town, and was elected District
Attorney in 1892. Four years later he voluntarily resigned the
office, in which he had been eminently successful; removed to
Texarkana, where he formed a partnership with the Hon. C. S.
Todd. This firm was dissolved in 1900, when, in company with
W. L- Estes and John J. King, the firm of Glass, Estes & King
was organized. Mr. Glass removed to Austin in 1910, still re-

Texas — The Country and Its Men

147

taining his interest in the firm, now known as Glass, Estes,
King & Buford at Texarkana.
Mr. Glass is pre-eminently a railroad attorney, in which
special practice he enjoys a national reputation. At the present

JUDGE HIRAM GLASS

writing he represents at least ninety per cent of the railroad
interests of the State. Judge Glass was married December 15,

148 Texas — The Country and Its Men
1885, to Miss Henrietta Pinkney Dodson, the result of the
union being the following named children: Charles A. Glass,
now connected with the Austin National Bank of Austin; Joseph
G. Glass, now a student at Washington & Lee University; and
Robert Hiram Glass, who died in infancy.

WILLIAM LEWIS DAVIDSON
William Lewis Davidson, Judge of the Texas State Court of
Criminal Appeals, was born in Yalabousha County, Mississippi,
November 5, 1845; moved to Gonzales County, Texas, in 1851;
as a boy went to school in a building constructed out. of dogs;
later attended Gonzales College and the Stonewall Institute,
of Gonzales County. It was not until after the Civil War. that
he attended the Institute.
Judge Davidson was a mere stripling when the war started,
but he enlisted in Company B, Thirty-second Texas Cavalry,
a,nd served as a private until mustered out. He lived at Gonzales
up to 1887, and since then at Georgetown, Texas.
While still young Judge Davidson tilled Texas soil, but
improved his mind by home study, most of which was devoted
to. reading law. He was admitted to the bar in June, 1871.
Between the years 1887 and 1 891 Judge Davidson served
the people of Texas as Assistant Attorney General; since then
he: has been a judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals, serving
fourteen years of this time as the Court's Presiding Judge. He
is now Judge. Advocate General, with the rank of A'lajor, on the
staff of Brigadier General H. G. Askew, U. C. A".
I Judge Davidson is,, and ever has been, a staunch Democrat,
iDut has solicited no public reward in recognition of his many
services : rendered. He has traveled the United States from
coast, to- coast,
•;'•'•'' He is a memlp,er of the Austin Press Club; a Mason since
1873, Q-nd is a Past'M^aster of Gonzales Lodge No, 30, A. F. &
A, M. He resides in Austin, Texas.
In the primary election held July 25, 1914, he was opposed
by Hon. JvJ. Faulk and practically re-nominated without opposi
tion.

WILLIAM LEWIS DAVIDSON

150 Texas— The Country and Its Men

EDMUND KEY
MARSHALL
Edmund Key, one of the wealthiest, and one of the most
widely known bankers of East Texas, was born in Marshall,
Texas, December 25, 1850. His father, Hobart Key, was a
native of Maryland, came to Marshall in 1844, where he passed
the remainder of his life. In 1850, he was married at Henderson,
Texas, to Miss Mary Hill. Two children were the result of this
union, the subject of this notice, and a sister Mary, now the
widow of the late J. D. Crawford of Marshall.
Soon after Mr. Key established his home in Marshall, he
engaged in the mercantile and commission business with G. G.
Gregg, and in a short time the house of Gregg & Key became one
of the best kiiown firms of East Texas, and was rated high in
the commercial world.
During the cholera epidemic of 1855 Mr. Hobart Key was
attacked and succumbed to that dreadful disease.
Edmund Key attended the private schools of Marshall
until sixteen years of age. He began his business life as a clerk
for Hill & Company, general merchants, with whom he remained
until 1872, when he went into business for himself, which he
continued successfully until 1877.
He then associated himself with R.C. -Garrett and estab
lished a private bank under the firm na,me of Garrett &-Key,
which was merged into the First National Bank of Marshall.
At its organization Mr. Key was made cashier, which position
he held until 1890, when he was made President, which posi
tion he still holds.
In addition to being President of this well known banking,'
house, Mr. Key has occupied, and still holds, many important
and responsible business positions. In 1900, he organized the
First National Bank at Jacksonville, and at the present time he
is interested in a number of banking institutions of Texas. For
nearly ten years he was a member of the School Board, and,
when he retired in 1908, had served four years as its President.
On retiring from the School Board, he gave $5,000.00 as a perma-

EDMUND KEY

CHAS H, ALLYN

Texas — The Country and Its Men 151
nent fund, the interest to go to assisting worthy, ambitious young
men of Harrison County to enter the State University.
It is almost impossible to estimate the ultimate value of
this gift, equally notable for the wisdom and enlightened
and noble spirit that inspired it, a donation worthy of all praise
and emulation. In 1886 Mr. Key was united in marriage to Miss Constance
Garrett, daughter of David Garrett, of Wills Point. To them
three children have been born. Mr. Key beheving that educa
tion is the foundation upon which the stabihty of this govern
ment must rest, gave all of his children a thorough education.
His eldest son, Hobart, is a graduate of the State University,
and is now practicing law. Edmund is at the present time a
student of the State University. His daughter, Miss Constance,
graduated with honors from Kent Place, New Jersey.
In the prime of a vigorous mental and physical manhood,
and approaching the meridian of an unusually successful career
as a financier, and full of plans for the future, his influence will
be strongly felt in the growth and development of his native
State. He has done his duty as a citizen faithfully under all
circumstances, and in the enjoyment of the financial independence
that has come to him as the reward of the labor of former years,
he enjoys the confidence and sincere esteem of the people of
Texas.
CHARLES HENRY ALLYN
corsicana
Charles H. Allyn was born in Oswego, New York, Septem
ber 15, 1842. His parents were Joseph and Maria Josephine
Allyn. His father was a merchant. His parents were born in
Massachusetts, and moved to New York State, where they
lived for many years, and from there to Minnesota in 1857.
The subject of this sketch was educated in the Pubhc
Schools of New York and Minnesota.
When he grew to manhood, he went to New Orleans in
1867 and was employed as bookkeeper in the office of Clinton &
Richards, extensive cotton factors of that city.
On July 7, 1868, he married Miss Angela Latham Aldrich,
daughter of D. C. Aldrich, a native of that city. His children

152 Texas — The Country and Its Men
were Airs. Josephine Lang, a widow, who married a son of Col.
W. AV Lang, deceased, once prominent in Texas political and
public affairfe, and Mrs. R. L. Hamilton.
Mr. Allyn was a drummer boy in , a militia company in
AVisconsin, when the Civil War began. When the compan}-
left for the front, the boy was in the ranks. Owing to his good
penmanship, he was on detached service most of the time in
various departments, and at expiration of his term of enlistment
when barely of age, he was made Chief Clerk of the Pay Depart
ment of the Gulf, where milHons of dollars passed throtigh his
hands, yet notwithstanding his youth, he made a fine record.
At the close of the war, he spent a year in a school in New
Orleans, and for two years thereafter was bookkeeper in a cotton
office in that city. Realizing the possibilities of a new and
growing country, he resigned his position in New Orleans in
1868 and accepted a smaller salary in Bryan, Texas, then the
terminus of the H, & T. C. R. R.
In a 3'ear he was a partner of the firm of Aldrich & Co., and
continued business at the several terminal stations of the H. &
T. C. R. R. up to Corsicana in November, 1874, when he pur
chased his partners' interest, and under the firm name of Chas.
H. Allyn & Co., conducted a successful business for twenty-five
years. It is Air. AUyn's boast that in all his business career
he never had a piece of paper go past the day of maturity or a
bill presented that was not paid. He retired from active busi
ness about ten years ago to look after his varied interests and
investments. He is now President of the Navarro Cotton Oil
Company which he organized and for which he built a fine mill
a few years since. Air. Allyn is President of the Corsicana
Cotton Alill; President of the McCannon & Lang Lumber Co.,
and Vice-President of the First National Bank, with which he
has been connected since its organization.
He cast his maiden vote in Texas for the Democratic ticket
and had always voted with that party both in State and National
elections until Bryan attempted to prove that the free and
unlimited coinage, of silver was a panacea for all the ills that
humankind is heir to. Air. Allyn now classes himself a gold
standard Democrat.
He has never sought office, and never dcchncd one, no

Texas — The Country and Its Men 153
matter how humble, to which the people elected him, and where
he believed he could serve the public. He has always taken an
interest in municipal affairs. AA''ithout soliciting a vote, he has
been elected Alayor, President of the Board of School Trustees,
and an Alderman, and is now serving as a member of the Board
of City Commissioners, appointed by the Governor. Under his
administration as Commissioner of Streets and Sanitation, there
has been built about twenty-five miles of substantial brick side
walks; the Sewer System has been extended and put in better
condition than ever before.
During his term as Mayor, the fine sewer system that
Corsicana now enjoys was constructed. He has always been an
earnest advocate of public education and was a member of the
City Council, and Chairman of the School Committee, which
organized the present school system twenty-five years ago. The
highest compliment paid him was being designated as the
"daddy of our schools."
Air. Allyn is a member of the Episcopal Church, and largely
instrumental in building its beautiful church.
JOHN RICHARD SHOOK
John Richard Shook was born in the town of Warren,
Trumbull County, Ohio, January 31, 1837. His , grandfather,
Johannes Shook, was born in Hanover, Germany, in the year
1773, emigrated early in life to America and settled in the above
named county. He married Ann Wilson, a native of Ireland.
Their son, Samuel Francis Shook, married Charlotte Abigail
Cox, whose forbears were among the first colonists of the United
States — some of them taking part in the Revolutionary War
under Washington.
Subsequently moving to Illinois, their children had the
advantage of securing the best of instruction, that State being
among the first to adopt the system of free public schools.
Among the teachers were men and women graduated from
the best colleges and universities in the country. Under such
training John R. Shook received the foundation of a fair educa-
. tion, which was continued under equal conditions at Platteville
Academy in Platteville, Wisconsin, then in charge of President

154 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Joseph L. Pickard, L. L. D., from which institution he was a
graduate in the class of 1856-57.
Having a preference for the law, he made every effort to
attain the knowledge requisite for the practice of this profession.
Beginning in the office of Stephen O. Payne of Platteville,
he read law for two years, and, following that, pursued a course
of reading in the office of Hon. Allen R. Bushnell, afterwards
twice member of Congress from Ohio.
In 1858 he came to Southwest Texas, engaging in teaching
and horse trading for a livelihood. He spent his time when not
thus employed in the study of his chosen profession, but it was
not until after the Civil War that he was able to practice.
On the 29th of September, i860, at Helena, Karnes County,
Texas, he married Martha Caroline Dial, daughter of James
Laurens Dial, of Guadalupe County, Texas, and soon after
settled in Beeville, Bee County.
In November, 1861, he was appointed Second Lieutenant
of Company F, Fourth Regiment of Texas Cavalry ,C. S. A.),
commanded by Colonel August Buchel, a soldier of fortune,
born at Mayenee on the Rhine. The captain of this company,
James A, Ware, being absent, Lieutenant Shook took command
at the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, and also partici
pated in all the battles and skirmishes in which this famous
regiment took part.
Near the close of the war he was assigned a post in the
patrol service on the Rio Grande, at Brownsville, remaining
but a short time, when, after the close of hostilities, he went to
Pleasanton, in Atascosa County, and was appointed District
Attorney for the adjacent district. In 1868 he removed to San
Antonio, where he resided until his death. Entering into a
partnership with Judge Thomas AI, Stribling which ended with
the death of the latter, he formed another with Albert Dittmar,
which also terminated with Mr. Dittmar's death. T. T. Vander-
Hoeven, his third and last partner, survives him.
Mr. Shook died on December 10, 1913. Surviving him are
his wife, Martha Caroline Shook; his daughter, Eva Vander-
hoeven; his son, Judge Phihp H. Shook, and four grand-children.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 155

156 Texas — The Country and Its Men

FREDERICK GROOS
SAN ANTONIO
Captain Groos was born September i8, 1827, in Strass
Ebersbach, Dukedom of Hesse-Nassau, Germany. He attended
school in his native town, and later enrolled as a student at the
Gymnasium of Weilburg, where he was graduated in 1846. He
subsequently passed the rigid examination of the Engineers
School with first honors. In 1848, as the result of the revolu
tion — followed by the proscription of many who had sympathized
with the movement, — there was a large emigration from Hesse-
Nassau, among the throng being the Groos family, consisting
of father, mother and eight children. With others from their
home section, they landed at Galveston on November 21,
1S48, and thence journeyed to Fayette County, with a view of
establishing themselves as farmers. Not being satisfied with
conditions there, Frederick Groos, the subject of this sketch,
with a view of utilizing the professional training received in
his native country, determined to seek the employment for
which he was fitted. Learning that the United States govern
ment was looking for engineers to survey the border lines of
Texas, he went to San Antonio to offer his services, but as the
expedition had already been organized, he looked about for
some other means of livelihood. He was employed after a time
by Mr. F. Gilbeau, a Frenchman, and large importer, doing
business with Mexico. Subsequently he entered the employ
of Bryan Callahan, father of the Bryan Callahan who was for so
many years Mayor of San Antonio. In 185 1, Mr. Groos became
manager of a branch house of the firm of Eagle Pass. Being
successful, he was given a partnership interest, which continued
until 1854, when he established himself at Eagle Pass, with a
partner named Hermann.
Three years later he, with his brothers Carl and Gustav,
under the firm name of Groos & Co., established a business
which continued until 1861, when he moved to Monterey,
Alexico, where he was married to Miss Gertrude Rodriguez, a
very accomplished lady. He also formed a partnership with a
firm of importers at Alatamoras, which proved exceedingly

Texas — The Country and Its Men

157

profitable. Shortly after he made the tour of Europe accom
panied by his family, and repeated the journey in 1865. At
the close of the Civil AA''ar Mr. Groos went into business in San

FREDERICK GROOS

Antonio, and, in 1874, established himself in the banking busi
ness, the institution now being known as the Groos National
Baiik, one of the first and one of the strongest banks in the

158 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Alamo City. Mr. Groos served several years in the City Council;
was President of the Casino Club ; also President of the German-
American School of San Antonio, and honorary member of the
Beethoven Musical Association.
He was twice married. By his first wife he had eight chil
dren, two sons and six daughters. One son, Carlos, is in the
banking business in San Francisco, Cal. The daughters are
Mrs. Wulff, Mrs. Goeth, Mrs. Rouse, Mrs. Harrman and Miss
Charlotte Groos. As the result of the second marriage eight
children were born, as follows: Mrs. Rennant, Herman, Marie,
Gretchen, Ferdinand, Wilhelm, Anna and Rudolph.
Mr. Groos died January 27, 19 12, in his eighty-fifth year.
His wife passed away in June following.
Mr. Groos was one of San Antonio's best known citizens.
He was a very enterprising man, took great interest in all that
made for the advancement of the city, and was a liberal con
tributor to all worthy charities. His death was regretted by a
wide circle of friends and acquaintances, to whom he had en
deared himself, during his long and useful life.
E. J. F R Y
MARSHALL
A sketch of whose career follows, was born at Charlottesville,
Virginia, December i, 1845. He is a descendant of Colonel
Joshua Fry, who was commissioned by Governor Dinwiddle of
Virginia to organize a regiment for the expedition against Fort
Duquesne during the French and Indian Wars. While on the
march through the wilderness from Fort Cumberland, Maryland,
to the confluence of the Ohio, Colonel Fry died very suddenly,
and was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel George Washington,
who led the regiment in the campaign which followed. The
subject of this sketch accompanied his mother to Texas in his
tenth year, and settled at San Augustine. In 1859, after receiv
ing such instruction as the frontier school afforded, he returned
to Charlottesvifle, Virginia, where he attended school until 1861,
when he returned to Texas. During 1862, and the early spring
of the following year, he continued his studies in Natchitoches
Parish, Louisiana. Returning to his home and fired by the spirit
of patriotism, and emulating the example of his Virginia forbears.

160 Texas — The Country and Its Men

he enhsted in the Confederate Arm}', as a member of Company
E of General W. P. Lane's First Texas Partisan Rangers, and
at the age of eighteen left for the scene of hostilities. He reached
the front in time to participate in the engagements at Wilson's
Farm, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, Monett's Ferry, and took part
in nearly all the skirmishes during Banks' disastrous Red River
campaign, which terminated at Yellow Bayou.
Receiving an honorable discharge following the surrender
of General Dick Taylor, he returned home, and, in 1866, in his
twenty-first year, married Miss Mary L. Rankins, a. charming
young lady of San Augustine, and shortly thereafter settled at
Nacogdoches, where he engaged in a general mercantile business
for a period of four years. In 1872 he removed to Alarshall and
engaged in the banking business, continuing for several years
under the firm name of Raguet & Fry. Upon the, dissolution of
this partnership, Mr. Fry continued the business until 1883,
when he transferred the business to the firm of'Garrett & Key,
who shortly thereafter merged it into the First National Bank
of Marshall, of which for twenty years or more Air. Fry has been
a Director and is now Vice-President, though not acti^'e in its
affairs. He is President of the Marshall Car AA^heel Compan%',
organized in 1878, with which Mr. Fry has been continuously
connected. This is one of the largest manufacturing concerns
south of St. Louis, and has for years furnished car wheels for a
number of the great railway lines of the Southwest, and has
also engaged in building logging cars for a large number of mills,
Mr. Fry also was for a number of years in the retail drug business
in Marshall, but long since disposed of his interest.
He is a 33rd Degree Alason, a member of Hella Temple,
being the first Shriner inducted in Texas. He is a member of
the Episcopal Church, and has been Senior AA^arden for twenty-
five 3?ears. The children of the family number seven; all living except
Sophia, who married Mr. Charles Cobb, and died some years
ago. The others are: Pamie, wife of Watt L. Barry, Cashier
of the First National Bank of Marshall; Emory S., A'icc-Presi-
dent of the same institution; Sallie, who married Air. John
Copeland, Cashier of the State Bank of Marshall; Lula, wife of
Lansing Irvine, Storekeeper of the Texas & Pacific Railroad

Texas — The Country and Its Men 161
Company; Edwin J. Jr., Secretary and Treasurer of the A. A.
Everts Co. of Dallas, and Belle, who married Walter Minton,
who is employed in the mechanical department of the Texas &
Pacific Railroad.
EDWARD AUGUSTUS BLOUNT
NACOGDOCHES
was one of the leading business men of his section of the State.
He was a son of S. W. and Mary L. Blount, who were prominent
among the class of early settlers and pioneers who opened up
the highways of civilization for their posterity and laid the
foundation of the present commercial and political greatness of
Texas. Mr. Blount was bom at San Augustine, Texas, August 19,
1849, and after the usual attendance at the schools of his native
town he went to the Kentucky Military Institute and remained
three years without revisiting his home, and during that time
he completed the regular four years course and stood at the
head of his class every year, graduating with first honor in June,
1870, and during the same year returned to Kentucky and mar
ried Miss Itasca Sims, a Texas young lady formerly of Bastrop,
whom he first met in Kentucky.
Mr. Blount merchandised with success for many years in
San Augustine, where he gave the utmost attention to every
detail of his extensive business. About 1894 he moved to
Nacogdoches, where he engaged in banking and dealing in real
estate and accumulated quite a fortune, always with honorable
business methods and with a kindness which maintained the
friendship and confidence of the numerous persons who became
associated with him, either as partners, employees or debtors.
Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Blount lived a quiet and happy life
in their elegant home in Nacogdoches, their charming daughter.
Miss Alamie E. Blount, and a bright and happy granddaughter
left by their eldest daughter who died many years ago. making
their home with them.
Two sons, Eugene H. Blount and Guy A. Blount, have
homes in Nacogdoches; the oldest living son, Dr. E. A. Blount,
Jr., has for years been a resident of Dallas.
Mr. Blount died at his home in Nacogdoches Oct. 10, 19 14.

162 Texas — The Country and Its Men

DR. MILTON J. BLIEM
SAN ANTONIO
has resided in San Antonio since 1889. He was born of German
parentage in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, on December
18, i860. His father. Rev. J. C. Bliem, and his mother, Selinda
(Swartz) Bliem, were descended from that German flood
of immigration which poured into the Keystone State in
the early part of the Eighteenth Century. The Doctor was
fltted for college at Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, Pa. He
entered Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1878, where
he pursued the Latin-Scientific course, in which he graduated
with the degree of Ph. B. in 1882. His high scholarship entitled
him to the coveted Phi Beta Kappa Key as an honor graduate.
He is also a member of the College fraternity of Delta Tau
Delta. He is also a charter member of the Phi Beta Kappa
Chapter in the University of Texas. His medical education was
pursued in the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College, where
he received his degree of M. D. in 1884. He at once entered the
Cook County Hospital as an interne, where he completed his
services of a year and a half in 1885. In September, 1885, he
married Emma Louise Yost, of Cleveland, Ohio, and immediately
settled down in Chicago in the active practice of his profession.
In a few years the failing health of his wife compelled a change of
climate and the choice fell upon San Antonio, Texas, then but
seldom heard of in the North. Their venture proved most
happy, as Mrs. Bliem was duly restored to health and has in
recent years been able to give much of her time and ability to
the service of the community life as an active member. Director
and President of the Woman's Club. She is also one of the first
women to serve on the School Board of the City of San Antonio,
filling at present her second term. She is also a Director and
Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Young Women's
Christian Association.
Dr. Bhem, in addition to continuous and faithful profes
sional attention to a large clientele, has found time to co-operate

Texas — The Country and Its Men

163

164 Texas — The Country and Its Men
in many movements and organizations for the welfare of the
city. He is at present an active Elder in the First Presbyterian
Church. He served as Moderator of the Synod of Texas in
the -Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., and was a Commissioner to
the General Assembly at Philadelphia, in 190 1. In early years
he was a leader in Christian Endeavor Societies and wrote the
official State Hymn which is still sung by them. He has been a
Director in the Y. M. C. A. for twenty-seven years — twice Presi
dent, the last time for a period of five years, during which
period the present building was erected. He has also been a
member of the State Executive Committee of the Association
for many years and has four times been elected to preside over
the Annual State Convention.
Dr. Bliem served for ten years as a Director, Vice-Presi
dent and Acting Treasurer of the Associated Charities. For
four years he was a Director and Treasurer of the Carnegie
Public Library. He also served a second time for a period of
one year. In 1906-08 he was a member of the San Antonio
School Board, being President in 1907-08. During this term a
' campaign for the first large bond issue of $200,000.00 for the ex
tension of the scho'ol system was successfully fought and won,
and a number of new school sites located and buildings erected.
At this time, largely through his influence, the system of medical
inspection of the public schools was instituted.
He is a charter member and Fellow of the San Antonio
Scientiflc Society and has served as Director and Vice-President ;
a member of the Tej^'a^ State Historical Association, of which he
was Vice-President for several years. He was, for a number of
years, Director, Treasurer and Lecturer in the Physicians and
Surgeons Hospital; a member of the Travis Club; member of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science and
the Southern Sociological Congress; the American Association
of School Hygiene, and the National Geographic Society. He
is an active member of the Bexar County and Texas State Medical
Associations, and a Fellow of the American Medical Association.
Of late years Dr. Bhem has given much attention to the
subject of Aiedical Sociology, and has made many addresses on
the subject of Social Hygiene and Sanitation. He is Secretary
of the Law Enforcement League, whose object is to educate and

WM- CASSIN

Texas — The Country and Its Men 165
cultivate public sentiment for the enforcement of laws suppress
ing vice. Dr. and Mrs. Bliem have two children; Marion Louise, who
graduated from the University of Texas in 1909 and from the Na
tional Training School for Secretaries of the Y.W. C. A., in New
York, in 19 15, and is now under appointment to the only Associa
tion in South America, at Buenos Aires, Argentina. The son,
Howard Milton, who studied in the University of Texas and at
Lafayette College, where he received his degree of E. E. in
1 9 13, is at present with the Texas Power & Light Co., at Dallas.

WILLIAM CASSIN
SAN ANTONiO
The subject of this sketch was born July 14, 1847, near the
village of Lemmonstown, County Kilkenney, Ireland. His
father, James Cassin, and mother, whose maiden name was
Mary Feely, were of the hardy intelligent class of Irish agricul
turists, who have invariably made their influence felt wherever
they have found an abiding place. Eleven children resulted
from this union. Mr. Cassin's birth occurred a few weeks after
his father's death, an event shortly followed by the emigration
of a part of the family to America. A few years thereafter,
the elder sons, already in this country, having made a home for
the family, the mother with her younger children left the old
home in the "Emerald Isle" and settled on a farm near Keiths-
burg, Mercer County, IlUnois, where she died in 1904 at the
remarkable age of 101 years. The longevity of the Cassins is
evidenced in the fact that, in a family of twelve, there had not
been a death in 56 years, until his aged mother passed away.
WilHam Cassin landed at Castle Garden, New York, in
1856, a boy of nine, with all the world before him. Imbued
with the pluck and tenacity of purpose which has always charac
terized him, at the early age of fifteen he commenced farming
on shares and followed it for three years, amassing in property
and cash about $1,000, and soon after entered Lombard College
at Galesburg, 111., where he pursued his studies both in the
preparatory and collegiate courses for five years, adding to his

166 Texas— The Country and Its Men

means during the harvest season until from lack of funds he
was compelled to leave the institution three months prior to
the date set for his graduation. Thirty-six years later Lombard
College conferred upon Mr. Cassin the degree of Master of
Arts, an honor of which he always has been justly proud.
He was then a resident of San Antonio, whither he had
moved in 1881, the previous decade having been spent in the
then frontier section of Texas, where, at different periods, he
made his home at Montague, Hamilton, Uvalde, Oakville,
Gussettville and Dogtown, together with a residence of one
year in New Mexico. During the ten years referred to, Mr.
Cassin followed the profession of a surveyor; was interested in
many real estate transactions; taught school, and while engaged
in these occupations accumulated about $1,500, with which
capital he came to San Antonio.
During the subsequent three years, he was connected with
the firm of D. & A. Oppenheimer, engaged in surveying' and
locating lands. Fortune generously favored him. He accumulat
ed about $120,000, half of which was his share in these prosperous
ventures. In 1888, without previous experience, he established him
self in the cattle business in Zavala County. At the expiration
of ten years he disposed of his cattle interests but retained his
ranch and returned to San Antonio, where he has since resided.
In 1885 Mr. Cassin married Miss Charlotte Newton,
daughter of Col. S. C. Newton, one of the best known lawyers
of San Antonio. Four children were born of the union, three of
whom are still Hving, namely: Mary Elizabeth, now the wife
of Terrill Bartlett; Edward Cassin and David Stanley Cassin.
Mr. Cassin is a large owner of Bexar County farm lands, and
has under cultivation upwards of 5,000 acres, which yield him
a steady and satisfactory income. A man of strict integrity,
possessing executive talent of a high order, Air. Cassin has been
called upon to take a leading part in many civic movements,
especially in the direction of good roads. As Chairman of the
Construction Committee, he spent two years and some of his
private means in developing the splendid system of highways
contemplated under the bond issue of $500,000 voted for that

Texas — The Country and Its Men 167
purpose. As a result of the prominence acquired in connection
\vith these public activities, Mr. Cassin was induced by Judge
Green, then presiding in the County Court, and others to enter
the Democratic primaries of 1906 as a candidate for Mayor of
San Antonio. He was defeated by the small majority of 23
votes, while his successful competitor was, a few months later,
defeated by the late Bryan CaUahan. Of recent years Mr.
Cassin has interested himself largely in the problem of improved
roadways in Bexar County, having been President of the County
Good Roads Association, in addition giving much time and
consideration to the question of better highways in adjoining
counties. He is Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce; Chair
man of the Agricultural and Good Roads Committees of that
organization, and was recently leected President of the Texas
Bi-Centenial Pan-American Exposition for 19 18.
A thorough American of the highest integrity, and spotless
private character, Mr. Cassin, possessing an ample fortune, is
rated high among the active and progressive builders of the
great cosmopolitan community in which he resides.

HENRY OSWALD HEAD
SHERMAN
Distinguished for those attributes which make for high
character in public and private life, the subject of this biographical
mention occupies a conspicuous place among those upon whom
the people of Texas look with respect, and whom they at all
times delight to honor. Judge Head was born in Sumner County,
Tennessee, on March 17, 185 1. His father was James Marshall
Head, who married Miss Bathenia P Branham. During the
war between the States, his father, a successful practitioner,
joined the Confederate Army as Surgeon of the Thirtieth Tenn
essee Infantry. He was captured at Fort Donelson, and, until
exchanged several months later, was held a prisoner at Camp
Chase, parolled to the City of Columbus, Ohio.
Judge Head was educated in the schools of his native county,
and finished his course in law at Cumberland University, Leb-

168 Texas — The Country and Its Men
anon, Tenn., graduating in 187 1, and soon thereafter removed
to Sherman, Texas, where he practiced from 1871 to 1886. He
was elected to the bench of the Fifteenth Judicial District Court
in the latter year, serving until 1890, when he resigned. In
1892, he became a member of the Court of Civil Appeal's. He
served in this capacity from 1892 to 1895, when he resigned to
again resume practice at Sherman.
Of the opinions rendered by Judge Head while on the
bench of the Court of Civil Appeals, possibly the one most
frequently quoted is that of Morgan vs. Morgan, wherien he
held that a woman who married a man without the knowledge
that he had another wife is entitled to one-half of the property
accumulated while they live together in Texas. The decisions
handed down by Judge Head are printed in the Southwestern
Reporter, Volumes 20 to 33, inclusive, and in Volumes i to 9
of the Court of Civil Appeals Reports.
The family of Judge Head consists of his wife, formerly
Miss Sallie C. Wilson, to whom he was married at New Orleans
January 23, 1878. Their children are Henry 0. Jr.; Hayden W.
and Orlena, now the wife of George D. Eader.
Judge Head is a Democrat. Since his retirement from the
bench, his practice has grown apace. He now has possibly the
largest clientele of any attorney in North Texas; ranks at the
very head of his profession, and possesses hosts of friends, both
at the bar and all the walks of life.

E. JARVIS
HUBBARD CITY
Well known in Texas financial circles, was born in Kemper
County, Mississippi, October 3, 1843. His father was a native
of South Carolina, and when quite a child moved with his parents
to Warren County, Tennessee, where he died. His widowed
mother with her children moved to Green County, Alabama.
The father of the subject of this sketch was a farmer who
came to Texas with his family in 1852, and settled in Smith
County, where the town of Arp is now located.
Mr. Jarvis died on the old homestead February 14, 1878.

Texas-^The Country and Its Men

169

170 Texas— The Country and Its Men

His widow survived him fourteen years and died October 23,1892.
Mrs. Jarvis was the mother of- twenty children, and Hved
to see the youngest pass his twenty-first birthday. The follow
ing tribute, which feelingly depicts her character, was written
by one who knew and appreciated her many Christian virtues:
"She was truly a mother of Israel. — May the flower-gemmed sod
rest lightly above her pulseless form and her memory be pre
served in grateful hearts, as well as upon the pages of the history
of the country she loved so well. Her name deserves to be
wreathed with imperishable immortelles. Peace to her ashes,
and lasting honor to her memory."
The subject of our sketch attended school for a short time
under Morgan H. Looney of Gilmer, Texas. After he left school,
he engaged in farming in Smith County until 1893, when he
moved to Hubbard City, Texas, and engaged in the hardware
business. In 1876 he was married to Mrs. Cynthia Barron, of Smith
County. They had two children, Ada, now Mrs. J. H. Murphy
of Arp, Texas, and Rob, wife of D. A. Jamison of Fort Worth.
He entered the service of the Confederate Army before his
eighteenth year, and took part in many of the bloodiest battles
of the war. He was in General Hogg's Brigade at the siege of
Corinth. Gen. G. T. Beauregard asstmied command and re
treated ,to Tupelo, Miss., where the command was drilled dtu-ing
the summer. In September the camp was broken, and the
command was sent on a forced march to luka, where they met
General Rosecran and engaged him in battle. Every field officer
of the regiment was killed or wounded, and the Third Texas
Dismounted Cavalry lost one-third of its men. It was in this
battle that Mr. Jarvis was wounded. The following morning
he was captured, but was paroled and moved in an ox wagon
to Guntown, Mississippi, where he had relatives living. He
remained there until he was able to travel. After being ex
changed in January following, he returned to his command.
About this time his regiment was remounted, and shortly after
wards made a raid on Holly Springs in Grant's rear, capturing
the town with Grant's base of supplies, and forced him to fall
back on Memphis, after which the command, under General
Earl Van Dorn, moved into Middle Tennessee, where there was

Texas — The Country and Its Men 171
constant fighting or skirmishing daily for a month or more.
From this placs he was with Bragg in the retreat through Missis
sippi, Alabama and Georgia, and was engaged in all the battles,
including Rome, Ga., New Hope Church, Atlanta, and all the
engagements in which this famous regiment participated. He
was with Hood at Nashville and participated in all the exciting
scenes that followed their retreat. He returned home, July 4,
1865, after having fought throughout the entire war.
Mr. Jarvis and four of his brothers fought during the entire
war, and though three of them were wounded and two captured,
they aU returned to Texas upon the close of hostilities.
In 1903 he entered the mercantile business and next year
was elected a Director of the Farmer's National Bank. In 1905
he was elected Vice-President and in 1906 was made President
of the Bank, which position he still holds.
MANSON H. WOLFE
DALLAS
Manson H.' Wolfe is a descendant of the English General
Wolfe, and is a member of a well known pioneer family of North-
em Texas, a son of L. P. and Katherine (Jackson) Wolfe. They
were bom in South Carolina and came to Texas in 1859, locating
in the northern part of what is now Hunt County, where L. P.
Wolfe began farming. The country was then all open range
and timber, very sparsely settled and subject to attacks from
the Indians, a typical frontier community, and there Mr. Wolfe,
soon after locating, built a small grist miff for grinding wheat
and com, which was operated by the old-fashioned ox tread
power. Later a small settlement grew up around this mill and
became known as Wolfe's Mill, the town retaining that name
until after the completion of the Santa Fe Railroad from Dallas
to Paris, when it was changed to Wolfe City, and with the
development of the surrounding rich agricultural country Wolfe
City became an important trading point and is now one of the
substantial little cities of Northern Texas, with a population of
nearly two thousand. In later years Mr. Wolfe enlarged his
mill and adopted steam power, but for some years before his
death in 1890 he sold his milling interests and retired from an
active life.

172 Texas— The Country and Its Men
It was in the vicinity of where Wolfe City is now located
that Manson H. Wolfe was born, reared and educated, his natal
year being that of 1866, and there too he entered upon what
has proved a successful business career. As a young man of
eighteen he became identified with mercantile pursuits, and
later branching out into the cotton and banking business in his
native town he soon became the President of the Wolfe City
National Bank, and also served as the Mayor of the little city.
During his identification with his home community he also ac
quired valuable land interests in the vicinity, and these, with
some extensive business interests, he still retains. During
a number of years past his chief commercial activities have been
as a cotton exporter, and in 1905, in order to establish a more
prominent and central location for the carrying on of this busi
ness, he located his headquarters and his home in Dallas. His
business is conducted under the name of M. H. Wolfe & Co.,
cotton exporters, and he is one of the largest individual shippers
of cotton in the South to European and other foreign countries,
his exports during some years past having averaged more than
one hundred and twenty-five thousand bales annually, amount
ing to over six millions of dollars, and in the year of 19 10- 11
his exports reached over nine million dollars. His customers
rank among the largest cotton buyers and manufacturers in
the industrial centers of England and the continent.
Mr. Wolfe is President of the Board of Deacons of the First
Baptist Church in Dallas, and takes a very active interest in
missions. He is President of the Baptist City Mission Board;
President of the Baptist Laymen's Movement for Texas, and
lends substantial aid to all uplifting movements in the city. Is
Vice-President of the Security National Bank of Dallas, and
President Texas Land Securities Syndicate of Dallas.
Mrs. Wolfe was before marriage Miss Annie Cole, a daughter
of Judge L. N. Cole and a member of a Georgia family. Their
five children are Ray, Gladys, Ehzabeth, Katherine and Anne
Cole. Mr. Wolfe is Chairman of the Committee of 100 of the
Inter-Denominational Men and ReHgion Movement, and in
charity lines he is active as Secretary of the Texas Baptist
Memorial Sanitarium, and is one of the Directors of the oro-ani-

^t4iU^,/U) <Un^^*.^-^

^

J i-t-

174

Texas — The Country and Its Men

zation now erecting a home for taking care of fallen women.
He is also President of the Texas Sunday School Association
(Inter-Denominational), and President of the Executive Board
of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

J. M. EDWARDS, STATE Treasurer

JOSEPH MARION EDWARDS
ballinger

Was born on Febmary 3, 1870, at Columbia, Adair County,
Kentucky. His parents, John N. and K. J. Edwards, were also
natives of the Blue Grass State. They removed to Texas in
the fall of 1870, locating in Delta County, where they settled on
a farm, and made their future home. The father died January

Texas — The Country and Its Men 175
3, 1880, his widow surviving him thirty years. The career of
the son, to whom reference is had in this sketch, has in many
respects been phenomenal. His education was confined entirely
to the text books of the country schools, and until grown to
manhood he was a farmer in all that the term implies. Having
mastered the art of telegraphy, he entered the railway service,
where during the next fourteen years he was advanced to the
position of Station Agent, when resigning from the Santa 'Fe
System at thirty-five, to become Teller in a bank at BalUnger,
where he remained three years, when he was appointed Chief
Clerk in the office of the State Treasurer, serving from January,
1907, to April I, 19 12, when he was appointed Treasurer of the
State by Governor Colquitt to succeed Sam Sparks, who had
resigned. He at once announced his candidacy and was elected
to the position and was re-elected by the people in 19 14, and
renominated at the primaries of 19 16.
Mr. Edwards is in no sense a politician. His appointment
in the Treasury Department was based entirely upon his ability
as a thorough accountant, and a sagacious business man. Upon
his reputation alone the people twice elected him to guide the
financial destinies of the State, a striking evidence of confidence,
as well as a merited compliment to a deserving pubhc servant.
On Febraary 13, 1896, he married Miss Lenora, daughter of
A. M. Andrews, and they have one daughter, Miss Hazel Ed
wards. It is superfluous to add that Mr. Edwards is a Democrat.
ANDREW JUDSON WOOD
groveton
To whom fortune has come as the natural result of determination
and well directed energy, was born in the "Piney Woods" of
Tyler County, October 6, 1864. His parents were Andrew
Jackson and Nancy Moye Wood, both natives of Georgia.
The father came to Texas in 1850, was married shortly there
after, and lived for many years upon the plantation where the
subject of this sketch was born. Upon the outbreak of the Civil
War he entered the Confederate Army, served under the "Bonnie
Blue Flag" until the end came at Appomattox, when' he returned

176 Texas— The Country and Its Men

to Tyler County, where he died in 1892. The mother of Mr.
Wood survived her husband for years.
Andrew Judson Wood was educated in the district schools
of his native county, and earned his first wages as a school
teacher in the same locaHty. After two years experience as a
pedagogue, he was for two years manager of a Grange store in
Tyler County, when he removed to Trinity County, and went
into the mercantile business as a salesman. In 1894, he began
merchandising on his own account at Groveton, prospered, and
in 1907 helped organize the Groveton State Bank, of which he
has for many years been President and directing head.
He is also a stockholder and Director in the First National
Bank of Groveton, and has other important interests that
occupy much of his time.
He is still "in meditation fancy free," so far as matrimony
is concerned, being one of several bachelor bankers in Texas,
who have not taken upon themselves the cares and responsibilities
of married life.
Mr. Wood stands very high in financial circles, being recog
nized as a safe, conservative banker of ripe judgment and dis
cretion. He has never sought public office, yet is true to the
flag of his fathers and always votes the Democratic ticket.
GEORGE PIERCE LILLARD
seguin
Was born on his father's farm, near Seguin, county seat of
Guadalupe County, Texas, November 25, 1868, the son of
Samuel C. Lillard and Virginia D. Lillard. His father was born in
Mercer County, Kentucky, and his mother was bom in Georgia.
His father emigrated from Kentucky to Texas in 1854, his
mother coming from Georgia to Texas in 1852. His father, on
coming to Texas, settled on Mill Creek, near Seguin. In those
years, Seguin was considered, intellectually, the Athens of all
Southwest Texas.
Immediately on locating in Guadalupe County, Mr. Samuel
C. Lillard, the father of the subject of this sketch, engaged in
gtockraising and farming, and in 1858 was joined in marriage
with Miss Virginia D. Cone, daughter of Jesse Cone of North

Texas — The Country and Its Men

177

Carolina, and Abasaly Hopkins of Georgia. Her uncle was
killed by Indians in San Patricio County.
On the breaking out of the Civil War Mr. Samuel C. Lillard,
like most patriotic young men, Southern born, joined the Con-

GEORGE PIERCE LILLARD

federate Army as a member of Capt. John Ireland's Company,
Hobby's Regiment. Capt. John Ireland subsequently be
came. Governor of Texas.- At the close of the war, Mr. Lillard
resumed stockraising and farming, which business he was actively

178 Texas — The Country and Its Men
engaged in until his death, which occurred in 1894. Emulating
the efforts of his father and grandfather in Kentucky and Illi
nois, he largely built the Methodist Church near his home in
Guadalupe County.
George P Lillard, the subject of this sketch, grew to early
manhood, assisting his father at stockraising and farming, and
acquiring his education in the country schools of Guadalupe
County, and at the age of twenty-two years began farming for
himself. In 1895 he joined Miss Emma Anderson in marriage,
and to this happy union there has been born Lee A., Joe Wheeler,
Lillie, Viola, and George P. Lillard, Jr.
Early in life Mr. Lillard came to the conclusion that great
benefit would result to Texas, and pecuniary benefit could be
gained by himself, by encouraging the people to improve the
hog stock of Texas, and believing object lessons the most effective
mode of inducing the necessary improvement, he purchased, in
1893, thoroughbred Berkshire, and later Duroc-Jersey hogs, and
also horses and cattle. But Mr. Lillard's greatest success, in
livestock breeding, has been with Berkshire and Duroc-Jersey
hogs. Louisiana fairs and the records of the Texas State Fair
at Dallas show that during the past eighteen years he has taken
more premiums than any other exhibitor.
Mr. Lillard's judgment is considered so correct that he was
called to judge and award the premiums for the Berkshire hogs
exhibited at the great International Fat Stock Show, in Chicago,
he being the only Texan this honor has ever been conferred upon.
His thoroughbred hog and other live stock business embraces
about $7o,oooworth of property.
During all his years, since early manhood, while striving
to encourage improvement in material conditions, he has
never neglected his duties to the county of his birth, in
which he has been a resident to the present day, his farm home
now being near the place of his birth. During these years he
has served the people of his county as County Commissioner
fourteen years, and retired without ever being defeated. This
consideration has been shown him in a county overwhelmingly
opposed to prohibition, while it was universally known that
Mr. LiUard is an outspoken, uncompromising prohibitionist.
This fact, relative to the prohibition question, is cited as an

Texas — The Country and Its Men 179

evidence of his possessing the courage of his convictions, under
all circumstances, and the ability of the voters of that county
to forbid allowing themselves to reject an able, conscientious,
valuable public official, because of his disagreeing with them
concerning a privilege they considered they should not be denied.
In pohtical affiliations Mr. Lillard is a Democrat, and has
served as chairman of his party in his county, and member of
the State Executive Committee. He is a member of Amity
Lodge No. 60, I. O. 0. F., and Modern Order of Praetorians.
Mr. Lillard was appointed Postmaster of Seguin by Presi
dent Wilson, and is now serving the people of his county as their
county seat Postmaster, in addition to directing his farming and
livestock operations. In addition to his having been of great
material value to Texas, his exemplary, right living can but
have valuable infiuence with all young men who come to know
of his efforts, and accomplishments.

JOHN S. PETER
SAN ANTONIO
First Vice-President and General Manager of the San Antonio
& Aransas Pass Railway, was born in London, England, January
6, 1855, the son of John S. Peter of Scotland, and Mrs. Mary A.
Peter, who was bom in England. He entered railway service in
1873 and has remained almost continually in that line of work,
being a civil engineer by profession. In 1873-74, he was rod-
man in the engineering department of the Erie Railway; 1875-76
Assistant Engineer Geneva, Homellsville & Pine Creek Rail
way; 1876-81 Motive Power Department New York, Lake Erie
& Western Railroad; May to November, 1881, Assistant Engi
neer Lackawanna & Pittsburg Railroad; January to July, 1885,
General Superintendent of the same road; July, 1886, to Febru
ary, 1890, Assistant Engineer and Trainmaster Burlington &
Missouri River Railroad; 1890-96, City Engineer of Corpus
Christi, Texas; July, 1896, to September, 1899, Roadmaster
Chicago, Rock Island &. Pacific Railway; September, 1899, to
February, 1908, Superintendent Maintenance of Way San
Antonio & Aransas Pass Railway, of which he was Acting General

180 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Manager, February 1908, and to date First Vice-President and
General Manager.
Mr. Peter married Miss Genevieve Soule in 1888 and they
have two sons, Lewis S. Peter and Will J. Peter. He is a member
of the Travis Club and of the International Club. He is devoted
to Texas.
WILLIAM BIERSCHWALE
FREDERICKSBURG
In the spring of 1846 Henry Bierschwale, the father of the
subject of this sketch, at the age of eighteen, accompanied by
his mother and three sisters, left their old home in the father
land; faced the dangers of the deep, and landed at the then
prosperous port of Indianola. Thence by ox team and wagon
he made his way to the hill country of Gillespie County, where,
for seventy years, his descendants have been the moving spirits
in developing one of the veritable garden spots of Texas.
In January, 1853, he married Margaret Treibs, daughter of
one of the thrifty German emigrants who, like the Bierschwales,
settled in Fredericksburg in 1846. His first task, as he states,
was to learn the language of his adopted country, which he
mastered sufficiently well to enable him to teach school for
several years. He filled several offices of trust and responsibility,
and in 1869 was elected County Clerk, in which capacity he
served with unvarying satisfaction for twenty-nine years.
His son William, to whom this biographical notice particularly
refers, was born on January 22, 1858, in the community where
he now resides, whose people have so signally honored him
throughout his career. As a youth he was assistant to his father
in the office of the County Clerk, with the exception of the
period from January i, 1880, to March 5, 1883. In 1898 he was
elected to succeed his father as County Clerk, retiring in 1906
to go into the banking business, where he has since remained,
being at this writing Cashier of the Citizens Bank of Fredericks
burg, which is capitahzed at $30,000. Mr. Bierschwale has been
particularly fortunate in his business ventures, and now owns two
valuable farms in the vicinity of the shire town of Gillespie
County, and has also various other important interests. On
October i, 1884, Air. Bierschwale married Miss Lena Jung of

Texas — The Country and Its Men

181

Fredericksburg. Their family consists of five sons, two of
whom are engaged in the cattle industry, the others occupying
positions in the banking business in their native town. As an
evidence of his popularity it may be said that he made the
race for the legislature in igo8 on the Republican ticket, and

WILLIAM BIERSCHWALE

was triumphantly elected; has since twice defeated his Demo
cratic opponents, and now occupies a somewhat anomalous
position as the only Republican lawmaker in Texas. He was a
delegate to the RepubHcan National Convention of 19 16. Mr.
Bierschwale is an enterprising, far-seeing man of affairs, stands
high in financial circles, and is universally respected at home and
abroad for his many virtues of hand and heart.

182 TEXA.S — The Country and Its Men

NAT M. WASHER
SAN ANTONIO
A man whose appreciative friends include every circle of
community life ; who cornmands respect from favorites of for
tune ; to whom practically nothing is denied, and is loved by the
gamins who pre-empt the street corners as vendors of the news —
those lads who too often find a resting place as best they may, and
whose "banquets" are what a capricious Providence may pro
vide — must of necessity be one of whom it can with truth be said,
"To do good is his religion." If it be true that in the final
analysis. Character is the final test ; that the bubble of reputation
is a true index of worth, then it follows without question, that
Nat M. Washer is indeed a fortunate man.
Mr. Washer was bom April 12, 1861, in Somerville, Ten
nessee, the historic date upon which John Ruffin, from the sea
wall at Charleston, South Carolina, sighted the gun and fired the
first shot at Fort Sumter — a shot that echoed around the world.
As a boy his ambition was to acquire a collegiate education,
towards which he had made a propitious beginning, when the
death of his father made it necessary that he take the first steps
in the commercial career in which he has been so eminently
succssful. As a boy of fourteen he was junior clerk in a Memphis
establishment. At eighteen he removed to St. Louis, where he
worked hard adding to the mercantile experience that has since
so signally rewarded him. After three years in the Mound City, he
turned his eyes towards Texas, where, at Fort AA'orth in 1882, in
company with his elder brother, Jacob, was established the widely
known firm of Washer Bros. Seventeen years later a branch of
the parent house was established in San Antonio, of which the
subject of this sketch became the active managing head. What
was Fort Worth's loss was certainly San Antonio's gain, as from
the first Mr. Washer has been classed among the substantial,
enterprising and progressive men who have made the Alamo City
"a thing of beauty and joy forever."
Mr. Washer is a Director of the National Bank of Commerce.
He is also a member of the directorate of the following associa-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 183

184 Texas— The Country and Its Men

tions : The Gas, Electric and Traction Companies ; the Masonic
AA'idows and Orphans Home of Texas ; the Associated Charities,
and the Physicians and Surgeons Hospital. He is a member of
the Sari. Antonio, Travis, Country, Harmony and International
Clubs, tlie Beethoven and Casino Associations and the Turn
Verein. He was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas,
A. F. & A. M., in 1900.; is Past Exalted Ruler of the San Antonio
Lodge of the B. P. O. of E. ; a member of the Knights of
Pythias, and a Past President of the Chamber of Commerce, of
which body he has always been an active and influential member.
Air. AA'asher may be listed among the exclusive few who are
born orators. Had he entered politics it is entirely probable that
he would have acquired prominence in the councils of the nation.
A fine after-dinner talker; he is also a singer of note, and has
written considerable graceful poetry which is destined to live-
Mr. AA'asher was married February 17, 1891, to Aliss Belle
Schloss, of Baltimore, Alaryland, and two children, Pauline and
Joy Burnett, have come to bless this union, the former now a
leader in social and musical circles in San Antonio, the wife of
Mr. Nat Goldsmith, a prominent business man of that city ; the
latter now a useful member of the active business staff in his
father's mercantile establishment.
JOHN NICHOLAS BROWN
SAN ANTONIO
John Nicholas Brown, one of the prominent bankers of the
State, is a native of Albermarle County, Virginia, where he was
born. His parents were John AA',, a merchant, who also engaged
in farming on quite an extensi\e scale, and Sarah .Vnn Brown.
The subject of this biographical reference was educated in the
schools of his native county, coming first to Texas in 1872. He
settled at Brenham. Four years thereafter he organized the First
National Bank of that city, which he conducted successfully and
profitably for fourteen years, removing to San Antonio, a more
attractive field, in iBgo, where he soon after organized the Alamo
National Bank, of which he is now President. From the start the
bank has been successful, and is today considered one of the
strong financial institutions of the State. Mr. Brown always has
taken an acti\o part in every civic movement for the upbuilding

Texas — The Country and Its Men 185
and advancement of San Antonio ; was the second President of
the Chamber of Commerce, and also President of the San Antonio
Clearing House, the duties of which offices he transacted with
the same thoroughness that has always characterized the conduct
of his own business affairs. He has for twenty-six years been
considered one of the progressive and moving spirits of the city,
enjoying an enviable reputation as a man of broad views, unerring
judgment, and the highest order of intelligence.
In 1876, at Brenham, he married Miss Annie Giddings, a
niece of J. D. and D. C. Giddings, well known and wealthy resi
dents of Brenham, who were recognized as the leading men of
that section of the State. The children of this marriage were :
Daisy G., Ernest Lee, and Clinton Giddings, the present popular
Mayor of San Antonio ; Annie Louis, and Marguerite, who died
at the age of ten.
Air. Brown has never sought political preferment, yet he
takes the keenest interest in all questions of public interest, and
invariably votes with the Democracy.
CLINTON GIDDINGS BROWN
SAN ANTONIO
One often hears the chief executive of a locality referred to
as "the best mayor our town ever had." This fulsome tribute
in some instances is a misnomer, but in the case of San Antonio,
if judged by what he has accompKshed, the present "Alcalde"
of the Alamo City, whose name heads this sketch, is well worthy
of the designation.
He was born at Brenham, Texas, July 28, 1882, a son of
J. N. Brown now a leading banker of San Antonio, a native of
Albermarle County, Va., and Annie (Giddings) Brown, who was
born in the town of Port Lavaca, on the Bay of that name.
His father came to Texas in 1872, and first made his home at
Brenham, where he engaged in the banking business, and
eventually organized the First National Bank of that City.
He removed to San Antonio in i8go and soon after his arrival
organized the Alamo National Bank, which ranks now among
the safe, conservative, financial institutions of the Country.
Mr. Brown is its President and directing head. His wife, whose
parents, John J. and Matilda Giddings, died in her eariy child-

186

Texas — The Country and Its Men

hood, was raised in the family of her uncle, Mr. J. D. Giddings of
Brenham, who for many years represented that district in Congress.

Mayor Brown was educated, first in the pubhc schools of
San Antonio, attended Harvard College for one year, later hav-

Te.xas — The Country and Its Men 187
ing conferred upon him the Degree of Doctor of Law as well as
that of Bachelor of Arts by the University of Texas. He began
the practice of his profession at San Antonio, in 1906, and con
tinued with unremitting success until his election to the office
of District Attorney in the fall of 1912. In this position he made
such phenomenal success that within six months after he assumed
the office, because of his personal popularity, and reputation as
"a man who does things," he was nominated for Mayor, and
elected by a rousing majority. Taking office in the Spring of
1 9 13, he has accomplished much for the lasting benefit of the
City. Among his earhest public acts was the submission of the
$3,450,000 bond issue for a remarkable series of public improve
ments. The tax payers voted the bonds, and Mayor Brown,
without delay, began to carry out the already perfected plans
for the expenditure of this magnificent fund. He has been in
office three years, having been re-elected in 19 15, and citizens
sometimes find it difficult to comprehend the extent of his
labors. Supported by a progressive board of commissioners,
and endorsed by the people as a whole, nearly eighty miles of
paved streets have been constructed; numerous concrete bridges
have taken the place of the old wooden structure that spanned
the river; many miles of sewers have been laid; three reinforced
concrete fire stations have been erected; streets have been
widened and straightened; adding very much to the beauty of
the City; $200,000 has been expended in the construction and
equipment of a municipal hospital, and countless other pubhc
improvements have resulted. All these splendid results brought
about within a period of four years, indicate the resistless push
and energy that mark the administration of Mayor Brown.
The beautification of a locaHty, famed for its attractions, has
been enhanced under his intelHgent leadership, until San Antonio
is now recognized as the most cosmopohtan city of its size on
this continent.Mr. Brown was married on June 18, 1907, to Miss Ethel
Robinson, the only daughter of Alonzo and Laura Robinson
of Austin, Texas, their children being twin boys, Chnton G.
Jr., and Robinson, R. Brown, born September 30, 1909.

188 Texas— The Country and Its Men

WILLIAM JAMES SLAUGHTER
friotown
The subject of this sketch was born in Mississippi, Novem
ber 9, 1835. With his parents, Benjamin and Minerva Slaughter,
he came to East Texas when he was but four years of age. The
family continued to move westward and from 1865 to 1873, re
sided in the then unorganized County of LaSalle. During these
years, and until 1878, the section was infested by hostile Indians,
who murdered and plundered continually and with desperate
white outlaws disturbed the peace and prosperity of the venture
some settlers. Such conditions required men of nerve and firm
ness, and Mr. Slaughter joined most earnestly in their suppression.
It was his good fortune to live long enough to see his hopes of
good local government prevail, and to witness a long continued
era of peace and prosperity in a country where, as a boy, he and
his family had lived in constant fear. On July 25, 1855, he was
most happily wedded at Georgetown, to Miss Caroline M. Vickers,
who still survives. Of the ten children born to Mr. and Mrs.
Slaughter, six daughters are living, in every case their husbands
being men of high standing. Mr. Slaughter died at his home near
Friotown on August 31, 1906, and was buried with Masonic
honors on September i.
"His life was gentle, and the elements
So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up.
And say to all the world, 'This was a man.' "
His life and career were most eventful, so pure, so simple,
and so genuinely free from moral defilement, that they evidence
a record upon which is indelibly written an imperishable heritage,
that his children, his children's children, may exer proudly re
view, and one that shall for many years, we trust, comfort and
solace his bereaved widow.
AVith untiring energy, the practice of frugality and the pur
suit of honest methods, he accumulated a large estate, and of his
bounty ever contributed to the public good. He cheerfully re-

Texas — The Country and Its Men

189

W. J. SLAUGHTER

190 Texas — The Country and Its Men
lieved the poor so frequently and constantly that his life was one
continuous act of charity, of which he made no ostentatious dis
play. Mr. Slaughter, though a man of reserved and retiring
disposition, was effectively powerful and had an extended influ
ence, built upon the firm foundation of unshaken integrity; was
self-reliant to an independent degree; active and untiring in the
pursuit of every object engaging his efforts and attention; scrupu
lously consistent and conscientious in the discharge of public
duties ; unchangeable in his established convictions of right and
fearless in their expression. He was universally esteemed, loved
and respected for his virtues, and noted for his courteous and
thoughtful conduct and demeanor, treating the humble and the
princely with the same regard and consideration. His gener
osity was unbounded, and his hospitality was so unpretentious,
at the same time natural, warm and liberal, that the stranger
within the castle of this kind-hearted man felt like he was under
the protecting shelter of his own roof.
He was, to his good wife, at all times most considerate and
devoted. It was well known to all that his sound discretion led
him to value her counsel with much weight and deference, for
she indeed has been his comfort and support in the vicissitudes
that have fallen to their joint lot for nearly half a century.
Hard by the historic Presidio Road, on the west of the scenic
banks of Rio Frio, a beautiful stream of majestic and weird sur
roundings, not long since was made a mound in view of sorrow
ing relatives and friends :
"Warm summer sun.
Shine kindly here ;
Warm Southern wind.
Blow softly here.
Green sod above,
Lie light, lie light.
Good night, dear heart,
Good night, good night.''

Texas — The Country and Its Men

191

MRS. W. J. SLAUGHTER

192 Texas — The Country and Its Men

WILLIAM CLAYTON WEAR
HlLLSBORO
For many years Judge of the District Court at Hillsboro,
from which position he voluntarily withdrew to resume active
practice at the bar, was born at Cornersville, Tennessee, February
6, 1859, the son of William D. and Mary J. (Moody) AA'ear. His
father, an ordained minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian
Church, was reared on the frontier of Missouri, where he entered
the ministry at the age of eighteen, to be early recognized as an
able and effective pulpit orator. He came to Texas at a time
when the reckless, turbulent class made life peculiarly unsafe. A
fearless follower of the cause he so early espoused, he preached in
the wilderness for many years, grew with the spreading advance
of civilization, and died at Fort Worth, Texas, in 1906 at the
age of 84, leaving a name that will be revered for all time by
those who enjoy the blessing of the splendid civil and religious
institutions for which he so materially helped to lay the founda
tion. His widow survived him until February, 191 3, when she
too passed away.
Judge Wear's employment was the hard work of a farm
hand, where he remained from his eighth to his twenty-first year.
During this strenuous period he hauled lumber from East Texas
to build a house, and transported rails from points ten miles dis
tant, to fence two hundred and fifty acres of land. Subsequently
he was employed in the construction of a railroad grade, saving
money enough while thus employed to attend school, which he
entered in his twenty-third year. He worked in the law office
of the Hon. W. M. Walton, of Austin, while attending the Law
Department of the University of Texas. Graduating from the
Law Department of the University of Texas in 1885, he located
and began the practice of law in Hillsboro, Texas, in the fall of
that year, having stood the examination before a committee ap
pointed by the Supreme Court of Texas for admission to practice
law. In 1902 Judge AA'ear was second in the race for the nomi-

Texas — The Country and Its Men

193

194 Te.xas — The Country and Its Men
nation of Attorney General, having been defeated for the nomi
nation for said office by the Hon. A. B. Davidson. He was elected
both temporary and permanent chairman, and presided over the
great San Antonio Democratic Convention in 1916.
On February 6, 1889, Judge Wear was united in marriage
to Miss Lou Hancock, of Paris, Texas, the result of the union
being two children, William Doak Wear and Mary Lucille Wear.
Judge Wear, having given his two children a finished education,
is now devoting his time to the practice of his profession, in which
he occupies a conspicuous position.
RICHARD ROBERTSON RUSSELL
SAN ANTONIO
Those who know, declare that the career of Richard Robert
son Russell, of San Antonio, Texas, stockman, banker, and finan
cier, emphasizes the world-old fact that fortune comes te the man
of determination, energy and brains. Still in his prime, and with
years of activity before him, Mr. Russell's life has been one long
story of hard-earned and merited achievement. His executive
ability, his enterprise and sagacity, marked him out from among
his fellows from the time he was a mere stripling. Fortune,,came
as a natural result of labor and wise judgment, and these-,j^lone
are the reasons why the name of R. R. Russell spells success in
his chosen lines of effort.
A man of the plain people, Mr. Russell enjoys the compan
ionship of his friends when business permits him to spend a few
hours with them, albeit he is a busy man at all times. He was
born in Dawson County, Georgia, October 8, 1858, the sonof J. O.
and Jane Robertson Russell. At twelve years of age, he deft
Georgia for Texas with his parents, and entered the employ of
his uncle, Peter Robertson, of Menard County. Mr. Robertson,
at the time of his death in 1910, was one of the grand old men
of Texas, and, as an Indian fighter, ranger, stockman and busi
ness man, did his part toward the winning of the Southwest for
civilization. Mr. Russell had been in the employ of his uncle for a short
time when the latter branded a cow in the name of his nephew.
This was Mr. Russell's start in the livestock business. He lived

Texas — The Country and Its Men

195

on the Robertson ranch, and, during the spare time from work, he
was taking part in the manly sports of those frontier days. He
was strong for his age, an expert horseman and dead shot, hardy

RICHARD ROBERTSON RUSSELL

and tireless. It was but natural that he should drift into a serv
ice that, although exceedingly dangerous at times, was especially
appealing to one of his adventurous temperament. During the

196 Texas — The Country and Its Men
70's Menard County was the scene of numerous Indian raids, and
young Russell, catching the spirit of the times, enlisted with
Captain D. W. Roberts' Ranger Company, which was then sta
tioned in Kimble County. He remained as guardian of the
people's interests in Western Texas for two years, when he re
signed from the service to engage again in the cattle business.
In November, 1886, Mr. Russell was elected Sheriff of
Menard County, and held that office for ten consecutive years.
He refused to be a candidate for re-election at the end of that
time, as his personal affairs needed his undivided attention. Since
1886 Mr. Russell has been more or less interested with William
Bevens and James Callan in various cattle deals and ranch
operations. In 1909 Mr. Russell organized the Farmers and Merchants
Bank of Ballinger, Texas. He and Mr. Bevens own the Bank of
Menard, the latter being the active manager in charge of the
institution. Mr. Bevens looks after the livestock interests of the
co-partnership between himself and Mr. Russell in Texas, the
latter looking after the livestock interests of the firm in Oklahoma.
Desiring that his family have the educational advantages of
a large city, Mr. Russell selected San Antonio as his home in
1905. He is a stockholder in the Citizens National Bank of Paw-
huska, Oklahoma, a stockholder in the Central Trust Company
of San Antonio, and was one of the organizers and is the Presi
dent of the Del Rio Live Stock Loan Company, a corporation
organized for the special purpose of assisting the ranchmen of
the western portion of the State with funds for buying livestock,
including catde, sheep, goats, horses and mules. He is a charter
member of the Ballinger Cotton Oil Company and of the AA'inters
Cotton Oil Company of Runnels County.
With James Callan, Mr. Russell owns a ranch in Runnels
County, which is known as the Coggins Brothers Ranch, where
their cattle are matured for market. He also owns, with S. J.
Blocker, the Bob Wylie Ranch in Runnels County, equipped with
a mammoth 700-ton silo, and used as a breeding and feeding farm.
On the Menard County ranch is the famous herd of "Rocking
R" cattle. Mr. Russell's cattle interests are varied and of great value.
His operations in Oklahoma are on as large a scale as those in

Texas — The Country and Its Men 197
Texas. His largest individual Texas holding in one tract is as a
stockholder in the Big Canyon Ranch in Terrell and Pecos Coun
ties. This consists of 245,000 acres of land and thousands of
head of cattle and sheep. Aside from this, Mr. Russell is asso
ciated with J. L. Borroum, of Blackland, Oklahoma, in maturing
on their pastures in that State young steers brought from Texas.
Mr. Russell comes of a pioneer family. His father and two
uncles settled and built the first houses on the site of Denver,
Colorado. This settlement was made in 1857, and the city was
duly platted and named Auraria. AV. A. McFaddin was Presi
dent of the company, and Dr. J. L. Russell, uncle of the subject
of this sketch, was the Secretary. Another uncle. Green Russell
by name, mined the first gold in that section of Colorado.
Mr. Russell became a member of the Texas Cattle Raisers
Association in 1889. He has been prominently identified with
every movement launched under the auspices of the Association
that stood for progress and for the betterment of the livestock
industry, and served on the Executive Committee during the
administration of Ike T. Pryor, Ed. C. Lasater and A. F.
McFadden. In 1892 Mr. Russell was married to Miss Mattie E. Strick
land, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Strickland, of Tom Green
County. Mr. Strickland was a pioneer ranchman and settled in
Tom Green County in 1878, when the present city of San Angelo
consisted of a cluster of adobe huts. Mr. and Mrs. Russell have
two children, the Misses Corinne and Elma Dill Russell.
Mr. Russell now devotes his attention to the affairs of the
State Bank and Trust Company, of San Antonio, Texas, of which
institution he is President.
THOMAS DUDLEY WOOTEN, M. D.
AUSTIN ¦
Thomas Dudley Wooten, of Austin, was born in Barren
County, Kentucky, on the 6th day of March, 1829. His parents
were from Virginia, having removed to Kentucky in the early
settlement of the southern portion of that State. Acquiring
extensive landed interests in his new country, his father, Joseph

198 Texas — The Country and Its Men
AA'ooten, by that thrift and attention to administrative details so
characteristic of the better class of the old Southern farmers,
rapidly established a large plantation, with all the appointments
of field, shop, mill and stock farm, which rendered the early
homesteads of Kentucky and Tennessee so attractive, so efficient
and so valuable as training schools of industry and self-reliance
to the youths who shared their labor and management.
The subject of this sketch was the youngest of several sons,
and the death of his father left him, at the age of fifteen years,
virtual master of the farm and slaves, with all the toil and re
sponsibility incident to the successful control and administration
of the large estate. These he assumed and discharged for several
years, receiving and acquiring in the meanwhile such education
as the schools of the country permitted, and his own diligent
reading and study prosecuted at night and in the intervals of
labor, afforded.
Nearing his majority, he began the study of medicine,, and
after a year's reading in the office of Dr. George Rogers, in the
town of Glasgow, he entered the Medical Department of the Uni
versity of Louisville, in the fall of 1851. That venerable institu
tion was then second to none in the Union in its medical faculty
and course of instruction.
Before completing his medical course, he was married to
Miss Henrietta C. Goodall, the daughter of Dr. Turner Goodall,
a successful practitioner of Tompkinsville, Monroe County, Ken
tucky. Graduating in the spring of 1853, Dr. Wooten located at
Tompkinsville, and entered upon active practice, with the usual
experiences and successes of the young physician in a country
town. In the early part of 1856 he removed to Springfield, in
Southwestern Alissouri, where for the first year he was engaged
in building and improving a home, and establishing a farm near
the young and growing city. This accomplished, he at once
resumed his professional life, and was soon established in a lucra
tive and constantly increasing practice. Although then, as now,
he pursued the practice of his chosen science in all its branches,
and set up no claims as a specialist, yet from the first his marked
success and skill in surgery, gynecology and treatment of dis
eases of the eye, rendered his reputation in those special directions
a matter of special comment and approval. When the war began

//^ f^^y^£^^

200 Texas — The Country and Its Men
he had laid the foundations of a comfortable fortune and a
successful career, which were swept away by that great
revolution. When the State decided to maintain her position of sovereign
neutrality and called for troops in June, 1861, Dr. Wooten en
listed as a private in the Company of Colonel Richard Campbell.
Upon the organization of the forces in Southwestern Missouri, a
little later, he was made surgeon of Foster's regiment, being the
Second Regiment, Seventh Division, Missouri State Troops, com
manded by General McBride. After the battle of Oak Hills
(Wilson's Creek), August 10, 1861, he was appointed Chief Sur
geon of AIcBride's Division. Following the battle of Pea Ridge
(Elk Horn), he was appointed Surgeon General of all the Mis
souri forces, vice Dr. Snodgrass, resigned. When the Missouri
army was turned over to the Confederacy, and, together with
the Arkansas troops, formed into the First Army Corps of the
West, he was selected by the medical staff of the army as Medical
Director of the Corps, with a rank on the staff of Major, General
Sterling Price commanding.
Dr. Wooten's rapid rise and sustained success in the army
were somewhat remarkable. Only thirty-two years old at the
outbreak of hostilities, with but four years residence and acquain
tance in Missouri, with no previous military experience, no
political prestige or professional affiliations, he enlisted as a pri
vate, and after a few months, in competition with some of the
most eminent and influential medical men of St. Louis and the
West, he rose to the highest medical rank in the service of the
State, and to the Medical Directorship of the Western Army
Corps, retaining to the close his position on the staff, and his
place in the confidence and affection of Missouri's devoted old
warrior and chieftain.
At the end of the war, completely ruined in fortune, though
influenced to locate in some of the larger cities, he settled at
Paris, Texas, in 1865, where he soon built up a very large prac
tice. During the ten years he resided in Paris, besides a large
local patronage, he drew his patients from a large part of South
ern and Eastern Texas, and from Arkansas, Louisiana and Indian
Territory. Removing to Austin in January, 1876, he continued the same

Texas — The Country and Its Men 201
assiduous devotion to his profession and was liberally rewarded
with the same recognition of his professional skill at home and
from a distance.
His reputation and success as a surgeon are part of the
history of the medical profession of the State and require no
detailed mention. His was a life rather of active attention to
the duties of a laborious practice than an attempt to gain fame
by devotion to the literary field of thought and investigation. He
has never contributed much to medical literature, rarely writing
for the reviews and seldom appearing before the State and local
associations, except when officially called upon. Reports of his
operations and notes of his cases would have formed additions
to current professional discussions, but he apparently had neither
the time nor the inclination to preserve or make them public.
He was a prominent member of the Texas State A.ssociation, and
a member of the American Medical Association and the Ameri
can Public Health Association, to both of which bodies he was
a delegate from Texas. He was also elected a delegate to the
International Medical Congress.
Upon the organization of the District Society at Austin he
was elected its first President.
When the University of Texas was finally inaugurated in
1881, Dr. Wooten was appointed by Governor Roberts one of
the original Regents of that institution, to which position he was
re-appointed by Governor Ireland. He was from the first a most
active and earnest friend of the University, and labored for its
successful and efficient establishment with a zeal and fidelity that
faltered under none of the discouraging indifference and hostility
to the State's great seat of learning. Being the only member of
the Regency resident at the Capital, the greater part of the in
cessant vigilance and labor required to properly administer to the
affairs of the, institution fell upon him.
In January, 1885, Dr. Ashbell Smith, President of the Board,
having died the autumn previous. Dr. Wooten was unanimously
elected President of the Board of Regents of the University of
Texas, which position he held until his death on August i, 1906,
at Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and it may safely be said that to
him, more than to any other one man, the University of Texas
owes its present existence and prosperity, and should hereafter
ascribe its success.

202 Texas — The Country and Its Men

NEWTON WEBSTER FINLEY
Newton Webster Finley was born July 31, 1854, in Lauder
dale County, Mississippi, near the famous Lauderdale Springs.
His parents were Rev. Robert S. Finley, D. D., and Mary H.
Finley, nee Cole. In the year of his birth his parents moved to
Texas. His father was an itinerant preacher of the Methodist
Episcopal Church South, and was active in the ministry for a
period of fifty-six years. His field of labor in Texas was East
Texas. The subject of this sketch was educated in the common
schools of the State, principally in the towns of Marshall, Jeffer
son and Daingerfield. He chose the practice of law as his pro
fession, and in June, 1876, was admitted to the bar by District
Judge Wrn. H. Bonner and at once entered the practice at Tyler,
Texas, and continued the practice there until 1893.
In June, 1877, he was married to Miss Alma Louis Woldert,
of Tyler, who died in February, 1883. Of this marriage there
were born two children, Alma Ophelia and Mary Louise, the
latter now the wife of Mr. A. M. Eastland, of Dallas.
In January, 1886, he was again married to Miss Minnie Lee
Sims, of Fort Worth, his present widow, of which marriage there
have been born four children, to wit : Nora Warrena, now
married to Mr. David A. Frank, General Counsel of the South
western Bell Telephone System, St. Louis, Missouri ; Horace
Webster, who died at the age of four years ; Nannie Lee, now
married to Earl Burns, of Dallas, and Newton Webster, Jr.
In 1884 he was elected a Democratic presidential elector and
assisted in casting the vote of Texas for Grover Cleveland.
In 1888 he was chosen by the Democratic Party of the State
as State Chairman, and was re-elected to that position in 1890.
He organized the famous Carstable Convention, which renomi
nated James S. Hogg for Governor, and from which the Clark
faction bolted and in Turner Hall nominated George Clark for
Governor in opposition to Hogg.
In 1893 Governor Hogg appointed him Associate Justice of
the Court of Civil Appeals of the Fifth Supreme District, at

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NEWTON WEBSTER FINLEY
204 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Dallas, that court being first organized at that time. The appoint
ment was made without his seeking it. He moved with his family
to Dallas in that year and entered upon his judicial duties.
In 1894 he was nominated by the Democracy without oppo
sition and elected by the people to the same position.
In 1897 he was appointed Chief Justice of the same court
by Governor Chas. A. Culberson on the retirement of Chief
Justice Lightfoot.
In 1898 he was nominated by the Democracy and elected by
the people without opposition to the same position, and continued
in this position until April, 1900, when he resigned to re-enter
the practice of law in Dallas, taking position as the head of the
firm of Finley, Harris, Etheridge & Knight, which firm existed
for only a short time, Mr. Etheridge withdrawing, of which the
firm of Finley, Knight & Harris was the successor, which firm
remained the same till the time of his death.
In 1907 he was appointed by Governor Tom Campbell a
member of the Board of Regents of the University of Texas, ac
cepted the appointment and served in that capacity till his death.
He has been for many years a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church South, holding his membership to the time of
his death at Trinity Methodist Church, in Dallas, and has been
active in church and Sunday School work, being Superintendent
of the Sunday School.
He was a member of the Masonic Fraternity, being a Knight
Templar Mason.
He died at his home in Dallas September 23, 1909.
MRS. MARY ANNE DENSON GOODE
BARTL£TT
Mrs. Goode was born in Rankin County, Mississippi, De
cember 3, 1838, the daughter of Dr. Thomas C. and Elizabeth
Davison Benson. Her parents removed to Texas in 1854, took
up a tract of land, and settled on Willis Creek, in Williamson
County, near the present town of Granger. Their children were
James, Mary, Elizabeth, Margaret, Anne, Thomas, Frank and

Texas — The Country and Its Men

205

Belle, who are all living except two, namely, James and Mrs.
Belle Daniel.
Airs. Goode, the eldest sister, attended the common schools
of the district where her parents settled. Her father died in 1870

EDWARD GOODE
HUSBAND OF MRS. MARY ANNE DENSON GOODE

at the old home on Willis Creek. Her mother survived for
thirty years, and died in 1901, at the home of Mrs. Goode,
aged 86.
In 1852 the subject of this sketch married Prof. Robert

206 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Holmes, one child, Julia, being the result of the union. In 1857
she was left a widow, and in 1861 married Edward Goode, a
prosperous ranchman and extensive farmer. In 1862 her hus
band enlisted in the Confederate Army. He was captured in one
of the engagements in Louisiana and imprisoned for nine months
on Ship Island, and afterwards detained in a Federal hospital at
Vicksburg. He returned to the home on Dan's Creek three
months after the conclusion of hostilities, broken both in health
and fortune. At his death in June, 188 1, he owned nearly 10,000
acres of Texas land, of which 2,000 were under cultivation. Mr.
Goode was one of the venturesome spirits who went to California
in '49, and returning with a fair share of glittering gold, which
he invested in Bell County lands, eventually profiting largely
thereby. Mrs. Goode has long been known for her many efforts in the
line of practical philanthropy. Among her many belefactions may
be noted the gift of $15,000 to the Texas Christian University,
also a long list of liberal donations to various churches as well
and other religious and charitable institutions. She has educated
one nephew for the ministry, and liberally contributed to the edu
cation of others. She has about her or within easy distance many
relatives to comfort her in her declining years, among the kin-
folks being a grand-daughter, Mrs. Irene Rucker Walton, wife
of W. W. Walton, of Bartlett, and Master Billy Walton, aged
four, who, with his great-grandmother, still enjoying rugged
health, constitute three generations of the family line.

H. BERRYMAN TERRELL
AUSTIN
The subject of this sketch (at present Comptroller of the
State), the son of Sam Houston and Julia Butler Terrell, was
born at Alto, Cherokee County, Texas, August 31, 1869. His
father was a professional accountant, and also gave some atten
tion to farming. The grandfather of H. Berryman Terrell was
George Whitfield Terrell, a lifelong friend of the hero of San
Jacinto, who, when Governor of Tennessee, appointed him
Attorney General of that Commonwealth. He followed Houston

Texas — The Country and Its Men 207
to Texas, and was Secretary of State during the latter's first term
as President of the Republic, and was subsequently made Minister
to the Court of St. James by Houston. He was a man of great
native ability, who served the Republic with fidelity and dis
tinction. ,
H. Berryman Terrell's educational advantages were limited.

H. BERRYMAN TERRELL

as he was compelled to leave school at the early age of eleven, in
order to assist in the support of a widowed mother and two
sisters. Being a constant and thoughtful reader of the best litera
ture of the times, and a firm believer with Alexander Pope, "that
the chief study of mankind, is man," he eventually acquired a
practical education that was to be of inestimable value to him

208 Texas — The Country and Its Men
in an active mercantile career, upon which he entered in his
twenty-fifth year, after a long experience as a farmer. He con
tinued his commercial experience from 1896 until 1910', when he
ventured upon the sea of journalism. In the course of six years
he either founded or purchased four country newspapers, and still
conducts these publications. In 1900 he was elected to the Lower
House of the State Legislature from McLennan County when,
after a service of eight years, he was sent to the Senate from
McLennan, Falls and Milam Counties. He remained in the
Upper House seven years, and in 1914 was elected State Comp
troller by a majority of 55,000. Mr. Terrell resigned the office
of State Senator on January 19, 191 5, and was immediately sworn
in as Comptroller of Public Accounts, which office he now holds.
During his brief tenure of office he has inaugurated many re
forms in the State's accounting system, and has recovered hun
dreds of thousands of dollars heretofore stolen or withheld from
the State as a result of lose methods of accounting, in effect
prior to h'.s administration, and he points with pride to the
fact that he has never been defeated for any office to which he
has aspired. In 1890 Mr. Terrell was united in marriage to Miss Jennie
AA'^eaver, of McLennan County, to which union four girls and six
boys have been born.
JOHN WALTER TORBETT
MARLIN
Dr. John W. Torbett was born at Jacksonville, Texas, July
12, 1871. His father was J. C. Torbett, and his mother Mary
McCauley Torbett, a descendant of Thomas B. McCauley. His
father was a farmer of limited means, and the only schooling his
son enjoyed in early life was obtained in the country schools of
his section and, as he states, on "riding plows."
Later he taught school and made enough money to go to
the Centenary College at Lampasas, Texas. Before his gradu
ation from this institution he was elected assistant teacher in the
college, and upon graduation was made Professor of Higher
Science and Mathematics in his Alma Mater.
He filled this chair for three years, when he entered the

Texas — The Country and Its Men

209

DR. JOHN WALTER TORBETT

210 Texas— The Country and Its Men

Atlanta Medical College, and in 1895 graduated with the highest
honors of his class, making the best record ever made by a
student of that famous medical college. His fine record received
flattering mention in the "Atlanta Constitution," one of the lead
ing journals of the South. He came home, and for two years
did a successful country practice. He then moved to Marlin,
where is located a celebrated hot well, and turned his attention to
the treatment of chronic diseases.
He erected the Bethesda Bath House and Infirmary there,
also later the Majestic Hotel and Bath House and Torbett Sana
torium, for the accommodation of chronic cases and all who wish
first-class accommodations. This hotel and bath house are both
well equipped for the purposes for which they were constructed.
Good trained nurses, baths of both hot and cold water, steam heat
with all the modern accessories of a first-class hotel and sanita
rium, make this a favorite resort for the afflicted, and Dr. Torbett
has made both money and reputation. He and his assistants
probably treat more patients troubled with chronic ailments than
any other physician in the State, having from 120 to 160 daily.
He is a man of refinement and culture, of pleasant address
and tireless energy.
His wife, a charming pianist and vocalist, was Miss Nannie
King, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. W. King, of Caldwell, old
and honored settlers of Burleson County.
They have one child, J. AA^alter Torbett, borne June 2, 1905.
Dr. Torbett is a Royal Arch Mason, a Alethodist, Vice Presi
dent of the Marlin National Bank and of the American Electro-
therapeutic Association, a progressive citizen, and wields a great
influence in his town and county, where he is personally known
to all. Few men have accomplished so much in so brief a period as
has this active, foresighted, accomplished young physician, and
the better half of his life is still before him.
His great success is due largely to that ambitious spirit which
at the age of fifteen impelled him to go out on his own resources
to carve out a name for himself, and to be as he undoubtedly
is, the architect of his own fortune.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 211

BENJAMIN DUDLEY TARLTON
AUSTIN
Professor of Law in the Texas State University, a position which
he has filled with signal ability for upwards of a decade, was born
October i8, 1849, i" St. Mary's Parish, Louisiana. His parents

JUDGE BENJAMIN DUDLEY TARLTON

were Dr. John Tarlton and Frances Toulmin Caller. His father,
a native of Maryland, was reared in Kentucky and was a gradu
ate of Transylvania University in that Commonwealth. His
mother was the descendant of a well known pioneer family of

212 Texas— The Country and Its Men

Alabama. Judge Tariton graduated from St. Charies College,
Louisiana, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in
1868, and he also received the degree of L.L. B. from the Uni
versity of Louisiana in April, 1872. He removed to Texas in
1875 and practiced at Hillsboro from March, 1876, to May, 1891,
when he was appointed a member of the Commission of Appeals
by Governor James S. Hogg. In the following year he was elected
Chief Justice of the Court of Civil Appeals of the Second
Supreme Judicial District, at Fort Worth, upon which bench he
remained until January, 1899. In 1904 Judge Tarlton was ap
pointed to his present position.
His wife (to whom he was married after his removal to
Texas) was Miss Susan M. Littell, daughter of the Hon. Isaac
F. Littell, of St. Landry's Parish, Louisiana. Their children are
the following : Frances, wife of Leigh Ellis, of Austin, Texas ;
Elizabeth, wife of George S. AA' right, of Dallas, Texas ; Gene
vieve, wife of James S. Dougherty, of Beeville, Texas, and B. D.
Tarlton, Jr., an attorney of the latter city.
It is superfluous to say that Judge Tarlton is a tried and true
Democrat of the Old School.
ALEXANDER D. MEBANE
lockhart
A. D. Mebane was born in Mebane, North Carolina, April
8, 1855. His parents, David and Elizabeth Mebane, belonged to
the sturdy race of Scotch-Irish who came from the north of
Ireland, settled in Pennsylvania, and soon afterwards removed to
Orange County, North Carolina. Here the patriarch of the
Mebane family, Alexander Mebane, was commissioned Colonel
under the regal Government. He reared a family of twelve chil
dren, six of whom were sons. After the declaration of independ
ence he, with his sons, took active part in the war of the Revolu
tion in upholding the liberty of their country against British rule.
They rendered valiant service to their country, several being com
missioned officers. The first trophy taken during the War of
the Revolution in the State of North Carolina was a silver-hilted
sword captured from a British officer by one of these sons,
Colonel Robert Mebane, which is an heirloom much prized by

Texas — The Country and Its Men

213

Ia %'/yuJ^i--^u/i]^y-^^

214 Texas — The Country and Its Men

the present family. The people of Orange County, North Caro
lina, honored the family by naming a town for them, where the
subject of our present sketch was born.
In i860 his parents moved from Mebane, North Carolina, to
Haywood County, Tennessee, where they remained a few years.
After the Civil AA'ar, when the country was devastated and
torn asunder and new homes were being sought by thousands of
families in the older States, the elder Mebane determined, from
the glowing accounts which he had heard and read of Texas, to
leave the scenes of his boyhood and cast his lot with the people of
the Lone Star State. He reached Hays County with his wife
and children in 1872, but stayed there but one year and moved to
Caldwell County and settled on the place which is still occupied
by the subject of this sketch, surrounded with all of the pleasures
that an elegant home and wealth can bestow. W^hen the family
reached Texas in 1872, Alexander was only a lad of seventeen
years of age, of robust constitution and endowed with a strong
inquisitive brain. He had made up his mind to become a farmer.
Eight years after landing in Texas he assumed all of the respon
sibilities of life and began to carve out plans for his future,
doubtless realizing at that time the great possibilities that
stretched before him. Shortly after he went to work on the
farm, he began an investigation of the cotton plant. AA'heneyer
he heard of an improved cotton he would buy the seed and
experiment with it in trying to improve on the seed which he
bought. He secured a valuable library on plant life and studied
it, his object being not only to produce a better ^nd longer lint
yield, but a better stalk and a drouth-resisting root ; and that he
has succeeded, thousands of farmers in this State can testify.
He soon came to the conclusion that a better cotton than any
in existence could be produced, and determined to do the work
himself. He prepared himself for the work by first securing all
works obtainable on plant breeding by the most successful and
scientific plant breeders and learning their methods. His object
was to produce a cotton that combined all good points of cotton —
that is, a strong, stocky, deep-rooted stalk that resists drouth well,
long but short- jointed limbs, large bolls that held cotton in well
after opening, with a higher lint per cent, than any other cotton.
Mr. Mebane succeeded even beyond his expectations, and to this
thousands of farmers who plant his cotton will testify.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 215
The world has its Edison, California its Burbank, and Texas
has its Alebane, who will live in the world's history as the great
est genius of this age. Morse, the discoverer of telegraphy, on
being toasted at a banquet, replied : "It is not with me, I was
only a created being, created by God to perfect His work, and as
time passes and the world needs other things, God will instill in
other men knowledge, wisdom and capacity to perfect them."
AA'hile being shown through the breeding fields and seeing the
wonderful results of Mr. Mebane's labors, I could but think
that it was one of the wonderful works of God, and not man
alone. I will not attempt to give a description of his field, because
I would fail. It has to be seen, it would be like describing a snow
storm to a blind man who had never seen snow.
Mr. Alebane was educated at Dancyville, Tennessee ; was
married to Miss Sarah A. Owen in 1904. He is now in his
sixtieth year, hale and hearty, and gives promise of many more
years of usefulness. He is highly esteemed in his own community
and holds the Presidency of the School Board of the Lockhart
Independent District.
MEBANE TRIUMPH COTTON
The broad acres of the Mebane plantation look like one im
mense breeding farm. To the uninitiated in cotton improvement,
every stalk looks like a model of the Mebane Triumph variety.
They are models, as are the bolls, but to the practiced eye of Mr.
Mebane there appear distinctions not discernible to the man who
has grown cotton for profit only, and whose principal study has
been to invest his net earnings to yield the greatest returns.
As you walk with Mr. Mebane through the fields toward his
house, and he calls attention to the finest stalks and bolls, he
names so many distinctive points in the selection of the best that
you can remember only a few of them.
Through a gate near the house you enter the breeding farm
of the Mebane Triumph Plantation. That scientifically cultivated
area is a wonder. The camera nor the pen can not picture it as
it is. It is a scene to behold, to think about and look upon again
and again, each time with greater appreciation.
You are inclined to endow those bolls with human qualities.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 217

and you stand in awe as it dawns upon you that the increase
from those bolls in whose presence you are will, in 191 7, go out
to progressive planters in all the cotton territory of the world to
make lint longer and stronger, the per cent of lint outturn greater,
the stalks more uniform, more prolific, drouth-resisting and fruit
ful. Those bolls are missionaries, if you please, as are those
of the entire Mebane plantation. With each succeeding year they
preach to those whom they are sent a richer gospel of better
prices, larger profits, commercial independence to the South and
enlarged opportunities for culture, education and better living to
individuals and families.
Mr. Mebane is an expert in cotton breeding and can easily
increase the length of the staple or the percentage of lint, but he
finds that there is a limit to either where it ceases to be profitable.
Long staple brings a better price per pound of lint, but the yield
is not as great, and on the other hand a material increase in yield
of lint means a reduction in price on account of short staple.
However, he has made improvement in both length of staple and
lint yield, and he may yet make further progress along this line.
But both the length of staple arid the lint percentage vary with
the season from year to year. A uniform cotton in these respects
can not be produced in this climate.
If you encourage Mr. Mebine by a show of interest in what
he has accomplished, he begins a discourse replete in thought and
live with human experience. He takes you, like a story, from
his first efforts in cotton development more than thirty years ago
down to the place and presence in which you now stand. The
earnestness of soul pent up for many years takes hold upon you,
and sordid and unimaginative must be the mind that is not ab
sorbed in the story of- the man "who has wrought this truly great
work. Well did the great Dr. S. Knapp say, "His efforts have been
worth millions to Ihe farmers of the South." That statement
considers only dollars. When you consider the greater and larger
opportunities the growing of this cotton has wrought to the
South, you can not escape the conviction that the achievements
of Mr. A. D. Mebane are beyond the range of human calculation.

218

Texas — The Country and Its Men

Texas — The Country and Its Men 219

HIRAM AUGUSTUS WROE
AUSTIN
Prominent in financial and banking circles, as Vice President of
the American National Bank, of Austin, Texas, is a native of
Fayette County, Texas, where he was born September 9, 1866.
His parents were AA^illiam Thomas and Bersheba Jane AVroe. His
father, a prosperous and well-to-do merchant, has for many years
conducted a wholesale establishment in Austin, dealing princi
pally in saddlery and vehicles of every description, and is still
actively engaged in trade.
The subject of this sketch was educated in the preparatory
schools of Giddings, Lee County, Texas. In his nineteenth year
he took the initiatory step in the successful business career which
has followed. He was at first a salesman, and for eight years
acted in that capacity or as manager of his father's establishment.
In January, 1903, Mr. Wroe became Vice President of the great
banking institution at Austin, and is still serving in that capacity.
On June 16, 1898, he was married to Miss Pearl White, of
Gonzales, Texas, a niece of Major George Littlefield. As a
result of this union two children have gladdened the hearts of
the Wroes, the eldest being Ed Rhodes Littlefield, born August
24, 1899, and Jane Elizabeth, born March 22, 1903. In the prime
of vigorous manhood, possessing a delightful home, an ample
fortune and business connections of the highest order, Mr. Wroe
is indeed among those who can view life serenely, with naught
save pleasant anticipation.
Mr. Wroe is a thirty-second degree Mason, belongs to Scot
tish Rite Consistory No. i, Galveston, is a Shriner and a Knight
Templar. In politics he long since cast his political fortunes with
the Democracy.

220 Texas — The Country and Its Men

JOHN R. GROSS
GALVESTON
The subject of this memoir was essentially a man of the
people in the best sense of the phrase, sprung from them, edu
cated in practical life, and ever studying the welfare in their
economical relations of the great mass of his fellow countrymen,
in the broad light of a general philanthropy.
The father of the subject of this imperfect sketch was a
native of London, England. His mother was a native of Canada.
The family moved to New Jersey from Canada and there settled
on a farm. John was then a mere lad, having been born June 14,
1846. Not having a taste for farm life, he left the parental roof
and went to Buffalo, New York, in search of employment. He
found work in a mercantile establishment, but remained with this
firm but a short time. Desiring a broader field, he went to New
York City and entered the establishment of H. B. Claflin & Co.,
where he remained for several years. After learning the dry goods
business for himself, and having heard of the possibilities of
Texas, decided to move to Galveston. Shortly after his arrival in
the Island City, Texas, he entered the employ of Greenleaf, Block
& Co. The house of P. J. Willis & Co. was then, perhaps, the
largest mercantile establishment in Texas, and recognizing the
ability of Mr. Gross, subsequently offered him a more lucrative
position, which he accepted, remaining with them for twenty-five
years. He severed his connection with this house after the death
of both P. J. and R. S. AA'illis and was one of the organizers of
the Galveston Dry Goods Company, of Galveston, in which he
served as Secretary until his death.
On March 27, 1889, he was happily married to the accom-

Texas — The Country and Its Men

221

plished daughter and only child of the late H. Marwitz, one of
the most highly respected citizens of Galveston. Four children
were born of this union, namely: Marwitz, a promising boy of
sixteen years ; Effie, Bertha and Robert.

JOHN R. GROSS

When the great storm of 1900 swept over Galveston, leaving
death and destruction in its wake and causing the loss and devas
tation of millions of dollars in property losses, Mr. Gross was one
of the first to volunteer to bring order out of chaos. He gave his

222 Texas— The Country and Its Men

time and money to the afflicted and suffering, for which he will
long be remembered.
His soul has now gone to its Maker, but his acts of kindness
and charity live on.
He leaves a rich heritage to his devoted wife and children.
I name thy name, true victor in this strife.
But let it serve to say
That, when we kneel to pray.
Prayers rise for thee, — thine ear shall never know,
And that thy gallant deed.
For God, and for our need.
Is in all hearts as deep as love can go.
— Edwin Arnold.
Mr. Gross died after a lingering illness of several years, and
in his demise Galveston lost one of her most loyal citizens and
public benefactors ; his wife, a devoted husband, and his children,
a fond and loving parent.
H. MARWITZ GALVESTON
As the pioneer history of Texas is being written and put into
print, the fact is being developed that the German Empire has
contributed more of its bone, sinew and brain to the settlement
and development of the Lone Star State than all of the other
Nations of the world combined. The Germans were among the
first pioneers, who made their way into the region of country
known as Western and Southern Texas. As a rule they were
plain, honest people without means, who were accustomed to
hardships and a rigid economy in all the affairs of life.
The late Mr. Marwitz landed in Texas in 1852, being then
a young man of nineteen years of age. He immediately went to
work doing anything he could find for his hands to do. We dare
say he never dreamed of the possibilities for a poor boy afforded
in Texas. He was soon able to go in business for himself and
engaged in the mercantile business. He was successful from the
beginning and was soon recognized as one of the leading mer-

Texas — The Country and Its Men

223

chants and ship chandlers of Galveston, and succeeded in building
up a fortune estimated at $250,000. For several years he served
as President of the City Railroad Company and was connected

H. MARWlTZjj
with the Island City National Bank of Galveston, and many other
business enterprises.
In 1898 his wife died, leaving one daughter, Ida M., wife
of the late J. R. Gross. Mr. Marwitz survived his wife but
one year, dying in 1899 at his palatial home in Galveston.
Mr. Marwitz's private character was unblemished, his habits
extremely simple and he discharged all the duties of life in an
exemplary manner.

224 Texas — The Country and Its Men

WALLER SAUNDERS BAKER
WACO
When Waller Saunders Baker died Texas lost one of her
best, truest and most unselfish citizens. For nearly forty years,
from the day he reached the age of manhood to the hour of his
death, he was one of the advance guard of the army of great
Texans, who worked in and out of season to rehabilitate the
devastated fortunes of Texas that the Civil War had left in its
wake. During all these years his services for the common weal
and the upbuilding of self-government among his people were
given without hope of reward, except the consciousness of duty
performed. Mr. Baker died suddenly in San Francisco, California, on
August 8, 1913, where he and his family had gone for a brief
period of recreation from the arduous work of the office and the
courtroom. While walking on one of the principal streets of the Cali
fornia city for a brief time, while his family and that of his
brother were in attendance at the theatre, he was suddenly
stricken with a mortal disease, and in a few moments was dead,
with his last words on his lips, "I want my wife."
Death never gathered to her cold embrace a purer Christian ;
the cradle of childhood ngver rocked to sleep a gentler heart;
the fires of martyrdom never blazed around a more heroic soul;
the Roman eagles, the lilies of France nor the Lion of St. George
never waved above a truer, gentler soul, a purer patriot and
statesman. Waller Baker, as he was known to thousands of Texas, was
a kindly and lovable man and had warm personal friends in every
part of Texas who loved him as a brother,- and esteemed him for
his loyalty to friendship, and his ever-readiness to lend a helping
hand in any measure designed to aid a friend or a public cause.
As the head of a family, with a large circle of kinsmen, he was
the ideal of the patriarch of old in his love and fostering care. In
the City of Waco, where he spent his entire life since coming

Texas — The Country and Its Men 225

ktdUjA /1,/^.c^

226 Texas — The Country and Its Men
into manhood, his acquaintanceship was universal and his circle
of friends were legion.
Waller Saunders Baker was born in Lexington, Fayette
County, Kentucky, in the heart of the famous Blue Grass Region,
and his family was a noted one in a region famous for notable
families. His natal day Was March 30, 1856, and at the time of his
death he was in his fifty-eighth year. His father was John Holland
Baker, of sturdy Irish- Welsh extraction, and the Baker family
moved to Kentucky in Colonial days ; John Holland Baker being
born in what is now Franklin County, on April 6, 1782, ten years
before Kentucky was admitted to the Union, while George Wash
ington was President of the United States. His mother was Miss
Amanda Saunders, a native of Shelby County, Kentucky.
When Waller Baker was in his teens his family moved to
Texas and settled in McLennan County, and Waller, during his
youthful days, lived on his father's farm near the town of
Crawford. After attending the McLennan schools, he was sent to Baylor
University, one of the most notable educational institutions in
the West, presided over by the celebrated Dr. William Carey
Crane, D. D., L.L. D.
At the age of twenty years he graduated at Baylor Uni
versity, and then studied law in the office of General Thomas
Harrison until his twenty-first birthday, when he was admitted
to the bar. His license to practice law was issued on April 10,
1876, and from that day until his death he was a member of
the Waco bar.
At an early date he began to take an interest in public affairs,
political, educational and fraternal. He served his community,
county and State in many important capacities, positions of trust
and confidence, but he never held a public office to which was
attached a monetary consideration, except that of State Senator.
All his services were for the benefit of the people of his adopted
State. As a, community builder, he stood shoulder to shoulder
with the most progressive and active citizenship of Waco. In the
removal of the great Baylor University from Independence he

Texas — The Country and Its Men

227

zealously worked for his home place, and aided it in securing this
enduring monument to the progressive citizenship of Waco.
In 1884 he was elected chairman of the Democratic Execu
tive Committee for McLennan County. In 1892 he was elected

MRS. waller S. baker

from his Congressional District as a Presidential Elector and cast
a vote that helped to make Grover Cleveland President of the
United States. During the same year he was a delegate to the
celebrated State Convention that met at Houston and nominated

228 Texas — The Country and Its Men
James Stephen Hogg for Governor of Texas. Mr. Baker was
selected as campaign manager for Governor Hogg in this great
political fight for constructive legislation, the control of railroad
rates and the enactment of an alien land law. Mr. Baker was
elected Chairman of the State Democratic Executive Committee
and directed the fight that placed Governor Hogg in the Govern
or's office by a handsome majority after a most desperate political
fight. With the election of Governor Hogg he went to the State
Senate to aid him in having his policies enacted into law and
gave his time at a serious financial loss to thus aid in the full
fruition of the hopes of the supporters of the policies of Gov
ernor Hogg.
As a lawyer Mr. Baker was eminent in his profession, and
if it had been his wish, he could have held high judicial office in
Nation's councils.
In the year 1886 Mr. Baker married Miss Mary H. Mills,
daughter of Samuel D. and Mattie "(Bonner) Mills, of Galveston.
The Mills family was then, as it is today, one of the most promi
nent and influential in the State. Dr. Samuel D. Mills, the father
of Mrs. Baker, was one of the noted bankers of Texas' pioneer
days, and this family has long been identified with the financial
and professional life of the Lone Star State.
No greater tribute to mental and moral worth has been given
to man by his intimates than the resolutions passed by the Mc
Lennan County Bar Association at its first meeting after Mr.
Baker's death. The report of the committee, consisting of Messrs.
W. H. Jenkins (chairman), J. E. Yantis, S. E. Stratton, Robert
H. Rogers, John W. Taylor, Sr., H. C. Lindsey and John AA'^.
Davis, reads as follows :
"Waller S. Baker -was born at Lexington, Kentucky, on the 30th
day of March, 18S0. He came with his parents to Texas in 1858 and
settled in McLennan County, Texas, -where he continued to reside to the
time of his death. He was educated in AVaco University, from which
institution he graduated with the class of 1875. After his graduation he
entered the law office of General Thomas Harrison as a law student;
was thereafter, in 1876, admitted to the bar, and on the 9th day of Sep
tember, A- D. 1913, he took his place in the 'silent halls of death.'
"If these recitations were all that could be said of our brother we
would turn away from his grave without a tear or a sigh, and the clods
would cover his memory as well as his mortal frame. But this is not
all. In the years that came to him he has builded a character, a o^ood

Texas — The Country and Its Men 229
character, and character never dies. The body perishes, but the char
acter lives on. Death can not bind it, the grave can not hide, men can
not forget or ignore it, and God crowns with honor a good character.
"Your committee approaches with diffidence the duty of giving ex
pression to the sentiment of this body, and its own, on the life and char
acter of our brother. To do him justice, and yet not be fulsome, to be
fair to him and not apparently exceed the limits of moderation, is a
task which calls for such wisdom and discrimination in statement that we
fear to undertake it. REMARKABLE MAN
"Mr. Baker was a remarkable man. At whatever angle he is viewed
he is equally admirable. His varied characteristics acting as checks and
balances reacting one upon another, made him so well rounded and sym
metrical in his mental and moral proportions that to the actual observer
he did not appear as massive as he really was. AVith his courage, his
fierce love of the mastery, his faith in himself and his unyielding fidelity
to his convictions, he would have been a tyrant to be dreaded, but over
against these characteristics was arrayed a gentleness that was almost
womanly, a broad, exhaustless charity for his fellowman and a keen
appreciation of the rights of his neighbor and of his obligations to him.
These opposite characteristics, reacting one upon the other, wrought out
that strong, harmonious, symmetrical character, the like of which we shall
scarcely see again.
"He was one of the most unselfish of men. The night was never too
dark or the day too hot or cold for him to serve a friend, and he had that
rarer quality of serving those who had no claim on his friendship other
than that they were human beings and in need of help. Could all his
deeds of charity to the needy, of kindness to the stricken, and of help
fulness to the struggling be written, it would make an astonishing record.
He was especially the friend of the struggling young man. His cultured
home was always open to him and within its hospitable precincts many,
very many, of this class received encouragement and inspiration that
helped them to conquer life's battles.
"As a lawyer Mr. Baker easily ranked with the ablest in our State.
With him the profession of law was not a mere means of a livelihood,
that was only an incident. It was not a business, but a great and noble
profession set for the defense of right and the attainment of justice by
and through legal methods. And hence his conduct as an attorney in his
office and in the courtroom was always on a high plane. He never sought
an unjust advantage, never asked a ruling of the court he did not believe
to be in the interest of justice, and never forgot the honor due to the
court or lowered his own dignity as its officer. He was a strong adver
sary. No man ever met him at the bar or on the hustings that did not
recognize him as a foeman worthy of his steel. He always fought in the
open, gave blow for blow, asked no quarter, and fearlessly stood for what
he believed to be right. He never went into the trial of a case unpre
pared, he knew his own side and that of his adversary. He never suffered
a surprise. Never was there a fairer adversary, seldom one harder to
overcome. Yet our brother made no enemies. When the smoke of the
conflict cleared away the heat and acrimony passed with it, and there
was not a corner in his great, loving, manly heart where a corroding spark

230 Texas — The Country and Its Men

of malice could hide itself. Mr. Baker's ideals as a lawyer were high and
he counted not the cost to himself in measuring up toward them. Deter
mining when a young man to make a great lawyer of himself, he never
for one moment swerved from his purpose. Gifted with a rugged con
stitution and a vast capacity for labor, he taxed both to the limit of
endurance to compass his ambition, and how well he succeeded the bench
and bar of Texas know. Though burdened with a large practice, he never
ceased to study and hence to grow, and when death claimed him, his
mind was still fresh and active and strong as in his early manhood, but
he did not go till he had attained his ambition, so it might be truthfully
written on his tombstone, 'Here lies a great lawyer.'
"Mr. Baker had the bearing and appearance of an aristocrat, but
his sympathies were always with the masses. The glamour of wealth and
place and power had no charm for him. He could have had high office,
but he would not. His chosen place was in the ranks of the people and
he was always ready to fight their battles and help to bear their burdens.
He was fair in his estimate of wealth, and just in his judgment as to its
rights ; but, in his thinking, the wealth accumulated by oppression and
wrongdoing was stolen property. Neither wealth nor poverty were factors
in determining the worth of a man ; what he was and was not was the test
of the man.
"This hasty and imperfect sketch of our brother's well rounded,
helpful, noble life, would be sadly marred if your committee could not
leave in this enduring form the testimony that Mr. Baker was a Christian.
A little more than a year ago in this city, in the presence of a vast con
course of his friends and neighbors, he publicly declared his faith in
Jesus Christ as his Savior, and today as we lay his mortal remains away,
that good confession throws a glorious light back over his noble life and
illumines the dark portals of the grave with the hope of a blessed resur
rection. te.xt of resolutions
"In view of such a life,
"Resolved, first, That the bar of Texas has lost one of its most dis
tinguished and able members, the State a wise, patriotic citizen, this
community a noble and loyal neighbor, and humanity an unselfish friend.
"Resolved, second, That we tender to the bereaved wife of our brother
our sincere sympathy in this hour of her great sorrow and wish for her
that sustaining grace that can only come from our Father in Heaven.
"Resolved, third, That a copy hereof be presented to our several
courts of record and to the city press for publication, and that a copy
be spread at large on the minutes, and a copy be conveyed by a committee
of this association to the wife of our deceased brother."
TRIBUTE OF AN ASSOCIATE
Pat M. Neff, law partner, delivered an eulogy to the dead.
In part, he said :
"The bereaved family, on account of my intimate and professional
association with Mr. Baker, expressed a desire that on this unspeakably
sad and exceedingly solemn occasion, I say ^ few parting words. "Thought,

Texas — The Country and Its Men 231
however, is bankrupt when we stand in the presence of the dead, and
language is indeed a poor vehicle in which to convey one's true sentiments
when he realizes that the cold clods of the cemetery are about to hide
from view his closest friend and most intimate associate. It has always
been considered proper, though, for relatives and loved ones to gather
about the casket, and, as a last tender tribute, mingle together their tears
as they recall the virtues of the departed.
"Seemingly as quick as the lightning's brief reflection, Mr. Baker
was taken from the busy walks of men, to join the innumerable hosts that
sweep with silent tread each hour through the open gates of the grave,
I have not yet been able to realize that he has gone forever from among
us. During the last few days as I have sat in our office, his office no
more, bereft and bereaved as it was of its noblest adornment, it seemed
that I could still feel the kindly touch of his manly hand, see the genial
smile of his honored face, and hear once more the mellow tones of his
counseling voice. As I am, however, now forced to know that the mantle
of decay wraps his dreamless dust that only a little while ago moved
among us with a life that seemed immortal, and that now we must place
him beneath the sacred sod to await the resurrection day, there is nothing
the holy hush of the hour would permit my lips to say except to recall, as
a blessing and a benefaction to broken hearts, the gladsome sunshine and
sweet recollection that will come from his abiding memory, the richest
legacy he has left behind him. HIS PERSONALITY
"On account of Mr. Baker's fine physique, manly mould, imposing
personality, decorous conduct, polished manner and innate dignity, some
people on casual acquaintance thought him to be of an aristocratic turn,
while in truth at heart his emotions were of the purest democratic type,
and his thoughts were always of and for the people. He repeated while
away on his last trip that which he had stated at home, to the effect that
at the end of this year he expected to retire from the active practice of
law and devote the larger part of his time to writing articles and publicly
discussing certain questions touching the commercialization of the age
which he thought someone not a candidate for office ought to openly
espouse. He loved the people for the people's sake. His thoughts were
always for the enlightenment and uplift of humanity, and his heart beat
to its utmost verge in patriotic devotion to his country. He paid as little
attention to the empty honors of place and the paltry distinctions of
power as any man among us. He appreciated a man and a friend for
what he was, not what he had. He thought more of Dan Ford, as the
cowboy friend of his youth, and appreciated more keenly his honest hand
clasp than he did the fawning friendship and the bejeweled handshake
of many a distinguished latter-day acquaintance. The friends of Waller
S. Baker's youth, be it said to his credit, were the friends of his life, and
when across the continent the wires flashed the news of his untimely
death, they were the first to pay tribute to his sterling worth,
HIS PRIVATE LIFE
"When we stand by the torhb of the departed, the glamor and glory
of genius, the worth and witchery of wealth, the pomp and power of

232 Texas — The Country and Its Men

place are forgotten, and we measure the memory of the man, not as he
was before the footlights, not as he was listening to the plaudits of the
passing throng, but as he was in the privacy of life, as he was in lifting
high the ideals of his profession, as he was in rendering service to those
about him. Measured by these standards. Waller Baker walked like Saul
of old, head and shoulders above the men of his profession and citizenship
of his day. In the privacy of his office, as like a great general, he out
lined his plans and marshalled his forces for a great legal battle, he not
only acted right, but he always thought right, and he possessed at all
times the highest ideals and the keenest sense of professional honor, and
he never lowered that high standard amid the clash and the conflict of
the courtroom. As a lawyer he never worked in brush too thick, nor in
timber too high to be seen, but always moved on the open prairie in the
clear, white light of the unclouded day. As was stated at the bar meeting
by one who has practiced law with him for thirty-five years, you never
had to reduce an agreement made with Mr. Baker to writing in order to
make it binding. The last case we counseled about before going to the
courtroom, I suggested a certain line of procedure. He said, 'No ; we can
not do that.' Without knowing what had gone before, I insisted on it. He
replied, 'We can not do that because I gave the lawyer on the other side
some time ago my word that we would not raise that question.' Above
all people on earth, the lawyer should be true to himself, and then he can
not be false to any client. The most confidential relation between man
and man is the relation of attorney and client. A man will not always
follow the prescription of the physician who looks after his body; he will
not always emulate the precepts of the preacher who ministers to his
soul ; but he will always follow with implicit faith and unyielding de
votion the advice of his lawyer in whose hands he places either his
property or his life. Mr. Baker was a great lawyer, not altogether be
cause he had an analytical mind, nor because he won victories in the
courtroom, but because in all his vast and varied practice he never be
trayed that high and sacred trust that binds together the conscientious
counselor and the confiding client. His falling into the arms of death,
like the falling of a mighty oak in the forest, left a gap in the sky and a
chasm in the earth amidst the membership of the Waco bar.
KINDLY acts
"I do not hesitate to say that Mr. Baker and his good wife — God
bless her in her lonely bereavement — have been father and mother to
more boys and girls in Waco than any other two individuals in all our
midst. Each mutually and beautifully surpassed the other in scattering
with a loving hand blessings along the needy pathway of many a youth
to fame and fortune unknown. They have been a help, a hope and an
inspiration to many a struggling lad who was fighting alone the single-
handed battle of life. Their home has been open, and his office has been
free. There has scarcely been a time for twenty-five years when Mr.
Baker did not have in and around his office some ambitious youth who
was receiving instructions and encouragement from his lips, and money
from his pocket. They love him for it, and there is not a one but who
will pause today and place with loving hands a sweet forget-me-not
above his new-made grave. 'To live in hearts we leave behind is not
to die.'

Texas — The Country and Its Men 233
"It has been said that a private secretary after long service never
thinks that his employer is either great or good, and yet the little stenog
rapher who for five long years has sat in Mr. Baker's office and taken
his dictation sings his praises everywhere ; and when, a few mornings
ago, I broke to her the sad news, she said, with a trembling form, and
fast descending tears, 'He has been more than a father to me ; I have
lost my best friend.' Last spring the little legless girl who sits along
Fourth Street, in order that she might better enjoy the sunshine, climbed
partly up the steps that led to our office, I kindly remarked one day, 'You
block our stairway.' She gently, but firmly, replied, 'Mr. Baker said I
could sit anywhere on this stairway I wanted to.' That little incident, my
friends, revealed the kind-hearted man. I was sorely ashamed that I
had even questioned the propriety of her blocking the entrance to our office.
That little spark of humanity that perhaps you have never condescended
to speak to, loves Mr. and Mrs. Baker for their kind words and their
benefactions. Mr. Baker, she told me, would give her money to buy her
pencils with and then frequently on Saturday evenings he would buy all
she had and send her away happy. I would rather have the tears of
the low, the humble and the outcast to moisten my tomb than to have
the Chief Executive of the Nation stand with uncovered head by my
coffin. I can not recall the numerous 'phone messages received at my
office during the past week in which a weeping woman's voice at the
other end of the line recited how, in the years gone by, Mr. Baker had
given to her a father's advice, lent to her a helping hand, and stayed
the lashing waves that were beating at her feet. I have learned more
about Mr. Baker's philanthropy and his acts of kindness since his lips
have been sealed, and his hands have been folded, than I ever heard
during my acquaintance with him. He never paraded it. The world will
never know it. During the week prior to Mr. Baker's death, he observed
in the hotel where he was stopping a young man scouring up the floor.
He remarked to his wife that the young man certainly had a fine face,
and that he must be working below his station in life, and that his
worth deserved for him a better job. Mrs. Baker went to her room for
awhile, and when she returned she looked over in one corner, and there
she saw the stately form of her husband with his arm around the lad
as he leaned on his floor mop. Tears were streaming down the boy's
face as he told why he was there. The next day Mr. Baker secured a
good place for him in one of the best real estate offices in Los Angeles.
The telephone operator at the hotel frequently brought messages to Mr.
and Mrs. Baker's room. One day Mr. Baker remarked to her, 'You seem
to be sad, and in trouble; is there anything the matter?' She broke down
and said that she was in the greatest grief, that her husband had sued
for a divorce, and that the light of her life had gone out. Mr. Baker
heard her story without comment. He went down and asked the clerk
where the lady's husband could be found. Mr. Baker went to see him, and
the next day they were living together as happy as a bride and groom.
The last act of Mr. Baker's life, one hour before the Death Reaper
cut him down, he wrote a long letter to almost a stranger, but one whose
life touched the life of his friend, a former citizen of Waco, and in that
letter Mr. Baker sought to make happier and better two dissatisfied lives.
I tell you, my friends, little acts of this kind will build for a man a monu
ment of human hearts that will be towering aloft, kissing the lips of God,

234 Texas — The Country and Its Men
when the marble shafts of the Goulds and Vanderbilts have crumbled to
unremembered dust.
"Out yonder in the city of the dead sleeps the mouldering dust of
the gallant Ross, the lovely Burleson, the lion-hearted Coke, and many
others whose lives added a splendor to the glory of the Lone Star, but
never did a nobler character, a more charitable spirit, a more polished or
perfect Southern gentleman pass through the gates ajar at Oakwood
Cemetery than the one, the black plumes of whose hearse we follow today.
PROFESSION OF FAITH
"As the climax of Mr. Baker's life, as well as of what I shall say,
is that thrilling and Heaven-crowned incident, still fresh in the memory
of many here, when he stood upright and fearless in the presence of 5,000
people, the people who knew him best, and made a public profession of
his faith in the Savior of men. During a general conversation on this
last trip, he remarked to those about him that he believed everything in
the Bible from lid to lid, and that since he had left the duties of his
office he had done much thinking along this line, and that on his return
home he was going to make a change in his church relation. Though the
silken thread of his life was clipped without a moment's warning, he
was prepared and not afraid to die.
"We, therefore, today can indulge in that fond, happy and ever-
sustaining belief that, amidst the golden glow of life's setting sun, stars
unutterably bright decked the sky that arched the far Pacific slope, and
that the swift-winged messenger of God met him at the sudden terminus
of life's railroad, and escorted him in a golden chariot to his heavenly
home, where with harp in hand he could sing with the poet divine, 'The
Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.' I do not, therefore, say my dear,
honored and beloved friend, wrapped as you are in the winding sheet,
'Farewell,' I only say 'Good-bye' till we renew our partnership, I trust,
on the everlasting shore where no storms ever beat on the glittering
strand as the years of eternity roll."

WILLIAM BELL COLLINS
lovelady
At present State Health Officer, was born at Crockett, Houston
County, Texas, October 17, 1862. His father, S. J. Collins, a
physician and planter, was a Tennesseean; his mother, Lucy F.
Collins, a native of Alabama. They came to Texas at an early
date, and were married in Houston County in i860, where they
continued to reside during their lives. At the outbreak of the
Civil War Dr. Collins entered the Confederate Army and served
as surgeon during the conflict, when, returning to Texas, he prac
ticed medicine for fifty years.
The subject of this sketch was educated in the academic

Texas — The Country and Its Men 235
schools of his native county. He subsequently attended the Key
School of Medicine, graduating with first honors in the class of
1885. He has since been engaged in the practice of his profession
and has been eminently successful. Being widely known and rec
ognized as a man of superior executive talent, he was chosen in

DR. WILLIAM BiiLL COLLINS

1907 to serve on the Board of State Medical Examiners, continu
ing in that capacity until 191 5, when he was appointed by Gov
ernor Ferguson to the position he now holds. Dr. Collins has
identified himself in every way possible in all that makes for the
general development of his State, counting no moment lost in
which he could contribute to the welfare of its people. He has
made a careful study of health conditions in all parts of Texas,

236 Texas — The Country and Its Men
a fact that particularly well qualifies him for the arduous duties
of Health Commissioner. The Doctor is known for his advocacy
of clean politics, higher education, and especially for his stand
upon the question of better educational facilities in the rural dis
tricts. The highest standards of true manhood and womanhood
find an ardent champion in Dr. Collins, who finds time amidst
his multifarious duties to take part in all movements for the gen
eral uplift of social conditions.
His wife was Miss Mattie Nelms, a sister of Hon. Hayne
Nelms, of Groveton, one of the leading attorneys of the State,
to whom he was married April ii, 1888. Their children are:
William Hayne, Joe Nelms, and Mildred Collins. Both sons are
engaged in the banking business.
FRANKLIN ELISHA HUBBARD
moran
Was born at Berlin, Vermont, June 29, 1840. His parents, Elisha
and Charlotte B. Hubbard, were thrifty farmers in the Green
Mountain State, who, believing it true that westward the Star of
the Empire really took its way, moved to Wisconsin in 1856, and
settled at Beloit, where the father died the same year, his widow
surviving for many years, passing away in her eighty-fifth year.
The subject of this biographic reference was educated in tl*e
district schools of Vermont. When a boy he was first employed
as a grocery clerk, at which he continued for three years, when in
April, 1862, he became for a few months a traveling salesman.
He lived in Chicago when that city was practically wiped off the
map in the great fire of October 9, 1871, which left him with no
earthly possessions except his wife and children. Six years later
he located at Neenah, Wisconsin, in the clothing trade ; remained
there six years, when his health having failed, he came to Texas
in the fall of 1883, and settled on a ranch near Moran, Shackel
ford County. In 1906 he sold his place, consisting of 3,365 acres,
and moved to the town of Moran, practically retiring from
business. On December 30, 1863, at Janesville, AVisconsin, Mr. Hub
bard married Miss Rosa L. James, daughter of S. L. James of

Texas — The Country and Its Men

237

that city. Three boys were born of this union, two of whom
died in infancy. One son, Frank Rolfe Hubbard, is in the lumber
business at Moran, Texas.
Mr. Hubbard recalls the early days, when the country in his
vicinity was practically an unbroken stretch of prairie and little

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franklin elisha HUBBARD
timber, with no fences, and neighbors few and far between, when,
as he says, one traveled from point to point as the crow flies,
with nothing to break the continuity of the journey, in direct
contrast with the mountain country of Vermont, where he was
born. Mr. Hubbard says that in politics he is a National Repub
lican and State Democrat.
238 Texas — The Country and Its Men

GEORGE F. HINDES
pearsall
There is, perhaps, no man in this section of the State who is
more familiar with the entire history of Southwest Texas than
is George F. Hindes, for he has spent nearly his entire life in this
section, and has not only been an interested witness in the won
derful transformation that has taken place in this country, but
has always taken an active part in its development. Combining
romantic adventure with the business of life to his own material
advancement, he deserves much credit for what he has done in
connection with the settlement and improvement of Southwest
Texas. He belongs to that class of representative citizens who,
while promoting their individual prosperity, also advance the
general welfare.
George F. Hindes was born in Wilcox County, Alabama, on
September 30, 1844, and, at the age of eleven, moved with his
parents to Caldwell County, Texas. Remaining there but one
year, the family settled in Atascosa County, where the elder
Hindes engaged actively in the cattle business, undergoing the
many hardships ever present in a frontier country, and bearing
the brunt of the frequent depredations of Indians. It was in
1865, while defending his home from the murderous incursions
by the Indians, that the elder Hindes was killed. Having always
shown a genuine aptitude for business, the younger Hindes as
sumed the business of his father, and has been actively engaged
in the stock business since 1856.
The troublesome and harassing days of the Civil AA'ar found
Mr. Hindes in active service under the command of Captain
Chapman and later a member of Captain Curtis Herring's Com
pany of Rangers. In March, 1865, just before the close of the
Civil War, he married Miss Caroline Fountain, the accomplished
daughter of Robert A. and Emily F. Fountain, who came from
Alabama. Their children, now living, are Mrs. Nettie Windrow,
Mrs. Mary Nixon, David and Frank Hindes. The deceased chil
dren are Thomas, who died in infancy; John, who died at the

Hi/Hi /t^M<d^

240 Texas — The Country and Its Men

age of fourteen, and Fannie L., the wife of Luther Devilbiss, who
died in 191 1, leaving a beautiful little daughter, Grace.
In 1872 Mr. Hindes drove his first herd of cattle through to
Kansas, and laid the foundation of his success as a stockman.
It was in this same year that he engaged in the mercantile busi
ness at Pleasanton, in addition to his stock business, retaining his
interest there until the year 1885, when he again returned to his
ranch to give his stock business his undivided attention. In 1889
Mr. Hindes moved, with his family, to Pearsall; and in 1891, in
partnership with the late C. H. Beever, founded the house of
Beever & Hindes, which was subsequently merged into the Pear
sall Mercantile Company. Seeing the abounding need of banking
facilities for the community and this section, due to the steady
growth and development of Frio County, Mr. Hindes and his
associate, Mr. Beever, conceived the idea of organizing a bank,
and in 1903 the Pearsall National Bank was established with C.
H. Beever, President, and G. F. Hindes, Vice President, each re
taining their respective official positions until the death of Mr.
Beever, when Mr. Hindes was unanimously chosen to head the
institution which he assisted in organizing, which position he still
retains. Having always possessed a masterly conception of the
potentialities of Southwest Texas, Mr. Hindes took an active part
in the organization of The Frio Cotton Oil Company, the largest
plant of its kind in Texas, and has been numbered as one of its
officiatory since its inception. In 1909 Mr. Hindes assisted in
establishing the Atascosa County State Bank, at Jourdanton,
Texas, and for five years held the position of President, during
which time this institution developed into one of the most promis
ing in this section. Owing to the pressure of other business, Mr.
Hindes relinquished this position, but is still one of its heaviest
stockholders. In addition to his banking and commercial inter
ests, Mr. Hindes is an extensive land owner, and recently founded
the town of Hindes, Atascosa County,, which is .located within a
radius of sixty miles of San Antonio, in the pure artesian belt on
the San Antonio, Uvalde & Gulf Railroad.
Notwithstanding the many demands made upon him by virtue
of his varied interests, Mr. Hindes is a close student, a lover of
nature, and a hunter of remarkable marksmanship.
In all his business dealings Mr. Hindes has always mani-

Texas — The Country and Its Men

241

MRS. GEORGE F. HINDES

242 Texas — The Country and Its Men

fested a retiring disposition, with no seeking after effect, and
without a shadow of affectation. Respected and honored by his
business associates, always heedful of the interests of those about
him, and ever ready to reward merit when and wherever he sees
it, Mr. Hindes has won an enviable position in the business, social
and religious life of this section. Mr. Hindes is a prominent
figure in the fraternities, being a member of the Blue Lodge,
Council, Chapter, and Commandery of the Masonic Order, and
has taken all the degrees in Odd Fellowship. He is also a staunch
and prominent member of the First Baptist Church of Pearsall.
Mr. Hindes attributes his success in life, first, to his good
mother, whose noble, beautiful and wise direction influenced his
whole life, and, secondly, to his devoted wife. In March, 191 5,
Mr. and Mrs. Hindes celebrated their golden wedding anniver
sary, surrounded by a happy group of prosperous. Christian chil
dren and grandchildren, happy in the enjoyment of the love, re
spect and friendship of the entire community.
Beginning their married life at a time when the country was
almost wholly unsettled, and subjected to the many vicissitudes
of the early frontier days, the unfaltering love and devotion of
the good wife was ever a source of inspiration to her stout
hearted husband. With unflinching determination and enthusi
astic ardor, they labored with the utmost intelligence and energy
to attain the end in view. Their lives have been characterized by
boundless zeal and constant activity. With tremendous earnest
ness and fervor they have wisely met all emergencies and grasped
their opportunities. Thus, after fifty years of love and devotion
and while both are still active and in the enjoyment of good
health, the goal has been happily reached and crowned with glow
ing success.
CAPTAIN ALLEN CARTER JONES
beevii.ie
Captain Allen C. Jones, than whom no man in the history
of Texas during the last half century accomphshed a greater
measure of lasting good, came from South Carolina stock. His
parents, A. C. and Mary Jane Jones, were among the earliest
settlers in Texas, locating in Nacogdoches County, where the

Texas — The Country and Its Men

243

subject of this sketch was bom on December 27, 1830, while
Texas was yet a province of Mexico. His grandfather, Jacob Jones.
was a Captain in the Colonial Army, during the revolutionary war.

captain a. C. JONES

The boyhood days of Captain Jones were spent on the then
frontier, amidst scenes of privation and danger. The educa
tional facilities of those pioneer days were limited. What in-

244 Texas — The Country and Its Men

struction he received may be said to have been largely acquired
through observation and contact with the hardy race of people;
the men and women who hewed a pathway through the -ndlder-
ness, and made possible the great commonwealth for which he
in after years accomplished so much.
He moved to GoHad quite early, where his integrity and
never swerving courage soon made him popular. In 1858 he
was elected Sheriff of Goliad County, in which position of trust
he remained until the outbreak of the Civil War, when he entered
the Confederate service as a private in Company E, Waller's
Battahon, in General Dick Taylor's Command. Serving in
that capacity for eighteen months, he was made Captain, and
ordered to West Texas for duty, and remained there until the
close of hostilities. During his service on the Rio Grande he
was severely wounded, but owing to his giant constitution,
quickly recovered. His command never surrendered when the
Confederate cause was lost, and the stars and bars were lowered.
The men simply returned to Beeville and disbanded of their o-wn
option. From the day he settled in Beeville in 187 1, and engaged in
merchandising. Captain Jones was until his death a factor in
the progress of the State. In 1884 while in the cattle business,
it was he who was instrumental in diverting the construction of
the Aransas Pass Railway by way of Bee-ville, instead of down
the San Antonio River as originally projected. His public
spirit was shown in this affair. When others demurred, behev
ing the venture impossible. Captain Jones personally subscribed
one-fifth of the necessary amount to insure the road, and after
wards led the van in carrying the project to success.
Again in 1888, was his master hand shown in an industrial
way. Although the Aransas Pass road had been of great assist
ance in benefiting the country generally, the necessity for an
other line to the east was apparent. He called upon Collis P.
Huntington, the great railroad builder, at his New York office
and laid the matter before him. The Captain's idea was to
extend the Gulf, West Texas and Pacific from Victoria to Bee
ville. Mr. Huntington, whose Texas interests were very great,
demanded a cash bonus of $60,000 before a spade was turned,
believing the amount practically prohibitive. Much to his

Texas — The Country and Its Men 245
surprise the Captain instantly accepted the proposition; returned
to Texas, raised the money within forty days, and had the road
under way and completed a few months thereafter.
His activities were almost without limit. In addition to
his cattle business, he was one of the founders and principal
stockholders of the First National Bank of Beeville, and Presi
dent and General Manager of the Beeville Oil Mill.
His son, Mr. W. W. Jones, who owns 250,000 acres of valu
able grazing and agricultural land in Southwest Texas, is not
only one of the wealthiest residents of that section, but he is
also exceedingly popular, and a man of superior business judg
ment, who has always been foremost in developing the country
where his family have been leaders in every public enterprise.
Captain Jones was married in 1854 to Miss Margaret L.
Whitby, by whom he had three children: Martha M., Wilham
W. and Clara. Their mother died when they were very young.
In 187 1, Captain Jones married the second time, his bride
being Miss Caroline Jane Fields of Gohad, Texas, by whom he
had no children. Mrs. Jones is a lady of excellent judgment,
to whom the Captain attributed much of his success. She is
a liberal contributor to the churches and charitable institutions
of her home section, and is greatly admired for her many
graces of mind and manner.
Captain Jones never was particularly interested in politics;
although he did, during one campaign, enter upon a "stumping"
tour in favor of some friend who was a candidate for office. He
was a Mason and Knight Templar; interested in everything
that promised prosperity for his home town or the State at large,
and will always be recalled as one of the most patriotic and
progressive men of his generation.
Captain Jones died at San Antonio on March 2, 1905, and
is buried at Beeville, whose people will ever revere his memory
as one who knew no guile, and was true to the core, and a
genuine friend of his race.

246 Texas — The Country and Its Men

JOHN HENRY HOUGHTON
AUSTIN
John Henry Houghton was born September i8, 1847. He
was a son of one of those rare old aristocratic Southern gentle
men who continued to fight the battles of the Confederacy long
after Lee had surrendered at Appotomax.
Born in the lap of luxury and left penniless by the Civil
War, young Houghton at the early age of twelve began that
sturdy career which led him on eventually to fortune, place,
and power. He acquired a wagon and team of mules by worldng
for two years on a farm, and began his financial career as a
teamster hauling goods from the town of Hempstead, which was
the nearest railroad station to Austin and Georgetown. He
loved to tell of the privations he and his fellow teamsters met
with during his early 'teens. Three of his comrades became
wealthy later in life, and they frequently met and talked over
the exploits of their youth.
At the age of twenty-two he married Miss Peay, who was
the niece of President Polk, and after conducting a successful
business for a number of years in Georgetown, Texas, moved to
the City of Austin, and formed a partnership -with John H.
Robinson, under the firm name of Houghton & Robinson. His
wife, Clara Peay, died at the age of twenty-seven, one of the best
loved characters in the City of Austin, lea-ving a husband and
two children, John Henry Houghton, Jr., and Josephine Hough
ton, now wife of Wilbur P. Allen, Esq., one of Austin's most
prominent lawyers. In about ten years Mr. Houghton married
Florence Seeligson of Galveston, who sur-vived him only eight
months. About 189s Mr. Houghton began extensive purchases of
ranching lands, and his cattle interests soon began to take most
of his time. The last five years of his hfe the firm of Houghton &
Robinson was dissolved, and he devoted all of his time to his
cattle interests, and to his duties as First Vice-President of the
American National Bank of Austin, Texas. The death of his
son, John Henry Houghton, Jr., affected him as nothing in life
had, and he followed his son to the grave a broken-hearted man.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

247

Three years after the death of the boy, Mr. Houghton died at
the age of sixty-three.
Mr. Houghton belonged to one of those pioneer types of

JOHN HENRY HOUGHTON

Texans who saw the advantage of land investments, and left
vast estates in Jim Hogg, Runnels, Travis, and Bexar Counties
for his children and grandchildren to enjoy. '[He was as kind

248 Texas — The Country and Its Men

and tender-hearted as a woman. In business he matched his
intellect with the masters, and his counsel and advice was
sought far and wide. To him honor was the greatest virtue.
His word was his bond, and no sacrifice was too great for him
to make for those who kept the faith with him.
John Henry Houghton was a master builder; a dominant,
forcef-ul character among a race of giants and pioneers, and the
memory of his stainless life and exalted character is a priceless
legacy to his family and friends.

HON. TRAV. S. COCHRAN
LIVINGSTON
Hon. Trav. S. Cochran was bom and reared in Edgefield,
South Carolina, of good old South Carolina parentage. He in
herited the patriotic devotion and Christian virtues of his an
cestry and illustrated those virtues in all the walks of life.
I He married Miss Sallie A. Mainer and for fifty-one years
they lived together. With heart never changing, and brow
never cold, they lived and loved on to the end. They are survived
by the following children: Mrs. Ella Green, Livingston, Texas;
J. W. Cochran, Livingston, Texas; W. B. Cochran, Lovelady,
Texas; Mrs. Jennie Cannon, Calvert, Texas; Mrs. Nellie Henslee,
Mount Calm, Texas; Earl Cochran, Trinity, Texas; Mrs. Emma
Johnson, Mt. Calm, Texas; Ernest Cochran, Trinity, Texas;
Mrs. Birdie Peters, Livingston, Texas; N. J. Cochran, Livings
ton, Texas.
Mr. Cochran was a man of strong character and sterling
worth. He commanded the esteem and confidence of all -with
whom he came in contact. Leaving his native State, he cast
his fortunes with the people of Texas. When the war broke out
he joined Company F, of the Fourth Texas, General Green's
Brigade and saw much hard service. He was severely wounded
near Alexandria, Louisiana.
After the war, he returned to the pursuits of peace -with
the same degree of energy and devotion which characterized
him as a soldier. He was honored by his neighbors by electing
him to represent them in the halls of legislature. As a legislator

Texas — Thje Country and Its Men

249

he was wise and conservative. With him, politics stood for
moral principles applied to public affairs, a view all toO rare in
these days of venality and commercialism.
Of Mr. Cochran it may be truthfully said that he was a
gallant soldier, a -wise lawmaker, a true friend, a sincere Christian,
a noble father and a model citizen.
He has gone to join the shadowy hosts in gray who have

HON. TRAV. S. COCHRAN

crossed the dark river. Peace to his ashes and honor to his sacred
memory. The following is a tribute to his memory by a friend :

HON. TRAV. S. COCHRAN

With a saddened heart, I read in the Enterprise of the death of my old
comrade and friend. He sleeps, and Glory is his sentinel. One by one, the

250

Texas — The Country, and Its Men

old Confederate heroes drop from the ranks, and soon all of us will be on the
other shore.
He was raised in Edgefield County, South Carolina, and he belonged to
a family noted for its intelUgence and public spirit. I was raised in New
berry, an adjoining county, and as we had many friends and acquaintances
in common, in South Carolina, we soon became warm personal friends, and
we so continued for fifty years until his death.
In all the walks of life, he was true and upright, kind of heart, pure in
character, generous in impulse, and the world is better for his having lived.

MRS. T. =>. COCHRAN

for in him were all the virtues that constitute the perfect gentleman. As a
man, he was dignified, firm, intelligent, firm for the right, of pleasant appear
ance and manners, of clear intellect and just spirit.
As a citizen, he had a cheerful and manly adequacy to every test or duty
and won the esteem and confidence of all who knew him. As a legislator, he
was wise and conservative, and with him politics were moral principles
applied to public affairs.
As a friend, he was loyal and true. A Christian; he accepted the Lord
Jesus Christ as his personal friend and Savior, and walked in His footsteps.
Married to that excellent and lovely lady. Miss Sallie A. Mainer, they

.«

Texas — The Country and Its Men 251
lived and loved together, fifty-one years, and approached old age by a tranquil
road, their life was a continued honeymoon.
In his. family he was gentle, generous, good-humored and affectionate.
They raised a large family of intelligent, trusty and industrious children, who
by their many -virtues demonstrated that their home culture was of the first
order. As a soldier, he was true, spirited and brave; he belonged to Company
F, Fourth Regiment of Texas Cavalry, Green's Brigade. On the first advance
of the Federals from Alexandria, Louisiana, in their retreat in the wildest rage
of fight. Pressing to the front, he was severely wounded at the same time and
place where W. H. Matthews, another gallant soldier of my Company was
killed. He was a man free from insincerity, whose character was illumined by
the Christian virtues, and who illustrated in his life the principles that he
learned from his Divine Master.
He filled the answer Thackeray made to the question: "A/Vhat is it to
be a gentleman?" "It is to be brave, to be honest, to be gentle, to be wise,
and possessing all these qualities, to exercise them in the most graceful
manner."
MRS. ANNA GOODMAN HERTZBERG
SAN ANTONIO
It would be difficult to even partially estimate to what
extent the people of Texas are indebted to Mrs. Anna Goodman
Hertzberg for her efforts in the direction of education, the cultiva
tion of the arts and sciences, the elevation of musical and literary
tastes, and the general betterment of community interests. Not
only is this true of the historic city which she calls her home —
amidst those who so long have recognized her worth and in
fluence — but with equal force does the remark apply throughout
the imperial commonwealth where her wonderful talents are
universally recognized.
A woman of superior refinement and intelligence, Mrs.
Hertzberg combines -with her other accomplishments, the rare
feminine gift of executive ability of a very high order. As an
organizer she is without a compeer, as evidenced in the fact
that in the long list of civic, social and charitable associations
of which she is a member, she either has been, or is at this time
the directing head. There is practically no limit to her "Theatre
of Operations." Some idea may be acquired of her many
acti-vities in the number of organizations in which her strength

252 Texas — The Country and Its Men
of character and managerial ability is always a factor. Mrs.
Hertzberg is First Vice-President of the National Council of
Jewish Women ; Organizer and Life President of the San Antonio
Tuesday Musical Club; Organizer and President of the San
Antonio Symphony Society; Past President of the Texas
Federation of Women's Clubs; Past President San Antonio
History Club; Life Member of the Yotuig Men's Christian
Association Auxiliary; member of the Yotmg Women's Christian
Association and a Director of the Flower Battle Association.
She is also Vice-President of the San Antonio School Board,
in which position her ability as an administrative officer has
been frequently demonstrated.
Her appointment by Governor Colquitt as Chairman of the
Texas Commission of the Panama-Pacific Exposition, was a
wise choice. In that position Mrs. Hertzberg found a field for
the exercise of her brilliant gifts as a royal entertainer, in which
she won golden opinions at the hands of the thousands of people
who came within the circle of her acquaintance.
A devout follower of the faith of her fathers, bigotry and
intolerance find no place in her philosophy. Belie-ving that
charity is the one great abiding -virtue, without ostentation,
she performs countless acts in that direction of which the world
knows naught. Mrs. Hertzberg was born in the city of New
York, and received her first instruction in the preparatory
schools of that metropolitan center. Her further education was
acquired in a finishing school from which she graduated with
the highest honors. She became the wife of one of the best
known pioneer merchants of Texas, and has for many years
enjoyed the esteem of all who come within the spell of her gracious
and kindly presence.
Two children were born to Mrs. Hertzberg, one of whom,
Mr. Harry Hertzberg, now occupies a conspicuous position
among the rising young lawyers of Texas.

JOHN W. KENNEY, Sr.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 253

JOHN WESLEY KENNEY, SR.
SAN ANTONIO
A son of Samuel and Eliza Anne McCampbell Kenney, was
bom at Travis, Austin County, November i8, 1843, under the
flag of the Republic of Texas. His father, when quite a young
man, came to Texas with his elder brothers, John W. Kenney
and Dr. Thomas Kenney, all of whom were members of the
Austin Colony. In 1834 he first visited San Antonio, subsequent
ly going to Goliad, where he died in 1848. His wife survived
him for many years, expiring at the home of her son, in San
Antonio, on February 19, 1901, the date being the eighty-fifth
anniversary of her birth.
The subject of this sketch acquired his preparatory educa
tion in the public schools of that early period. At the age of
seventeen, immediately after graduating from Aranama College
at Goliad, he entered the Confederate Army as a member of
Troop K, Twenty-first Texas Cavalry; served with distinction
from August, 1861, to May, 1865, taking part in the numerous
hard campaigns that mark the history of those exciting years
of stress and storm. Upon the close of hostilities, having been
honorably discharged at Bryan, Texas, he returned to Goliad,
where three years later, on January 15, 1868, he married Miss
Eliza Gibson. Shortly thereafter he was elected District Clerk
and Surveyor of Goliad County, in which positions he served
• for many years. He also filled like offices in Live Oak County,
where, for a number of years he engaged in the sheep and cattle
business. In 1879, Mr. Kenney removed from Goliad and has
since made his home in San Antonio.
A strong man in all the term imphes, Mr. Kenney has al
ways been a dominant figure in communities where he has made
his home. Still vigorous and in perfect health, he spends the
major portion of his time superintending the affairs of his ranch
property located within easy access of San Antonio. His city
home, noted for its cordial hospitality, is located at 215 East
Poplar Street, near the homes of his children, all of whom,

254 Texas — The Country and Its Men
except one son who resides in New York City, are residents of
the city. The children of John Wesley and Ehza Gibson Kenney are
the following: Dr. John Wesley Kenney, one of the best known
physicians and surgeons in the State ; Dr. James Gibson Kenney,
who died in San Antonio, August 3, 1907; Samuel Houston
Kenney; Dr. William Thomas Kenney; Dr. Nat. M. Kenney;
Eva Eliza Kenney, who died in infancy; Mayme Elizabeth
Kenney, and Nannie Pearl Kenney.
Mr. Kenney affiliates with the Democrats, and is a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, which he joined in
1890. The history of the Kenney family would be incomplete
without reference to the story of Dr. Thomas Kenney, an uncle
of John W. Kenney, Sr., whose arrival with the Austin Colony
has been referred to. He and his brother, the Rev. John W.
Kenney, crossed the Brazos at Old Washington on Christmas
Day, 1838, and lived at that place some time, moving from there
to Bastrop. Thomas Kenney engaged in mercantile business at
Bastrop, but attracted by the possibilities of the west, left his
family there and journeyed to the section now known as William
son County, where he built a fort on Brushy Creek, not far from
the present site of Round Rock, to which he soon after removed
his family. On the day of their arrival, the settlers, always on
the alert, saw smoke arising some distance away, and organized
a party for the purpose of locating what they surmised was a
party of warlike Indians. About a mile from the settlement,
they were ambushed by the enemy, and in the fight that followed
several of their number were seriously wounded. Dr. Kenney
was shot through the leg, the ball passing through his saddle
skirts, killing the horse. Jack Angel, one of the most intrepid
members of the little squad of frontiersmen, placed Dr. Kenney
upon his horse, and brought him safely to the fort. The vicinity
for several years was the scene of Indian depredations and
outrages, during which many valuable lives were sacrificed. Not
far from Kenney 's fort in the northern part of Williamson
County, is a place known as "Bone Hollow," where, beneath a
pile of loose stones, are the remains of Dr. Thomas Kenney,
John Courtney and Henry Castleberry, who were massacred bv

)f^A^lMi^^

Texas — The Country and Its Men 255

a band of Caddo Indians in 1844. The whole region is replete
-with Indian legends, most of them of cruel and murderous
attacks upon the settlers, in repelHng which none took a more
gaUant part than Dr. Thomas Kenney, an uncle of the man
whose name heads this sketch, and whose body has for seventy
two years been one of the trio of pioneers who sleep beneath
that tragic rock pile in "Bone Hollow."

DR. JOHN W. KENNEY, JR.
SAN ANTONIO
Dr. John W. Kenney is not only one of the best known
residents of the Alamo City, but as a physician of the highest
type, and an operating surgeon he has acquired national fame.
He is a product of the Lone Star State, born at historic Goliad,
the son of John W. Kenney, Sr., who was also to the manor born
when imperial Texas fiew her own flag as an independent nation.
His mother was Miss Eliza Gibson, a South Carolinian, who,
after a long life of usefulness, died at the home of her son in
San Antonio at the ripe age of eighty-five.
Dr. Kenney obtained his preparatory education in the
Grammar and High Schools of San Antonio ; entered the Medical
Department of Tulane University at New Orleans, from which
famous institution he was duly graduated with high honors.
He at once established himself in the home of his adoption, where
he since has practiced with remarkable success. His -wife was
Miss Lillie T. Vance, a member of one of San Antonio's highly
respected pioneer families. They have one charming daughter.
Miss Lillian V., bom in 1901, to whom both parents are devotedly
attached. In addition to his large private practice, Dr. Kenney has
built and successfully operates one of the best equipped sani
tariums and hospitals in the entire southwest. He is a man of
broad and liberal views, whose private and professional life is
an epitome of practical charity, and a firm belief in the broadest
sense of the brotherhood of men. An enthusiast in the practice
of his dual professions, with their ever increasing duties and
responsibilities, the Doctor, while realizing the duties of citizen-

256 Texas — The Country and Its Men

ship, does not allow poHtics to become a fetich with him, although
he generally follows the guidon of Democracy,
He is a member of Alamo Masonic Lodge, an Elk, and also
belongs to the Travis Club, which organizations include the
scope of his social activities.

E. V. GENTRY
PORT LAVACA
F. V. Gentry, one of the leading citizens of Port Lavaca,
was born February 12, 1840, in Adair County, Kentucky. His
father, John B. Gentry, a noted oculist of his day, died in 1886
and his mother died sixty years ago, when the subject of this
notice was but six years of age.
Mr. Gentry was educated at New Castle, Kentucky, and
came to Texas in 1869. During the Civil War he served as
Quartermaster in the Sixth Kentucky Infantry. He was with
that brave and knightly General, Kirby Smith, when General
Bragg invaded Kentucky and went through the usual hard
ships of the campaigns of those stirring times when the Con
federate Armies marched and fought on scant rations.
In 1869 he came to Texas, locating first at Indianola, where
he engaged in the wool and hide business. In 187 1 he went to
Victoria and in 1873 he married Miss Emma Hall of Victoria,
who died -without issue in 1905. In 1890 Mr. Gentry moved to
Port Lavaca and to his other line he added the fish and oyster
business. At first he had four boats employed. The business
under his skillful and careful management steadily increased in .
volume until now he runs sixty boats and employs three hundred
men in this industry. His annual shipments at this time amount
to 75, 000 gallons of oysters and 500,000 pounds of fish, of the
aggregate value of $125,000. This includes the business of his
branch stations at Rockport, and it evidences the phenomenal
development of this industry on our coast, as well as the wonder
ful industry and sagacity of Mr. Gentry. He has touched the
mines of wealth hidden under the waters with the wand of his

R. V. GENTRY, Port Lavaca

258 Texas— The Country and Its Men

business genius and they have given up their riches as a reward
for his effort.
He has done for this industry what the "man with the
hoe" has done for the fertile fields of Texas and what the roving
herdsmen have done for the vast ranges of the west.
He has certainly won a place in the history of the State
and merits worthy mention among those who have helped to
develop the wondrous resources of Texas.

ALLEN JACKSON HEARD
REFUGIO
The subject of this sketch was bom in Alabama, Nov. 22,
1822. His father was a farmer, and up to his twenty-eighth
year, with the exception of the time spent at school, the son
remained on the Alabama plantation working hard and acquir
ing a taste for life in the open.- His mother died when he was
two years old. In 1850, the elder Heard determined to follow
the star of the Empire, sold his possessions in Alabama and re
moved to Texas, settling at Victoria. After a busy and profit
able experience of a number of years he died in Refugio County.
The son, the subject of this sketch, whose inclinations were
for the business of stock raising, went into business shortly after
his arrival in Texas, an occupation followed for over fifty years
with such success that at the end of that period he divided his
property among his four sons and retired with an ample fortune,
upon which he was living in quiet contentment at the time of his
death, satisfied with what he had accomplished and happy in
the fact that his descendants were numbered among the most
highly esteemed people of their section.
In 1854 Mr. Heard was married to Miss Martha Jane
Busby, by whom he had the following four sons: J. F. B.,
Clinton, W. J. J. and A. W. J. Heard, all prominent and success
ful stockmen and worthy sons of an honored father.
Mr. Heard barkened to the call for volunteers to defend
what he beUeved to be the constitutional riights of the South;
entered the Confederate Army, where he served with distinction

Texas — The Country and Its Men

259

W. J. J. HEARD, REFUGIO

260 Texas — The Country and Its Men
two years, returning after all was over to resume work upon his
ranches, which he pursued -with such remarkable success as to
entitle him to rank among the wealthiest cattlemen in the
Southwest. At his death on September 28, 19 14, he was the
oldest Mason in Texas.
W. J. J. HEARD
His son, William Jesse Jones Heard, who assumed active
management of the home place upon the death of his father,
was born in Refugio County, Texas, July 27, i860. He was
educated in the grammar schools of his native country, and was
for years his father's chief assistant in the super-vision of the
estate. In his twentieth year he was united in marriage with
Miss Fannie V. Wells, a sister of the Hon. J. B. Wells of Browns
ville. To them have been born the following children: Allie,
now the wife of Dr. McCain; John W., a prominent stock man
of Refugio County; Osceola, James B. W. and Cyrus, all of
whom are at home.
Mr. Heard has invariably responded to all calls made upon
him for financial aid whether in connection -with church work,
the spread of the gospel in foreign lands, and for any charitable
purpose either local or general, that has for its object the greatest
good for the greatest number. Succeeding to a fortune of ample
proportions, he has followed the family traditions in the dis
pensation of a genuine hospitality that makes his home a delight
for its occupants and the host of friends who are welcome visi
tors whene'er the Spirit moves them.
He does not go in for politics to an alarming extent, nor
does he mix up in the recurring wrangles of those to whom
politics simply signifies possession of the loaves and fishes. He
is, however, a stickler for good government and the strict en
forcement of the laws. In the very prime of life, possessed of
ample means, a happy family, and enjoying the esteem of all
who know him, Mr. Heard may be counted among those fortu
nate people for whom life has naught but the brightest prospects.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 261

JOHN C. DIELMANN
SAN ANTONIO
The story of the career of John Charles Dielmann in America
forcefully illustrates the ine-vitable reward of energy, thrift and
integrity in the formation of character. He was bom October
8, 1849, in the village of Hellenhahn, Nassau, Germany, where
he lived until 1872. The following year, at the age of 24, as an
emigrant, he landed at New Orleans and sought employment at
his trade as a stone cutter. Not satisfied with conditions in
the Sugar Belt, he remained but a few months, when, belie-ving
that West Texas was the "land of promise" for him, he made
his way to San Antonio, where he has ever since made his home.
Back in old Nassau, lived one to whom his troth had been plighted
before he sought fortune in the new world. IJe -worked hard,
saved his money, and in 1877, determined to return to his boy
hood home to claim the hand of her in whom his affections were
centered. He sailed from New Orleans; reached his native
village in due time; married Miss Maria Gros, the girl of his
choice, and returned with her to the city of the Alamo. In 1884,
he formed a co-partnership -with a friend and founded the firm
of Dielmann & Pauly, who for eleven years conducted a prosper
ous business as. building contractors. In 1895, the firm was
dissolved, Mr. Dielmann taking over his partner's interest and
continuing the business alone. Among the structures erected by
him during the years that followed were the Law Building at
the University of Austin, Texas; churches at San Marcos, San
Angelo, Cameron, Weimar, Com Hill; extensive additions to
the famous Menger Hotel; the Kampmann Bank Building; the
Joske Brothers Building and the construction of the United
States Post Chapel at Fort Sam Houston together with a number
of the city's imposing school buildings.
Notwithstanding the exactions of an active business life,
Mr. Dielmann has been a leader in the formation of several well
known charitable and musical associations, in all of which he has
been conspicuously honored. Instrumental in the organization of

Texas — The Country and Its Men

263

the German Catholic Association of Texas, he has lived to witness
its wonderful growth and ever widening influence, and is now
Honorary President of the organization. He holds similar rank

MRS. J. C. DIELMANN

in the St. Joseph R. K. Benevolent Association. An enthusiastic
lover of music, he was one of the sponsors of the San Antonio
Liederkranz, and a member of the Beethoven Singing Associa-

264 Texas — The Country and Its Men
tion. Mr. Dielmann enjoys an enviable reputation in business
circles, being recognized as an active and influential member of
the Chamber of Commerce and other commercial organizations.
Mr. and Mrs. Dielmann rejoice in the fact that their chil
dren are all with them and residents of the city where fortune
has no signally favored them. Their children are William V.
Dielmann, one of San Antonio's most successful business men;
Leo M. J. Dielmann, Architect; Henry B. Dielmann; Mrs.
John Jehl; Mrs. Charles W. Meyer and Miss Anna K. Dielmann.
GEORGE R. STUMBERG, SR.
SAN ANTONIO
Who was engaged in merchandising in San Antonio and was
also a Director of the National Bank of Commerce, was born in
that city in 1848, his parents being H. D. and Dora (Heiner)
Stumberg, both of whom were natives of Germany, whence they
came to Texas in 1846, spending their remaining days in San
Antonio. The father was a prominent merchant and business
man, and in 1852-53 was a member of the City Council.
George R. Stumberg was reared in San Antonio and attended
; college in New York City. After completing his education, he
remained in the eastern metropolis for about three years and
subsequently spent some time in Mexico. In fact, he traveled
quite extensively before settling down permanently in his old
home, but in 1870 established himself in business in San Antonio,
and was to the day' of his death, continuously connected -with its
commercial interests, his labors being attended ^^'ith such suc
cess that he became one of the worthy and substantial residents
of the city. The business was for years conducted under the
firm style of George R. Stumberg & Son, the junior partner
being his son, George R. Stumberg, Jr., who was admitted to
an interest in the business on January i, 1898. The firm engaged
in merchandising, conducting both wholesale and retail depart
ments, with headquarters in the Stumberg Building, on South
Flores Street, where Mr. Stumberg's mercantile interests have
always been located. He increased his stock to meet the growing
demands of his trade, and always kept in touch with methods
of modern progress in business circles. In addition to his mei

Texas — The Country and Its Men

265

J^^ry^J^i'^i^jC^y^

266 Texas— The Country and Its Men

cantile interests he erected several business blocks, including
one on Commerce Street, and several on South Flores Street m
the vicinity of his mercantile establishment, including the
Eureka Hotel Building. He was for several years a large holder
of property in this vicinity, making judicious investments from
time to time in realty that has greatly increased in value and
has been an important source of income. During his business
career he accumulated considerable ranch and farming land,
much of which is in Bexar County. He was likewise a Director
in the National Bank of Commerce.
Mr. Stumberg was married in San Antonio to Miss Dora
Russi. Four children were the result: George R., Herman,
Mrs. Ida Richter and Mrs. Adele Rifling. Mr. Stumberg was a
member of the Business Men's Club, of which he was a Director
for two years, and was interested in everything connected with
the commercial progress and advancement of the city. He
died January 31, 19 14.
JOHN A. CULVER
MATAGORDA
One of the driving, enterprising men of affairs, who be
lieved thoroughly in the old adage that he who causes two
blades of grass to flourish where one had grown before is a bene
factor of mankind — was originally a "York State Yankee," but
his long and useful career in the South, had before his death,
transformed him into a genuine son of the "Sunny South." He
was born at Lockport, N. Y., July 10, 18 16, and made his home
in that State until in his twenty-first year, when, attracted by
promising stories of the possibilities of the South ; he took passage
on a sailing vessel at New York in the autumn of 1842 ; landed
at New Orleans, where he remained a short time, going from
there to Minden, La., where he remained one year, working at
his trade as carpenter. Joining a colony of Louisiana people
bound for Texas, he rode on horseback to Bastrop in Colorado
County. In company with a new found acquaintance, he im
mediately constructed a number of barges, and began shipping
cotton down the Colorado to Matagorda. On the last boat, he
departed with his tool chest; landed at Elliott's Ferry, and finally

Texas — The Country and Its Men 267

reached Matagorda, where he continued to reside until his
death, on January 22, 1885, aged sixty-nine. On May 18, 1850,
he married Miss Ehzabeth Arans, by whom he had the follow
ing children: Clara, who died in the sixteenth year; Cyrena,
now jMrs. Fred Vogg of Bay City; John A., who is a cattle
rancher near Matagorda; Wilham D., a rice grower near Bay
City, and George B., who resides in the town of Matagorda.

GEORGE B. CULVER
MATAGORDA
George B. Culver, the youngest son of this worthy Texas
pioneer, is one of the most prominent citizens of Matagorda.
He has always been foremost in every civic movement for the
upbuilding of his home town. Through his efforts, is largely
due the construction of the "Cane Belt Railroad," since absorbed
by the Santa Fe System. When the County seat was removed
to Bay City, he bought the old court house; removed it to the
Bay Front; transformed it into a commodious hotel, and also
erected a large pavilion and wharf on the beach, transforming
the locality into a beautiful tourists' resort. Largely as the result
of his influence, the streets have been graded and improved,
and he is now supplying the city with water from an artesian
well located on his ranch near town. On his ranch he has about
5,000 cattle, and has improved the plantation, until it is now
among the show places of South Texas. Mr. Culver is engaged
in the real estate business, and has brought about many of the
realty transfers of record in Matagorda County. He was born
January 15, 1863, at Matagorda; has "been up the trail" with
cattle; worked on a ranch in his younger days; was Deputy
Sheriff for six years ; managed a confectionery establishment for a
time, and was elected and served six years as County Assessor.
On December 21, 1892, he married Miss Lillie Bruce of
Matagorda, the result of the union being the following children:

268

Texas — The Country and Its Men

Arthur S., aged twenty; Eric G., aged eighteen; Ned W., aged
fifteen and Mary E., aged twelve. He is a vestryman of the
Episcopal Church; and has always been a liberal contributor to

GEORGE B, CULVER, Matagorda

both the associated and all other charities of the city, which
knows him as one of its most valuable citizens. Mr. Culver is
a Democrat, but registers his opposition to the "Pros."

Texas — The Country and Its Men 269

ARTHUR BRANCH STOREY
SAN ANTONIO
The most authentic information obtainable, regarding the
exact age of Judge Storey, is his own frank admission that he
was bom in San Marcos, Hays County, Texas, several years
ago. In the absence of contradictory evidences this must be
accepted as a bona fide statement of fact.
His father. Captain James Gray Storey, was a native of
Georgia, coming to Texas with his parents in 1845, settling at
Lockhart, Caldwell County. His mother. Miss Sarah Branch
Cheatham, came to Texas -with her parents. Judge Henry
Cheatham, a native of Kentucky, and her mother, Mrs. Martha
Walthall, a native of Virginia, in 1845; making their home at
San Marcos. His father was of Scotch-Irish descent, his mother
English. The paternal great, great grandfather of Judge Storey,
an Irishman, participated in the war of the Revolution, and his
great grandfather and his grandfather were both soldiers in the
second war -with Great Britain, now generally referred to as the
Naval War of 18 12. His grandfather. Colonel John T. Storey,
commanded the regiment that removed the Cherokee Indians
from their old stamping ground in Georgia, to the then unex
plored -wilderness of the Indian Territory in 1838; an authentic
history of which interesting pilgrimage has not yet been written.
When he came to Texas a few years later, he enlisted in the
State Ranger Service, and for a time was a Lieutenant in the
famous fighting battalion, commanded by the renowned Henry
E. McCulloch. Judge Storey's father. Captain James G. Storey, was
among the first to respond to the call for troops for the defense
of the South in 1861, and served vahantly through the following
four years as Captain of Company A, Wood's Regiment, officially
designated the Thirty-Second Texas Cavalry, De Bray's Brigade.
The subject of this sketch received his preparatory educa
tion in the common schools of Hays County, and at Coronal
Institute, San Marcos, finishing his literary course at Trinity

270

Texas — The Country and Its Men

University, Tehuacana Hills, then the foremost institution of
the State. Afterwards he graduated in the law department of
that University, under Judge Ewing of Missouri, who for many

¦'-HL'.

'O'' 'A

A. B. STOREY, San Antonio

years was on the Supreme Bench of that State. Judge Storey
has since been engaged in the practice of his profession, and he
says: "Incidentally taking an active interest in politics, but

Texas — The Country and Its Men 271
always declining to accept public office," with the one exception
of acting as Chairman of the State Democratic Executive Com
mittee in 1908-10, when he was the only man the warring fac
tions of the party could unite upon. In the campaign of 1912,
an effort was made to induce Judge Storey to enter the race for
Governor but he declined the honor, although many of his
friends insist that he would have been undoubtedly chosen had
he permitted the use of his name.
One of the best general practitioners at the Texas bar, he
has been most successful, especially as a trial lawyer. One of
the most distinguished lawyers of the State writes of him: "He
has powers that few men possess — of crystallizing his case and
making it a perfect whole. I do not flatter him when I say that
his power of examining and cross-examining a witness is not
surpassed by any man I ever saw. He draws out the truth
and exposes the false. Then he presents to the jury with winning
manner and masterly force the life of his case."
Judge Storey married Miss Ida lone Collins, of Tehuacana
Hills, Texas. They had six children, four of whom survive:
Mrs. Joe M. Blanks, Victor Storey, A. E. Storey and Mrs.
Mayme Clamp.
Judge Storey now resides in San Antonio and practices his
profession under the firm name of Boyle & Storey, who are
general attorneys of the San Antomo & Aransas Pass Railway
Company.
C. T. SCHAWE
maxwell
The career of the subject of this sketch is, in many respects,
one of the most remarkable in the industrial history of the State.
Mr. Schawe was born in Germany August 12, 186 1. His parents.
Christian and Sophie Schawe, emigrated to Texas in 1867,
settling in Salem Township, Washington County, not far from
the city of Brenham. The following year the father died, his
widow soon after being killed in an accident.
In his twenty-third year, Mr. Schawe was united in mar
riage with Miss Malinda Hohlt, to whose advice he does not
hesitate to ascribe no small measure of his success in all the
business ventures which have made his progress so phenomenal.

272

Texas — The Country and Its Men

For several years following their marriage life was a continuous
struggle, the wife, a woman of pluck and extraordinary energy,
assisting in practically all the manual labor of the farm, located

MR. and MRS. C, T. SCHAWE. MAXWELL

in a section and surrounded by conditions that by no means
signifies a life of ease and comfort.
It was not until Mr. Schawe bought property in Caldwell
County that Dame Fortune first began to favor the Schawes.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 273
To what extent they have since profited by the prosperity which
seems never to have deserted them may best be determined by
the statement that after thirty years Mr. Schawe has accumulated
a fortune estimated at three quarters of a million dollars, and
is still by reason of his business acumen and driving persever
ance daily adding to this magnificent total.
His estate includes some of the richest lands in Caldwell
County, while mercantile and banking interests are both grow
ing and extremely profitable, alone guaranteeing a princely
annual income. Mr. Schawe is a Director of the Lockhart
National Bank, and a Trustee of the Lutheran College at Seguin,
to the construction of which he was the first contributor. He is
truly a self-made man, and attributes his success to habits of
industry, economy and sobriety, a strict observance of sound
business principles, tireless energy, and honesty of purpose both
in private and public life.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Schawe are: Martha, the
wife of August Best; Lydia, wife of Lauis Laas; Ella, wife of
Lee H. Meyer; Theodore, Mahnda, Louis, Harry, Bertha and
Olivia.
ALFRED JOHN HARPER
AUSTIN
One of the Justices of the State Court of Criminal Appeals —
a review of whose career develops much that is serious, and not
a httle that bears upon the romantic, was born at Forest, Scott
County, Mississippi, May 17, 1864. Both his parents were
natives of Alabama. His father was for many years a well
known merchant, who closed his estabhshment, and entered the
Confederate Army when war was declared between the States.
He served with gallantry thruough the dark hours of that never-
to-be-forgotten contest, and after "all the flags were furled" re
turned to his home and died there when the subject of this
sketch was in his twelfth year, his wife having passed away
two years before. In 1876 without means; with no education
save that derived at the ordinary country cross-roads school,
young Harper was brought face to face with the first great
problem of life; how to supply the ordinary demands of a grow-

274

Texas — The Country and Its Men

ing boy, to whom hunger possibly might not in time be an entire
stranger. Like many others who have risen to prominence, he began
as a "devil" in a print shop; climbed the ladder until he reached
the case; and became a journeyman. At seventeen he came to

JUDGE A. J. HARPER
COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

Texas, found employment, saved his money, purchased the
"Weekly Ledger" of Mexia and blossomed forth as an owner,
editor and moulder of public opinion. For seven years he
wrote local squibs, editorials and "ads," at the same time read
ing Blackstone, Greenleaf on Evidence, Chitty and Dodge on
Contracts, with a view of some day being able to rise and say.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 275
with due solemnity: "May it please the court and gentlemen of
the jury, this is a case wherein my client has been grossly and
maliciously maligned," or words to that effect. At all events,
he "made good," was admitted to the bar, elected County Judge
of Limestone County, sent by his people to the State Senate
and finally elected to the responsible and dignified position
which he has filled with distinguished abihty.
On December 23, 1907, Judge Harper was united in mar
riage with Miss Margaret L. Ingram of Mexia, from which
union four children have been born, as follows: Alfred J., Jr.,
James Oliver, Margaret B., and Loyd M. Harper, all of whom
are yet at home. Judge Harper is a Royal Arch Mason, a
Knight Templar, and a consistent and unswerving Democrat.
In the Democratic primaries of 19 16, Judge Harper was defeated
for re-election by Hon. W. C. Morrow of Hillsboro.
MRS. LENORA HELLENA MATHEWS
SAN MARCOS
Although not to the manor born, Texas has no more en
thusiastic admirer than the subject of this sketch. The tradi-;
tions of the Lone Star State, its struggles in the days wheij
constantly menaced by the cruel, semi-civihzed race beyond the
Rio Grande; the heroic and unselfish patriotism of the men who
released her from bondage and created a sovereign nation; the
exciting events preceding her admission to the sisterhood of
States, and the vicissitudes of the hardy pioneers who laid the
corner stone of the present magnificent commonwealth, in
which she so long has made her home, are more famihar to this
lady than the annals of the State that gave her birth.
Mrs. Mathews was bom in 1855, at Booneville, Warrick
County, Indiana. Her parents were John A. and Esabella
Hellena (McCulloch) Brackenridge, both descendants of families
of national distinction ever since the eariy settlement of the
country. Her father was an eminent jurist; conspicuous as
one of the great orators of his time. Among those who traveled
long distances to hear his masteriy arguments in the court
house at Booneville, was a rustic youth, who attracted no
attention, but was destined as Abraham Lincoln, President of

276

Texas — The Country and Its Men

the United State's. Lincoln at that tim.e had never opened a
law book, and Judge Brackenridge's beautiful diction and im
passioned appeals on behalf of his chents, doubtless inspired

MRS. LEONORA HELLENA MATHEWS
this country lad with the ambition that eventually brought him
boundless honor and deathless fame.
The grandfather of Mrs. Mathews, Rev. J. A. Bracken-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 277
ridge, was the first Presbyterian minister in Washington, D. C.
Her grandmother, Mrs. Eleanor White Brackenridge, founded
the first orphan asylum at the National Capital, which is still
in existence. Mrs. Mathews had three brothers who served in the Con
federate Army, and one brother, George Washington Bracken
ridge, prominent in Texas financial circles for half a century,
who became an officer in the United States Army. He is one of
the most prominent residents of San Antonio.
Mrs. Mathews is one of the best known club women in the
State. She is a consistent Republican in politics, and a con
sistent suffragette in action, having organized the Suffragette
League of San Marcos, which is a factor in the nation-wide
campaign for woman's rights at the polls. Mrs. Mathews is a
member of the Presbyterian Church, to which she has belonged
since her girlhood days.
WILLIAM WALLACE COLLIER
SAN ANTONIO
WilUam Wallace Colher, ex-Commissioner of Insurance and
Banking, is a native of Rusk, Texas, where he was born on
December 2, 1863. His father was a farmer who served in the
Confederate Army under General Magruder. After the war he
returned to Rusk, and removed to Waco in 1867.
The son graduated from the Robinson High School, and
began his career as a member of the Texas Rangers, in which
¦ capacity he made an enviable reputation during the four years,
from 1883 to 1887, the major portion of the time being passed
in the saddle in pursuit of cattle thieves and other outlaws
along the Rio Grande. In 1887 he resigned from the Rangers,
and shortly thereafter was elected County Treasurer of Uvalde
County, occupying the position until 1906. He was one of the
organizers of the First National Bank of Uvalde in 1890. For a
period of eighteen years he was actively engaged in banking m
Uvalde, when in 1908, he was elected Vice-President of the
State Bank and Trust Company of San Antonio, serving in
that position until appointed. to the position of Commissioner

278

Texas — The Country and Its Men

of Insurance and Banking, resigning soon after the inauguration
of Governor Ferguson.
His first wife was Miss Ella Patterson, to whom he was
united in 1888, and who died three years later. In December,
1893, he married Miss Mattie Craven Hale of Milan, Tennessee,

WILLIAM WALLACE COLLIER

Their children are the following: George Pierce Collier, W. W.
Jr., Shelley Hale, John Howell and Eleanor Collier.
Mr. Collier occupies a very conspicuous position among
Texas financiers. He is recognized as a careful, conservative
man of excellent judgment and has transacted his public duties
with the same care and attention that marked his career as a
banker. He is a Mason and Past Deputy District Grand Master

Texas — The Country and Its Men 279

of the State, and also a member of Ben Hur Temple A. A. O.
N. M. S. In politics Mr. Collier is a Democrat, whose advice
is frequently sought in the councils of his party. His permanent
home is at San Antonio.
JOSEPH EASTMAN FARNSWORTH
DALLAS
Vice-President for the Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone
Company in Texas -with headquarters in Dallas, and one of the
pioneers of the telepli'bne organization in the southwest, was
born in Manchester, New Hampshire, January 31, 1862.
At the age of twenty failing health brought him to the
southwest. His first employment in Texas was in connection
¦with the newspaper business, ha-ving obtained a position on the
Austin Statesman. Later he was correspondent for the Waco
Examiner and the San Antonio Express, for which journals he
reported the proceedings of the State Senate during two legisla
tive sessions. In the year 1885 he was appointed Auditor of the South
western Telegraph & Telephone Company, later being appointed
General Auditor of the Erie Telephone System, which included
the Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone Company, the North
western Telephone Exchange Company of Minnesota and the
Dakotas, and the Cleveland Telephone Company of Cleveland,
Ohio. He remained in the position of General Auditor for the
Erie System until the year 1896, when he was appointed Superin
tendent of the North Texas Division of the Southwestem Tele
graph & Telephone Company with headquarters in Dallas.
In 1902 he was appointed General Manager of the Com
pany, with jurisdiction over its interests in the States of Texas
and Arkansas, and in 1907 he was made Vice President and
General Manager. In 19 12 he relinquished the position of
General Manager, and at the present time is serving the Com
pany as Vice-President.
As an official of the Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone
Company to no small degree has Mr. Farnsworth been responsi
ble for the development of the States of Texas and Arkansas
telephonically. Under his guidance the system was knitted together, long

280 Texas — The Country and Its Men
distance lines linked the towns and cities; rural lines extended
to almost every farm house; in the hills and thickets, through
the swamps, and across the apparently boundless plains the
telephone wires have been woven to give Texas and Arkansas
a comprehensive system of quick communication by spoken
¦word. It was indeed a tremendous task that was assigned to
him to round out the usefulness of the Bell Telephone System
in a section where the growth in population was so rapid as to
make it almost impossible to keep pace with the demands for
the service. Yet despite adverse conditions it was accom
plished under his directions.
Few men in the Southwest have done more for the develop
ment of the country. Not only in the banishment of the spirit
of isolation from the southwest as wire lines were carried to
the furtherest frontier, but in the general work of development
and improvement in m.any different cities where Mr. Farns
worth has been an acknowledged factor. He has shown himself
one of the real progressive business men of the vast section he
has called home. He has believed that the interest of the com
munity at large was his interest and has stood ever ready as a
citizen to extend financial aid or give the benefits of his wide
experience. Mr. Farnsworth is Past Exalted Ruler of the Dallas Lodge
of Elks, an active member of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce,
a member of the Dallas Club, the Dallas Country Club, and the
Dallas and Houston Press Clubs and stands high in Masonic
circles.
FRANCIS MARION ETHERIDGE
DALLAS
Named after Francis Marion, the noted "Bushwhacker" of
South Carolina, who was associated with General Greene in the
War of Independence, Francis Marion Etheridge comes of
Scotch-Irish ancestry. He was born in 1859, in Bradley County,
Arkansas. His parents were Daniel Thomas Etheridge and
Mary Elizabeth Etheridge (Pirtle). He is acknowledged to be
one of the ablest and best equipped lawyers in the State of
Texas. Mr. Etheridge has made his way to the front by sheer

F. M. ETHERIDGE

Texas — The Country and Its Men 281
force of untiring industry and unflinching determination. His
early educational advantages were exceedingly limited. He is
wholly self-taught with the exception of a few months, 'now and
then, in the country schools of Texas. He became a country
teacher in time and studied law at nights, while thus engaged.
He had not even the privilege of reading under a practitioner. He
nevertheless succeeded in laying broad and deep the legal knowl
edge which enabled him to be admitted to the bar.
He was licensed to practice law in December, 1881, by
Judge B. F. Estes, at Pittsburg, Texas. In 1893, on motion of
Attorney General Garland, he was admitted to practice at the bar
of the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Etheridge ran a
stationary steam engine until he was nineteen, at which age
he obtained a license to teach school.
Mr. Etheridge began practice at Groesbeeck, Texas, soon
removing to Fairfield, Texas, and thence to Corsicana, where a
co-partnership with the late Judge S. R. Frost was formed.
From Corsicana, he came to Dallas, in 1891, and estabhshed the
firm of Barry, Ellison & Etheridge. A year or two afterwards
Mr. Etheridge became a member of the firm of Harris, Etheridge
& Knight and engaged in a lucrative practice for the ensuing
ten years. On the death of Mr. Harris, Judge N. W. Finley
was admitted to the firm. Mr. Etheridge some time later
withdrew from the firm, and practiced alone until the present
firm of Etheridge & McCormick was formed, in the early part
of 1907. The firm of Etheridge & McCormick is engaged in
general practice, including patent, corporation, land and probate
law. The firm acts as counsel for numerous corporations in
Dallas, Texas, and has many non-resident clients. Its members
have engaged in some of the most important cases in the State
and Federal Courts.
Mr. Etheridge has thirty volumes of his own printed briefs,
in cases that reached the Appellate Courts. He has the largest
individual law hbrary in Texas; it embraces reports of all the
States and a complete set of the Enghsh reports. The official
set of the latter was purchased from the estate of Justice Horace
Gray, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United
States. The commodious quarters of the firm comprise four

282 Texas — The Country and Its Men
private offices, a reception room and the library, the latter con
taining over 10,000 volumes. Mr. Etheridge has been t-wice
married. By his first wife he has a grown son, Howard, and a
married daughter, Mrs. A. J. Clopton, both of Dallas. His second
-wife was Miss Katherine Stigler of Lexington, Miss., whom he
married May i, 1907.
JUDGE ROBERT L. BALL
SAN ANTONIO
The consensus of public opinion accords to Judge Robert
L. Ball a prominent position in the ranks of the legal fraternity
in San Antonio. He was born in Jackson County, Missouri, in
i860, his parents being Robert Austin and Constance (Rose)
Ball, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Virginia.
They were among the early settlers of Jackson County, Missouri,
taking u'p their home near the border only six miles from the
Kansas line and in the path of the fierce and bitter warfare that
was waged along that border during the Civil War.
Mr. Ball was unfortunate enough to lose both of his parents
by death when he was but six years of age, and although a mere
child during the period of struggle between the two sections of
the country he distinctly recalls many distressing incidents of
that time. His yout'h was a period of earnest toil and struggle.
He had neither influential friends nor inheritance to aid him,
and much hard labor fell to his lot in early life, but as the years
have passed he has been eminently successful owing to his well
directed efforts, his business integrity and his unfaltering persever-
aiice. He was reared to farming pursuits and early became
ambitious to make the most of his opportunities. When sixteen
-years of age he had purchased equipment (on credit) and -^^as
renting and operating one of the largest farms in Johnson County,
Kansas, just across the line from Missouri. Thus at an age
when most boys are interested in outdoor sports or are pursuing
their educations he was facing the stern realities of life, for
existence had long been to him a strenuous one. Through his
farming operations he realized enough capital to enable him to
acquire an excellent education in the University of Kansas, at
Lawrence, where he studied from 1878 until 1880, inclusive, for

Texas — The Country and Its Men

283

284 Texas — The Country and Its Men
he had become convinced of the necessity and value of an educa
tion for one who would attain success in life. After completing
his collegiate course in Lawrence he came immediately to Galves
ton, Texas, where he entered the law office of a renowned at
torney. Major Frank M. Spencer, under whose direction he
pursued his studies until admitted to the bar there in 1882. In
1883 he made his way to Western Texas, locating in the heart
of the great cattle country at Colorado City. It was there that
he got such a substantial start and made such progress as to
put him on the pathway to his present high position in the legal
profession and in the business world. He was elected City and
County Attorney, respectively, while in Colorado City, and
during the last six years of his residence there he was also Presi
dent of the Colorado National Bank and active in its manage
ment. He practiced as a member of the law firm of Ball &
Burney, the first general attorneys for the Texas Cattle Raisers'
Association of Texas, and Mr. Burney, now living at Fort Worth,
is still one of the attorneys for that Association. Judge Ball
made a splendid record by reason of his recognized legal talent
while in Colorado City, having a large and interesting criminal
practice in addition to litigation connected with cattle interests
of that western district. He is still well remembered in that
section of the country for his able and skillful defense in numerous
noted murder cases, in which he cleared his clients, and made
many notable addresses to the juries that will probably never
be forgotten by any who heard them.
In 1894 Mr. Ball came to San Antonio, since which time
he has been extensively engaged in the practice of law in this
city. For several years he was associated in partnership with
the late Honorable Tully A. Fuller. He is often called the
"cowman's lawyer" of Texas because of his service through a
long number of years as attorney for many of the leading cattle
men of the State. It was his interest in this branch of the
practice, in fact, that induced him to locate in San Antonio,
which he regards as the natural center and headquarters of the
greatest cattle region of the United States and believes that it
will remain such for many years to come. Since his arrival
here he has been continually prosperous in his profession and
has valuable business interests in this city and vicinity, being

Texas — The Country and Its Men 285
now Vice-President of the National Bank of Commerce, which
position he has held since its organization in 1903.
He was married in i<-:<j2 to Miss Marian Cooke, who was
born and reared in Washington County, Texas, and they have
two daughters, Constance and Marian Ellen. The family occupy
a prominent position in social circles of the city, and the hospital
ity of the Ball household is greatly enjoyed by many friends.
He is prominent in Masonry and is a' Past Master of Alamo
Lodge, A. F. & A. M., Past High Priest of Burleson Chapter,
R. A. M., and Past Eminent Commander of San Antonio Com
mandery, K. T.
Undeterred by the difficulties and obstacles in his path, Mr.
Ball has gained a position of distinction in legal and business
circles. Success is methodical and consecutive, and however
much we may indulge in fantastic theorizing as to its elements
and causation "in any isolated instance, in the light of sober in
vestigation we will find it to be but a result of the determined
apphcation of one's dihgence and powers along the rigidly
defined lines of labor. Mr. Ball's career has been no exception
to the rule. His success in his practice came soon because his
equipment was unusually good and because he appHed himself
earnestly to the mastery of every case entrusted to him. His
abihties, natural and acquired, were those indispensable to the
lawyer — a keen, rapid, logical mind, plus the business sense,
and a ready capacity for hard work. He also possesses a strong
personality, an eloquence of language, an earnest, dignified
manner and a thorough grasp of the law, together with the
abihty accurately to apply its principles. He interests himself
in public affairs and participates earnestly in any effort to
propagate a spirit of patriotism and of loyalty to American
institutions.
JNO. S. LANKFORD, M. D.
SAN ANTONIO
It would be almost impossible to overestimate the value
of Dr. Lankford's service in connection with the School Board of
San Antonio. Well equipped for his chosen profession and enjoy
ing a large and lucrative practice as a physician and surgeon, he

286 Texas — The Country and Its Men
has at the same time made a close study of various subjects
relating to the public health and methods for the dissemination
of knowledge, for the prevention of disease, and in connection
with the schools of San Antonio has done a work of the utmost
good by formulating and securing the adoption of plans whereby
the children have been instructed along lines promoting hygienic
conditions. His work in this direction has awakened attention
throughout the nation, receiving the endorsement of many of
the most prominent members of the medical fraternity and edu
cators throughout the country.
Dr. Lankford is a native of Mississippi, but was reared and
educated in Texas, coming to this State in his boyhood days, in
1874. His earlier life was passed in Milam and Grayson Counties,
and he followed the acquirement of his literary education by
the study of medicine in the University of Louis-ville, Kentucky,
from which institution he was graduated mth honor in the class
of 1882. In that year he commenced practice at Atoka, in the
Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, where he remained until
1892, when he sought a broader field of labor in San Antonio,
and has since been recognized there as a prominent physician
and exemplary citizen. He is continually broadening his knowl
edge and promoting his efficiency by investigation, research
study and practices along modern scientific lines. He is a Director
and the Treasurer of the Physicians and Surgeons Hospital of
San Antonio and is Cha'rman of the Board of Trustees of the
Texas State Journal of Medicine, the official organ of the State
Medical Association. He is a member of a number of scientific
societies and of the County, State and American Medical Asso
ciations and thus keeps abreast with scientific investigation
and modern thought in professional circles. He pursued a general
post-graduate course in New York Polyclinic in 1891.
Dr. Lankford has for several years past been a member of
the School Board of San Antonio and was elected President in
May, 1906. One of the principal achievements in the line of his
profession and one that has brought him the most renown is in
connection with his plan for the teaching of preventative medicine
to the public school children of this city. This teaching is not
only along the line of preventing illness for one's self but also the
precaution and action necessary to preventing the spread of

Texas — The Country and Its Men

287

288 Texas — The Country and Its Men
epidemic and contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, small
pox, the various fevers and especially malaria, and the preven
tion of nerve strain in school children. It is conceded that the
teaching of these principles to the children accounts to a large
degree for the unusual healthfulness and attractiveness of this
city from a sanitary standpoint as well as the complete absence
of epidemics. While Dr. Lankford gave an idea of the work that was
being done in connection with the schools he did not mention
what is known to all citizens of San Antonio, that his was the
plan and he was the motive power behind all this investigation
and study that yielded large and beneficial results. He has
lectured upon the subject, has given advice through private
conversation and has been a factor in promoting conditions in
school life for healthfulness that can not be overestimated.
He stands as a representative of the highest type of ethical
practice in medicine and surgery — not how to derive personal
benefit from health conditions that work hardships to others,
but how to relegate to the realms of oblivion all that tends to
prove detrimental to the health of the public and the individual
and thus frustrate man's plans for successful work in various
walks of life.
Dr. Lankford, as Medical Director of Life Insurance, has
used all his energies to interest Life Insurance Companies in
the conservation of human life, a field of much promise.
E. R. OLIVER
corpus christi
Mr. Edward Ohver was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
June 23, 1819, and died on the "Oso Ranch," about fifteen miles
from Corpus Christi, Texas, February n, 1902, in his eighty-
second year.
For several years he lived at Bordentown, New Jersey,
and in 1832, started with his parents in two wagons, westward
bound by way of Pittsburg. This journey was marked by many
hardships, depredations and resistance offered by the Indians •

Texas — The Country and Its Men 289
In 1833, the family reached the State of Illinois, where Mr.
Oliver's father, Franklin Oliver, purchased from the govern
ment a section of land in a grove of timber, which still bears his
name, "Oliver's Grove." He settled there among the Indians,
with whom he ever remained on the most friendly terms. When
other white people in the surrounding country, frightened at
the warlike reports of the Black Hawk War, retreated toward
the Wabash settlements in Indiana, Oliver remained upon his
claim, and went in and out among the red men without molesta
tion, and was the first white settler in what is now Chatsworth
Township, Li-vingston County, 111.
Mr. Oliver later began steamboating on the Mississippi
River, and while following this occupation, met and married
his -wife, Julean K. Gunter, in October, 1842, who died July 9,
1845- At the beginning of the Mexican War, Mr. Oliver came to
Texas and joined the Texas Rangers, serving with distinction
through that memorable struggle, for which he was granted a
Mexican War pension.
He married his second -wife, Miss Belinda C. Fulbright, in
Red River County, Texas, August 6, 185 1. About the year
1855, he started from Austin, Texas, for California with a drove
of beef cattle, his younger brother, James Oliver, going with
him and remaining in California, where he was living at last
accounts. In i860, Captain Oliver settled at Motralla, Nueces County,
returning shortly after to Red River County, near Paris, Texas.
There he raised a company of men and served through the Civil
War, throughout which Captain OHver acquitted himself with
honor. After the Civil War he returned to Nueces County, Texas,
and settled near the "Oso," where he resided up to the time of
his death. Captain Oliver held the position of County Commissioner
of Nueces County for several years, and became prominent in
all county political affairs.
Mr. Oliver was survived by the following children: Mrs.

290 Texas — The Country and Its Men
John S. McGregor of Corpus Christi, Texas, who died February
lo, 1908; David M. Oliver, of the "Oso" Ranch, who died
February 4, 1908, and E. R. Oliver, Jr., of Corpus Christi, Texas.
In all the relations of life he bore himself as becomes a true
man. Whether on the trail, on the field of battle or in the private
walks of life, he made duty his watch v/ord and the guiding
influence of his life, and his memory is honored not only by his
surviving family, but by a host of friends who knew him in the
years agone.
Mr. E. R. Oliver, Jr., who is now living in Corpus Christi,
was for several years Deputy Sheriff, and is a member of the
Sheriff's Association of Texas, and Tax Collector of Nueces
County for four years.
He is also prominent in fraternal affairs, being a thirty-
second degree Mason and a Shriner.
ERNEST HENRY KOCH
el campo
In 1872 an emigrant ship cast anchor in Galveston Harbor
and Frederick and Mina Koch, parents of the subject of this
memoir, landed on Texas soil, bringing from the fatherland their
household goods, little Ernest Henry, then about two years
old, having been born in Germany, August 28, 1870. The
family only had about I250 in money. They first went to
Fayette County, where they remained until 1883, when they
moved to Lavaca County, where they still reside.
They engaged in farming and -with that thrift so character
istic of the German race, they prospered from the first, and
accumulated an ample competency for their declining years.
Young Ernest first clerked in a store at $10 per month. At the
expiration of one year, he entered the employ of W. 0. Woodier &
Company, dealers in lumber, at $15 per month. His attention
to his duties, and his fidelity to his employers' interests induced
them to raise his. wages from time to time till after four years
he was receiving 16 5 per month.
In 1894 he married Miss Carrie A. Kaiser of Kerr-ville, the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 291
result of the union being the birth of two children, the Misses
Clarice and Lucille. Mr. Koch is a Mason, a member of El
Campo Lodge No. 918, and is also Secretary and Treasurer of
the El Campo Rice Milling Company and Cashier of the
First National Bank of El Campo, of which he was one of the
organizers in 1902, capital'zed at $50,000, with deposits of
$150,000, a very creditable showing for a comparatively young
bank. Mr. Koch is a shrewd, careful man of affairs, and being just
at the meridian of life, the future promises still greater rewards
and honors for his industry and business integrity. His father,
now 76 years of age, has retired from active life, and is spending
his declining years in the quietude of his home on his farm in
Lavaca County, surrounded with plenty and happy in the love
of his aged companion, and their respected son.
HON. SIDNEY P. SKINNER
SAN ANTONIO
In San Antonio, which has been his home since 1909, Mr.
Skinner is probably best known as a banker, and a progressive
citizen and capable business man. For many years Mr. Skinner
was an active member of the Texas Bar, practicing at Waxa-
hachie, and a few years ago gained a State-wide reputation for
his work as a legislator.
Born at Troy, Drew County, Arkansas, in 1863, the son of
Larkin and Serepta (Pittman) Skinner. As he was brought to
Texas when an infant, he is to all intents and purposes a life
long resident of the State. The family settled in Denton County,
later moving to Hill County, where Mr, Skinner was reared.
He gained his Hterary education in one of the leading colleges
of the State, graduating from Baylor University at Waco in
1884. His law studies -were pursued at Waxahachie, and with
his admission to the bar in 1887, he at once began active practice.
quickly estabhshing a reputation for successful work. He was
elected City Attorney of Waxahachie, and served one term in
the office of County Superintendent of Schools for EUis County,

292

Texas — The Country and Its Men

Texas — The Country and Its Men 293
an administration which did much to promote educational
standards in that county.
His public record will be best remembered for his prominence
during four years as State Senator from Ellis County and served
¦with distinction in the twenty-ninth and thirtieth legislatures.
In the latter session he was unanimously elected President pro tern
of the Senate. His efforts were directed more toward prevent
ing the enactment of useless and futile laws than the enactment
of new ones, but there were a number of important measures
passed in which his efforts and influence were effective. Mr.
Skinner is credited as being chiefly responsible for the passage
of the anti-bucket shop law in the Senate, and also for the enact
ment of a measure requiring outside insurance companies,
among other things, to comply with certain r,equirements im
posed upon home companies, as to investments in Texas securities.
For his stanch adherence to the principles in which he believed,
and for his efforts in promoting legislation such as would, in
his opinion, be of real benefit to the people, Mr. Skinner won a
warm place in the confidence of thinking members of the legis
lature as well as of citizens generally.
A large practice as a lawyer kept Mr. Skinner busy at
Waxahachie until 1909, when he moved his home to San Antonio.
He has since discontinued the practice of law. He is engaged in
the live stock and ranching business and is now President of
the Citizens Bank and Trust Company. This progressive
institution was organized by him and his associates and began
business in February, 19 13.
Mr. Skinner affiHates with the Masonic Fraternity, the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and Knights of Pythias.
In 1 89 1 he married Miss WilHa Getzendaner, daughter of the
late Captain W. H. Getzendaner, one of the historic characters
of EUis County and a man of Statewide prominence. Mrs.
Skinner was educated at Staunton, Virginia, under Mrs. J. E. B.
Stuart, one of the South's most famous women, the widow of
Lee's great cavalry leader. Whatever success has attended
the efforts of Mr. Skinner, he attributes in great part to the
¦co-operation and influence of his wife.

294 Texas — The Country and Its Men

JOHN RICHARD NASWORTHY
SAN ANGELO
Comes of good old Georgia stock and has the Georgian's patriotic
pride in his State. He was born in Burke County, Georgia,
September 25, 1849. His parents were Uriah Nasworthy and
Mary Nasworthy.
They lived and died on their old Georgia farm and John
Richard, their son, after attending the common schools till he
was fifteen years old, entered the service of his country in Cobb's
Legion C. S. A.
He made a brave soldier, always ready for duty. He partic
ipated in many battles and skirmishes. At PoperviUe, South
Carolina, he was wounded and captured. He was then on
detached service and fell in with General Jo Wheeler's "flying
squadron" of dashing horsemen when they crossed swords -with
the Federal General Kilpatrick's raiders.
He -was blown up in front of Petersburg when General Grant
exploded the mine under the Confederate works, but escaped
death. His wound gave him a furlough, but as soon as able, he re
turned to his command and served faithfully till the close of
the war. In 1869 he came to Texas and settled on the frontier, west
of the Colorado River. At that time there was not a house -with
a plank floor in that portion of the State. In fact there were
but few families west of the Colorado River.
Mr. Nasworthy is a model pioneer in many senses of the
word. For many years after settHng in the "Concho Country"
he was troubled by the Comanche Indians and he was frequently
in sharp encounters with these Bedouins of the plains. His
last adventure with these fierce warriors was in 1874 just below
Fort McKavett. He and a man by the name of Felix Mann
were in what in range parlance is called a "cow camp" near a

Texas — The Country and Its Men

295

creek, when suddenly eleven Indians appeared and surrounded
the camp. Mr. Nasworthy was mounted on a mule, when he

JOHN RICHARD NASWORTHY
discovered the redskins encircling the camp and getting ready
for a charge. Jumping from his mule, he seized his gun and
prepared for the onset. His mule became excited, and with a

296 Texas — The Country and Its Men
mule's natural perversity began to "advance backwards" as an
Irishman would say, and kept on his retrograde movement till
he tumbled heels-over-head, bridle, saddle and all into the
creek. About this time, the Indians discovered a number of cow
boys on an adjacent hill, and they beat a hasty retreat, without
firing a gun. But for the accidental appearance on the scene of
these cowboys, Mr. Nasworthy and his companion would have
been murdered. Mr. Nasworthy gave them a parting shot as
they ran off.
Shortly after this, he was one day on the Nueces River on
the top of a mountain, when he saw two Indians riding down the
Canyon. They had not seen him, so he intercepted them and
ambushed them. As they rode up he fired on them and killed
the horse under one. The other Indian quickly took the dis
mounted one up behind him on his horse and galloped away.
Mr. Nasworthy thinks he wounded the savage, but of
course he is not certain. This incident occurred about 125 miles
of San Angelo.
While participating in many Indian fights, he says he never
saw but one dead Indian after the battle, as they invariably
carried off the dead. He served as First Sergeant in the Ranger
force for a year. These Rangers, aided occasionally by United
States troopers, were invaluable to the frontiersmen as they
pushed further and further west, and opened up new territory.
They not only pursued and punished marauding bands of
Indians, but they protected the honest settlers and ranchmen,
driving out thieves and desperate men. For half a score of
years, Mr. Nasworthy led a life of semi-military character,
owing to the conditions of the country, and the acti-vity of
Indians, thieves and robbers.
Nearly every full moon, the Indians would steal in and
drive off horses.
The ranchmen would sometimes pare off the hoofs of their
horses till they would be so tender as to lame them, and the
Indians could not make off -with them in this condition. It
required about six months for the hoof to grow and harden

Texas — The Country and Its Men 297
sufficiently to enable the animal to travel with comfort. In
this way they saved their horses.
Mr. Nasworthy has lived to see the -wild country settled by
a class of thrifty, prosperous and intelhgent people who have
made "the wilderness blossom as a rose."
The first frame building in San Angelo was erected in 1878,
the lumber being hauled from Round Rock. It was built by
Mr. William S. Veck. The second frame house went up the
same year, and is still standing, owned and occupied by Mr.
J. WiUis Johnson, President of the First National Bank of
San Angelo. Before going to the Concho Country, Mr. Nasworthy had
served a term as Deputy Sheriff in Washington County. In
1880 he married Miss Dena Fisher of San Angelo, and to them
have been bom six children: Mark, Seth, Tom, Georgia (named
for his native State), Charlie and Richard.
He is a Mason, a Democrat and a Baptist. No man can
keep in good standing in these organizations without being a
good citizen, and Mr. Nasworthy stands high in all three-.
He claims the di'stinction of having been the first stockman
west of the Colorado to engage in raising thoroughbred horses
and shorthorn cattle. He is a pioneer in this fine, and he is
justly proud of his success. He owns vast ranches, and large
herds of horses and cattle. His fine horses are the boast and
pride of all who have seen them. He raised the fastest five-
eighth mile horse in his day. "Charlie WUson," "Hal Fisher,"
"Little Sister," "Honest DoUar," are some of his blooded horses
that have made records in the race track, whUe his splendid
horse named "Get There" was the greatest one-mile horse ever
raised in Texas. His "Charhe Wilson" easily distanced the
famous "Geraldine" on the Denver, Colorado, course in 1892.
Mr. Nasworthy won $29,000, and sold the animal for $13,000,
the purchaser taking it to Canada.
His shorthorns are scarcely less noted in that section of the
State. He has given up the racing feature since his connection
with the Church. He is still, however, an enthusiastic breeder
of fine stock, and he rehgiously beheves that West Texas will

298 Texas — The Country and Its Men
some day prove the greatest country in the world for the raising
of thoroughbred horses.
He attributes its special adaptability for this purpose to
the nutritious grasses that grow there, to the lime and also to
the altitude that gives heart power.
Every condition of soil, climate, and production essential
, to the best development of the horse is found in that part of
Texas, and in his judgment it is certain to become a successful
rival to the famous "Blue Grass Country" of Kentucky.
In short, it is a real horse paradise, according to Mr. Nas
worthy, where that noble animal attains his most perfect develop
ment, in form, style, color, and powers of endurance.
His wonderful success in breeding superior stock would
appear to justify his prophecy.
While Mr. Nasworthy owns large farms, yet he clings with
fondness to his splendid ranches, and superb stock.
Every community in Texas needs just such "pioneers" as
Mr. Nasworthy to show to the world the wonderful capacities,
richness, and resources of this imperial State.
While never seeking official honors, he has been called by
his fellow citizens at divers times to fill the offices of County
Clerk and City Treasurer of San Angelo, and his painstaking
methods have caused his fellow members to lay on him the
duties of some official station in all the Lodges and Orders to
which he belongs, and his party has placed him at the head of
the Executive Committee in his county.
His life has been crowded -with stirring incidents, and in all
he has borne himself as becomes a man, and Fortune has smiled
on him as a coy maiden on an ardent lover.
THOMAS D. COBBS
SAN ANTONIO
Honorable Thomas D. Cobbs of San Antonio, a lawyer of
marked abihty and a member of the legislature of unimpeach
able political integrity, has left and is leaving the impress of his
individuality upon the judicial and legislative history of the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 299
commonwealth. He was born in Choctaw County, Alabama, a
son of Chancellor Thomas and Lucy (Thom) Cobbs. He is
descended from distinguished ancestry in both the paternal
and maternal lines, and from that line written of in the Virginia
heraldry of the Cobbs family of the Old Dominion. His paternal
grandfather, Thomas Cobbs, was Mayor of Raleigh, North
Carolina, and at a still more remote date representatives of the
name were soldiers of the Revolutionary War, while still earher
generations of the family were prominent in the pioneer history
of Carolina and Georgia. Thomas Cobbs, the grandfather,
married a Miss Sarah Boone.
Chancellor Thomas Cobbs was one of the famous lawyers
of Alabama, ser-ving with distinction on the bench for twenty-
five years, during the greater part of which time he was Chan
cellor of the Court of Chancery. Glowing tributes were expressed
at the time of his death, which occurred in Birmingham in March,
1898, both by the pubhc and by individuals. It was widely
acknowledged that few men had served the State more efficiently
and impartially or reflected greater honor upon the .judiciary
than he, his able decisions attracting widespread attention not
only in Alabama but outside the State as weU. Probably the
most notable decision which he ever rendered was in the case
of the Memphis & Charleston RaUroad vs. the East Tennessee,
Virginia & Georgia Railroad, which was an epoch-making deci
sion, changing the entire status of railroad investments and
having a marked effect upon railroad interests everywhere.
ChanceUor Cobbs was a man of unblemished life, of high and
lofty character and one of the most learned and able men on
the bench of the South. Faultiess in conduct, fearless in action
and stainless in reputation, the lives of few public men of Ala
bama extended over a longer period and none was characterized
by greater integrity and purpose, higher ideals or more practical
service. Chancellor Cobbs married Lucy Thom, also of a well
known family originating in Virginia. Her mother bore the
maiden name of Lucy Hansborough and in this way Captain
Cobbs is related to the family of P. Hansborough Bell, who was
Governor of Texas from 1849 untU 1853- Major Hansborough,

I ! , ) I 1 11 11,11,
.„ ,111 111

y, /} . Co"^^^

Texas — The Country and Its Men 301
of Revolutionary fame, is a direct ancestor of this branch of
the family. The Thom family in America was founded by Alex
ander Thom, a native of Scotland of the clan Cameron in
Inverness-shire. He settled in Virginia and died in Westmoreland
County, that State, in 1788. In Britain he had been an officer
of rank in the Royal Army and served under the ill starred ban
ner of Prince Charles Edward Stuart on the fatal field of Cul-
loden in March, 1746. This family is descended in direct line
from the royalty, and in America, during the period of the
Revolution, some of them were still loyal to the crown. Lucv
(Thom) Cobbs resided at her home in Birmingham, Alabama,
where her son, J. B. Cobbs, is a prominent business man. She
died September, 19 11.
Captain Thomas D. Cobbs was reared in Sumter County
in Southwestern Alabama, his father having maintained his
law office at Livingston, the County seat, for a number of years.
He received his preparatory education at Lindisfarne Academy,
an Episcopal school at Marion, Alabama, and after studying
law in his father's office was admitted to the bar in Livingston
in 1875. Previous to this time, however, he had filled a posi
tion of Civil Engineer as a youth in the building of the Alabama
& Chattanooga Railroad. In his early days he was also Circuit
Court Solicitor in Choctaw County, Alabama, and held other
positions in connection with the courts of that section of the
State. Captain Cobbs arrived in Texas in 1878 and located at
Navasota in Grimes County, where he became a law partner of
Major Hannibal Boone, who was Attorney General of the
State during the administration of Governor Coke. He prac
ticed law there untU he came to San Antonio in April, 1893, his
removal to this city being made partially as a matter of con
venience in carrying out his duties as attorney for the land
department, which department consisted of the lands originaUy
granted by the State to the Texas & New Orleans, the Galveston,
Houston & San Antonio, the Galveston, West Texas & Pacific,
the Houston & Texas Central and the Waco & Northwestern
Railroad Companies. He is variously engaged in large general

302 Texas — The Country and Its Men

practice in all the courts. He was admitted to practice in the
United States Supreme Court in October, 1893.
He was also for some time prominently connected with the
State Militia, whereby he won his rank of Captain. In 1902 he
was elected to represent Bexar County in the Twenty-eighth
Legislature and was re-elected in 1904 for the twenty-ninth
session, and again in November, 1906, for the thirtieth session.
In these sessions he has been a member of Judiciary Committee
No. I and several other important committees. The office of
representative came to Captain Cobbs absolutely unsought, nor
did he make a campaign canvass not ask for a single vote. It
was one of the results of the movement which has been gaining
strength within the last two or three years to send only men
of the highest ability and character to the Legislature. The
press speaks of Captain Cobbs as one of the leaders in the
General Assembly. Although in a -hopeless minority, he op
posed what were known as the tax bills to increase taxes on
corporations, his position being based upon the unconstitution
ality of these bills. At heart he is a genuine friend of the work
ing classes and yet he believes in no undue discrimination for
either class, believing that the laws should be fair and impartial
to all. Although quiet and composed in manner he is unfaltering
in his advocacy of what he believes to be right, standing firm in
support of his honest convictions and his judicial trend of mind
makes him always fair and just. H!s merit has made him one
of the able members of the house and his official career refiects
credit upon the State.
Captain Cobbs was married at Navasota to Miss Carrie
Quinney, a native of Texas and a daughter of Dr. Quinney, a
prominent physician of Grimes County. Her mother was a
daughter of well known General Barnes, also of Grimes County.
Captain and Mrs. Cobbs have one son, Thomas D. Cobbs, Jr.
He is a graduate in Civil Engineering of the Agricultural and
Mechanical CoUege and of the law department of the State
University at Austin. As a citizen no man in San Antonio
stands higher than Captain Cobbs. As a lawyer he ranks
among the best in the State. He is an impressive and logical

Texas — The Country and Its Men 303
reasoner, well grounded in the principles of law, quick to grasp
the points in a case and adroit in presenting them. He is more
over a man of broad ¦views in all questions relating to the public
welfare and has proved himself in all the relations of life, an
earnest, honest, upright man and a citizen of whom any com
munity might justly be proud.
He was appointed by Governor Colquitt to a position on
the San Antonio Court of Appeals bench on October 24, 19 11,
and resigned on February i, 19 12, to return to the practice of
law and is at the head of the law firm of Cobbs & Cobbs, of
which his son is the junior member. He did not remain with
the Court of Appeals long, only long enough to get that
beneficial experience. Writs of error were granted by the
Supreme Court in a number of cases where he wrote the opinion
of the Court, but in every single instance the Supreme Court
affirmed his opinions. He is proud of this record.
NICHOLAS DUNN
ALICE
Was bom in County Killane, Ireland, February 12, 1835. His
parents were John Dunn and Anna Hyland. He came to
America in 1850, landing in New Orleans. He attended the
common schools of Ireland and New Orleans. In 1851 he came
to Corpus Christi, Texas, where he lived for many years. He
witnessed the bombardment of the town by the Federal fleet
during the war bfetween the States.
He farmed and also ranched as his first occupation in this
new country and he made both lines profitable. In 1864, he
married Miss Andree Ann Gable, whose mother, Mrs. Ellen
O'Toule, now resides near Skidmore, Texas. She is over 85
years of age, but her mental faculties are still unimpaired.
Mr. Dunn belonged to what are improperly called our Irish-
American citizens. The term Irish- American, German- American,
etc., is a misnomer. When a foreigner becomes a naturalized
American citizen, he ceases to owe any sort of allegiance to any
other government and becomes an American. Mr. Dunn was an

304 Texas — The Country and Its Men

NICHOLAS DUNN

Texas — The Country and Its Men 305
American in this broad sense, and was proud of his adopted
land. The Irish are a liberty-loving, patriotic people. They
have fought under every flag that floated above brave men
struggling for freedom from tyranny, and Irish valor and Irish
blood have consecrated every field where heroes died for human
rights. Mr. Dunn, true to Irish instincts, was a patriotic citizen,
devoted to his adopted land, and had borne an honorable part
in many thrilling encounters with the Indians and outlaws who
infested the country in those early days when to be a pioneer
was nobler than to be a Roman. His reminiscences of the bloody
outrages and awful raids in the early days were full of vivid in
terest and startling incidents, which, if written, would make
good reading for this and future generations. The country
when he came to Corpus Christi, was' alive with the treacherous
Red Men, and with bands of desperadoes hardly less treacherous
and blood-thirsty. His life on the ranch and on the cattle trail was peculiarly
exposed to the dangers incident to those heroic days in the
dramatic and weird history of Texas. He often drove cattle
overland from around Corpus Christi to Kansas and accom
panied many Government trains through the "Bad Lands"
when the fierce Comanches made such expeditions most hazard
ous. On these trips, he on more occasions than one met and
repelled these fiery warriors in their daring attacks. The people
of this day do not realize the fierceness and intrepidity of these
Comanche warriors, the finest horsemen in the world.
When on his Egyptian Campaign, the great Napoleon's
seasoned veterans had to march across the burning sands in
"hollow squares" to repel the furious onsets of the Arab horse
men, who would fall like thunderbolts in these squares and
sweep around them, in the blaze of musketry, as the lightning
fringes with thunder, the rising cloud. Napoleon, that genius
of war, was so struck with the reckless daring and splendid
horsemanship of these magnificent Arab cavalrymen, that he
said if he had them for allies instead of enemies, he could con
quer the world.

306 Texas — The Country and Its Men
These wild Comanches were the equal of those Arab troopers
in superb horsemanship, and their impetuous onslaughts. It is
not strange therefore, that the early settlers dreaded this tribe
of Indians, and that in many encounters with them the cool
ness and skill of the pioneers in the use of fire arms were unavail
ing to save them from defeat by their savage foes.
Mr. Dunn's experience with these Indians, and his wide
knowledge of their numerous outrages, made him one of the
best living authorities on the subject. He was a most interest
ing character. The following children survive him: Mrs. Mary Frances
Clark of New Orleans; John F. Dunn of Alice, Texas, a ranch
man and cattle buyer; Mrs. Margaret Evans of Alice; Theresa
Elizabeth; Michael J. Dunn, also a ranchman.
WILLIAM W. WRIGHT
corpus christi
Wm. W. Wright was born in Oglethorpe County, Georgia,
in the year 1818.
His father moved into Perry County, Alabama, where Mr.
Wright received his early education.
Wm. W. Wright was first married in Perry County, Alabama,
to Miss Sarah Waters and in 1842 moved to Frenole County,
Mississippi. Departing from his occupation as a farmer, he
entered into merchandise in partnership -with Dr. Martin and
transacted a lucrative business for three years. In the Fall of
1853, he moved to Gonzales County, Texas, where he remained
two years, and then into Karnes County to engage in cattle
raising. In 1857 he joined the company of John Rabb and re
moved his stock to Banquette, Texas. During the drouth
which occured in 1859, Mr. Wright lost many thousands of
head of cattle.
In this vicinity, he served as a Captain of the "Home
Guard." His second marriage was to Miss Gheske Hunter.
His third marriage was to Miss Annie Weaver.
Among the children are mentioned W. W. Wright, Tax

Texas — The Country and Its Men 307
CoUector of Nueces County; C. C. Wright, a ranchman; MUas
Polk Wright, ranchman; and Mrs. J. B. Bernard, Mrs. Alice
Jefferies of Laredo and Mrs. F. S. Pagland, Kerr-ville.
Mr. Wright was an exemplary man, a good citizen and a
good neighbor. While his life was comparatively uneventful,
it was none the less useful to society and to his country.

JOHN BARTLETT
BROWNSVILLE
Was bom in New Hampshire in 1836. He attended the public
schools of his State and graduated from Dartmouth College;
studied law and was admitted to practice in New York City,
where he made his home until 1891, when on account of his
failing health his physicians advised him to go to Texas. Act
ing on their advice, he first went to Laredo, then to Corpus
Christi, where he remained until 1898, when at the solicitation
of the Honorable James B. Wells, a leading attorney of Browns-
-ville, Mr. Bartlett removed to that city and has remained
there practicing his profession. He is a cultured gentleman of
fine address, accomplishments that always command respect in
every community. His popularity resulted in his election to
the mayoralty in 1904, to fill out the unexpired term of the Hon
orable Thomas Carson and was again elected for the full term of
two years, being chosen both times by an unanimous vote.
Subsequently he was elected County Judge of Cameron County
and was re-elected to the same office in 1906, 1908 and 1910.
These fast recurring evidences of popular favor attest the high
character of Mr. Bartlett, as well as the confidence and esteem
in which he is held by the good people of Brownsville and of
Cameron County.

308 Texas — The Country and Its Men

JESSE E. GRINSTEAD
kerrville
The subject of this biography was born in Daviess County,
Kentucky, October i6, 1866. His father was Wm. Grinstead,
and his mother, prior to her marriage, was Miss Bettie Priest.
They were both natives of the "Blue Grass" State, though
they moved to Missouri with their parents in childhood, and
there grew up and were married, afterwards returning to Ken
tucky, where Jesse E. was born, and where he grew up on the
farm of his father. He was wise enough, however, to learn two
trades, carpentering and printing.
The young man of limited means in this utilitarian age who
masters some useful trade is able to master adversity and ad
verse conditions. The man who is proficient in any one line of
work or expert in any particular trade is as sure of a reasonably
comfortable support as if he had a generous bank account. A
bank account may be easily exhausted, but a practical knowl
edge of some useful occupation or trade grows larger and better,
the more it is drawn upon. Hence it is said advisedly that Mr.
Grimstead was wise in learning two trades. He first located in
the Indian Territory and phed his profession as carpenter and
contractor until 1899, when he removed to Texas, settling in
Kerrville, and at once engaged in publishing a newspaper. He
has ever since taken an active part in pubhc affairs, political
and social, affecting his section of the State generally and his
immediate community more particularly.
The editor of a country newspaper does more to develop
and build his community than any one person; yes, than any
dozen persons, and ordinarily receives less credit. He suggests
things, advocates measures, urges improvements, praises the
good works of others, compliments those in authority, when
they enforce the law, condemns the wrong, upholds the right,
builds up a beautiful moral sentiment, and in the thousand
ways works and wields influence and pen pro bono publico.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 309
He extends more credit to delinquent subscribers and as before
stated, receives less credit for his unselfish patriotic labors than
any one else gets. A good, clean, conservative newspaper in
tone and sentiment is the most powerful factor for good in any
community, excepting only the pulpit. Every ambitious, thriv
ing town should have such a paper at any cost, for it is the best
investment a community can make.
Mr. Grinstead seems to have given his people the kind of
journal outlined above, and his experience is an exception to the
Biblical rule, that a newspaper man is not "without honor save
in his own country," for Mr. Grinstead has been honored by
his neighbors and fellow citizens, by calling him to fill the highest
office in the municipality, that of Mayor, and in 1906, they sent
him to represent them in the Thirtieth Legislature. He had no
opposition, another evidence of his standing and popularity.
He has been twice married. October 24, 1890, he married
Miss Fannie Bay. The issue of this marriage are the sons,
Hugh Grady and Eugene Grinstead. February 10, 1901, he
was united in marriage to Mrs. Gertrude Wright, nee Davis,
and to them have been born two sons and a daughter: Jesse
Hamilton, Bessie Gertrude and Pam Davis Grinstead. Mr.
Grinstead is a Mason and a staunch Democrat.
His printing plant is one of the best in the State. His
paper enjoys a fine local circulation, and wields a most whole
some influence among its subscribers and readers. Like news
paper men generally, Mr. Grinstead is unobtrusive, unassum
ing in his manners, genial and generous in his nature, and places
duty above every other consideration in his political, social and
business relations.
He has the prospect of many more years of usefulness and
labor, as he is still comparatively young, and the future is bright
with the promise of richer rewards and higher honors.

310 Texas — The Country and Its Men

CHARLES MILTON BOYNTON
HAMILTON
Charles Milton Boynton was born April 25, 1836, on the
St. Francis River, in Canada East, ten miles from Sherbrooke,
and was the son of William and Harriet (Curtis) Boynton. His
father died December 25, 1838, but his mother, a woman of
strong character, was able to keep the family together.
In the spring of 1857 Mr. Boynton, the subject of our
sketch, went to Davenport, Iowa, and shortly afterward to Will
County, Illinois, where he taught school for six months. He
then removed to Bourbon County, Kentucky, where he con
tinued the work of teaching until the spring of i860, when he
removed to Rusk County, Texas, and taught school for six
months. He also was in charge of a school near Crockett, in the
same county, where he remained until June, 1861. At this time,
the Civil War was fairly on, and as he did not -wish to be separated
from his mother, who was living in Kentucky, he returned to
that State after the surrender of Fort Sumter. After teaching
school there for some time, he engaged in mercantile pursuits
in company with his brother, J. N. Bojmton of Millersburg.
After a somewhat unprofitable experience, he sold out, moved
to Carhsle and took charge of the city schools, and was there
for some three years. He then returned with his family to At
lanta, lUinois, where he remained about a year. Returning then
to Carlisle, he taught a private school there for two years, in
company ¦with Hugh B. Todd. Disposing of his interest in this
institution, he engaged in teaching in public schools at London
for two years.
In August, 1875, he came to Hamilton, Texas, where his
brother was already established in business. When he first
arrived, however, he had no idea of locating in the Lone Star
State. The Hamilton Herald was started in May, 1876, by W. T.
Saxon and Tom Neel. In company with J. S. Sparkman, he
purchased the paper in the month of January, 1877, buying out
his partner's interest a year later when he became sole proprie-

Texas — The Country and Its Men

311

tor. About this time he suffered a painful and serious accident,
the spraining of an ankle, and was a cripple for fifteen years,
using crutches most of the time.

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CHARLES MILTON BOYNTON
Mr. Boynton received signal honors from his party in the
State. In 1881 he was elected Second Assistant Secretary of the
Senate. At the end of the term he was made First Assistant,
312 Texas — The Country and Its Men
and later Secretary of the Senate, to which office he was several
times re-elected. He was a sound money Democrat and stood
staunchly for an honest dollar.
He was married in Kentucky on March 12, 1862, to Sarah
Louisa, daughter of John M. and Sarah J. (WUson) Irvin. She
was born October 17, 1838, in that State, and died at Hamilton,
Texas, in January, 1902. She was the mother of six chUdren,
namely: John WUliam, born March 9, 1863; George Henry,
born September 5, 1865; Charles Irvin, born August 12, 1869;
Carrie, born October 25, 1872; Lizzie Frances, born December
12, 187s, and Hattie, born June 2, 1879.
The father of the subject of this sketch was one of nine
children, — six boys and three girls. He was a farmer and a
lumberman, and died when about forty-six years of age. His
children were Emily, Lucinda, John Wesley, Alonzo, George,
William, Alpheus Smith, Henry Robert, Alva Fletcher, Charles
MUton (the subject of this sketch), and Julius Nelson. The
mother of these chUdren died in 1878, aged about seventy-five
years. She was a native of New Hampshire and a woman of
energy and fortitude. The Boyntons belong to a very old family
in history, tracing their ancestry back to Sir Matthew Boynton,
who lived in the time of WUliam the Conquerer. General
Hershell V. Boynton of Cincinnati was a member of the family.
C. M. Boynton was editor of the Hamilton Herald from
1877 until his death in 1901, and his paper was an influence and
power both in that county and in the State. He was a man of
high moral principles and his editorials reflected the character
and splendid intellect of the man. He was a member of the
Christian Church, of which he was for years an elder. He was
the personal friend of Governor Sul Ross, whose candidacy he
was one of the first to espouse. Mr. Boynton enjoyed a wide
acquaintance with the public men of his day.
FRANK PASCHAL, M. D.
SAN ANTONIO
San Antonio has long been noted for the distinguished
members of its medical fraternity and among those who have
gained distinction and success in the practice of medicine and

Texas — The Country and Its Men 313
surgery in this city, Dr. Frank Paschal is numbered. He is a
native son of San Antonio, his parents being Honorable Franklin
L. and Frances (Roach) Paschal, who took up their abode here
in an early day. The paternal grandfather, George W. Paschal,
was a resident of Georgia and the great-grandfather, William
Paschal, of North Carolina. The ancestry of the family, how
ever, can be traced still further back. At an early period in the
colonization of the new world, Louis XVI of France, displaying
a most tyrannical and despotic power, revoked the edict of Nantes
in 1685. Then followed a reign of terror, in which the Hugue
nots were horribly persecuted and tens of thousands of the best
and most pious people of that land fled to other countries that
they might have religious freedom. Many sought homes in the
new world and with the refugees from France came representa
tives of the Paschal family, who were also Huguenots and who
became the founders of the family in the new world.
WUliam Paschal, the great-grandfather of Dr. Paschal, was
born in North Carolina, where he spent his entire life. He es
poused the cause of the Americans in the Revolutionary War,
and his son, George Paschal, grandfather of Dr. Paschal, was
also one of the heroes who fought for American independence.
The latter was born in GranvUle, North Carolina, in 1760, and
died in Augusta, Georgia, in 1832. His wife bore the maiden
name of Agnes Brewer and passed away in Big Savannah,
Georgia, in 1869, at the extreme old age of ninety-four years.
She was of Scotch-Irish lineage. Among the sons of George and
Agnes Paschal was Judge George W. Paschal, who was a mem
ber of the Supreme Court of Arkansas and in 1846 removed to
Texas, where he gained distinction as a lawyer and author,
crowning his career by the compUation of a voluminous digests
of the United States Constitution and of the laws and decisions
of Texas, called Paschal's Annotated Digest of Our Supreme
Court Decisions. He died in Washington, D. C, about 1877,
while extending his labors in legal Hterature. Another son,
Isaiah Addison Paschal, was born in Auraria, Georgia, in 1807,
and for many years was a distinguished member of the bar at
Alexandria, Louisiana, and also State Senator and Probate

Texas — The Country and Its Men 315
Judge. Lea-ving Louisiana, he came to San Antonio, where he
resided from 1846 until his death in 1869, being recognized as
a distinguished attorney of this city.
Hon. Franklin L. Paschal, still another son of the family
of George and Agnes Paschal, was born in Athens, Georgia, and
came to Texas soon after the fall of the Alamo in 1836. For
nearly half a century he was a distinguished resident of this
city. In the warfare incident to the separation of Texas from
Mexico, which was continued intermittently for a number of
years after the fall of the Alamo, FrankHn L. Paschal served
in Captain Jack Hayes' noted company of spies and scouts.
He was one of the first Sheriffs of Bexar County and later was
an alderman of San Antonio. He was also a successful and pros
perous merchant of the city for many years, conducting one of
the leading business enterprises here, and his death occurred in
188 1 . He married Miss Frances Roach, who was born in Charles
ton, South Carolina, and died in San Antonio. Their Son, the
Honorable George Paschal, who died in 1894, was District
Attorney and the Mayor of San Antonio.
Dr. Frank Paschal was reared and educated in his native
city and supplemented his literary education by preparation
for the practice of medicine and surgery as a student in Louis-
¦viUe Medical CoUege at LouisviUe, Kentucky, from which he
was graduated with the highest honors of the class of 1874.
He won prizes for the best thesis, also the highest prizes for
essays on the principles and practice of medicine, materia
medica and therapeutics. As a result -of these honors and his
superior standing in the competitive examination he was ap
pointed resident physician of the Louis-ville City Hospital, in
which capacity he served for a year following his graduation
and thus added to his theoretical knowledge the broad practical
experience of hospital practice.
In 187s, Dr. Paschal went to the Repubhc of Mexico,
locating at Chihuahua, where he lived for nineteen years, actively
engaged in medical practice. He passed the rigid examination
before the Board of Examining Physicians at Chihuahua, in
the Spanish language, without an interpreter. Upon the build
ing of the Mexican Central Railway in 188 1 he organized the
medical department of that road and for several years was chief

316 Texas — The Country and Its Men
surgeon of the Mexican Central System. He resigned that posi
tion in 1892 and returned to his old home in San Antonio, where
he has since practiced his profession with growing success, hav
ing now a very large patronage. Within six months after his
return to this city he was made President of the West Texas
Medical Association and subsequently was chosen Medical
Examiner and a member of the first State Board of Medical
Examiners under the present law, which on account of the
stringent examination for license to practice has been the means
of placing the medical profession of Texas in the highest rank of
efficiency. After holding that position for two years he relin
quished it to accept the Presidency of the Texas State Medical
Association. During the year's administration in that position
the membership of the Texas State Medical Association increased
from three hundred to twenty-five hundred. Dr. Paschal was
also City flealth Officer of San Antonio for four years. His
attention is now given to the general private practice of medicine
and surgery and his business is of an extensive and important
character. He is one of the best posted men in the State on the
history of the medical profession in Texas, which since the
organization of the first State Medical Association in the early
50's has had among its representatives physicians of superior
excellence with high ideals and maintaining a high standard of
professional ethics. They have often been men of great learning,
many of the early physicians, especially in Southwestem Texas,
ha-ving come here from the noted German universities and have
thus been thoroughly equipped for their chosen work.
Dr. Paschal was married in San Antonio to Miss Ladie
Napier, a native of this city, and they have five children : Edwin
G., Nellie, Bettie, Frank L. and George Paschal. The eldest
son is Passenger Agent for the Frisco System at Fort Worth
and is said to be the youngest Passenger Agent in the United
States. The Paschal family has been a most prominent and
honored one in the history of Texas through many years and in
other parts of the South as well, and in person and talents Dr.
Paschal is a worthy scion of his race. His laudable ambition
and desire for proficiency in his chosen calling has gained him
a distinguished place as a representative of the medical fraternity.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 317
while his strong personal traits of character have made him popu
lar socially and he is accounted today one of the leading and
representative citizens of San Antonio.
MRS. DANIEL FOX
REFUGIO
Women are the real heroes in life's warfare. They fight
not with carnal weapons. Alone in the long hours of the day,
and in the silent watches of the night, -with deft hands and
-wUling minds, plying the needle, or waiting beside the sick bed
of loved ones, they bear upon their hearts the burdens of the
household, and the cares of life.
Man may range the court, the church, the mart, and find
surcease of sorrow in the shifting scenes and thronging thorough
fares. Woman, in the narrow confines of home, communing only-
with her own soul and her God, often keeps the wolf from the
door, brightens with her smile the clouds of adversity, and
with patient trust and abiding faith nerves the strong arm of
the husband as it strikes in field or forest, in the counting room
or mines, in the workshop or on the sea, for the support and
sustenance of the family.
Her victories are not heralded to the world by the trump of
fame, nor blazoned on the pages of history, but they are recorded
in fives and written in the hearts of her children, "who rise up
and call her blessed," and the fruits of her moral victories bless
mankind a thousandfold more than victories won by the sword
on the field of carnage. Hence, we repeat — "Women are the
real heroes in life's great battle."
WhUe the men who beat back the savage hordes, felled
the forest and planted civiHzation in the wilds of Texas deserve
the highest admiration and profoundest gratitude of all who are
now reaping the ever-ripening harvest of their sufferings and
sacrifices, the mothers, wives and daughters of those pioneers
are entitled to equal honor and even greater credit. These
wives and daughters and mothers were often more exposed to
danger than were the men, and were less able to defend them.
selves. They endured unmurmuringly the privations and hard-.

318 Texas — The Country and Its Men
ships of those times, and by precept and high example they im
planted in the character of the generation that succeeded them
those civic virtues, those principles of pure patriotism, self-
reliance, industry and integrity which are the dominant charac
teristics of the men, the commercial and industrial pioneers
who have built an imperial commonwealth on the foundations
laid by their fathers.
The lady whose name heads this notice has the proud dis
tinction of being one of those women — the "silent partners" —
in the company o. pioneers who redeemed Texas from the savage
Indian and the marauding Mexican. She also has the pleasure
of being spared to see and enjoy the conveniences and the com
forts which have come with the development of the State, and
the progress of civilization.
She was born in Refugio County, November i, 1841. Her
father was James Fox and her mother's maiden name was Julia
Smith. They came from Ireland, first to New Orleans, and
thence to Refugio County, Texas, where they settled, reared three
children, and where they died. The head of the family was a
stock raiser, and pursued that line of work all his life. He died
in 1899. His wife died 46 years before, or in 1853, and now they
sleep side by side in "the silent city of the dead," in Refugio
where their honored lives were spent.
Mrs. Fox attended the schools of her county and received
such instruction as they gave.
February 23, 1859, she was married to Mr. John Fox.
Thus she did not change her maiden name.
They are represented by the following children: James E.,
now Manager of the home ranch; Lizzie Shay; Eileen; Dan S.;
Chas. C, on DriscoU Ranch; Fannie; William J., of Houston,
and Kate Leisering.
Mrs. Fox continues in the cattle business, shipping cattle
to St. Louis and other markets. She has her ranches stocked
with graded Herefords, and she takes great interest in her
herds. James Fox, Sr., was captured in 1841 by a party of
marauding Mexicans, and taken to Mexico. They kept him in
prison a while, but finally released him, and he made his way
back to his home in 1842 and his coming was joyful to his family.
The happy scene on his return may be better imagined than

Texas — The Country and Its Men ¦ 319
described, but such scenes were by no means uncommon in
those days of adventure and danger.
Mrs. Fox has a lovely home, and surrounded by a loving
family, she enjoys the esteem of her neighbors and the com
forts and happy assodiations that make up the refined social life
of her city.
WM. J. HEFNER
el campo
Was bom December i, 1859. His father was Balser Hefner and
his mother Cynthia Hefner. His father was a brave and faith
ful soldier in the Confederate Army. He served at Galveston.
His son, Wm. J., received his education in the common
schools of Fayette County, and begun life with nothing but his
own strong arm and stout heart. He first worked on a farm and
in a gin. Afterwards he became clerk for George Herder of
Weimar and served in that capacity many years.
On the fourth day of May, 1899, he married Miss Jenny
Krast and they have one child, a daughter, named Marie.
Mr. Hefner is a tireless worker, a close observer, and a
bom financier. By his own unaided efforts he has won his way
up the ladder of fortune from the bottom and he is now recog
nized as a prosperous, safe and solid business man of his com
munity. That he is so regarded by his friends and business
associates is evidenced by their having placed him at the head
of the First National Bank of El Campo and Vice-President of
the Electric Light and Water Company and placing him on
the Board of Aldermen of that enterprising little city. Besides,
he is actively and prominently connected with many other lines
of business and public enterprise.
He is still vigorous and active and takes a lively interest in
everything that concerns the public welfare or the growth and
development of his town and county.

320 ¦ Texas — The Country and Its Men

MRS. MARGARET SIMPSON
REFUGIO
For sixty years Mrs. Simpson has resided in the Lone Star
State. She has seen it in all stages of development, from the
home of the savage to the present high state of civilization and
enlightenment. Being a woman, she could bear no conspicuous part in
the activities which work out the great problem of a people's
growth and development. Yet the quiet infiuence and unseen
labors of women in the home, and around the fireside are none
the less potent in the final solution of that great problem.
To the noble women of Texas who shared with their hus
bands and sons the hardships and privations of the early settlers ;
who watched and prayed while the men worked and fought, the
present generation owes a debt of everlasting gratitude. In our
grateful hearts let their memories be forever embalmed and let
their fortitude, their sacrifices, their sufferings and their noble
virtues be forever blazoned on the dearest, holiest, brightest
page of Texas history.
As one of these "mothers in Israel," it is a pleasure to men
tion here Mrs. Margaret Simpson, who first saw the light in
grand old North Carolina in 1832, and who left her home and
the scenes of her happy childhood and came to Texas in 185 1.
She came first to Lamar County where she was married, and
subsequently settled in Refugio County, Texas, where she has
continued to reside ever since.
She was the mother of twelve children, six of whom are now
living. The celebrated Madame De Stael was a very vain woman,
but who had no children, once asked the great Napoleon "who
in his judgment was the greatest woman in the Empire." The
Emperor replied, "She who has borne the most children," and
who can gainsay the proposition? Judge by this last as well as
by any other test, Mrs. Simpson deserves honorable, high rank,
and is entitled to high rank among the heroic mothers whose
sons and daughters have built this magnificent State.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 321

JAMES G. BROWNE
BROWNSVILLE
A well known Texas pioneer, was bom of Irish parents in Man
chester, England, January i, 1820. He was a carpenter by trade
and a master of his calling. He became a contractor for the
Government, and in the latter capacity came to Texas and erected
a barracks, soldiers' quarters, etc., at Brownsville, Texas, in
1848. Soon thereafter he engaged in merchandising at Free-
port, on the Rio Grande River, which place was soon absorbed
by the establishment and growth of Brownsville, and finally
taken into that corporation. When Brownsville commenced to
grow in population and importance, he moved there from Free-
port and continued merchandising, meeting with gratifying suc
cess until 1863, when he lost heavily by fire. He then moved
across the river to Matamoras, Mexico, and there engaged for a
brief time in business; after which he removed to Camargo,
Mexico, near the Texas line, opposite Rio Grande City. There
he remained in business until the close of the war between the
States. In 1865 he returned to Brownsville to look after his
extensive land interests in Cameron County. He left his ranches
weU stocked with cattle, sheep, horses, etc., all of which were
confiscated and utilized by the Confederate Government, or
stolen by the marauding Indians and Mexicans.
He set about the restoration of his estate to its former con
dition with his accustomed energy, and soon made a large amount
of money raising stock. He married Miss Helen Kivlin in Mat
amoras, Mexico, daughter of one of the early settlers of San
Patricio County, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Browne had six children,
four of whom sur-vive: Mary C, widow of the late Henry San
Roman, of Bro-wns-vUle ; James A. of Brownsville, Tax Collector
of Cameron County for more than twenty years and a prosperous
farmer and stock raiser of that county; and Augustus Albert,
Deputy Collector and Chief Clerk in the United States Customs
Office at Brownsville.
James G. Browne was an industrious self-made man and
useful citizen. He was a well-informed man and popular with

322

Texas — The Country and Its Men

the masses. He held the office of Sheriff o Cameron County
and also that of Tax Collector for many years. He left to his
children an hororable name and a handsome estate. He died

JAMES G. BROWNE

at his home in Brownsville surrounded by members of his
family. The memory of his worth and character is preserved by
loving friends.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 323

LUCAS CHARLES BRITE
marfa
One of the best known and riiost- prosperous cattle men of
the Southwest, was bom July 29, i'86o, in Caldwell County,
Texas. His parents were Lucas C, born in Calloway County,
Mo.,, who came to Texas in 1839 with his grandfather, also
Lucas C. He settled in Bastrop County and married in 1852
Miss Nancy C. Carr, daughter of Robert and Susan Carr, one
of the pioneer families of Caldwell County. The subject of this
sketch, Lucas C. II, was educated in the common schools in
the -vicinity of his home. At the age of nineteen, in company
-with his brother, he went to Coleman County where they
engaged in the stock business. At that time they had but few
cattle, but -within six months moved to Tom Green County,
with 150 head of their own and 600 which they had taken on
shares. From this small beginning has resulted the tremend
ous stock interests now owned and managed by Mr. Brite.
He was married June 24, 1896, to Miss Eddy McNinn
Anderson, daughter of William T. and Mary J. Anderson,
well known residents of Vernon County, Mo. From this
union have been born the following children: Lester Charles,
bom May 16, 1897, died August 30, 1906; and Hester Idella,
bom September 12, 1901.
The father of Mr. Brite, Lucas C. I, served in the Con
federate Army as Second Lieutenant in Holmes' Company,
Wood's Brigade. As the result of exposure he contracted con
sumption while at the front, was discharged, because of dis
ability, and returning home, died on June 30, 1863.
His other children were Robert, a prominent cattleman,
bom April 17, 1855, died in 1885; John, who died August 30,
1867, and Susan, who died in infancy.
Outside of his large cattle holdings, the interests of Mr.
Brite are varied and extensive. He always has been identified
with every movement looking to the growth and commercial
importance of Marfa, and has contributed liberally to the educa
tional and religious advancement of the community and the
State, having given $55,000 to the Texas Christian College at Fort

324

Texas — The Country and Its Men

• vi

LUCAS CHARLES BRITE
Texas — The Country and Its Men

325

Worth, and also assisted every worthy cause to which his atten
tion has been called. At the present time he has over a half
million dollars invested in various connections, and is looked upon

MRS. L. C. BRITE

as one of the most substantial and reliable capitalists in the
border country. He was one of the organizers of the Marfa
National Bank, and has been Vice-President since it opened its

326 Texas — The Country and Its Men
doors, and has but recently severed his connection with the
Marfa Electric Light and Power Plant, of which he was half
owner. He is a member of the Christian Church, and in politics
recognizes only the Andrew Jackson brand of Democracy.
One fact in the history of his family of which Mr. Brite is
pardonably proud, is that his charming daughter, now fifteen
years of age, is entitled to membership in both Colonial Dames
and Daughters of the Revolution, her ancestors on both sides
having served their country with fidelity and honor in the days
that tried men's souls. The Brite family came to this country in
1637. The great grandfather of Mr. Brite was in the Conti
nental Army, shared the hardships of Valley Forge, was at
Trenton, and the Brandywine, and finally witnessed the sur
render of Cornwallis at Yorktown, while his father served under
Washington in the French and Indian War of 1755.
A woman of cultivation and refinement, of finished educa
tion, liberal to a fault, with a just conception of what wealth
can accomplish in lightening the burdens of those less fortunate,
Mrs. Brite has endeared herself to all, because of her gentle
Christian character, her countless acts of charity, and the
kindly, graceful manner in which her benefactions are dispensed.
It may be said -with truth that the home of the Brites is
"bright indeed." MANUEL ROGERS
SAN DIEGO
Captain Wilham L. Rogers, father of the subject of this
memoir, a native of Alabama, was one of the venturesome
spirits who made their homes in Nueces County in the pioneer
days. He settled there about 1850, at which date there was no
dearth of danger and excitement caused by the incursions of
Mexican bandits, and the border ruffian element against whom
the new comers were compelled to contend in the absence of
anything like a proper enforcement of the laws. In the face of
these difficulties, Mr. Rogers secured the necessary range facil
ities, and began his experience as a cattle man. His life was
replete -with thrilling incidents, many of them of such a danger

1 .' A'4;f.

WILLIAM L. ROGERS

328 Texas — The Country and Its Men

ous character as to try the fortitude of the most courageous.
On one occasion during a journey in charge of a Government
pack train, his outfit was attacked by a band of Mexican outlaws,
who were not only cut-throats by name and reputation, but in
this case were such in- effect, for they murdered all the women
and children of the company and threw their bodies into the
river. Among their supposed victims was Mr. Rogers. They
cut his throat, and also cast him into the stream, but although
he was terribly mangled, by some miracle the jugular vein was
not cut. He managed to reach the shore, made his way to the
first habitation, a distance of twenty-five miles, where through
the good offices of the people his wound was dressed, after which
he was escorted to the home of friends in Brownsville, remaining
there until he recovered. This was but one of many incidents
that made life in that section a succession of exciting and dan
gerous events.
However, Mr. Rogers prospered, accumulated a goodly for
tune, and enjoyed the friendship, esteem, and confidence of the
community. He was elected Sheriff of Nueces County, and sub
sequently sent to the State Legislature, where he served -with
ability and distinction. His wife was Miss Julia Corona, who
was a native of the old City of Mexico. She died in San Antonio,
in 19 1 2. Mr. Rogers continued his active career until his death,
which took place at Corpus Christi in 1877, in his fifty-seventh
year.;,,. ,.,¦..
Manuel Rogers, son of the foregoing, was born in 1862. He
was educated in the graded schools of the country. He was
still in his teens when his father died, but had already taken upon
himself the duty of assisting in the management of the estate.
He adopted cattle raising as a business, and met -with success
from the beginning. He left the ranch in 1879, locating in San
Diego, still retaining bis interest on the range. Mr. Rogers is
now interested in the lumber trade in San Diego, being a member
of the firm of Rogers & Levy, who also own and operate the
Rogers & Levy Cotton Company, and are proprietors of one of
the largest cotton gins in Texas. In addition to these invest
ments, Mr. Rogers owns the St. James Hotel in Corpus Christi,

Te.xas — The Country and Its Men

329

as well as other valuable city property. He is a man of excellent
judgment, active in all movements for the upbuilding of the
community, and possesses the unqualified confidence of the
people generally For six years following his election of 1909 he

MRS. MANUEL ROGERS

served as Sheriff of Duval County to the entire satisfaction of
his constituents, winning many encomiums for his absolute
fairness, and the fearless manner in which he conducted the
business of the office.
Mrs. Rogers was formerly Miss Lizzie Stanzel, a native of

330 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Missouri. They have six children, namely: Julia, Susie, Lizzie,
Manuel, Jr., Emma and Henry P. The Rogers' home is known
as one of the show places of Saa Diego.
AUGUSTUS ALBERT BROWNE
BROWNSVILLE
Augustus Albert Browne was born in Browns-ville, Texas,
August 28, 1865, and grew to manhood in his native town. He
received his training and education from the University (Notre
Dame) of Indiana and the University of Virginia, both of which
institutions rank second to none in the educational world.
Returning to his home in Brownsville, he entered the United
States Customs Department as Chief Clerk and Deputy Col
lector, and served in that capacity from 1889 to 1910, during
which time he frequently had charge of the District in the
absence of the Collector.
In March, 1890, he was happily married to Miss Julia
Dalzell, the accomplished daughter of Captain Robert Dalzell,
a pioneer citizen of Brownsville. Three children were born to
this union: Julia L. D., Augustus Albert and Robert Matthew,
who are both promising youths.
Before entering the Customs Department, Mr. Browne had
passed a most creditable examination for license to practice law,
and was admitted to the Bar in the States of Virgin- a and
Texas by both Federal and State Courts. Since retiring from
the Customs Department he has been engaged principally in
caring for his personal affairs. Besides being Active Manager
of the James G. Browne Estate, which is valued at more than
$2,000,000, he is a Director of the First National Bank of Browns-
viUe; President of the Gulf Coast Brick and TUe Company;
Director in the Equitable Life Insurance Company of San Antonio,
Texas; Stockholder in the Rio Grande Fire Insurance Com
pany, San Antonio, Texas, the Cuero Light & Power Company,
and several State Banks in the Rio Grande Valley; President
Rio Grande Railway Company. Elected Mayor of Browns-viUe
in 1914; put on Commission form of government, and was
again elected Mayor under this form of government in 1915.
No man in West Texas stands higher in the estimation of
he people than the subject of this notice.

AUGUSTUS ALBERT BROWNE AND FAMILY

332 Texas — The Country and Its Men

VINCENT BLUNTZER
By W. G. SUTHERLAND
Vincent Bluntzer, eldest son of Nicholas and Justina Blunt-
zer, was born at Santa Margarita, Nueces County, on July lo,
1861. Santa Margarita is located on the south bank of the far-
famed Nueces River, known to early French traders and ex
plorers as El Rio de Oro, or River of Gold. This river was the
original boundary line between the Mexican States of Tamaulipas
and Texas. By an agreement with Santa Anna, after the battle
of San Jacinto, General Filasola with the Mexican Army was to
retire beyond the Rio Grande. Probably on account of this
agreement, Texas laid claim to the region lying between the
Nueces and the Rio Grande. A dispute in regard to the posses
sion of this tract was one of the causes that lead to the war
between the United States and Mexico. Patriotism causes
the majority ofmen to close their eyes to the errors, misdeeds,
and mistakes committed by their country, but nations, like
individuals, have a morning of childhood; a manhood of
noon; an evening of old age, and a long night of oblivion.
Like individuals, they also have their faults, frailties and
failings, and history must be true, if it is to be of any value
as a record of past events; of the rise, progress and advance
ment of a nation in Literature, Science and Art; and however
unpalatable the assertion may be, truth compels us to say that
Texas had no real, valid claim to the territory south and west of
the Nueces River.
It is true that after the annexation of Texas, the United
States offered to refer the question of title to the disputed tract
to arbitration. But an impartial student of history -will naturally
nquire why Mexico was asked to arbitrate on a matter that had
een settled long before the United States came into existence.
No empresario rights were ever granted to foreigners by the
State of Tamaulipas. The colonies of Powers, McGlom, Mc-
MuUen and Cameron were located in the extreme south and
southwest of Texas, but on the north bank of the Nueces. In

Texas — The Country and Its Men

333

VINCENT BLUNTZER

334 Texas — The Country and Its Men
1844 when Texas that how contains 246 counties only contained
38, San Patricio was furtherest south, and bounded by the
Nueces River, but on maps published in the United States about
1849-50, San Patricio County embraced all land from the Gulf
to 29° N. Lat. and from 97° W. Long, to the Rio Grande.
When Vincent Bluntzer was born the people of our country
were engaged in the greatest fraternal strife the world had wit
nessed for centuries, and in 1861, the nations in Europe and the
world in general, believed that the South would conquer. On
July 21, 1 86 1, her banners floated in triumph at Bull Run, and
the Federal Army, utterly routed, fled in terror to Washington.
General Jackson gained the immortal name of Stonewall, and
proved himself to be a military genius worthy to rank with
Alexander, Caesar, Hannibal and Napoleon.
When about seven years of age, Vincent Bluntzer was sent
to school at Lipantitlau, to the Rev. John Kossbiel, an able teach
er and conscientious man. Afterwards, he attended St. Paul's
Academy at Round Lake, near San Patricio. Professor Robert
Dougherty, the rector of St. Paul's Academy, was an able
teacher, an arduous student, deeply learned, and a man of
noble character. Mr. Dougherty early instilled into the minds
of his pupils a thirst for knowledge, and Vincent Bluntzer
proved an apt pupil. At the age of 11 years, he frequently made
long expeditions -with his father through a territory extending
from the Guadalupe to the Rio Grande assisting in gathering,
branding and sh'pping cattle. This was long before the era of
roads and fences, and long before the advent of the Durham,
Polled Angus, Holstein, Devon, Jersey or any other improved
breeds of cattle now so numerous in Texas.
The cattle Vincent Bluntzer was taught to mark, rope and
brand were the old long-horns, descendants of the first cattle
brought from San Luis Potosi to the first missions, about 1693.
They were as fleet as the Auroch, as wild as the bison, as gaunt
as the giant urr of Caesar and as fierce and untamable as the
wild cattle of Chillingham Park.
When about seventeen years of age he became his father's
agent and assistant; his father, Nicholas Bluntzer, being one of
the first Texas ranchmen to engage in the business of dri-ving
cattle over the trail to Kansas and Nebraska. Vincent Bluntzer

Texas — The Country and Its Men

335

MRS. VINCENT BLUNTZER

336 Texas — The Country and Its Men
was early sent over the trail with a herd. This was a most
laborious, dangerous, exciting and interesting occupation. A
business that lasted for about seventeen years or from 1869 to
1887, and enabled Texas to dispose of her surplus cattle, for
more than the value of the hide and tallow. It is impossible to
give even an approximately accurate account of the number of
cattle driven from Texas over the trail, but probably 3,500,000
would be a very conservative estimate. In 1876 Captain Richard
King sent 60,000 head of cattle from his Santa Gertrudes ranch
to Kansas. Herds of four, six and eight thousand were common.
The trail extended north and south through Texas. It was
from 200 yards to 50 miles wide. The first trail passed through
Gonzales to Fort Worth, but as the country settled, it was
constantly moved farther west. The last trail passed through
San Antonio, Fredericksburg, Coleman, Fort Griffin, Fort EUiot,
and through No Man's Land to Fort Dodge.
No Man's Land is a name giving its own definition. It
was originally a part of Texas. When Texas gave up her in
dependence as a nation, and voluntarily became one of the Uruted
States, the terms of the Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery
north of 36 degrees 30 minutes N. Lattitude, and Texas, rather
than have one part of her territory free and slavery to exist in
the other part, relinquished all jurisdiction over No Man's
Land, and it became a kind of second Neutral Ground, inhabited
by Indian hunters and outlaws. It now forms part of the State
of Oklahoma. Before starting on the trail for Kansas, the cattle were
rounded up on the range, di-vided into herds of from two to
four thousand head. Each herd was placed in charge of a fore
man or caporal who were assisted by about ten cow boys or
vaqueros, a cook and remuderor or horseman. Each cow boy
was given from six to eight horses for his use during the journey,
and was supposed to be able to ride or rope anything that walked
on four legs.
The cook was supphed with a wagon, four mules, flour,
bacon, coffee, molasses, skiUets, kettles, tin cups, and coffee
pots. Provisions were replenished at the different to-wns or
forts on the road. The herds were usually started over the trail
in March and travelled on an average about ten miles each

Texas — The Country and Its Men 337
day, grazing and fattening on the way. From six o'clock a. m.
until six p. m. all hands were on the move. During the night,
the cowboys were divided into watches or reliefs. The watches
were from six p. m. until ten p. m. ; from ten p. m. until two
a. m., and from two a. m. until six a. m. But in an Indian country
in stormy weather, or in the neighborhood of herds of buffalo, all
hands were frequently in the saddle continuously for thirty-six
hours. As a rule, a man had to sleep -with his best horse saddled
and staked at his head. Often in a prairie country or on the
Great Plains, the cowboy had to stake his horse to a hole in
the ground. This may seem a rather unreasonable statement,
but nevertheless it is true. Where there were no shrubs or trees,
a hole slightly slanting, wider at the bottom than at the top,
was made in the ground with a knife. A knot tied in the end
of the stake rope was pushed Into this hole, grass pressed down
and packed around it, the earth then put back and stamped
down, and the horse was as securely staked as if tied to a tree.
The cowboy, on his occasional -visits to semi-civilized towns,
was often a wild and reckless being. He was a unique character,
that like the bison and the Indian warrior has almost vanished
from the earth. He was, as a rule, brave, faithful, honest, reli
able and generous to a fault. His occupation was more difficult
and dangerous than that of a soldier in front of the enemy.
Except men, no animals are more unmanageable than wild
cattle, when panic stricken. Men that on ordinary occasions
would sacrifice their lives in defense of helpless women and
children will, when panic stricken in their unreasonable terror,
trample to death those nearest and dearest to them. And a
herd of cattle may be peacefully sleeping on the wide and dreary
prairie, without a sound to disturb the solemn stillness, except,
at intervals, a snatch of song or the call of a cowboy on watch,
to let his sleeping charges know he is on guard and all is well.
But a peal of distant thunder, the howl of a wolf, or the roar of
a mountain lion may cause the whole herd to arise and stampede
¦without a moment's warning, each animal inspired by uncontroll
able terror, the only desire being to flee. "To flee as the wicked
flee when no man pursueth." Then every man in camp must
mount his swiftest horse and try to regain control of the frighten
ed and fleeing beasts. The men on watch have already taken the

338 Texas — The Country and Its Men
lead and are trying to get the cattle to mill or gradually turn in
a circle like some gigantic living mill wheel. Then ensues a
scene of wild, indescribable uproar and confusion, the thunder of
thousands of hoofs, the clashing of horns, the bellowing of
terrified cattle, the shouts of cowboys, and it may be, mid peal
ing thunder and flashing lightning, all combine to make an
awe-inspiring scene that cannot be accurately described, but
that once seen can never be forgotten. Then comes the hour of
greatest danger to the cowboy, he may in the darkness have to
ride over rough rocks, or through deep ravines. And should
his horse stumble in front of the mad herd, he would be instantly
trampled into an unrecognizable mass of quivering flesh, too
horrifying to be looked upon.
No soldier on the field of battle ever performed more heroic
deeds than the Texas cowboy. He suffered hunger and thirst,
he endured cold and fatigue, he fought ¦wild beasts, Indians and
outlaws, he rescued the country from savages and made it fit
for civilization. Yet he is more often held up to ridicule than
chronicled as a hero who dared death in the performance of his
duty and neither sought nor expected praise or honor for so doing.
In 1896, in recompense and reward for his faithful service
and assistance, Vincent Bluntzer received from his father a
large tract of land in the Counties of Frio and Atascosa. In
1897 he was married to Miss Kate Dougherty, daughter of
Robert and Rachael Dougherty of San Patricio. Mrs. Bluntzer's
father. Professor Robert Dougherty, was a native of Ireland.
He came to the United States when young, was educated at
St. Mary's College, Bardstown, Kentucky. He was a prominent
officer in the Confederate Army. Afterwards principal of the
Corpus Christi schools. In 1876, he established St. Paul's
Academy near Patricio, for many years one of the most noted
institutions of learning in the southwest, which he successfully
conducted until his death in 1881.
Mrs. Rachel Dougherty, daughter of John Sullivan, was
born of Dutch and Irish descent in New Jersey, and came to
San Patricio with her parents in 1854. The Sullivan family
have been prominent citizens of San Patricio, Victoria, and
Webb Counties for the past fifty years. Mrs. Bluntzer is a
woman of unusual intelligence and ability; of a kind and chari-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 339
table disposition. She is a social favorite wherever known. From
1897 until 1902, Vincent Bluntzer and family resided on his
ranch in Atascosa County. After the death of his father, he
returned to Nueces County in 1902. Since 1903, he has been
his mother's manager and advisor in control of her large property.
Vincent Bluntzer, in company vrith J. J. Ehff, was amongst the
first in Southwest Texas to feed cattle on the range. They have
been very successful at the business. Besides attending to his
own ranch and cattle business and the management of his
mother's varied interests, he is also President oj the First State
Bank at Corpus Christi.
Vincent Bluntzer is an honest, just, and upright citizen, and
a safe, conservative man of business, with every prospect of a
successful career in the future.

NICHOLAS BLUNTZER
Nicholas Bluntzer was born in Santa Maria County, Alsace,
October 29, 1835. His parents, Peter and Theresa Bluntzer, were
of the hardy, thrifty class of German farmers who with faith,
patience and perseverance have overcome obstacles and achieved
success in every quarter of the habitable globe. In 1835, however,
Alsace belonged to France, and many of the inhabitants, although
of Teutonic descent, were intensely loyal to that country. The
Bluntzers were among those who rendered willing allegiance to
France. One of Nicholas Bluntzer's uncles was an officer of the
Army of Napoleon and took part in the victorious campaigns in
Italy and Austria. In the disastrous expedition against Russia
he was present at the burning of Moscow. Was one of the rear
guard in the retreat from that ill-fated city, and one of the last
weary remnant of that great army to cross the Nieman with the
heroic Ney, the great Field Marshal of France. After Waterloo
Colonel Bluntzer returned to Alsace, and untU the death of Na
poleon, indulged in vain dreams that his beloved leader would
again return from his far-away prison on the lonely Isle of St.
Helena. In 1840 Peter Bluntzer became interested in Texas and
joined the company that settled at CastroviUe. In 1841 he came
to this country, accompanied by his family, landing at Indianola,

340 Texas — The Country and Its Men
at that time one of the deepest and best harbors on the Gulf Coast.
An accident to his wife prevented Peter Bluntzer and family
from proceeding to Castroville with the rest of the colonists. He
remained for some time at Victoria and bought a tract of land on
the Coleta Creek from John Pettus. During the first years of
their residence in Texas the family endured many hardships and
their lives were often in danger. The Mexicans sent an invading
army into Texas under General Vasquez in 1842. This army
captured San Antonio, Refugio, Goliad and Victoria. The Indians
made frequent raids, stealing horses, killing men, and sometimes
carrying women off to lead a life from which death was often
prayed for as a merciful release. Crops could not be successfully
cultivated on account of drouth, lack of agricultural implements
and ignorance of the new settlers in regard to soil and climate.
Provisions were scarce, sugar a luxury seldom used. Flour was
worth $21 a barrel; corn meal from three to four dollars per
bushel; calico from sixty cents to seventy cents per yard. The
spinning wheel was in constant use in every household. Nearly
every article of clothing was made at home. One pair of shoes,
with a suit of clothes for the men and a calico dress for the
women, was considered a fair allowance for the year. Game at
certain seasons of the year was scarce, and the flesh of mustangs
or wild horses was often used for food. Flint-lock guns or mus
kets were the only firearms to be had. Percussion caps were not
in use untU the Mexican War. Many of the men, and nearly all
of the boys, used bows and arrows for hunting. Barter was the
general method of trade ; Spanish money the principal medium of
exchange. In 1846 two of Nicholas Bluntzer's brothers, Leo and Urban,
joined Taylor's Army at Corpus Christi, took part in the battles
of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, and the capture of Monterey.
Leo Bluntzer was among the heroes that fell on the bloody field
of Buena Vista.
In 1852 Peter Bluntzer went to Europe, and on his return in
1853 brought with him a number of colonists who settled on his
lands on the Coleta. In 1857 he again visited Europe, and in
duced fifty families of inteUigent, industrious, economical Ger
man farmers to come to Texas. These families formed the first
settlements at MeyersvUle and Yorktown, and many members

Texas — The Country and Its Men

341

NICHOLAS BLUNTZER

342 Texas — The Country and Its Men
of these famalies are now prominent and prosperous citizens of
DeWitt County. In 1856 Nicholas Bluntzer, then about twenty-
one years of age, went as guide with General (then Colonel) Rob
ert E. Lee in an expedition against the Comanches. On his re
turn from the Indian expedition he engaged in the cattle busi
ness, buying and shipping beeves to Cuba. In June, 1857, he
was married to Miss Justina Peters, at MeyersviUe. In 1856 he
removed with his young wife to Nueces County, then a wild and
unsettled region. From that time until his death, Nicholas Blunt
zer was an important factor and active agent in every movement
for the educational, industrial and political advancement of
Nueces County. He was opposed to secession, but remained loyal
to the South, joined the Confederate Army, and was amongst the
last to be mustered out of the service. He was present at the bat
tle of Las Russias, and was with General J. E. Slaughter on
May 13, 1865, near Brazos Santiago, on the Rio Grande, when
the last battle of the Civil War was fought in defense of Browns
ville. After the war he again returned to Nueces County and en
gaged in the stock business. In 1870 he purchased a tract of
land fronting on the Nueces, known as Lipantitlan, meaning the
town of the Lipans. This was the principal home of the Indians
before DeSoto discovered the Mississippi.
Mr. Bluntzer was one of the first to realize the agricultural
possibilities of Southwest Texas. He cleared and put in cultiva
tion about 1,600 acres on his home ranch. Built a store and cot
ton gin and had the Bluntzer Postoffice established, for the use
and convenience of his farmers and employees. He also owned
about 500 lots and some of the best buildings in the City of
Corpus Christi.
In May, 1901, with his keen and vigorous mental faculties
unimpaired and apparently suffering but slightly from physical
pain or disease, he determined with his son-in-law, John H. Gal
lagher, to visit Hot Springs, Arkansas, more as a journey of
pleasure and relaxation from business than with the expectation
of receiving any great benefit from the waters of the far-famed
springs. When he bade his family and friends good-bye, no one
dreamed or imagined that it was a final farewell. All expected

Texas — The Country and Its Men

343

MRS. NICHOLAS BLUNTZER

344 Texas — The Country and Its Men
a speedy return, and believed that for many years to come he
would enjoy a quiet and peaceful life. But the ways of an All
Wise and Omniscient God are not as our ways. Shortly after
arriving at Hot Springs he became sick, and on May 9 he
breathed his last, leaving a void in Nueces County that wUl not
soon be filled.
Nicholas Bluntzer, according to the world's standards, was
a successful business man, but he was much more — he was a
kind husband, an indulgent father, a faithful friend, and a good
citizen. He was respected by the rich and loved by the poor. His
eyes were often closed to the frailties and infirmities of his fel-
lowmen, but his ear never failed to hear the cry of distress, and his
hand was ever open to relieve the wants of the needy. No man
did more for the settlement and development of Nueces Valley.
The following members of Nicholas Bluntzer's family still
survive : His wife, Mrs. Justina Bluntzer, for forty-four years
his faithful companion, helper and adviser; Vincent Bluntzer, a
ranchman and President of the First State Bank of Corpus
Christi ; Joseph C. Bluntzer, a ranchman and cattleman and for
the past ten years Tax Assessor of Nueces County; John ^A^
Bluntzer, a ranchman, who served for several years as Sheriff
and Tax Collector for Nueces County; William D. Bluntzer,
merchant, cotton buyer and ranchman in Nueces County; Mrs.
Teresa Gallagher, wife of John H. Gallagher, a stockman and
one of the largest land owners in Nueces County ; Mrs. Josephine
Timon, wife of E. C. Timon, of Mathes, cattle and ranchman, of
San Patricio and Nueces Counties ; Misses Justina and Fannie
Bluntzer, also engaged in cattle and ranch business, but who re
side with their mother at the old homestead.
Francis Bluntzer died April 21, 1894; Peter P. Bluntzer
died October 31, 1903.
A. J. MOORE
S.\N ANTONIO
Who really founded the long distance telephone at San An
tonio, was born at Gonzales, Texas, his parents being W. J. and
M. B. Moore, who were natives of Virginia and Alabama, re
spectively. The father became a pioneer settler of Texas, where

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346 Texas — The Country and Its Men
he arrived in the early '40s and took a prominent part as a pio
neer and soldier in the events which shaped the early history of
the Lone Star State. He was a soldier in both the Mexican and
Civil Wars, and also did active duty in some of the Indian cam
paigns which resulted in the final subjugation of the Red Men,
making Texas a region as safe and secure as any country, where
before life was hazardous because of the depredations and atroci
ties of the red race. His home was in Gonzales, but he died in
1903, at the home of his son, S. H. Moore, at Luling, in Cald
well County.
Mr. A. J. Moore was reared in Gonzales, and, entering mer
cantile life, became a prominent and wealthy merchant of that
city, being principally connected with the harness and saddlery
trade, in which he was engaged for twenty-five years. Always
interested in the signs of the times and in everything pertaining
to the welfare and progress of his community, he recognized the
possibilities for the development of the telephone business, in
Southwestern Texas, and in 1897, associated with Mr. David, of
Belmont, Gonzales County, he originated and constructed the
first long distance line in that part of the country. In 1898, hav
ing disposed of his mercantUe interests, he removed his head
quarters to San Antonio and gradually extended his system of
local and long distance lines until he had about 1,000 miles of
telephone lines, which mileage is being incl-eased every month by
the demand for new lines in the territory to which his business
had already extended. These lines are for the most part along
the San Antonio & Aransas Pass RaUroad from Fredericksburg
and KerrviUe, through San Antonio to Kenedy, Cuero, BeevUle,
Alice and various others of the growing towns and communities
of this section of the State. The rapid growth, agriculturally of
this section, resulting from the division of the great ranch tracts
and their occupation by enterprising farmers who are cultivating
and improving the property, makes great possibilities for the de
velopment of the rural telephone industry, of the possibUities of
which Mr. Moore was cognizant and of which he was not slow
to take advantage. His business was conducted under the name
of the Eureka Telephone Company. He was, however, the sole
owner and manager of the entire business. His lines connected
with the Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone Company's lines

Texas — The Country and Its Men 347
of the Bell System, and his headquarters were in that Company's
offices at San Antonio. In this direction he performed an im
portant public service. It is said that the two most valuable ele
ments in the development and upbuilding of a community are the
means of rapid transportation and rapid communication, and that
the real founders and promoters of a city or district are the men
who provide facilities of that character. In this connection,
therefore, Mr. Moore performed an important public service and
at the same time developed a business interest which proved a
gratifying source of income.
Mr. Moore was married to Miss Alice S. Kelso, a native of
DeWitt County, Texas, and they have a son. Dr. T. E. Moore,
who is one of the prominent physicians of San Antonio. Mr.
Moore built one of the finest residences in San Antonio on Laurel
Heights. He died suddenly in Grand Lake, Colorado, while on
a hunting trip with some friends, August 23, 1913.
THOMAS EUGENE MOORE
SAN ANTONIO
One of San Antonio's best known physicians, was born at
Gonzales, Texas, December 21, 1874. His parents were A. J.
and Alice S. Moore, both of whom were native Texans. His
father was for many years engaged in mercantile business at Gon
zales, but afterward practically owned the long distance tele
phone system of San Antonio, in the operation of which he ac
quired a large fortune. He was one of the moving spirits of the
city, and accomplished much in furthering the interests of the
sections through which his telephone lines extended. His char
ities were numerous and performed in the same broad, liberal
spirit that governed in all his business relations. He made large
donations to the Buckner Home for Orphans, the Baptist Sani
tarium at Dallas, the Baptist School at San Marcos, and various
other institutions of a religious or educational character. He died
suddenly in Grand Lake, Colorado, on August 23, 191 3, univer
sally regretted.
The subject of this sketch, like his father, was born at Gon
zales, Texas, December 21, 1874. His preparatory education was

348

Texas — The Country and Its Men

DR, THOMAS EUGENE MOORE

Texas — The Country and Its Men 349
acquired in the grammar schools of his native town, when he at
tended and graduated from the Agricultural and Mechanical
College of Texas, taking his medical degree at the University of
NashviUe Medical College. For several years he was associated
with his father in merchandizing at Gonzales, but withdrew in
1899 to practice medicine in San Antonio, where he has since re
mained. When his father finally located in San Antonio, Dr.
Moore again became associated with him, and following his death
he assumed the active management of the telephone and other
diversified interests thus left to his care.
Some years previous to his death, his father began formu
lating plans for the erection on a large scale of a combination
church and mission in the very heart of San Antonio, his death
preventing the fulfillment of what to him was a cherished ambi
tion. His widow, with the assistance of her son. Dr. Moore, has
not given up hopes of perfecting this grand idea, and proposes
carrying out the original plans as soon as conditions warrant.
On October 16, 1906, Dr. Moore was united in marriage with
Miss Gertrude Kinnin, of San Antonio, Texas. They have one
small daughter, Miss Louise, to whom they are extretnely de
voted. The Doctor, like his father, is a straight-laced Democrat.
The home of the. Moores is; at 208 West Woodlawn Avenue, San
Antonio.
CHARLES ALLEN WILCOX
AUSTIN
Judge of the Twenty-sixth Judicial District, is the son of a
Confederate soldier, Daniel P. Wilcox, and his mother is Mary
P. Wilcox. Daniel P. Wilcox was born in Mississippi in 1846 and
came to Texas in 1858, locating first in Austin, Texas, and sub
sequently in Williamson County, where he married Miss Mary
Easley, daughter of Colonel S. A. Easley, a Colonel in the Con
federate Army and who also served in the Legislature. The
subject of this notice was born March 24, 1872, at Port Sullivan,
Milam County, Texas. He received his education in the South
western University at Georgetown and studied law at the State
University. He worked on the farm till he was seventeen.

350

Texas — The Country and Its Men

CHARLES ALLEN WILCOX

Texas — The Country and Its Men 351
Afterwards he clerked in the First National Bank of Taylor for
two or more years.
He is a graduate of Southwestern University of George
town of the class of 1894-95, ^.nd as before stated, took a course
in law at the State University.
He practiced law in partnership with Honorable Robert A.
John, until the latter was appointed Assistant Attorney General.
Subsequently he formed a partnership with Dan S. Chessher,
now deceased, and Judge Nelms, now of Dallas. In 1901, he
was appointed County Judge of Williamson County, and served
in such capacity for six years and until his appointment as Dis
trict Judge by Governor Campbell in October, 1907. He resigned
this office on the 14th day of August, 19 16, and formed a
partnership under the firm name of White, Castlege & Wilcox.
He was City Attorney of Georgetown in 1897-98.
Judge Wilcox is a member of the Masonic Fraternity in
good standing and in politics he is a Democrat. His legal train
ing, however, and his judicial nature preclude the idea of partisan
ship and in the discharge of his duty on the bench, he knows no
party or creed, but holds the scales of justice with an even hand.
He is a gentleman of fine mental attainments and pleasing
manners, and is deservedly popular -with all classes. On the
2 ist day of October, 1896, he was united in marriage with
Miss Stella Snyder of Georgetown, a daughter of Captain
John W. Snyder, and to them have been born three children,
Mary Catherine, Stella Easley and Laura Dorthula. He may
be said to belong to the present generation of Texas, and is a
fine type of the active men who are today making the history of
these "piping times of peace."
Though they do not have to face the trials and dangers of
the early pioneers of Texas, theirs is none the less a responsible
trust, an important duty and Judge Wilcox in his life and judicial
work is adding lustre to the judiciary of his State.
In the very vigor of manhood, he has yet the promise of
many days and the prospect of still greater honors.

352 Texas — The Country and Its Men

HENRY FREDERICK MACGREGOR
HOUSTON
By reason of his many activities in connection with municipal
affairs, and one of the best known residents of Houston, was born
April 25, 1855, at Londonderry, New Hampshire. His parents
were Lewis A. and Augusta W. MacGregor. His father was a
successful building contractor, and also owned and conducted a
farm, an occupation to which he was especiaUy partial.
The subject of this sketch was educated, first in the district
schools of his native town ; afterward attended the well-known
Pinkerton Academy at Derry, New Hampshire, and subsequently
took a course of commercial training at the New Hampshire
Business College at Manchester. His first employment was on
his father's farm, whence, when quite a young man, he became
a clerk and bookkeeper in a hardware establishment at Haver
hill, Massachusetts. His first business experience in Texas was
as Collector and Accountant for the Direct Navigation Company
of Galveston and Houston, after which he became Secretary of
the Galveston City Railroad Company, where he remained until
appointed Vice President and General Manager of the Houston
Street Railway System, a position retained by him over twenty
years. Mr. MacGregor, true to the proverbial characteristics of
his Scotch-Irish ancestry for probity, pluck and perseverance,
filled these several responsible position with satisfaction to all
concerned, and with great credit to himself. He is now engaged
in the real estate business, and in addition to his realty transac
tions, is interested in several other important enterprises in Hous
ton. Throughout his career he has maintained an enviable repu
tation as a man of untiring energy, great capacity and unimpeach
able integrity.
A pronounced protectionist, Mr. MacGregor years ago allied
himself with the Republican Party. He has been the nominee
of the party for various positions, including that of Representa
tive in Congress, and, although defeated with recurring certainty
because of the overpowering Democratic majority, remains true

Texas — The Country and Its Men

353

to his political convictions, for which he is universally respected,
even by his opponents. In 1912 Mr. MacGregor was elected a
member of the Republican National Committee for Texas, which

HENRY FREDERICK MACGREGOR

he still retains, being among the party managers whose advice
is invariably sought in local and national campaigns.
On December 10, 1885, Mr. MacGregor married Miss Eliz
abeth Stevens, a native of Houston. No children have been born
to them. Their home is at No. 3530 Fannin Street, Houston,
Texas.

354 Texas — The Country and Its Men

J. H. P. DAVIS
RICHMOND
Bom in Fort Bend County, Texas, February ii, 1851, of
parents whose forebears, both paternal and maternal, were among
the earliest settlers in Southern Texas, Mr. Davis has lived there
practically all his life. His grandfather's people came to Texas in
1830, and were among the pioneers who helped establish the Re
public. They first settled near the mouth of the Brazos River.
His grandmother's people arrived from Kentucky about the same
time, and made their home where now stands the City of Rich
mond. His parents were married in Fort Bend County, where
his father was for many years a noted stockman. In 1856 he
moved from his ranch to Richmond, where for some time he con
ducted a meat market. He was a man of superior ability, of the
highest character, and known throughout that part of the country
as "Captain" Davis.
J. H. P. Davis, subject of this memoir, received what edu
cation was possible in the common schools, but at a very early
date took an active interest in the business to which he has ever
since devoted his time and talents.
A . thorough master of the business in all its details, Mr.
Davis long since was recognized as among those who stand for
leadership in the cattle business. A member of the Texas Cattle
Raisers', Association, and has for many years been one of the
Executive Committee of that body.
His home people, as a mark of confidence, elected him Presi
dent of the Richmond Independent School District, a position in
which he has served about eight years. In this, as in every case
where he has been called upon to serve the public interests, Mr.
Davis has invariably given his best efforts, always without re-
gard to reward other than the knowledge of duty well and faith
fully discharged.
On February 10, 1875, Mr. Davis and Miss Susan Elizabeth
Ryon, of Fort Bend County, were united in marriage. One child
born of this marriage died in infancy. The surviving chUdren

Texas — The Country and Its Men

355

J. H. P. DAVIS

356 Texas — The Country and Its Men
are: Mrs. Mamie E. George, of Fort Bend, and T. W., who
lives at home. Five years after the death of his first wife Mr.
Davis married Miss Belle Ryon, of Franklin, Kentucky, a cousin
of his first wife.
William Kinchen Davis, father of the subject of this sketch,
and Captain WUliam Ryon, father of the first wife of Captain
Davis, were comrades in the Mier and Somerville Expeditions,
both leading events in Texas history. They were both severely
wounded, and after being captured, were victims of the dastardly
treatment meted out by the Mexicans to all who were taken
prisoner at Mier. They were among those who drew white beans
in that frightful lottery of life, when those who drew the black
beans were shot down without mercy.
Mr. Davis is the directing head of the banking firm of J. H.
P. Davis & Co., of Richmond, recognized as one of the strongest
financial institutions in Texas. He is also interested in other ven
tures of a commercial character, and President of the following
companies : Richmond Cotton Company, Richmond Electric
Company, Rosenberg Gin Company, and Fort Bend Cotton Oi'
Company.
JAMES WALTER GRAHAM
AUSTIN
Was born at Palestine, Texas, August 20, 1854. His father.
Dr. B. Graham, and inother, formerly Miss Lillie Boggs, came to
Texas from Missouri in 1852. For eight years they made their
home at Palestine, removing to Austin in i860. Dr. Graham was
appointed by Governor Sam Houston the first Superintendent of
the State Asylum for the Insane, his splendid services being rec
ognized by Houston's successor. Governor Pease, who twice re
appointed him. His wife was a cousin of Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant.
Dr. Graham having rounded out a career of usefulness and honor,
during which he commanded the respect of all who knew him,
died at Austin.
Upon completing his education, the subject of this sketch
took up the study of pharmacy ; subsequently went into the drug

Texas — The Country and Its Men 357
business, and has for over forty years been one of the leading
druggists of Austin.
Not particularly interested in the game of politics, Mr.
Graham has, at the call of his fellow-townsmen, served six years
as a Councilman, and was for sixteen years a member of the

JAMES WALTER GRAHAM

School Board, acquitting himself in both instances to the entire
satisfaction of the people.
His wife, to whom he was married in 1876, was formerly
Miss Hallie Murray, of New Bloomfield, Calloway County, Mis
souri. Their chUdren, four in number, are as follows : Miss Bel
mont, now the wife of F. B. King, Division Superintendent of
the El Paso & Southwestern RaUroad ; Grace, the deceased wife

358 Texas — The Country and Its Men

MRS. justina FREDRICH

Texas — The Country and Its Men 359
of James Brodie, for years connected with the McFaddin Bros.'
Cotton Factors, of Beaumont; Murray Graham, proprietor of
the Capital City AutomobUe Company, and Dr. G. M. Graham,
the present State Bacteriologist.
Mr. Graham is a thirty-second degree Mason and a member
of all Masonic auxiliary bodies, and in connection with his many
other public and social activities, is a Regent of the State Uni
versity as an appointee of Governor Colquitt. He is a rock-
rooted and uncompromising Democrat.
WILLIAM J. FREDRICH
SAN FELIPE
Son of Gustav and Justina Fredrich, was born at San Felipe
de Austin, December 8, 1861. His father was a farmer and stock
raiser, who in the early days took part in various expeditions
against the Indians in the border countries at a time when Hous
ton was an outpost and Austin not on the map. He also served
with great gallantry through the Civil War, being present at
Mansfield and many other engagements in the Trans-Mississippi
Department of the Confederate Army. Mr. Fredrich was edu
cated in the schools of his native town, and grew up on his
father's farm. In his twenty-first year he was employed as clerk
in a general mercantile establishment, remaining in' 'the trade
until 189 1 ; he went into business on his own account; and has
been so uniformly successful that he is now classed among the
very well to do people of his section. Possessing the unqualified
esteem of his people, he has been Mayor of San Felipe ten years
and has served for twenty years on the Board of Education.
Mrs. Justina Fredrich, the mother of William J., survived
her husband many years. She came into the country when
Indian forays were of frequent occurrence, and experienced all
the trials and hardships of that early period. Everybody in East
Texas knew this estimable lady, either personally or by repute,
and none knew her but to love her. She lived for nearly eighty
years in the house to which her husband brought her when fron
tier life was attended by the most primitive surroundings, and
was known and affectionately spoken of as the "Mother of

360

Texas — The Country and Its Men

WILLIAM J. FREDRICH

Texas — The Country and Its Men

361

MRS. WILLIAM J. FREDRICH

362

Texas — The Country and Its Men

Texas — The Country and Its Men 363
Texas." Mrs. Fredrich died on August 30, 1914, universally
mourned by the people among whom she had lived so long.
In connection with his mercantUe ventures, Mr. Fredrich
has large landed properties from which he derives a substantial
revenue, and also is interested in several other directions of a
paying character.
On May 30, 1906, he married Miss Jennie Toliver, of Co
lumbus, Texas, the result of the union being two children : Wil
liam, Jr., and Miss Jennie Fredrich, both of whom are at home.
He lives in a country of free grass, free water, free wood and
free schools, and considers his lot a fortunate one.
FREDERICK A. PIPER
SAN ANTONIO
Well known in business circles in San Antonio and Uvalde,
was born in the principality of Waldeck, Prussia, a son of Fred
erick and Johanna (Waldeck) Piper, who were both natives of
Germany. He came with his parents to America in 1853, land
ing first at Indianola, Texas, coming thence direct to San Antonio,
where the father died in 1859, the mother passing away at a
later date.
Frederick A. Piper was a child when brought by his parents
to this city. On account of the death of his father he began the
struggle of life at an early age. He commenced selling news
papers when a youth of eleven, and later followed any pursuit
that would yield him an honest living. In 1865 he obtained a
position in the wholesale dry goods store of Webb, Arbuckle &
Company, the first wholesale dry goods establishment in the city.
This business, however, was discontinued in 1866. In the fol
lowing year Mr. Piper entered the employ of Norton & Deutz,
hardware merchants, with whom he continued for ten years, or
until 1877, when he opened a store of his own at Uvalde, the
county seat of Uvalde County, where he is still in business, al
though he has always maintained his home in San Antonio. The
F. A. Piper Company of Uvalde controls an important commer
cial enterprise in that town — a large department store — which
has for years been a well-known center of trade, especially among

364 Texas — The Country and Its Men
the cattlemen, Uvalde being the trade center for a large scope of
cattle country in Southwestern Texas. Both a wholesale and
retail business is carried on in all classes of merchandise. The
store is splendidly organized and thoroughly equipped, and the
trade has constantly grown, reaching extensive and profitable
proportions. Mr. Piper was also President of the Merchants'
Transfer Company, controlling the largest business of the kind in
San Antonio. He disposed of his interests in this company in
1906. He was formerly extensively interested in the cattle in
dustry in the Uvalde country, but has disposed of his stock in
terests there. He was the founder and is a member of the well-
known fire insurance firm of Piper & Stiles, of San Antonio,
which has been a leading and representative firm of this character
in San Antonio for many years.
His high qualifications as a citizen led to the selection of
Mr. Piper for the office of Alderman at Large, in which position
he served for two years during the Hicks Administration. Dur
ing his incumbency he was appointed Purchasing Agent for the
city, Chairman of the Finance Committee and acted as Mayor
pro tem. In this office he assumed responsibUities for which he
was well fitted by his broad business experience, and at all times
labored earnestly and untiringly for the general welfare. At one
time he was a candidate for the nomination of Mayor. He is a
public-spirited citizen, one who subordinates partisanship for
the general good, and seeks rather the benefit of the entire com
munity than the advancement of individual interests.
Mr. Piper was married in San Antonio in 1874 to Miss
Minna Horner. To them have been born six children: Albert
Henry, Frederick A., George H., Ralph A., Mrs. Edwina J. Good
man and Mrs. Maud G. Long. The second son is a practicing
physician. His children were given excellent educational advan
tages, one of the sons having been for some time a student in
the University at Geneva, Switzeriand, now Cashier of the City
National Bank. Mr. Piper is a member of the local Lodge of
Elks, and was formerly active in the Turn Verein, Beethoven
Singing Society and other organizations. He has been highly
successful in his business affairs, and his financial standing is
unimpeachable. He deserves much credit for what he has ac
complished, as he started out in life empty handed at a very early

Texas — The Country and Its Men 365
age and steadily worked his way upward until he controls a large
general mercantile trade and has other important and remunera
tive business interests.
ROBERT EDWARD LEE KNIGHT
DALLAS
One of the most distinguished lawyers in Texas, was born
in Dallas County, April 7, 1865, two days before the man for
whom he is named, driven to the last extremity, surrendered to
overpowering numbers, and with tears in his eyes, bade farewell
at Appomattox to his ragged and half-starved comrades.
Jackson, in his "Sixty Years in Texas," has this to say of
the father of the subject of this sketch:
"O. W. Knight was a native of Culpepper County, Virginia,
and when a young man removed to Tennessee, where he en
gaged in agriculture, which he pursued until 1846. In that year
he came to Dallas County and settled within four miles of the
little village of Dallas. He purchased a thousand acres of land,
which he placed under cultivation. He owned slaves, but was
opposed to the principle of bartering in flesh and blood. From
him sprang a large and influential family, who have done much
for Dallas County. Mr. Knight was a member of the Methodist
Church. He was identified with the Democratic party, and was
one of the most honored and respected of the early pioneers.
His wife was a Hughes, a member of an old Tennessee family,
who for one hundred years has been prominent in the State of
Texas, at the bar, in the church, in medicine, in business and
socially." R. E. L. Knight first attended the common schools of Dallas
County, received the degree of A. M. from the Southwestern
University, B. L. from the University of Texas, and subsequently
took a post-graduate course in law at the University of Virginia.
In his younger days he was a farmer, an occupation to which he
stUl enthusiastically devotes a part of his time.
In connection with his law practice and farming interests,
Mr. Knight is interested in the direction of finance, being Vice

366

Texas — The Country and Its Men

ROBERT EDWARD LEE KNIGHT

Texas — The Country and Its Men 367
President of the National Bank of Commerce of DaUas, and is
on the Board of Directors of other financial enterprises.
On May 19, 1890, he married Miss Annie Armstrong,
daughter of Colonel T. E. and Mrs. Sarah H. Armstrong, of
Bryan, Texas. To them the following chUdren have been born:
Thomas A., Mary Watts, Robert E. Lee, Jr., Marion A., Henry
Coke and Richard Allen Knight. Speaking of himself, Mr.
Knight once modestly remarked : "There are no leading events
in my career. It has been normal and devoid of special incident.
I have had but one ambition, and that has been success in my
profession and in business. I have devoted my life to these and
my family, and am thus far satisfied with my success along these
lines. I have always taken, as a private citizen, an acute interest
. in public affairs and men, never failing to let my views and po
sition be known regarding either." All of which may be taken
as a fair epitome of the character of the man to whom this ref
erence is had.

JOSEPH W. BAILEY
GAINESVILLE
Joseph W. Bailey was born in Copiah County, Mississippi,
October 6, 1863. He was admitted to the bar in 1883, and came
to Texas in 1885, locating at Gainesville, in Cooke County. He
was elected to Congress in 1890, and re-elected four times. In
the Fifty-fifth Congress he was the Democratic nominee for
Speaker of the House. He was elected United States Senator
from Texas in 1901, and re-elected in 1907. Mr. Bailey is con
sidered one of the most brilliant and forceful men in the South.

368

Texas — The Country and Its Men

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JOSEPH W. bailey
Texas — The Country and Its Men 369

W. C. PADGITT
DALLAS
W. C. Padgitt, one of the oldest, most prominent and best
known business men of Texas, was born in Sumner County,
Tennessee, November 25, 1849. His parents, James and Mary
Jane Padgitt, moved from their native State and settled in Hous
ton, Texas, where he grew to manhood. The Civil War coming
on, restricted his educational advantages, but as opportunity per
mitted, he attended the common schools of the city, in which
reading, writing and elements of arithmetic only were taught. He
first went to work at his trade in Houston. In 1869, being then
twenty years of age, he found himself prepared for the struggles
of life. His ambitious spirit and enterprising nature prompted
him to seek more promising fields, and he removed to Bryan,
Texas, and went into business for himself. In the spring of
1875 he moved to DaUas and joined his brother, J. D.' Padgitt,
in the wholesale saddlery business, and as a result of their joint
labors this establishment has grown to immense proportions. No
house in the South stands higher in the commercial world than
Padgitt Brothers.
The subject of this memoir was happily married to Miss
Mary Elizabeth Britton, a native Texan, daughter of Joseph and
Hariette Britton, of Wheelock, Texas. Six sons have been born
to this union, all of whom promise to be numbered among the
best citizenship of Texas, viz : Charles, Thomas, WiUiam, El-
wood, Britton and Sullivan.
In the prime of vigorous mental and physical manhood, ap
proaching the meridian of an unusually successful and brilliant
career as a financier, and still planning for the future, he was
called to his final rest on November 25, 1909. The space aUotted
in this work prevents making even a casual review of his numer
ous charities and noble deeds. For thirty-five years he was a
devout member of the First Methodist Church, and was recog
nized as a great moral worker for the upbuUding of the church
and its Sunday School. He was an earnest advocate of the im-

370 Texas — The Country and Its Men

w. c. padgitt

Te.xas — The Country and Its Men 371
provement of the Trinity River. Dr. R. G. Patton, the well-
known philanthropist, a few days after the demise of Mr. Padgitt,
published the following beautiful paper in the Dallas News on
his death :
"We who knew this Christian gentleman as a gentleman and
as a business man of Dallas, knew him as one whose heart was
warm as a summer's sunshine, and there was ever a sweet charm
of loving gracious spirit in the grasp of his hand, in the glance
of his eye, and in the melody of his tone as he extended his greet
ing to a friend. As a business man, he dashed past the weak
and grappled with the strong. He was one of the greatest suc
cesses financially in Dallas, modest and unpretending as any
fellow-being who toUed for his daily food. His employes loved
him ; the old and young loved him ; he was gentle, kind and true,
and loved the good, and above aU, was a devout Christian. He
was ever ready to share in all public enterprises in Dallas. This
noble man's home, it might be said, was made sacred by the hal
lowed reverence of the God. If I could paint the picture of his
home ; if I could show the lovely family ties broken by the stroke
of fate ; the orphans and the distressed relieved by him ; the grief
of his church ; the employes of his great wholesale establishment
bent in grief ; the pall of sadness and gloom that fell upon the
City of Dallas, all on account of his death, then I could properly
express the esteem this great and good man was justly held by
his people. No man ever did more for DaUas, and was more
highly esteemed by the citizens of all classes than W. C. Padgitt."
rev. dr. bourland's tribute
Rev. H. A. Bourland; who was assisted by Rev. J. \\'. Hill
in conducting the service, said in part :
"The occasion which calls us together is pathetic beyond any
words that I can command to express it. The people of Dallas
are touched with a common sorrow, irrespective of creed, or
class, or condition. One of the best known and most loved cit
izens has passed away from our midst and left a void that will
long be felt and hard to fill.
"I wish to speak for a few moments only of my dear friend,
and I do this in no fulsome eulogy, but as a friend of long stand
ing, who loved this dear brother, who was his pastor long ago.

372 Texas— The Country and Its Men 
I speak of him as a man, for I have no fear that what I shall say
wUl be controverted. As a business man he was a success, not
by adventitious or questionable methods, but by fair arid honest
dealing with his fellowmen. I have never known a man, I think,
in my life — and I have known him over thirty years — who so well
possessed that trinity of virtues — dUigent in business, fervent in
spirit, serving the Lord. He wears upon his bosom the white
flower of a stainless life in all his transactions with his fellow-
man, and by his diligence left an ample fortune to his wife and
children, but that was the least he left them. He left them that
which is beyond gold and silver. He left them a spotless life,
a life devoted to good and the benefit of his fellowman. But it
was in his home he was known best and loved most. His was a
Christian home.
"He was an unselfish man. Men who had fallen down in the
battle of life and had been overcome by greed, or lust, or weak
ness, had- in W. C. Padgitt a friend."
PHIL R. WELDER
BEEVILLE
Next to the early pioneers in the value of their service to the
State by opening the "Wild West" to settlement come the cattle
men, those "rough riders" of the plains. They were the videttes
of civilization, the forerunners of the "man with the hoe." PhU.
R. WUder is one of these videttes. He was born May i6, 1856, at
Copano, Refugio County. His father before him was a cattleman,
and young Welder took up the business where his father laid it
down. He attended the public schools of Corpus Christi, and
after leaving school he entered the cattle business, which he has
pursued with success ever since, excepting a brief experience in
merchandising. Life behind the counter was too tame, too mo
notonous to one who had been accustomed to the activities of the
ranch. The lasso had more charm for him than the yard stick;
branding cattle possessed more interest than measuring calico or
weighing sugar. Hene he soon quit the dull routine of the store
for the varied experiences that come to the ranchman and the
cowboy. Besides, the profits in cattle raising were more certain,

MRS. EMMA B. SWINDLER

Texas — The Country and Its Men 373
and were larger. Mr. Welder was a stockman by nature and in
heritance, and he found the business congenial and made it suc
cessful tUl today the "cattle upon a thousand hUls" are his, and
he enjoys a competency from his ranch and herds.
February 3, 1880, he was happily married to Miss Bridget
Corrigan, of Bee County, a sensible lady and a most helpful part
ner of his lifework. They have had ten children born to them
to make their home happy. Mr. Welder is a widely known busi
ness man. He encourages every enterprise that looks to the pro
motion of the interests of his community, and enjoys the confi
dence and esteem of his fellow-citizens.
His life has been an active one and full of usefulness to so
ciety, though devoid of the thrilling incidents and the romantic
adventures of his predecessors in ranch life.
MRS. EMMA EUGENIE BLOUNT SHINDLER
dalhart
Was born November 18, 1851, at San Augustine, Texas. She
is the daughter of Stephen WUliam Blount, one of the signers of
the Declaration of Independence of Texas, and Mary Landon.
Her father was a native of Georgia and her mother of Vermont.
They emigrated to Texas in the early '30s, when the "Lone Star"
was just beginning to glimmer above the political horizon. They
settled in East Texas and founded a family now known far and
wide for intelligence, public spirit and high character.
In 1892 Miss Emma Eugenie Blount became the wife of
Robert Conrad Shindler, son of Rev. R. D. and Mrs. Mary Dana
Shindler. They at once came to Nacogdoches to reside, where
Mrs. Shindler devoted herself to the care of her husband's chU
dren by his former wife, and to the multiplied domestic duties in
volved in that delicate and responsible task. With rare good
sense and womanly devotion, which are leading traUs in her char
acter, she discharged those duties so tactfully and lovingly that
the chUdren aU regard her with filial aflection, and they and her
husband crown her with their hearts' tenderest love. In the
midst of her many household cares she always found opportunity

374 Texas — The Country and Its Men
to assist in works of a public character, and soon became a leader
in church and social circles.
Gifted by nature and cultured by study and wide reading,
she possesses remarkable literary talent, and is the author of
numerous poems which have excited not a little favorable com
ment. She has also issued from the press several novelettes,
which are delightful in their romance, charming in plot, pure in
diction, and breathing the finest moral sentiment. Among other
productions of her graceful pen may be mentioned "The Twin
Sisters," a sweet little story; "Manette Barrington," another, of
greater length and equal merit, and "My Baby Clothes," a pop
ular little poem. Besides these, Mrs. Shindler has been a valu
able contributor to the coherence of the local press. Like all true
Texans, she is intensely patriotic and takes a deep interest in
everything connected with the romantic history of her State.
When in 1902 it was decided to tear down the old Stone Fort
at her home town, Nacogdoches, a structure rich in historic as
sociations and consecrated in the hearts of the descendants of the
early settlers in Texas, she enlisted the sympathy and aid of the
ladies of a local club, and they carefully preserved every stone
as it was removed from the walls, hallowed by so many precious
memories, and on June 15, 1907, these patriotic ladies began the
work of rebuilding the famous Old Stone Fort at Nacogdoches,
and on July 4 of that year the corner stone was relaid under the
auspices of the Masonic Fraternity. Thus will be preserved to
future generations this ancient landmark of Texas history. The
committee appointed by the members of the Concilio Club to look
after the work was : Mrs. Emma B. Shindler, Chairman ; Mrs. E.
M. Dotson, Mrs. W. F. Price and Mrs. E. C. Branch. In pre
serving this valuable relic of the early settlement of Texas, these
good women deserve the lasting gratitude of all patriotic Texans.
This old fort was first built in 1778, and rebuilt in 1908, a
hundred and thirty years later. It was one of the outposts of
civilizations planted by the hands of heroes in the wilderness.
Its preservation by the hands of faithful women was most fitting,
since civilization's highest achievement is the respect, reverence
and honor with which it crowns woman in all the relations of
civilized life. Among uncivilized people woman never rises
higher than man's slave, his burden-bearer. As civilization ad-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 375
vances land develops, woman rises to her rightful place at man's
side, his equal in social rights and privileges, his companion and
helpmeet. "An angel o'er his house presiding,
Doubling all his joys and his cares dividing."
But this patriotic work of Mrs. Shindler, assisted by the
noble ladies of Nacogdoches, is only one of the many instances in
which the subject of this sketch manifested her zeal for the pub
lic welfare and her activity in good words and works. Too little
credit, perhaps, is given women for the part they play in life's
drama. Mrs. Shindler, descended from revolutionary sires who
threw off the Mexican yoke and beat back the tides of savage
invasion, has in her veins the blood of heroes, and every fibre
of her being vibrates with pride in her State and its weird history.
W'ith pen and tongue and hand she is ever ready to write
or talk or act for the good and the glory of Texas. She has won
a place in the history of her State and in the hearts of all those
who know her. Like the Spartan mother of old, Texas can point
to her sons and daughters and say : "There Are My Jewels," and
among these jewels there are few that shine with greater bril
liancy than Mrs. Emma Eugenie Blount Shindler.

The two poems following, by Mrs. Shindler, are inserted
solely upon their merits :

376 Texas — The Country and Its Men

MY BABY CLOTHES

Did I e'er -wear this little frock?
This dainty shirt, this pretty sock?
So long ago it needs must seem
The story of a vanished dream.
It must be so for -well I kno-w
Babies to men and -women grow.
And oft I've heard my mother praise
The sweetest of my infant ways.
I was so good, so very good,
I smiled when bid, and understood
That "go to sleep" meant "shut your eyes"
Without the usual sob and cries.
But still to me this little gown,
A full yard long when hanging down.
Seems far too small in sleeves and neck
Even an infant form to deck.
This little shirt, O can it be
It ever was drawn over me?
So dainty, sweet, a souvenir
Of what I once could sometimes wear.
These little socks set off with lace,
Did they my little feet once grace?
It must be so for mother says
They're relics fond of infant days.
And I will treasure them always.
In mem'ry of my baby days.
When chubby hands and blue eyes sweet
My mother's tender heart would greet.
But listen, friend, while I speak low;
'Tis nearly forty years ago
Since first I wore these little things
And seemed an Angel, lacking wings.
Here is the spread of dimity
Bound with tape so daintily,
And here's the quilt where you may see
The precious stitches made for me.
The pillow-case whereon my head
Reposed when in my cradle bed.
Shall in my coffin bed lie close
When death has brought my last repose.
When from the grave I open my eyes
On "Judgment Day," with glad surprise,
O may I wake to better things
And be an Angel with white wings.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 377

REVERIE

(September 28, 1891.)
As I sit thinking, thinking, thinking
Of the loved ones gone before;
In my saddened heart deep sinking.
Call the names of dear ones o'er.
Comes to me the thought, a blessing.
For it soothes my weary pain.
The sweet thought of neighbors pressing
My dear mother's hand again.
First I seem to see my father
With his smile of welcome fond.
As he hastens, glad, to greet her.
Leads her to the friends he's found.
There are children sweet in Heaven,
Babes she lost long years ago ;
They'll rejoice to find the mother
Whom we sadly miss below.
There's another loved her dearly
When her youthful beauty shone.
In his heart of hearts, so early
Laid within the silent tomb.
Then the voice of father, mother —
With what rapture call her name.
While her sister and her brother
Love in Heaven just the same.
There are neighbors all around her,
Friends on every side to greet ;
As they give their welcome to her
I can see her smile so sweet.
And it seems to soothe the anguish
Of my sorely grieving heart,
When I think my darling mother
Is with loved ones, ne'er to part.
As I'm thinking, thinking, thinking
Of my mother's Heavenly rest.
Though my heart seems nearly breaking,
Still I murmur, "God knows best."
But I wonder, wonder, wonder.
As her happiness I see
In the sweet Elysian yonder.
Does my mother think of me?
Can she rend the veil asunder?
Can she see the tears that flow?
Does her gentle spirit linger
Sometimes near me here below?
Both my parents loved me dearly,
Though their souls are now at rest.
Still I know they're often, nearly
Always, with me— God knows best.

378 Texas — The Country and Its Men

JOSEPH FAUST
NEW BRAUNFELS
This gentleman is recognized as one of the foremost men of
his section in every respect. He is a foreigner by birth, but Texas
has few adopted sons in whom her interests find a champion and
defender more zealous and efficient. He was born in Hambach,
Prussia, December 15, 1844, and came to Texas when a small
child. His parents, Martin and Gertrude Faust, like many of
their countrymen, chafed under the stringent laws of the old
country, which dedicates every male, at 18 years of age, to the
military service, where he is compelled to remain a term of years,
whether or no, and at an age when he should be at school. They
sighed for a land of more liberty to the individual. They cor
rectly hoped to find on the hospitable shores of Texas, not only
an asylum, but a field for the education of their children, where,
in after life, by whatever talent they possessed, they might avail
themselves of some of the many possibilities afford to youth,
talent and enterprise. Accordingly, in 1855, they bade adieu to
the "Fatherland," and soon set foot upon the soil of this glorious
land of freedom. They chose New Braunfels as their future
home, to which a colony of their countrymen had preceded them,
and here their son was given a good preliminary education in
the New Braunfels Academy.
When Joseph was sixteen years of age, and was attending this
school, the CivU War broke out. Notwithstanding his foreign
birth and his extreme youth, he was fired with a patriotic love
for his adopted country, and promptly enlisted as a soldier. He
was a private in the Seventh Texas Cavalry, Sibley's Brigade, and
served from October 8, 1861, untU captured. He was taken pris
oner in Louisiana and confined in the Custom House at New Or
leans, which, after the capture of the city by the Federals, was
made a bastile for the Confederate prisoners. Exchanged on
Christmas Day, 1863, he resumed duty with his command, and
served until the end. Some of his service, and the hardships he
endured, may be understood when it is stated he took part with
his command in every engagement; and Sibley's Brigade bore a

Texas — The Country and Its Men

379

conspicuous part in the struggle. He was with them at the Bat
tles of Val Verde, Glorietta, Galveston, Camp Bisland, Yellow
Bayou, and many other sanguinary engagements, besides being in
a large number of engagements of less note, and in numerous
skirmishes. These noble soldiers made their record in enduring
letters, high up in "fame's proud temple." They are worthy repre-

JOSEPH FAUST
resentatives of the true "Confederate soldier," than whom the
world never witnessed a band of more devoted patriots.
The war being over, young Faust, like thousands of his com
panions in arms, returned home pennUess. He had just reached
man's estate, and had had no opportunity to finish the education
so auspiciously begun. But he had native talent, and by readmg

380 Texas — The Country and Its Men
and close observation he educated himself far beyond the average.
He had a stout heart and turned his hands readily to the first
thing that offered.
It may be said he had matured no plan of life; he had no
means, and his education being interrupted at sixteen, he was like
a boat without a rudder, but ready to avaU himself of the best
that offered. He went to clerking in a store in 1865, and followed
that business tUl 1871. Meantime, he studied at night and on
Sundays and holidays. He also practiced the closest economy,
and laid by his earnings, with an eye to future business for him
self. In 1 87 1 he became a member of the firm of Tips, Clemens &
Faust, General Merchants, and remained in this business ten
years. He then engaged in the banking business as a member of
the firm of Clemens & Faust in 1882, which was nationalized as
the First National Bank of New Braunfels, in 1890, Mr. Faust
acting as President, a position he still occupies.
In business, politics and in social life he is and has always
been prominent. He was Mayor of New Braunfels in 1886, and
served ten years. As President of the School Board he served
thirty years, retiring in 191 5.
To his exertions is largely attributable the remarkable change
that has taken place in the politics of his county. He is a staunch
Democrat, and also an anti-prohibitionist. He always takes an
active part in the various political campaigns, and was conspicu
ously prominent in that known as the "Prohibition Contest." The
county cast only twenty-seven votes for the amendment (Prohi
bition), and, although once polling an overwhelming Republican
vote, the county is Democratic by a handsome majority. He
served in the State Senate in the Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth
and Thirtieth Legislatures.
Mr. Faust was appointed one of the Board of Regents of the
State University by Governor Colquitt, but his business affairs
demanding so much of his attention, he resigned after a short
service in that capacity.
In point of physique, he is of average size, being five feet
eight inches high, has gray mustache, and is solidly built. He was
married in 1877. His wife was Miss Ida Forcke. They have
three children, Walter, Hanno and Melita.

IRA H. EVANS

Texas — The Country and Its Men 381

IRA HOBART EVANS
AUSTIN
Hon. Ira Hobart Evans was born in Piermont, New Hamp
shire, April II, 1844. His father was a physician who died
when the boy was eight years of age, and soon after his mother
removed to Barre, Vermont, where he was educated in the public
schools and the academy of that town. In July, 1862, he enlisted
as a private in Company "B," Tenth Vermont Volunteer Infantry.
Later he was promoted to First Lieutenant, Captain, and Brevet
Major, United States Volunteers. He received a medal of honor
from Congress "For Distinguished Bravery at Hatcher's Run,
Virginia, April 2, 1865." His mUitary service was mainly in the
Army of the Potomac and the Army of the James. He fiUed im
portant staff positions for two years.
After the war was over his command, with others, was sent
to the lower Rio Grande border of Texas to back up the diplo
matic efforts of Secretary of State Seward to get <!he French out
of Mexico, where they had placed MaximUlian on the throne dur
ing the Civil War. He served there about a year and a half and
was discharged from military service January 31, 1867. He aft
erward settled in a wild region about 100 mUes northwest of
Corpus Christi, Texas, and engaged in stock raising. This ven
ture proved unsuccessful through the dishonesty of his partner,
through whom he lost his entire investment in this business.
Later he entered the United States Revenue Service and was
Assistant Assessor of Internal Revenue for several counties in
Western Texas, including the towns of Eagle Pass and Laredo,
on the Rio Grande River. Subsequently he became Deputy Col
lector of Internal Revenue for the Second District of Texas, and
had charge of the headquarters office at Corpus Christi.
In the faU of 1869 he was tendered the Republican nomina
tion for one of the three Representatives to be elected from the
Western District of Texas, which included all the territory ex
tending from El Paso to the mouth of the Rio Grande, and as
far east as Refugio, Goliad, Atascosa and Medina Counties. He

382 Texas — The Country and Its Men
declined the nomination at first, as he did not wish to engage in
politics, but finally yielded to the urgent solicitation of General
E. J. Davis, the Republican candidate for Governor, and other
friends that he should accept, and was elected in November, 1869,
polling the largest vote cast for any candidate for Representative
for that district.
Upon the assembling of the Legislature in Provisional Ses
sion, at Austin, Texas, early in February, 1870, he was elected
Speaker of the House of Representatives. After Congress had
accepted the new Constitution of the State and seated the newly
elected Senators and Representatives, the Legislature was con
vened in Special Session by the Governor, and Major Evans was
re-elected Speaker of the House without opposUion. He took
quite an active part in legislative proceedings and supported Gov
ernor Davis in all his vetoes of the legislation passed which was
calculated to rob the school fund of the State and grant huge sub
sidies to railroads, which would have bankrupted the State finan
cially. Article 3, Section 4, of the Constitution of 1869, provided
that "The members of the House of Representatives shall be
chosen by the qualified electors, and their term of office shall be
two years from the day of general election." The election law
enacted in August, 1870, provided that the first election there
under should take place the first Tuesday in November, 1872.
which would make the terms of the Legislators three years in
stead of two years from the date of their election. Major Evans
and several Republican Senators and Representatives, together
with all the Democratic members of both Houses, sought to have
this law changed so that the next Legislature should be elected
in November, 1871. For this he and his Republican associates
were called before a caucus of his party. These gentlemen denied
the right of power of the caucus to pass upon a question of this
kind, claiming that they were bound by their oaths of office to
support the Constitution of the State, and could not conscien
tiously yield to the mandate of a party caucus upon such a ques
tion. The majority of the caucus decided against them on this
point, and Major Evans and his associates declared they would
not be bound by this decision, and left the caucus. The caucus
continued in session and resolved to remove Major Evans from

Texas — The Country and Its Men 383

the Speakership the following morning because he would not
abide by its decision on this question. The next morning a reso-
.lution was introduced to declare the office of Speaker vacant, and
it was passed under the operation of the previous question with
out any reason being alleged, either in the resolution or by its
supporters on the floor, for such action. This action by the Re
publican majority of the House aroused great indignation
throughout the State, and was generally condemned by the press
and the people, regardless of party lines. When the Twelfth
Legislature finally adjourned on December 2, 1871, Major Evans
quit political life, as he had no liking for it under the conditions
then existing in the Republican Party.
On January 16, 1872, he was elected General Manager of
the Texas Land Company, a corporation formed by Texas and
New York capitalists, who were interested in the development of
the State, for the purpose of buying lands for investment and
speculation. He continued in charge of this company until it
ceased to do business. On September 2, 1873, he was elected
Secretary of the Houston & Great Northern Railroad Company,
and on July 21, 1874, was elected Secretary of the consolidated
International & Great Northern Railroad Company, and also had
charge of the land interests of that corporation until April 5,
1880. During this time he also served as a Director in several
other railroad and land corporations. The International & Great
Northern Railroad Company having gone into bankruptcy, all
its lands passed into the ownership of a corporation styled The
New York and Texas Land Company, Limited, and Major Evans
was elected President of this company on April 13, 1880, and
held that position for twenty-six years, when the corporation sold
all its property in Texas to other parties and went out of busi
ness. Since that time Major Evans has continued to represent
the owners of the unsold portion of this property. He was elected
a Director of the International & Great Northern Railroad Com
pany on April 5, 1875, and held this office for thirty-two years.
He was one of the organizers of the Austin National Bank, Aus
tin, Texas, in 1890, and has been a Director thereof from that
day to the present time. He was appointed Receiver for the
Austin Rapid Transit Railway Company by the United States
Circuit Court for the Western District of Texas on February

384 Texas — The Country and Its Men
20, 1897, and continued in that position for five years. Upon its
discharge from the receivership he became President of the
company which took over the street railway property, and held
this position untU faUing health compeUed him to resign a year or
two later. In October, 1891, he was appointed one of the Re
ceivers of the International & Great Northern RaUroad by the
United States Circuit Court for the Eastern District of Texas,
and qualified as such, but never discharged the duties of the office
for the reason that the State Court, which had secured possession
of the railroad property, refused to surrender control of it to the
Receivers appointed by the United States Court.
He was president of the State Sunday School Association of
Texas in 1883-4; Moderator of the North Texas Congregational
Association from 1883 to 1885; First Assistant Moderator of the
National Congregational Counsel at Worcester, Massachusetts, in
October, 1889; member for Texas of the International Sunday
School Executive Committee from 1884-1890; member of the
Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church, Austin,
Texas, for twenty-two years ; President of the Board of Trus
tees of the First Congregational Church, Austin, Texas, since
1909; President of the Board of Directors of TUlotson College,
an institution for the education of colored youths, in Austin,
Texas, since its incorporation as a college; President Texas So
ciety Sons of the American Revolution for six years ; First Vice
President General National Sons of the American Revolution,
1903-1904. He is a member of the following societies : Texas Society,
Sons of the American Revolution; Society of Colonial Wars in
the State of Vermont ; Military Order of the Loyal Legion, State
of New York; MUitary Order of the Medal of Honor; Univer
sity Club, Austin, Texas; the Army and Navy Club, New York
City; the Texas Academy of Science, Texas Society of Social
Hygiene, Texas State Historical Society, American Historical
Association, National Geographic Society, American Political
Science Association, American Society for the Judicial Settle
ment of International Disputes, the National Economic League,
American Sociological Society.
On July 13, 1871, he married Miss Frances A. Hurlbut, of
Upper Alton, Illinois. Three sons were born to them, who are

f ^

t. h. scanlan

Tex.as — The Country and Its Men 385

now grown and engaged in business. Wilber Leslie Evans was
born November 27, 1872; graduated at Knox College, Galesburg,
Illinois, in 1893, and at Yale University in 1894. Hobart Yale
Evans was born December 21, 1876, and studied at Knox Col
lege, Galesburg, Illinois, and the University of Texas, but did
not graduate. Francis Hurlbut Evans was born February 21,
1880, and graduated at Knox College, in Illinois. Major Evans
lived in Corpus Christi, Texas, from the spring of 1869 to 1872;
in Houston, Texas, from April, 1872, until August, 1875; in Pal
estine, Texas, from August, 1875, until March i, 1885, and in
Austin, Texas, since the latter date.

THOMAS HOWE SCANLAN
HOUSTON
The distinguished subject of this memoir was born in Castle
Mahon, Limerick County, Ireland, November 10, 1832.
His father, Timothy Scanlan, and family arrived in America
from Ireland and settled in New York State in 1839, Thomas
then being a bright boy of seven years of age. Few, we dare
say, ever dreamed in the "Ould Country," where the Scanlans
came from, of the possibUities for a poor boy afforded in this
glorious, sun-kissed land, possibilities that were turned into
achievements by young Scanlan, who by his unaided exertions be
came one of the most successful men in the State of Texas.
At the age of twenty-one years, in the year 1853, he landed
in Houston, then a mere vUlage or settlement, without friends or
capital. Possessed of a strong wUl and determination to suc
ceed, he soon blazed out a path that led him to prominence and
fortune, but the heritage he bequeathed to his family, which he
prized above wealth, was the pure and unsullied name he en
joyed through life. Soon after his arrival in Houston he en
gaged in the mercantUe business, which he continued until the
beginning of the War Between the States in 1861, when he went
into the cotton business in Mexico. This, like all other of his
business ventures, was crowned with success; after the war his
confidence in the growth and future prosperity of Houston led
to his investing in lands and city property, the increase in value

386 Texas — The Country and Its Men
of which made him an ample competency for himself and his
seven daughters, who survive both mother and father.
The first political office which Mr. Scanlan could be pre
vailed upon to accept was that of Alderman of the Third Ward.
While acting in this capacity he secured the passage of several
bills by the Legislature for municipal improvements. In 1870
he was elected by popular vote to preside over the destinies of
Houston as Mayor, and continued to hold the office until 1874.
Before this period the City Treasury was in a depleted condition ;
city bonds were sold at a recklessly extravagant discount, and
the whole government was in a demoralized and chaotic condi
tion. Immediately upon entering upon the discharge of his duties
as Mayor, he went to work to redeem the credit of the city, and
in a short time had its affairs in a most prosperous and healthy
condition. He established a splendid sewer system, fire service,
street lighting, sanitary regulations, adopted quarantine measures
against yellow fever, built an elegant City Hall, which was beau
tified and surrounded by trees and fountains — the first effort at
civic beauty in Houston.
In 1875 General U. S. Grant, then President of the United
States, tendered him the appointment of Postmaster at Houston,
which position he held until 1879. He was during these years
actively interested in the Texas W^estern Railroad, the Street
Railway, City Gas Company and many other improvements tend
ing to upbuild the city. In 1880 he acquired a controlling interest
in the Houston W^ater Company, and was elected President of
the Company, and continued to serve in that capacity untU his
death, which occurred on July 9, 1906. He built up the water
system from a small concern using Buffalo Bayou water, to the
present magnificent artesian well supply.
On April 28, 1862, Mr. Scanlan was united in marriage to
Miss Hermione Ebert, whom he survived eight years.
Mr. Scanlan was a man of broad and liberal mind and has
aided in the promotion of many public enterprises that will be
enjoyed by the public for generations yet to come. He was a fit
representative of that sturdy race that made their homes in this
State when Texas was a wilderness, and have by the exei^ise of
manly virtues, achieved success, used in its highest and truest

MRS. T. H. scanlan

J. D. JACKSON

Texas — The Country^ and Its Men 387

sense, a goal that all men seek to attain that fitly rounds an hon
orable career.
His daughters, who have devoted their lives to him, were
with him when he died at his summer home in Chicago, watching
at his bedside when he passed quietly away, leaving them to
mourn his loss. His remains were taken back to Houston for
burial. His demise was heralded with many tokens of grief and
sorrow by his Houston friends and neighbors. In the language
of one who loved him, we close this sketch :
Back to the arms of the Maker, '
His work on this earth well done.
Bearing the friendship and laurels.
Which by honest toil he has won.
As fruits of a life well lived
He had many friends and few foes,
And bore their respect as laurels
With him in death's sweet repose.

J. D. JACKSON
ALPINE
If success be a criterion from which to judge a man's ca
pacity, the subject of this sketch must be awarded high rank
among the very big men of Texas, the State of his birth and the
scene of his wonderful career. He was born in Bell County,
January 6, 1862, where as a boy he worked to help support his
widowed mother and five sisters, dreaming the while of his ex
perience yet to come, in the business of breeding and grazing
cattle. At the age of eighteen the call of the wUd found him an
interested listener. He therefoi;e sought a wider field and, hav
ing located in Tom Green County near his present residence, began
his rapid rise to prominence in his chosen calling. His accumula
tions were invested in ranch properties, whereon his herds in
creased and multiplied untU Mr. Jackson is now the proprietor
of an immense estate, equal in acreage to the entailed estates of
Merry Old England, or the large cattle ranges of Australia. Not
only is Mr. Jackson a successful "cowman," to an extent that

388 Texas — The Country and Its Men
places him in the class of the cattle barons, but life in the open
seems to have led him far afield in the direction of education
and the general betterment of social conditions.
Some years ago, with the assistance of other prominent en
terprising residents of the section, he succeeded in securing legis
lation for the establishment of the Alpine School District, one of
the largest in the State, where has been located, largely through
his personal efforts, a frontier seat of learning of which the
entire State may well be proud.
At the Alpine School, located high up in the mountains,
where invigorating breezes always blow, the youths of the coun
try receive a training calculated to bring out the best that is in
them. The curriculum included three years of mUitary training,
and there have been added departments of practical usefulness,
including Printing, Domestic Science and a thorough course in
Manual Training. In connection with the school there has been
established a system of annual Summer Normals, the seventh as
sembly having been held in June, 1916. An unique feature of
these gatherings is the yearly barbecue given by Mr. Jackson and
his partner, Mr. S. D. Harmon. To visitors who have never
witnessed these characteristic Texas "round-ups," or taken part
in the cowboy suppers provided for their entertainment, the af
fairs are highly novel ; intensely interesting is the outcome of the
efforts of Mr. Jackson and his friends in and about Alpine.
Mr. Jackson, in 1916, concluded a two years' term as Presi
dent of the Cattle Raisers' Association, to which he had devoted
his best talent and much time, increasing the membership from
2,200 to over 40,000. His administration was marked by many
matters of moment to the stock interests of the country, including
a successful effort to decrease freight rates, or at least maintain
a fair schedule, all of which is of the utmost importance to the
raisers and shippers of live stock.
Mr. Jackson insists that it is a greater honor to be President
of the Cattlemen's Association than to be Governor of Texas.
Mr. Jackson has always declined to seek public office, or
allow his name to be used in that connection, being contented to
remain in the background, where he could be of assistance to his

Texas — The Country and Its Men 389
friends. Mr. Jackson is now being solicited by many strong men
to run for Governor two years from next November.
In December, 1889, Mr. Jackson was united in marriage with
Miss Dorcas Ford, of Holland, Bell County, Texas. They have
a daughter. Miss Una, who is a graduate of the University of
Texas, and also of the School of Expression at Boston, Massa
chusetts. She has also taken a course in the Northwestern Uni
versity at Chicago. The young lady is now a teacher of expression
in the Alpine High School. The only son. Ford Jackson, is a
student at Transylvania College, Lexington, Kentucky.
Mr. Jackson is a life-long Democrat. He was a member of
the delegation to the St. Louis Convention in 1916 and helped
renominate President Woodrow Wilson.

JUDGE WILLIAM H. CLARK
DALLAS
The City of Dallas has been fortunate in the possession of
men with high ideals of citizenship, together with exceptional
abUity in their profession. In this class it is no invidious distinc
tion to name Judge William H. Clark as among the foremost, not
only in the ranks of attorneys, with whose profession he has
been prominently identified here for a quarter of a century, but
also a man who conceives citizenship as a duty involving unremit
ting service in the general interest of the community. Judge
Clark is a fine representative of one of the oldest and most notable
of Southern famUies, and while his individual career is of special
interest to the history of Texas, yet the lives of his forefathers are
also an essential part of this biography.
WiUiam H. Clark was born on the Clark plantation, near
Brandon, Rankin County, Mississippi, May 2, 1861, a son of
WiUiam H. and Mary (McDowell) Clark. He was reared on
this farm and performed farm work from his childhood, pre
pared for college at Brandon Academy, and then entered the
University of Mississippi, at Oxford, where he was graduated
with honors in 1882. Immediately upon leaving the University
he was elected Principal of the Brandon Academy, but after one
year of teaching, resigned in order to enter the La-w School of

390 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Cumberland University, at Lebanon, Tennessee. While teaching
school at Brandon, and prior to this, he studied law under General
Robert Lowery, who later became Governor of Mississippi. He
is a self-made man, having worked his way from the farm to the
front of the legal profession.
Graduating from the Cumberland University Law School in
1885, Judge Clark at once came to Dallas, with his mother, and
here embarked in the practice of his chosen profession, to which
work he has devoted himself exclusively. During the first year
of his residence in Dallas he was in the law office of Judge Seth
Sheppard, who is now Chief Justice of the United States Court of
Appeals at Washington. During subsequent years Judge Clark
has had various legal associations, including partnerships with
W. M. Alexander, W. L. Hall, William Thompson, Judge John
L. Henry and Judge Charles F. Clint. Since 1905 Judge Clark
has practiced alone. He is a warm friend of and ever ready
to help the struggling young lawyer. Five of the already success
ful lawyers of Dallas started in his office.
In 1897 an unusual honor was shown to Judge Clark in his
election as President of the Texas State Bar Association, he being
at the time the youngest incumbent who had ever held that posi
tion. He has since 1886 been active in the work of this associa
tion, and through his individual influence has on every possible
occasion promoted the best interests of the legal profession in
Texas. He is also a member of the American Bar Association
and the Dallas Bar Association. By his work Judge Clark has
exercised a beneficent influence in supporting and promoting laws
for the welfare of the people of Texas. Among the measures
which have received his support should be mentioned the RaU
road Commission, the Stock and Bond Laws, the Anti-Trust and
Intangible Tax Laws, the Anti-Lobby Law, the Blacklisting Law,
the State Bank and Insurance Laws, and Amendments to the
Practice and Procedure, so as to minimize errors and reversals
in court trials. He favors the enactment of a law enabling nine
jurors to return a verdict, so as to lessen mistrials and unjust
compromise verdicts.
Judge Clark has confined his business to general civil prac
tice, and his practice has been largely on the people's side of the
docket, as distinguished from corporation practice, which he has

Texas — The Country and Its Men 391
never sought, and for the past twelve years has not accepted. His
name as attorney is found associated with many important cases
of civil nature in the Appellate Courts of Texas, and also in the
Supreme Court of the United States. One of the best known
cases which he successfully contested was that involving the
claim of Mrs. Jennie M. Mettler against the Fidelity Life Insur
ance Company of Philadelphia. He recovered for his client
$24,028, and besides this valuable consideration, he established
the constitutionality of the Texas law allowing reasonable attor
ney fees and twelve per cent damages in addition to the life in
surance policy. This case was carried from Texas to the Su
preme Court of the United States, which court affirmed the de
cision of the Texas court on May 5, 1902 (reported in 185 U. S.,
308, Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company vs. Mettler). In
the case of Danworth vs. North Texas Traction Company, 116
S. W. 147, he also sustained the constitutionality of the special
jury law, enacted for five counties of Texas having a city of
20,000 population or over, according to the census of 1900, which
decision prevented, on that ground, the reversal of many pending
raUroad and other cases. After losing in the District Court and
the Court of Civil Appeals in the case of Brown Cracker & Candy
Company vs. City of Dallas et al., 137 S. W. Rep., 343, in the
Supreme Court of Texas, he defeated the ordinance of the City of
Dallas creating a reservation within the city for "bawdy houses,"
on the ground that such ordinance attempted to legalize crime and
was prohibited by the Constitution and laws of Texas, and was
null and void. In the case of Thomas A. Griffin vs. Cotton Belt
RaUroad Company, 153 S. W. Rep., 251, he sustained the Black
listing statute of Texas in the District Court and in the Court
of Civil Appeals. The Supreme Court reversed this decision
and held the statute unconstitutional. Judge Clark has drawn
and is urging the enactment by the Legislature of a Blacklisting
Law free from the objectionable provisions of the former law.
The decision in the "Reservation" case is of state-wide interest
and importance. On beginning this contest for his clients. Judge
Clark was going against a generally accepted opinion that such
municipal legislation was valid and constitutional.
Judge Clark has long been a prominent Democrat in the
northern part of Texas, and has often been a delegate from Dallas

392 Texas — The Country and Its Men
County to the State Convention. He is a great admirer of Presi
dent Wilson. Judge Clark is not a member of clubs, or frater
nities, with the exception of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, which
he joined at the University of Mississippi, with which chapter
and its general organization he has been identified since his col
lege career, and is one of the best known of the fraternity mem
bers in the South.
The home life of Judge Clark has been a delightful relation
ship, and the Clark residence is a beautiful Southern home, at
3807 Ross Avenue. Judge Clark returned to Brandon and mar
ried his old home sweetheart. Miss Virginia Maxey Falls, a
daughter of Captain A. T. and Betty (Maxey) Falls, of Brandon,
on June 9, 1886. Mrs. Clark is a niece of Judge T. S. Maxey,
of Austin, Texas, present United States Judge for the Austin
District. Ten children have been born to the marriage of Judge
Clark and wife, and the seven now living are as follows : Samuel
Welch, Virginia, William H., Jr., Elizabeth, Thomas Campbell,
Robert Lanier and Mary Clark.
The original ancestor of this branch of the Clark family was
Judge William Clark, who immigrated from Ireland in 1734, set
tling for a brief while in Connecticut, but soon afterward moving
to the more genial climate of South Carolina. The paternal
grandfather of the Dallas lawyer was General WUliam Clark,
who married Louise Lanier, of Jackson, Mississippi. Both were
among the early residents of Mississippi, and General Clark
served as State Treasurer for fourteen years. He and his wife
reared a large famUy of sons and daughters, one of them being
the late Judge James B. Clark, who was Proctor of the University
of Texas for more than twenty years, a man greatly revered by
the students and faculty, both for his learning and for his high
personal character and lofty ideals.
WUliam H. Clark, Sr., the father of the Dallas lawyer, was
District Judge at Brandon, Mississippi, at the beginning of the
War Between the States. He soon became Colonel of the Forty-
sixth Mississippi Regiment, and gave valiant service to the cause
of the Confederacy until his death on the battlefield of Altoona,
Georgia, in October, 1864. During his boyhood he had attended
the old Alexander Campbell School, known as Bethany College,
in the Panhandle of what is now West Virginia. At the age of

Texas — The Country and Its Men 393
nineteen years he became a soldier under Colonel Jefferson Davis
in his Mississippi Regiment during the Mexican War.
Mrs. Mary (McDowell) Clark, the wife of this Confederate
officer, was a daughter of Judge Joseph McDowell, of Brandon,
Mississippi. Her death occurred at the home of Judge Clark, in
Dallas, April 15, 1900, and she now rests at the side of her hus
band in the family burial ground at Brandon. Her sister was
Mrs. Elizabeth McDowell Welch, the wife of Dr. S. M. Welch, of
Dallas, formerly of Galveston. Mrs. Welch was President of
the Texas Colonial Dames and of the Daughters of the American
Revolution. The McDowell family, represented by Judge Clark's mother,
contains many illustrious names. Ephraim McDowell and wife,
Margaret Irvin, were the founders of the family in America, and
immigrated from Ireland in 1729, settling in Pennsylvania,
whence they soon removed to Rockbridge County, Virginia. A
great-grandson of this first American ancestor was James Mc
Dowell, who became the twenty-fourth Governor of Virginia
(1842-1846), and also represented his State in Congress with
abihty untU 1851. A grandson of the first American McDoweU
was Judge Samuel McDowell, of Danville, Kentucky, who served
as President of the first Constitutional Convention of Kentucky,
held April 19, 1792, and was also the first United States Judge
of Kentucky, appointed by President Washington. From this
notable figure in Kentucky's history Judge Clark, of Dallas is a
descendant, a great-grandson. Returning again to tne hrst Amer
ican of the name, a great-grandson of that Ephraim McDowell
was Dr. Ephraim McDowell, of Danville, Kentucky, a celebrated
surgeon whose name and deeds have a permanent record in med
ical history. He was the discoverer and first successfully per
formed the great surgical operation of ovariotomy, which was
given to the world by Dr. McDowell, and which has resulted in
.saving the lives of untold numbers of women. One of the brothers
of this famous surgeon was Dr. Nash McDowell, the founder of
the noted McDowell Medical College of St. Louis. Judge Clark,
of Dallas, thus has had many conspicuous ancestors, and among

394 Te.xas — The Country and Its Men
others might be mentioned a former Congressman and Judge,
Patrick Henry, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and also Thomas Up
ton Sisson, the present Congressman from Winona, Mississippi,
both of these being first cousins of Judge Clark.

ROBERT A. WOLTERS
SCHUDENBERG
The subject of this sketch was born at New Ulm, Austin
County, Texas, October 30, 1858, the son of Ferdenand and
Eliza Goeth Wolters. His father was a saddler and harness
maker who came to Texas about 1840, and died at New Ulm in
1867, his wife following him to the grave twelve years later.
They left five children, Robert being the second. He first at
tended the schools of Austin County, subsequently taking a course
at a business college in Galveston. He left his home in 1876,
having secured a clerkship in the store of his uncle, Mr. R. \\'ol-
ters, at Schulenberg, where he remained about three years, when
he became a partner in the firm of Bohns & Wolters, remaining
three years, when Mr. Bohms retiring, became senior member
of the firm of Wolters & Graf. At the expiration of another
period of three years he took over the business, and has since
been carrying on trade on his own account.
Mr. Wolters was one of the organizers of the First Na
tional Bank of Schulenberg in 1906, and is now President. His
business ventures have been very fortunate; his commercial
standing of the highest order, in connection with which he enjoys
great popularity with all who know him.
On June 14, 1883, Mr. Wolters was united in marriage with
Miss Annie Bohms, daughter of Gerd and Auguste Bohms, of
Schulenberg, whose two sons, Alfred and Oscar, are now asso
ciated in business with their father.
Mr. Wolters is a member of the O. D. H. S., the W. O. W.,
and a lifelong Democrat.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

395

ROBERT A. wolters

396 Texas — The Country and Its Men

BERT J. McDowell
DEL RIO
Bert J. McDowell, who as a mounted inspector on the Rio
Grande, probably knows as intimately as any man living the true
conditions along the Mexican frontier.
Captain McDowell was born at Pittsburg, Camp County,
Texas, on September 27, 1880. His father, James K. McDowell,
went to the Panhandle country in 1888, where he died in 1899.
His mother, Mrs. Victoria A. McDowell, resides with her son at
Del Rio. The son went into the Panhandle country after his
father's death, settling at Childress, where he obtained such indif
ferent education as the common schools afforded, supplemented to
some extent in the schools at Eagle Pass after his removal to the
frontier. His first employment was as messenger for the Wells Fargo
Express Company in Mexico, during which time he mastered
Spanish, a language he speaks with the fluency of a native. In
1900 he was appointed a mounted Inspector of Customs on the
Rio Grande. During the following eleven years he served at
every port and sub-port from El Paso to Brownsville, except
that of Laredo, his duty being to prevent smuggling to and fro
across the "Arroya," which separates the two Republics. During
this period he kept close tab on the Mexicans, bad men of a
lighter color who are wont to smuggle horses and contraband
goods, including the poisonous mescal, into the draws and gorges
of the mountains of the "Big Bend" country south of El Paso.
He "rode the range" constantly; learned every foot of territory
all the way to the mouth of the Rio Grande ; trapped many past-
masters in the gentle art of smuggling, and made such a record
all along the line that soon after the inauguration of President
Taft he was appointed Marshal of the Western District of Texas.
In this position he served until February 20, 1913, resigning to
again take up the task of running to cover violators of the law
who, since the days of "old Rough and Ready," have made the
border the scene of their nefarious operations. Captain Mc
Dowell resigned his position as Mounted United States Customs

Texas — The Country and Its Men

397

Inspector May 15, 1915, and nine days after his resignation the
Mexican bandits killed Joe Sitter and Ranger Hulen, with whom
Mr. McDowell had been working constantly for two years. Had
he not resigned, he would have been killed with them. He has
made a host of friends in every section where he and his horse
were familiar visitors.
On August 26, 1908, Captain McDowell and Miss Ada Up-

bert Mcdowell

shaw, of Langtry, Texas, were united in marriage, the ceremony
being the most "elevated" affair of the kind in the history of the
State, the ceremony being performed by his brother, L. K. Mc
Dowell, who at that time was County Judge of Val Verde County.
The couple repaired with their guests to the middle arch of the

398 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Pecos River Bridge, the highest structure of its kind in the United
States, where the knot was tied, not with salvos of artUlery, but
with the best wishes of a legion of friends. They have one daugh
ter. Miss Jewell, now in her seventh year. Many years ago the
Captain enrolled himself under the Republican banner and has
kept the faith despite all efforts to convert him.

DR. J. w. McLaughlin
AUSTIN
It has been said that "the history of an epoch is the history
of its leading men. They are the center and source of intellectual
energy. In them the ever-widening of mental progress have their
origin, and it is under their vivifying influence that science and
learning grow and spread."
Possibly the State of Texas presents no individual in the
wide field of professional life whose career and accomplishments
prove more conclusively the truth of this statement than that of
Dr. J. W. McLaughlin, who in life was' accorded the mark of
dean of the profession which he adorned, whose untimely death
occurred on November 13, 1909.
Doctor McLaughlin was born near Springfield, Ohio, on
September 7, 1840. Following the death of his father, having
acquired a common school and academic education, he began the
study of medicine under the instruction of his uncle. Dr. A. C.
McLaughlin, with whom he made his home until the storm clouds
of i860 threatened to disrupt the country. Being an ardent sup
porter of the doctrine of State's rights, he soon became convinced
that south of Mason & Dixon's Line was the safest place for him.
Without hesitancy he espoused the cause of the South ; made his
way to Louisville, Kentucky, sought the recruiting station and
enlisted in Company D, First Kentucky Infantry ; was sent with
his regiment to Harper's Ferry, Virginia, where the command
was sworn into the Conferedate service for twelve months. His
patriotism, however, was not proscribed by time ; on the contrary,
the future great demonstrator of anatomy remained throughout
the entire struggle, taking part in the campaigns under Generals

Dr. j. W. McLAUGHLrN

Texas — The Country and Its Men 399
Johnston, Jackson, Morgan and Forrest, serving with distin
guished honor throughout the struggle.
McLaughlin did not surrender, nor was he paroled when the
curtain went down on the Confederacy. He objected to being
forcibly reconstructed, and determined to leave the country
rather than take the oath of allegiance to a flag he had fought
for four long years. Accordingly, with a young friend named
A. H. Cross, with whom he had served in the army; he got out
of Virginia and the two comrades started for South America.
McLaughlin's flight came to a sudden conclusion in Texas, the
whole course of his life being changed by a casual meeting with
the lady who was to be his helpmeet in the years to come. He
was introduced to Miss Tabitha Bird Moore, decided that Texas
was good enough for him, began in earnest the study of medi
cine, a profession in which he was destined to make a world-wide
reputation. Working diligently the following spring, having
profited by his reading prior to the period of war, he graduated
from the Medical Departmicnt of the University of Louisiana,
married the girl of his choice, and with her moved to Fayette
County. He practiced there for two years, and in 1869 decided
to make his home in Austin. For the following thirty-two years
he practiced at the State Capital, when he was called to the chair
of medicine in the Medical Department of the University of
Texas. After filling this chair with distinction for eight years,
he resigned and returned to Austin, resuming practice among his
old friends and neighbors, by whom he was universally respected,
both professionally and in private life.
Doctor McLaughlin probably deserved the credit of having
introduced the recitation method in the teaching of the Medical
Department of the University of Texas. This is the method in
operation at Harvard, Johns Hopkins and some other of the
larger schools. He was very successful in employing it, and was
regarded as one of the most inspiring teachers by his students,
and by them was greatly loved. Many of the best young doctors
in Texas today look back with gratitude to J. W^ McLaughlin for
his helpful and inspiring teaching and for his sympathy, kindness
and help as a man.
It was in his general practice as a family physician that the
full greatness of the man appeared. Although a modern of mod-

400 Texas — The Country and Its Men
erns in scientific progress, in his professional attitude, he was a
doctor of the best old style, who not only diagnosed and pre
scribed remedial agencies for members of the families under his
care, but who inevitably became the confidential adviser of the'
family in all its vitally important affairs. Hundreds of famUies
mourn him as their lost guide, counsellor and friend, whose great
hearted sympathy and ripe wisdom were ever at their service, not
only for the cure of bodily sickness, but for their protection and
help in all the issues of life. No one could be admited to in
timacy with him without enlarging ideals of courage and gen
erosity of all that stands for manhood. He was in truth a man
among men, the like of whom came rarely into the life of a
community, one whose name and fame cease not at the grave.

CARL ALEXANDER GOETH
CYPRESS MILL
Was born on March 7, 1835, in the town of Wetzlar, Germany,
now a part of the Rhenan Province of Prussia. Following a
course in the public school, he was enrolled as a student in the
Royal College of his native town, in which his grandfather, Ernest
Francke, was a professor. At the age of sixteen he came with
his parents to America, landing at Galveston, July 4, 1852,
whence the family journeyed by ox team to Austin County, where
they purchased a farm under cultivation, taking over as well all
the live stock thereon. The property was located on the spot
where is now the village of New Ulm. In 1857, in his twenty-
second year, taken with a desire to see more of his adopted
country, he made a tour of the Northern States, acquiring a
residence in Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio, where he cast his
first vote for Payne, the Democratic candidate for Governor. In
1859 he married Miss OttUia, daughter of Adolphus Fuchs, an
eminent German philosopher and teacher of music, well known
among the early settlers, Vv-ho came to Texas in 1845, first set
tled at Cat Springs, in Austin County, and subsequently removed
to Burnet County, where he established the first sheep ranch in
that section.
At the outbreak of the War Between the States, leaving his

Texas — The Country and Its Men

401

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MR. AND MRS. CARL ALEXANDER GOETH
402 Texas — The Country and Its Men
wife and chUd with his parents in Burnet County, he enlisted
in the Confederate Army, first serving in the office of the Quar
termaster General under Major James McKinney, where he re
mained until detaUed as a member of a scouting party, organ
ized to protect the frontier against the encroachments of preda
tory Indians, at that time the source of great annoyance to the
settlers in the western section of the State. He performed his
duies with conscientious fidelity, and when peace was declared
in 1865, removed with his family to Cypress Mill, in Blanco
County, where he engaged in the sheep business with his brother-
in-law, a practical sheepman, and where he made his home until
his death on December 16, 1912, at the age of 78.
The eldest daughter married John Wenmohs, of Cypress
MUl. The second daughter is the wife of Otto Wenmohs, cousin
of John, who took an honorable discharge from the German Army
to become a citizen of Texas. His eldest son married a daugh
ter of Walter Tips, of Austin, and is now President of the Walter
Tips Hardware Company and manager of the large hardware
business founded by his father-in-law at the State Capital. Con
rad, the second son, graduated from the Law Department of
the State University in 1890, and in the same year, at the age
of 20, was admitted to the bar, and some years ago associated
himself with the late Hon. J. E. Webb in the practice of law at
San Antonio. He married Carrie Groos, daughter of F. Groos,
a prominent banker of San Antonio. Dr. R. A. Goeth, another
son, is a prominent physician of San Antonio, whose wife was
Miss Alma Tips, of Austin. Edward and Max Goeth are pros
perous ranchmen of Blanco County. Edward married a daughter
of August Schroeter, a pioneer of Burnet County. Max Goeth,
the youngest of the family, married a daughter of Hon. Ernest
Von Rosenberg, for many years officially connected with the
State General Land Office, and now lives in the old Carl Goeth
homestead. This home, in the valley of Cypress Creek, within
the shadow of the foothills of Shovel Mountain, has long been
known for its true Southern hospitality, and here the founder of
the family spent his last years, and passed away, mourned by
sorrowing relatives and an endless array of affectionate friends.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 403

JAMES ROBERT HAMILTON
AUSTIN
James Robert Hamilton was born in Franklin County, Ten
nessee, on the 24th day of February, i860. He was the second
son of John William Hamilton, a farmer and stockman, and
Susan Hesse Hamilton, the eldest daughter of Rev. John H.
Hesse, a Methodist preacher. His grandfather was WUliam
Alexander Hamilton, the eldest son of Alexander Hamilton. The
Hamiltons came from Scotland to America, and the Hesses came
from Germany. Both families located in Virginia before the
Revolutionary War under Washington. Following the war, both
families emigrated from Virginia to Tennessee. In 1852 W^illiam
Alexander Hamilton, grandfather of the subject of this sketch,
came to Texas with his family and settled at Austin when the
city was a small village. John William Hamilton returned to
Tennessee and married his first sweetheart, Susan Hesse, and
lived on the old farni near Nashville until his death in 1866. At
this time James Robert Hamilton was six years old. His elder
brother having died in infancy, young Hamilton was left at this
age with a widowed mother, one sister. Fountain Ella, and a
younger brother, Everett Vernon, to fight the battle of life. His
mother lived with her father. Rev. John H. Hesse, in Tennessee,
until young Hamilton was fourteen years of age. In 1874 he left
Tennessee for Texas with his mother and brother and located
on a farm in Milam County, Texas, where he engaged in farming
and stock raising. By hard work and rigid economy he accu
mulated a sufficient means to obtain a good education, which
he was determined to secure. In 1877 he entered school in Travis
County, where he remained for two years. At the close of the
first session he was awarded the first prize for declamation, and
at the close of the second year he won the first prize for both
declamation and composition. In 1878 he entered the South
western University in the freshman class and joined the Alamo
Literary Society, of which he was three times President. In 1881
and 1882 Hamilton was selected by this society to represent it in

404 Texas — The Country and Its Men
public debates, being recognized as one of the best speakers in
the University. He was editor of the University Magazine and
was elected orator of his class in 1883. He graduated from the
Southwestern University with the degree of Master of Arts,
medalist and valedictorian of his class. He was one of the first

JUDGE JAMES R. HAMILTON

matriculates of the Law Department of the University of Texas,
where he had as preceptors such distinguished men as Ex-Gov
ernor O. M. Roberts and Judge Robert S. Gould, Ex-Chief Jus
tice of the Supreme Court of Texas. He was elected President
of the first literary society of the State University, and drafted
the by-laws and constitution for the Rusk Literary Society, of

Texas — The Country and Its Men 405
which he was the first President. At the close of the first term
of the State University, Hamilton was selected to represent the
University at its first commencement. He is a member of the
Kappa Alpha College Fraternity. He graduated from the Law
Department with the degree of Bachelor of Laws in June, 1885,
locating in the City of Austin the following fall. Among his
classmates in the Law Department were the late Judge Yancy
Lewis, of Dallas; Hon. Thomas Gregory, Attorney General of
the United States, and Postmaster General Albert Sidney Burle
son. He was President of the Alumni Association of the Uni
versity and Alumni orator. In January, 1886, he was appointed
County Attorney by the Commissioners' Court of Travis County.
In 1887 he was elected Judge of the City Court of Austin, which
position he held for four years. He was then elected Chairman
of the Democratic Executive Committee of Travis County. Ham
ilton entered upon the duties of this office with the determination
to put a stop to fraud and the corruption of the ballot box by
wardheelers and so-called "Independent Democrats," who had
been carrying elections by the influence of money. Hamilton con
ceived the idea of having all the official ballots printed in some
other part of the State, and the number of ballots allotted to each
box sealed up, numbered and handed to the Presiding Judge after
the polls were opened, with instructions to allow only one ballot
to each voter, and all mutilated ballots and those not voted to be
returned by the presiding officer to the Chairman. Private de
tectives were placed at each polling box. The result was that
Travis County held elections without a corrupt vote. Judge A.
W. Terrell was then elected to the Legislature from Travis
County, and the ideas of Hamilton were embraced in what is
known as the Terrell Election Law, to govern the voters of
Texas. In 1902 Hamilton .was elected County Judge of Travis
County. On the 9th day of September, 1903, he married Kath
erine, the youngest daughter of D. Preston Parr, of Bedford City,
Virginia. Two children were born to them, James Robert Ham-
Uton, Jr., born June 11, 1904, and Francis Hamilton, born No
vember 26, 1907. Francis died May 19, 1908. Judge HamUton
was elected District Attorney in and for the Twenty-sixth and
Fifty-third Judicial Districts of Texas in 1906, and was District
Attorney of these two districts until March, 1915, and is now

406 Texas — The Country and Its Men

District Attorney for the Criminal District Court of Travis and
Williamson Counties. Judge Hamilton is an eloquent speaker of
tremendous force and power before a jury. No man in Texas
has made a better record as a prosecuting attorney. He has
prosecuted for the State of Texas more criminals in the Capital
District of the State than any man living or dead. He was coun
sel in the anti-trust suit against the Standard OU Company for
ten mUlion dollars' penalty, and prosecuted Henry Clay Pierce
for false swe;aring in the District Court of Travis County. In
his construction of the anti-trust laws of Texas, Judge HamUton
differed with the Attorney General on the amount of compensa
tion that a prosecuting attorney was entitled to receive in an
anti-trust suit, where he represented the State. He contended
that these attorneys had been receiving, under former rulings,
more money than they were entitled to under the law. When
the money was not turned into the Treasury, he filed a test suit
against the County Attorney and an ex-District Attorney in and
for the Twenty-sixth and Fifty-third Judicial District of Texas,
demanding that this money be turned over to the State. Hamil
ton lost his suit in the District Court and Court of CivU Appeals,
but immediately sued out a writ of error to the Supreme Court.
That Court held that Hamilton's contention was the law, and that
the Attorney General's Department was in error. In one case
alone more than three hundred thousand dollars was taken from
the pockets of lawyers and turned into the State Treasur}^ It
has been estimated that this one suit by Judge Hamilton was
worth more than two million dollars to the taxpayers of Texas.
Judge Hamilton is a safe, conservative business man and one of
the leading taxpayers of Travis County. He has been spoken of
several times for Congress from the Tenth Congressional District,
but has never consented to become a -candidate. He is a Mason
and has taken all the degrees in Masonry, including both the
York and Scottish Rites, and is Past Eminent Commander of
Colorado Commandery and Past Potentate of the Ben Hur Tem
ple of the Mystic Shrine.
In the primaries of 1916 Mr. HamUton, as candidate for
Criminal District Judge of Travis and \\'illiamson Counties, won
easily over his competitor. Judge A. S. Fisher, of Georgetown
(an appointee of Governor Ferguson), who faUed to carry his
own county.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 407

WRIGHT C. MORROW
hillsboro
Wright C. Morrow, formerly County Judge of Hill County
and Representative of Ellis, Hill and Johnson Counties in the
State Senate, is a native of Kentucky and has been a resident of
Hill County for thirty-seven years. When a young man he read
law under the tutelage of Judge B. D. Tarlton, then a resident
of HUlsboro, and now Professor of Law at the Texas State Uni
versity. Mr. Morrow has been in active practice in Hill County for
nearly thirty years, having with few exceptions been retained in
the most important litigation, both civil and criminal, tried in the
courts during that period. He is an inveterate reader, a close
student, and is recognized as one of the best attorneys in Texas.
In announcing his candidacy for the office of Associate Jus
tice of the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, he made use of
the following language, which epitomizes his stand regarding the
question of candidates : "In my opinion, character and fitness,
rather than political views, should control in the selection of ju
dicial officers." Upon all questions pertaining to court procedure
and the enforcement of the statutes. Judge Morrow has decided
views, which find expression whenever occasion requires.
In the Democratic primaries of 191 6 Judge Morrow was
elected by an overwhelming majority as one of the Judges of the
Court of Appeals at Austin.
A man' of exceptional ability and spotless reputation, Mr.
Morrow undoubtedly will figure prominently in the future legal
and general history of Texas.
Judge Morrow married Miss Fanny Tarlton, daughter of
Judge B. D. Tarlton. They have four children, as follows : Tarl
ton, William C, Wright F. and Miss Lyde C. Morrow.
In the primaries of July, 1916, he was a candidate against
Judge A. J. Harper for a seat on the Court of Criminal Appeals
at Austin, and was nominated by an overwhelming majority.

408 Texas — The Country and Its Men

FRANK J. PHILLIPS
GREENVILLE
The business world has its marks no less brilliant and dis
tinct than those which characterize the eminence of what are
called the learned professions, made by men who have borne the
banners of progress along the pathway of moral, social and ma
terial development; men free from all subserviency to popular
whims and utilities, and know nothing of the influences prevailing
in the race for political or professional distinction. Theirs is a
school of self-denial, of patience, firmness of purpose, and above
all, an unswerving integrity, and the suppression of those pas
sions which promote the "ignis fatuii" of ambition and fame.
It is here that individual capacity and action are made the
tests of true merit and true manhood ; and it is in this school
that true benevolence, practical philanthropy and an enlightened
self-interest coincide in the various business and social relations
of husband, father, neighbor and citizen, endowed with excel
lence in all these relations; the subject of this sketch planted his
footprints in T*xas,,the State of his adoption.
Frank J. Phillips was born in Selma, Alabama, October 23,
1859, and came to Texas in 1878, and to GreenvUle in 1883. His
father. Judge W S. PhiUips, was a noted jurist in his day, hav
ing served on the Supreme Court bench of Alabama, and was
President of the Secession Convention held in that State in 1861.
x-lis mother was a woman of deep piety and strength of mind
and while they left their chUdren but little property, representing
their life savings, they left them a richer heritage — a name that
went from the cradle to the grave untainted. Mr. Phillips has
fought his way to the front under conditions and circumstances
that would have chilled the ambitions of many a lad who aspired
to a leading position in the ranks of the successful men of Texas.
He had no influential friends to push him forward in his young
manhood, he had poverty to contend with, and occasionally met
with many reverses, but being by nature endowed with a strong
and unconquerable mind, he pushed ahead; his efforts were in-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 409
vincible. Now, in the prime of life, he is enjoying the fruits of
his well-directed energies and labors. Few men in Texas stand
higher in the commercial world than Mr. Phillips, ranking as he
does, the most successful man in Hunt County. He stands on
the moral side of every question that affects himself or his State.
He served for ten years as Vice President of the Greenville Na
tional Exchange Bank, one of the strongest banking institutions
in Texas, and since 1908 has been its President; is President of
the Choctaw Cotton Oil Company, a director in the Chickasha
Cotton Oil Company, Greenville Compress, a member of the firm
of Phillips & Norris, of Oklahoma, dealers in stocks, bonds and
investment securities, and connected with many other leading
concerns. On February i, 1893, Mr. Phillips was happUy married to
Miss Eula Lasater, of Greenville, Texas, daughter of Colonel J.
D. Lasater, and has reared an interesting family of five children.
HENRY CARR PRITCHETT
huntsville
Henry Carr Pritchett, Principal of the Sam Houston Nor
mal, HuntsvUle, Texas, was born in W^arren County, Missouri,
August 12, 1852. His parents, William Ira Pritchett and Mrs.
M. A. Pritchett, removed from Virginia to Missouri at an early
day, and in their later years came to Texas. They were closely
related to many of the older families of Virginia, and have col
lateral connections both in Missouri and Texas.
Mr. Pritchett began teaching in the public schools of Mis
souri in 1873, and remained in that work for five years. In 1878
he came to Texas and taught three years in Coronal Institute at
San Marcos. In 1881 he was elected Professor of Mathematics
and Astronomy in the Sam Houston Normal at HuntsvUle, and
was filling that chair when nominated for Superintendent of Pub
lic Instruction by the Democratic State Convention, at San An
tonio. Professor Oscar H. Cooper, at that time Superintendent,
shortly thereafter resigned his position to accept a flattering offer,
and Governor L. S. Ross, September i, 1890, appointed Professor
Pritchett to fill the vacancy, and he was elected to the office No-

410 Texas — The Country and Its Men
vember 4, 1890, by the people at the polls. He first attended
school when a boy six years of age, in the little country school-
house in Warren County, Missouri, known as the "Travis School-
house." His father was the teacher, and among his schoolmates
was William E. Coleman, late Superintendent of the Public
Schools of Missouri. Mr. Pritchett graduated at Pritchett In
stitute, at Glasgow, Missouri, in 1873, taking the degree of Bach
elor of Arts, and two years later the degree of Master of Arts
was conferred upon him for work done in mathematics and
astronomy. His education was thorough, he having taken a full
college course in Latin, Greek, the natural and physical sciences,
higher mathematics and astronomy, and afterward a special
course devoted to surveying and civU engineering. A part of
his boyhood embraced the period covered by the War Between
the States, and he was familiar with all the hardships of farm
life incident to that period. His father was a farmer, and not
wealthy. Young Pritchett early knew the discipline of hard
labor. His parents made many sacrifices to give him the bene
fits of an education, and he feels that he owes everything to their
devotion, careful training and the habits of industry they incul
cated. While he was serving as State Superintendent of Public In
struction, in August, 1 89 1, the Principal of the Sam Houston
Normal Institute resigned and the State Board of Education ten
dered the position to Superintendent Pritchett because of his pre
vious service in the Normal as teacher and because of his fa
miliarity with the work of the school. He accepted the place
and removed to Huntsville, where he began anew the work of a
teacher. He taught chiefly higher mathematics and the natural
sciences until his election to the Principalship of the Normal,
since which time he has devoted himself largely to administrative
work and to the teaching of professional branches. He still re
tains his love for mathematical work, and for several years has
been one of the teachers of mathematics in the Summer Normal
at the University of Texas.
He has been a member of the Methodist Church since child
hood, has served as lay delegate to two General Conferences, was
for several years a member of the Educational Commission of
the church, and is now a member of the General Board of Edu-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 411
cation of the Southern Methodist Church. He has worked in
many Summer Normals, Schools of Methods, and was one of the
organizers of the Conference for Education in Texas, and a mem
ber of its first Executive Board. He is a member of the Ma
sonic Fraternity, Blue Lodge Chapter and Commandery, and for
many years has been a member of these grand bodies.
He has always been a Democrat and has never scratched a
ticket. December 28, 1876, he was married to Miss Kate Smith
in Huntsville, Texas, and as the fruit of this union has five
children. Mr. Pritchett is below medium height, compactly built, and
has dark hair and eyes. His manner is quiet and suave, and his
bearing that of one who has lived the life of a student. Ttiere is
a singular fact in connection with Mr. Pritchett that is worihy
of mention. John E. Pritchett, his twin brother, who lives at
San Marcos, Texas, resembles him so nearly in every particular
(even tone of voice and peculiarities of manner), that it is a dif
ficult matter for even the most intimate friends to distinguish one
from the other, and this resemblance is as ma-dced in middle life
as it was in early childhood.
JACKSON RUST
WHARTON
Is one of the wealthiest men of his section of the State. The
story of his struggles, his business misfortunes and his ultimate
success should inspire young men of limited means with hope,
faith and fortitude.
He was born in 1829, in UppervUle, Virginia. His parents
were Dr. Bushrod Rust and Margarette Carr Rust. His father
was a physician and planter, who died in 1844, and his mother
in 1869. Jackson Rust had very meager schooling, as he left home
when thirteen years old, his possessions consisting of a bundle of
clothes and ten dollars, a parting gift from his mother. He first
went to Baltimore, Maryland, where for five years he worked
for his board and clothes. The winter of 1850 found him in bad
health, and with but little money. He determined to seek health.

412

Texas — The Country and Its Men

JACKSON RUST

Texas — The Country and Its Men 413
wealth and happiness in far-off Texas, of which State he had
heard as offering exceptional opportunities to young men of small
means. In the winter of 1850, he counted his cash, and found
that he had hardly enough to bring him to the Eldorado he was
seeking. But it takes resolution, strength of purpose and a strong
character to cut loose from your old associations and tempt fate
and fortune in a strange land. These traits Mr. Rust possessed,
and with them a willingness to labor and to wait.
In December, 1850, he landed in Galveston and went to Ve
lasco, near the mouth of the Brazos. While at Velasco, he made
the acquaintance of General John A. Wharton, on whose farm he
remained several weeks until he recuperated his strength, and
recovered his health. They became fast friends, a friendship that
continued until General Wharton was killed by George W. Baylor
in San Antonio, some years later. Mrs. Wharton, the General's
good wife, loaned Mr. Rust a horse to ride to Velasco. He thence
walked to Matagorda. While at the latter place, he met John W.
Cumby and General John W. Gordon, who were about to estab
lish a general merchandise business in that town. Before opening
this store, however, they took Mr. Rust to New York, where they
bought a stock of goods, aggregating about $30,000. With this
stock, they began business, and put Mr. Rust in charge. He man
aged the concern with marked ability and success for four years,
and earned for himself about $4,000. He then bought out his
employers, and continued the business until the Civil V^ar burst
upon the country.
He had accumulated quite a handsome competency, but it
was in lands and slaves, and he owed some debts to Northern
merchants. He left his business and enlisted in the Confederate
Army in Captain Veasey's Company. He was soon after detailed
to collect taxes for the Government, in which capacity he served
during the entire war. The emancipation of his slaves stripped
him of the greater part of his wealth, but with that high sense
of honor, characteristic of the man, he went to New York, and
paid the debts due his creditors when the war broke out, and con
tracted in the course of his mercantUe business. Having made
an honorable settlement of these ante-bellum obligations, he was
given an unlimited credit, which enabled him to buy goods and
resume business in Wharton. Again, he succeeded and prospered.

414 Texas — The Country and Its Men
and again, with unconquerable faith in the future of Texas, in
vested his earnings largely in lands. These enhanced in value un
tU, when he retired from business in 1870, he was quite wealthy.
But reverses were still in store for him. In 18,74, the State
obtained a heavy judgment against him as a surety on the bond
of a tax-collector, and it took practically all he possessed to satisfy
the claim. Thus for the third time in his life, he was virtually
bankrupt, but having preserved inviolate a good name which
could not be taken from him, with that and a determination to
succeed, he began the struggle the third time. His credit again
served him as capital, and he has again overcome adversity, and
accumulated a nice estate. Few men have triumphed over such
calamities and reverses, and his final success is due to his high
sense of honor in meeting his obligations, which fact emphasizes
the truth of Solomon's time-worn proverb "that a good name is
rather to be chosen than riches."
In 1854 he married Miss Hallie Milburn of Brazoria County,
who died in 1871. Their chUdren were: George; Lizzie, now
the wife of Judge E. Hawes of Wharton ; Lucy, now Mrs. Kelly
of Wharton, from which unions there have been born thirteen
grandchUdren. Mr. Rust owns a plantation of about 4,000 acres. Surrounded
by the comforts of life, and happy in the love of his chUdren
and grandchildren and possessing the esteem of his neighbors, he
forgets the misfortunes and trials that are past, and enojys the
ripened fruits of final victory.
He never surrendered to misfortune, nor yielded to despair,
but he kept a stout heart, a clear conscience, kept the faith, and
success at last crowned his life and labors.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 415

WILBUR PRICE ALLEN
AUSTIN
WUbur Price Allen, born in La Grange, Texas, September
26, 1879, is the son of Fred Lowery Allen, one of the pioneer
Methodist ministers of Texas, and Celinda Whipple Allen. His
father was a Captain of the Third Georgia Cavalry in the Con
federate Army, and his people on the Whipple side were pioneers
and fighters from the- early days of Texas.
It is small wonder, therefore, that when the subject of this
sketch was thrown on his resources at fourteen years of age he
decided to obtain an academic education, and when asked how he
intended to get it, replied that he would fight his way through.
He attended Vanderbilt University at Nashville, Tennessee,
and then came to the University of Texas, where he took the
academic and law degrees, entering upon the practice of his pro
fession in 1902 at the City of Austin, Travis County, Texas.
During his college career the athletic and oratorical qualities
of WUbur Allen were acknowledged in many contests. He won
several medals in debates in the University of Texas, and was
twice chosen to represent his university in the Southern Intercol
legiate Oratorical Contest. His ability as a speaker served him in
good stead when he began the practice of his profession. "When
he hung out his shingle" in the Capital City of the State he cast
his fortunes with the most cultured and learned bar of the State.
He was just a delicate slip of a boy, hardly past his majority, and
he was told by Judge Allen, his cousin, and T. W. Gregory, later
Attorney General of these United States, that he would starve to
death in Austin. The first year out he made twice as much money
as these gentlemen had made in their initial year, and from that
time on he acquired as much practice as any member of the bar
of his age and standing. The queer thing about Allen's practice
to all of his brother practitioners is that he apparently makes no
effort to obtain practice, and yet he has been retained in some of
the heaviest litigation ever brought in Travis County, Texas. He
was leading counsel for the Receiver in the case of the State of

416

Texas — The Country and Its Men

Texas — The Country and Its Men 417

Texas vs. the Motion Patent Company, and was paid one of the
largest annual retainers ever paid to a Receiver's attorney in this
State. He was leading counsel in the Hunter will suit, which in
volved the settlement of an estate well worth a million dollars.
Allen has led one of the most interesting and well-rounded lives of
lawyer at the bar, is an ardent sportsman, a devoted member of
the Sigma Chi Fraternity, to whose highest office he was elected,
i. e.. Grand Consul of the United States. He is also a Ipyal mem
ber of the Elks' Lodge, and his oratorical ability is in frequent
demand at its open meetings.
On February 9, 1905, he married Josephine Houghton,
daughter of John H. Houghton, and to them were born three chil
dren — Florence Clara Allen, John Houghton Allen and AVilbur
George Allen. Their home life is ideally happy, and if we were
to emphasize his love for his home and family, his love for the few
who were numbered among the inner circle of his friends, his
capacity to do big things apparently without effort, his love of
sportsmanship and fair play to all mankind, his ability to conserve
and foster the best interests of several large estates that were left
to his care and keeping, his ability to impress juries of his fel
lowmen with the sincerity of his cause, the ability to throw around
his arguments the grace of a rare and poetic nature; these are
some of the virtues that endear Wilbur Price Allen to those who
are fortunate enough to know him. Mr. Allen's life is full of
work, his interests being large and many. To express his occu
pation in the language of his friends, he is a ranchman, capitalist,
orator, banker, and a lawyer. He was for five years the President
of the Texas Baseball League, and only resigned when the press
of his many other affairs made his resignation imperative. He is
at present a Director of the American National Bank of Austin,
Texas, has interests in many of the stock corporations of the
State, and is a Regent of the University.

418 Texas — The Country and Its Men

EARLY GERMAN IMMIGRATION
Testimony of Baron von Meusebach Regarding the Germans Who
Came to Texas Under the Auspices of Prince Solms.

by capt. EDGAR E. SCHRAMM
OF SAN ANTONIO
A considerable portion of South Central Texas was setUed
by German emigrants many years prior to the coming of the so-
called colony of German noblemen in. the Southwestern section,
but both must be attributed to the one cause : namely, the un
bearable conditions then existing in the various German coun
tries, caused by the reactionary tendencies following the Na
poleonic era. All this was evidenced in the desire of thousands
of people to leave their native land with a view of bettering
their condition. They were attracted towards various countries,
which were then offering special inducements to emigrants of
desirable character. Hence the great flight to the United States,
the Republic of Texas and the Empire of Brazil. The earlier
arrivals in Texas landed at Galveston or Houston, going thence
to the territory lying between the Brazos and Colorado Rivers.
In these sections they located small towns and villages in the
Counties of Austin, Colorado, AA'ashington, Fayette, Bastrop,
Lee, etc.; founded the towns of Frelsburg, New Ulm, Cat
Springs, Millheim, Bellville, Fayetteville, Round Top, Shelly,
Rockhouse, Industry, Brenham and numerous others. The
pioneer improvements were all more or less of a primitive char
acter, while the colonists who landed at Indianola (called Carls-
haven by these venturesome settlers) came under the auspices
of a colony of German noblemen, the same association that placed
the German colonies in various sections of Brazil, of which the
'City of Saint Catharina is the principal port, where the German
and Portuguese languages are generally spoken by the people
from the German provinces as well as representatives of the
country of Don Pedro. This colony has exercised its influences

Texas — The Country and Its Mfn 419

420 Texas — The Country and Its Men
for the good to such an extent that Senor MueUer, a Brazilian-
born German, is one of the leading men of the country.
As to the emigrants who entered the State at the port of
Indianola, under the auspices of the German noblemen above
referred to, history recites that the sufferings endured by these
people were of a character to quell the stoutest heart. A more
detailed story of their experiences in the sworn statement of
Baron I. O. Meusebach, who was director of the colony after
Prince Solms returned to Germany. These alleged noblemen no
doubt erred in selecting Texas as the destination of the people
who joined their empire building scheme, as Texas was then a
slave state, and naturally her people did not look with iavor upon
competition by those whose views and interests were diametric
ally opposed to slave labor. For this reason the efforts of the
colonists, did, to a certain extent invite adverse criticism at the
hands of the wealthy, well-to-do planters, but as a matter of
fact, the better class of emigrants were treated with kindness and
consideration by those who they at first believed would not wel
come their presence.
In order to impress upon the reader the pitiful condition of
these German emigrants after leaving Indianola, it is but neces
sary to call , attention to the published story of Baron Meusebach,
already referred to. In a case heard in 1893, invohing the title
to certain property, part of the lands purchased under the direc
tion of Meusebach, he was called a witness. As he was un
able to be in court at the time, his testimony was given in the
form of interrogatories. From the court records thus obtained,
the following transcript of this evidence was taken.
"My name is John O. Meusebach, as naturalized in Texas in
1845. I became a citizen of the United States by annexation. My
age is 81 j4 years; residence. Loyal Valley, Mason County, Texas.
Nativity, Kingdom of Prussia. Lived in Loyal Valley since 1869
and in Texas since 1845. Since 1869 I have been ruined three
times by elementary forces, by water, tornado and fire; three
times by accidents, by breaking left foot, right arm and by rupture,
and a periodical swelling of feet makes it impossible for me to
leave my house or room since about two years. I mention these
personalities in order to explain why I cannot hunt up testimony
or documents outside of my house, nor trust to my memory with

Texas — The Country and Its Men 421

absolute certainty as to facts and events which happened nearly
half a century ago. Still I base my answer to interrogatories
mostly on such printed or other documents, which I consider of
ficial, so far as I could get hold of them. If incomplete, the fault
must be ascribed to circumstances; if incorrect, the authors are
responsible. "I know something about the German Emigration Company.
In 1843, a company, at first small in numbers, excited by the
glorious achievements of the young Republic of Texas, and the
glowing description of its beautiful climate, fertile lands and other
resources, had been organized in Germany, and had sent two of
its members to Texas in order to ascertain the truth and to report
whether the country was a favorable field of operation for emi
gration, or for financial speculation in lands on a small scale only.
"The reports from Texas being favorable, and an additional
number of shareholders with ample means having been secured,
it was concluded at a general meeting to drop, the idea of financial
speculation and to organize as an association with the avowed
purpose of aiding and leading the emigration to Texas on a large
scale, and to carry the operations on a basis of philanthropical
principles, excluding all political or money-making projects.
"This company being mostly composed of princes and nobles,
was definitely organized and chartered in the Dukedom of Nassau,
May 3, 1844. This company — its members being neither business
men nor financiers — fell an easy prey into the hands of shrewd
land speculators. At first, a speculative Frenchman, Bourgeois
d'Orvanne, having heard of the intentions of the company and
being in possession of a so-called grant concession in Western
Texas, offered it for sale. Head over heels, his offer was ac
cepted, notwithstanding that his contract showed on its face that
U was already forfeited, but probably under condition that an
extension of time could be obtained from the Congress of the
Republic of Texas.
"In April, 1844, Prince Solms was appointed trustee and
general agent, and Bourgeois d'Orvanne as colonial director, and
both started in May for Texas for the purpose of making the
necessary arrangements for the reception of the emigrants to be
shipped -in the fall of 1844, and for the transportation and settle
ment of the same on their lands.

422 Texas— The Country and Its Men

WHERE trouble BEGAN.
"Fading to get from Congress an extension of time for
d'Orvanne's grant, the prince wrote in a private letter to the
director in Europe that they were now in the disagreeable , situa
tion of having emigrants coming and no lands to grant to them. If
he had added that land could be bought at the rate of from 5 to 10
cents per acre at that time, without onerous conditions to it, he
would perhaps have kept the directors from a hasty beginning.
Because, just at this time, Henry Francis Fisher, from Texas, a
part owner of the so-called Fisher and Miller grant or colonization
contract, made with President Sam Houston September i, 1843,
arrived in Germany and offered his contract for sale. Head o\"e"r
heels the offer was accepted and agreement signed June 24, 1844,
by which Fisher and Miller transferred and conveyed to the Ger
man Emigration Company their rights in the colonization contract
which they held with the Republic of Texas. The company under
took to supply the emigrants contracted for and to fulfill the other
conditions of the great concession.
"AA'ith the buying of that grant the doom of the company
was sealed. They undertook to fulfill what was impossible to
fulfill. Neither of the contracting parties nor their agents had
ever seen a particle of the land in question. The territory set aside
for settlement was more than three hundred miles from the coast,
more than one hundred and fifty, miles outside of all settlements
and in the undisturbed possession of hostile Indians. The Gov
ernment had promised no aid to take it out of the hands of the
Indians. It had to be conquered by force or by treaty. AA'ith the
money paid to Fisher and Miller, which after all was not more
than $9,000, the company could have bought 180,000 acres of
good titled lands or headrights without onerous conditions at
tached to them and could have located their colonies within or
right near to the settlements without overhastening their opera
tions. I used twice the expression 'head over heels' because a
simple study of the wording of the colonization contract, of the
laws of Texas, and of the land market in Texas at that time would
have warned the company from contracting blindly for onerous
colonization contracts of other parties.
"The time allowed for the importation of one-third of the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 423

families intended to be introduced, directly from Europe, was only
eighteen months, and nine months and twenty-one days had al
ready elapsed when the contract was made with Fisher and Miller.
"It is true that by a joint resolution of the Legislature of
Te.xas. dated January 29, 1845, the time for the introduction of
one-third of the emigrants was extended till the first of March,
1846, but this act of liberality on the part of the Legislature—
subsequently passed — does not excuse the light-minded action in
closing the contract with Fisher seven months before the passage
of the liberal act.
"In place of ordering their own agent, Prince Solms, then
residing in Texas, to examine personally the territory in question
and to report, the leading directors in Europe relied exclusively,
and with a credulity hardly to be conceived, on the statements
of the vendors, who had an interest to sell as quickly as possible,
and therefore to make it plausible that with 200,000 florins, at 40
cents, the whole colonization of 6,000 families and all the promises
to the emigrants, based on erroneous calculations, could be car
ried out." first trip to FREDERICKSBURG.
After this follows a long description of the way the settlers
got the better of the directors of the German Emigration Com
pany. Meusebach then turns to his management of the company's
affairs: "On the 24th of February, 1845, I was appointed as suc
cessor of Prince Solms, and as trustee and general agent of the
German Emigration Company in Texas. In April, 1845, I believe,
I landed at Galveston. I was advised by the directory of the
company in Europe to have the balance credit of Prince Solms, if
any was left with the bankers, transferred to me. In place of a
balance credit I found only debts. Financially I found the af
fairs of the company in the greatest confusion and disorder. The
prince had already experienced that all the estimates made by the
directory in Europe with the aid of Fisher were by far under
rated; that the shipping of frame houses, goods, provisions and
emigrants with unlimited baggage from Galveston to Matagorda
Bay ; that the camping, moving, transporting and supplying such
a large body with provisions required more than ten times the
amount of the estimates. After he had carried his emigrants up

424 Texas — The Country and Its Men
from the coast in good order and settled them on a preliminary
homestead he thought his mission ended, and would under no
circumstances remain in Texas. He did not pretend to be a
financier, but I guess he foresaw the storm coming.
"In traveling up from the coast (Carlshaven) I was bothered
nearly every step of the way by the presentation of claims against
the company. Arrived at New Braunfels, I ordered the treasurer
to make up a complete statement of all assets, credits and debits
of the company in Texas. Was told that this was impossible.
The prince, the treasurer, the doctor, the engineer had written,
drawn or made out due bills, drafts or notes without having them
booked by the treasurer. In order to get some reliable informa
tion in reference to the financial standing and operations of the
company in Texas I concluded to follow the prince to Galveston,
to which place he had started a few days before my arrival at
New Braunfels. I found him there with an attachment made out
by some uneasy creditor of the company. I lifted the attachment
by paying the claim out of my credit under the condition that he
would urge the directory in Europe to send it immediately and
without waiting for a report a credit twice as large as I had along,
because the items picked up by me on the road in tra-veling showed
an indebtedness to that amount. I told him that the welfare of
the emigrants depended for the present on the means of the com
pany, who had promised to supply them in provisions until they
could raise a crop and to furnish them with everything necessary
to make a crop either for pay or on credit.
"I have no doubt that the prince did notify the directory in
Europe, according to his promise. But they had at that time
probably no available means on hand. It is a remarkable fact
that of the thousand critics who undertook to criticise the doings
of the company and of myself, none had found out that the com
pany, with the utmost naivette and an admirable frankness, pub
lished a statement in the spring of 1845, in which they proved
that they were already bankrupt at that time, that is to say, that
all available funds were exhausted by the first shipment of 700
emigrants in the fall of 1844.
"Having failed to get from the prince in Galveston any re
liable information in regard to the financial operations of the com
pany and their debts and having been referred again to the treas-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 425
urer at New Braunfels, who had declared that he could not make
a full statement, I had to go to work at it myself. I restored order
in the financial department and by close management inspired the
creditors with confidence, and would have kept both order and
confidence, but for some new stupendous blunders on the part of
the directory in Europe in the shipment of the emigrants in the
fall of 1845. In August, 1845, I had sent a complete statement
of all amounts, credits and debits of the company in Texas, show
ing that a debt of $19,460.02 was left by my predecessor in office ;
contracted for the transportation of, settlement and entertainment
of the emigrants of 1844, since their disembarkation at Galveston
in the fall of 1844 till August, 1845, besides using up my own
credit of $10,000 for the same purpose. Till the arrival of the
new emigrants, November i, 1845, the debt for the entertainment
of the old ones did overrun $24,000. I requested the directory in
Europe to send immediately this amount as a separate fund, ir
respective of the amounts necessary for the reception of new emi
grants to be shipped in the fall of 1845, and for further operations.
At my departure from Europe in February, 1845, I had been in
formed that the company intended to make a large shipment of
emigrants in the fall.
"But until the end of August and later I had not been notified
that they did ship any, and how many. Still I thought it advis
able to make preparations for a preliminary settlement as soon as
I got my hands free from other more urgent business, and know
ing that the distance from New Braunfels to the colony was 150
miles or more at this time entirely outside of all settlements and in
the Indian country, and that for the safety of the colonists it was
absolutely necessary to make another depot on the nearest road
to the colony, I started out on a preliminary reconnaissance. The
only available point was found on the waters of the Pedernales
River, 70 to 75 miles northeast from New Braunfels, it being
about'half the distance to the limits of the grant. Returning from
reconnaissance, and the treasury being empty, as customary, I
bought 10,000 acres of headrights on credit, raised and equipped
a surveying party, selected, located and surveyed a connected body
of arable land, well watered and timbered, on tributaries of the
Pedernales River, and had a wagon road made from New Braun-

426 Texas — The Country and Its Men
fels directly to the future settlement. The whole tract was after
ward laid out in town lots and ten-acre lots, to be divided out
gratuitously among the emigrants of 1845 ^nd 1846 as preliminary
homesteads, and is now known as the town of Fredericksburg,
Gillespie County. number of first emigrants.
"AA^hen I came back to New Braunfels, I belie\e it was the
end of October or the first of November, 1845, I found there the
first letters from the leading director of the company, notifying
me that they had shipped 4,000 emigrants and that they had
opened to me two new credits, with a banker at New Orleans of
$6,000 and $18,000, or $24,000 in all. Not a word that they had
sent also their debts, part of deposits of emigrants, in checks or
warrants drawn on the empty colonial treasury.
"The company introduced :
"In 1844, 700 emigrants.
"In 1845, 4,304 emigrants, according to ship list in hand.
"In 1846, 2,376 emigrants, according to ship list in hand.
"Total, 7,380, without counting those previously imported
from Europe — several hundred in number."
There follows here in Meusebach's testimony an argument
showing the utter ignorance of the company's directors in their
treatment of the colony's finances. They had sent $24,000, and
Meusebach proves that the poorest calculator could have known
that the sum actually needed would have been $140,000. He shows
the grim humor of the situation by quoting in the original Latin
a line showing how Fabius saved the Republic of Rome by delay
ing action. That is what he did, and he kept his line of credit
working by skUlfully hiding the company's insolvency.
Going first to New Orleans, and then to Galveston. IMeuse-
bach tried to get bigger credits from the company's bankers. He
relates how the Galveston agent of the company, Klaener (his
descendants Vive in Fredericksburg today) had pawned his own
store to raise the company's credit, and that he was then at the
end of his tether. They agreed something must be done, and as
a last resort they appealed to the press of Germany to force a
public sentiment that would bring the company's directors to
terms.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 427

Let Meusebach tell the story :
"Then and not until then extraordinary efforts were made
to raise money on a larger scale. A credit of $60,000 was opened
at once and the notice was brought to me by an extraordinary
messenger, a Mr. Capes."
But the troubles of the emigrants were not ended by any
means. They had great stores, household goods, etc., at Carls-
haven (Indianola), and were unable to get teams to freight them
across the country to New Braunfels and Fredericksburg, because
just about that time General Taylor's army landed near Corpus
Christi and every wagon, team and freighter were set to work by
the American commander transporting his provisions and equip
ment across the Rio Grande. Teamstsers nor teams could be
hired by Meusebach at any price.
Sickness broke out among the unacclimated emigrants. Of
those at Indianola 321 died hurriedly and many children born
on the road were soon added to the total deaths. They suffered
not only blighting discomforts, but their sufferings were real and
prolonged. Meusebach scores a Dr. Schubert for his attempt to found a
new colony, for which he had raised a company at Fredericksburg,
and says Schubert was afraid to cross the Llano into the country
of the Comanches. He (Meusebach) organized a company of
twenty men, however, in January, 1847, and crossed the Llano at
the mouth of Beaver Creek. There he met the Comanche chief,
Ketemoczy, at the'spot where now stands the town of Mason. He
names the actual site of this conference as the spot where stood
the store of a Mr. Doole.
Meusebach made a binding agreement with the Comanches.
and relates how Capt. Jack Hays, a famous Indian fighter, ex
pressed surprise, while stopping at Meusebach's house at Co
manche Springs in 1859, that the Indians should have kept the
agreement so long and so well.
On July 20, 1847, Meusebach turned over the affairs of his
office as general factotum to H. Spiess. He had tendered his resig
nation on the 19th of January preceding this date. Thereafter he
was to be just as deeply interested in the affairs of his neighbors
as he had ever been, but wholly in a personal rather than an
official capacity.

428 Texas — The Country and Its Men
To every prospective emigrant the German Emigration Com
pany held out these inducements :
I. To make the rivers navigable.
2. To canalize them if necessary.
3. To see that steamboat lines were established.
4. To establish and build good roads and bridges.
5. To build churches.
6. To establish savings banks.
7. To establish one or more free schools.
8. To build hospitals, infirmaries, orphan asylums and buUd
drug stores. 9. To furnish to each settlement a grist mill ,a sawmill and
a cotton gin.
10. To advance the surveying fees on all colonist lands.
II. To deliver a house to each emigrant in the colony on his
land for $24 (which could not have been made for less than $100).
12. To transport them from the place of disembarkation at
Galveston by sea to Matagorda Bay, by land (with baggage un
limited), the expedition of 1845 for $8 a head, the expedition of
1846 for $11.20 a head, tUl upon their land in the colony. Meuse
bach says this transportation cost from $20 to $30 a person.
13. To keep them in provisions and deliver them goods, im
plements, farming utensils and material, working animals, horses,
oxen, cows and other stock, all on a credit for two successive
years, or crops. '
Evidently there were some very promising real estate agents
in those days. But the tribulations of the colonists, as all things
do, had a comparative lull at last. They began to feel at home
and to feel an interest in their new home. Then began a career
for all these people and for their descendants that is still one of
the brighest pages of the State's history.
The most roseate and alluring promises had been made by
the officials of the company in Germany, which, even assuming
that these managers were governed by the best of intentions, wars
too absurd for belief by those who knew the conditions in Texas
at that time. However, these trusting emigrants expected the
fulfillment of these guarantees. In consequence there was from
the day of their arrival, a continuous series of quarrels. Discon
tent prevailed and continued up to the time the company declared

Texas — The Country and Its Men 429

itself bankrupt and went into a condition of innocuous desue
tude. There can be no doubt that the company was at fault, in
a measure, but to a still greater extent the emigrants were them
selves to blame for the condition in which they found themselves,
because they refused to accept the situation as it was, insisting
that the company feed and otherwise take care of them until the
promises were carried out to the letter.
The result was of course disastrous. Sickness and misery
overtook them. The rough trail from Indianola, over which
these pioneers travelled was actually lined with the graves of the
half starved, exhausted people who were endeavoring to reach the
promised land in the mountain country about New Braunfels.
From the time the company declared its insolvency, after Meuse
bach had turned over its affairs to his successor, Mr. Spiess,
the emigrants found they had to shift for themselves. The leth
argy that had prevailed suddenly changed to instant bustling ac
tivity. Families who had brought servants from Germany found
they could no longer afford to employ them, and were compelled
to let them shift for themselves. These servants, however, ascer
taining that in great, free and independent America, they were
the equals of their former masters, being accustomed to manual
labor, soon became as independent as those who brought them
from the fatherland. Representatives of all the building trades
were among these artisans. Cabinet makers, wheelwrights, car
penters, blacksmiths, silversmiths, and painters, all of whom had
learned their trades in a country where a long apprenticeship is
required for a workman to become proficient enough to earn the
wages of a first-class mechanic, were thrown upon their own re
sources and were ready for the test. As a consequence, within
a comparatively short time. New Braunfels became a bustling
manufacturing center, where nearly everything demanded by the
people, even beyond the confines of the State, could be furnished
by the enterprising workers of this busy frontier village. For
many years New Braunfels enjoyed a wide reputation for her
wagons, buggies, saddlery of every description and a particular
kind of stirrup that was especially popular with the rangers and
buffalo hunters of that day. The result of all this prosperity
was that comfort, if not a degree of luxury, prevailed in many

430 Texas — The Country and Its Men

homes where strenuous endeavor and rigid economy had been
the rule in order to keep the wolf from the door.
The only class which did not appear to make any appre
ciable headway in this era of good fortune, were the farmers,
who were unable to contend with slave labor in the cultivation of
the cotton and corn crops. In the three years between 1854 and
1857 cotton sold at seven cents, and to market it entaUed a haul
of 150 mUes to the coast for shipment abroad. Corn sold for
years at 25 cents per bushel, and these conditions existed until
i860, when the entire country was devastated by awful drouths
and a destructive ^¦isit from the grasshoppers, when in conse
quence, there were no crops whatever. On May 8, 1857. a ca
lamity, worse even than the drouth or the dreaded crawling
"langosta," struck the country in the form of a terrific blizzard,
accompanied by extreme cold weather. Icicles a foot or more
in length, formed on the houses and trees ; the crops were totally
destroyed, corn in the silk, peach trees and all the small fruits
were utterly blighted, and ruined, and entire groves of hackberry
and other trees were killed. It was a scene that defied the de
scriptive powers of either pen or brush.
It was a condition, not a theory, that now confronted the
people. Unable to make a crop, and financially broke, these farm
ers looked about for some means to earn a living for themselves
and families. Those who could command credit, purchased big
"prairie schooners," as the freight wagons were called, rounded
up from four to six oxen, and went into the business of carriers
between the coast settlements, and the forts which had been estab
lished by the Government along the frontier.
In the performance of this trying and tedious work, the
freighters were compelled to again tra^'el o\er the fateful trail
beside which for many miles were buried those who had come
with them to the country, and died while attempting to reach the
promised land, their graves being marked by piles of stone and
crude wooden crosses erected by the survivors who finally reached
the New Braunfels country,
Texas has no better class of citizens than the Germans who
ha\-e made a veritable garden spot wherever they haxe located.
They are a virile, strong, thrifty, industrious race of people,
a race of peaceful, gentle, honest, refined folks, an honor to the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 431

state, a credit to themselves. Having long since weathered the
trials and tribulations that beset their forebears in their efforts
to make the wilderness blossom as the rose, the German-Texans
of today are enjoying the fruits of their labors, and the esteem
of all good citizens.

S. G. BOR.DEN
NUECES county
S. G. Borden was born March 15, 1846, at Richmond, Texas,
his parents were John P. and Mary S. Hatch. His father was a
lawyer and practiced at Richmond until 1855, then moved to San
Patricio County and engaged in stock raising, continued until to
the close of the Civil War, moved to Colorado County, and settled
near Columbus, where he died. He was Commissioner of the
land office under the Republic of Texas. He was born in New
York, in 1812, came to Texas with the Austin Colony in 1829,
and engaged in surveying lands, joined Captain Moseley's com
pany and was elected first lieutenant and participated in the battle
of San Jacinto, Burleson's Regiment. He died at Borden Station,
Colorado County, in i8go, and his remains were buried at AA^ei-
mar, Texas. He had four children, who reached maturity: Mrs.
AA' J. Duffel, of AA'est Texas ; Miss Lizzie Borden, of Cle\'eland,
Texas ; Lee D., of Denton, teacher in the State Normal.
ChUdren of S. G. : Henry, banker of" Houston, Texas; Jose
phine Alice ; S. G., Jr., merchant of Corpus Christi ; Loreta and
Lucile. Mrs. S. G. Borden was a Miss Mary Sullivan of Newark,
New Jersey. S. G. Borden served throughout the war between
the States, under Captain Rip Ford, and witnessed the last shot
fired in that sad drama of war at Brownsville, Texas. After hos-
tUities he returned to his Nueces County ranch, where he spent
the remainder of his life, surrounded with a happy family and
all the comforts of life. At his death he left a magnificent
estate. Captain Borden possessed the highest character of citi
zenship; his death was deeply regretted V the citizens of his
county, who he had spent so many years among. i

432 Texas — The Country and Its Men

N. G. COLLINS
SAN DIEGO
Hon. Norman G. CoUins was born at New Woodstock, New
York, in the year 1829.
He obtained his education in the schools of New York State
and originally chose dentistry as his profession. At about the age
of 23 he came to Texas and practiced dentistry for several years.
He then gave up this profession and entered general merchan
dising in San Diego, Texas.
His last and most lucrative calling was in live stock raising,
in which he succeeded in amassing a considerable fortune. The
abilities of Mr. Collins were early appreciated by the people of
Te.xas, and he was elected to the House of Representatives in the
Sixteenth Legislature. Meriting such office and performing the
duties of this honorable position in a manner most highly satis
factory to the people, he was elected Senator in the Eighteenth
Legislature. Both in political and social affairs Senator Collins won the
respect of everpone. November 20, 1899, he received the dreaded
summons and peacefully passed to the reward which awaits all
men who have served honestly and righteously in life.
Mrs. Anna Collins, wife of Senator N. G. Collins, died in San
Diego, Texas, November 17, 1906.
She was born in Baringen, Austria, January 31, 1837, and
was the daughter of Kletus Hoffman. She came to Corpus Christi
in 1856, where she resided until 1868. In the latter year she mar
ried N. G. Collins, and has resided continuously since then in
San Diego.Mrs. Collins was of the noblest of womankind. She was
characterized by charity, Christianity and love and pity for the
oppressed in life.
She did everything in her power to contribute to the poor and
distressed and also toward the beautifying and upbuilding of a
wholesome business and Christian community. In her will she set
aside jnoney for a Catholic church and school house for San
Diego. Honor to her memory.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 433
ROBERT LYNN BATTS
AUSTIN
AA'ho ranks at the Texas Bar as an attorney of more than .State
wide reputation, was born at Bastrop, November i, 1864. His
father, Andrew Jackson Batts, was a Virginian, a descendant of
one of the Old Dominion families of the Colonial period. He
settled in Bastrop in 1857; upon the outbreak of the war between
the States he enlisted in the Confederate Army and fought val
iantly through to the conclusion of hostilities.
His wife was Miss Julia Rice, a native of Alabama, who came
to Texas as an infant with her parents in 1845, the family locating
in Burnet County, where they engaged in farming.
The -subject of this memoir received his preparatory educa
tion in the schools of Bastrop, thence entering the University of
Texas, graduating in 1886, with the degree of Bachelor of Law.
He began to practice at Bastrop, remaining there until 1892, when
he became Assistant Attorney General under Charles A. Culber
son, now senior United States Senator from Texas. Because of
his many gifts as a student of the law, before his thirtieth anni
versary he was a full-ranked professor in the law faculty of the
University of Texas, a position which he held for a number of
3'ears. He returned to regular practice in 1890, as a member of
the firm of Gregory & Batts, the senior member, Mr. Thomas AA'.
Gregory, being the present Attorney General of the United States.
In 1907 Mr. Victor L. Brooks was admitted to the firm, and upon
retirement of Mr. Gregory the firm became Batts & Brooks, ad
mittedly one of the strong legal firms of the State. Mr. Batts
was one of the leading counsel for the State in the important case
of State vs. Waters-Pierce Oil case. The manner in which the
firm handled the case of the State of Texas vs. the AA^aters-Pierce
Oil Company attracted the attention of lawyers all over the coun
try, so admirably was the issue presented and carried to a success
ful conclusion. Mr. Batts is known as a man of excellent literary tastes, as
well as a broad knowledge of the law. He has written and pub
lished several legal volumes, chief among them being "Annotated
Civil .Statutes of Texas" and "Corporation Laws of Texas."

434 Texas — The Country and Its, Men
Mr. Batts is a Mason, an Odd Fellow, an Elk and a member
of the Kappa Alpha College fraternity, and politically a Democrat.
The marriage of Mr. Batts and Miss Harriett Boak was
celebrated at Austin, in 1889, his bride being a daughter of the

JUDGE ROBERT LYNN BATTS
late John C. Boak of that city. To this union have been born
three children, namely : Robert E. Lee, Mary and Margaret.
In 1914 Mr. Batts was placed in charge of the cases of United
States vs. AA'illiam Rockefeller et al, the New Haven criminal
case, and his conduct of the case attracted national attention.
In recognition of his services for the Government and his
standing as a law)'er, Mr. Batts was appointed by President AA'il
son as a member of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals
for the Fifth Circuit, and assumed his new duties March i, 1917.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 435

ROYAL A. FERRIS
DALLAS
Royal A. Ferris, actively identified with banking and indus
trial interests in Texas, makes his home at Dallas, where he is
President of the American Exchange National Bank. He is
deeply interested in community affairs and his efforts have also
been potent elements in the business progress of the State. He
has, with ready recognition of opportunity, directed his labors
into the various fields wherein he has achieved success and at the
same time has developed business enterprises that have proved of
more than local value, largely promoting the commercial activity
of the State.
A native of Jefferson, Texas, Royal A. Ferris was born
August 8, 1 85 1, he being a son of Judge J. AA^ and Mattie J.
(Crow) Ferris. The family home was established at AA'^axa-
hachie, Ellis County, Texas, in 1854. For fully a half century the
father was a prominent lawyer, judge and public man of Northern
Texas. He served as a member of the Texas Legislature, as
Judge of the District Court, and as a member of the Constitutional
Convention of 1875. He was one of the five Commissioners ap
pointed to revise the laws of the State, and was special Judge,
appointed by Governor Coke, to decide the International Railroad
case. In 1868 he established the banking firm of Ferris & Getzen
daner. Mrs. Ferris was a member of the well known Crow family
of Kentucky, and her father was a soldier under General Jackson
at the Battle of New Orleans.
After completing the prescribed course in the public schools
of AA'axahachie, Royal A. Ferris attended the Military Institute,
conducted by Colonel R. T. P. Allen, at Farmdale, near Frank
fort, Kentucky. After his return home from school he entered
the employ of Ferris & Getzendaner as cashier and bookkeeper.
In 1874 he succeeded his father as a partner in the above concern,
the firm then being changed to Getzendaner & Ferris. In 1884
this private banking institution was merged into the Citizens
National Bank of AA'axahachie, with a paid-up capital of one

436 Texas — The Country and Its Men

hundred thousand dollars, Mr. Ferris becoming a stockholder.
About this time he received an offer to become connected with the
Exchange Bank of Dallas, and on March 14, 1884, came to this
city and took up his new work as Cashier of that bank. Under
his expert management the business of the Exchange Bank in
creased with rapid strides, and in February, 1887, the institution
was Nationalized under the name of the National Exchange
Bank, with a capital stock of three hundred thousand dollars. In
June, 1905, its was merged with the American National Bank.
Royal A. Ferris is President of this great financial corporation,
which has a capital of $1,500,000, and a surplus cf $1,000,000.
AA^hUe a resident of Waxahachie Mr. Ferris was the prime
mover in the building, equipping and operating of the Tap Rail
way, connecting the town of Waxahachie, Texas, with the Hous
ton & Texas Central Railway at Garrett. He and Jeremiah
Riorden assumed the contract of building that stretch of railway,
which they eventually disposed of to the Houston & Texas Central
Railway. Mr. Ferris was chiefly instrumental in organizing the
AA'axahachie Real Estate and Building Association and was a
large stockholder in that organization, which figured so promi
nently in the development of the property interests of Waxa
hachie. He is an essential representative citizen of Dallas, and
has been decidedly prominent in the development of public enter
prises in this city, one of his principal successes being the consoli
dation of the great street railway lines of Dallas, under the name
of the Dallas Consolidated Street Railway Company, of which he
was President for a number of years. It was through his in
sistence that this company substituted electricity for mule power.
For fully a score of years he has been one of the Directors of the
Texas State Fair and Dallas Exposition, and is now First Vice
President of the same. He is likewise Vice President of the
Hughes Brothers Manufacturing Company.
December 13, 1882, Mr. Ferris married Miss Lulu Brown, a
daughter of John T. Brown, of Atlanta, Georgia. She died a year
later, and on October 3, 1894, was solemnized his marriage to
Miss Mary A. Brown, of AA'eatherford. Mr. and Mrs. Ferris
have one son. Royal A. Ferris, Jr. The family home is at 3920
Euclid Street, Highland Park.
In politics Mr. Ferris is aligned as a supporter of the Demo-

JAMES PARRAMORE

Texas — The Country and Its Men 437
cratic Party, and in a fraternal way he is a member of the Knights
of Pythias, of which he is Past Grand Chancellor of the State.
He is likewise an Odd Fellow and has served in the Grand Lodge
of the. State. He is a man of marked power and influence in
DaUas.

JAMES HARRISON PARRAMORE
ABILENE
Gallant soldier, popular everywhere, whom not to know is a
tacit admission that you haven't been long in Texas, was born
in Early County, Georgia, August 13, 1840. His father, AA'illiam
AA'. Parramore, a farmer and prominent in Masonic Circles, came
to Texas at an early date, and died at his home in Gonzales
County on January 26, 1866. His widow, Mrs. Rebecca Jane
(Norwood) Parramore survived her husband thirteen years, and
died at the family residence at Gonzales in 1878. Of her, the'
Captain once said: "My mother was a most zealous Christian
woman and all I am I owe to her.''
The Captain says he had no educational advantages, not be
cause there were no little red schoolhouses down Gonzales way,
but for the simple reason that he would not attend school de
spite the efforts of his father to make a statesman of him. At
seventeen his father, it appears, introduced him to a school in
which the boy afterwards did very well. He took him out on
the ranch, where verbs and pronouns were practically unknown,
where the student was taught how to "mill" the cattle, rope a
steer, and also the difference between a quirt and a query. A
session followed with the steers, when he concluded to give the
schoolhouse one more chance. He returned to town, knocked
the dust off his books; took up the study of the three "Rs," and
kept at it until the outbreak of the war between the States, when
he enlisted, and went to the front as a member of Troop I, Eighth
Texas Ca\-alry, better known as Terry's Rangers, the same com
pany of which his lifelong friend, George AA'. Littlefield, was a
member, and of which, by the way, each was Captain at dif
ferent periods of their service. He went out as Third Lieuten-

438 Texas — The Country and Its Men
ant, receiving his baptism of fire at the battle of Woodsonville,
Kentucky, where Colonel Terry was killed. His command was at
Shiloh or Pittsburg Landing., where it fought desperately and
was badly cut up, losing twenty-seven men, killed and wounded.
After Corinth, both he and Littlefield were made Second
Lieutenants and started on a raid across the Tennessee River.
He was with Forrest in several of his historic raids ; at Perryville,
where he says he "saw more dead men than in any battle ever
fought." On December 31, 1862, he was wounded quite badly,
invalided and sent home to Texas. Recovering, he returned to
his command at Shelbyton, Tennessee. He was in the Chatta
nooga Campaign at Chickamauga; on a raid with Joe Wheeler
into Tennessee, and finally, after many exciting experiences, was
desperately wounded July 30, 1864, whUe raiding aroUnd At
lanta. But we will let the Captain tell his own story regarding
this incident of his career. Said he : "That wound up my
fighting capacity, and I was put in a hospital and stayed there
three months. My wound in the leg was a very bad one and
the Doctor said it would have to come off, but old Colonel Har
rison said, 'Ji"^) don't let 'em cut your leg off,' and a little Eng
lish Doctor said he could save my leg, which he did." In a crip
pled condition after the army moved, the Captain made his way
to an aunt in Georgia, of wl;iom he says: "She took care of me
until I got well. That wound up my war record."
He returned to Texas, went about on crutches "for quite a
spell" ; drove cattle to Kansas, made money, and with the profits
thus acquired, began buying lands. The Captain alludes in a
very characteristic and interesting manner to the progress he
made as follows : "My mother died in 1878, and I told my wife
that now, as my mother was dead, I was going to move my cattle
west, which I did, locating in Runnells County. Built a house
on the first piece of land that suited me, just so it had wood
and water. In those days it didn't make any difference who the
land belonged to, and I used this land for my cattle. Among
other possessions, the Captain owned 40,000 acres in King
County, of which he has given 30,000 to his four children, and
still has enough left and to spare, in money and lands to enable
him to live like a prince until he gets the final summons.
His wife was Miss Mary Jane Goodson, an orphan girl

MRS. JAMES H. PARRAMORE

Texas — The Country and Its Men 439
whom he married at Gonzales, October 28, 1866, at which time
he had less than one hundred and fifty dollars to his name. Ten
children were born to bless the union, of whom the following
survive: H. C. Parramore of Ballinger; Miss Eunice, who is
at home ; Doctor Dilworth Parramore, of Sterling County ; John
Norwood Parramore of King County ; Sue, wife of E. V. Sell
ers ; Mary, wife of E. W. Douthitt of Sterling County, and J. H.
Parramore, Jr., of King County. Mrs. Parramore, the mother
of this family of children, died at Abilene, on February 26, 1908.
She was a member of the Baptist Church, and like her husband,
was very charitable, giving to all worthy causes, and like him,
loved, honored and respected by everybody who knew her.
He has taken the greatest interest in the upbuilding of Sim
mons College at AbUene, having already contributed liberally
to the institution, and he also has been a liberal benefactor of
the Buckner Orphans Home, both of which have enlisted not
only his financial support, but also his personal sympathy at
times. From dugout to palace, from poverty to affluence, from the
obscurity of a frontier stockman, to a place in the sun of popu
lar favor is the fate of but few, but all this has been accomplished
by Captain Parramore.

WILLIAM P. SEBASTIAN
brackenridge
Was born on his father's farm near Libertyville, St. Francis
County, Missouri, November 28, 1852. His parents, Edwin C.
and Artemissa Elizabeth (Pettit) Sebastian, were among the
substantial agriculturists of one of the richest sections of Mis
souri, in the common schools of which country the son received
his preparatory education. He subsequently studied law, was
admitted to practice, but removed to Boulder, Colorado, to launch
out upon his legal career. Colorado was then a Territory, and
young Sebastian, soon after his arrival, participated in the elec
tion which adopted the constitution under which Colorado was
admitted to the Union.
In December, 1876, Mr. Sebastian returned to Missouri,

440

Texas — The Country and Its Men

where he remained a few weeks when he removed to Bracken
ridge, Stephens County, Texas, and has since made his resi
dence there. He resumed and has continued to practice his pro
fession e\er since, except during the interim between 1885 and

filii^lpiiftr"

WILLIAM P- SEBASTIAN. Brackenridge

1888, as an appointee of President Cle^'eland, he resided at Cisco,
as Deputy Collector of Re\enue.
Mr. .Sebastian has, at all times, taken an active part in poli
tics. At the district con^•ention held at Colorado City, in Sep
tember, icSgiS, he was nominated to represent the Twenty-Eighth
Senatorial District, for the ensuing four years, and in the gen
eral election, although opposed by Populist and Republican
Candidates, was elected by a majority of 2777 over both oppo-

.<'./,-i.,"v,.

'-i

E. J. L. GREEN

Texas — The Country and, Its Men 441
nents. He served as a member of the House from the One
Hundred and Fourth Legislative District in the Twenty-Third
and Twenty-Fourth Sessions, where his record was highly sat
isfactory to his constituents. AA'hile a member of the State
Democratic Executive Committee, he resigned to become a mem
ber of the Board of Directors of the Agricultural and Mechanical
College, in Go\-ernor Campbell's administration, and is now, by
appointment of Governor Ferguson, a member of the State Board
of Pardons.

ED. J. L. GREEN
SAN MARCOS
Ed. J. L. Green is the son of George AA'. and D. J. Green,
and was born in AA'ashington, Hempstead County, Arkansas,
February 8, 1841.
At AA ashington and Fayetteville, Arkansas, he received a
good English education which prepared him for life's struggles.
In 1859 he left his native State and came to San Marcos,
where he clerked for Dr. C. Erhard, and continued the most
of his time in that position until and during the first part of the
war, when in 1862 he joined the Confederate Army, and served
as a soldier, first in Captain McMillan's Cavalry Company, and
afterwards, and until the close of the war in Captain W. H. D.
Carrington's Company, Caters Battalion, Ford's Regiment.
The war being over, he returned to San Marcos and en
gaged in different pursuits until the year 1869, when he was
elected District and County Clerk of Hays County.
He held that office until 1882, when he declined to run for
another term, and started a private bank at San Marcos and in
1885 organized and put in operation the First National Bank of
San Marcos, of which he was elected President.
This position he held continuously until January, 1909, on
account of continued ill health he resigned and retired to private
hfe. In politics he is a Democrat, is a member of the Christian
Church, and of the Masonic fraternity, being both a Mason and
an Odd Fellow.

442 Texas — The Country and Its Men
When he landed in Texas he was a boy of i8. Few men
have been more successful. Quiet and unassuming in his man
ner and pleasant in social and business intercourse with his fel
low citizens, he has pursued his business and pushed it with an
unusual sagacity. As a result of his course and by close atten
tion to every detail of his affairs, he has amassed a competency,
all the earnings of his own hand and brain.
He is one of the pillars of the flourishing city of San Mar
cos, and is identified with every public enterprise inaugurated
for the good of the community. In 1889 he was elected Presi
dent of the State Bankers Association and served one year.
He has organized and put in operation besides the First
National Bank of San Marcos, Texas, the First National Bank
of Lockhart, Texas, with his son-in-law, James G. Burleson, as
its first President. He also organized and put 'in operation the
First National Bank of Bastrop, Texas.
He is a great advocate of public schools, is now and has been
for eighteen years President of the Board of Trustees of the
public schools of San Marcos, Texas.
He served as Trustee and President of the Local Board of
Trustees of the Southwest Texas State Normal School located
at San Marcos for a number of years under the administration
of Governors Sayers, Lanham and Campbell.
He has been active and a promoter of many public enter
prises of his community.
For a number of years he owned and operated the San Mar
cos water works, electric light plant, ice factory, mills, gins, etc.,
mostly erected by him.
He served his city as Mayor for two years. Mr. Green has
been three times married, his first wife and by whom he had
two chUdren, was Miss Mary A. Young, a daughter of U. A.
and M. A. Young, Tex'as pioneers. The first child died at birth,
the second one, Mary D., is now Mrs. James G. Burleson of
Lockhart, Texas.
His wife died in March, 1864, and in July, 1S65. he mar
ried his wife's sister. Miss Eliza J. Young. Eight children were
born of this marriage, only two survive, AA'illiam Green of AA'aco,
Texas, and Mrs. Mabel E. Geisen of San Marcos, Texas.
In 1896, his second wife died, and in 1898 he married Mrs.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 443
Alice Bohon, a widow, and a sister of his first two wives. No
children were born of this marriage.
Mr. Green, now at the age of 75 years, is hale and hearty
and quite active for a man of his years.

WILEY MANGUM IMBODEN
RUSK
Born in Louisiana in 1861, and brought to Texas by his
parents in 1863, the subject of this sketch is a typical Texan,
and a Democrat from the ground up. His father. Colonel John
D. Imboden, was a gallant Confederate soldier; his mother was
a member of the well-known Mangum family of North Carolina.
From her he took his middle name. For many years prominent
in Texas politics there are few more familiar figures in State
Democratic gatherings than this Democrat of both stalwart mould
and Bourbon type. He is the sworn foe of every known ism
and cism ; he takes his Democracy straight. He took a leading
part and became particularly prominent in the fight for "Hogg
and the Commission." At the election at which Governor Hogg
was re-elected Governor Imboden was elected to the Twenty-
Third Senate, and having twice fUled the office of Journal clerk
in the Senate and once Chief Clerk of the House of Represent
atives Imboden soon took high rank among his fellow Senators
as a parliamentarian of exceptional tact and adroitness. He ever
distinguished himself for his fairness in every parliamentary
struggle in which he engaged. There were in that Senate some
of the most brUliant parliamentarians Texas has known, and
he was singularly happy and peculiarly at home in all parlia
mentary contests. He had attended the public schools of his
home town and also attended the Agricultural and Mechanical
College of Texas, and had considerable experience as a news
paper writer and was, as well, a practicing lawyer. During his
Senatorial term Governor Hogg appointed him District Attor
ney of his district^one of the largest and most populous in the
State. This office he filled as long as he would consent to hold it.
It is said that he was the first prosecuting attorney in Texas to

444

Texas — The Country and Its Men

WILEY MANGUM IMBODEN. Rusk

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1 ^3mF '^t '^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^1

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Bf^^^^^H

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J. O. TERRELL

Te.xas — The Country and Its Men 445
secure the conviction of a man to the penitentiary for a term of
a thousand years. Another notable example of his vigor and ef
ficiency as a prosecutor is found in the fact that he once con
victed a man to the penitentiary for thirty years for breaking
into a house and stealing a small jar of blackberry jam; Im-
boden's tribute to the toothsomeness of blackberry jam was too
much for the jury — they ga^'e the jam victim a full thirty years'
sentence. Imboden is the unrelenting foe of the initiative, ref
erendum and recall as a Governmental system ; he even opposes
stoutly the present primary method of nominating State and Dis
trict officials. To hark back to the old system of representative
Democracy is his plea. Too many weak, inexperienced and in
competent men slide into office through the instrumentality of
our primary system, he insists. He spurns the name "progress
ive" or any other prefix to his Democracy ; it is, he insists, sim
ply Straight, and straight simply.

J. O. TERRELL
SAN ANTONIO
Judge J. O. Terrell was born in Kaufman County, Texas,
April 6, 1856. His mother, Mrs. Amelia Love Terrell, came to
Texas from Tennessee with her parents in 1842, and settled at
Kings Fort, now the town of Kaufman. His father, Jonathan
AA' Terrell, a native of Virginia, came to Kaufman County the
following year, and established a general store, which he con
ducted successfully until his death, which occurred a few weeks
before the firing on Fort Sumter in 1861. His widow survi\'ed
him thirty-three years, dying at Kaufman in 1894. The father
of Judge Terrell was a strict Presbyterian, an old line AA'hig,
a strong man, and opposed to secession.
The subject of this reference, after attending the public
schools at Kaufman, became a student at Trinity College, then
located at Tehuacana, now AA^axahachie. His class associates in
cluded a number of men who have since become prominent, among
them AA'. F. Ramsey, now President of the Federal Reserve Bank
at Dallas; T. M. Campbell, afterwards Governor; Judge A. C.

446 Te.xas — The Country and Its Men
Prendergast, and others who have since won distinction in the
professional and political history of the State.
Judge Terrell at one time entertained the idea of becoming
a journalist. For a time, while the odor of the print shop at
tracted him, he was managing editor, general solicitor and news-
gatherer for the Star, a Kaufman County newspaper, long since
in the limbo of journalistic failure. However, his apprentice
ship -was a short one. On his twenty-first birthday he obtained
a license to practice law ; and recalling Woolsey's advice to
Cromwell, flung aside his ambition to become a molder of public
opinion; deserted the sanctum of the twinkling "Star," and en
tered upon a legal career which he has ever since pursued.
In addition to his law practice, and chiefly because of a
desire to be a producer. Judge Terrell, more than thirty years ago,
established a model dairy farm, stocked with a large herd of regis
tered Jerseys, which he still operates, and in the conduct of which
he finds both profit and pleasure. He is also President of the
Central Trust Company of San Antonio and devotes his time
largely to its management.
On December 12, 1877, he married Miss Mattie Simpson
of Kaufman County, and to them the following children now liv
ing have been born: Marshall AA'., born in November, 1880;
Chester H., born in December, 1882; Dick O., born in October,
1884, and Mattie, born in December, 1898. All of the sons are
lawyers, who, with their father compose the law firm of Terrell &
Terrell of San Antonio. The second son, Chester H., was Speaker
of the Thirty-first Legislature, and served in the Lower House six
years. Judge Terrell was elected to the State Senate from the
Dallas district in 1884, and served in the Nineteenth and Twen
tieth Legislatures, occupying the responsible position of Chairman
of the Judiciary Committee when but thirty years of age. He has
never wanted any other office, and has declined appointment to
several, among them being two judgeships. He gave Governor
Ireland as a reason for declining a judgeship that he did not wish
to go through life bearing the title of "Judge," which he has al
ways disliked, but notwithstanding his "dislike" practically every
body calls him by that title. He was a fairly consistent Democrat
until AVilliam Jennings Bryan sprung his fifty-cent dollar propo
sition, when, being a firm believer in the gold standard and a pro-

F. F. COLLINS

Texas — The Country and Its Men 447
tective tariff, he voted for McKinley, and has since continued to
vote with the Republicans. In 1910, upon the unanimous request
of the State Republican Executive Committee, followed by the
unanimous vote of the Republican State Convention, he accepted
the Republican nomination for Governor, not from any desire or
expectation of election, but for the opportunity of discussing eco
nomic and business questions before the people. In this connection.
Judge Terrell says : "I have always held that one's politics should
be determined by their belief on current political issues, and that
those who believe alike should vote together. In other words, no
"party" should be one's master, but parties should be considered
as useful only as a means of presenting and. adopting the views
of the people, and impressing them upon the Government of the
country." Judge Terrell belongs to no lodges or secret orders. On
the contrary, he says emphatically that the only associations to
whom he acknowledges allegiance are the Methodist Church and
the lady who has, during the last forty years, been his mentor
and chief reliance.

F. F. COLLINS
SAN ANTONIO
The work accomplished by the subject of this sketch, a na
tive and honored son of the Republic of Texas, as full of ac
tion and success as it has been marked by the conscientious,
courageous devotion to the trying duties of a soldier during the
Civil AA'ar, in the Southern Army, and on through the still more
trying ordeal of aiding by his unbounded, intelligent energy and
fidelity in the work of building anew the industrial and com
mercial development of his beloved State and that, too, along
new lines, his prophetic vision saw must sooner or later re
sult in placing her upon a pinnacle of hitherto unknown or but
dimly suspected possibilities, but this even did not satisfy or curb
his restless energies.
The rapid development of the agricultural posibilities of the
semi-arid region of AA'est Texas from the Panhandle to the mouth

448 Texas — The Country and Its Men
of the Rio Grande, by irrigation with windmills and wells, only
suggested the immensely greater possibilities there were in seek
ing the course of the great deep underground stream that here
and there natural perennial springs and occasional artesian wells
indicated might probably exist. Notwithstanding the discour
aging prospect of success along these practically unexplored lines,
in view of the hot sulphur artesian flows that had been dis
covered so near the site he had selected for his costly experi
ments, he cheerfully assumed the risk involved, because both the
character of soil and topography alike suggested that success
would not only give a new impetus to a species of development
in the immediate environs of this city that nothing else could
offer, but in view of the then rapidly lowering water levels from
which the city drew its supply, and consequent practical failure
of the dependent water supply to support a city of materiaUy
increased size, would indefinitely, if not forever, retard and re
strict the growth and prosperity of the city. Quietly, therefore,
without heralding, or trumpet note, as was his habit, he acquired
the 170 acres that has since become the "show place" of this great
metropolis, a tract that in common with the several thousand
acres of similarly circumstanced land in and around this city,
possessed neither actual nor prospective value beyond a mere
grazing commons, a burden, in fact, that no man of clear judg
ment and foresight at that period would have accepted as a gift
if its grubbing, fencing and paying taxes had been a condition
precedent, unless blessed with resources and ready money far in
excess of that commanded by Captain Collins, and then scarcely
any other investment in this section but would have been pre
ferred to this. Indeed the writer of this sketch well recalls the
gibes and oracular pitying comments often heard during these
tedious years that he was, with such indomitable perseverance
and sublime faith, clearing the land and summoning the waters
from their imprisoned depths, to fertilize and fructify these pri
meval wastes. AA'hen they obeyed the strong master's touch, and
fruit, forests, flowers and gardens of vegetables arose like magic
to delight the eye and minister to the wants of a great city he
listened to the plaudits of his fellow citizens far and near, with
the same calm composure, modest and undisturbed equanimity.
that he had to their indifference, and discouraging treatment of

Texas — The Country and Its Men 449
his pioneer efforts. But that which did cause him to unbosom
his really deep emotions, to those few who had at least sym
pathized with his hopes if they had not shared his con\ ictions,
or commended his judgment, was the immediate impetus given
to the development of the artesian irrigation industry, not alone
in this vicinity, but all over AA'est Texas. And that had been
the chief aim of his ambition. He had ushered in a new era of
development, and ,with its sure results, had not only stabilized
the future of the metropolis of Texas, but laid securely the foun
dation on which was certain to be erected other prosperous cities,
towns, farms, orchards and vineyards, served by lines of railways
and all the attendant concomitants of a modern highly pros
perous State. That Captain Collins and his faithful, highly ac
complished wife in their veritable Garden of Eden, of their own
creation, have lived to realize this noble day dream, and that,
too, in its widest proportions, is a matter not only of deep intense
satisfaction to the architects of this new birth of their beloved
Texas, but it is a source of perennial satisfaction to the entire
people of Texas, and a source of emulation and attraction to the
thousands who visit this section. Little concern is felt since this
and other developments of the artesian waters of this vicinity,
of a probable, or even possible failure, in that respect, of the
city's water supply. That fact alone is an asset of practically
limitless value to San Antonio.
Besides these utilitarian efforts, many others of lesser note
have engaged his attention, along horticultural lines, and with
marked success, especially in the successful raising of English
walnuts and Japanese persimmons. With an eye to the aesthetic
development of the city. Captain Collins has, with princely gen
erosity, donated tens of thousands of ornamental trees, shrubs
and flowers, to all who called for them, in response to his ad
vertisements inviting them to accept these valuable contributions
and where those who accepted these gifts were unable to dig
them up,, or even to carry them home, he generously did that also.
He gave a beautiful boulevard two hundred feet wide and the
entire length of his farm, to the city as a playground to the chil
dren and planted shade trees along a great part of it.
A true, genuine, open-handed hospitable welcome is dis
pensed and awaits any and all who come to call at their ideal

450 Texas — The Country and Its Men

suburban home, where one not only realizes what it means to
find the "latch string, always hanging on the outside," but is
ushered into the presence of Mrs. Collins, one of the really gifted,
cultured women of Texas, a writer and authoress of verse, that
in e\'ery stanza evidences the deep impress the muse of poesy
has etched into every fibre of her being. And when read — as
sometimes to the favored few she yields assent — by her in tones
of musical pathos in finished and exquisitely modulated accent.
seems, indeed, to leave the imprint of the genius of her inspira
tion upon the listener.
The possession of these signal qualities of valuable citizen
ship render superfluous even an allusion to those high and well-
known personal attributes Captain Collins possesses, for no citi
zen who has given such proof of such a standard of citizenship
could be devoid of any cardinal virtue, neither would it be pleas
ing to his sensibilities, or sense of propriety to pay even a just
tribute- to qualities he of all men modestly believes he has no
proprietary right to claim, beyond any other good citizen.

CHARLES L. BASS
SAN ANTONIO"
Charles Longstreet Bass was born July 24, 1866, on his
father's plantation nine miles south of Dadeville, the county seat
of Tallapoosa County, Alabama. His middle name is after the
Confederate General, James B. Longstreet. He is distinctivelv
of the Old South, both parents being descended from early Eng
lish settlers in Virginia, the "Mother of Presidents'' of the Before-
the-A\'ar Period. Through both lines of descent Mr. Bass is a
son of the Revolution. John Hicks Bass, his father's grandfather,
was in the Revolutionary ranks at the fall of Yorktown, and wit
nessed the surrender of his sword by General Cornwallis to Gen
eral AA'ashington; while Nathaniel Greene, the famous Quaker
General and friend of Washington, who distinguished himself at a
number of notable engagements of the Revolutionary AA'ar and
succeeded General Gates in command of the Southern Army in
1790, was a brother of his maternal great-great-grandfather. His

Texas — The Country and Its Men 451

father was John Green Bass of Troupe County, Georgia, and his
mother was Sarah Eleanor Hutcheson of Greene County, Georgia.
The Revolutionary grandfathers of both parents settled in Georgia
after peace and independence came to the victorious colonists, and
the young soldier, John Hicks Bass, became one of the wealthiest
planters, if not the wealthiest, in Georgia. Greene County, Geor
gia, was named for the Re\-olutionary General above named, and
here the ancestors of Sarah Eleanor Hutcheson settled and the
family remained during the succeeding generations. Both fam
Uies in A'irginia, as well as after their removal to Georgia, were
slave holders and planters.
In 1869 his father removed to the new railroad line at Loach-
apoka, Alabama, where, at the age of five years the meager advan
tages of Sunday school and secular school as then provided, were
afforded the child. In 1872 the family again removed to Opelika,
Alabama, where young Bass attended school until 1875, when his
father settled with his family at AA'etumpka, Alabama, on the
picturesque Coosa River, where young Bass attended school until
fourteen years of age. Following this, two years of study at
Auburn, completed the school advantages enjoyed by the young
student, when he was compelled to join the ranks of the bread
winners at the completion of his sophomore year, shortly before
his sixteenth birthday. An ambition to make a name for himself
in the world impelled him during his youth and young manhood
to spend in study the hours usually given to rest and recreation, a
habit which he has maintained even to this day.
His first employment was in the AA'etumpka office of the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad, where, after six months of
industrious application, he developed into a telegrapher of such
proficiency that he was promoted to a position in the office of
the company at Helena, Alabama. Fulfilling the duties of this
position with such efficiency as to command the attention of his
superiors, he was, at the age of seventeen years, appointed to the
responsible office of station master and day operator at his home
town, AA'etumpka. After two years in this position he sought a
wider sphere for his activities and the great opportunity for self-
improvement which was offered in Birmingham, and accepted a
position with the AA'estern Union Telegraph Company in that city.
Here he handled the ordinary commercial matter of the service,

452 Texas — The Country and Its Men

as w'ell as the daily Associated Press reports for the newspaper
and the market reports for a local cotton exchange. In the great
land boom, which had its center in Birmingham at that time,
young Bass resigned his position, and with the few hundred dol
lars he had saved from his earnings, launched into the real estate
business. Prosperity smiled upon him, and within a few months
he found himself the possessor of over ten thousand dollars. But
the inflation of values was too rapid, and about the time the
young financier reached his majority, the bubble burst and the
most of his accumulations were swept away. Losing no time in
repining, young Bass returned to the telegraph key early in 1889,
accepting a position as telegraph operator with the Georgia Cen
tral Railroad. On December 20, 1888, he was married to Miss Lee Delle
Kidd, of Wetumpka. Her mother, Louisa Tulane Kidd, was a
member of the famous Tulane family ; Paul Tulane, the New Or
leans philanthropist, who gave a fortune to found Tulane Univer
sity, being her uncle.
In the spring of 1891 he entered upon his real life work, being
admitted to the Circuit Bar as an attorney, and in the fall of the
same year was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the
State, at the age of twenty-five years.
Mr. Bass remained at Wetumpka until 1893, practicing law
and doing forceful editorial work. In the fall of that vear con
tinued ill health determined him to seek a more healthful climate,
and he removed with his family to San Antonio. Here he was
admitted to practice in all the courts.
In 1905 Mr. Bass was elected County Chairman of the Demo
cratic Party to fill out the unexpired term of Judge John H.
Clark, who had resigned. In 1906 he was re-elected to the same
position without opposition. Though defeated for County Chair
man in 1908, by a very narrow vote, the County Convention not
only honored him with the chairmanship of the Bexar County
delegation to the Democratic State Convention soon to convene at
San Antonio, but named him to deliver an address of welcome on
behalf of the San Antonio Democrats, both of which duties he
performed with success.
As Chairman of the Harmon Club in the Presidential Cam
paign of 1912, Mr. Bass demonstrated his political sagacity and

Texas — The Country and Its Men 453

abiliiy as an organizer by carrying Bexar County Democratic
Primaries for his candidate, notwithstanding the Wilson wave
which swept the State and finally brought about the nomination
and election of the Princeton man.
An oratorical effort of Mr. Bass, remembered by those
who were privileged to hear it, was the presentation speech made
to United States Secretary of State Elihu Root on the occasion
of the banquet tendered that distinguished statesman by the In
ternational Club of San Antonio, in September, of the year 1907.
Ever a student of men and motives and always considering
the law as a science and not a craft, Mr. Bass has occupied a
high plane in the practice of his profession, both in the criminal
law courts, where much of his experience in his early years as
a lawyer was acquired, and in civil law, which has demanded his
exclusive attention for some years.
The habit of thought has been the directing influence in all
his study and practice and has become a hobby with him, which
has been exceedingly useful in the solution of apparently obstruse
legal problems.
He has appeared as attorney in many important civil cases
and his name as leading counsel marks the record in some de
cided by the Appellate and Supreme Courts, wherein growing
principles of law were in accordance with his views given new
and extended applications.
Of the marriage of Charles Longstreet Bass and Miss Lee
Delle Kidd, there have been three chUdren, two boys named
Charles Longstreet, Jr., and Louis Tulane, and one girl named
Evelyn Delle, the latter dying in infancy.

PEYTON STANDIFER GRIFFITH
HOUSTON
AA'as born November 15, 1862, in Sequatchie Valley, Cedar
Springs, IMarion County, Tennessee. His parents were James
and Jane Griffith. His father was a representative and suc
cessful merchant and farmer of his section of the State, having
settled in Sequatchie Valley before its purchase by the United
States Government from the Cherokee Indians. James and his

454 Texas — The Country and Its Men
brother, W. S. Griffith, established the first mercantile business
in Jasper, the county seat of Marion County. It was a common
incident for him to ride horseback to Philadelphia, a distance of
many miles, to purchase goods which were shipped by sail
boat to New Orleans, thence up the Missississippi and Cumber
land Rivers, then hauled one hundred and fifty mUes by ox
teams across the country to destination. Later Mr. Griffith re
tired to a farm near where he was born and died at the age of
ninety-two. The subject of this brief sketch. Dr. P. S. Griffith, was
educated in the public schools of his native State and the Van-
derbUt University of Nashville, Tennessee ; graduated in medi
cine and practiced for a while, but he saw a broader field and
engaged in the real estate and manufacturing business in Chat
tanooga and followed it until 1901, when he moved to Texas and
engaged exclusively in the oil business, continuing it until the
present time under the firm name of Burt & Griffith, who have
a high rating in the commercial world. Dr. Griffith has amassed
a princely fortune. In disposition he is kind and charitable and
ever ready to lend a helping hand to his less fortunate brethren.
Dr. Griffith was first married to Miss May L. Bringle of
Chattanooga, Tennessee, on July 8, 1888. He was married the
second time to Mrs. Lena Ethlyn Morse MarshaU, August 15,
1908. One son, James Standifer, born July 8, 1915, is the only
child born to this union. Dr. Griffith is the discoverer of an in
strument for locating oil, gas and other minerals which has been
successfully used for the past five years.
Dr. Griffith is a Mason of many years' standing, being a
member of Fidelity Lodge, East Chattanooga, Tennessee.
In politics he is a Democrat.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 455

WHITAKER KEESEY
fort DAVIS
Only unusual character and activity can command such high
personal esteem as is paid on all sides to this venerable retired
business man and pioneer citizen of Fort Davis. It is no in
considerable distinction that he became identified with Fort Davis
soon after the war and from the early seventies until his re
tirement was a factor in the development of one of the most
flourishing commercial houses of AA'est Texas. There are hun
dreds of people, beneficiaries of his spirit and practice of loving
kindness, who would claim that all the fruits of his vigorous
commercial efforts, excellent though they are, should be esti
mated as inconsiderable against the finer products of his gen
erosity, his practical Christianity. AA'hile others may point to
institutions founded and organized benevolences supported, the
charity of Mr. Keesey is still finer and better. Scores of men
are prosperous and occupy a creditable place in their community
as a result of financial aid and business counsel from Mr. Keesey.
In the country about Fort Davis during the last forty years it is
said that he has helped nearly everybody. When loans were
refused by everybody else, a certain resort in time of need was
this kindly Fort Davis merchant. And the result of his experi
ence with men has increased rather than lessened his faith, for
almost invariably men have eagerly sought to repay him out of
the first fruits of a renewed prospertiy.
Only in a broad outline is it possible to sketch the career of
AA'hitaker Keesey. He has been too busy to keep a record even
in memory of the many changes and -vicissitudes of his experi
ence, and these are, as already stated, inconsiderable and of no
great importance as measured against the gratitude for his life
and services which is impressed in the hearts of men in \-arious
sections of AVest Texas. AA'hitaker Keesey was born September
4, 1843, at Lancaster, Ohio, and was reared in the city of Steu-
benville on the Ohio River. His parents were George and
Nancy (Thomas) Keesey, his father a drayman, who, in 1851,
went west to California, and never returned to his famil}-. There

456 Texas — The Country and Its Men
were six children thus left without adequate means of rearing
and support, three sons and three daughters, and AA'hitaker was
the youngest son. His grandfather Keesey, who was born in
Ireland, and married a Miss Miller, a native of Germany, after
coming to America, settled in Pennsylvania and from that place
in 1804 emigrated to Ohio. There is a record that Grandfather
Keesey took out his naturalization papers in 1806. Grandfather
and Grandmother Thomas were both natives of Scotland, the
latter's maiden name being Rufner, and they emigrated from
Virginia to Ohio in 1812.
AA'hitaker Keesey, partly as a result of the comparati\e
poverty of his widowed mother, ,and partly from the circum
stances of the times, had an extremely limited schooling, although
his native abilities and intelligence have proved a good sub
stitute for some of the book knowledge which he otherwise
might have acquired. His attendance at school was limited to
two years, for one year and four months he was in the schools
of Steubenville, during his seventh and eighth year. Almost as
soon as his strength permitted he was put to work on a farm
for his board and clothes, and during the two years thus em
ployed he attended school three months of each winter. Fol
lowing that he began earning regular wages, being employed on
an adjoining farm for eighteen months at five dollars a montli
for the first year and five dollars and a half a month for the
succeeding six months. AA'ith such \'ariety of work and with
experience that contained many hardships he went on to the
age of sixteen. At that time he began learning the trade of
baker, and followed that business for a number of years. To
those who know the kindly traits and character of this Fort
Davis citizen, it will increase the respect and esteem in which
he is held to record the fact that in his early life, in addition
to the hardships of poverty he had to endure severe treatment
from supposedly Christian people in \\-hose homes he lived or
for whom he was employed. The prejudices thus aroused and
deep set in his mind he has never succeeded in entirely over
coming. In his earlier years he was exceedingly de\-oted to a
kindly Sunday School teacher, whose kindness to the little boys
of her class will never be forgotten, but his own rugged battles
and struggles with the world made it impossible for him to re-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 457
tain his belief in many of the rules of Christian conduct which
he learned from that teacher.
Mr. Keesey was stUl a youth when the war broke out be
tween the North and the South. At the second call for three
months' volunteers he enlisted and was with the Eighty-fourth
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and later served twenty months in the
Fifth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry in Company F, being discharged
with the rank of sergeant.
Not long after the war Mr. Keesey set out for the South
west. Leaving his old home at Steubenville, Ohio, February 5,
1867, he found employment under General J. S. Mason in the
care of his two small boys as they were then, and also three
horses. The little party arrived at San Antonio, March 6, and
on j\lay 25, 1867, there being no railroads in that section of
Texas, General Mason secured for young Keesey a position as
baker to accompany the troops to Fort Davis, then under com
mand of' General Wesley Merritt. The distance of four hun
dred and seventy-five mUes from San Antonio to Fort Davis
was accomplished in a journey by wagon roads in thirty-one days.
AA^hen he arrived Mr. Keesey had traveled sixty -cwo days be
tween Steubenville and Fort Davis. It is a matter of interest
to recall the fact that this trip, thoiigh a long one, can now
be accomplished in four days, and that is a graphic illustration
of the remarkable advance made in modern times. Mr. Keesey's
early years in and about Fort Davis .were of the real frontier
life, with all its pleasures and hardships, and after some years
of that experience he and a brother engaged in merchandising
in 1873. Their stock of goods was one of the third opened for
trade at a military post, which was in the midst of a great
wilderness occupied only by United States troops ; no cattlemen
until 13 years later. The brother finally withdrew from the
business, and Mr. Keesey continued it alone until 1907, in the
meantime establishing and building up one of the oldest and
most successful commercial houses in all AA'est Texas. AA'hen
he retired in 1907 from the active cares of life it was with a
satisfying degree of success, and now at the age of seventy-one
he enjoys and deserves to enjoy the contentment and prosperity
of a career that has brought him material good and has resulted
in encouragement and support for so many others. His career

458 Texas — The Country and Its Men
seems to illustrate the truth of the aphorism that to the one who
is least regardful of his selfish prosperity shall be returned the
greatest abundance, and it is certain that Mr. Keesey prospered
beyond all his expectations, and he affords the credit for that
to his Divine Father, and as a result of reliance upon the vir
tues of prudence, truthfulness and honesty in all his business
relations. He has been honored with civic office as often as he could
spare the time. He held the position of hide inspector four
years, was treasurer of the county four years, was county com
missioner eight years, and had always participated in matters
for the benefit of the locality. In politics he has voted with
the Republican party, but believes in independent action in such
matters and supports the qualified honest man, regardless of
the party label. Since his admission on December 2, 1891, Mr.
Keesey has been affUiated with the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. He is a member of the T. P. A., a commercial men's
accident insurance order, and also with the Benevolent League,
a branch of the T. P. A. He is a member of the National Geo
graphic Society of Washington, a member of the Texas State
Historical Association, and an honorary member of the Luther
Burbank Society. Mr. Keesey has no regular church member
ship and confesses to a variance with the views expressed and
held by many with church membership. He believes that all
churches are good, regardless of denomination, and has stead
fastly supported and endeavored to have some investment in all
new church buildings erected in his part of Texas. It is his
view that no one can predict the scope and breadth of the in
fluence for good that may result from churches in after vears.
One improvement, he holds, would do much to strengthen the
churches and stop the increase of membership in fraternal or
ders, and that would be the establishment of a regular bran(?h
of the church for the care of the poor, the sick and distressed
members and for the upbringing of the fatherless orphans.
On April 14, 1892, at AA'ellsburg, AA'est Virginia, Mr. Keesey
married Nannie J. Carmichael, daughter of J. AA'. M. and Mary
Carmichael of Wellsburg. Mrs. Keesey became a member of
the Presbyterian Church at the age of fourteen, and lived a de
voted and active Christian life, ever ready to assist the needy

-X^^tyu^y^

Texas — The Country and Its Men 459

and distressed and orphan children. She was an untiring worker
in the Rebekah branch of the Odd Fellows order, and on the
evening after completing a term of one year as president of the
Rebekah Assembly she was stricken with paralysis. After three
years of suffering she died December 5, 1910, at the home of
her parents in AA'ellsburg.
In his earlier years Mr. Keesey had to struggle and work
hard for every advancement, and as a rule his honest and truth
ful methods of dealing commended him to the confidence of all
who employed his services. When he established a business of
his own he insisted upon the same principles of incorruptible
integrity, and his business standing was from the first unques
tionable. Thus he built solidly for himself, and was also able
to care for and protect the interests of many poor cattlemen who
needed his assistance from time to time. Thus between his en
deavors to gain for himself sufficient means in the declining
years, and accomplishing his purpose of bringing a little sun
shine into the dark places for the more unfortunate, his career
has been an exceedingly busy and useful one, and there have
been few more beneficent lives, although his deeds of kindness
must, of very necessity, go largely unrecorded except in the
hearts of those who wUl cherish gratitude for his deeds as long
as life lasts. Many men now prominent in West Texas owe
their start to Mr. Keesey, and in the course of twenty years he
has again and again advised boys and young men in such man
ner as to start them properly on worthy and useful careers. It
is for this influence of an upright Christian life that Mr. Keesey
will deserve lasting memorial among the citizenship of AA'est
Texas.

GEORGE EDWARD HOLMGREEN
SAN ANTONIO
The business career of George Edward Holmgreen, who
died in San Antonio, November 7, 1899, forcefully illustrates
what strength of will, lion-hearted courage and well-directed en
ergy can accomplish, was born in the imperial City of Berlin,
Prussia, October 4' 1822. His father, Jens Holmgreen, a na-

460

Texas — The Country and Its Men

GEORGE EDWARD HOLMGREEN

Texas — The Country and Its Men 461
tive of Denmark, removed to Berlin shortly following the bom
bardment of Copenhagen by the English, where, because of his
knowledge of mechanical drawing and ability as a draughtsman,
he found no difficulty in securing employment in his profession,
which he followed for many years. His wife, a woman of rather
pronounced religious views, abetted by her husband, designed
son George, the subject of this sketch, for a religious life, as a
professor of theology. His father, at that time a rising official
in the Government Building Departhient, and his mother also
having good family connections, were inexpressibly shocked,
when, instead of taking readily to the idea of cramming himself
with the dry facts of theology, he declined to acquiesce in their
choice of a profession for him, and declared his intention of be
coming a cabinet maker. Threats were of no avail, nor could he
be cajoled into a change of mind. At the age of fourteen he
was apprenticed to a cabinet-maker for the seven years' term,
and at once began the acquisition of the knowledge and ex
perience that was to be of inestimable value to him in after life.
Upon completion of his apprenticeship, as a journeyman,
he toured the greater part of Germany and Poland afoot, and
for a time could not be located by his anxious family.
Upon his return, having met his fate ip the person of "Erau-
lein" Bertha Kohler, they were married October 4, 1851 (his
birthday) and soon after sailed for America, thus realizing the
dreams of their childhood ; he because of his hatred for imperial
ism; she because it was manifest destiny.
He went to New Orleans, sought employment and soon was
appointed master pattern-maker. After leaving New Orleans,
he met with no remarkable successes until his arrival in San
Antonio, where he bought the interest of a Mr. Nixon, and be
came senior partner in the firm of Holmgreen & Schule, in the
ownership of the Alamo Iron Works. Owing to conditions,
which need not be repeated, he was compelled to go into court in
order to rid himself of his partner, which being accomplished,
Mr. Holmgreen, practically without resources, began in his fifty-
sixth year a struggle that would have staggered and disheart
ened many a younger man. He worked without cessation to re
store a faUing business ; eventually found friends who assisted
him, and at last fully realized the dreams of his mature years.

462 Texas — The Country and Its Men
and put upon its feet one of the best equipped and most wide-
known establishments of its kind in the entire Southwest.
Before the death of the genius who had worked a series
of almost positive miracles during his struggle toward success,
the Alamo Iron AA'orks and its varied ramifications of live mov
ing interests, was taken over by two sons who have not only
maintained the reputation of their father, but have materially
increased the capacity of the work.
These working, enterprising sons of a noble sire are the
following: Julius H., who is President of the Company; Eugene
A., Treasurer; George C, Vice President (son of Julius) ; Mel
rose W., Secretary (son of Eugene) ; Richard J., a third son, is
employed at the AA'orks, and Alfred F., a fourth son, has estab
lished himself in business in Alice, Texas.

JAMES EMERSON WHITESELLE
CORSICANA
James Emerson AA'hiteselle was born in Obion County, Ten
nessee, on the 31st of December, 1851. He was the eldest son
of Lewis AA'hiteselle and Charity Valentine AA'hiteseUe of Ten
nessee. His father died when Our subject was 15 years of age.
His mother later on lived with him in Corsicana and died Janu
ary 9, 1910. At the age of 18 he came to Texas, where he entered
the lumber business at Neches in the employ of his uncle, P. AA'.
Ezell, who owned and operated a sawmill. Making rapid prog
ress he attracted the attention of F AA'. Carruthers, a lumber
dealer in Corsicana, and entered his employ in 1875. His splen
did executive ability and business capacity soon placed him in a
position to purchase the business of his employer, Mr. Car
ruthers, which has been conducted by him through the vears,
ever growing in strength and volume until at his death the J. E.
AA'hiteselle Brick and Lumber Company is one of the richest
and most powerful corporations in the Southwest.
During these two generations he has always been a leading
factor in the development of the lumber business of the South
west. He did not confine his activities to the citv of Corsicana

JAMES E. WHITESELLE

Texas — The Country and Its Men 463
and the county of Navarro, but his big, broad mind took in every
development of his adopted State. He became one the fore
most working members of the Lumbermen's Association of Tex
as, which he helped to organize over twenty-five years ago. For
two full terms he was its president and always an active worker
on its directorate and its committees. He was a man of mag
nificent presence, possessed a deep voice of peculiar power and
sweetness, and was an orator of no mean ability when called
upon to express his sentiments of views. At the yearly conven
tions of the association he was always a central figure about
which clustered the great' body of delegates. His presence will
be sorely missed at the next meeting.
Mr. AA hiteselle was one of a triumvirate of workers which
built up the City of Corsicana, and made it the thriving mu
nicipality it is today. He invested in every sound industrial ad
venture which was brought to Corsicana. He served as Mayor
and Alderman for several terms, always having the interest of the
city at heart.
At his death, aside from his holdings in the AA''hiteselle
Brick & Lumber Company, he was a large stockholder in such
concerns as the Central Texas Grocery Company, Stroud &
Dockum AA'holesale Grocery Company, the Royal Coffee Com
pany, the Fortson & Polk Grocery Company, the Corsicana Cot
ton Mills and in the early development of the Corsicana oil fields.
He was also a vice president and large stockholder of the First
National Bank of Corsicana.
But it is not of the worldly business success of James E.
AA'hiteseUe that this notice should treat. It is of the man him
self, the real man behind the grim exterior of business policy
and ethics.
He was married on December 7, 1882, to Kate Huey, daugh
ter of Captain Huey, one of Corsicana's pioneers and builders,
and for thirty-three years they lived together in happiness and
contentment, although they were never blessed by the presence
of children of their own.
AA'hUe Mr. Whiteselle was a keen business man and al
lowed no pleasure to interfere with his duties as such, he was at
the same time a keen lo\-er of sport, especially in the old days

464 Texas — The Country and Its Men
when the breeding of fine stock was one of the dearest fads of
a gentleman. His famous stock farm at Corsicana was his pet
hobby. There he raised some of the finest trotting horses e\-er
bred in the South.
Mr. Whiteselle died on December 31st, 1915, and was buried
at Oakwood Cemetery at Corsicana, Texas.

JOSEPH HUEY
corsicana
Joseph Huey, one of the most wealthy and representative
citizens of Navarro County, was born in Allegheny County, Penn
sylvania, on May 26, 1827. A son of John Hughey, v.-ho was
born in that State and died in 1836. (Joseph Huey did not
change his name, but dropped the two silent letters in sarne. )
His father was of Irish-Scotch ancestry and a soldier in the
American Revolution. His mother was Margaret, daughter of
John Cavitt. The subject of this sketch received only a moderate
education, leaving home in early manhood, going to Birmingham,
Alabama, remaining three years there, and the next two vears in
Natchez, Mississippi.
On January 15, 185 1, he landed in Galveston, Texas, went
north, settling in Anderson, Grimes County, where he was robbed
of all his money. In 1859 Mr. Huey was married to Mary,
daughter of Norman Peters, a native of Connecticut, but later
moved to New York State, where Mr. Huey's wife, Mary, was
born. Mr. Huey entered into the Confederate service in 181 12, but
was not in active service. In 1863 he entered Elmore's Regi
ment, was never in battle. After the war our subject found
himself ruined, as compared to his former holdings. He first
entered into the cotton business, then later in the hardware busi
ness, forming a partnership with Mr. Messgrove of Navasota.
AVhen the Houston & Texas Central Railway was building
northward he followed its course. In 1867 he formed a partner
ship with Mr. H. A. McDonald in the hardware business at Bryan.
two years later he bought him out in Calvert, where he remained
until the fall of 1870, then Groesbeeck, then Kosse, Limestone

JOSEPH HUEY

STANLEY L. KOSTORYZ

Texas — The Country and Its Men 465

County, was his next home until May, 1871, and a few months
later he located in Corsicana, continuing in the same business.
In 1879 he sold out his hardware business to F, AA'. Car
ruthers. In 1872 our subject founded a wholesale and retail hard
ware business in Dallas in company with Simon Philp, who had
learned the trade in his employ, and which business was later
incorporated under the name of the Huey & Philp Hardware
Company, and is still continuing in business.
In September, 1871, Mr. Huey formed a partnership with
James Garitty in a private banking business. In July, 1886, this
business was converted into the First National Bank, of which
our subject was Vice President, arid which bank is stUl in
existence. Mr. Huey served his city as Alderman and County Commis
sioner for a number of terms. He was a stockholder and pro
moter of all local industries and enterprises of Corsicana, The
Corsicana Compress Company, Texas Mill & Elevator Company,
Corsicana Manufacturing Company ; he was founder and Director
of the Central Texas Grocery Company, Director in the National
Exchange Bank of Dallas.
Mr. Huey's family consists of three daughters living : Kate,
wife of J. E. WhUeseUe, Corsicana, Texas; EUa, wife of J. A.
Hughes, Dallas, Texas, and Lulie, wife of A. V. Lane, Dallas,
Texas. His wife died July 12 1902, his death foUowing twenty
months later, on March 29, 1904. His remains and those of his
wife were buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Dallas, beside the
bodies of four children who died in infancy.

STANLEY L. KOSTORYZ
CORPUS CHRISTI
Stanley L. Kostoryz is one of the leading developers of the
material prosperity of the country about Corpus Christi, which
has been his home since 1904. He was the founder of the "Great
Northern Colony," the first colony established in this district, and
he bought a tract of land of 8,000 acres as the nucleus of this
home-building and agricultural enterprise. He has taken a public-

466 Texas — The Country and Its .Men
spirited part in affairs since coming to Corpus Christi and is a
member of the Commercial Club of this city.
Mr. Kostoryz was born March 12, 1866. His native place
and the family home for generations was in the Bohemian prov
ince of Austria-Hungary, where his father, Joseph, is still living.
His mother, Anna Nosek, died in 1909.
After an education in the national schools and college at
Bohemia he emigrated to the United States in 1886, and li\ed
successively in New York a short time, a year and a half in
Chicago, where he taught school and worked for newspapers, and
in 1887 he moved to Wilber, Nebraska, where he was employed
in a drug and general merchandise store, and he then worked at
various lines in Omaha. Entering the Western Normal College,
at Lincoln, he was graduated in the teachers' and scientific courses
in 1893, and for the next four years was superintendent of the
public schools at Milligan, Nebraska. He then bought an English
newspaper at Omaha and also established the Bohemian paper
there, "the Osveta," a weekly. He published a daily and other
newspapers there and was a successful publisher for four years.
In 1902, on account of ill health, he traveled in Canada, Mexico
and the AA est, living in Southern California one year, and in 1904
he took up his permanent residence in Corpus Christi.
In 1896 Mr. Kostoryz was Presidential elector of Nebraska
on the Brj'an ticket. He is a member of the Modern AA'oodmen
of America and of the National, Turners of Bohemia. He was
married at Milligan, Nebraska, in 1896, to Miss Alice Ruzi'cka.
They have three children : Clara, Er\in and Lillie.

JAMES F. POWER
REFUGIO
Belongs to the present generation of young, active, progressive
business men, who are making the commercial and industrial
history of Texas. He was born in Refugio County in 1876, his
parents being James Power and Frances E, Power (Bowen).
His father before him was a stockman and ranchman and
he was one of the early settlers of Refugio County. James F. is
now one of the many prosperous stockmen of Southwest Texas,
owning a ranch of about 10,000 acres, well stocked with cattle

Texas — The Country and Its Men 467
and yielding a neat income. He attended college in Austin, also
the Georgetown College in AA'ashington, D. C, and possesses a
well trained mind.
His life lies before him, yet he is in his forties. He possesses
the means and the ability to make a prominent man, politicall)-
and otherwise. He is unmarried and belongs to no fraternal order, but he is
a valuable and useful man in his community.
In addition to his stock interests he also operates a farm and
is conducting some experiments in what scientific agriculturists
call dry farming. It is the men who, like Mr. Powers, seek to
explore new fields and discover new methods that lead the van
of progress and cause "two blades of grass to grow where only
one grew before."
Thev are the pioneers of progress and the benefactors of
the race.
SOLOMON WEST
REFUGIO
For years an honored citizen of Refugio, was a native of Louisi
ana, born December 4, 1844, and when four years old came with
his parents to Texas. The family settled in Hardin County where
they resided on a farm and raised stock in a small way. Solomon
AA'est rented the farm and helped to look after the stock when not
in school, as do most boys who reside in the rural districts. His
father died on the old homestead in Hardin County in 1867. AA'hen
the war cloud in 1861 burst upon the land young AA'est entered the
service of the South in Colonel Speight's regiment, and fought
with distinguished gallantry until wounded so severely as to in
capacitate him for further mUitary duty. From the effects of this
wound he never fully recovered, and after years of suffering he
died in .San Antonio^ April 17, 1907. His remains were taken
back to his home in Refugio County and there buried. The old
soldier who wore the Gray has joined his comrades on the other
shore, where wars and rumors of war never come. In 1874 he
was married to Miss Carrie Moss and they are represented by
five children. Mr. AA'est was a consistent member of the Catholic Church

468 Texas — The Country and Its Men
in his lifetime and in his daily walk and conversation honored
the religion he professed. As a father he was kind ;' as a husband,
tender and devoted ; as a soldier, brave and true ; as a citizen,
upright and honorable ; as a neighbor, generous and social.
Peace to his ashes and honor to his memory.

WILLIAM F. RAMSEY
AUSTIN
One of the eminent representatives of the bench and bar in Texas.
Judge Ramsey has been actively connected with his profession for
more than thirty-five years ; attained to the highest honors in the
Texas judiciary as Judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals and as
Associate Justice in the Supreme Court, being the only person in
the history of the State who occupied both these positions. Since
retiring from the bench he has attended to a large private practice
at Austin. Judge Ramsey represents a Scotch family, which emi
grated from Scotland in 1800 and settled in North Carolina, and
has subsequently furnished many names notable in business, the
profession, and in public affairs.
WiUiam F. Ramsey is a native of Texas, born October 25,
1855, in Bell County. His parents were John J. and Nancy (Clark)
Ramsey. His father, a native of Kentucky, came to Texas in
1853, settling first in Falls County, later moving to Gonzales
County, and in 1861 enlisted for service in the Confederate Army.
His mUitary record covers practically the entire conflict between
the States, and at the close of the war he held the rank of Second
Lieutenant. He then settled in Johnson County, where he acquired
large interests as a farmer and merchant, and where he lived until
his death in 1904. His wife was a native of Tennessee, and she
died in October, 1871.
Judge Ramsey spent most of his youth in Johnson County,
attended the common schools of that locality, and received his
college training in Trinity University at Tehuacana, Limestone
County. From that old and splendid center of Texas education
he was graduated Bachelor of Arts in 1876, and received his
degree in law in 1877. Judge Ramsey began practice at Cleburne
on the 4th of July, 1877. Cleburne remained his home and the

W. F. RAMSEY

Texas — The Country and Its Men 469
center of his large and growing practice as a lawyer until January
I, 1908. At the latter date he moved to Austin, having accepted
appointment as one of the Justices of the Court of Criminal Ap
peals, qualifying for the office on the first of January, and filling
out an unexpired term. In November, 1908, he was elected for
the regular term, of four years, beginning January i, 1909. How
ever, on January 5, 191 1, he resigned to accept a place as Asso
ciate Justice of the Supreme Court. On March 29, 191 2, he re
signed this high judicial place in order to make the campaign for
the Democratic nomination for Governor of Texas. He was one
of the contenders for this honor at the Democratic primaries in
July, 1912, but in spite of his vigorous campaign did not succeed
in wresting the honors from the incumbent of the office. Governor
Colquitt. On October i, 1912, resumed private practice at Aus
tin, and that city continued to be his home untU January 15,
1916, when he moved to Dallas. Judge Ramsey, in 1884, was one
of the Presidential electors on the Cleveland ticket. _
He stands high in Masonry, having taken thirty-two degrees
in the Scottish RUe, and in the York RUe is Past Eminent Com
mander of the Knights Templar. He also belongs to the HUla
Temple of the Mystic Shrine at DaUas. Other fraternal associa
tions include membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks. UntU he moved to Austin to accept judicial office. Judge
Ramsey was prominent in banking. In 1900 he became President
of the National Bank of Cleburne, was President of the First
National Bank of Covington, and President of the Farmers and
Traders Bank at Rio Vista. He resigned all these financial con
nections in 1908, on his removal to Austin.
On January 28, 1878, Judge Ramsey married Miss Emma
Johnson, a daughter of Rev. Felix Johnson, a prominent Presby
terian minister of Paris, Texas. Mrs. Ramsey died April i, 1885,
leaving a son, AA^iUiam F. Ramsey, Jr., who is now a practicing
attornev at Cleburne. On October 13, 1886, Judge Ramsey mar
ried a :\Iiss Rowena HiU, a daughter of Malcolm and Mary J.
"Hill, of Lagrange, Texas. There are three sons and three daugh
ters by this marriage.
Judge Ramsey removed to Dallas, where he now resides, on

470 Texas— The Country and Its Men
January 15, 1916, to become Chairman of the Board of Directors
and Federal Reserve Agent of the Federal Reserve Bank of
Dallas, which position he is now holding.

HENRY J. LUTCHER
ORANGE
Henry J. Lutcher, until his death, was one of the leading
saw-mill operators in the LTnited States, was born November
4, 1836, at Williamsport, the shire town of one of the mountain
counties of Pennsylvania, known for years as the paradise of
big game hunters, and whose purling mountain streams with
their finny denizens was the favorite stamping ground of the
patient disciples of Sir Isaak AA'alton.
His parents, Lewis and Barbara Lutclier, natives of Ger
many, emigrated to .\merica in 1826, locating in AA'illiamsport.
where the wife died in 1883. followed nine days later b)' her
husband. The subject of this sketch had from his twenty-first year
been engaged in business for himself, both as a farmer and in
managing a butcher shop in his native town. At the expiration
of five years, having accumulated about $15,000, he looked about
for a more promising field of operations, and in his twentv-
seventh year formed a partnership with Joan AA'altman and en
tered the lumber trade, under the firm name of Lutcher &
AA'altman. Two years later J\lr. G. Bedell Moore purchased ^Ir.
AA^altman's interest, and for many years continued to be a part
ner in the rapidly expanding business that followed.
During the early years of this partnership, Mr. Lutcher. not
yet thoroughly weaned from his first business venture, purchased
and had delivered at AA'illiamsport a large number of cattle on
the hoof, which were killed and disposed of by local butchers,
the speculation adding nearly $60,000 to the increasing fortune
of the future lumber king.
Mr. Lutcher's first glimpse of Texas was in 1876, when
prospecting for timber land, himself and partner made quite a
tour through a section of countrv, much of which was then an

H. J. LUTCHER

MRS- H. J. LUTCHER

Texas — The Country and Its Men 471
unbroken forest. Their journey took them along the Nueces
River as far as Bevilport, then along the west side of the Sabine
to Burr's Ferry, when they crossed and came down the east
bank to Orange, having located the finest belt of long-leaf pine
timber they had ever seen. In this instance opportunity did not
knock in vain, for instantly grasping the situation, the firm pur
chased a vast acreage of these lands and immediately located at
Orange one of the largest saw-mills ni the country. Twelve
¦years thereafter, the business having prospered beyond their
fondest anticipations, they built another mammoth mill in the
midst of their domain, secured the necessary shipping facilities
and called the new piney-woods town Lutcher. The capacity
of the two mUls was about 200,000 feet of logs every working
day in the year, representing an annual output of sixty million
feet of sawed lumber. Some years ago their mill and yard at
AA'iUiamsport, Pa., was disposed of, the firm concentrating their
energies upon their Texas and Louisiana interests. Before his
death Mr. Lutcher, who had traveled much, and knew whereof
he spoke, made the statement that the saw-mills at Orange and
Beaumont, Texas, and at Lake Charies, La., were the most ex
tensive in the world.
In the construction and operation of these giant industries
advantage was taken regardless of expense, of every improve
ment and every new idea suggested ' that could, in any way,
better conditions or add to the producing capaci^ty of the mills.
So thoroughly were these ideas worked out that mill owners all
over the country have for years patterned after the great prop
erties referred to, which are today, as they have been for thirty
years, among the show places of the great Southwest.
On January 23, 1858, Mr. Lutcher was united in marriage
to Miss Frances Ann Robinson, daughter of David Robinson of
AA'Uliamsport, Pa. Two chUdren were the result of this union,
Marfian, wife of W. H. Stark and Carrie Luana, wife of Dr.
E. W. Brown, both residing in Orange.
Mr. Lutcher was a traveled man, a deep student, and a logi
cal reasoner whose reading had fitted him as a proficient and in
teresting conversationalist upon all the varying themes of genera]
knowledge. He possessed one of the finest libraries in the coun
try, of which he made frequent use, despite the multifarious

472 Texas — The Country and Its Men
cares and responsibilities of business. It was his chapel wherein
was stored the best thoughts of the world's greatest scholars and
thinkers, from which he partook not only to expand his views,
but that he might confer the results of his reading and research
upon those with whom he came in contact and whose interests
were identified with his own.
He left a colossal fortune, a wide reputation for probity of
character and an unsullied name, which will stand for all time
as an Ulustration of what can be accomplished by a combina
tion of pluck, energy and perseverance.
His widow, known as the "Angel of Mercy" in the com
munity where she has resided so many years, is distinguished
for her many unostentatious acts of charity.. Kind to the poor,
always ready to assist the young to obtain an education and a
proper start on the highway of life ; watchful lest the old em
ployes of her husband shall not be properly cared for, she dis
penses charity with an open hand and is blessed by the prayers
of all who know her. As a memorial to her husband whose
death occurred in Cincinnati, Mrs. Lutcher has erected a church
at Orange, which, while a costly and beautiful structure, but illy
expresses the affection in which he was held by her who knew
. him best.

LUMBER veteran BURIED AT ORANGE — EIGHT HUNDRED OF H. J.
lutcher's EMPLOYEES WERE PRESENT AT THE 'FUNERAL.
Orange, Texas, October 6. — The last sad rites were per
formed here over the remains of Henry J. Lutcher, the late
president of the Lutcher & Moore Lumber Company, who died
on AA'ednesday morning from a stroke of paralysis, this after
noon at 4 o'clock. The remains were removed from the resi
dence, to the magnificent Lutcher Memorial Church, donated by
the Lutcher estate to the Presbyterian congregation, at 10:30
this morning, where hundreds of friends looked in the face of
the man of great accomplishments for the last time.
The services held at the church, at which the pastor. Rev.
E. T. Drake, presided, were deeply impressive on the audience
that filled the large auditorium. From the church a concourse
of sorrowing friends and relatives, perhaps the largest e^¦er wit-

Io m
0¦n

Texas — The Country and Its Men 473

nessed in Orange, followed the remains to Evergreen Cemetery.
At the mausoleum in which the casket was laid with beautiful
flowers the choir sang in low tones, "Nearer, My God, to Thee,"
after which a few brief remarks were made by Pastor Drake.
.\ strong tribute to the memory of the deceased lumberman
was the presence of more than 800 of his former employes, in
cluding both white and black, scores of leading lumbermen and
prominent business men from other cities, as well as the citi
zenship of this city and surrounding communities en masse.
The floral offerings were many and beautiful. Every busi
ness place in the city was closed for two hours during the funeral
out of respect to the decedent.

Orange, Texas, October 5. — The remains of H. J. Lutcher
arrived here at i o'clock this afternoon on a belated train from
Cincinnati, where death occurred last AA'ednesday morning. From
the train the remains were borne to the residence of the dece
dent, where they wUl remain untU the funeral tomorrow after
noon, which wUl be at 3 o'clock from the Presbyterian Church,
where a brief service wiU be conducted by the pastor. Rev. E. T.
Drake. During the afternoon numerous friends called at the Lutcher
home to take a farewell look in the face of the once veteran lum
berman and pioneer citizen.
The honorary paUbearers for the occasion are: W. A.
Fletcher of Beaumont, John N. GUbert of Beaumont, Captain
George Lock of Lake Charies, J. AV. Link of Houston, Dr. \A^ C.
Ray of Donner, La. ; L. MiUer, Dr. S. W. Sholars, Judge J. A.
Holland, George E. Holland and E. S. Harris of Orange.
The active pallbearers are: S. T. Edwards, J. B. Chan-
ning, J. A. Burkhart, T. G. B. Cox, R. L. Floyd, Louis SmaihaU,
A. J. Bancroft, E. W. Bancroft, L. AA' Gilbert, F. H. Farwell
and C. T. Gable.

474

Texas — The Country and Its Men

D. ODEM

SIN ton

David Odem, of Sinton, San Patricio County, stands for an
ideal type of the plucky, level-headed, prosperous and all-around
useful citizen of Texas and. the Southwest. His service being
divided into two periods, he
has acted as Sheriff" of the
county foi: some twenty-two
years, and it is quite ^afe to
add that no one has ever held
the office and given more ef
ficient service or earned a
wider popularity among all
good citizens. He has been
engaged in the stock busi
ness from boyhood, his. deal
ings in this line having been
diversified by farming and
merchandising, and is one of
the extensi\e and successful
owners and users of the land
in the county. -\t the present
time he has about 2,000 acres under profitable cultivation. He
is also the manager and principal stockholder of the Sinton Mei^
cantile Company, an outgrowth of one of his private business
enterprises ; is director and general manager of the Sinton Hard
ware Company, and vice president and general manager of the
Sinton Town Company and the Sinton State Bank, .-As if these.
responsibilities were not enough to give his energies of mind
and body sufficient exercise, he has been for years an active
participant in the politics of the county and State, naving served
as chairman of the Democratic Committee of San Patricio Coun-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 475
ty, and as a deelgate to the National Conventions of his party
at St. Louis and Den\er.
It is but natural that Mr. Odem should be a stalwart' lover
of all that pertains to Texas, as he has not only spent his life
within her borders, but his father was one of that band of fear
less frontiersmen who banked themselves around Sam Houston
and assisted in founding the Republic and transferring it to the
Union of States. David Odem, the brave father mentioned, was
a native of Mississippi, who came to Texas in its early days
and was a participant in the Battle of San Jacinto, which wiped
Santa Anna from the map and gave independence to Texas.
Afterward he operated as stockman in San Patricio and Live
Oak. Counties, and died in the latter during 1859. His wife (nee
Elizabeth Timon) was a native of Ireland, who had attained an
advanced age at her death in 1873.
As David Odem was born in Live Oak County, February 14,
1857, he "was in his third year at the death of his father, and in
his seventeenth when his mother died. Educated in the private
schools of his native countyj in his boyhood he engaged in the
stock raising business as an employee, and while still a young
man had become an independent factor in the industry which
he has never abandoned. In 1880 he moved to San Patricio
County, of which he was elected Sheriff in 1882, and served two
terms, refusing a re-election in 1886. In that year he sold his
cattle and returned to Live Oak County, but in 1892 the citi
zens of San Patricio County petitioned him to re-locate in their
midst and resume the shrievalty. Their petition was put forth
with such unanimity and heartiness that it was irresistible, and
Mr. Odem, therefore, returned in 1892, and his supporters have
so stanchly stood by their promises made in that year that they
have kept him in the office ever since. No one else will fill the
bill. In 1901 Sheriff Odem purchased the general store of L. N.
Schofield and conducted it alone until 1907, when it was organ
ized as a stock concern under the name of the Sinton Mercan
tile Company, of which he is stUl in control as the chief stock
holder and the active manager. His other large interests in busi
ness, finances and agriculture have already been noted. In 1878
Mr. Odem married Miss Adeline Gallagher, daughter of Bryan

476 Texas — The Country and Its Men
and Margaret Gallagher, of Live Oak County, and eight chil
dren have been born to them : Eliza, who is now the wife of
C. P.'Rachal, of San Patricio County; and Hubert E., Mar
garet, David C, Carrie, James F., AA'illie T. and Bryan S. Mr.
Odem is a faithful Catholic and an active member of the Knights
of Columbus. No citizen of the county has earned a wider pop
ularity on a more enduring basis of laudable acts and sound Abili
ties than the Sheriff of San Patricio County.

s. J. p. McDowell
lockhart
Samuel J. P. McDowell, who is now one of the old and
highly esteemed landmarks of Lockhart, was born in Columbia,
Tenn., July 6, 1824. He came to Lockhart in 1853 and is now
living on the same plot of land on which he first settled. This
plot was then in the brush; now it is within the corporate limits
and in a very desirable part of the city. Before coming to Texas
Mr. McDowell, with his father's family, removed in 1833 to
Bolivar, in what was then known as the "AA'estem District of
Tennessee." This was the year in which the "stars feU." At
that time Mr. McDowell was only a small boy, but he recoUects
quite distinctly the fears and the excitement which that phenome
non created among those brave and daring Tennessee pioneers
who were pushing civilization toward the setting sun. Manv of
them had neither heard nor read anything about meteoric show
ers and naturally they came to the conclusion that the great day
had come when "time should be no more," and that each "tub"
standing upon its own bottom would be called upon to render an
account for the "deeds done in the body."
Mr. McDowell grew to man's estate while living in Bolivar,
the "western district" at that time being on the frontier, and
families by the dozens were coming from North Carolina to make
their homes there.
"These North Carolina contingents," said Mr. McDowell,
"came in 'prairie schooners' and their principal possessions con
sisted of children and dogs. But these immigrants were made

S. J. P. MCDOWELL

Texas — The Country and It's Men 477

of the right metal and were good citizens. The Choctaw and
Chickasaw Indians were then living in North Mississippi, not
far from us, but they gave us no trouble.
HE met general HOUSTON
"General Jackson and my father were personal friends, but
I never had the pleasure of meeting the hero of New Orleans.
I met General Houston in Bolivar in 1850. He was then in the
United States Senate, and was on his way to his home in Texas.
He spoke of the 'Missouri Compromise,' arid he made the state
ment that 'Congress had in it some of the worst rascals that ever
went unhung.'
"Hearing so much about the beauty and glory of Texas,"
continued Mr. McDowell. "I was induced to come and make it
my home, but I want it understood that in coming I did not run
away. I came with a common school education, the best that
the 'western district' could give at that time.
"AA'hen I came to Lockhart it was still an unpretentious vil
lage of about 300 inhabitants. The houses were made of logs,
and the picture of the little vUlage of 1853 contrasted with the
flourishing Lockhart of the present would show- marvellous prog
ress. AA'hen I came there were no fences except around the
yards, and a few small patches. The town was stUl in its primi
tive state. In the spring time the prairies were seas of flowers,
crowning Texas with wealths of 'beauty and glory' as bright
and sparkling as the dreams and visions of a gay, hopeful and
promising youth.
"Stock raising was then the leading industry of the coun
try, and longhorn cattle and Spanish ponies were the live stock
raised. LOCKHART SPRING WAS NOTED
"The Lockhart spring was a noted place, and previous to my
coming it had been a general resort, or camping place for In
dians, travelers and wagon trains. In those days wells and set
tlements were wide apart, and springs and watering places were
like mile posts that marked the day's journey of those who were
passing to and fro between San Antonio, Austin and the trading
points and other important places along the coast. Everything'

478 Texas — The Country and Its Men
was primitive in the methods of living, but the people were big-
hearted, sociable and always ready to, help one another whenever
it was necessary to do so."
Mr. McDowell was a member of the Ninth Legislature, the
counties of Caldwell, Hays and Blanco, composing his district.
This was in 1 86 1-2, and when the Civil AA'ar developed he re
signed and organized a company to go to the coast to take part
in the capture of Federal troops then mobUized at or near Port
Lavaca. He reached Victoria with his company, and there re
ceiving the news that the Federals had been captured, he dis
banded his company. Hon. L. J. Storey, who became lieutenant
governor after the Civil AA'ar, was the first lieutenant in this
company. But Mr. McDowell's service as a Confederate soldier
did not end with the disbanding of this companv. At Camp
Terry on the Colorado River, below Austin, he was elected cap
tain of Company K, Seventeenth Regiment, Texas Volunteers.
The regimental officers were R. T. Allen, colonel; G. A\' Jones,
lieutenant colonel; J. AA'. Tabor, major; T. M. Hunt, adjutant;
D. D. Rosborough, quartermaster, and D. P. Smith, surgeon.
"I was at the fight at Milligan Bend in Louisiana, and in
several other fights and skirmishes," said Mr. McDowell. "In
the Milligan Bend I was wounded while we were making a
charge. Out of thirty-nine in my company, eighteen were killed
and wounded in this charge."
the CALLAHAN EXPEDITION
But again reverting to the days previous to the Civil AA'ar,
we quote Mr. McDowell as follows :
"I was a member of the Callahan expedition in 1855 against
the Indians, Mexicans and outlaws who were marauding and
committing all kinds of depredations upon the people in our fron
tier settlements. AA'e followed our Indian and outlaw foes across
the Rio Grande and engaged them in a fight at Esconida Creek,
on Mexican soil, about fifteen miles from Eagle Pass, AA'e
crossed the river where we expected to find the camp of Indians
who had been raiding into Texas, but to our surprise, the In
dians had been reinforced by a large number of Mexicans. This
force, consisting of Mexicans and Indians, numbered about 700,
while all told our command did not exceed 100 men, AA'hen

Texas — The Country and Its Men 479
our foe disco\-ered us, we were compelled to make a dash for
a position where we could maintain ourselves and successfully
repel the assaults of our enemy, and we had to run the gauntlet
between Mexican lances and Indian spears and arrows. Our
loss was four killed and seven wounded. Several of our horses
were killed. AA'e killed about sixty of the enemy. After reach
ing our position we faced each other until about sunset, when
the Mexicans and Indians retired. Our enemy tried to dislodge
us by setting fire to the grass, but it failed to burn. After our
foe had retired, we were glad to get away from them. AA'e
came back to Piedras Negras and after getting food and resting
ourselves we recrossed the river and returned home.
"These Indians were the Seminoles and Lipanp, who had
been raiding the country between the Nueces River and the Rio
Grande, robbing, killing men and carrying women and children
into captivity. Governor Pease had authorized our expedition,
with instructions- to 'pursue the enemy wherever he might go.' "
OLD COUNTY POSITIONS
^Ir. jXIcDowell was county and district clerk of Caldwell
County from 1856-1860. He was again re-elected county and
district clerk in 1873, which position he held until 1880, when he
retired and engaged in farming for four or five years. His eldest
son, Samuel S. McDowell, was elected county clerk after his
father had retired, and held the office two terms, when death
ended his earthly career. AA'alter E. McDowell, another son of
the old pioneer and soldier, Samuel S. P. McDowell, was elected
county clerk after his brother's death and has held that office
continuously for the past twenty years, retiring January, 191 7.
The old log house which was built by the pioneer McDowell
and the shedroom that wa^ added in 1873 is the home of the
youngest living son, Clarence P. McDowell. An addition has
been added to the old McDowell buildings, which have been
weather-boarded, painted and furnished with electric lights and
modern improvements. The old man, while agreeing that these
old structures might thus be remodeled and improved, would
never consent for them to be torn down and replaced with new
buildings. He occupies the shedroom and is supplied with every

480 Texas — The Country and Its Men

comfort and convenience necessary for making him contented
and happy. Mr. McDowell is quite cheerful and active, notwithstanding
he will be 90 years old if he lives to celebrate his next birthday.
Only a week or two ago he mounted a horse" for which lie was
trading and trotted and loped him up and down the street untU
he satisfied himself as to the good qualities of this animal.
Speaking of the fact that his years were rapidh- drawing
to a close, he remarked: "I have heard some people say they
wanted to die, but I have no desire for that time to cOme with
me, although I am ready when it does come. I enjoy life and
am in no hurry to leave this world."
Mr. McDowell is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
Before leaving Tennessee Mr. McDowell served as a delegate
in the State Democratic Convention that nominated Andrew
Johnson for Governor.

ROBERT A. CRUSE
WOODVILLE
Both the pioneer and leading merchant of AA'oodville. Rob
ert A. Cruse is also one of the most extensive property owners
in Tyler County and is largely identified with stock-raising. In
politics his influence has been exerted for many years as an old-
time Democrat, but his public service has been confined to one
term as County Treasurer. Nevertheless, Mr. Cruse's activities
have been broad and telling and his influence on the community
has been strong and beneficial — more so, undoubtedly, than . if
he had sought political or public honors.
Mr. Cruse's grandfather was the' widely known and beloved
Squire Cruse, who came to this locality in 1833, when Texas
was still a Mexican province, and continued there as a farmer
and a trader, throughout the war for independence and until his
death, long after the Republic had become firmlv established
among the States. Both he and his son, John, were emigrants
from Tennessee, of which they were natives. The latter (father
of Robert A.) was a boy of fourteen when the family was es-

ROBERT A. CRUSE

Texas — The Country and Its Men

481

JOHN CRUSE

482 Texas — The Country and Its Men
tablished on the soil of the future Lone Star State, and during
the succeeding seventy-four years was occupied in agricultural
and stock-raising pursuits in Tyler County. His death occurred
in 1907, at the age of eighty-seven, his wife having preceded him
in 1878, when only forty-nine.
Robert A. Cruse was born in Tyler County on the 5th of
June, 1848, and after being educated under private teachers,
commenced business as a clerk in a dry goods store at AA'oodville,
soon afterward becoming connected with a general mercantile
business, and in 1870 becoming an independent merchant of the
place. As he has been conducting a growing business since, he
is now, as stated, both the oldest and the leading merchant in
AA'oodville, and one of the most prominent in the countr}', and
is rated high in the commercial world. He is an extensive prop
erty owner in town, as well as outside, one of his ranches, which
he now rents, comprising twenty-three hundred acres.
In October, 1872, Mr. Cruse was married to Miss Ida T.
Johnson, daughter of Dr. S. B. Johnson of Texas, and of the
eight children born to them the following six are alive : Edna
C, who is now the widow of the late Frank M. Aldridge, of
Houston, and the mother of one child; Elizabeth, John B., M. D..
a physician of AA^oodville, who is the father of three chil
dren ; Mary E., now Mrs. E. M. Chester, of Tacoma, AA'ashing
ton, and mother of one child ; Thomas L., an -.attorney at law ;
arid R, A., Jr., who is the father of one child. The mother of
fthis family- died in 1888, and in 1889 Mr. Cruse -wedded Mi^s
¦Julia Morris, a Mississippi lady. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cruse were
social favorites, and the former is a Mason in high standing, con-
¦nected with Magnolia Lodge, No. 495, of AA'oodville.

HUGH BLAIR HANLEY
FANNIN
AA'as born Februar}' 20, 1868, and is as yet a comparatively young
man. His father, Joshua Hanley, was a farmer, and when the
tocsin of war sounded throughout the land, he left the plow and
took up arms in defense of the South and of Southern rights.
For four years he stood by the flag of the Southern Confed-

JOHN H. ROGERS

Texas — The Country and Its Men 483

eracy, until that flag went down in defeat on the fatal field of
.-Appomattox. His son, Hugh Blair, has the patriotic instincts and impulses
that nerved his father on the red field of battle and honor. He is
a good citizen and an honorable Southern gentleman. More
cannot be said in praise of a man.
r^lr. Hanley began as a farmer and has added merchandising
and stock raising to his agricultural pursuits. He has been very
fortunate in his business aft'airs, and has accumulated quite a
handsome fortune.
He married Miss Lizzie Huff' in 1891 and they have one boy.
He has never held office, but is of the rank and file of the Demo
cratic party, content to discharge the duties of a private citizen, in
such a way as to serve best his country and his race.

JOHN H. ROGERS
Captain John Harris Rogers was born in Guadalupe Coun
ty, Texas, on the 19th day of October, 1863. His father was
Pleasant AA'illiam MUes Rogers, son of Isaac and Maliala Rog
ers. His mother was Mary Harris, daughter of John and Laura
Harris, all old settlers of Guadalupe County. The father of
Captain Rogers was a Confederate soldier during the Civil AA'ar.
and participated in some hard-fought battles in the Louisiana
campaign. In one of these the Confederates got the worst of
it, and the boys who carried the "bonny flue flag" were forced
to retreat. Mr. Rogers came very near being captured on ac
count of his horse falling into a ditch which he attempted to
leap, and was unable to extricate himself. The Federal cavalry
was close upon him, but at this critical moment he was rescued
and carried safely off the field by his brother-in-law. Lieuten
ant John AA'esley Harris, who gave the unfortunate young soldier
a mount behind him.
AA'hile Captain Rogers is not an old man, he has made a
reputation as a brave and gallant Texas Ranger surpassed by
few, and deserves a place in the history of Southwest Texas.
On the 5th day of September, 1882, he joined Company B of

484 Texas — The Country and Its Men
the Rangers, commanded by Captain S. A. McMurry. There
was no lieutenant of this company, and John McNally was ser
geant. Afterwards McNally was made a lieutenant, as was also
Sam Piatt of Austin.
Just before young Rogers joined the Rangers they had a
fight with train robbers at Ranger Station on the Texas Pa
cific Railroad, wounded one and captured all but one of the bal
ance, as it was supposed.
Captain Rogers remained with this company fifteen months,
and then came home in December, 1883, and spent the holidays.
He enlisted again in the following spring in the company of
Captain Joe Shely, at Cotulla, La Salle County. AA'illiam Scott
was Lieutenant and AA'. T. Morris Sergeant. In 1885 Captain
Shely severed his connection with the company and Lieutenant
Scott was made captain. Sergeant Morris married a i\Iiss Har
per, of Yorktown, and also resigned, and J. A. Brooks was made
Sergeant. The company left Cotulla and established a camp in
the Nueces Canyon. In the fall of 1885 the command went to
WUbarger County, and in the following year went after fence-
cutters in Brown County. Captain Scott was in command, and
the outlaws were surprised and caught in the act of cutting the
fence. The Captain was in front, and commenced firing as soon
as he perceived them. The Rangers all followed suit, and when
the smoke cleared up two fence-cutters were seen lying dead on
the ground. This was the first battle of young Rogers.
From Brown County a detachment of the Rangers were
ordered to Sabine County to arrest a gang of murderers and
outlaws who had defied the civil authorities, and in fact, the
whole country. These desperate men were old man Conner
and his three sons — Fed, William, and John. They were splen
did shots, and lived almcst like Indians in the dense pine forest
which nearly covered that part of the country. AA'hen the Rang
ers arrived in the vicinity of the Conners they were to meet a
man at a certain designated place after dark, who was to pilot
them to a camp of the outlaws. He had been with the Con
ners often, and, in fact, had been placed in this work by the
Rangers on a previous trip, when they had failed to locate their
men. He was a citizen of this locality, and had bought out the
Conners, and they were now living in a camp in the dense pine

Texas — The Country and Its Men 485

woods, covered with underbrush. Two others citizens were with
the Rangers — Judge PoUy, from Hemphill, and W. W. Weth-
ered. from the town of Milam. The Rangers rode around in the
vicinitv of the camp in the early part of the night, and their
trail was discovered by the Conners whUe they were out fire-
hunting with a torch. Apprehending the significance of this trail,
thev at once repaired to their camp and prepared for defense.
They took off the bell from a packhorse so that its rattling would
not betray their position, and awaited developments. On this
night the citizen spy had hunted with the Conners, but finally
excused himself and said he would go home, but instead came
to the Rangers, who were a mile or more away. The Con
ners discovered the trail of the Rangers by their torchlight after
he left. The spy intended to be guided to some extent by the bell
on the packhorse in piloting the Rangers through the dark woods
to the stronghold of the outlaws. He carried them, as he thought,
to within two or three hundred yards of their camp, and then
went back a short distance, not wanting to be seen by the Con
ners. Captain Scott had told the man before this to slip down
the gullv on which the camp was situated and take observa
tions, but not hearing the bell, he was afraid he had missed
the place. This was a new camp, and he had only been there
in the night time. WhUe he was gone on this reconnoitering
expedition he thought he heard one of the Conners cough, and
so reported. Captain Scott now told him not to leave the place,
as he might be needed for a guide after the fight, and dismounted
his men, who tied their horses to the trees. The party was now
divided. Two rangers and four citizens were sent to the left,
and the Captain and five Rangers went to the right. As the
latter were the men who fought the battle, we wUl follow them
and give their names, which were, besides the Captain, Sergeant
Brooks, Frank Carmichael, J. H. Moore, John H. Rogers, and
AA'illiam Treadwell. The intention of the Captain was to find
the camp between the two parties, but to remain near enough
to each other so that when firing commenced they would not
shoot by accident any of their own men. The right and left sep
arated too far, and both parties passed the camp without dis
covering it. Captain Scott and his party finally came to a gully,
and Sergeant Brooks said if this was the one they were camped

486 Texas — The Country and Its Men
in it was no use to cross, but to turn back and keep up on this
side. This was done, and all moved cautiously along. It was
now nearly day. The time was the last day of March, 1886. Just
at daybreak John Rogers saw the outlines of a man in a squat
ting position, and called the attention of Sergeant Brooks to the
fact, but at this time the man raised up and the Rangers cov
ered him with their AVinchesters. He backed ten steps to a tree
and stopped. Rogers called to him and asked if he was one of
their own men. Without replying, he raised his gun to fire, and
was instantly killed by three shots from Scott, Rogers, and
Brooks. One ball went through his head and two through his
body. All struck about the same time, and he dropped instantly
in his tracks. This was Bill Conner, second youngest. Simul
taneously with these shots came a volley from ambush fired at
the Rangers, which wounded John Rogers in the side, spinning
him around, and killed James H. Moore, of Center Point, Kerr
County, Texas, who was shot through the heart, dying instantly.
Captain Scott now received a wound and fell, shot through the
lungs. Another volley came quick, and young Rogers was
wounded the second time, and he fell to the ground. He had his
gun in position to fire, and the ball struck his left arm and went
through the muscle between the main artery and the bone, cut
ting the nerve. Sergeant Brooks now advanced on the hidden
marksmen and continued to shoot in their direction, but was soon
shot through both hands. He had his gun up to fire, and a ball
glanced on the under side of his gun barrel, shot three fingers
from his left hand, and lodged in the right. Unable now to work
the lever of his AA'inchester, he sank to the ground to avoid other
shots, and crawled back to Rogers on his knees and elbows.
Then, with bloody and shattered hand, he drew his pistol, gave
words of encouragement to the boys, and renewed the battle
with his unseen foes. The bullets were now flying thick and
striking the ground around the wounded men. Rogers was par
alyzed in the left side and arm, but had use of the right, and
with this worked the lever of his gun, holding the barrel be
tween his knees, and fired repeatedly from where he lay on the
ground. The Conners finally retreated, and the firing ceased.
Captain Scott was lying to the right of Rogers, and the latter
made an attempt to reach him, but was unable. The other two

Texas — The Country and Its Men 487
Rangers who had not been hit and had sprung to cover during
the fearful fusillade, now came forward, and Carmichael placed
a coat under the head of Captain Scott and elevated him so that
he could breathe better, as in the position he was lying he was
strangling with blood. He lay there now, and gave orders as
to what should be done coolly and calmly. One man was to
be sent to Hemphill, the nearest point, for doctors to gi\e im
mediate attention, and Private Crowder was to go to San Au
gustine, forty miles away, after the best surgeon there. Crow
der had been left at the house of one of the relati\'es of the Con
ners, with orders to arrest anyone who came there, and a citizen
carried him the message from his captain. A doctor soon ar
rived on the scene and dressed the wounds of the stricken men,
the shot fingers of Sergeant Brooks having to be amputated.
The ball was cut out of Captain Scott; it had lodged below the
shoulder blade on the left side. A daybook saved the life of John
Rogers. The ball would have gone directly through his body
had it not first come in contact with the book. It went through
the book, however, but deflected and passed out above the left
hip. It will be noticed that all of the men who received wounds
were struck on the left side, and it would appear that the Con
ners were aiming for the heart. This, however, might not have
been the case. Men shooting from behind a tree generally aim
from the right side of it, and the first part of the man's body
he sees when he is about to fire is the left side, and in quick, hot
work he fires his piece as soon as he covers that part of the
body. The trees behind which the Conners stood were thickly
peppered with balls, showing with what true aim the Rangers
sent their shots in the direction from which came those of their
foes, who were completely hidden from view during the battle.
The next day after the fight, April ist, the wounded men
were removed to Hemphill, nine miles away. Captain Scott was
carried on a litter, and Rogers and Brooks in a wagon. They
suffered a great deal on the way. The brave and gallant young
Moore, who lost his life in this battle with the outlaws, was car
ried to Hemphill and buried before the wounded Rangers reached
there. His was the most largely attended funeral ever known
there. Many ladies came and dropped bouquets in the grave of
the dead hero. The citizens were all kind and sympathetic, and

488 Texas — The Country and Its Men
came to see the Rangers in great numbers. The wounded were
all kept in one house, and many ladies came every day with flow
ers and nourishment. The relatives of Moore at Center Point
were notified of his death, and Captain Frank Moore, sheriff of
Kerr County, his uncle, came at once. He carried the horse,
saddle and pistol of the gallant boy back home. The horse, a
fine sorrel pacer, was kept in the Moore family until he died.
When Captain Scott recovered he married Miss Georgia Lynch,
of Waelder, Gonzales County, Texas.
AA'hen young Rogers so far recovered as to be able to travel
he obtained leave of absence, and came to see his mother at
Kingsbury, Guadalupe County, his father having died when he
was very young. AVhen this leave expired he went back to his
company, which had been continuously hunting the Conners ever
since the fight, but being unable to find them, the Rangers came
back west to San Angelo, Tom Green County. Sergeant Brooks
was now Captain of the company, and John Rogers was made
Sergeant. AA'hile at San Angelo, Sergeant Rogers and Y. D. McMurry
a Deputy from Mitchell County, followed a couple of horse-
thieves-and accidentally met them in the road, rather to the sur
prise of both parties. One of them raised his gun to fire, but
Rogers was too quick for him, getting in the first shot, wounding
him in the arm, and he dropped his gun. The Sergeant then
jumped down and caught his horse by the bridle. The Deputy
had his man covered, also, but turned his head when Rogers
fired, and he succeeded in getting his pistol out, but being again
covered by McMurry, let it fall, and both were captured and put
in jail in San Angelo.
From Tom Green County the Rangers moved to Rio Grande
City and stayed there two years, and then in 1890 came back to
Cotulla. In the fall of 1892 Catarina Garza raised his revolt,
and Sergeant Rogers went out with five men to locate him and
his band, who numbered 165. In one of his deserted camps pa
pers were found which disclosed forty names of men and offi
cers. Sergeant Rogers went twice to Laredo and begged for
help, and finally a squad of soldiers came under the command
of Captain Hardie. This officer was a fine man, and was \ery
popular among the Rangers. It will be remembered that Garza

Texas — The Country and Its Men 489
was not making war against the Texans, but was organizing his
force in Texas for the invasion of Mexico in the hopeless and
useless endeavor of overturning the Diaz Government. The
Rangers and soldiers in conjunction broke up his band in Texas,
and many of them were captured. Garza himself was not taken,
but made his escape to Cuba and joined the army of Maceo, the
Cuban patriot, and lost his life in battle with the Spaniards.
On the loth of May, 1892, Sergeant Rogers, having ob
tained leave of absence, married Miss Hattie Burwell, at Cotulla.
To this union three children have been born, namely, Lucile,
Pleasant Blair and Lapsley Harris. The oldest, Lucile, gradu
ated in May, 1913, with honors at the Texas Presbyterian Col
lege for Girls at Millford, Texas, and at this time, 1916, both
she and Pleasant Blair are attending the University at Austin.
Pleasant Blair was named for both his grandfathers. Lapsley
Harris, who was named for the first Presbyterian missionary who
went to Africa (the Rev. Samuel N. Lapsley) was drowned in
the Colorado River at the old dam site near Austin in the sum-
.mer of 1907. Soon after this important event in the life of the
gallant Ranger the company was sent to Realitos, Duval County.
Sergeant Rogers was commissioned Captain of the company by
Governor James Hogg on the ist day of January, 1893. Tupper
Harris, of Kingsbury, Guadalupe County, was elected first Ser
geant. The company was stationed at Alice. Curren Rogers,
brother of the Captain, belonged to the company, having joined
soon after the Conner fight.
The company remained at Alice six and one-half years, and
then came back in June, 1898, to Cotulla, relieving Captain
Brooks, the gallant Sergeant in the Conner battle, who had been
placed in command of a company, and his command went to
Alice. In September Sergeant Harris resigned, and H. G. Dubose
was elected to fill the vacancy.
On the 1 8th of March, 1899, Captain Rogers received an or
der from General Scurry to repair to Laredo with a detach
ment of his men to assist State Health Officer Blunt in enforcing
quarantine regulations, there being a great epidemic of smallpox
at that place. Mexican citizens of Laredo who had the disease
objected to being moved from their homes to the pesthouse or

490 Texas — The Country and Its Men

hospital which had been provided for those aft'licted. AA hen
Laptain Rogers arrived at Laredo he quartered himself and men
at the Hamilton Hotel. .On the 19th he took A. Y. Old ("-\ugy")
and repaired to the scene of moving the patients. The ]\lexicans
had a clash with the city officials, in which several shots were
fired on both sides, and hundreds of them now swarmed to
gether on the streets, yelling and hissing. Captain Rogers, hav
ing but few men, wired Governor Sayers to use his influence
with the AA'ar Department to call out troops from Fort Mcin
tosh if found necessary. Operations were now suspended until
the morning of the 20th. In the meantime General Scurn.- wired
Sergeant DuBose at Cotulla, to proceed with all of the men there
to the assistance of Captain Rogers at Laredo. He arrived on
the 20th with Rangers AA'. A. Old, AA'. L. AA'right, Creed Taylor,
and James Moore (cousin of the James Moore kUled in the Con
ner fight). The Ranger companies at this time had been cut
down to not more than a dozen men each. Sergeant DuBose re
ported to Captain Rogers at the Hamilton House, and he and
his men were quartered there. Just before starting the pest
wagons, information came that at a certain house in East Laredo
arms and ammunition were being concealed for the purpose of
resisting the officials of the quarantine when the removal of pa
tients commenced. Captain Rogers at once repaired to the place
designated, in company with the Sheriff and three Mexican offi
cers. One house was searched, nothing found, and no resist
ance offered. Here A. Y. Old and Special Ranger Thomas Rag-
land joined Captain Rogers. The party now proceeded to the
house of Agapita Herrera, and presenting a search warrant, told
their business. He then called the Sheriff to one side and had
a talk with him. Two brothers of Agapita were present, and
they commenced pacing back and forth across the yard in a very
nervous manner, and at the same . time closely watching the
Rangers. The Sheriff finally grabbed Agapita and beckoned to
the Mexican deputies. The Mexican in this talk with the Sheriff
had refused permission to have his house searched. The two
brothers now ran into the house, seized their AA'inchesters, and
ran through a gate which was between the street and their yard.
Captain Rogers fired on them, and the Mexicans jumped be
hind a wall, and Agapita got loose from the Sheriff and obtained

Texas — The Country and Its Men 491
possession of his AA'inchester. The Captain was watching the
two Mexicans behind the wall, and did not see Agapita when
he secured his gun. The first he noticed of him he was aiming
his gun at the Captain, and had crossed the street in the rear,
and Captain Rogers wheeled and fired at him, wounding him in
the breast. Shooting at this time was general, the other two
Rangers having opened fire. Their hats were covered with lime
from the whitewashed walls of the house against which they
stood, the balls striking over their heads. About the time that
Captain Rogers fired his second shot he was badly wounded in
the right shoulder by a shot and another ball also cut his thumb.
Augy Old now fired fwo shots in quick succession at Agapita,
hitting him both times in the head, and he fell dead in his tracks.
During this time the Sheriff and Mexican deputies had left the
yard and gone into another street. The ball that struck Captain
Rogers broke the bone just below the shoulder joint, rendering
his right hand powerless. The left arm had been disabled in
the Conner fight and was not strong, and thus left powerless
he withdrew and went down the street towards the Hamilton
House, where he could get medical assistance, as he was bleed
ing profusely. The other two Rangers held their own with the
Mexicans, but finally withdrew. Captain Rogers, becoming very
weak, hailed a hack before reaching his destination, and was
taken in and conveyed to the hotel. Before reaching there he
met City Marshal Joe Bartlow, who asked what was the trou
ble, and was informed of the fight. Sergeant DuBose and the
other Rangers were also met coming in a run with AA'inchesters.
They had been telephoned by Dr. Blunt that a fight was in prog
ress. Although bleeding and suffering. Captain Rogers ordered
the hack to stop, and gave orders to his men what to do. He
told DuBose that now was the time to caU out the soldiers, as
they had permission to use them, and to wait and get them ;
to be prudent, take matters in hand, and do the best he could.
At the hotel the wounded Captain was met by Frank Earnest and
other friends, and assisted to his room, where Dr. McKnight
attended him. In about twenty minutes news came that fighting
was going on again in town. The Rangers under Sergeant Du
Bose, becoming impatient, repaired to the scene of the late fight,
and there found about fifty armed Mexicans assembled around

492 Texas — The Country and Its Men

the dead body of Agapita. They opened fire on the Rangers
when they appeared, and a general fusillade commenced. At the
first fire from the Rangers the Mexicans scattered quickly and
promiscuously to cover behind fences, etc. The Rangers, al
though only a corporal's guard, as you might say, held their own,
and quite a battle ensued. One Mexican repeatedly fired a AA'in
chester from cover, and for some time the Rangers could not
locate him. Creed Taylor, the youngest Ranger in the party,
had a slide magazine shotgun, and changing his position he ob
tained a view of the Mexican, as he to some extent uncovered
himself to fire, and gave him a load of buckshot, which turned
him over. There were more signs on this Mexican after the
fight than any that could be heard of that was hit. There was
no chance to find out how many were killed or hit. Five had
the assistance of doctors afterwards. Sergeant DuBose received
one ball through the pants leg, and Special Ranger O. N. AA^right
was badly bruised by a spent ball in the groin. After the fight
the Rangers repaired to the hotel and informed their Captain
what they had done, and was told to go on with the work of
removing patients. This was done without any more disturbance
of any consequence.
On the 21 St Captain Rogers was removed to the Santa Rosa
Hospital, San Antonio, and placed under the treatment of Dr.
Graves. Dr. AA'ilcox, of Laredo, came as far as Devine with him,
¦and then returned. Dr. Graves told the Captain he could save
his arm, but would likely have to make it shorter, and that even
ing at five o'clock he operated upon it, cutting out one inch and
a half of bone. The Captain had to lie in one position six weeks,
but when able to sit up, was carried to his mother's house, who
lived in San Antonio. In three weeks more he went back to his
command at Cotulla.
Captain Rogers is related to Colonel Nat Benton, who lost
an arm at the battle of Blair's Landing, in Louisiana, during the
Civil War. Colonel Benton and his young son Eustis were in
the Callahan expedition in 1855, and were both wounded in the
Battle of San Fernando, in Mexico — the son se\-erely in the head.
Eustis was a Captain in the Confederate Army, and faithfully
followed the Stars and Bars.
About the first of January, 1901, Captain Rogers, with his

Texas — The Country and Its Men 493
company of Rangers, was moved from Cotulla to Laredo, Texas,
where their headquarters remained for about two years. From
this point he and his men, with their ever-ready pack-mule, were
engaged in the ordinary Ranger work of patrolling the border
above and below Laredo and in the counties lying out from the
border, arresting violators of the law, cattle-thieves, and men
charged with other crimes, among them, one Gregorio Cortez,
who was a noted character at that time.
The circumstances are about as follows : Sheriff AA'. T.
Morris, of Karnes County, an old ex-Ranger friend of former
days, who served as First Sergeant in Captain Joe Shely's
company, attempted to arrest for horse stealing the two Cortez
brothers on a ranch about twelve miles west of Karnes City.
AA'hen commanded to consider themselves under arrest, Gregorio
Cortez said in Spanish: "Nobody can arrest me," and began
drawing his pistol, the other Cortez brother at the same time at
tempting to catch hold of Sheriff Morris. The Sheriff drew his
pistol and fired on the older Cortez brother and wounded him
in the head or mouth, and then attempted to shoot Gregorio, but
Gregorio in the meantime had gotten his pistol out and shot
Sheriff Morris down. After the Sheriff fell, Gregorio advanced,
took his pistol and made his escape, carrying his wounded broth
er with him for several miles, where he abandoned his wounded
brother near Kenedy and fled into Gonzales County.
Searching parties were organized and began the search ; the
wounded Cortez was located and captured the following day
and placed in jail at Karnes City, where he later died as a re
sult of his wound received from Sheriff Morris.
Gregorio made his way into Gonzales County, where Sheriff
Rufus Glover, with Deputy Sheriff Oscar Swift, from DeAA'itt
County, and others, approached the house about dark the next
day, or the second day after Sheriff Morris had been killed. Gre
gorio, it appears, had just reached there and when the officers
approached, there being some five or six men in the posse, he
fired upon them, and, perhaps, was assisted by another Mexican
friend. In the fight that followed Sheriff Glover was shot from
his horse and instantly killed and another member of the posse,
Mr. Schuavel, that had joined him, living in that vicinity, was also
instantly killed.
Cortez made his escape from this place and quite a number

494 Texas — The Country and Its Men
of Sheriffs gathered from different counties in the State and
many citizens from Karnes, Gonzales and adjoining counties
joined in the chase. Emanuel Toms, from Atascosa County, who
is noted for being able to trail well, joined the party and took up
the trail. Cortez secured a mount, in fact, when one horse gave
out he would steal another, and traveled a zigzag and at right
angles, first going south and then turning west, going through
fences and in man)' wa3's displayed much shrewdness in mis
leading his pursuers. He finally turned west and went into
La Salle County near Cotulla, where he abandoned his horse and
saddle and proceeded on foot. He was trailed on into Encinal
County, west of Encinal, where his trail was lost.
Anticipating that he would attempt to cross the Rio Grande
about thirty or forty miles above Laredo, Captain Rogers pro
ceeded into that section of the country with Deputy United States
Marshal AA'illiam Hansen, K. H. Merrim, Customs Inspector, and
a few others. He had no Rangers with him as his men were en
gaged at other points. Twelve days after Cortez had killed the
first Sheriff, Captain Rogers came upon him, after separating
from the men of his party. Captain Rogers and Mr. K. H. Mer
rim being together, twelve miles north of Palafox and arrested
him at the point of a .38 AA'inchester at a little goat camp without
firing a shot. He had with him two pistols, but he only had
about seven or eight cartridges left. Mr. Merrim and Captain
Rogers approached the little Mexican hut from the rear, being
piloted by a Mexican cowboy who had just seen Cortez go into
this ranch. Captain Rogers went to the front of the house and
Mr. Merrim to the hack, and as before stated Captain Rogers
arrested Cortez, who came out on his side of the house. He
was all haggard and worn and half star^'ed, and gaxe a fictitious
name and claimed that he was just from Mexico.
Mr. Merrim came over to where Captain Rogers arrested
him and they handcuffed him and carried him to Laredo, a spe
cial train being sent up from Laredo to the coal mines to take
them into Laredo,
At Laredo Cortez was thoroughly identified and turned o\er
to the Karnes City officers, and accompanied by Captain Rogers
as far as San Antonio.
Cortez was given a life sentence in the penitentiary for the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 495
murder of the second Sheriff, that gallant officer, Rufus Glover,
whom he killed while attempting to arrest him for the murder
of his brother officer. Sheriff Morris of Karnes County, who, by
the way, was an excellent, fearless, painstaking and conscientious
officer, but pardoned by Governor Colquitt during his adminis
tration. This aft'air attracted much attention in Texas at that time,
and the capture of Cortez, as well as the triple murder preceding
same, was heralded in the press far and wide.
On January I, 1903, this company was ordered to break
camp at Laredo and move their headquarters to Colorado, in
Mitchell County, with one-half of the company to be stationed
at Amarillo, Potter County. AA'. M. Burwell, Captain Rogers'
brother-in-law, was then Sergeant of the company, and he, with
half of the men, was stationed at Amarillo. At this time there
was much lawlessness in and around Amarillo, criminals coming
into .\marillo (a city of the plains), from Indian Territory, New
Me.xico and other places, and the town was overrun with gam
blers, confidence men and a portion of the time, when the good
people voted local option, bootlegging was a great enterprise.
Sergeant Burwell was so aggressive in the enforcement of the
law that in nine months after he reached Amarillo he was ap
pointed Sheriff of the county, and under his efforts conditions
began to improve. At this time — 1916 — Mr. Burwell is still
Sheriff" of Potter County, and Amarillo has grown to be quite a
city and law and order prevails.
In June, 1905, Captain Rogers, with his company, and also
the Amarillo detachment, moved to Alpine, in Brewster County,
where they scouted the Big Bend country, pursuing the ordinary
work of the Ranger, for a period of about two years. In Sep
tember, 1905, Ranger Tom Goff, from Throckmorton County,
was killed near Terlingua, in the Big Bend country near the
Rio Grande, by a Mexican by the name of Augustin Garcia.
Briefly the circumstances are as follows : Goff had Garcia ar
rested and was taking him to a mining camp, the Mexican being
afoot and Goff horseback. On the side of a steep hill Goff's
horse fell on him, Goff. The horse jumped up and ran up the
hill ; the Mexican ran and caught the horse, took Goff's gun from
the saddle, and as Goff, dizzy from his fall, followed up the hill-

496 Texas — The Country and Its Men

side, the Mexican shot and killed him with his, Goff's, own AA'in
chester, a 30-40 caliber. This occurred about dark. There were
no Rangers nearer than Alpine, a distance of about one hundred
miles, so the Mexican, taking the Ranger's gun with him, escaped
into Mexico, as it was only about ten miles from the place of the
kUling to the Rio Grande River. Captain Rogers immediately
dispatched other Rangers to the scene and every effort was made
to capture the murderer, but they were of no avail, he was safely
on the other side of the "Rio Bravo." A rough box was pre
pared for the body of Ranger Goff by the miners and friends
in that section, who were very kind, and he was hauled from
there in a wagon to Alpine. Captain Rogers proceeded on the
train with the body from Alpine to Sierra Blanca and from there
took the Texas and Pacific to Cisco, then up the Central to
Albany, where the body was taken from there overland about
forty miles to Throckmorton, and buried at his home, surrounded
by friends and loved ones, who seemed to appreciate very much
the delivery of his body to them at home by Captain Rogers
under such trying circumstances. Goff was an experienced and
fearless officer and the best shot and best known in the Ranger
service. Many things were accomplished by the Rangers in their two
years' stay at Alpine that are not mentioned here. They re
covered something over a hundred head of stolen and smuggled
horses from near El Paso, that were run out into a section east
of El Paso, a sparsely settled ranch country, and were rounded
up and captured by the Rangers and returned to their rightful
owners. The thief escaped into Mexico.
June I, 1907, this company was ordered from Alpine to Aus
tin, where they remained throughout the entire administration
of Governor Campbell. J. O. Newton was then Adjutant Gen
eral. The principal work of this company of Rangers, under
the Campbell administration, was in East Texas, where they
were frequently sent to quiet disturbances, preserve order during
district court where fueds existed, prevent mob violence in other
cases, and sometimes to work up murder cases and arrest for
murder where the local authorities were unable to adequately
cope with the situation. They did some effective work during
one session of the district court at Center, Shelby County, during

Texas — The Country and Its Men 497

the noted Paul-Short feud. On another occasions in San Au
gustine County, several negroes had been murdered in cold blood
by Americans and no arrests had been made, and the good citi
zens were terror stricken. Soon after the Rangers appeared on
the scene they worked up murder cases against the guilty parties,
made the arrests, parties were denied bail, \enue changed and
peace and quiet reigned. On another occasion, at Nacogdoches,
several Rangers, together with General Ne-wton, Colonel L. T.
Rogers and a few neighboring Sheriffs, stood off and held at bay a
mob of several hundred men who desired to hang a negro who had
just been convicted of murder and the death penalty assessed.
The mob desired to hang him at once and not wait the thirty
days that the law gave him before he could be legally executed,
and as mobs in this county had on former occasions succeeded
in having their way, they were rather persistent in this matter
and more than once it looked as if they "would have to be shown,"
but with firmness on the part of the Rangers and coolness at all
times, serious trouble was avoided and the negro brought out
and carried to Rusk for safekeeping, and legally hung at the ex
piration of the thirty days.
In addition to such work in East Texas as abo\-e referred
to in numerous cases, the Rangers made occasional visits to Gal
veston and San Antonio, where gambling, especially, was run-
ing openly, in \-iolation of the law, as well as other law- viola
tions, such as the open saloon on Sundays, etc. On the first
trip to San .-Antonio of this character. Captain Rogers sent two
of his most experienced men, namely, J. T. Laughlin (at present
Deputy Marshal under Captain Rogers and stationed at Del Rio)
and Goff AA'hite. These two rangers located a gambling house in
.San .A.ntonio and entered, and alone arrested some fifty or sixty
men and held them until they telephoned for assistance and
Constable Trainer, of San Antonio, and his force of Deputies
came to their assistance and they jailed the gamblers and made
cases against them. On one other occasion, after the gamblers
of San Antonio had forgotten the first raid and again became
bold. Captain Rogers detailed Sergeant M. E. BaUey (afterwards
made Captain), J. L. Anders and Hall Avriett, to go to San
Antonio. They disguised themselves as farmer boys, and soon
found their way into a gambling house and arrested fifteen or

498 Texas — The Country and Its Men
twenty men, tied them together with fishing cords after their
handcuffs gave out, and then marched them to jail.
Two or three trips of like character were made to Galves
ton with more or less success, but never so many captured at one
time, but as a result of one of their Galveston raids one gambler
was convicted, subsequently to serve a term in the penitentiary.
On January 31, 191 1, Captain Rogers resigned from the
Ranger force, going out with Governor Campbell's administra
tion, as Captain Rogers had been an ardent supporter in the pre
vious election of the Hon. Cone Johnson, of Tyler, for Governor.
Just at the time of resigning he was offered a position as
Deputy United States Marshal under Captain Eugene Nolte,
Marshal of the Western District of Texas, to be stationed at El
Paso. There being nothing else in sight just at that time, he
accepted this position and proceeded to El Paso to begin work
February i, 1911, as Deputy United States Marshal. Notwith
standing Captain Rogers was an outspoken Democrat at all times,
on account of his experience as an officer and by reason of the
fact that revolutionary troubles were on to such an extent in Chi
huahua, Mexico, and Juarez, immediately across from El Paso,
being the bone of contention, he was selected for the important
work and given the duty, especially, of enforcing neutrality laws.
In this position he handled neutrality violations by the hundred,
as the records of the United States Marshal's office will show.
On December i, 1912, President Taft appointed in Captain
Nolte's stead B. J. McDowell as United States Marshal for the
AA'estern District of Texas. Captain Rogers went out on this
date also, as the new Marshal -wanted only Republicans in office.
Captain Rogers had already received encouragement to apply
for the Marshal's office himself under the incoming Democratic
administration, and from this time forward he pressed the fight,
which was hotly contested from the beginning, there being some
twenty applicants for the Marshal's office in the AA'estern Dis
trict, some excellent men among them. However, on the 22nd
day of March, 1913, upon the recommendation of both United
States Senators C. A. Culberson and Morris Sheppard, he was
appointed to the position by President AA'oodrow AA'ilson, and as
sumed his duties on April 3, 1913.
Captain Rogers, unlike many officers and especially those

Te.xas — The Country and Its Men 499

of the old-time Ranger type, is a Christian man, unpretentious.
but tries to five a consistent Christian life. He attributes his
many escapes from death during his service in the Ranger force
and up to the present time to Providence. In accordance with
these ideas, he issued the following statement before qualifying
as United States Marshal, which appears at this time pasted on
the flyleaf of his Bible which lies on his desk in the Marshal's
office : "I, John H. Rogers, was appointed United States
Marshal for the Western District of Texas, March 22,
1913, by AA'oodrow AA'ilson, President of the United
States. "After giving due credit to all loyal friends who
stood by me so nobly and endorsed me so unqualifiedly,
I nevertheless attribute my success to Almighty God,
whose I am and whom I serve and to whom I solemnly
pledged if He would favor me for said position, 1 would
use the office for His glory, which pledge I now ratify,
relying upon him for His help and guidance. It is my
desire that what additional influence I might have by
reason of my office shall be used for Him.
"This, the 3rd day of April, 1913, the day I as
sumed the responsibilities of the office.
"J. H. Rogers,
"United States Marshal, AA'estern District of Texas."

GEORGE BRULAY
BROWNSVILLE
Few men in Texas have had a more varied and eventful
experience than George Brulay, deceased, a leading citizen of the
Brownsville country.
Like Aeneas, he has been "beef feted much, both on sea and
land." Born in the City of Paris, France, December 18, 1839.
When scarcely more than fourteen years of age his father put
him aboard a French merchant vessel, bound for South America.
The vessel was wrecked off the coast of Colombia, South America.

500

Texas — The Country and Its Men

GEORGE BRULAY

Texas — The Country and Its Men 501
Young Brulay was picked up by the Indians, and by them nursed
back to health and cared for until he was able to travel. He
visited the interior of that country, working at everything he could
find to do. He spent nearly three years in Colombia, when, avail
ing himself of the first opportunity, he returned to Paris. Here
he engaged his services to a commission merchant, for whom he
worked nearly a year. Again shipping aboard a merchantman, he
crossed the Atlantic the third time, landing in Tampa, Florida.
He was now about eighteen years old, and securing a few pack
mules, he loaded them with goods, which he peddled through the
country with some profit. Tiring of this, he set sail for Browns
ville, -where he engaged in a general mercantile business under the
firm name and style of Colon, Brulay & Company, which busi
ness he conducted with varying degrees of success until 1876.
Here he married Miss Marie E. Boesch, whose parents were
from the famous province of Alsace, France. They are repre
sented by five children, to wit : George, Eugenie, Louis, Jeanne
and Maurice. In 1876 he quit merchandising and devoted his
entire attention to his plantation, which he had acquired. The
first year he planted fifty acres of cotton, making thirty-three
bales, which he sold in Monterey for 19c per pound; quite a neat
return. He also planted a few rows of sugar cane as an experi
ment. The result satisfied him that this was a cane country.
Accordingly he increased his acreage in cane, until now he has
over three hundred acres in cane, and he has erected a large sugar
plant of ISO-ton capacity, making a fine grade of sugar, which is
readily disposed of at a fair price in Brownsville.
AA'hen Mr. Brulay entered the cane-growing business he had
very little property, but he has amassed a fortune, and he has
demonstrated an agricultural fact destined to enrich thousands
and to make the Brownsville country the leading sugar producing
region of the LTnited States. Sugar cane in the Rio Grande coun
try- attains its greatest perfection. A third of a century ago Mr.
Brulay started the sugar industry there, and he has grown cane
on the same plantation every year since, and so fertile and produc
tive is the soil that the same land annually produces abundance,
and yet not an ounce of fertilizer has he used. The cane grown
near Brownsville was awarded the premium at the St. Louis Fair
for its luxuriance and for its superior sugar producing power. It

502 Texas — The Country and Its Men
contains a greater per cent of saccharine matter than the cane
grown in Louisiana, and the average product of sugar from this
Brownsville cane per acre is greater than that of any sugar
growing country in the world. These are facts established by
Governmental tests. The far-reaching importance of that little
experiment by Mr. Brulay, a third of a century ago, was not
dreamed of by him at the time, and it entitles Mr. Brulay to
recognition among the advanced agriculturists of the State, a
pioneer in the field.
With irrigation and improved methods and machinery, the
most vivid imagination fails to grasp the possibilities of the future
of this growing industry in Southwest Texas, an industry of
which Mr. Brulay may be said to be the author and founder in
that section.

GEORGE C. VAUGHAN
SAN ANTONIO
Senior partner in the Vaughan Lumber Company and President
of the Alamo Lumber Company, is a native of Vermont, bom
February 24, 1858. His parents also were born in Vermont. His
father, Roswell F. Vaughan, belonged to the Vaughan family of
Wales, England ; his mother, Mrs. Jennie Bacon Vaughan. was a
daughter of John Bacon, business man, banker and member of
the Legislature of Vermont.
Mr. Vaughan attended the St. Johnsbury (Vermont) High
School. AVhen fourteen years old he started to make his way in
the world ; at eighteen he was engaged in banking. He came to
Texas some thirty years ago, spending about ten years in Kerr
County, engaged while there in ranching and mercantile business.
For the last twenty years he has lived in San Antonio. He has
become a power in the lumber world ; his firm conducts the largest
lumber business in this or any other country, and operates one of
the largest chains of retail yards in this section.
Mr. Vaughan is a Director of the Lumbermen's Underwrit
ers and of the Lumbermen's Association of Texas ; is Vice Presi
dent of the Dascomb-Daniels Lumber Company of Kansas City,

Texas — The Country and Its Men 503

504 Texas — The Country and Its Men

of the Hilgard Lumber Company of Chicago, and of the Inter
national Sash and Door Company of Mexico; also Secretary of
the Eagle Pass Lumber Company. He is a Director in the Alamo
National Bank.
Mr. Vaughan married Miss Torrey of New Braunfels in
1891, and has four children: Two daughters, Mrs. Meyer and
Miss Cornelia, and two sons, Roswell F. and Curtis T., both Har
vard University men. He is a Director and former President of
the San Antonio Club and belongs also to the International,
Country and Hoo-Hoo Clubs.

LIVINGSTON G. COLLINS
CORPUS CHRISTI
Mr. Collins is a native of AA'isconsin, born on April 2, 1859.
His parents were Gideon and Rachel P. Collins, both bom
in New York State.
Mr. Collins' father did a general merchandise and trading
business with the Indians and was reasonably successful.
He educated his son, Livingston G,, at Chicago.
On leaving school young collins became a ranchman, prefer
ring the active life and freedom of the AA'estern ranch to the tread
mill routine of the city.
Life on the plains and prairies develops mental and physical
activity, self-reliance and individuality, traits that command re
spect and admiration. These were the considerations chiefly that
influenced Mr. Collins in his choice.
In 1876 he came to Texas and engaged first in sheep raising.
which he followed successfully until 1879, when he went into the
cattle business, which he has followed since.
October 15, 1890, he married Miss Catherine M. Adams and
they have five children, viz: Norman G., born August 29, 1891 ;
Bessie P., bom April 5, 1893 ; Bruce L,, born November 26, 1896;

Texas — The Country and Its Me?

505

^?H^^^.-c_.^

506 Texas — The Country and Its Men
MUdred A., born March 26, 1899, and Catherine J., born June
8, 1901.
Mr. Collins is a Democrat in his politicial views.
He is a modest, unassuming man, and enjoys life, surrounded
by the comforts of a happy, well appointed home.
He owns valuable real estate and is a substantial citizen, con
tributing by influence and example to the advancement of the
best interests of his community along those lines that make for
the betterment of society and the good of the race.

FRANK H. BURMEISTER
PLEASANTON
A member of the Texas State Legislature, owner of a ranch in
McMuUen County, a successful lawyer with offices at Pleasanton.
Frank H. Burmeister has a number of interesting distinctions
apart from those implied in such important relationship to the
business and public life of his State. He is an example of the
scholar in politics, and among his closer associates is as much
esteemed for the broad range of his intellectual interests as for
his material and matter of fact prosperity. Popular as an orator,
a close thinker and student of economic and political conditions,
Mr. Burmeister is no ordinary figure in his home State.
His career has been one of large and broad attainment's from
inconspicuous beginnings. Born in Berlin, Germany, in 1S56, he
comes of a scholarly family. His parents were Alexander and
Mary (Holtzhauer) Burmeister, and his father was a brother of
Professor Herman Burmeister, a German naturalist, who was
accredited with a rank second to Humboldt, and who went to
Rio de Janeiro to take charge of the National Museum for the
Brazilian Government, his selection for that post being all that is
necessary to say to indicate his standing in the scientific world.
The Texas statesman is himself a product of the best literary and
scientific culture of Germany. From the age of five and a half
until he was twenty-fi^'e his career was largely devoted to studious
pursuits. He was a student in a Berlin gymnasium, took special

Texas — The Country and Its Men

507

studies in the University of Berlin, and spent four years in the
Polytechnic University of Zurich, Switzerland, specializing in
natural science and agriculture.
Being free from military duties he emigrated to the United

FRANK H. BURMEISTER

States of America, and though equipped with an exception edu
cation, and with more than ordinary native endowments, when
Frank H. Burmeister arrived in New York in December, 1881, he
possessed little capital beyond that necessary for current expenses.

508 Texas — The Country and Its Men
and had practically no training which would prepare him for the
vigorous business competition of the New AA'orld. Though the
master of several languages, he was as yet unable to speak a word
of English. During his stay in New York he was fortunate in
meeting Dr. J. B. Taylor, owner of the Taylor ranch in McMuUen
County, Texas. Dr. Taylor gave the young German scholar em
ployment as a sheep herder, and in that humble capacity, more
than thirty years ago, he set out upon his career in the Lone Star
State. Mr. Burmeister arrived at the Taylor ranch, seven miles
north of Tilden, on January 17, 1882, and since that date has
been a steadfast and loyal citizen of Texas.
Mr. Burmeister for twenty-nine years has had a full partner
in his caifeer and no proper estimate of his success could be made
without reference to this sharer in his fortunes. The partner
ship begin with his marriage to Miss Sallie J. Russell of Re
fugio County, a daughter of Judge Charles A. Russell, one of the
well known pioneers of that county. AA'hen Mr. and Mrs. Bur
meister began married life their capital consisted of twenty-five
silver doUars and his position as County Surveyor of McMuUen
County. In the subsequent years, spent in McMuUen County.
they have acquired one of the fine ranches of that section, com
prising twenty-five hundred acres and a beautiful home, twelve
miles north of Tilden. This property is valued at many thou
sands of dollars, and together with Mr. Burmeister's law practice
and other interests his prosperity is assured.
Mr. Burmeister's career covers about thirty years. In 1884
he was appointed Deputy County Surveyor, and in 1886 he was
first elected County Surveyor, which office he held until 1894.
when he was first elected to the Legislature and served one term.
Later his home county successively elected him County Judge and
District Attorney. In 1912 he was again returned to the
Legislature. Mr. and Mrs. Burmeister are the parents of eight chUdren,
named as follows: Charles A., Frank M., Jr., Mary. Russell,
Sallie, E. E. Gusta\- and AA'ilhelmina.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 509

THOMAS C. EDWARDS
ALVIN
Thomas C. Edwards, son of Lee H. and Katherine Edwards,
was born at AA'ashington, Louisiana, June 24th, 1872, and re
ceived his education from the common schools of New Orleans
and University of Sewanee, Tennessee. His business training
was begun early in life. At the age of fifteen, he entered a coun
try store in Louisiana as a clerk on a small salary. In 1868, his
parents came to Texas by the -way of Galveston and took a stage
to Austin, where his father engaged in mercantile business, but
subsequently returned, to AA'ashington, Louisiana, where he died
in 1873. The mother still survives, and in the golden sunset of
her life is being tenderly cared for by her high-spirited son, whose
examples of thrift, energy and enterprise, are each a vivid in
spiration to the living present, the record of one whose life rep
resents the sum of the best thought and energy and the loftiest
aspirations of the day and age — of those, moreover, whose suc
cessive triumphs under adverse circumstances of situation have
brought them more nearly within easy reach of a glorious destiny.
In 1892 Mr. Edwards landed in Ah'in and entered the sur
veying field and continued it for two years. In 1894, he entered
the mercantile business in Alvin on a small scale, but by close
application his business increased by leaps and bounds until he
became the leading merchant of the town, and enjoyed a high
rating in the commercial world. As he prospered, he in\'ested
largely in Alvin real estate. In the great Galveston storm of igoo,
in which thousands of lives were lost and millions of property
destroyed, Mr. Edwards lost twenty-seven buildings which were
razed to the ground, and from which he suffered a loss of twenty
thousand dollars. In the face of this calamity he went to work
and rebuilt his houses in a more substantial manner, and is today
one of the largest property owners 'in his county, and now- only
in the prime of life. He organized the Farmers State Bank at
Alvin, January 9, 191 7, of which he is one of the directors at
the present time (1917), was a factor in the passage of the drain-

?*'. '4k

Texas — The Country and Its Men 511
age and shell road bond issue, -which added largely to the wealth
and prosperity of the country. His uncle, R. L. Edwards of
New York, now retired, at one time was at the head of the great
Bank of North America of New York, which was chartered
in 1S51.
Mr. Edwards has served either as Chairman or Secretary of
the Alvin Business League since its organization. Served as City
Alderman from 1912 to 1914. He is a member of the Episcopal
Church and has been superintendent of the Sunday School since
the organization of the church in 1893.
On September 17th, 1899, he w-as happily married to Miss
Elizabeth Scruggs, daughter of D. D. Scruggs, of North Caro
lina. Three children have blessed this union. Lee H., Thomas
C. Jr., and Elizabeth. Mr. Edwards refers with satisfaction to
the fact that his first vote was cast for prohibition, and he was
active in ridding the county of bootleggers;
He is a Mason, AV. O. W., Alvin Lodge No. 275, and a
Democrat. The space aUotted to Mr. Edwards will not permit
us in giving a more detaUed sketch of his life, but the perusal
of the career of one who has risen to his present position un
aided by influential friends should give inspiration to many a
young man to forge ahead. Should it cause one young man of
ability now chilled by disappointment and about to turn aside
from life's great struggle to take fresh courage and press on with
resolution to the achievement of an honorable career, the author
will consider that his labor has not been altogether in vain.

J. H. M. RYALS
REFUGIO
AA'^as born in Refugio County in 1840, under the flag of the Texas
Republic. His parents were among the very early pioneers who
shared the hardships, dangers and privations common to the lot
of the race of intrepid men and heroic women who laid the cor
ner stone of this imperial Commonwealth. His father. Henry
Ryals, after a heroic resistance in which he killed one and

;i2

Texas — The Country .\nd Its Men

J. H. M. ryals

Texas — The Country and Its Men 513
wounded severely two others, was taken prisoner by a maraud
ing band of Mexican cut-throats and horse-thieves who had at
tacked him near his home. He had made a gallant defense, but
when compelled to surrender to overwhelming numbers, these
barbarous and inhuman descendants of the Aztec Kings first
hung him, and followed this act of bestial cruelty by riddling his
corpse with bullets, a practice which, despite "the onward march
of civUization and ever increasing influence of Christianity," is
still in vogue beyond the Rio Grande.
Young Ryals attended the primitive schools of Refugio, ac
quiring such education as was possible in these pioneer institutes
of learning. AA^hen a mere boy he began herding cattle, and for
twenty-five years made the raising of cattle his sole business, and
was rewarded -with the acquisition of a comfortable competence.
In 1870 he married Miss Elizabeth Hines of Bee County,
the result of the union being three children, namely : J. A., A.
v., and Miss N. J. Ryals. When the tocsin of war sounded in
1862, young Ryals, then in his twenty-second year, enlisted in
a company of infantry commanded by Captain J. B. Hare, with
whom he served in the Trans-Mississippi department until the
close of hostilities. He took part in the engagement at Yellow
Bayou, La., and numberless other battles and skirmishes in which
his command participated. In all these trying campaigns, he
shrank from no hardships ; faced every danger with courage and
fortitude, and gave to his country four years of gallant and faith
ful service, and when the "Stars and Bars" became a sacred
legend, received an honorable discharge when his regiment was
mustered out at Corsicana.
He returned to the pursuits of private life with the same
spirit of patriotic devotion to duty as had characterized his record
as a soldier of the Lost Cause, and in his declining years he lives
a quiet, happy life, surrounded by his loved ones, seeking only the
good of his fellow men, content with the dispensation of that
Divine Providence which spared his life in the rain of shot and
shell, and now permits him to spend the rest of his life at peace
-with the world in the company of those who love him most.

514 Texas — The Country and Its Men

JOHN J. CLINTON
ABILENE.
The memory of man runneth not to the time when the fight
ing prowess of the Irish has not been a world proverb. Many
of the greatest warriors of history -were Irishmen, and by the
same token; three at least of the greatest Indian scouts of our
history were Irishmen born, or descendants of the romantic,
poetic and fearless race. Therefore, when the statement is made
that Captain John J. Clinton, who has been Captain of Police
at Abilene during thirty consecutive years, is a native of Dublin,
Ireland, it requires no stretch of the imagination to account for
the fact that law and order is enforced in that bailiwick.
Time was -when Abilene was listed among the sections
where "bad men" congregated at times ; but the records do not
show the occasion when Captain Clinton failed to maintain the
peace, or compel the brawlers to hike for strange fields and
pastures new.
The parents of Captain Clinton were Henry and Mary E.
Clinton, of whom the son has preserved the tenderest recollec
tions during the somewhat exciting scenes that have been his lot.
AA'hen the Civil AA'ar overtook the countr)-. Captain Clinton en
listed as a private in Company G, Second Arkansas Cavalry, and
fought with Irish impetuosity throughout the struggle. He was
at Dalton, Pesaca, Stone Mountain, Kenesaw, the siege of ^t
lanta, at Jonesboro in the retreat of Johnson's Army; was at the
final "round up" ; was captured in May, 1865 ; made his escape
and came to Texas. For twenty years he was scout, cowboy or
an officer of the law, in all of which capacities he acquitted
himself as a competent and fearless official. As a scout he dis
tinguished himself ; as a cowboy he knew the ranges like an
open book; as an officer he has been long enough in the har
ness to know the men who are ^-iolators of the law. Time has
dealt lightly with the Captain, who continues his duties as the
watchful guardian of the public weal with the same energv- that
has always marked his career.

TEX-A.S — The Country and Its Men 515

JOHN J. CLINTON

516 Texas — The Country and Its Men

JOHN M. MOORE
RICHMOND
Ex-member of Congress from the Eighth Texas District, one of
the wealthiest and most influential citizens of Richmond, and also
of all South Texas, was born in his present home town of Rich
mond, November i8, 1862. His parents, Matthew A. and Henri
etta (Huddlestone) Moore, natives of Alabama, moved to AA'har
ton County, Texas, in 1852, and later to Fort Bend County. His
father was a physician, practicing both in his native State and in
Texas, and also interested himself in farming. A farm of 350
acres on Oyster Creek, about four miles from Richmond, origi
nally purchased by him, is now part of the extensive landed estate
of ex-Congressman Moore. On this family homestead, before the
war, were employed numerous slaves, owned by Dr. Moore. The
latter saw service during the war, being one of the first to enlist,
and fought at Shiloh and other hard battles before his health
faded. His death occurred not long after the war, and his large
property was badly managed during the minority of his children.
His wife died July 3, 1887. Their children, five in number, in
cluding John M., were, Emma, who married John E. Newell r
Lydia, deceased ; Ada, who married Alexander .A.nderson ; Etta,
who married J. G. Pleasants.
John M. Moore was the youngest of the family, and received
his education in the common schools of his old home and- the A, &
M. College at Bryan. At the age of se\enteen he began a prac
tical business experience, becoming bookkeeper and salesman for
a local firm, and at the same time attending to the management
of his mother's farm.
His marriage, at the age of twenty-one, brought him the
extensive land and cattle interests of his wife, and the manage
ment of these gave him a hea^-y business responsibility. There
were about twelve thousand acres of the original estate which
has since been increased to se\-eral times that amount. There are
few, if any, individual estates in Southeast Texas which surpass

JOHN M. MOORE

518 Texas — The Country and Its Men
in value and extent the Moore properties. He has the reputation
of being one of the ablest business men and executives in this
part of the State, a reputation that seems justified by the manner
in which he has built up his great ranching business within the
past thirty-three years.
At different times he has been personally engaged in mer
chandising, banking and farming, but cattle raising on the large
scale, which his lands make possible, has received the greatest
share of attention. His business has always been conducted on a
cash basis, without the borrowing of money or the incurring of
debts, and his success is the more impressive because he did with
out these time-honored precedents of business. His acres and his
cattle are numbered by the thousands, and his varied interests are
too many to be enumerated in this brief sketch.
He has always taken an active interest in local and general
politics. He has served as Chairman of the County Executive
Committee and President of the County Democratic Club. In
1896 he was elected to the Legislature, and in 1905 the Eighth
District chose him as its representative in Congress. His election
gave a strong and influential factor to national waterways im
provement, and he has worked for the water commerce of Texas
both in and out of Congress. He was a member of the Emigration
and Naturalization and the Postoffice Expenditures and Banking
and Currency Committees.
Mr. Moore is a I)irector of the Richmond Cotton Company,
is President of the Fort Bend County Abstract Company, and a
Director of the Richmond Electric Light and AA'ater Company;
a member of the Texas Cattle Raisers Association, and of Hous
ton Lodge No. 151, B. P. O. E.
Mr. Moore was married at Nashville, Tennessee, July 30,
1883, to Miss Lottie Dyer. Her father, J. Foster Dyer, who died
in 1882, was a prominent and wealthy cattleman of Fort Bend
County, and left his daughter the magnificent estate which has
since been conducted by Mr. Moore. Mrs. Moore's mother, who
died in 1883, belonged to one of the oldest American families in
Texas, Her father was Thomas Barnett. Her mother (grand
mother to Mrs. Moore) had first married a Mr. Spencer, and they
had emigrated to Texas with the original Austin colony, along in
the early '20s. Mr. Spencer was killed by Indians soon after their

Texas — The Country and Its Men 519
settlement, and his wife later married Thomas Barnett, also an
Austin colonist and signer of the Texas Declaration of Inde
pendence. Nancy Spencer, as head of her family after the death
of her husband, received a grant of land in the colony, known as
the "Nancy Spencer League." The document confirming her title
to this land is now in the possession of Mr. Moore. It was issued
under the authority of the Mexican Government, and bears the
historic signatures of Estavan F. Austin, Baron de Bastrop, John
Austin and Samuel M. AA^Uliams. The "Nancy Spencer League"
is now included in the Moore properties, having passed to the
granddaughter of the original owner.
Mrs. Moore is a cultured Southern woman, educated and
accomplished. She attended school in Virginia and the Baylor
University at Waco, and is an exceUent musician. She is the
mother of six chUdren: Maxwell, born June 19, 1884, died in
infancy; Raymond Emmett, bom August 22, 1885; Ivy, born No
vember II, 1887; J. Foster Dyer, born February 6, 1890; John
M., Jr., born January 6, 1892; Henrietta Catheron, born Novem
ber 6, 1894.

JULIUS REAL
KERRVILLE
The subject of this sketch was born in Kerr County, Texas,
in the year i860. His parents were Caspar and Emilie Real.
The former came to Texas in 1849. Both husband and wife
landed at Indianola, then a port of importance, the wife, a na
tive of Alsace-Lorraine reaching Texas in 1852. Soon after the
latter date, the Reals started over the 'famous New Barunfels
Trail for the purpose of taking up land somewhere in Southwest
Texas. Their first objective point was San Antonio, where they
arrived by the ox wagon route, and continued to reside for sev
eral years, going thence to a ranch on Martinez Creek, where they
made their home until 1859, when they finally settled at Turtle
Creek, where their son Julius was born, and where he now re
sides within one mile of his birthplace.
Caspar Real, the founder of the family, died in August, 1893,
at the old homestead. His widow still survives, having reached

520

Texas — The Country and Its Men

^ 0^

JULIUS REAL

Texas — The Country and Its Men 521
the ripe age of eighty-two. Their chUdren were Walter Emma,
now the wife of Herman Stieler; Albert, Arthur, Julius, Robert,
Matilda, now Mrs. Hobart Ingenhuett, and Charles, all of whom
are living. Mr. Real was a devout Catholic and much respected
for his many excellent qualities of heart and mind. He was
at one time Collector and Assessor of Texas ; also Hide and Ani
mal Inspector for several years, and County Commissioner for a
period of eight years. His son, to whom reference is had in this
memoir, has been variously honored by the people among whom
he has li'ved practically all his life. He served eight years as
County Judge and Superintendent of Education, being subse
quently elected to- the Senate as a Republican, to fUl the unex
pired term of Judge Robert H. Green, of Bexar County, in a
strong Democratic district, defeating the Hon. J. F. Onion by a
majority of 3,000- votes. In the succeeding Senatorial Election
his opponent was Charles Bee, whom he also defeated.
Among other measures in the Senate, in which Mr. Real
especiall}" interested himself was the famous nine-thirty closing
law', the final adoption of which was largely attributable to his
efforts. Real County is named for the gentleman from Turtle Creek.
The story of how the Senator acquired this signal honor is one
of the quasi humorous tales of legislative history. Senator Kennedy
introduced a bill for the organization of a new county, suggesting
that it be called Murphy County. It developed that the man for
whom the new bailiwick was to be named was the father-in-law
of ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives Kennedy, both
being as Irish as Widow Duffy's goat. Great amusement fol
lowed the news that the Kennedys and the Murphys had settled
the matter between them. After the laughter subsided, an ad
mirer of Senator Real suggested that his name be substituted. It
was so ordered by an unanimous vote, ratified by the House, and
thus the Real family name wUl be perpetuated in the nomenclature
of Texas geography.
Mr. Real was twice Chairman of the Agricultural Committee
of the Senate, and for two years served as Chairman of the Com
mittee on Asylums.
Referring to his youthful days, when the red men were very
much in evidence at times, Senator Real said : "Many a moon-

522 Texas — The Country and Its Men
light night I have heard the Indian yell, perhaps two or three miles
away, and listening, heard the answering call of these fiends. One
who has ever heard an Indian yell in the stillness of the night can
never forget it. It is an uncanny, blood-curdling sound that
haunts me to this good day." The Reals moved into Kerr County
one year after it was organized, when predatory savages frequent
ly raided the settlements and run off the farmers horses. The'
Senator has a distinct recollection of the exciting days, and when
in humor enjoys telling of times that harried the souls of the
hardy pioneers.
Julius Real never saw the inside of a school house untU his
eleventh year; learned Spanish and spoke it fluently before he
spoke a word of English, yet he has risen to prominence and rated
high among the coming men of the "Lone Star State." Like his
father and all his brothers he is a dyed-in-the-wool Republican.
His wife was Miss Gretchen Koch, who came to this country
when a chUd, and was married to her popular husband in 1886.
They have one child, Miss HUda.

NIELS PETE PETERSON
brackettville
Is a son of Christian and Martha Peterson of Tollestrup, Den
mark, where he was born on June 5, 1856. His father was a
farmer and contractor, who died many years ago, followed by his
mother's death when the boy was ten years of age. He was edu
cated in the public schools and high school of his native country,
becoming a farmer, in which occupation he continued until he
came to America in 1879; having served two years as a private
in the Danish army, a duty demanded under the la-w^s of that
country. Upon arriving in Texas, being then twenty-three years
of age, he settled at Pipe Creek, Bandera County, his entire for
tune consisting of two dollars and fifty cents. Prospects not being
the brightest in the place of his selection, he left there in August,
1879, and located in Kinney County, where he contracted with
the United States Government to cut hay at merely a living wage.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

523

NIELS PETE PETERSON

524 Texas — The Country and Its Men
He remained there until November of that year, when he secured
the position as porter in the mercantile establishment of Henry
Roach, agreeing to work for ten days without pay in order to
establish himself. At the expiration of the probationary period
he was paid a salary and continued to work for this firm, and for
the firm of Roach & Mahon, until 1894, when he became a part
ner of Mr. Henry Roach, with whom he continued untU the
latter's death in 1902. Subsequently he associated himself with
George W. Hobbs, Hans Peterson, a brother, and R. C. Ballan-
tyne and founded the present firm of Peterson & Company, and
engaged in numerous stock deals which were financially success
ful. The firm is still in existence, being recognized as among the
substanfial business institutions of that section of the State.
In 1879 Mr. Peterson married Miss Mette Mam Olsen and
they have one child. Miss Martha.
Mr. Peterson has never sought public offices, cared very
little for politics in the abstract, but always votes the straight
Republican ticket when opportunity offers.

CAVEN WOODWARD
pearsall
Caven Woodward, subject of this biographical notice, was
born at AA^oodvUle, Miss., July 20, 1843, and was brought to
Texas when a child by his parents, John G. and Mary A. AA'ood-
ward, who first settled at San Antonio. His father was a farmer
and stock raiser who remained in San Antonio one year, thence
going to the Medina country, where he engaged in the catde
business until 1864. The family then removed to Frio County,
where they remained until 1885, when Mr. AA^oodward settled
in Uvalde County, where he died during that year.
The subject of this sketch, during his boyhood days and
subsequent to hjs marriage, for several years remained on the
home place assisting his father in the management of his growing
business, and died at San Antonio, January 26, 1883. He left
his widow, formerly Miss Julia Newton, daughter of the Rev.
AV. C. Newton, to whom he was married August, 1867, and the

CAVEN WOODWARD and WIFE

526 Texas — The Country and Its Men
followdng children, Ernest G., now of Del Rio, and Charies
Bishop, deceased. Caven AA'oodward joined the Rangers in 1846,
and was among the intrepid pioneers who took part in the many
efforts to rid the frontier of murderous and thieving red skins,
who, in the early days, -made life a constant source of worry to
the settlers. His widow married George F. AA'illiamson, who
died at San Antonio, March 7, 1897.

CHARLES BISHOP WOODWARD
Charles Bishop AA'oodward was married on October 3, 1894,
to Miss Ida B. Slaughter, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
W. J. Slaughter of Friotown. As a result of this union, a most
happy one, four children were born, Carrie Edith, Julia Mar-
garent, Caven and Fannie May. Their father, one of the best
cattlemen and probably the wealthiest man in Frio County,, in
order to obtain better educational facilities for his children and
to seek relaxation from the strenuous work of ranch life, re
moved to Pearsall in 1911, where he erected an elegant home
and was thoroughly enjoying the advantages thus acquired when
death overtook him. He was of a quiet, unpretentious disposi
tion, one whose public spirit made him unconsciously a leader
among men, and who left behind him a sorrowing family and a
host of friends.
Mrs. Woodward, a woman of superior mental attainments,
and the highest social accomplishments, is utilizing her wealth
in the education of her children and in dispensing a hospitality
that marks her beautiful home as one of the most elegant in
Southwest Texas. Extremely fond of literature, a musical en
thusiast, talents inherited by her charming group of daughters.
She is envied, not alone for the fortune which is hers, but
for her many charming traits of mind and person.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

527

CHARLES BISHOP WOODWARD

528 Texas — The Country and Its Men

CHARLES HOFFMAN
SAN DIEGO
Germany has contributed many thrifty and valuable citizens
to Texas, and in these respects few of them are superior to the
subject of this sketch, Mr. Charles Hoffman.
He was born in Carlsbad, Germany, in 1843. His parents
were Cledoff Hoffman and Annie Field. His father was a pros
perous farmer in the Fatherland. In 1856 Cledoff Hoffman came
to America bringing his family with him, and Charles, with
the rest. They landed at Corpus Christi and took up the battle of life
in the new country, the story of whose splendid opportunities
and wonderful riches had reached them across the wide waste
of waters. Charles had completed his academic studies in the fine com
mon schools of his native land, and mastering the English
tongue, he was equipped for entering the lists and contesting for
the prizes and awards of honest industry in his adopted countrj^
He first engaged as a clerk for Hon. N. G. Collins of San
Diego, a State Senator and man of wide influence and promi
nence. He was faithful and industrioiis and ever mindful of
his employer's interests, which important qualifications are char
acteristic of the great Teutonic peoples of Europe. He remained
wdth Senator Collins thirteen years, a fact sho-wing his fidelitv
to his trust, as well as the value of his services.
At the expiration of- this period, he went into the sheep
business, and at one time, controlled over 20,000 head of sheep.
He sold his sheep in 1879 and entered the broader and more
promising industry of cattle raising and this is his business today.
He prospered during all these years and kept adding to the
value of his holdings until today he is numbered among the
many wealthy ranchmen of that -wonderful Southw-estem coun
try, the Paradise of the stockman.
Mr. Hoffman's sturdy integrity and his civic virtues could
not be hidden under a bushel, and wdiUe, never seeking oft'icial

MRS. CHAS. HOFFMAN

CHARLES HOFFMAN

530 Texas— The Country and Its Men
honors, his neighbors and fellow^ citizens have several times
called him to fill positions of honor and trust. In all of these
he has justified the action of his people in honoring him with
important political and official positions.
He served in the Custom House at Laredo, as County
Treasurer of Duval County for four years, and as County Com
missioner for several years.
He is recognized as a conscientious, successful business man,
and is active in all local political, industrial or social affairs.
In short, he is one of the great body of practical, sensible,
patriotic, prosperous citizens who are the pillars of the social
fabric in seasons of prosperity, and its help in times of financial
stress and storm. He and Mrs. James O. Luby, a sister, are the
only living original settlers of San Diego. In 1907 Mr. Hoffman
organized the San Diego State Bank and is still its President; is
a Director in the Alice State Bank and Trust Company, and in
terested in several other banks in his section.
He married Miss Sophia AA'eidenmueller in 1872. She was
the loved daughter of Judge AA'eidenmuUer of Nueces County.
They have four children : Harry, a ranchman near San Diego ;
Norman, a banker at San Diego ; AA'illiam, a stockman near San
Diego, and Mrs. Lillie Muil of San Diego.
Surrounded by his children and in the enjoyment of the
ripened fruits of his life's labors, he is spending his remaining
years in the quietude of a peaceful, happy home and in the
blessed consciousness of having lived a useful, successful, hon
orable life.

W. L. DAVIDSON
RICHMOND
Major Davidson is one of the survivors from the now dis
tant period when practically all this great State was a frontier,
exposed to the ravages of the Indians, and an almost constant
battleground for the contending forces of civilization and bar-

6l^ cJ^ S'C^^^'trX.-^/^^^^^^

532 Texas— The Country and Its Men
barism. Major Davidson, however, has been more than a soldier
and Indian fighter. He has been a jurist and lawyer, and as a
citizen his name for years has been constantly associated with the
best in the life of his section of the State. Few men have been
permitted to live, as Major Davidson has, the life of adventure,
of thrilling episode and rugged usefulness, and few in the great
State of Texas are so well known and beloved.
William Lott Davidson was born in Tallahatchie County,
Mississippi, June 26, 1838. His father, A. H. Davidson, was a
native of North Carolina, and his mother, whose maiden name
was Eliza Jane Lott, was a native of Georgia. The parents were
married in Mississippi, and both represented old and prominent
Southern families. On the paternal side the great-grandfather
fought in the Revolutionary War, and received a wound in the
memorable Battle of Guilford Courthouse. The father was a
man of force, intelligence and energy, and followed farming and
merchandising for many years. Subsequently, having taken up
the profession of law, he made a reputation as an orator in the
State of Tennessee, where his practice was situated, and it is
said that almost his only rival in oratory was the great Prentiss.
For years he served on the Circuit Bench of Tennessee. It was
still an early date in Texas history when he came to this coun
try and settled near San Antonio, subsequently opening up the
plantation on Eagle Lake, where Donovan was killed.
On the outbreak of the war Judge Davidson, the father, be
came Lieutenant Colonel of his own battalion, and served until
he met death on the field in October, 1863, while leading a skir
mish line in Louisiana. Up to that time he had participated in
all the chief engagements of Green's Brigade. He had served
as a member of the secession convention, and his name appears
on the secession ordinance. He was a faithful adherent of the
Southern cause, and one of the men of Texas whose names de
serve lasting memory. The mother of Major Davidson died in
1848 in Mississippi.
One of nine children. Major Davidson was the oldest, and
is now the last survivor. He first came to Texas in 1839, but
was later sent back to Mississippi. Tennessee and North Caro-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 533
lina to attend school, and his education was attained in all three
of those States, in preparatory schools and colleges. He is a
graduate of Davidson College of North Carolina, an institu
tion which -w^as named after his great-uncle.
Mr. Davidson returned to Texas from college in order to
enter the Ranger service. This brought him, during the decade
of the fifties to the great frontier, which then extended through
out a central bulk of Texas, now including some of the most
popular cities and counties. Tt was his fortunate distinction as
a Ranger to come under the command of the famous Bigfoot
Wallace, and also under WiUiam R. Henry and CaUahan. Dur
ing Sam Houston's last term as Governor, he was a member
of a minute company, under Jim Brown, being orderly sergeant
of that company until it enlisted in the State service at the
beginning of the war. To the Ranger service Major Davidson
gave some of the best years of his life, and in speaking of the
great task of pushing back the frontier and subduing the wilder
ness and its force, the name of Davidson deserves a place and
lasting memory in the annals of that period of Texas history.
It is recounted of him that he was always between the homes
and danger, and many a mother has hushed her baby at night
by telling it that "Bill" Davidson was between them and danger.
AU the frontier folks had a strong affection for Major David
son, and at the same time he incurred the hate and fear of
all enemies of society.
At the beginning of the War Between the States he joined
Tom Green's Regiment, in Company A, and engaged in the
New Mexico expedition. He fought at the Battle of Val Verde,
February 21, 1862, where he was slightly wounded. From there
the troops went on to Albuquerque, then to Socorro, where a
battle was fought February 24, 1862, and an army hospital estab
lished. Later followed the capture of Santa Fe, the engagement
near Fort Union, Johnson's Ranch and Glorietta. At Glorietta
Major Davidson was shot. As a Ranger he had been wounded
by Indian arrows in 1855 and 1857. The last wound was one in
the face, so severe that the arrow had to be sawed out of the jawr-
bone. After the wound at Glorietta, the Major was in a hospital

534 Texas — The Country and Its Men
a short time, but subsequently he rejoined his regiment and took
part in the Battle of Paralta on the i6th day of April, 1862. The
regiment in the meantime had lost many of its members, and was
then given a furlough, and later rendezvoused at Hempstead. On
December 31 Major Davidson volunteered to take part in the
capture of Galveston. He was then on board the Neptune and
participated in the fight in the bay, which ended with the capture
of the Harriet Lane, one of the finest exploits in Texas history
or the world. In that engagement he was wounded in the arm.
Following this came the hard and bloody campaign in Lou
isiana, at Chaneyville, and the capture of Brashear City, with
its $2,000,000 worth of Federal stores. At LaFourche and
Cox's plantation he was again wounded. He recovered in time
to take part in the Battles of Carrion Crow and Fadoche, where
fate again came to him in the shape of a wound, and sent him
back to Texas for recuperation during the winter.
In March, 1864, he was again on the march, and was obliged
to travel from Bubble Creek into Louisiana, in order to meet
the second invasion of Banks. He reached there in time to
participate in the maneuvers, which continued until AprU 8, at
which date was fought the Battle of Mansfield. On the same
day occurred the bloody battle of Peach Orchard, where he was
badly wounded in the body and was placed in the care of pa
triotic Louisiana women. Probably few Confederate soldiers en
dured more frequent wounds and greater stress upon mind and
body during the war than Major Davidson. It seems remarkable
that he could have so often recovered from his wounds and the
strain of batde and be quickly back in the ranks, so that in
spite of all these injuries he gave several years of service
throughout the period of the war.
On recovering from the last mentioned wound, he took part
in the engagements at Monett's Ferry, and then on May 18 came
the bloody Battle of Yellow Bayou, -where his regiment lost
three-fourths of its men and where he was left for dead on the
battlefield. AVhen he finally returned to Richmond his company
was disbanded, and he came out of the war with the rank of

Texas — The Country and Its Men 535
Lieutenant-Colonel. After the war Major Davidson resumed the
threads »f civU life by taking up the practice of law-. In 1865
he was elected County Attorney of Fort Bend County, and held
that office until removed by the mUitary authorities. Subse
quently he was elected County Attorney of Goliad County, then
County Attorney of Victoria County, and after that was dis
trict attorney of three different districts, Fort Bend County be
ing included in one of these. The last political responsibility
which he assumed was at his election in 1904 as County At
torney of Fort Bend County, and served four years in that office.
Since then he has given his entire time to the private practice of
law. Major Davidson has a record of never having been re
versed out of sixty-six cases appealed, and only four civil cases
prosecuted and decided in his favor were ever reversed.
On June 26, 1867, Major Davidson married Miss Jane
Eliza Calder. Her father was R. J. Calder, who was one of
the captains in General Houston's army of patriotic Texans
which marched across the State and finally won independence at
San Jacinto. Major Davidson is affiliated with the Odd Fel
lows and the Masonic Order, and is present High Priest of
the Royal Arch Chapter, and has been Past Master of his lodge.
He was a member of the original committee which established
the Masonic Home at Ariington, Texas. He is Life Adjutant
of Captain Bassett's camp of UnUed Confederate Veterans at
Richmond, and he and his good wife are members of the Meth
odist Church.
It is a matter of interest to note that Major Da\'idson was
a member of the detail that brought back to Texas the body
of Frank W. Johnson. Among the varied associations and friend
ships of a long life, that between Major Davidson and Captain ,
Bassett is worthy of more than passing note. They have been
lifelong friends, have been side by side in many of the trying
experiences of their careers, have enjoyed and suffered together,
and so close has been their friendship that mutual acquaintances
have often referred to them as Damon and Pythias. And by a

536 Texas — The Country and Its Men

friend the following lines were dedicated to Major AA'^. L
Davidson :
A Ranger on the wild frontier,
A soldier on the lurid field,
A modern knight who knows no fear.
Who scorned to fly, who scorned to yield.
"Sleep, sleep, my babies, go to sleep,"
So rang the frontier mother's song,
"Bill Davidson his vigil keeps.
No crafty foe can do thee wrong."
Now old, and marked by many a scar.
Grim emblem of tumultuous days.
No bitterness his features wear.
There's naught but kindness in his gaze.
Bill Davidson, the pioneer;
BUI Davidson, of martial mien ;
A generous, brave, big-hearted friend —
Bill Davidson, the man serene.

B. L. CROUCH
SAN ANTONIO
Captain B. L. Crouch, one of the many stock raisers ot
Texas, was born at Spring Arbor, Jackson County, Michigan,
October 15, 1842, the son of Jacob D. and Ann M. (Burch)
Crouch; attended local country schools, and completed his edu
cation at a high school, conducted at that time in Jackson, Michi
gan. His days of childhood and youth were passed, like those of
a majority of the boys of Southern Michigan, assisting in farm
work and stock raising on his father's farms during the golden
summer days, and through the long winters that succeeded them
attending school. While such a life was uneventful, it moved

Texas — The Country and Its Men

537

happily along the quiet and peaceful tenor of its way, bringing
the blessings of health, keeping the heart pure, and instilling
lessons of industry and thrift, that in after years have brought
to him fortune and friends, and that high social and business

B. L. CROUCH

Standing everywhere accorded the upright gentleman and enter
prising and successful financier.
His tastes and talents eminently fitted him for the bar, and
U was his intention to read law, but, at that time, the tocsin

538 Texas — The Country and Its Men
of war sounded throughout the land, and armies were marshalled
for the grandest and most fateful struggle that history had re
corded; a struggle that showed in all its grandeur the .Anglo-
Saxon character, and has shed undying lustre upon the American
name. Failing to be accepted (on account of being under age),
in his home county, in the first call by President Lincoln for
troops, April, 1861, in September, 1861, he entered the army of
the Union, at Springfield, III., as a private, in Company "B,"
Tenth Illinois Cavalry, commanded by Captain (afterwards Ma
jor) J. .S. Smith, and served gallantly until the close of the w-ar.
Participated in many engagements, showing such degree of self-
, control, courage and tactics, on the field of action, that he was
soon promoted (by selection of his company) to Second Lieu
tenant, and, within three months, after receiving his first com
mission, was promoted to First Lieutenant, and, before he was
21 years of age, he was made Captain (by the unanimous choice
of his men) of the company in which he had enlisted as a pri
vate; his company having received recruits, and mustering, at
that time, nearly one hundred splendid men, several of w-hom
were the owners of valuable farm properties in Illinois.
In AprU, 1865, Captain Crouch was in command of his com
pany, with his regiment, in Eastern Louisiana, wdien the surren
der of the Confederate armies occurred.
In May he moved his company, with his regiment, bv boat
to Shreveport, Louisiana, where General Merritt organized a di
vision of 7,000 cavalry, and twelve pieces of artillery: and on
July 2nd this division of troops took up the march for the Rio
Grande, arriving at San Antonio August 3d. Some portion of
this division arrived on the Rio Grande near and in Eagle Pass.
A few days later, simultaneously with the movement of this di
vision of troops under General Merritt, General Custer moved
out from Alexandria, Louisiana, with six thousand cavalrv, and
twelve pieces of artillery (all ten-pound cannon in both di\'isi-
ons), coming across Texas, and went into camp on the Colo
rado below Austin, in August. AA'hen these two divisions of
cavalry and artillery were being marched across Texas, approach
ing the Rio Grande, General Sheridan moved twenty-three thou-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 529
sand infantry and forty-four pieces of artUlery from New Or
leans by water to the Rio Grande, near Brownsville.
These troops were moved to the Rio Grande, or into the
near vicinity of that river, for the purpose of sending them into
Mexico, enforcing the demands of our AA'ashington Govern
ment upon Napoleon III, then Emperor of France, that he with
draw from Mexico the French, Austrian and Belgian troops that
were then under his direction, supporting MaximUlian in his ef
forts to establish a monarchy in Mexico, in disregard of the prin
ciples of our Monroe doctrine. By the time these armies had
arrived on, or in the near vicinity of the Rio Grande, Emperor
Napoleon advised the VA^ashington Government that he would
comply with the demands made on him, and would promptly
withdraw the European troops from Mexico, which he hastily
did. The evacuation of Mexico by the European troops obviated
the necessity for sending these United States troops into Mexico.
Permitting a slight disgression, for the information of future gen
erations, the subjetc of this biography relates, as an additional
evidence of the patriotism of United States soldiers, that, while
these troops had been from two to four years campaigning at
the front, suffering all the privations and hardships of that dread
ful conflict between the States, and were anxious to be dis
charged from the army that they might return to their homes
and families, nearly all of these men seemed exceedingly desirous
to be given an opportunity to continue in the army until they
could assist in driving from the soil of North America, by put
ting the bayonet to them, if necessary, any European troops that
were attempting to violate the principles of the Monroe doctrine.
It becoming unnecessary to go into Mexico, the Captain and
his regiment remained in the country adjacent to San Antonio
until early December, at which time his regiment was ordered
home to Springfield, 111., via Galveston to New Orleans by steam
ship, and from New Orleans to Cairo, III., by steamboat, and by
rail from Cairo to Springfield, where he and his men (about 780
strong) arrived on the last day of December, 1865, and were
promptly paid and honorably discharged by Colonel C. M. Ter-

540 Texas — The Country and Its Men
rell, afterwards, many years, stationed at San Antonio as Pay
master of the Army.
Captain Crouch, having a natural preference for stock rais
ing, on the ranching system, found the ranchman's paradise in
Southwest Texas, while in command of his troops, and returned
to Texas early in March, 1866, and in the summer of that year
engaged at sheep raising where the City of Taylor is 'now located,
and in 1870 moved his flocks to the Frio River, in Frio County,
where he added cattle raising to his sheep raising business ; and,
in 1875 and 1876, enclosed sixty thousand acres of his lands for
cattle raising purposes, which were probably the first pastures,
of any considerable size, up to that time, that had been enclosed
for cattle breeding purposes in Southwest or AA'est Texas.
All Southwest and West and nearly all South and Middle
Texas, was unenclosed, free range country at that time. In
December, 1875, the Captain imported, from Illinois and South
ern Michigan, seventy-three head of high grade and thorough
bred Shorthorn cattle, for the improvement of the increase of
his cow stock, which had been carefully selected from the herds
of Southwest Texas. At the same time he imported one hundred
thoroughbred Merino rams for the improvement of his flocks,
the original of which were imported from Ohio the year prior
to the Civil War. This importation of Shorthorn cattle was
believed to be the first of that breed ever brought into the coun
try between San Antonio and the Rio Grande.
WhUe heavy loss occurred among these cattle, by reason of
splenic (twenty-four head dying in seventy-two hours) or Texas
tick fever, which at that time veterinary surgeons had not dis
covered how to prevent, yet great good resulted from the in
troduction of these cattle into the Captain's general herd, and
inducing neighboring ranchmen to do likewise. Continuing in
the ranch business, increasing his herds and flocks, and area of
his pastures, until 1895, when general business disaster occurred,
Captain Crouch went out of the ranch business, by reason of
business reverses, after having built more than two hundred miles
of extra good pasture fence, enclosing, subdividing his pasture
lands on which to carry his herds and flocks.
In 1896, his friends (totally unsolicited by the Captain) un
dertook to put him in nomination as the Republican candidate for

Texas — The Country and Its Men 541

Congress, but failed of winning the nomination for him by two
and one-half votes, one hundred and thirty-seven votes bemg cast
in the then Eleventh (now Fifteenth) congressional district con
vention. In 1898, unsolicited, the Republican party put him in
nomination for Congress, Hon. Rudolph Kleberg being the then
Democratic member of Congress, the district then embracing
twenty-seven counties. At the election in November, 1898, there
was polled for Rudolph Kleberg 18,319 -^^otes, and for B. L.
Crouch I4,.687 votes, as shown by the records of office of Sec
retary of State. In 1900, the party again put Captain Crouch in
nomination for Congress, but results on election day were slightly
less favorable than two years previous.
Captain Crouch realized, when first traveling over the non-
agricultural and farm-ranch portions of Texas, the great value
of Texas as a sheep raising country, and, as the years have gone
by, has become more firmly convinced of the enormous value of
Texas to the people of the United States as a whole, as having
the capacity to successfully and easily produce two-thirds of all
the enormous quantity of clothing wool required by the present
population of the United States, and with which those living in
the colder States must be supplied. By reason of feeling such
interest, the Sheep and Angora Goat Raisers Association of Tex
as delegated the Captain, at different times, to represent their
interests before the Ways "and Means Committee of Congress,
which he did in December, 1895, again in December, 1908, and
in 1912 and 1913.
During all these fifty-one years of Captain Crouch's resi
dence in Texas, he has been an active advocate of the extermina
tion of the carnivorous wild animals of Texas, and has had the
satisfaction of seeing the good effects of the enacting of effective
laws bearing on this subject in 1891, and again in 191 1 and 1915.
From the operation of the laws enacted in 1911 and 191 5 great
good has resulted. The large measure of success that he has
achieved is due alone to his tireless energy and early acquired
habits of industry.
He is unmarried. His carriage is erect and dignified ; a life
time total abstainer from the use of tobacco or alcohol ; his man
ner calm and courteous. Few gentlemen are so well informed

542 Texas — The Country and Its Men
concerning current topics, or better versed in polite and solid
literature. Few men in Texas have more true friends and no
citizen is more highly respected by all who know him. In the
full vigor of life he keeps busily engaged in its duties, and is
doing his full part as a member of that corps of workers who are
developing the commercial resources of the Lone Star State.

GUY M. BRYAN
Colonel Guy M. Bryan was born in Herculaneum, AA'ashing
ton County, Missouri, January 12, 1821, and when in his tenth
year came to Texas with his mother and step-father, James F.
Perry, and family. His brothers, AVilliam, Joel and Moses Austin
Bryan, were in the army under General Houston, and Guy M.
Bryan was at school at Columbia when the news of the fall of the
Alamo and the rapid advance of Santa Anna was received. The
school was closed and the students hurried home.
Mr. Perry had the family carriage, a wagon and saddle horse
brought out, assembled the negro slaves, and, with his family
occupying the carriage and a wagon Ipaded with household effects,
started Eastward with the stream of panic-stricken settlers who
flew before the victorious columns of the Mexican General like
the spray of the stormwave. Mr. Perry, after going a little w-av
with the party, joined the detachment under Colonel Morgan,
which was fortifying Galveston.
The Bryan family camped upon the east bank of the San
Jacinto River until Santa Anna's advance guard appeared upon
the west bank, and then joined others on the road to the Trinity.
The road leading eastward (toward the Louisiana line) was
thronged with fugiti\es— in wagons, carriages, on horseback and
afoot — and presented scenes of terror and confusion ne^¦er to be
forgotten. They heard the booming of the cannon at San Jacinto, and
the day following a courier dashed along the highway and told
of the glorious victory that had been achieved. Three days later

Texas — The Country and Its Men

543

GUY M. BRYAN

544 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Guy M. Bryan rode over the battlefield, still thickly strewn with
the ghastly corpses of Mexican soldiers, who had fallen in the
action. Seeing his mother and attendants safely started on their
homeward journey, young Bryan enlisted in the Texas army (age
fifteen), and Lieutenant-Colonel Somerville made him his orderly.
Colonel Somerville was then in command of the regiment. Colonel
Burleson being absent with a body of cavalry, following Fillisola's
retreating army on its march out of Texas. Colonel Bryan con
tinued with the army until severe illness compelled him to return
home. In the fall and winter of that year he attended school on
Chocolate Bayou, in Brazoria County, and in May, 1837, entered
Kenyon College, Ohio, where he remained five years and gradu
ated with honor in the class of 1842. At Kenyon College ex-
President Rutherford B. Hayes was his most intimate friend.
Returning to Texas Colonel Bryan studied law in the office
of Hon. William H. Jack, at Brazoria, but was finally corripelled
by failing eyesight to relinquish his professional studies.
In 1846, after the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la
Palma, he responded to the call made by General Taylor on Texas
for troops, and enlisted in a company of volunteers organized at
Brazoria, and afterward a part of Hays' regiment. In Mexico,
however, a younger brother, Stephen F. Perry, was stricken down
with camp fever, and fearful that he would die. Colonel Bryan
procured permission to return with him to Texas. In the fall of
1847 Colonel Bryan was elected to the Legislature from Brazoria
County; continued a member of the Low^er House six years;
served four years in the Senate, and in 1857 -was nominated for
Congress at Waco by the first regular State Democratic Conven
tion ever held in Texas. The State was then entitled to two Con
gressmen, the territory west of the Trinity constituting one dis
trict and the country east of that stream the other.
John H. Reagan was elected to represent the Eastern District
in the United States Congress and Colonel Bryan the AA'estern
District. Bryan was the only man on the Democratic ticket
elected without opposition at the polls.
Colonel Bryan served in Congress two sessions. During the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 545
second session (October 20, 1858) he married, at Galveston, Miss
Laura H. Jack, youngest daughter of WUliam H. Jack, and near
its close she persuaded him not to become a candidate for re
election, saying she was so fond of the pleasures of social life in
Washington that she feared continued residence at the Capital
would unfit her to discharge the duties of a good wife. He ac
cordingly abandoned politics for a season.
In i860 he removed to Galveston. Having ranches in both
counties he divided his time between Galveston and Brazoria.
Before the war between the States he canvassed the Western Dis
trict in the interest of Pierce and King, and was elected on that
ticket as Presidential Elector from the State-at-Large. In 1856
he was a delegate to the convention that met at Cincinnati and
nominated Buchanan for the Presidency, and in i860 was a dele
gate to the convention that met at Charleston; was made chair
man of the Texas delegation, and when the Gulf States retired
from the convention (on account of the adoption of a plank favor
ing squatter sovereignty), he made the speech for his delegation
and withdrew from the hall at its head. The main convention
adjourned to meet at Baltimore, and the Gulf States at Richmond,
later on in the same year. The delegates from the Gulf States
met at Richmond, adjourned, and went to Baltimore.
When Caleb Gushing and others retired from the main con
vention the delegates from the other Gulf States joined them,
organized, and nominated Douglass and Johnson. Colonel Bryan
took part as a prominent actor in these deliberations. The un
happy division in the Democratic ranks alluded to rendered the
election of Abraham Lincoln possible. It was a division, however,
that was unavoidable. When South Carolina, foUowed by other
States, seceded from the Union, Colonel Bryan co-operated with
friends in Galveston, and a committee of safety, of which he was
made secretary, was organized. This body advised the people of
Texas to organize simUar committees; was very active and did
more, perhaps, than any other committee to bring about that state

546 Texas — The Country and Its Men
of affairs which resulted in a convention that took Texas out
of the Union.
General Herbert was appointed by President Davis to the
command of the Department of Texas, and Colonel Bryan served
under him for a time as volunteer aide. Early in 1862 the Presi
dent of the Confederate States appoined Colonel Bryan as special
agent to visit the Governors of the States west of the Mississippi
to reconcile the clash between the civil and military authorities.
Governor Jackson of Missouri, Governor Moore of Louisi
ana, and Governor Murrah of Texas met him at Marshall. Gov
ernor Rector of Arkansas did not come but sent a representative
and the ill feeling, incident to a conflict of jurisdiction, was, in a
measure, allayed. When Governor Holmes was appointed to the
command of the District, Bi;yan was made Major and Assistant
Adjutant-General. On the return of the Sibley Brigade from
New Mexico, General Holmes ordered him to Texas to fill up that
brigade and send it to Richmond, Virginia. He reported to Gen
eral Sibley at Marshall and showed his orders. General Sibley
had returned home under a cloud, and, smarting under its influ
ence, was reticent and not disposed to give information concern
ing regiments scattered throughout the department. Colonel
Bryan determined to consult General Herbert in person at Hous
ton, and left Marshall on an outside stage coach in October, 1862,
in the midst of a bitter norther. The weather became colder and
he was attacked with typhoid-pneumonia and was compelled to
stop at Willson's Hotel in Huntsville, where he was carefully
nursed by friends and was joined later by his wife, w-ho took him
in an ambulance to Waco. For three months he lingered between
life and death, and for some time longer rheumatism disabled
him for duty.
In May, 1863, he reported to General J. Kirby Smith, then in
command at Shreveport, and requested to be sent to the field ; but,
having learned his relations with President Davis and familiarity
with the affairs of Texas, from long public service, General Smith
positively declined to grant the request, appointed him Confiden
tial Adjutant-General, gave him a room at his house and made
him a member of his official family.
Supplies for General Smith's army (ammunition and clothes)
were purchased with cotton sent across the Rio Grande, and he

Texas — The Country and Its Men 547
conceived the idea of establishing a Texas cotton bureau, and
placed at its head Colonel Bryan, who proceeded to Houston and
soon organized and put the bureau into successful operation.
About this time General Smith determined to create a bureau
of the kind for the trans-Mississippi Department and offered to
place it under the control of Colonel Bryan, but the latter declined
the position. Some time afterward Colonel Bryan was sent to
Texas to adjust differences and difficulties existing between State
and Confederate Bureaus, and was thereby prevented from taking
part in the Red River battles. He was, however, at the battle of
Jenkins Ferry, and upon returning from that engagement was
sent on a confidential mission to Richmond and was cordially re
ceived by President Davis. Colonel Bryan gave him an account
of the affairs in the trans-Mississippi Department, and of General
Smith's personal difficulties. He was personally offered a place
on President Davis' staff, but declined the honor, saying his place
of usefulness was in the trans-Mississippi Department; suggested
Governor Francis R. Lubbock as a man whose knowledge of
Texas affairs fitted him for the responsible position ; returned to
General Smith's headquarters ; was shortly afterward made Col
onel by General Smith, and was appointed by Governor Murrah
representative of Texas at the headquarters of the trans-Missis
sippi Department, and whUe he did not formally accept the latter
position, discharged the duties incident thereto, in accordance
with an agreement entered into by Governor Murrah and Gen
eral Smith. After the war Colonel Bryan joined his family at AA^aco and
removed to Galveston. In 1867 he improved a ranch on Gal
veston Bay, lived there four years and then, suffering acutely
with rheumatism, went with his wife and eldest son to Hot
Springs, Arkansas. On returning from Hot Springs he moved to
Galveston, and on the ist day of January following his devoted
wife expired, leaving him four little children — two girls and two
boys, the eldest boy twelve years, and the youngest two weeks old.
Mrs. Ballinger, his sister-in-law, united with her husband. Judge

548 Texas — The Country and Its Men
W. P. Ballinger, in insisting on his making their house his home,
and for the sake of the children he accepted the kind invitation,
remaining with them several years.
In 1873 the people of Texas determined to make a vigorous
effort to free the State from Radical rule and Colonel Bryan was
urged to become a candidate for the Legislature and participate
in the movement. He acceded and was elected to the House of
Representatives with John W. Harris and W.-L. Moody as col
leagues. "The Legislature met January 13, 1874, and he was,
without opposition, elected Speaker of the House.
Colonel Bryan declined re-election to the Fifteenth Legisla
ture, but was nominated and elected to the Sixteenth Legislature
whUe with his children in Virginia. He co-operated with Judge
A. W. Terrell (then in the Senate) in the advocacy of the bill
providing for the erection of the new Capitol. Judge Terrell drew
the bill, and owing to his exertions it was passed by the Senate
and House and afterwards the Governor affixed his signature and
it became a law.
After the education of his chUdren was completed Colonel
Bryan made his home for some years on the mainland opposite
Galveston and in Brazoria County.
He was elected to the Twentieth Legislature from Galveston
and Brazoria Counties and served with his usual ability in
that body.
Being greatly attached to Austin, and as the greater number
of his contemporaries still living were citizens of that place.
Colonel Bryan removed to that city in December,. 1898, and spent
his remaining years happily in the shadow of the great Capitol
which he had aided in erecting.
At the time of his death, June 4, 1901, he was President of
the Texas Veterans Association, and he was buried in the State
Cemetery, to which place the remains of his wife were later re
moved. In 1910 the State also removed the remains of Stephen
F. Austin from Brazoria County to the State Cemetery, where the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 549
uncle and nephew lie in adjoining plots; and subsequently a
memorial statue of Austin was erected over his grave by Texas.

THE CHILD OF THE ALAMO
Speech of Hon. Guy M. Bryan Before the Legislature of Texas
in 1852 Favoring an Appropriation for the Child of
the Alamo
"I intended, Mr, Speaker, to remain sUent on this occasion,
but silence now would be a reproach, when to speak is but a duty.
No one has raised a voice in behalf of this orphan child — several
have spoken against her claim. I rise, sir, an advocate of no
common cause. Liberty was its foundation — heroism and martyr
dom have consecrated it. I speak for the ORPHAN CHILD OF
THE ALAMO ! ! No orphan children of fallen patriots can send
up a simUar petition to this House — none other can say, I AM
THE CHILD OF THE ALAMO !
"Well do I recollect the consternation which was spread
throughout the land, when the sad tidings reached our ears, that
the ALAMO HAD FALLEN ! It was here that a gallant few,
'the bravest of the brave,' threw themselves between the enemy
and the settlements, determined 'never to surrender nor retreat' —
They redeemed their pledges to Texas with the forfeit of their
lives — they fell the chosen sacrifice to Texian freedom — Texas,
unapprised of the approach of the invader, was sleeping in fancied
security, when the big gun of the Alamo first told that the Attila
of the South was near. Infuriated by the resistance of Travis
and his noble band, he halted his whole army beneath the walls,
and rolled wave after wave, and surge after surge of his mighty
host against these stern battlements of freedom. In vain he
strove, the flag of Liberty, the Lone Star of Texas, stiU streamed
out upon the breeze, and floated proudly from the outer waU;
maddened, he pitched his tents and reared his batteries and finally
Stormed and took a black and ruined mass, the blood-stained
walls of the Alamo— the noble, the martyred spirits of every one.
of its gallant defenders had already taken their flight to another
fortress, not made with hands.
"The detention of the enemy enabled Texas to recuperate her

550 Texas — The Country and Its Men
energies, to prepare for that struggle, in which freedom was the
prize, and slavery the forfeit. It enabled her to assemble upon the
Colorado that gallant band which eventually triumphed upon the
plains of San Jacinto and rolled back the tide of war upon the
ruthless invader. But for this stand at the Alamo, Texas would
have been desolated to the banks of the Sabine. Then, sir, in view
of these facts, I ask of this House to vote the pittance prayed
for. To whom? To the only living witness (save her mother)
of this awful tragedy — 'the bloodiest picture in the book of time,'
and the bravest act that ever swelled the annals of any country.
"Grant this boon ! She claims it as the christened child of
the Alamo, baptized in the blood of a Travis, a Bowie, a Crockett
and a Bonham ! It would be a shame to Texas to turn her
away, — give her what she asks, in order that she may be educated
and become a worthy child of the State ; and take that position
in society to which she is entitled by the illustrious name of her
martyred father — made illustrious because he fell in the Alamo."
The bUl for the relief of the Child of the Alamo passed the
House by a handsome majority, but the Finance Committee of the
Senate, at the head of which was that staunch old patriot, Jesse
Grimes, would not report it for fear that it would become a law.
and establish the precedent that the State treasury, and not the
lands only, were liable for the payment of the debt of the
Republic.

JULIAN STAPPER
CIBOLO
One of the pioneer and most influential German citizens of
Southwest Texas was born on Cibolo Creek, in Bexar County,
Texas, August 3, 1854. His parents, Edward Stapper, a drug
gist, and mother, Falezetas Bract, were natives of the Rhine
country of Germany. His father emigrated to America in 1848,
the year the liberals of Germany revolted and attempted to found
a republic. He made his way to the Southwest, and settled on
Cibolo Creek, about twenty miles from San Antonio. The Stap
per family grew apace during the following year, when Joseph

Texas-^The Country, and Its Men

551

L. Stapper, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, arrived
bringing with him a group of five sons and seven daughters.
Among other -wares was the firgt pianoforte ever seen -in that
part of the country. They had landed at Galveston, then a fish-

julian stapper

erman's haven. At Galveston they purchased several "prairie
schooners," loaded them to the guards with the effects of a large
family, and started overland for New Braunfels, remaining there
until the location on the Cibolo was chosen as their future home,

552 Texas — The Country and Its Men
and there was erected the domicile in which Julian Stapper now
lives. The original tract consisted of one hundred acres, which
has since been increased to four hundred acres. The grand
father, Joseph L. Stapper, died in 1861, at Comfort, Texas, while
visiting his daughter, Mrs. Bertha Leick. Mr. Edward Stapper,
father of Joseph L., died November 10, 1900, in his ninetieth
year. Julian Stapper was educated in the common schools at New
Braunfels, his teacher being Miss Regina von Gugenthal, un
der whose instruction he was taught to read and write the Ger
man language. His further education was acquired at the New
Braunfels Academy and under the tutelage of Rudolph Wip-
precht who kept a private school in New Braunfels. Returning
to the farm in 1869, and being unable to employ farm hands, he
began to clear away the niesquite brush, eventually getting eighty
acres in a high state of cultivation.
Shortly after they arrived and for several years thereafter,
the newcomers, like their neighbors, wexe frequent victims of In
dian raids, losing many horses in these raids. In 1855, the set
tlers took matters into their own hands, organized a company
under the command of Captain WUliam Davenport, took the war
path, pursued the Indians, killed a number of them and recov
ered a bunch of horses which they had stolen on the Cibolo and
vicinity. The Bracht home was for a long time the assembly
headquarters for settlers when threatened by the Indians.
In December, 1878, Mr. Stapper married Miss Emma Meu-
rin, daughter of J. P. and Laura (Brotze) Meurin. To this union
six children were born, namely: Edda, wife of Alfred P. Fiel
of Cibolo; Laura, wife of Felix Brotze, who lives in Schuriz,
Texas ; Edward, who now manages the home place.
Mr. Stapper, having given up farming, is now Vice Presi
dent of the Schurtz State Bank, and is also interested in several
other business ventures. He is Vice President of the Sons of
Hermann Lodge of Texas ; Vice President of the German-Amer
ican Alliance, represented as special commissioner, by appoint
ment of Governor Colquitt, the "Governors Cotton -Conference"
in Guadalupe County, and is a Socialist in politics.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 553

JAMES STOREY
SAN MARCOS
Captain James Storey was born on a farm near Summers-
ville, Georgia, July 30, 1830. His father. Colonel John Thomp
son Storey, of Irish-English descent, was a worthy descendant of
his maternal grandmother, Peggy Thompson, who in Revolution
ary days, when her husband, an American soldier, lay sick in his
home, stood with her gun at the door of the house and defied a
band of British soldiers who attempted to enter and capture him.
So impressed were the Red Coats by her courage that they
' left and her husband was unmolested.
Colonel Storey as a boy served in the War of 1812. Later
in life he was in the Senate of his State for several terms.
He again took up arms in the wars against the Indians of
the frontier and in the war with Mexico.
James Storey's mother, Lucy (McLester) Storey, of Scotch
descent, was a woman of rare intellect and marked piety.
Thus was Captain Storey, by an ancestry of sterling worth
and strength of character, endowed with qualities that helped
him to bravely face the vicissitudes and crises of his long life.
When he had reached the age of fifteen, his parents, with
their ten children, removed to Gonzales County, Texas, where
they resided for three years.
In 1848 they established their home in Lockhart, Caldwell
County, Texas. Here James G. Storey grew to manhood, de
veloping those traits of character that gave him the high esteem
of his associates.
In 1853 he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Branch
Cheatham, a native of Washington, Arkansas, who had come to
Texas with her parents in her childhood.
Upon a farm near San Marcos, in Hays County, he then
made his home, and in 1856 he was elected to the office of Dis
trict Clerk. This office he held when the troublous days of the
sixties came upon the country.
Although as a holder of public office he was, by law, exempt

554 Texas — The Country and Its Men

from mUitary duty ; the need of the South for her sons to defend
her was on his heart and he resigned his office in order to enter
the Confederate army. He helped to organize a company and
was elected its First Lieutenant in February, 1862. The next
month, while stationed at San Antonio, Texas, he was promoted
to the rank of Captain, and as Captain of Company A, AA'ood's
Regiment of Thirty-second Texas Cavalry, he served through
the remainder of the war.
He was in several engagements in the Red River expedition
against Banks ; the engagements of Monets Ferry and Yellow-
Bayou, and was in service in Eastern Louisiana.
At the close of the war his command was at Houston, iTexas.
Through the hardships, trials and dangers of camp and
battle, he maintained the same purity of life and uprightness of
conduct that characterized him in private life.
To the commander of his regiment. Col. P. C. AA^oods, he was
an honored lifelong friend ; to the men of his company he was
a beloved leader.
Amid the temptations and hardships of army life, his wise
counsel, his kindly bearing, and consistent Christian life made
him a tower of strength to those who, as mere boys, had answered
their country's call.
Ties of deepest affection were formed between them that
lasted as long as life.
At the close of the war he returned to his farm in Hays
County and was soon appointed Judge of Hays County bv Gov
ernor Hamilton, which office he ably filled until removed by
Federal authority as an "obstruction to reconstruction."
In 1880 he was elected a member of the Seventeenth Legis
lature of his State, and while a member served on the Committees
of Internal Improvements and Finance.
He became County Clerk of Hays County and held this
office untU 1906; his last year being spent in pri^•ate life.
Throughout his career, whether he was in public or in pri
vate life, when a moral issue was before the people, no citizen
knowing him ever asked which side of the question would Captain
Storey take, for his life so consistently and strongly testified to

Texa& — The Country and Its Men 555

JAMES STOREY

556 Texas — The Country and Its Men
the fact that the side of right was his side — that all know where
he stood. He had from early manhood been a member of the Presby
terian Church, and was for many years an Elder in that church
and untU his death.
One of the beautiful features of his life was the influence
he exerted upon the children, the young people and older ones
of his Sabbath School, where for more than a quarter of a
century he held the place of Superintendent. He was loved and
honored by them, and they took him as an example, worthy of
emulation, in their lives.
The daily purpose of his life was to let no opportunity pass
unheeded in which he might speak a word of comfort, to uplift,
and to help save a brother man; in which he might hold out a
hand to steady the upward steps of some faltering one; "to do
justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with his God."
Since "no life can be pure in its purpose and strong in its strife,
and all life not be purer and stronger thereby," so no State can
have as its citizens men with the purity of heart that was his —
with the integrity of Christian character — the faithfulness to duty
that was his, and not be enriched, ennobled and strengthened
thereby. And no State so enriched, ennobled and strengthened can
fail to become a potent factor for good in the life of its nation
and of mankind.
Thus, on the battlefields of his loved land, in the haUs of its
legislative body, in office of trust, and in private life, he served
his generation, and when at the age of eighty years and six
months he died, January 22, 191 1 ; some who knew him well said
of him as was said of one of old : "Know ye not, that there is
a Prince and a Great Man fallen this day in Israel."

Texas — The Country and Its Men 557

HIPPOLYT DITTLINGER
NEW BRAUNFELS
Conspicuously identified with the mercantile and manufac
turing interests of New Braunfels is Hippolyt Dittlinger, widely
known in business circles as a man of enterprise, ability and the
highest integrity, whose opinions are highly respected. A son
of Nicholas Dittlinger, he was born April 3, 1859, at Cape Gi
rardeau, Mo., of honored German ancestry.
A native of Germany, Nicholas Dittlinger was born in the
Rhine Province, near Trier, and was there bred and educated.
He was talented and cultured, active in public life, and an in
timate friend of Carl Schurz. On account of making public
speeches in 1848 he was forced to leave college and became a
political fugitive, seeking refuge in some other country. Emi
grating to the United States he settled at Cape Girardeau, where
he soon established a successful business as a general merchant.
He also engaged in the manufacture of lime to be used in sugar
making, and at an exposition held at New Orleans, was awarded
the first prize for his product, which was extensively used at the
sugar plantations of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Geor
gia. After the close of the war, his health being in a precarious
condition, he disposed of his business to his brother, and came
to New Braunfels to recuperate. But the change was not very
beneficial, and he gradually failed untU his death in 1866. After
an amnesty was declared in Prussia, returning to his native
land for a visU in 1856, he had married at Cologne, Bertha
KeUner, whom he brought to this country as a bride. She sur
vived him, and after his death returned to Cologne with her
family and died there in 1872. She reared three children, name
ly : Hippolyt, the subject of this sketch; Minna, who became
a sister of charity and died in 1881 at Covington, Ky., perform
ing her duties to the end ; and Anna, who came to Texas after
the death of her mother, resided at New Braunfels ten years,
after which she returned to Cologne, where she now has charge

558

Texas — The Country and Its Men

hippolyt dittlinger

Texas — The Country and Its Men 559
of a home for young women employed in clerical work, or oth
erwise dependent.
During the years that Hippolyt Dittlinger resided with his
widowed mother in Cologne, he attended school, obtaining a
practical education. In 1875 he came back to the United States,
and in 1876 came to New Braunfels to visit the grave of his
father. Deciding to remain in this locality, hfe secured a position
as clerk in the store of Mr. E. Scherff, with whom he con
tinued two years, being afterwards similarly employed with Tips,
Clemens & Faust for a short time. In 1881 Mr. Dittlinger
formed a co-partnership with Mr. Faust, and established a mer
cantile business, dealing in hardware, farm implements and ma
chinery under the firm name of Faust & Dittlinger, uritil 1886,
when the firm was consolidated with Faust & Co. In 1901, this
firm was dissolved and Mr. Dittlinger became sole proprietor
of the flour miU and cotton gin, both of which he has since op
erated successfully. The mill is furnished with up-to-date ma
chinery of all kinds, its equipments being modern in every re
spect, and has a capacity of 750 barrels per day, the flour, which
is of a superior brand, finding a ready market in Texas. In
1907 Mr. DUdinger, with characteristic enterprise, started to
manufacture lime, and erected a plant with the latest approved
devices for making a first-class product to which he ad^ded a
rock crushing plant which is now the largest in the State of
Texas. Mr. Dittlinger married in 1890, Elise Grob, who was born
in S-witzerland, which was the native home of her father, Bar
tholomew Grob. Three chUdren have been born to this union.
Mr. Grob was for many years a manufacturer of embroidery in
Switzeriand, living there untU 1875 when he emigrated to the
United States, locating at MUwaukee, Wis., where he intended
to establish an embroidery factory, but had scarcely begun op
erations when in 1876 he died. Religiously Mr. and Mrs. DUt-
hnger are members of the St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic Church.

560 Texas — The Country and Its Men

W. G. SUTHERLAND BLUNTZER
Mr. Sutherland was born in the highlands of Scotland in
1852. He was educated at the Elgin Academy in his native coun
try and at the Cardiff College and School of Mines in South
Wales. He came to New Orleans in 1874 and to Texas in 1875.
Mr. Sutherland began teaching school a few months after his
arrival in this State and has now for forty-two years been en
gaged in the work of education. For thirty-five years of that pe
riod he has been teaching schools in the County of Nueces.
Mr. Sutherland was for several years Postmaster and Justice
of the Peace in Starr County. He is now and for the past twen
ty years has been Justice of the Peace and Notary Public in
Nueces County. He is a fluent writer of short stories and his
torical sketches and a contributor to several newspapers and
magazines. There are few men better posted in regard to the history of
Southwest Texas, as he was intimately associated with many of
the first settlers and lived in the country when the white people
and their property were considered the lawful prey of the prowl
ing Mexican and the marauding Indian.
Mr. Sutherland is a man of worth and merit and like all
such men he is modest and unassuming. Indeed, his modesty
has made this sketch so limited that he was loath to furnish the
data necessary to a write-up such as his life work deserves.
The teacher is the greatest of human architects, since he
builds character and human character makes human destiny.
Iri this grand work Mr. Sutherland "has builded wiser than
he knew." His work lives and will live in the acts and history
and achievements of the cultured men and women whom he has
taught and trained for usefulness here and eternal happiness
hereafter.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 561

ROBERT M. MARTINDALE
martindale.
In reviewing the record of the lives of successful men of
the day and generation in which we live, it is interesting to the
writer of such sketches to note from how many standpoints we
must consider what may and what may not be regarded' as a
successful career, and what is most worthy in such records of
preservation, in order that we may present a true photograph
of the character and achievements of the subjects ,of such
sketches. This is peculiarly the case in undertaking the task of in
diting with any consideration for brevity the private and political
life of the subject of this sketch. Hon. R. M. Martindale was
born in the State of Mississippi, May 15th, 1839. His parents,
George and Nancy Martindale, were people of accomplishments
and wealth, his father was a.large planter and stockman. Robert
attended school in his native State, and after coming to Texas,
In 1 86 1 he joined the Confederate Army; he participated in the
siege of Vicksburg and many other hard-fought battles of the
Civil War. For four years the men of his company had shared
each others' danger and under the shadow of a common sorrow,
the humiliation of a hopeless defeat, their company disbanded
and they returned to their homes, impoverished and made deso
late by the war. This was the saddest act in that long and well
played drama of war.
Returning to his home in Caldwell County, he opened up
a farm and general store, and as he accumulated money he would
buy lands and soon accumulated a large and princely estate. In
AprU, 1875, he was married to Miss Roxa M. Harper, the beau
tiful and accomplished daughter of Robert M. Harper, a leading
citizen of Caldwell County, also a native of Mississippi, who died
at Martindale, Texas, February 20th, 1909. The people of Cald
well County prevailed upon Mr. Martindale to represent them
in the Twenty-fourth Legislature. There his ability was recog-

562

Texas — The Country and Its Men

nized and he was placed on many of the most important commit
tees of that body. He was charitable to a fault, no worthy case
of charity was ever presented to him that he did not liberally
contribute to. The beautiful concrete fence surrounding the

ROBERT M. martindale

Martindale Cemetery, where his body now reposes, was built
by Mr. Martindale at his own expense.
Mrs. Martindale is still living on the old home place, sur
rounded with all the comforts that wealth can bestow. She is

Texas — The Country and Its Men 563
a lady of rare refinement and intelligence, and her deeds of kind
ness and charities are innumerable. Her life is a part and inter
woven with the most stirring period of the history of Caldwell
County. To her belongs the glory of a Roman matron and the
halo of a tender Christian mother. Mr. Martindale died Feb
ruary 20, 1909.

GEORGE NORMAN MARTINDALE
maxwell
George Norman Martindale, son of Robert M. Martindale
and Roxa M. Harper, natives of Mississippi, who moved to Texas
at an early day and settled in Caldwell County, was born near
Maxwell, CaldweU County, Texas, June 22, 1877, and has re
sided within three mUes of his birthplace to this date, 1915.
AA'hen seventeen years of age, he opened up a farm and went to
work for himself. The result of his labor speaks for itself. He
now owns more than two thousand acres of the richest black
land in Caldwell County, all of which is in cultivation, and has
recently added merchandising to his farming interest. Being in
the prime of life and full of energy, fame and accessions to his
present large estate will likely rapidly take place.
Mr. Martindale is now but forty years of age at this writ
ing (1917), is rated as one of the largest taxpayers of his
county, and stands high in the commercial world. On June 20,
1900, he was married to Miss Bonnie Posey, the accomplished
daughter of Mr. J. B. Posey of Caldwell County. They have an
interesting family of five children, named as follows: Robert
M., Merle, Roxadine, George Norman and Harold.
In politics he has always been a staunch Democrat, but finds
but little time to devote to public affairs, as he has an estate
valued at more than a quarter of a miUion doUars to look after.
He is thoroughly domestic in his taste, charitable and kind to
the poor, and contributes liberally to every worthy object tend
ing to advance the welfare of the community in which he lives.

564 Texas — The Country and Its Men

MRS. ELLEN CORRIGAN
BEEVILLE
Mrs. Ellen Corrigan, whose death occurred on the nth at
her home on the Aransas, in Bee County, in point of residence
was the oldest citizen of the county, being one of the few^ sur
viving colonists who settled in this section from Ireland in 1829,
and having resided in the home where she died for something
like sixty years. Her father, Jeremiah O'Tool, was one of
the Power and Hewitson colonists, granted land by the Mexican
Government, and who constituted the first English-speaking resi
dents of this section of the State. Mrs. Corrigan was a little
child when the colonists landed on the coast of Texas, and in
her long life she saw the country transformed from a wilderness
to its present state of development. She had in her time re
sided under four separate governments, the Mexican Republic,
the Texas Republic, the United States and the Confederate
regime. During her residence in Texas she was a witness and a par
ticipant in many of the stirring scenes incident to pioneer life.
Indian raids were of frequent occurrence in the years preceding
the Texas revolution, and in one instance her home was at
tacked by them and it was with some difficulty they were re
pelled without loss of life. Her husband, John Corrigan, also
a pioneer, died about the opening of the Civil AA'ar. Mrs. Cor
rigan was the mother of ten children, two of whom preceded
her. Those surviving are : M. Corrigan, for many years sheriff
of Duval County, Jerry Corrigan of Beeville, John M., Domingo
and Edward of Skidmore, Mrs. Nicholas Dunn of Alice and
Mesdames H. J. O'Rielly and P. R. AA'elder of BeeviUe.
The funeral of Mrs. Corrigan took place from the residence
which has been her home for more than half a century, re
ligious services being conducted by Rev, Father Coma in the
little church which stood near her home, and the interment be
ing in the cemetery attached thereto where is laid to rest many
of her friends and neighbors who had preceded her to their
eternal home.

MRS. ELLEN CORRIGAN

566 Texas — The Country and Its Men

POPE A. PRESNALL
ALICE
One of the strong men of AA'est Texas, was born in Bexar County,
Texas, near San Antonio, July 26, 1865.
Mr. Presnall's parents were Harrison Presnall and Susan
Applewhite. They came from the good old State of Alabama,
Clark County, where the elder Presnall was a successful and
practical farmer, a man of simple tastes and high character.
The subject of this memoir attended the schools of San
Antonio and acquired a fair English education. After finishing
his school days he took to stock raising and soon moved out to
Pecos County, where a wider and better range could be had for
his increasing herds. He ranched in Pecos County till 1890, when
he returned to San Antonio and associated himself with the firm
of Saunders & Presnall in the cattle commission business.
Three years later he sold out his interests in this firm and
went to Alice, where he formed a partnership with S. B. Mosser
and opened a thriving bank, now organized under the State Bank
ing laws, with Mr. Presnall as President. It is capitalized at
$75,000 and enjoys great popularity by reason of its conservative
and wise methods, as well as on account of the pleasant and
courteous treatment of its patrons.
Mr. Presnall has shown as great executive ability in directing
the policy and managing the affairs of a bank as he exhibited in
handling cattle and ranches.
Success has attended his efforts in all his business ventures,
because they were all guided by sound judgment and safe methods.
Mr. Presnall's father died in 1883, while his honored mother
died in 191 1, at the age of 88 years, in the Alamo City.
AVhile never aspiring to official station, Mr. Presnall has
served his people acceptably as County Treasurer of Pecos Coun
ty and has also been called to the mayoralty of Alice, his home
town. He is an active fraternity man, being affiliated with the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 567
Alice Lodge, No. 912, A. F. & A. M., and with Lodge No. 644,
Knights of Pythias.
Mr. Presnall has been married twice. His first wife was
Miss Alice Clark, whom he married in 1897. By this wife he has
three children : Homer Hawthorne, Alice Clare and Mary Susan.
This wife died in 1904, and he subsequently married Miss Donia
Scruggs of Alice, by whom he has two children. Pope Arthur,
age six years, and Julia DeRosette, age three years.
Mr. Presnall is recognized as a leading citizen and financier
in his community, and commands the confidence and esteem of
all who know him. He belongs to the present generation of
business men, who are leading broad and deep the foundations of
the State's commercial greatness, and making Texas like a city
set on a hill that cannot be hid.

JOHN W. THATCHER
eagle lake, TEXAS
The parents of John AA^ Thatcher were natives of Virginia,
born near Culpepper Court House. They came to Texas in 1836.
The father, George AA^ Thatcher, was a farmer all his life, and
died on his farm in 1867, near Eagle Lake, Colorado County.
John W. was born on the farm February 22, 1840. He re
ceived a fair English education in the schools of Bastrop, Texas.
Following the example of his father, and obeying the in
stincts of his early life on the farm, on attaining manhood he
engaged in farming and stock raising, which business he has
pursued with success to the present time.
In i860 he married Miss Margaret Lizzie Abell, who died
in 1869. He subsequently married Miss Annie Davis of Vir
ginia. By the first wife he had four children : Frances Wilson of
Big Springs, Texas; Mrs. S. WiUiamson and Mrs. Josephine
Frazer, and John R. Thatcher. No children were born of the
second marriage.
When the Civil War broke out Mr. Thatcher responded to

568 Texas — The Country and Its Men
the call to arms, and enlisted in 1862 in a company from Whar
ton, commanded by Captain Vesey, of Brown's Battalion, and
continued his service as a soldier till the close of the war, when
his regiment was disbanded in Navarro County.
He returned to his farm and resumed his labors as farmer
and stockman, where they had been interrupted by the war.
Like all true Confederate soldiers he went to work after
the war to rebuild his shattered fortune, and has met with a grati
fying measure of success. He owns a fine farm of 500 acres,
well tilled, and a pasture of 700 acres, well stocked, and as the
sun of life sinks towards the westerrl hills, he calmly awaits its
going down, surrounded by the comforts of a peaceful, happy
home, and blessed with the consciousness of duty well done and
a life well spent.

ALEXANDER JOSKE
SAN ANTONIO
Merchant, President, arid principal owner of Joske Bros.
Company, one of the largest department stores between the Mis
sissippi and the Rockies, was born in Prussia in 1857 and came
to America at the age of fourteen. After a short stay in New
York he came -with his older brother, Albert, to San Antonio, both
of them entering the employ of their uncle, L. AVolfson, then
proprietor of the largest retail, store.
Mr. Julius Joske, their father, had previously been in busi
ness in San Antonio. He returned, and again established him
self in business, being joined by his sons under the firm name
of J. Joske & Sons. Later the sons bought their father's in
terest and established the firm of Joske Bros. Their store was
on Alamo Street, nearly opposite the present location, the pres
ent site having been subsequently purchased. Allen Joske sold
his interest to his brother in 1900, when Alexander Joske, con
tinuing the business alone for a short time, incorporated it un
der its present name.
Mr. Joske's indomitable energy and shrewd judgment forced
the business rapidly ahead until it has assumed a leading posi
tion among similar enterprises throughout the State. His store

Texas — The Country and Its Men

569

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ALEXANDER JOSKE
570 Texas — The Country and Its Men
attracted visitors in such numbers as to make it a valuable civic
asset. Mr. Joske ascribes his mental vigor and ability to the
training he received from his parents, recognizing his mother,
especially, as a vital factor in forming his character. He was
educated in the public schools of Berlin, and served his busi
ness apprenticeship there. ^
Mr. Joske married Miss Blanche Frank in April, 1889, and
they have two children : Harold and Miss LucUe. The former
is now active assistant in the management of his father's business.

EDGAR ERNST SCHRAMM
SAN ANTONIO
Was born January 14, 1841, at Butow, a town near the landed
estates of his father. Province of Pommerania, Prussia. His
father was Ernst Ludwig Schramm ; his mother, Appolonia
von Wyschetzka. His grandfather for many years was Staff
Surgeon in the Prussian army and served with honor and deco
rations through the Napoleonic wars. His son, the father of the
subject of this sketch, was born in Danzig in 1809, which was
at that time a Republic, having been declared a free sovereign
city by Napoleon, Emperor of France. Circumstances induced
the family to emigrate, and finally settled at New Braunfels in
1853, under the auspices of the Prince Solms Braunfels Colony,
composed mostly of German gentry.
The subject of this reference received the rudiments of an
education in Germany. Upon his arrival in the wilds of Texas
he followed all the occupations of an uncultivated and wild
country, such as driving ox teams, hauling freight to the interior
from the coast to the colonists, farming, herding and driving
cattle, clerking, etc. The Indians often becoming very trouble
some, it became often neceSsary to formulate scouts to protect
the settlements, and volunteer parties were made up to retake

Texas — The Country and Its Men 571
stolen horses and cattle, in all of which he took an active part.
In 1861 he joined the first regiment of Texas Mounted Volun
teers, under Henry McCulloch, to protect the frontier against
heavy depredations of the Indians. After the real outbreak of
the war he received a commission of Second Lieutenant for the
raising of a company for the Seventh Infantry of Texas; how
ever, not being able to get recruits for his command, he joined
a made-up company of cavalry raised at New Braunfels under
its Captain, T. Podewils, for the Confederacy with the rank of
Lieutenant, whereof he commanded this same company as its
Captain during the engagements had at Mansfield, Pleasant Hill,
Yellow Bayou, etc., which virtually closed the so-called Louisi
ana campaign against General Banks, U. S. A.
At the close of the war he engaged in a mercantile career.
Incidentally he was nominated as Mayor of the City of San An
tonio, but was defeated, and in 1893 was appointed Consul of the
United States to Montevideo, Republic of Uruguay, South Amer
ica, by President Grover Cleveland. He returned to the United
States after the election of McKinley, when he organized and
was the first President of the German-American National Asso
ciation for the State of Texas in the United States of America.
In 1865 he married Miss Tony von Benner of New Braunfels,
Texas; they have five sons and two daughters living: Gilbert,
Milton, Harold, Darwin and Texas ; Mrs. Bertha Hohrath, wife
of the editor and owner of the Hermanns Sohn in Texas, and
Miss Tony Blanche. Mr., Schramm has always occupied a lead
ing position in the social, commercial and political life of San
Antonio, and in his seventy-fifth year is hearty and virile, has
troops of friends, and prospects to be with them for years to
come.

572 Texas — The Country and Its Men

DARIUS C. RACHAL
sinton
The subject of this sketch was born at Natchitoches, Louisi
ana, January 23, 1841. His parents moved to Liberty County,
Texas, in 1846 and this subject reared there (Liberty). -His
parents were Ciriaque and Anias (Compere) Rachal, both lineal
descendants of the Arcadians, who sought asylum in Louisiana,
and where picturesque and romantic history has been the theme
of song and story for two centuries. Ciriaque Rachal was a
prosperous farmer and stock raiser, who died in 1852, in Lib-
er;ty County, Texas, aged thirty-six, leaving his widow and seven
children, viz. : Esilla, wife of L. A. Bitterman, of Nuecestown,
Te>las; Darius C, who married Miss Julia Bryan; Frank S., de
ceased, who married Anne Blanchette, also deceased. Of this
marriage, one child survives, now Mrs. AA'. B. Klipstine, of
Bee\'ille; Edward, now a prosperous farmer o"f Falfurrias; Al
bert P., a stock raiser, who resides in San Antonio, and Ernest
and Alphonse, both of whom died many years ago.
Upon the outbreak of the war between the States, the sub
ject of this sketch enlisted in the Fifth Texas Infantry, which
was a part of Hooci's Brigade, was sent to Virginia where his
command was engaged in nearly all the major engagements of
Lee's Army. It took part in the seven days' fight in the wilder
ness ; was at second Bull Run or Manassas ; at Sharpsburg, at
the very front in Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania ; taking part in
the three immortal days at Gettysburg; was foremost in the de
fense of Fredericksburg, and was with Hood during the terrific
hand to hand struggle at Chickamauga. When the battle flags
were furled and the last musket stacked. Captain Rachal re
turned to Texas, and engaged in the cattle business. He subse
quently lived two years in Calhoun County, removing thence to
San Patricio County, where he has ever since resided. From
1875 to 1890, Captain Rachal was one of the largest cattle raisers
in the State, and his home place is now one of the most exten
sive farms in Texas, wdiile, in addition, he owns about twelve

Texas — The Country and Its Men

573

hundred acres of very valuable land, the whole being located
about seven miles north of the City of Corpus Christi. Gas
was discovered on these lands and is now being piped to Corpus
Christi.

DARIUS c. rachal

A son, Frank S. Rachal, is a well known stock raiser, resid
ing at Falfurrias; Christopher is a farmer and assessor of San
Patricio County. His daughter, Florence, the eldest of his chil
dren, married Hon. P A. Hunter, County Judge of San Patricio;

574 Texas — The Country and Its Men
another son, Ernest, is a well-to-do farmer, while AA'. B. Rathal
is postmaster at Sinton,' Texas. His daughter, Katherine, mar
ried Dominick Dunn.
An interesting fact in connection with the family is the mili
tary history of Christopher Bryan, the father of Mrs. Rachal.
He was a veteran of the war for Texas Independence, served
through the entire campaign, and was with Houston at Sarj
Jacinto, in the company of Captain Logan. He was a native of
Berwick Bay, Louisiana, and died at Liberty, Texas, in i860.
In rugged health, with a record that will for all time be a
source of pride to those who bear his name ; respected and hon
ored by all who know him. Captain Rachal is enjoying the ease
and comfort that come to those who rightly bear the reputation
of a well spent and useful life.

JAMES B. WELLS
BROWNSVILLE,- TEXAS
Hon. James B. Wells, an honored resident of BrownsvUle
for more than thirty-two years, is one of the ablest lawyers of
the Southwest, having earned noteworthy prominence in corpora
tion practice and as a conservator of large estates. His splendid
standing as a lawyer has been stamped with highest approval by
his elevation to the bench of the District Court, and in the de
liberations and advancement of the Democratic Party he has at
tained to the dignity of national prominence. Also a man of
staunch financial and business ability, and of broad, practical
views, he is easily in the van of the most progressive and influ
ential citizens who have given the Lone Star State a bright name
for a superior brand of aggressiveness and evolution.
Mr. AVells was born on St. Joseph's Island, near Aransas
Pass, Texas, on the 12th of July, 1854, his father, James B., hav
ing been a cattle raiser of that locality for many years. The
elder Mr. Wells has a history which is well worthy of record.
A native of Georgia, born near Macon, he was reared and edu
cated in Boston, Massachusetts, and was a seaman during the

Texas — The Country and Its Men

575

JAMES B. WELLS

576 Texas — The Country and Its Men
earlier period of his life. When the war for independence broke
out in Texas he was the captain of a large boat which plied
the Mississippi and Red Rivers, but left for the scene of tumult,
raised a company of men and took them to Galveston Island to
be ready for action. He served in the Texas Navy as a First
Lieutenant, and at the conclusion of hostilities was appointed
by President Sam Houston as the First Master of the Navy Yard
at Galveston Island. Mr. AA'ells remained there for but a short
time, and in about 1837 came to the lower gulf country and,
settling on St. Joseph's Island, engaged in cattle raising. He
continued to follow that business until his death, in 1K80. His
wife, formerly Lydia Ann Dana Hastings Hull, was a native of
Woodville, Missississippi, and her parents were intimate friends
of President Jefferson Davis, although in the early genealogical
period both sides of the family were of Puritan stock. The
mother died in 1878.
James B. Wells obtained his early education in a day school
at Lamar, Texas; then foUowed a period when most of his time
was spent caring for his father's cattle ranch. But his ambi
tions were in the line of a more intellectual and, especially, a pro
fessional line. Accordingly, he entered the University of Vir
ginia, from which he graduated in law with the class of 1875,
Locating then at Rockport, in his native county of Aransas, he
commenced the practice of his profession in 1876 and continued
at that point until June, 1878, since which time he has made
Brownsville his permanent place of residence and the' headquar
ters of his professional labors. Quite early in his practice he
evinced a remarkable ability in the legal management of corporate
interests, being prominently identified with the law department
of the Rio Grande RaUroad for a period of thirty years ; for three
years he served as general attorney for the St. Louis, Browns
ville and Mexico Railroad,, and is now both the attorney and di
rector of the First National Bank of his home city. As an ap
pointee of Governor Culberson, he also seved on tlJe district
bench for sixteen months, declining to be a candidate for elec
tion, as he preferred the more active career of a private prac
titioner. It is well within the facts to state that in the politics
of the State he has reached a station of ackno-wdedged leadership,.
having been for years a member of the Democratic Executive

Texas — The Country and Its Men 577
Committee of Texas, of which he was chairman for two terms,
and also honored by selection as presidential elector from Texas
on the Cleveland and Hendricks ticket in 1885. In his religious
faith Mr. AA'eUs is a Catholic.
In 1880 Mr. W^ells was united in marriage with Miss Pauline
J. Kleiber, daughter of Joseph Kleiber, of BrownsvUle, and their
three living children are Zoe Dana Hastings Hull, Joseph Kleiber
and Robert Carlton, Joseph, a graduate of the University of
Virginia. Mrs. VA^ells is a grandniece of General Jean Baptiste
Kleiber, a native of Strasburg and one of Napoleon's greatest
commanders, who succeeded his chief as commander of the
French army in Egypt, and in the following year (1800), after
his crushing defeat of the Turks at Heliopolis, was assassinated
at Cairo by emissaries of his wily enemy.

GEORGE MADISON MAVERICK
SAN ANTONIO
George Madison Maverick, son of Samuel Augustus and
Mary Adams Maverick, was born in Matagorda, Texas, Septem
ber 7, 1845, ^Jjd h^*i just completed his sixty-eighth year when
death overtook him. He died in London, England, September
16, 1913, and was buried in San Antonio, Texas.
A quiet and thoughtful boy, he spent many happy days with
his pony and gun in the outskirts of San Antonio. He shot his
first deer on the Houston Plantation, near where Sutherland
Springs is now located.
At the age of sixteen he enlisted as a Confederate soldier in
Company E, Wood's Thirty-third Texas Cavalry, his Captain be
ing his own brother, Lewis Antonio Maverick. After the war, in
July, 1865, he and his younger brother, W. H. Maverick, jour
neyed through the disorganized South to the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. Railroads were so poor that in places
the brothers carried their baggage between them. To pay for
their schooling, they carried money in the shape of Spanish
doubloons in leather belts. When they reached the booming town

578

Texas — The Country and Its Men

GEORGE MADISON MAVERICK

Texas — The Country and Its Men 579

of Atlanta, Georgia, there appeared to be so little law and order
that George arranged to sit up the first half of the night and
then to awaken his brother to keep guard over their belongings.
After two years in Chapel HUI he attended the University of
Virginia, where he studied with diligence and graduated with
honors. He made his mark in mathematics, and received his
license to practice law. Returning to San Antonio he entered
the active practice of law.
In June, 1878, at Red Wing, Minnesota, he married Mary
Elizabeth Vance, daughter of John Vance of Castroville, Texas,
she having just graduated from a boarding school there.
Tiring of the long, hot summers experienced in Texas, the
family moved to Sedalia, Missouri, and after two years there
removed to St. Louis. All of this time he diligently devoted him
self to the practice of law.
After twenty years spent in Missouri, he returned, about
Christmas, 1896, to San Antonio to live, and devoted himself to
his private business interests. The Maverick Hotel, which he
stUl owned at the time of his death, was built by him as army
headquarters. At that time Colonel Ord was in command of the
troops here. Later the building was remodeled and made into
a hotel. George M. Maverick was simple in his tastes, kindly of
heart, caring, nothing for fashion or display, and was ever in
sympathy with any move for good in the community, and took
particular pride in the development of Houston Street, and by
many was called the "Father of Houston Street," now the prin
cipal business thoroughfare of San Antonio. He was prominently
interested in the budding of the Gunter Hotel before the St.
Anthony was contemplated, though the latter was completed first.
His chief characteristic was a wonderful sense of justice and
appreciation of the good in those about him, he being most gen
erous, charitable and broad-minded in his views. At the time of
his death there survived him his wife and six chUdren.

580 Texas — The Country and Its Men

MARK JONES
granger
Mark Jones, a pioneer merchant of WUliamson County, was
born in the Province of Breslau, Germany, in 1837, and died
at Granger, Texas, August 27, 1914. He was buried in Tay
lor August 28. Mr. Jones received his education in the com
mon schools of his native country.
He came to America in 1852, landing in New York De
cember 6, where, after having served an apprenticeship in a dry
goods house, and also having received a diploma from a busi
ness college, he was engaged one year as a clerk in a jewelry
store. In 1855 h^ located in Keokuk, Iowa. In the spring of
1856 he located for a short time in LaGrange, Missouri. Coming
the same year overland to Texas, in company with George
Neely of Pike County, Illinois. They arrived in Grimes County
in February, 1857. Soon after he changed his name from Jonas
to Jones, his people being still known by the former name. He
has one brother living in Chicago. While residing in Grimes
County, Mr. Jones was engaged in trading in .stock, principally
in horses. In 1858 he came to Williamson County, locating
near . where Florence now is, which, at that time, was called
BrookvUle. He brought with him a number of horses of his
own, also a drove belonging to WiUiam Howard of Mississippi,
which he took care of for three years. In 1861 he returned to
Grimes County.
At the opening of the late war in 1861, although a Union
man,' Mr. Jones joined the Confederate Army, McCowen's Bat
talion, and went to the City of Waco. WhUe there the com
panies reorganized into Gurley's Regiment, known as the Thir
tieth Texas Cavalry. Mr. Jones was a member of Company D,
Captain Strayhorn. Soon after their organization of his regi
ment he secured a furlough to go home. Previous to leaving
camp he had done some writing for the company which pleased
Colonel Gurley and his Regimental Quartermaster, Captain Ab-
ney, and on his return Mr. Jones was appointed Quartermaster's

MARK JONES

Texas — The Country and Its Men 581
Clerk. He filled that position until the regiment arrived at
Houston, where they were ordered to dismount and to go to
Brownsville, although they did not leave their horses until arriv
ing in Colorado County. They then marched on foot until Bee
County was reached, where they received orders to go into camp
at Cypress City. While there Mi;. Jones resigned his position
as Quartermaster's Clerk for the regiment and accepted the office
of Clerk of the Quartermaster's Department at Houston, where
he remained nine months. He was the only man taken from his
ranks to fill a position in that department. Mr. Jones afterward "
joined his company and served as private until the close of the
struggle. He took part in the Battles of Rocky and Cabin Creek.
At the latter place 300 wagons and 1,200 mules were captured.
The company disbanded on the Brazos River, in Falls County,
after which Mr. Jones resumed the stock business in Florence.
In 1866 he sold his stock to Mr. McCary and embarked in the
mercantile business in Georgetown, in company with James
Knight with whom he remained two years. He next located on
a farm on the Gabriel, and from 1880 to 1892 was engaged in
stock raising and farming at that place. SeUing his home and
other city property in Taylor and Granger, he engaged in the
banking business in Granger and in 1893 opened the first bank
in that city.
He was married to Miss Mariah Pyle, a native of VermiUion
County, Indiana, and a daughter of Robert and Marthe (Ma-
lone) Pyle. To this union were born seven chUdren: Clara,
wife of W. T. Saul; Mattie, now Mrs. Charles SuUivan; Min
nie, wife of Dr. Keown of Waco ; . Jettie, Mamie, Birdie and
Harry. The wife and mother died in 1885. She was a member
of the Baptist Church. In 1887 Mr. Jones married Mrs. Nan
nie Emery, nee ThreadgUl. To them was born one daughter,
Adalaide, wife of CecU Prewitt. Mr. Jones affUiated wUh the
A. F. & A. M., Solomon Lodge No. 484, and the R. A. M. of
Granger, and the I. O. O. F. of Georgetown. There was not
among the early settlers of Texas a man more honored for his
sterling character nor one whose life's history could be a greater
inspiration than that of Mark Jones.

582 Texas — The Country and Its Men

WILLIAM BRAMLETTE
Judge AA'illiam Bramlette was born in Clinton County, Ken
tucky, April 30, 1827. His parents were Ambrose S. and Sarah
(Elliott) Bramlette. His father was a member of the Senate
and the House of Representatives of the Kentucky Legislature
a number of terms, Hon. Thomas E. Bramlette, a distinguished
District Judge, and afterward Governor of Kentucky, was a
brother of William Bramlette.
The subject of this notice attended the common schools in
his native county, and was a student for a time at Alpine In
stitute, Overton, Tennessee. Judge Bramlette came to Texas in
1855, '^nd located at Paris, Lamar County, where he was en
gaged in the land business for many years. In 1882 he came to
Austin to accept the position of Chief Clerk in the General Land
Office. When Hon. W. L. McGaughey was installed as Com
missioner of the General Land Office in 1891 he made Judge
Bramlette his Chief Clerk. He could not have made a better
selection. Judge Bramlette married Miss Adelia Bates at San Antonio
in 1 85 1. They had six children, only one of whom is now living,
viz : E. E. Bramlette, who is the Superintendent of the Texas
School for the Blind at Austin. Judge Bramlette was a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and a Knight Tem
plar Mason.
In 1 871 T. J. H. Anderson was elected Grand Master of
Masons in Texas, but lived only a few weeks after his induction
into office. He was succeeded by Judge Bramlette, who was
Deputy Grand Master at that time. In 1872 Judge Bramlette
was re-elected Grand Master. His annual addresses delivered to
the Grand Lodge in 1872-3 excited wide attention throughout
the Masonic world. In his address in 1873 he asked and com
mented at length upon the question : "Is the Retailing of Spir
ituous Liquirs a Legitimate Business for a Mason?" His remarks
on this question were published and quoted from extensively.

"Texas — The Country and Its Men

583

WILLIAM BRAMLETTE

584 Texas — The Country and Its Men
In 1879 he was elected Grand High Priest of the Grand Royal
Arch Chapter of Texas.
Retiring to his farm at Ravenna, Fannin County, he spent
his last years in his favorite occupation of farming and writing
on Masonic themes. Judge Bramlette has contributed much
that is valuable to the literature of Masonry. He died sud
denly at the age of eighty-one, just after completing a sketch
of his friend. Past Grand Master Norton E. Moses.
Few men in public life who have made their homes in Aus
tin were equally fortunate in securing the friendship and lasting
esteem of all the people, as did Judge Bramlette. He was a
man of superior abUity; of spotless character, and, dying, left
as a legacy to his family and friends, an untarnished name, and
a reputation as a considerate, kindly gentleman of the old school.

EDGAR ELLIOTT BRAMLETTE
AUSTIN
Edgar Elliott Bramlette, Superintendent Texas School for
the Blind at Austin, was borij at Paris, Lamar County, Texas,
November 19, i860. His father was Judge William Bramlette
of whom mentioned has already been made. As a boy he re
ceived his earlier education in the public schools of Paris and
Honey Grove, Texas, and then entered Vanderbilt University
at Nashville, Tennessee, which institution conferred on him the
A. B. Degree in 1883. Later Mr. Bramlette attended the Uni
versity of Texas. This institution conferred upon him the A. M.
Degree in 1886, the first A. M. Degree ever .conferred by the
University of Texas. To complete his education, Mr. Bramlette
went to Leipsic . University, Leipsic, Germany, studying there
from 1889 to 1891, and subsequently took a summer course at
the University of Chicago.
Mr. Bramlette was instructor of ancient languages at the
University of Texas, 1883-1886, and United States Consul in
Germany, from 1886- 1889. While Consul he won wide distinc-

EDGAR ELLIOTT BRAMLETTE

586 Texas — The Country and Its Men
tion by his success in breaking up a system of undervaluations
under which certain importers had for many years gained a mo
nopoly, and also by a report on Trichinosis, which brought about
the lifting of the embargo on American pork. He was Pro
fessor of Languages at Texas Agricultural and Mechanical Col
lege; President of John Tarleton College, 1900-1906, after having
been Superintendent of Public Schools and Principal of the
High School at Fort Worth, 1893- 1898. As a successful in
structor, his worth and ability resulted in his appointment as Su
perintendent of Public Schools at Texarkana, 1906-1909; Su
perintendent of Schools of Huntsville, whence he was called to
become Superintendent of the State School for the Blind.
Mr. Bramlette is a Democrat. The only political office he
ever held was that of United States Consul in Germany, during
the administration of President -Cleveland. In this position he
made such an excellent record that, after the Hon. J. G. Blaine
became Secretary of State under Harrison, and had appointed
a personal friend to this Consulate position, Mr. Bramlette was
appointed Special Expert of the Treasury Department in order
to complete the work already begun of breaking up this in
iquitous system of undervaluations.
In 1884 Mr. Bramlette married Miss Louise Linn of Aus
tin, daughter of Edward Linn, and niece of John J. Linn, whose
family was prominently identified with the early history- of
Texas. There are four children : Adele, Henry M., Edgar L.
and Oriana.
Mr. Bramlette is a member of the Methodist Church; a
Royal Arch Mason; member of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity;
Ancient Order of United Workmen. As the administrative head
of the Texas School for the Blind, Mr. Bramlette has again
given evidence of his remarkable executive talent. He has worked
conscientiously in the interests of the unfortunates under his
charge, and in his relations with the outside world, which are
varied and numerous, has won the est,eem of all with whom his
business relations have brought him in contact.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 587

FRANCISCA A. CHAPA
SAN ANTONIO
Francisco A. Chapa, a druggist of San Antonio, is, as the
name indicates, of Spanish parentage, and was born in Mata
moras, Mexico. He was educated principally at New Orleans
and his literary course being completed, took up the study of
pharmacy in the pharmaceutical department of Tulane Univer
sity of that city. He added to his theoretical knowledge the
practical experience gained as a drug clerk in Matamoras, Mex
ico, in BrownsviUe, Texas, and in San Antonio, locating in the
latter city in 1890. After serving for four years as clerk here,
with the capital acquired through his industry and economy, he
established in 1894 his present drug business, his store being on
a prominent corner at the junction of West Commerce Street
and Santa Rosa Avenue. He has a large trade as a retail drug
gist, covering an extensive territory, and he maintains a labora
tory in connection with the business. He is President of the
San Antonio RetaU Druggists Association and a member of the
State and National Druggists Associations. He has the scien
tific knowledge and abUity which enables him to give excellent
and accurate service to those who are his patrons in this line.
His trade is constantly growing and has already reached gratify
ing proportions. Deeply interested in community affairs, Mr. Chapa is now
serving as Treasurer of the Board of Education of San Antonio,
• having been elected to memberhip in that body in 1906. The
cause of education finds in him a warm friend and he does all
in, his power to promote and develop the public schools, per
sonally giving considerable money in prizes for essays, etc., and
he donates to the public school fund the one per cent commission
that he receives as Treasurer of the Board for handling the
funds. His interests and efforts have been tangible factors in pro
moting many other progressive movements. He has been an

588 Texas — The Country and Its Men

FRANCISCA A. CHAPA

Texas — The Country and Its Men 589
earnest and indefatigable worker on carnival committees and has
contributed much to the success of these attractive municipal
features. He has also labored for other occasions that are ar
ranged for San Antonio's benefit and is a member of the Busi
ness Men's Club.
Mr. Chapa is happy in his home life, having been married
in San Antonio to Miss Adelaide Rivas, a daughter of A. P.
Rivas, the family being a very old one in Southwestern Texas.
They have three chUdren — Isabella, Frank and Beatrice.

WILLIAM JACKSON MASSENGILL
LUFKIN
The parents of William Jackson Massengill were John and
Mary J. Massengill of Angelina County. The elder MassengUl
was a farmer and blacksmith in Angelina many years. He was
in the Old Stone Fort at Nacogdoches, and shared in all the
exciting incidents of that section in those "days of danger and
nights of waking."
His son, William Jackson Massengill, was born in Angelina
County, Texas, March i6, 1842; attended the country school,
assisted his father, and drove a team when a dollar was to be
earned. At the breaking out of the Civil War he joined the Con
federate Army, as a member of Captain Brown's Cavalry. His
command was soon ordered to Arkansas, and then to Louisiana.
Young Massengill served faithfully and fearlessly with his com
mand through the severe campaigns in those States and was a
participant in all the conflicts that marked the campaigns of the
Trans-Mississippi department. He was promoted to the dan
gerous position of Color Sergeant for gallantry in the Battles
of Mansfield and Pleasant HiU. The importance of this posi
tion, and the increased danger connected with it, attest the high
appreciation in which young MassengUl was held by his superior
officers for coolness and courage under fire.
The Confederate Armies had much of such material, and

590 Texas — The Country and Its Men
it was this character of young Southerners that enabled those
armies to prolong the contest for four years against overwhelm
ing odds. After the cause was lost, and the flag furled forever, young
Massengill returned to his home and entered upon the pursuits
of peace with the same heroism and courage that had nerved
him on the red field of ba'ttle, and as a natural consequence,
triumphed over many difficulties, and won a large measure of
success. On February 8, 1866, he married Miss Margaret Allbritton
of Mississippi. Seven children crowned their union, namely :
Sarah Jane, twice married ; Lusana, married to Henry Lofton ;
Leah, single ; W. J., the first boy ; George W. ; Nathaniel and
Sam Houston, all still living in Angelina County, fulfilling the
duties and meeting the responsibilities of citizenship, and the
pride and prop of their aged and honored parents.
Sons and daughters of true Confederate soldiers can hardly
fail to make useful men and women and splendid citizens. It
is these descendants of the finest soldiery ever marshaled on the
battlefield, who are today making Texas the greatest and grand
est among the sisterhood of States.
Their fathers may have been heroes in war; their children
are heroes in peace. The deeds of the fathers are written in blood
on history's page ; the achievements of their children are re
corded in brick and mortar, in mines and factories, in furnaces
and farms and in the multiplied agencies for the production and
distribution of the fruits of labor and the rewards of peaceful
industry. This is the practiced lesson taught by these memoirs of the
successful business men of today, a lesson worth learning, worth
emphasizing for the benefits of thinking people.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 591

JAMES GARITTY
corsicana
The first bank to organize under the National law in Texas
was the one' organized by Captain James Garitty, on July i,
1886, as the First National Bank of Corsicana. This took form
at once as a strong institution, with Captain Garitty as President.
Captain Garitty is a native of Ireland, born in the City of
Dublin, April 3, 1842. His earlier years were passed in New
Orleans, and in the schools of that city he received what educa
tion fell to his lot, his training in this respect like that of many
other boys of his age being seriously interfered with by the War
Between the States. He was a student when hostilities were de
clared, and at the first call for volunteers he entered the Con
federate service, enlisting May 4, 1861, in a local company of
cadets, which soon afterwards became part of the Fifth Louisi
ana Regiment, operating with the Army of Northern Virginia.
He entered this company as a private, rose to the Captaincy of
it and served with it in all the campaigns and engagements in
which the army took part. He was three times wounded — at
Sharpsburg, Malvern Hill and Fishers Hill — but never kept for
any considerable length of time from field service. At the close
of the war he returned to New Orleans, and for a year was em
ployed as a clerk with Sibley, Guion & Co., cotton brokers, and
operators of the since well-known "Guion line of ocean steam
ers." In the fall of 1866 he came to Texas and for five years
following that date was engaged in the mercantile and banking
business, first clerk and later as a partner in interest, at points
along the line of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad. He
met with success, accumulating about $12,000, which formed the
nucleus of the handsome fortune since amassed by him. With
Mr. Joseph Huey he started the banking firm of Garitty, Huey
& Co., the pioneer banking institution of Navarro County. In
1886, this bank was succeeded by the First National Bank of
Corsicana, of which Captain Garitty became President, and Mr.

592

Texas — The Country and Its Men

JAMES garitty

Texas — The Country and Its Men 593
Huey Vice-President, the bank Nationalizing with a capital of
$100,000, which was increased the following year to $125,000.
Captain Garitty is still the Chief Executive, and gives his per
sonal attention to the business as unremittingly as he ever has.
In addition to his banking business he has various outside in
terests, owning a great deal of valuable real estate in the City
of Corsicana, and is also connected, as promoter and stockholder,
with some of the city's leading industries and enterprises. Among
these are the Corsicana Compress Company, Texas Mill and
Elevator Company, Corsicana Manufacturing Company, Mer
chants Opera House Company, and Corsicana Cotton Oil
Company. Captain Garitty has always contributed liberally to all en
terprises which have sought favor at the hands of the people
of Corsicana, and has shown his confidence in the future of the
place by investing largely of his means in city property.
It will be sufficient comment on the social side of Captain
Garitty's nature to say that he is a member in good standing of
the Masonic Fraternity, the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias
and the Elks, in all of which orders he takes much interest, par
ticularly in Masonry, in which he has become a Knight Templar
of the thirty-second degree, and is Past Grand Commander of
the State.

JOHN W. VANN
BROWNSVILLE
Is a native Texian, born in Fayette County, March 19, i860.
His father came to Texas in 1856 and his mother came to Texas
with her parents from Missouri when she was an infant. They
were married in 1858.
In 1861 the elder Vann enlisted in Tom Green's Brigade and
served gallantly for three years. He was captured by the Fed
erals and imprisoned in Fortress Monroe, but made his escape
on a raft. After hostilities had ceased he returned to Kerr Coun
ty, Texas, and engaged in farming and stock raising. He was

594 Texas — The Country and Its Men

JOHN W. VANN

Texas — The Country and Its Men 595
a prominent Mason and a faithful member of the Cumberland
Presbyterian Church. He died at Austin on September 13, 1906.
His wife still resides at Austin. They had ten children and an
adopted child. John AA^ worked on his father's farm untU he was
twenty years old. He enlisted in the State Ranger service and
was stationed in the Llano River District in Kimball County.
After a brief period in this service he returned to his father's farm
and on March 29, 1880, married Miss Julia Branch Westun of
Kerr County.
In 1885 he entered the Sam Houston Normal Institute and
obtained a first grade certificate. Going back to Kerr County,
he taught in the public schools for four years.
In 1892 he was elected Sheriff of Kerr County. That he
made an efficient and capable officer is evidenced by the fact
that he continued to hold this office for ten years and then vol
untarily resigned when he had no opposition for re-election. He
served two terms as President of the Texas Sheriffs Associa
tion. After his resignation as Sheriff he was appointed Chief
Deputy United States Marshal under Marshal Hanscom of the
Southern District of Texas. He served in this capacity till 1906
when he was made Chief Deputy under United States Marshal
Eugene Nolte of the Western District of Texas.
He subsequently was appointed Collector of Customs at
Brownsville, Texas. His family consists of himself, wife and
four children : W^alter W., Amy, Charles, Stewart, and another
child died in infancy.
In all these various official stations Mr. Vann has shown
himself dUigent, capable and efficient. He has a wide circle of
friends and acquaintances in West and Southwest Texas and is
esteemed as a useful citizen and a good officer and his family
and friends are justly proud of his record. He is a worthy son
of the Lone Star State.
PHILIP POWERS
REFUGIO
The subject of this memoir was born in Refugio County on
December 29, 1849. His parents were of sturdy Irish stock,
born in Ireland, who emigrated to the land of the free and home

596 Texas — The Country and Its Men
of the brave in 1829, and consequently were here in the exciting
days -when Texas was a dependency of Mexico ; before the Mas
sacre of the Alamo, and prior to the eventful day when Houston
and his little band fought and whipped the invading army from
across the Rio Grande and capturing General Antonio Lopez de
Santa Anna, the self-styled Napoleon of this continent. They set
tled in the "Kingdom" of Refugio, with his Irish colony, -where
the subject of this sketch, after receiving a common school train
ing, attended the college at Corpus Christi in 1867. After pur
suing a partial course at this institution, he returned to the home
place, where he resided until 1892, when he removed to Refugio,
and erected the comofrtable home which he has ever since oc-
cupid. AVhen Mr. Powers determined to devote his life to the
cattle business he "hit the trail" in earnest, and long since be
came a ranchman in all the name implies, if success is to be a
criterion in this respect.
He has always been public spirited in every movement for
the improvement of the beef cattle of the Southwest, having long
since divorced himself from the "long homed" variety of raw-
boned, lanky scrubs. Realizing the futility of attempting to make
good market beef out of this kind of cattle, he determined to
build up a herd of graded stock, a purpose which he carried
out in the first instance and has since discarded for the more
thoroughbred specimens which may be found grazing on his
broad pastures.
His ranch, while not as great in extent as some of the great
land owners of the Southwest, is one that, by reason of the
high grade stock found thereon, is listed among the show places
of its character. He has been breeding for quality and now has
upon his pastures a herd of Bramah and Hereford cattle sec
ond to none in the State. He is doing for the cattle industry
of Texas what experiment stations and scientific agriculture is
doing for the farming interests.
The marriage of Phillip Powders and Miss Louisa Lugue,
daughter of Claude Lugue, of New Orleans, was celebrated in
1880. Two children have been born of this union, namely: John
J., who is now an active and prosperous stockman; and Mary
Agnes, now the wife of Joseph D. Shay.
His ranch is located twenty-one miles north of Refugio, on

Texas — The Country and Its Men 597
the San Antonio River, where Mr. Powers, possessed of the
genial characteristics which are his by inheritance, dispenses a
hospitality that has made both himself and his home household
words in old Refugio, and the country thereabouts.

WILLIAM J. MORRIS
AUSTIN
Well known as Chief of Police of Austin, a position he has
filled for eight years to the satisfaction of the entire community,
was born in Travis County, Texas, January 17, 1862. His par
ents were A. R. and Alemeda C. Morris, the former a native of
Orange County, North Carolina.
The subject of this sketch received his education in the pub
lic schools of Travis County. He followed the business of farm
ing for a number of years, and was measurably successful. In
1903, Mr. Morris made his maiden bow in politics, announcing
his candidacy for the office of County Constable. He easily
won the race, and during the subsequent two years also won
the confidence of the people. In 1905, having demonstrated his
abUity as a peace officer, he was induced by friends to make the
race for Chief of Police of the City of Austin. The star of des
tiny StiU twinkled for him, as he went into office with a rous
ing majority. At the expiration of his first term, his candidacy
appears to have been equivalent to approval, as he carried every
ward in town, and was triumphantly re-elected. The city having
adopted the commission form of government, and Mr. Morris
having proven his capacity and ability for the position of City
Marshal, he was appointed to the office. He has succeeded him
self with never faUing regularity, which is proof positive that
the powers that be appreciate and value his services.
On October 20, 1884, Mr. Morris was married to Miss
Carrie NevUl. Five chUdren have been born to them, namely:
Mary, Maud, Richard, McLendon and Nevill.
The only clubs or associations to which Mr. Morris claims

598

Texas — The Country and Its Men

membership are the folks who gather round the family altar,
and the Democratic party, with which he has affiliated since old
enough to vote.

A. R. MORRIS

His father, to whom reference has already been made, came
overiand by team, with two companions, from North Carolina
to Williamson County. For a time he taught school at Round

Texas — The Country and Its Men 599
Rock and also taught the boys and girls at Manor, Travis
County, the intricate problems solved within the walls of a coun
try school house. For twenty-six years the elder Morris was
Tax Collector of Travis, and was probably the best known man
in the county. He never was a partisan, being in every case
elected as an independent candidate. He lived on his farm
about six miles east of Austin, where he died in February, 1903,
aged seventy-three. The following children survive : Mollie
who married S. E. Nunnelee; William J., subject of this refer
ence, whose wife was Carrie Nevill, daughter of Z. L. Nevill.
for many years a merchant of Austin, Texas, now deceased ;
A. R., Jr., now Postmaster of Earlsboro, Okla. ; Maggie, wife
of C. C. Horn of Austin, now deceased; Nealie, wife of Charles
McCord, deceased; Annie, wife of J. M. Hornsby, of Hornsby,
Texas. All are now living, except Mrs. Hornsby, who died
seven years ago.
Mr. Morris was a model father, a true friend, a man whose
integrity is best evidenced in the fact that he occupied one of
the most responsible offices in the gift of the people for upwards
of a quarter of a century.

THOMAS W. BLAKEY
INDEPENDENCE
Thomas AA'. Blakey was born in Buckingham County, Vir
ginia, February 19, 1805. Moved to Kentucky when a boy, arid
settled on a farm, where he remained until he moved to Texas
in 1832, and setded at San PhUlippi, on the Brazos. He re
mained there but- a short time, then moved to Independence,
Washington County, Texas, which was then the center of civUi
zation in Texas. There was no town in the United States of
double its size that could have furnished as many brainy men as
Independence at that time. It was the home of Sam Houston,
R. M. WUliamson (three-legged WiUie), Mirabeau B. Lamar,
Rusk, Sidney Sherman, John R. Baylor and many other patriots
of equal prominence.
Mr. Blakey remained there an honored citizen untU his

600 Texas — The Country and Its Men

death, which occurred on the anniversary of the Battle of San
Jacinto, April 21, 1853. He peaceably passed away at the home
of General J. B. Robertson, at Independence, when 48 years
of age. Thomas W. Blakey and Mary Jane Covington were married
in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, January 12, 1830, and soon after
wards came to Texas. Cecelline, daughter, was born November
6, 1830. Twin sons were born to this couple January 22, 1832,
but expired within a few hours after their birth. They were
buried in Brazoria County, Texas. Francis J. Blakey was born
December 17, 1834. Sophia and Joshia, daughter and son, were
born October 6, 1837.
When General Sam Houston called for volunteers to resist
the invasion of Santa Anna, Mr. Blakey left the fireside of his
home and family, and was among the first to respond to the call.
He was dispatched by General Sam Houston to perform some
special duty at the Battle of San Jacinto, which prevented his
participating in the fight. This was always a source of great re
gret to him.
After the birth of the new Republic which was made pos
sible by the crushing defeat of Santa Anna, he returned to his
home and family. There he remained until Mexico again made
a feeble attempt to regain the soil of Texas. The Congress of
the United States in 1845 passed the resolution of annexation,
which admitted the State of Texas into the Union of States and
this precipitated the war of 1846.
Upon the opening of hostilities Mr. Blakey again responded
to his country's call, and for the second time donned the uni
form of a soldier and followed General Taylor to his second vic
tory against Mexico. He was a prominent member of the A. F.
& A. M. of Independence Lodge.
JOSHIA BLAKEY
ENNIS
Joshia Blakey was reared and grew to manhood at Inde
pendence, Texas, where he received the rudiments of an educa
tion. At the age of twenty years, he rented a farm in Brazos

Texas — The Country and Its Men 601
County and went to farming. He cultivated about fifty acres of
land which he sowed in cotton and corn. He soon found that
farming was not a congenial occupation, and consequently made
but one crop. He left the farm and moved to Austin County,
where he lived and read law with Judge Day. At the same time
he did considerable trading and dealing in lands by which he
made a success and soon became independent.
The Secession Convention passed resolutions whereupon war
was declared, and he enlisted in the Confederate Army, joining
George Flomoy's Regiment. He participated with this famous
regiment in the Battles of Pleasant HUI, Mansfield, MiUigan Bend
and many others. He was captured and made a prisoner of war
at Pleasant HiU.
At the time of his capture he gave a Masonic signal which
was noticed by the commanding officer, M. G. Griffith, who ex
tended him many courtesies for a prisoner of war. He was giv
en the run of the camp, and frequently invited to dine with the
officers. He was held a prisoner for eleven days, when he was
turned over to his commander on the very spot where General
Tom Greene was shot and met his death. Mr. Blakey relates
an incident which occurred at the time of his capture and it is
very interesting. He tells how narrowly he escaped death from
being shot by his captor, a burly Irishman, who had his gun
pointed at him at close range. He would have kiUed him, had
it not been for his companions who turned the gun, just in time.
He was ordered to run to the Federal lines. He accepted
the advice and he facetiously declares there was no throwing off
in that race. He served during the war and was discharged at
the enlisting place. He returned to his shattered and desolate
home almost pennUess, but with a strong and determined will,
he gathered up what he had left after the close of the war and
began merchandising on a small scale in Austin County.
By hard work and economy, it was not a long time before he
again found himself in comfortable circumstances. In 1867, he
went to Bryan, and entered the mercantUe business, where he
remained two years. He followed the Central Railroad from
town to town as they sprang up until he reached Funis, arriving
there in 1872, where he has since resided. Through all of these

602 Texas — The Country and Its Men

stirring and changing scenes, the subject of this sketch did not re
main a mere onlooker.
In August, 1886, he organized the Peoples National Bank of
Ennis, Texas, and this is now one of the most successful insti
tutions of this State. At the organization he was made President
and has held that position in the bank untU the present time,
1917, more than 31 years.
Mr. Blakey has been married three times. On December
20, i860, he was united in marriage to Miss M. O. Terrell of
Independence, who died at that place. Two chUdren, Thoms.s
and Rosey, were born to this union. Thomas is now a success
ful merchant of Ennis. Miss Rosey is the wife of George Jef
feries, a prosperous farmer of Ellis County.
His second wife was Miss Maggie Haynes of AA'ashington
County, lUinois. They were married January 6, 1875. Two
boys and one girl. Vane Lee Blakey, now a banker of Ennis;
Joshia W. Blakey, a traveling salesman, and Letticia, wife of
J. B. Murdoch, a merchant of Ennis, are the children of the
second marriage.
On June 20 1897, he was again married to Miss Lillie Lemon,
a lady of rare accomplishments, and a native of Indiana. They
have one child, Eugenia Daffan Blakey, born March 15, 1901.
Mr. Blakey was made a Mason in 1858 at Hempstead, Tex
as, becoming a member of Hempstead Lodge. His membership
was transferred to Ennis Lodge No. 269. He is also a promi
nent member of the Commandery at Ennis. In church affilia
tions Mr. Blakey is a Methodist. He has always taken a leading
part in the development of everything that tended to the welfare
of Ennis and Ellis County. He stands for advancement and
progress in every sense of the word. Mr, Blakey has lived
through the stormiest era of Texas history, having come to Tex
as when there was not 10,000 white people in the State. AVhile
the country was in the hands of the savage Indians and under
the yoke of the barbarous Mexican Government, he witnessed
the blow that was dealt to Mexico, at San Jacinto, where his sire
was a gallant participant with Houston, Lamar, Sidney Sherman,
Deaf Smith and others who have long since passed over to that
haven of rest, "from which no traveler ever returns."

Texas — The Country and Its Men 603

DR. J. E. THOMPSON
GALVESTON
Dr. J. E. Thompson, one of the leading surgeons of Gal
veston and the Southwest, is an Englishman who has a record
of exceptional scholarship in the professional colleges of his own
country, and whose practical experience, both in England and
the United States, has been broad and thorough. He was born
in Norwich, May 21, 1863, and received his preliminary educa
tion at the Witten Grammar School and the Owens College,
Manchester. It was at the latter institution that he commenced
his medical studies, completing them in the Manchester School of
Medicine. As he had already determined to adopt surgery as
his specialty, he took the course pursued by most ambitious
young Englishmen with like professional aims — knocked for ad
mission to the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Dr.
Thompson passed his first examination for the membership of
that great institution in 1884, his examination for the Fellowship
being passed in 1885. He was admitted as a member in 1886,
and as a Fellow in 1889, having already obtained the following
honors : In the examination for the preliminary scientific M. B.
examination of the London University, 1882; at the interme
diate M. B. examination in 1884 with the scholarship and gold
medal in anatomy; in the final M. B. examination (with honors
in all subjects) in 1887, and the degree of Bachelor of Surgery
in 1888. Prior to becoming a resident surgeon of Galveston,
Dr Thompson was House Surgeon in the Guest Hospital, Dud
ley, and both House and Resident Surgeon in the Manchester
Royal Infirmary.
In 1891 Dr. Thompson was called from that institution to
accept the Chair of Surgery in the University of Texas, Gal
veston, and this appointment brought him to the United States
and to Texas. He has ably filled the position since ; also is sur
geon to the John Sealy Hospital and St. Mary's Infirmary and
has a large surgical practice of a private nature. Besides re
taining his well-earned Fellowship in the Royal College of Sur-

604

Texas — The Country and Its Men

DR. J. E. THOMPSON

Texas — The Country and Its Men 605
geons of England, he is a Fellow of the American College of
Surgeons, of the American Surgical Association, of the Southern
Surgical Association, of the Texas Surgical Society, of the
American Medical Association, of the British Medical Associa
tion and the Texas State Medical Association. He belongs to
the Phi Alpha Sigma Fraternity.
Dr. Thompson has been a generous and valued contributor
to standard surgical publications, both in England and the United
States, among his most notable pajaers being the following: "The
Surgical Treatment of Typhoid Perforation of the Intestines"
and "Whitehead's Operation for Haemorrhoids from an Ana
tomical and Pathological Standpoint," published in Medical
Chronicles (Manchester) 1893 and 1895; "Some Remarks on the
Practical Treatment of Hepatic Abscess," "The Technique of
Early Operations in the Treatment of Cleft Palate," "A Study
of Adrenal Growths" and "A Successful Case of Total Excision
of the Larynx for Epithelioma," published in the "Transactions
of the Southern Surgical and Gynecological Association," 1893,
1899, 1902 and 1905, respectively; "Intestinal Obstruction Pro
duced by Meckel's Diverticulum" and "The Surgicacl Treatment
of Neoplasms of the Liver" and "Stricture of the Oesophagus
Due to Typhoidal Ulceration" in Annals of Surgery, Volumes
27, 30 and 39, respectively; "The Treatment of Hepatic Ab
scess,' International Clinics, 1904; "A Successful Case of Im
plantation of the Ureters into the Sigmoid Flexure for the Cure
of Extroversion of the Bladder," Transactions State of Texas
Medical Association, 1904; and "Diagnosis and Treatment of
GaUstones," in Texas State Journal of Medicine, 1905; "Myoma
of Stomach," Transactions of the Southern Surgical and Gyne
cological Association, 1908; "An Artistic and Mathematically Ac
curate Method of Repairing the Defect in Cases of Harelip,"
Transactions of the Southern Surgical and Gynecological Asso
ciation, 1911, and Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics, 1912;
"Suppuration in One-Half of a Horseshoe Kidney," Transac
tions of American Surgical Association, 191 1; "Obstruction of
the Duodenum from Impacted GaU Stones," Transactions of
American Surgical Association, 1912; "Indications for Operation
in Injuries of the Spinal Cord," Journal Texas State Medical

606 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Association, 1912; "Fatal Haemorrhage from Erosion of the Gas-
tro-Duodenal Artery by Duodenal Ulcers," Transactions of the
Southern Surgical and Gynecological Association, 1912, and An
nals of Surgery, 1913; "A Study of the Collateral Circulation
in Some Cases of Spontaneous Gangrene of the Foot," Journal
of the American Medical Association, 1913 ; "Ligature of the
Innominate Artery," Transactions of the Southern Surgical and
Gynecological Association, 1914; "Pulmonary and Pleural Com
plications of Tropical Abscess of the Liver," Annals of Surgery,
1914; "Operations in the Treatment of Old-Standing Disloca
tions of the Shoulder Joint," Texas State Journal of Medicine,
191 5. In addition. Dr. Thompson has written many papers for
journals of the State of Texas which have appeared from time
to time on the following subjects: "Two Cases of Bronchio-
Genetic Cyst," "The Treatment of Hare-lip," "The Treatment
of Neglected Cases of Hip Joint Disease," "The Treatment of
Closure of the Jaws Following Gangrenous Stomatitis," "Pelvic
Abscess Resulting from Appendicitis," and "Peritoneal Absorp
tion and the Treatment of Diffuse Peritonitis."
In 1896 Dr. Thompson married Miss Eleanor AA'aters Roeck,
daughter of John Frederick Roeck, of Galveston, and they have
become the parents of Kate Waters, John, Mary Molyneaux,
Eleanor Roeck, James Edwin, Rhoda, Frederick Roeck and Ed
ward Randall Thompson.

EDWARD WALTER WHEELER
REFUGIO
AA'as born in New Jersey, and in his boyhood attended the com
mon schools of that State. His father was a machinist, and a
staunch Democrat.
After leaving school, Edward AA'. AVheeler learned the car
penter's trade, which he followed until the Civil AA'ear broke out.
He joined the United States Army and served under General
McDowell. He made an excellent record as a soldier, and par
ticipated in many of the great battles fought in Virginia.
Receiving an honorable discharge, he came to Texas and
cast his lot with the people of this State.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 607
In 1876 he married Miss Mary Simpson. They have seven
daughters, four of whom are married, and the other three re
side with the family at Refugio, Texas. In May, 1887, Mr.
AA'heeler began merchandising, opening a general merchandise
store in Refugio which he has conducted quite successfully ever
since. He carries from three to four thousand dollars' worth of
goods in stock.
He is a quiet, modest gentleman, a good citizen, and is high
ly esteemed by his neighbors. While his career has not been
conspicuous for great public services, yet he has discharged with
great fidelity those common but essential duties of good citizen
ship which fall upon the great mass of society and which are as
valuable to the welfare of the State as are those that grow out
of high official station.

THOMAS FORBES, Sr.
SHERMAN
The subject of this sketch was born at Perth Amboy, N. J.,
March 24, 181 7. His father, Cleveland A. Forbes, also was a
native of that city. The son was a farmer boy untU his eleventh
year, when he went to sea on the American ship Sully, of which
his father was master for a period of fifty-one years. Retiring
in 1879, after this long experience on salt water, he became trav
eling agent for the Morgan Steamship Line plying between New
York and New Orleans. He occupied this position for a short
time only, retiring from active business to make his home at Sher
man, Texas. He died at the summer home of his son, Thomas
Forbes, Jr., at Texas City in 1906, at the advanced age of ninety-
nine. His history is replete with exciting events. During the
Nicaragua uprising he transported on the Sully both arms and
men for Walker, the famous filibuster, who was afterwards exe
cuted for complicity in this affair. At the outbreak of the Civil
War, he was a strong unionist, but when his adopted State se
ceded, he took service with the Confederacy, and for two years
foUowing, as commander and part owner of a blockade runner.

608 Texas — The Country and Its Men
was engaged in the hazardous service of transporting contraband
goods from Nassau and Havana to the Confederate authorities
at Mobile and New Orleans. After several successful voyages
of this character, his vessel was captured by the United States
gunboat Montgomery, and Captain Forbes was made a prisoner
and confined for a time at Fort LaFayette in New York Harbor.
Through the intercession of Commodore Charles Morgan, he se
cured a parole and returned to his mother's farm in New Jersey.
His son, Thomas Forbes, Jr., first came to Texas in 1872,
settled at Corsicana, and entered the employ of Tompkins and
Littlefield, forwarding commission merchants, remaining with the
firm until he acquired a partnership interest. Three years there
after he went into the cotton business, finally locating at Sherman,
Texas. Organizing the firm of Birge, Forbes & Co., he has con
tinued an active business career, being engaged in buying and
exporting cotton oil products. The firm is largely interested in
cotton and oil companies in Texas and Oklahoma, Mr. Forbes
being a director in no less than a dozen prosperous concerns, in
cluding compressors at Sherman and Ada, Okla., his properties
being capitalized at over one million dollars.
Mr. Forbes has been married twice, first to Miss Eliza
beth, daughter of Alexander Hughes, and secondly to Miss Mary
Ingersall Tankersly, daughter of R. E. Tankersly, of Mobile,
Ala., whose father died when she was an infant. Of the four
living children of Mr. Forbes, Bessie is now the wife of T.
W. House, Jr.
Mr. Forbes is one of the largest owners of Sherman real
estate ; a member of the Elks fraternity ; and occupies a con
spicuous place among the successful business men of Texas.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 609

MORDELLO S. MUNSON
BRAZORIA COUNTY
It is to be doubted whether there is another man in the
State who has lived in Texas anything like so long as the sub
ject of this memoir. Colonel M. S.iMunson, of Brazoria County.
He was born near Liberty, Liberty County, in this State, at his
parents' home on the banks of the Trinity River, April 24, 1825.
His father, Henry AA'. Munson, a Mississippian by birth and a
planter by occupation, died in 1833, and is buried at Peach Point,
on Gulf Prairie. His mother, whose maiden name was Ann B.
Pierce, was born in Georgia. After the death of her husband
she, in about the year 1835, married, at Gulf Prairie, James P.
CaldweU of Kentucky and moved to near San Marcos, where
she died a number of years thereafter.
M. S. Munson took a primary course at HopkinsvUle, Ken
tucky, and then went to RutersviUe, Fayette County, Texas,
where, as he says, he did little, except hunt Indians on the fron
tier for two or three years. The capture of San Antonio by the
Mexican General Adrian WoU in 1842 was followed by his de
feat at the Battle of Salado and retreat from the country, and
the subsequent organization of what is known as the Somervell
Expedition, designed for a descent into Mexico for the purpose
of making reprisals. In this expedition the subject of this no
tice participated. The command marched into and took pos
session of Laredo without the necessity of a gun being fired,
camped at a point three mUes below town and then moved six
or seven mUes and camped at a water-hole. The remaining five
hundred bore down the country until they came to the mouth
of the Salado River, opposite and six mUes from Guerrero. This
was on the 14th of December, 1842, a clear but cold day. A
crossing was speedily effected by means of flatboats found there.
General Canales, with seven hundred rancheros, appeared on the
neighboring hills but manifested no disposition to fight. The
command camped that night in an abandoned Carrizo village.
The Alcalde of Guerrero, accompanied by a Frenchman who

610

Texas — The Country and Its Men

MORDELLO S. MUNSON

Texas — The Country and Its Men 611
spoke English, appeared in camp and tendered the surrender of
the town, but begged that the Texians would camp outside its
limits, where he would furnish food, blankets, shoes and other
things for which the troops were suffering. To all this General
Somervell agreed, and during the afternoon of the 15th moved
up and camped on a hillside, near the town, perfectly commanded
by surrounding hills. During the day a scanty supply of flour,
a few refiise old blankets and a .dozen or two pairs of shoes were
sent to camp. Late in the day they were countermarched and
recrossed the river into Texas. The 17th and i8th were spent
in this position, sufficient cattle being found to furnish meat for
all. On the succeeding morning, December 19th, an order was
read directing all to prepare for a return home. Three hundred
men made their way down the river, their horses being driyen
down overland; subsequently penetrated into Mexico, engaged
in the fight at Mier, surrendered at last as prisoners of war to
the treacherous Mexicans and were thrown into prisons. Their
subsequent fate is well known to all readers of Texian history
and need not be recounted here. The other two hundred (among
the number the subject of this notice) marched toward San An
tonio with Somervell. Captain Flaco, the gallant Lipan chief,
an old deaf mute of his tribe, the other Lipans; Rivas, a Mexi
can companion, and an Apache Luis, who had co-operated with
the Texians, having confiscated a herd of Mexican horses, had
already started in that direction. Somervell and his companions
had great difficulty in making their way through the chaparral
and consumed a number of days in reaching the Nueces River.
They found that stream much swollen, but crossed it on the
morning of January i, 1843. Many of the horses stuck in the
bog and died from excessive cold during the night. Some of the
party who had gone on ahead reached San Antonio and sent back
beeves and other supplies to their companions who were in a
weU-nigh starving condition. The main body then proceeded to
San Antonio, from whence the men dispersed for their respec
tive homes. A number of horses were left behind on the march
and some of the men made a contract with Captain Flaco for him
to go back over the road and gather up these animals and keep
them until they were able to be driven into San Antonio, prom-

612 Texas — The Country and Its Men
ising to pay him liberally for his trouble. After Somervell's
command arrived at San Antonio and were encamped in the vi
cinity, Flaco and the mute were basely murdered by Rivas and
the Mexican, who drove the horses into Eastern Texas and Lou
isiana and sold them. The act caused a thrill of horror through
out the country, but the confusion of the times prevented pursuit.
Flaco and the Lipans had always been friendly to the whites.
They supposed the murder to have been committed by some of
Somervell's men, retreated into Mexico, became the implacable
enemies of their former allies and subsequently committed many
killings and depredations on the western frontier.
After returning from the Somervell Expedition, Colonel
Munson went to La Grange CoUege, North Alabama, spent two
years there, returned home on a short visit, and then entered the
University at Lexington, Kentucky, where he graduated with the
first honors of his class. After leaving Lexington he studied law
under Judge Bullard, president of the law school at New Or
leans. Returning to Texas and securing admission to the bar he
practiced his profession for about thirty years in Brazoria and
adjoining counties under the firm name of Munson & Lathrop,
and later of Munson & Garnett, ranking as one of the most
learned and successful practitioners in that section of the State.
He is now retired from business, has a large plantation and stock
ranch and is in very comfortable circumstances. During the
War Between the States (i 86 1-5) he served first in a command
on Galveston Island under General De Bray and then in Gen
eral Waul's command, as a member of which he served during
the siege of Vicksburg and participated in various engagements
up to the close of hostilities. He was married on February 6,
1850, to Miss Sarah K. Armour of Tennessee, and had eight
children : Henry W. and George C, who are farmers and stock
raisers in Brazoria County ; J. W., now deceased, who was an
attorney-at-law at the time of his death; AA^ alter B., who for
merly practiced law at Angleton, and is now residing in San
Antonio, Texas; Hillen Armour, deceased; M. S., an attorney-
at-law at Angleton, Texas; Emma, wife of Rev. J. L. Murray,
now residing in Houston, and Sarah, now deceased, wife of W.
Kennedy of Angleton, Texas. Mrs. Munson died at 12 o'clock

V

t /y^P-'^T^cki. ^^^^^^^y^^

Texas — The Country and Its Men 613
on the night of December 31, 1887. She is buried in the family
tomb at her home in Brazoria County. Mr. Munson has always
been a staunch Democrat and served during three sessions of the
Legislature as representative from his district with that ability,
fidelity and patriotism that has distinguished him through life.
He has for many years been a member of the Methodist Epis
copal Church, South, and of the Masonic Fraternity. An enter
prising citizen and thoroughly identified with the soil, he has
contributed liberally in time, influence and money to the upbuild
ing of his section of the State.
No old Texian is better known. He died at his home in
Brazoria County on October 13, 1903, and is buried in the fam
ily cemetery at his home. He was 78 years of age at the time
of his death.

JAMES ALFRED McFADDIN
victoria
James Alfred McFaddin of Victoria, Texas, was as closely
identified with Texas, and its development, as any man in the
State. His grandparents^ James McFaddin and his wife, came
to Texas from Tennessee in 181 7, stayed for about a year, moved
to Louisiana, and returned from that State to Texas in 1821,
when J. A. McFaddin's father, WUliam McFaddin, was about
two years of age. They settled in Liberty County, and after a
few years moved to Jefferson County. His grandfather and
father were soldiers in the Texas Army in the war of independ
ence between Texas and Mexico.
WUliam McFaddin was married to Miss Rachael WiUiams,
and the subject of this sketch was their oldest child,' born May
5, 1840, at Beaumont, Texas. He received his schooling at Beau
mont, finishing his education at a private school in Galveston,
Texas. Boys developed early in those days, for every man counted.
When J. A. McFaddin was fifteen years of age he. was doing
a man's work. In 1855 he helped drive a herd of cattle from

614 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Jefferson County to Refugio County; about four hundred head
owned by his father and Mr. Hebert. In 1858 they brought out
a second herd of six hundred head, and J. A. McFaddin was
placed in charge of these cattle. At that time he owned indi
vidually about fifty head of cattle and twenty-five head of horses,
and from this start he has increased his property to his present
splendid possessions.
In 1861 he was married to Miss Margaret V. Coward,
daughter of Richard Co-ward and Harriet Buckner Coward, in
Galveston County. From the old Coward homestead on Clear
Creek the young couple took their wedding journey on horse
back, going to Louisiana, and returning from there to Beau
mont. From there they rode to the home built by J. A. McFad
din on Melone Creek, about three miles from Refugio, bringing
their household goods and supplies in a wagon.
During these years he was raising cattle and horses, and
looking after the cattle of the Jefferson County people. He and
they prospered in the business, but in 1863 he left his young
wife and his business to join the army of the Confederacy as
First Lieutenant in Captain Dan Doughty's company. From that
time to the close of the war he was with this company in active
service. Their operations extended from Refugio to the Rio
Grande, and from Corpus Christi north to the frontier. His
story of the privations these men endured equals in fortitude,
courage and endurance that of any band of men who ever fought
for a just cause. Large portions of the territory they covered
were deserts. Frequently they lived for days with nothing to
eat excepting meat and coffee, sometimes not coffee, and some
times neither. They never went into winter quarters, and in
fact, did not have quarters at all. They lived on the prairie
and in the chaparral. They fought the Federals, the Mexicans
and the bandits. They were peace officers. Rangers and sol
diers, and J. A. McFaddin did his part.
His oldest child, A. M. McFaddin, one of the Ex-Presidents
of the Texas Cattle Raisers Association, and member of the
Texas Live Stock Sanitary Commission, and also a man promi
nently identified with the progress of Texas, was born during his
father's absence in the army. Notwithstanding J. A. McFaddin's

Texas — The Country and Its Men 615
anxious desire to be with his wife and chUd, and to look after
his worldly goods, he stayed with his command until Lee and
Grant met at Appomatox, and the news came down to Texas that
the cause for which he was fighting was a lost cause. It was
not until then that J. A. McFaddin turned his horse's head to
wards the Coward home in Galveston County, where his wife
and son were. He brought them to his home on the Melone, and
again took up his life's work.
He was by that time regarded as one of the foremost citi
zens of his section of the State, and not only attended to his
own business affairs, but managed the properties of many others.
Even in those days, the businesses of others handled by him
brought in thousands and thousands of doUars. Gold and silver
moneys were used in Texas at that time. During the years from
1867 to 1874 he had many thousands of dollars in silver in his
charge. He filled every safe in the town of Refugio with silver,
had several^ boxes full of it in Mr. McCampbeU's store ; had his
own safe so full that not another fifty-cent piece could be put
in it, and had two nail kegs full of silver in his room. Fre
quently during this time he was away from home, and often his
wife was at home alone with the servants. This was a condi
tion of the times. But the people of that section had such a love
for J. A, McFaddin and his good wife that not even the Mexi
cans or negroes ever attempted to steal as much as fifty cents
of this money. His possessions, and the possessions of others
in his charge, were regarded as sacred, for the people loved the
McFaddins. In the years from about 1874 to 1878, times changed, and
the cattle rustler made his appearance. It was then again that
James A. McFaddin came to the front. The mandate went forth
that stock stealing must stop, and it stopped in that section. Of
a kindly disposition, and easily approached, and never heedless
of the cry of distress, nevertheless Mr. McFaddin was stern and
uncompromising when it came to a matter of right and wrong.
The wrongdoers knew that if they depredated on the property
of McFaddin or McFaddin's people, that a grim and relentless

616 Texas — The Country and Its Men
pursuer would be on their traU, and they, too, grew to respect
this just and courageous man.
In 1878 he sold out in Refugio County, and took his family
to the southern portion of Victoria County, where he had pur
chased large bodies of land, and all of which he owned up to his
death. This land is now located at the station of Mariana. For
three years they lived on this ranch. It became necessary that he
should be in position to observe the financial affairs of this sec
tion of the State, and get more in touch with its stockmen. They
moved to Victoria, buying Colonel Rogers' old home, where Mr.
McFaddin still lives.
J. A. McFaddin's father was a stockman, and he was
brought up a stockman. He had followed the stock raising busi
ness his entire life. He had kept abreast of the times, however,
and even ahead of them. Thirty years ago he commenced his
work of solving a most serious problem of the Texas cattle raiser,
the tick on cattle. He observed that the Brahman breed did not
have ticks on them; that they were more prolific, hardy and
matured better than the other breeds of cattle. He bought a
herd of Brahma cattle. There were not many of these in pro
portion to the cattle owmed by him, but it was a start. At the
AA'orld's Fair in St. Louis he saw in Hagenback's menagerie a
magnificent Brahma bull and cow. This was his opportunity.
He made a number of visits to the menagerie. The manager
was attracted by the genial disposition of Mr. McFaddin, and
they became fast friends. Very soon they agreed that Mr. Mc
Faddin ought to have these Brahma cattle, and the tick problem
was finally solved. The Hagenback bull, "Prince," became the
head of his herd. Today the thousands of cattle owned by J. A.
McFaddin are graded Brahmin cattle, immune from ticks, and
he has several hundred head of practically purebred Brahma cat
tle, the offspring of "Prince" and two other bulls imported from
India by the estate of A. H. Pierce and Thomas O'Connor. He
had at the time of his death a breed of cattle second to none for
the combination of the qualities of prolific breeding, early ma
turing, beef producing, hardiness and immunity from ticks.
About fifteen years ago this far-sighted man saw that the
old range cattle business would, in time, cease to be profitable.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 617

and he prepared himself accordingly. He had seen land in
this section of the State go from ten cents per acre to seventy-
five dollars per acre. Cattle raising on high-priced lands does
not pay. The time was coming for a change from the old range
style of cattle raising to the stock farming proposition.
He had always done some farming. He had several thou
sand acres of land that had been a swamp, and which had been
thrown in with his purchase at from $i.oo to $1.50 per acre.
It was not suitable for grazing. He reclaimed this land by levee
ing it, and cleared it, all at a large expense. It is now fully pro-
tefcted from overflow, and is a magnificent field. On this land,
last year, 1912, his corn crop averaged seventy bushels per acre,
his cotton about three-fourths of a bale tp the acre — most of the
tracts growing a bale to the acre ; some more. He constructed a
levee along the Guadalupe River and across to the high lands,
over twelve miles in length. This has reclaimed more than five
thousand acres of overflow land. He estimated that the cost
of building the levee, clearing and putting the land in shape for
cultivation, building tenant houses, barns and other improvements
would be about $100,000. But there has been over five thou
sand acres reclaimed of alluvial soil as a farming proposition.
The cattle raiser is fast becoming a stock farmer.
This ranch, which is being converted into a vast farm, ag
gregates about forty-two thousand acres. In addition, he had
about twelve thousand 'acres of land eight mUes north of the
City of Victoria. Besides these, he had other lands which made
him a comfortable fortune.
Mr. McFaddin did not ask aid from the County or the
State. He built his own levees and roads, digging ditches, and
budding school houses. He did not ask for the issuance of road
bonds, drainage bonds, school bonds nor levee bonds. In other
words, no other man's lands were taxed to put improvements on
the McFaddin lands.
Between seven hundred and one thousand people had their
fortunes linked with 'those of J. A. McFaddin, and in a few years
more, this number will be doubled and trebled; They are pros-

618 Texas — The Country and Its Men
perous and contented. The Mexicans on his ranch call it "La
Belle Mariana."
In his home life, Mr. McFaddin was as successful as
in his business career. For nearly fifty years, he and his wife
lived happily and contentedly together. Mrs. McFaddin assisted
him greatly in achieving success. One of the most charitable
women ever in this section of the State, she was loved by all
who knew her. No strangers passed by their ranch house vvith-
out being invited to partake of their hospitality.
Mr. McFaddin has indelibly impressed upon this section of
the State his mark as a genuis in executive and business ability.
Mrs. McFaddin died in June, 1911, but she has left the im
press of her character upon the social life of this community,
and she will be remembered with love and affection for genera
tions. These two sturdy Texas pioneers have helped the people
of this State to change it from a wilderness to a great common
wealth, and they will go down in the history of this State as
promoters of law and order, of peace and happiness. On June
25, 1916, Colonel McFaddin died very suddenly at his home in
Victoria, aged seventy-six years.

JOHN W. SANSOM
SAN ANTONIO
Few men in all Texas have a more interesting, varied or ex
citing history than has Captain John W. Sansom of San An
tonio, long a member of the Federal Army and well known as
a Ranger, Captain and Indian fighter. On many an occasion
he has displayed great valor and bravery in the face of danger,
and he is well entitled to the rest which he is now enjoying after
an active mUitary business career. He was born in DaUas Coun
ty, Alabama, February 5, 1834, and when only four years of age
was brought to Texas by his parents, William Greenbury and
Mary (Short) Sansom. His parental grandfather. Colonel Wil
liam Sansom, was also a noted soldier and frontiersman, who was
born in North Carolina and was with General Jackson in the war

Texas — The Country and Its Men

619

J,,a^ UyOTJOL

620 Texas — The Country and Its Men
against the British in 1812. He was also under the same in
trepid commander in the battles with the Indians in Florida, be
ing stationed for a long time in Pensacola. He was married in
Virginia to Miss Delpha Clay, a relative of the family to which
Henry Clay belonged. They established a home in Georgia,
where most of the children were born, and in 1820 they re
moved to Dallas County, Alabama, where both Colonel AA'illiam
Sansom and his wife passed away.
William Greenbury Sansom was born in Georgia, June 3,
1811, and in 1820 accompanied his parents on the removal to Dal
las County, Alabama, where the Sansoms lived for several years.
In that State AV. G. Sansom was married in 1832 to Miss Mary
Short, a daughter of Major John Short, who was likewise a fa
mous character of the South, particularly in the early history of
Texas. He came from Alabama to Texas in 1836, whUe it was
StUl a part of Mexico and was one of General Houston's soldiers
in the war of Texas independence, participating in the victory
of San Jacinto, subsequent to which time he did valiant service
with the Rangers in protecting the early settlers on the frontier
from the Indians. Previous to his emigration to the Lone Star
State he had served as a soldier under General Andrew Jackson
in the war of 1812 and was with the army in the battle against
Packingham at New Orleans, where the American loss was so
light that the engagement became known in history as "the tear
less battle." Following their marriage AA^illiam G. and Mary (Short)
Sansom remained in Alabama until the winter of 1838-9, when
they, with their family, came to. Texas, two years after the inde
pendence of the State had been won from Mexico. "They located
first in Washington County near the old town of AA'ashington, the
first capital of the Republic, and from that county they afterward
removed to Lavaca County and subsequently, in 1850, removed
to the Curry Creek settleirient in what wag then Comal County.
That county was later subdivided and the' two counties of Blanco
and Cater Kendall were set off, the Curry Creek settlement be
ing then in Kendall County. The Sansoms lived there for sev
eral years, but for a long period and during the latter part of

Texas — The Country and Its Men 621
AA'. G. Sansom's life were residents of Uvalde County. William
G. Sansom died in 1904 at the very venerable age of ninety-three
years. He had rendered valuable service in pioneer days in the
Republic of Texas during the period of Indian fighting and also
through the Mexican War to his country by his valor and loy
alty. He was a successful farmer and stock raiser, his business
affairs being carefully conducted, and he contributed in marked
degree to the reclamation of Texas for the purposes of civUiza
tion and improvement. The Sansoms were loyal defenders of
the Union during the period of the Civil War, and James Joseph
Sansom, a brother of our subject, was kiUed while acting as a
member of the Federal Army.
The story of the life of Captain John W. Sansom is a thrill
ing and fascinating one, which, for a number of years, was filled
with the most exciting and dangerous circumstances and adven
tures that rival any tale in these days of prosaic peace. From
his earliest boyhood he was subjected to the hardships of the
pioneer. Descended from ancestors whose courage and fear
lessness was frequently displayed in battle, he seems to have in
herited the same military spirit and became an active factor in
the events which go to make up the history of those early days.
In fact, when the fuU history of Texas is written his name wUl
figure upon many a page in association with movements and in
cidents which aided in shaping the policy of the Lone Star State.
He was reared to farming and stock raising, but soon after the
removal of the family to Curry Creek in what is now Kendall
County, he entered upon the active public life which kept him
from many subsequent years of almost constant warfare and in
addUion to his military service he acted as the first Sheriff of
Kendall County after its separation from Comal County.

622 Texas — The Country and Its Men

ANTHONY FRANCIS DIGNOWITY
SAN ANTONIO
Few men in Texas have lived through such a number and
variety of exciting scenes as mark the career of Anthony Francis
Dignowity. He was born at Faysville, Arkansas, January 4,
1844. His parents were A. M. and Amanda J. Dignowity. His
father, a graduate from the Medical Institute of Lancaster, Pa.,
removed to Arkansas at an early date and soon became one of
the most noted physicians in the State. His mother also took
a full course in medicine, being one of the honor graduates from
the Cincinnati Medical College. The family moved from their
old home in Arkansas and settled in San Antonio in Septem
ber, 1845.
The subject of this sketch attended the common schools of
San Antonio, and when twelve years old made a trip to Mexico
in company with a number of Mexican traders, most of the
time being passed at San Fernanda and Saragosa, where he made
the acquaintance of a number of Comanches and Lipan Indians
to whom he became very much attached, especially with a number
of boys who had visited at San Antonio and who recalled a visit
made to the Dignowity drug store, where Anthony's father had
served his dusky young visitors wUh a frugal banquet consisting
of bakers' bread. New Orleans molasses, dried meat and candy,
the meal being followed by a liberal supply of cigarettes, which
were universally smoked in those days by Mexicans and natives
alike. In later years he met the Comanches, Lipans and Apaches
when they were on the war path and whUe he escaped being
scalped, was near enough to it to feel his hair raise, these in
cidents occurring on both sides of the Rio Grande.
As indicative of the position his father assumed at the out
break of the Civil War, the following will suffice : At the very
hour that Texas passed the ordinance of secession, his father
and General Sam Houston were engaged in conversation in the
basement of the old capitol at Austin. When the news reached
them. General Houston said to the Doctor: "Welt, Dig, what

"ITexas — The Country and Its Men 623

1 ***¦ ^

[ ^t^^-^

1
ANTHONY FRANCIS DIGNOWITY
624 Texas — The Country and Its Men
are you going to do?" The Doctor replied: "I am going to
leave the State," to which Houston responded : "I am not going
to leave ; on the contrary, I propose to remain and fig^ht it out
to the end." The Doctor did not "stop to tarry" long in Austin.
His views were pretty generally known, in consequence of -which
he feared trouble with some of his neighbors, a number of
whom were in the Capitol at that moment. He made his way to
the corral, mounted his horse and struck out for his farm on
Currys Creek, sixty miles west of Austin, arriving there about
dusk. Shortly after a colored woman, eighty years old, who had
walked several miles from her home, arrived with the cheerful
news that a party of men were coming that night to hang the
Doctor and the subject of this reference, then sixteen years
of age. Hasty preparations weer made for flight, and in the
midst of a blinding rain, father and son set out for a place
of security. Taking turn about riding the same horse that had
carried the Doctor from Austin, they reached the home of Dr.
Whipprechs about dawn, when, after partaking of refreshments,
they again took the trail. The Doctor finally got out of the
State and reached Washington, D. C, where he was placed in
charge of the local hospital, remaining until after the war.
Anthony returned to their place- on Currys Creek, when he found
the house stripped of many valuable books and records, but oth
erwise unharmed. He then went to San Antonio, where he joined
his mother and the younger members of the family.
Mr. Dignowity has in the past filled many positions of re-
sponsibUity under the Government, among them Acting Col
lector of Customs at Brazos de Santiago; in the Pension Office
at Washington, D. C. ; Special Agent to Porto Rico for the AA'ar
and Treasury Departments.
In 1909 he came to San Antonio from Del Rio, where he
had for some time made his home, and took charge of the estate
of the late George Dulnig, whose daughter, Mary K., he mar
ried July 24, 1893.
The business ability of Captain Dignowity has been tested
in the administration of this estate, -which he has succeeded in
rescuing from the precarious condition in which he found it.
He has conserved all the interests, put the trust on a business

Texas— The Country and Its Men 625
basis, and so far improved conditions that the Dullnig estate
is at present estimated at one million dollars, and increasing
annually. One incident of his career that he is specially fond of tell
ing is his short experience as a Confederate soldier. He was
conscripted at San Antonio, sent to the camp at the Mission
Concepcion as a member of Captain Kampman's Company, where
he says he played soldier until his mother prevailed upon Gen
eral Bee to parole him, whereupon he stood not upon the order
of his going, but went. He went to Monterey and thence to
Brownsville where he secured a Government position and re- .
mained for several years.
Captain Dignowity is now in his seventy-third year, enjoys
the best of health, and bids fair to remain for many years to come,
one of those historic characters who have seen Texas grow from
a section given to mesquite, cactus and unlimited expanses of
unimproved territory to a thing of beauty and a joy forever, a
commonwealth ranking high among the Sisterhood of States.

W. H. FUQUA
amarillo
W. H. Fuqua, President of the First National Bank of
Amarillo, also Ex-President of the Texas Bankers' Association,
as a financier and successful business man, is the peer of the ablest
in the Panhandle, or in the State. Only fifty-four years of age
and yet several times a millionaire, is a brief manner of express
ing his career.
He began life as a poor boy, but rich in the possession of a
clear head, a clean conscience and indomitable energy, a form of
capital more valuable to the young man just entering upon a busi
ness career, than silver or gold.
He paid his tuition and expenses at school by manual labor
in the cotton field, and having thus qualified himself, he taught
school, saved his money, made investments with rare sagacity
and embarked in enterprises which his energetic control invari-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 627
ably brought to fortunate culmination. He continually broad
ened the field of his opportunities by wise investments, but he did
not neglect the finer instincts and nobler impulses of his well
poised mind, and the man, in the highest meaning of the term,
grew and developed as his worldly accumulation grew and multi
plied, tUlthe "poor boy" has become a man of vast means, of
broad sympathies, philanthropic and altruistic, a true type of
the successful American citizen.
He never forgets his own early struggles with adverse con
ditions and he is free and liberal with assistance to the worthy
aspiring youth and to destitute old age. In short, he has achieved
success in material affairs and now delights to devote his efforts
and his fortune to the betterment of society and to the develop
ment of his State.
It is not only pleasant, but profitable, to read the biography
of men of strong and high character, especially if that character
has been moulded in the crucible of adversity and tested and
tried in severe labors and sharp conflicts of business life.
The subject of this sketch has made his own character, has
been the architect of his own fortune as well. The latter he
buUt upon correct and honorable business principles and methods
whUe the former is founded upon the basic teachings of the
Christian religion, the only true foundation for noble and en
during character.
Mr. Fuqua was born near Tupelo, Mississippi, September
13, 1862. His parents were Rev. WiUiam M. and Ehzabeth Mi
lam Fuqua. On the Fuqua side, the family goes back to French
ancestry, who, driven from France by religious persecution in
the Seventeenth Century, found a retreat and a safe asylum in
the wUds of America.
The Milam family originated in South Carolina and from
this same stock comes the famous Ben MUam whose name is for
ever linked with Texas history and whose fame wUl continue to
grow brighter and brighter as the State grows richer and grander.
Texas had but one Milam. Milam had neither wife nor child,
but he had and will ever have a home in every Texan's breast.
Mr. Fuqua's father was born at Lynchburg, Virginia, in
1812, being the son of a prominent tobacco planter there. When

628 Texas — The Country and Its Men
a young man, he made three successive trips on the same horse
to Pontotoc County, Mississippi, where he bought a large lot of
the Choctaw Indians' lands that was offered for sale after the
removal of the Choctaws to the Indian Territory. He afterwards
located in Pontotoc County, where he became a wealthy cotton
planter with a large estate and numerous slaves. He was greatly
esteemed by his neighbors and was one of the most influential
citizens of his county. The Civil War, however, ruined his
business prospects, and in 1877 he moved vvith his family to
Ellis County, Texas, and established a modest, but comfortable
home near Ennis, where he died in 1893. During his later years
he had devoted himself to the Baptist ministry and was a well
known pulpit orator in that section. His wife survived him for
a few years, passing away at the old homestead in Ellis County
in May, 1899. She was a native of South Carolina.
Mr. Fuqua spent his boyhood days on the plantation near
Tupelo, and was about fourteen years old when he came wtih
the family to Texas in 1877.
His literary education was obtained at the East Texas Uni
versity at Tyler, Texas, and his business, or commercial educa
tion, in the commercial department of the University at Waco.
By the labor of his own hands, he defrayed his expenses while
attending these schools and that he had to "trim his sails" very
closely is shown by the fact that on his graduation, he had to
borrow $10.00 to pay his way back home. This sum he repaid
during the following summer by hoeing cotton.
The following year he taught school in Ellis County, and so
satisfactory was his work in the school room, that he was re
tained as principal of one school for five years, teaching fully
a thousand pupils during his course as teacher.
From boyhood Mr. Fuqua was usually energetic and persis
tent in the discharge of duty or in the prosecution of any un
dertaking. This is manifest in the vigorous manner in which he
took hold of life's problems as they arose in his history. WhUe
engaged in teaching he employed his spare time doing work on
the outside, first working for others on the farm, and then he
embarked in cotton growing on his own account. In this he was
very successful and reaped rich rewards from his crops. His

Texas — The Country and Its Men 629
earnings he invested judiciously, and by 1889, when twenty-six
years old, he had a capital of twenty thousand doUars. Since
then his life has been one of varied, but uniformly, prosperous
activity. The limits of this sketch forbid more than a brief outline of
his numerous enterprises and interests.
In 1889 he identified himself with AmarUlo, then a village
of only a very few buUdings on the line of the railroad, which
had just been completed. At once his active spirit took hold of
the problem of developing that section of the State, as well as
the town of which he was a citizen, and his clear vision foresaw
the possibilities of the fertile and far-reaching plains of the Pan
handle. He and others established the first stage line from Ama
rillo south to Estacado, and in this enterprise he literally coined
money. He also became one of the largest stockholders in the
First National Bank of AmariUo, established in 1889.
He owned some livery stables and the entire local coal busi
ness, which he managed for some years. He has owned cattle
ranches and still has large and valuable land holdings through
out the Panhandle, besides much farming lands in Ellis and
Johnson Counties.
In addition to his own bank in AmarUlo, he owns large
blocks of stock in other banks in the State.
By reason of its location and raUroad facilities, AmarUlo
has become a distributing center for a vast territory, and con
sequently, it is a fine field for jobbing houses of various kinds.
Mr. Fuqua has extensive financial holdings in some of these con
cerns. It has been his uniform policy, when investing in such
enterprises, never to form partnerships, identifying himself only
with incorporated companies.
He became an officer of the First National Bank soon after
it was established, but did not take any part in the management
until 1896, when he gave up direct participation in his other
business affairs in order to devote all of his time to the bank
of which he is practical owner, his five co-directors having only
nominal interests, so as to comply with Federal laws governing
National Banks.
Mr. Fuqua's reputation in banking circles and his ability

630 Texas — The Country and Its Men
as a financier is recognized throughout Northwest Texas, and
he is known as one of the most skillful and most conservative
bankers in the State, enjoying a most enviable reputation in the
commercial world. His bank, the oldest in Amarillo, has had a
rapid and remarkable growth and only recently increased its
capital stock and surplus to $300,000.
Notwithstanding his many duties and cares in the manage
ment of his vast and varied interests, he finds time and oppor
tunity to encourage young people endeavoring to acquire an
education and he has unostentatiously assisted a number to reach
the goal of their praiseworthy aspirations.
Mr. Fuqua is a deacon in the Baptist Church and a lib
eral supporter of the denomination and its work. He is also
a Knight Templar and deservedly popular in all social and fra
ternal circles.
Mr. Fuqua was -married at Ennis, December 24, 1885, to
Miss Ella Chestnutt. To them have been born three children,
two sons, Wayland H. and Earl, and one daughter, Ina. He
had the misfortune to lose the eldest boy, Wayland, and the
daughter, Ina. This great sorrow is the only cloud that has dark
ened the skies of his married life.
The foregoing gives a glimpse of the past events in the life
of this most successful business man, but that glimpse is suf
ficient to show firm judgment and business ability of the man.
His home life and his business relations are in keeping with his
business career, which is to say that they are correct, orderly
and happy in all their phases.
Few men can point to so useful and so active a life with
greater pride and satisfaction than he can, for he has a record
unblemished and a name that is without a spot.
Unassuming and plain in his tastes and manners, he has
never aspired to official station. With a well-trained intellect
and a refined nature, he might have won high place and posi
tion in his State. He is not trained in the arts of the politician,
nor in the graces of oratory, yet when occasion demands, he can
instruct and entertain an audience as well as many whose busi
ness it is to talk. His contribution to the columns of American
Banker of June 20, 1908, is an able presentation of the subject

Texas — The Country and Its Men 631
of the Postal Savings Bank System, and that article marks him
as a student of banking and a forceful reasoner, while his speech
of November 22, 1906, before the Convention of the Seventh
District at Fort Worth on the "Future of the Cattle Business,"
shows that he might have been as powerful in the former as he
has been successful in the field of civic enterprises, had he di
rected his energies and his mental powers to that end.
Recognizing his eminent business qualifications and appre
ciating his worth as a citizen, many of the papers of that section
of the State are today urging him to become a candidate for the
office of Governor of Texas — and why should they not succeed
in putting him in that high office? Men are judged by their
achievements. One who has so brilliantly succeeded in conduct
ing his own business affairs may be safely trusted to handle suc
cessfully the affairs of a big business concern and why should
not Texas have a real practical business man at its head to give
the people a business administration?
One paper in speaking of Mr. Fuqua in this connection,
says : "Mr. Fuqua has every qualification to be desired in the
chief executive of a State. He is a thorough Christian gentle
men, clean of reputation, socially, morally and naturally of win
ning, amiable disposition, cultured and versed in aU that per
tains to affairs among men — in brief, he is the right man for
Governor of the greatest State of the Union."
What more could be asked in the way of fitness for a chief
executive of a great commonwealth ? He would carry into office
those methods and sound principles that have characterized his
career as a business man and those same methods and correct
principles would vvork the same results for the State that they
have wrought for him, and it would be a fitting tribute to that
wisdom which has guided Mr. Fuqua in the business walks of
life — that wisdom in whose right hand, says Solomon, are riches
and honor.

632 Texas — The Country and Its Men

T. B. WESSENDORF RICHMOND
Tony B. Wesendorf, County Treasurer and Mayor, was born
in Richmond, Fort Bend County, on the 19th day of November,
1872. His father, Antone Wessendorf, came to this county from
Hamburg, Germany, when but eighteen years of age and made
Fort Bend his permanent home. Here, in the course of time, he
married Miss Johanna Janske; was industrious in his habits and
made a worthy citizen. When the great civil war broke out
between the North and South, he served .the Confederacy under
General John B. Hood in the famous Fourth Texas Regiment, his
captain being Thomas Mitchell, commanding Company F. On
the bloody field of Chickamauga — where so many of the gallant
Fourth went down to rise no more — Mr. Wessendorf was se
verely wounded and sent back home, and saw no more service.
He raised a family of thirteen children — Tony Wessendorf be
ing eighth in the list.
The mother died July loth, 1888, and the father March 26th,
1892. T. B. Wessendorf, the present incumbent, was elected to the
office of County Treasurer in November, 1901.
Mr. Wessendorf, in connection with his office, carries on a
lumber and undertaking business, assisted by his brother, E. G.
Wessendorf. Mr. T. B. Wessendorf married, in 1892, Miss Jennie Ryan
Jones, the accomplished daughter of Walter and Archie Jones,
of Richmond. They have five living children: Lizzie Davis,
Jennetta, MarguerUe Doris and Marie.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 633

ANTONE WESSENDORF

634 Texas — The Country and Its Men

MARTIN STEPHEN MAHON
PORT LAVACA.
Judge M. S. Mahon was born in New Orleans, La., January
I, 1856. His parents were Martin and Margarite Mahon. His
father was a weU known and prosperous merchant of the "Creole
City", who enlisted in the Confederate Army and participated
in many of the sanguinary engagements of that long and bitter
struggle. He was a man to whom system and order were two
great requisites of a successful career, and he inculcated in his
son these characteristics which, in after years, contributed so
largely to his success.
The Mahon family resided in the doomed city of Indianola.
When the combined hurricane and tidal wave overwhelmed that
thriving seaport and swept it out of existence, young Mahon was
at school. The family losses were so heavy because of this ca
lamity, that he was shortly after compelled to forego all thoughts
of a collegiate training, and assume a man's part in recouping
the fallen fortunes of those he loved best.
After the storm he removed to Lavaca, and at once estab
lished himself in the coastwise shipping trade, operating several
schooners, principally between Corpus Christi and Rockport. He
was successful and this laid the foundation of the comfortable
fortune which he afterwards acquired.
In after years, in response to the desire of his many friends,
and because of a reputation for -the strictest integrity, Mr. Mahon
' was elected Treasurer of Calhoun County, and subsequently be
came County Judge, both of which positions he filled with credit
to himself and to the satisfaction of the tax payers.
Owing to his wise foresight and unerring judgment. Judge
Mahon's investments were invariably successful. At his death he
owned 22,000 acres of fine grazing land and nearly 5,000 head
of cattle. He was highly esteemed in the community where he made

Texas — The Country and Its Men

635

MARTIN STEPHEN MAHON

636 Texas — The Country and Its Men
his home for many years, and at his death, which took place De
cember 28th, 1910, was greatly mourned.
In May, 1902, Judge Mahon was united in marriage with
Mrs. Rose E. .Thomas, who had two chUdren by her first mar
riage, and three children resulting from her union with Judge
Mahon. W. A. LOWE
SAN ANTONIO.
The grandparents of the subject of this sketch emigrated
to this country some time during the Seventeenth Century, an
tedating the Revolutionary period, and settled in North Caro
lina, where both of his parents were born. His father was mar
ried in North Carolina to Miss Melissa J. York, and moved to
Texas about 1845, soon after their marriage. Three sons and
one daughter were born to them in Texas as follows : Marcellus
French, deceased; WUliam A.; James W., now in the Customs
Service at Del Rio,, Texas; Cora Lowe, married to R. A. Moore,
who had two children, R. A. Jr., and Fay.
Mrs. Moore died in 1895, in PearsaU, Texas, and Mr. Moore
in 191 1, also at Pearsall. He was a stockman. Fay Moore is'
now married to Walter Frantz and lives in San Antonio. Tw'O
of the children of James and Melissa J. Lowe died in infancy.
James Lowe moved from North Carolina to Caldwell Coun
ty, Texas, remained there for a year or two and from there
moved to Atascosa County. The three sons were born in Atas
cosa County. He lived in that county several years and from
there moved to McMuUen County on the Frio River at the place
now known as TUden, Texas, where Cora was bOm. His busi
ness was stock raising and he made a success of the business, at
one time he owned as many as 200,000 cattle on the ranges of
Texas, and as many as 3,000 brands. He worked all the way
from the Coast to the Rio Grande. It was in the days of free
grass, and his cattle roamed all the way from Nueces County to
Webb County, and also to Val Verde. He was probably at one
time the largest cattle owner in the State.
From 1859 to and including 1875 the Mexicans and Indians

Texas — The Country and Its Men

637

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W. A. LOWE
638 Texas — The Country and Its Men
stole many thousands of head of horses and cattle, driving them
into Mexico and skinning many of them in Texas for their hides.
At one time Mr. Lowe owned two hundred thousand head of
cattle, a thousand saddle horses and branded as many as fifty
thousand calves in one year. On account of his age he did not
go regularly into the Confederate War, but acted with other
citizens as a home guard for the protection of widows and chil
dren. He served with Captain Chapman of Pleasanton.
In 1873 James Lowe filed a claim at Washington City against
the Mexican Government for the cattle that had been stolen and
driven into Mexico. This claim is still pending in the Claim De
partment at Washington, having never been acted upon up to
this date. Mrs. James Lowe died at Pearsall in April, 1904. James
Lowe died in August of the same year, he and Mrs. Lowe hav
ing lived together more than fifty-seven years.
WiUiam A. and Marcellus Lowe left Texas in 1871 for
Bingham's Military School, and had a great many hardships to
go through. They went by private conveyance from Tilden to
Columbus, and took the train there. After they got on the train
it would run a little while and then stop and they had to lay
over. In this way it took several weeks to get to Bingham, North
Carolina, where they entered the Military School. WUliam A.
Lowe quit school six months before the time of graduation, re
turned to Texas and went into the stock business at TUden.
During the years 1875, 1876 and 1877, thieves took all the
cattle of the Lowes. There was no law in the country at that
time. One Sunday morning there was seen a bunch of mature
cattle on the main plaza of Tilden freshly marked and branded.
On inquiry it was found that they, had been stolen by a refugee,
who was that morning at church ! A vigUance committee had
been formed in the county and had hung a great many cattle
thieves. The refugee becoming alarmed, left the country, leav
ing his cattle, but he rode out on a good horse, which he had
stolen, and made his escape.
The County of McMuUen was organized in 1877 and in
1878 William A. Lowe was elected County and District Clerk,
and served fifteen years, at which time he left McMuUen County

Texas — The Country and Its Men

639

MRS. W. A. LOWE

640 Texas — The Country and Its Men

and came to San Antonio. During the time he lived there he
bought a great deal of land, and now has thirty thousand acres
in McMuUen and Duval Counties. He moved to San Antonio in
1892. He went to the Indian territory in 1893 with cattle, on
account of the drouth. A panic came on, he obtained but little
for his stock and lost heavily. In the spring of 1894 he accepted
a position vvith the Government on the Rio Grande, as Deputy
Collector of Customs. Here he broke the record — v^^as the only
Democrat that ever resigned in that country. After being there
about a year he came back to San Antonio and went into the
live stock commission business, but soon abandoned that and
ever since has been engaged in the cattle business and has made
a success of raising, buying, and selling tock.
In 1876 he married Miss LUlie Bennett of San Antonio.
One son was bom ,to them, W. A. Jr., who died when ten years
old, at TUden. He married again in July, 1878, Miss May E.
Beall, a daughter of Benjamin Beall, who was robbed and killed
at Carrizo, Texas, by Mexican outlaws.
Of his second marriage seven chUdren were born: Ethel,
now the wife of Captain J. W. Craig, of the United States Army,
a graduate of West Point, now stationed at Fort Robinson, Ne
braska; J. G. Lowe, stockman in McMuUen County; Arthur
Lowe, who died at the age of twenty-three; W. A. Jr., a stock
man in McMuUen County; Roy B. Lowe, also a stockman, who
resides in San Antonio ; Mattie Mae Lowe, who married Second
Lieutenant Walter Moore, stationed in the Philippine Islands,
and Miss Mabel Moss Lowe.
The family of Mrs. WUliam A. Lowe came originally from
Georgia. Her parents were pioneers of Texas. The daughters
were educated at Notre Dame, Maryland. Miss Ethel was queen
of the Fiesta Fete, and the other two daughters were Duchesses
at different times.
On a good many occasions when Marcellus F. Lowe was
prosecuting attorney of the western district, his life was in dan
ger from a lawless element on account of his vigorous prosecu
tion and success in ridding his Judicial District of the lawless
element that then infested that section of the State.
William A. and his brother Marcellus entered school to-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 641

gether, went in the same classes, and left school at the same
time. MarceUus F. took up law and politics and William A. se
cured a license to practice law, but never accepted a fee. He
had many flattering offers to induce him to take up the practice
of law, but declined them, preferring to devote all of his time
and energies to stock raising.
Mr. Lowe was nominated in the July primaries, 1916, for
representative of his district over Hon. H. Burmeister. The peo
ple of the Tilden district were strongly in favor of the appro
priation for the Wolf Scalp BiU, which Mr. Burmeister op
posed, and which led to his overwhelming defeat in his district,
in the primaries.

L. J. HART
SAN ANTONIO
There are few men in the State of Texas more widely
known than L. J. Hart of San Antonio, whose name is synony
mous with efforts for the benefit of the city of his residence.
His efforts toward advancing the material interests of San An
tonio are so widely recognized that they can be considered as
being no secondary part of his career of signal usefulness. He
has combined the practical with the ideal in his labors to im
prove the city and his efforts have been of direct and immediate
serviceableness in bringing about a movement for the betterment
of the city along many lines of progress. He is now extensively
engaged in real estate oeprations and is a prominent and leading
member of the Business Men's Club, of which he was at one time
president. Mr. Hart is a native of Dubuque, Iowa, and was reared on
a farm and educated in the local schools and in St. Joseph's Col
lege at Dubuque. Completing his collegiate course, he lived at
' home for a year or two and then went to Denver, Colorado, where
he was engaged in the real estate business. He operated quite
extensively and successfully in property in that city for about
three years and in 1890 came to San Antonio, where he has
since made his home, and this city and the surrounding district

642 Texas — The Country and Its Men

J L. HART

Texas — The Country and Its Men 643
have been the scene of his unusually successful real estate opera
tions. He belongs also to that class of men who, while promot
ing individual interests, also contribute in large measure to the
general prosperity.
Mr. Hart is one of the original developers of Laurel Heights,
a beautiful residence subdivision in the northern part of the city.
It is one of the most modern and most completely improved resi
dence sections of San Antonio and in addition to his efforts in
this locality he is extensively engaged in general real estate busi
ness, handling both city and country property for others, while
he is himself the owner of valuable real estate, both in San An
tonio and outlying districts, particularly in the southern part of
Texas. He represents the United States Mortgage & Trust Com
pany in San Antonio. His enterprise, ability and intense and
well directed labor resulting in successful accomplishment, have
been freely recognized by citizens of San Antonio and have been
called into requisition for the upbuilding of the city. Mr. Hart
served as president of the Business Men's Club in 1901 and 1902
and is now chairman of the real estate committee of that organi
zation, which is doing so much for public progress and improve
ment. He is also chairman of the general advertising movement
that was instituted early in 1906 to further the growth of San
Antonio and Southwestern Texas, generally by means of adver
tising. In this movement many of the leading and representa
tive citizens of San Antonio are participants, as well as promi
nent residents of the adjoining counties of Southwestern Texas.
These men are contributing personally to the fund to be used
in first-class newspaper and magazine advertising. Mr. Hart
largely deserves the credit of being the leading spirit of this
movement, to which he contributes liberally of his time and
money. He was also largely instrumental in co-operation with
State Senator Marshall Hicks in bringing about the legis
lation under which improvement districts were created in the
City of San Antonio. According to the terms of this act the
city is' divided into improvement districts, the citizens of each
district having the privUege of voting a tax for the purpose of
making street improvement within their own district and at their
own expense. This enables any part of a city to obtain paved
streets, etc., without putting a general tax on the entire city.

644 Texas — The Country and Its Men

The scheme has resulted in a movement toward establishing in
San Antonio as finely improved streets in the better residence
portions as can be found in any city in the country; particularly
in what is known as the Tobin Hill residence district, where a
vast amount of money has already been expended for macad
amized paving and the building of beautiful permanent streets.
Mr. Hart was married in San Antonio to Miss Maud Oliver
and they have two children. In social circles the parents are
well known and cordial hospitality is extended to them by many
friends. Mr. Hart has never been a politician in the sense of
seeking office, but has always taken a public spirited interest in
in political organization for the purpose of securing good men
in positions of public trust. Practical politics have thus claimed
much of his time and while his efforts have been exceedingly
valuable for the party of municipal reform, his service in that
direction must necessarily be held secondary to those of much
greater importance as implied in his public spirit, progressive-
ness and liberality. He is a man of sound judgment, never ar
riving at conclusions with undue haste, but when once his mind
is made up as to what is the right course he pursues it with un
faltering purpose. He possesses excellent executive and busi
ness ability combined with a resistless energy and resolute pur
pose and he is today one of San Antonio's successful business
men, who at the same time has directed his efforts to the benefit
of the city in many instances. Mr. Hart now ranks as one oi
the wealthiest men in San Antonio. He promoted the building
of the Gunter Hotel and is now the leading stockholder of that
magnificent structure.

FREDERICK WASHINGTON COOK
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
President of the San Antonio Drug Company, a Kentuckian
by birth and a Texan by adoption, has been a resident of San
Antonio since 1894. He was born in the City of LouisvUle the
son of Frederick Washington Cook, a native of Frederick, Mary-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 645

FREDERICK WASHINGTON COOK

646 Texas— The Country and Its Men

land. His mother before her marriage was Miss Louisa HUt of
Louisville. After graduating from Wabash College, Mr. Cook attended
Heidelberg University in Germany, acquiring a finished educa
tion before coming to San Antonio to engage in the business
which, beginning in a small way, he has built up to splendid
proportions. He is a Democrat, but has never held public office
except such as offered only honor for reward. He was for some
time President of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, of
which he is at present a director, and is now serving as a regent
of the University of Texas. He is a Mason, belonging to An
chor Lodge, Burleson Chapter, and San Antonio Commandery,
Knights Templar. He is a member of the Beta Theta Pi of
college fraternities.
Mr. Cook married in 1896 Miss Minnie Leighton Kalteyer,
a daughter of the late George H. Kalteyer, a pioneer as well
as one of the leading citizens of San Antonio. They have one
child, Miss Stella Ada Cook.

WILLIAM E. HAWKINS
AUSTIN
Hon. William E. Hawkins, Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court of Texas, is a worthy representative of the dignity and
greatness of the State in the domain of the law which he has
honored for twenty-seven years. He comes from a family whose
members have long been distinguished at the bar and on the
bench, especially in Tennessee, where an uncle, Alvin Hawkins,
served three terms as a member of the Supreme Court, and later
was Governor of the State; another uncle, Albert G. Hawkins,
was for many years chancellor of the district including Carroll
County, Tennessee, while a third uncle, Joe Hawkins, was Cir
cuit Judge and afterwards for many years a practioner at Hunt
ington, Carroll County, Tennessee.
Judge Hawkins was born at Greenwood, Caddo Parish,
Louisiana, September 26, 1863, and is a son of Rev. Samuel J.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

647

648 Texas — The Country and Its Men
and Emmeline (Burke) Hawkins. His father, a native of Ten
nessee, was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South,
and as such came to Texas in 1865, here helping to organize the
North Texas Conference, as the Trinity Conference, at Sulphur
Springs, in that year. He was presiding elder of the Sulphur
Springs District, associate editor of the Texas Christian Advo
cate, and curator of Southwestem University at Georgetown, at
the time of his death at Sulphur Springs, in 1888. An extremely
pious man, thoroughly devoted to the work of his Master, his
life was one of usefulness to his fellow-men, and his influence,
always for good, was felt in whatever community he was lo
cated. The mother, who was bom in Ohio, of Virginia parent
age, still survives at the age of seventy-eight years, and is making
her home with her son in Austin.
WUliam E. Hawkins secured his education in various
schools of Texas, his father's calling making it necessary that
the family frequently move from point to point. He later at
tended the University of Louisiana (now Tulane University),
and finished his collegiate course at the Southwestern University
at Georgetown, where he spent two years. He then taught school
in Dallas County and afterwards in the City of Dallas. He
was the first teacher of mathematics in the Dallas High School.
Being financially unable to attend the law school of the Uni
versity of Texas, he read law under the preceptorship and in
the offices of Shepard and MUler, of Dallas, the firm being com
posed of Judge Seth Shepherd, now Chief Justice of the United
States Court of Appeals in the City of Washington, and the late
T. S. Miller. With this exceUent preparation Judge Hawkins was
admitted to the bar at DaUas in 1887, and in that year began
to practice in that city as a member of the firm of McKamy &
Hawkins. Subsequently, with his brother, he formed the firm
of Hawkins & Hawkins, and still later became associated with
John R. and C. P. Playnes, under the firm name of Hawkins &
Haynes. This latter association continued until 1905, when Judge
Hawkins was appointed first assistant attorney general of the
State of Texas, under Attorney General R. V. Davidson, and held
this position until December 31, 1909, when he resigned. Shortly
thereafter he was appointed Commissioner of Insurance and
Banking of Texas, and retained that office until July, 1910, when

Texas — The Country and Its Men 649
he moved to Brownsville, Texas, and became associated with
Frank C. Pierce, in the general practice of law, under the firm
style of Hawkins & Pierce, this partnership continuing until Sep
tember, 1912.
In July, 1912, while living at BrownsviUe, Judge Hawkins
was nominated in the State Democratic Primary for the office
of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, by a ma
jority which was officially reported as exceeding eighty-nine
thousand, and in November, 1912, was elected to the position foi^
the unexpired term of two years, and qualified in January, 1913.
In the Democratic State primary of 1914 he had no oppo
nent, and was nominated for the full term of six years, leading
the State ticket of his party by more than five thousand votes,
and receiving the largest vote ever cast in Texas for any man
for any office.
There has never been cause for anyone to question Judge Haw
kins' mental breadth and strength or his determination, reso
lution and steadiness, in whatever field of activity he has elected
to enter. As a jurist his decisions have indicated a strong men
tality, careful analysis and a thorough knowledge of the law,
and although personally a man of positive views, it has yet to
be found that, as a judge, he has ever been influenced by his
private inclination. He possessed that self-control so requisite
to the true judicial temperament, the power to put aside all
personal feelings and prejudices in order that he may impartially
dispense justice. Judge Hawkins is a member of the Masonic
order and the Kappa Alpha fraternity, as well as the Town and
Gown Club of Austin. His religious connection is with the Meth
odist Episcopal Church, South, of this city.
On November 11, 1886, Judge Hawkins was married to Miss
Ella Dickason, a native of Tennessee, but a resident of Dallas,
and a daughter of John S. and Mary L. Dickason. To this
union there have been born five chUdren, four of whom are liv
ing, as follows : Lyndsay D., of Dallas, a member of the legal
fraternity, who recently returned to Texas from Phoenix, Ari
zona, where he was in partnership with his uncle, former Texas
State Senator Albert S. Hawkins; Evelyn, who is the wife of

650 Texas — The Country and Its Men

Stafford G. Helm, a stockman and merchant of Dundee, Archer
County, Texas; and two unmarried daughters, Marion and Eu-
dora, who reside with their parents at 212 West Forty-third
Street, Austin.

HONORABLE HEBER STONE
Was born in Lewisberg, North Carolina, on August 26, 1853, and
died at his home in Brenham, Washington County, Texas, Sep
tember 23, 1906.
His father was DeWitt Clinton Stone, a commission mer
chant and cotton factor, and his mother was Mary Yarbrough
Stone, both of North Carolina. His father removed to Texas and
settled in Galveston, of which city he was Mayor in 1876, and
afterwards President of the Cotton Exchange. A man of liberal
education and broad views, of fine judgments and superior busi
ness capacity, he became prominent in the financial circles of the
Island City and a potent factor in its commercial and industrial
development. His son, Heber Stone, inherited his father's business acumen
and comprehensive grasp of financial affairs.
On June 4, 1879, he was happily married to Miss Louise Gid
dings, and to them were born five children, viz : Giddings Stone,
Mrs. R. E. Nicholson, wife of Dr. R. E. Nicholson, a leading
physician of Brenham; Heber Stone, Albert Stone and Louise
Stone, all stiU living. With the exception of Heber, Jr., who was
in Corsicana seeing after his father's oU interests, and Giddings,
who was in the State of Guerrero, Mexico, where his father
owned a gold mine, all the chUdren were at their father's bedside
when he died.
The following review of Mr. Stone's useful life is so ad
mirably expressed and contains such a fine tribute to his memory
that it is reproduced here from the Brenham Evening Press and
leaves little else to be added :
"Mr. Stone was prominently connected and identified with
the financial institutions of Brenham for a long time. He was

HEBER STONE

Texas — The Country and Its Men 651

connected with the Giddings & Giddings Bank from 1880 to 1884,
when he sold out his interest and established the Heber Stone
private bank in 1890, and in 1892 he bought a controlling interest
in the First National Bank of Brenham, and was President of this
institution untU about two years ago when he sold out his interest
in it, having at that time more business than he could conveniently
care for, and having in the meantime established a furniture fac
tory, and interested himself in the Corsicana oil field and a gold
mine in Mexico, besides he had large landed properties to superin
tend, including many Brazos bottom plantations.
"With all these interests to supervise he took a prominent part
in the councUs of his party and was for a long time Chairman of
the Democratic Executive Committee of his county, and in 1896
was elected State Senator from this district and served as Chair
man of the Finance Committee of the Senate in the Twenty-first
Legislature. "On account of his vast business connections, he refused a
renomination, but still found time to devote to his church duties
and was for many years Superintendent of the Sunday School of
the Giddings Memorial Church, a church erected to the memory
of his wife's father and the support of which they always con
tributed liberally.
"He was a devout Christian gentleman, an apostle of peace on
earth and good will to men ; a man o'er whose bier the tears of
men, women and chUdren wUl flow. His record is made up, and
his fame as a good man, generous, noble, true, measured by what
ever standard you may, is beyond panegyric and fadeless as the
stars. His personal character was above reproach, and the purity
and sweetness of his life furnished a standard of private conduct
worthy of emulation by the best men. He was patient, kind, a
loving father and a devoted husband, a good neighbor, a man who
knew no revenge, no unkind word ever escaped his lips, no dark
thought seemed to find lodgement in his breast. Who that ever
shook his hand in cordial grasp or looked into his kindly face
can ever forget him? Christian virtues were written in every

652 Texas — The Country and Its Men

lineament of his features, and with soul so sweetly tempered and
heart so human, every one loved the man and will sigh —
" 'For the touch of a vanished hand.
And the sound of a voice that is stiU.'
"Mr. Stone was educated at the University of the South and
at the University of Virginia. He studied law and practiced at
the Brownwood bar from 1875 to 1879. He was elected County
Attorney and made a faithful officer.
"He was both a Mason and a Knight Templar, as true a
Knight as any that ever wore shield and buckler in the days of
chivalry. "He has contributed much to the wonderful growth of Texas
and deserves to have his memory perpetuated on the pages of this
history, as an incentive to the young men of the future to be true
to the high claims their great State has on them. Peace to his
ashes and honor to his memory."
"Scarcely any one except the immediate relatives and friends
of the family knew that Mr. Stone was sick. He was taken sick
just a week ago Saturday, but was not considered dangerously iU.
Dr. R. E. Nicholson, his son-in-law, was attending him and had
not even called in a consulting physician. His malady was acute
indigestion, but he seemed to be getting along all right until Sun
day morning while Dr. Nicholson was up town; the nurse stated
that he seemed to be resting all right, and that she had to go out
of the room for a minute, and upon her return he was dying.
The doctor was telephoned for and hastened out to their suburban
home, a mUe, but he was dead before the doctor reached there,
having evidently had an attack of heart failure in addition to the
disease with which he had been ill for a week.
"Hon. Heber Stone was a son of DeWitt Clinton Stone, who
came from North Carolina, where Mr. Stone was born, his father
settling in Galveston, of which place he was Mayor in 1876, and
afterwards President of the Cotton Exchange, prominent in the
financial circles of the Island City.
"Hon. Heber Stone was born in Lewisberg, North Carolina,
August 26, 1853, and was, therefore, at the time of his demise.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 653

S3 years and 27 days of age. He was married to Miss Louise
Giddings June 4, 1879, and to them have been born five children,
viz : Giddings Stone, Mrs. R. E. Nicholson, Heber Stone, Albert
Stone and Miss Louise Stone, aU of them, with the exception of
Giddings and Heber, being at home at the time of his death,
Heber being in Corsicana looking after his father's vast oil in
terests there, and Giddings being in the State of Guerrero, Mex
ico, where Mr. Stone owned a gold mine.

HERBERT F. STERZING
AUSTIN
Dr. Herbert F. Sterzing, well and favorably known in medi
cal circles throughout the State, was born at Austin, Texas,
July 23, 1875. His father, Fred Sterzing, was born in Ger
many and came to America when an infant, his parents being
members of the Fisher and MUler Colony.
First settling at New Braunfels in 1845, whence they moved
to Austin in 1864. His mother, Agnes Frances (Pressler) Sterz
ing, was a native of Travis County, Texas. His father was a
soldier in the Confederate Army where he served with honor dur
ing many of the most sanguinary engagements of that unhappy
period. Mr. Fred Sterzing, father of the subject of this notice,
has and still holds the office of Assessor and Collector of the
City of Austin for many years-
Dr. Sterzing was educated in the common schools of Aus
tin, finishing his collegiate course at the University of Texas and
graduating in medicine in his twenty-fourth year. For the past
seventeen years he has practiced his profession in his native city,
where he enjoys a reputation as a physician, as well as a man
of sterling character. Few men have met with greater success
or been so frequently recognized for their ability. After his
graduation he was appointed an interne in the John Sealy Hos
pital at Galveston, which position was awarded in recognition of
his studying in at graduation. After serving one year he prac
ticed medicine one year at Mankato, Minnesota, and six months

654

Texas — The Country and Its Men

in Mills County, Texas. In both instances taking the places of
physicians who were temporarily absent. The Doctor now holds
the following appointments, all of which may be taken as evidence
of his high standing in his chosen profession : He is visiting

HERBERT F. STERZING

physician to the State School for the Deaf ; Medical Director of
the Bankers International Life Insurance Company; Physician
to the Order of Eagles and also the Loyal Order of Moose ; As
sistant Surgeon with rank of Captain in the Texas National

Texas — The Country and Its Men 655

Guard, and local physician to the Actors Fund. He is a Ma
son; member of the Elks, Sons of Hermann, a Moose, belongs
to the Modern Woodmen of America, the Austin Press Club and
other organizations.
In 1905 Dr. Sterzing was united in marriage to Miss Etta
Maud Holtzmann, the result of the union being the following
children: Herbert, Victor, Virginia and an infant boy baby. In
politics the Doctor is a Democrat.

THE BONNER FAMILY
The early settlement of Nacodogches County, is replete with
matters of unusual interest, in the pioneer history of Texas, and
its Indian wars. At its birth, it was baptized in blood, and for
twenty years a succession of bloody episodes, attended its march
towards civilization.
Among the first Americans to penetrate the wilds, of that
then unknown country, was W. H. Bonner, who, with his young
wife, and babe of twelve months, left his home, and the scenes
of his childhood in Louisiana, in 1831, for Texas, their objective
point being Nacogdoches County ; the Anglo-American settlement
of Texas, the revolution that followed, and the establishment of
a separate republic, its merger into the sisterhood of States, that
compose the Union, offered unexampled opportunities for the
exercise of the purest patriotism, the most intrepid bravery, and
the highest mental endowments in the line of Statecraft. Nor
were the men wanting to fill the various roles required to meet
the necessities of those stormy and trying days. AA'hen Mr.
Bonner headed his horses for Texas, the country was as trackless
as the sea. There was but one well-defined road in the State, the
old Nacogdoches and San Antonio traU, known as the King's
Highway, and seldom traversed save by the wild and treacherous
Indian. After weeks of perilous travel, San Augustine was
reached, and here in the midst of a wilderness, Mr. Bonner

656 Texas— The Country and Its Men

pitched his camp, where he remained for one year, at the end of
which time, owing to the frequent and disastrous raids of the In
dians, he decided to move to the old Stone Fort at Nacogodoches,
which offered more security for his family. WhUe on his way
there with his wife and chUd, they camped for the night, about
where the Chereno settlement is now situated. Being out of pro
visions, he saddled a horse and started for a store a few mUes
distant. He secured what he wanted and started back to camp,
when he was met by a strolling band of Mexicans and kiUed, be
ing shot from his saddle. The animal which Mr. Bonner was
riding took fright and proceeded to camp. The brave wife at
once suspected murder, mounted the horse and traUed back untU
carried to her husband's dead body. After attending to his
burial, she with her child proceeded to the old Stone Fort, where
she remained until after the battle of San Jacinto. After this
decisive battle, which gave to Texas her independence from
Mexico, she met and married W. G. Lang, an honored citizen
of Angelina County, where he died in 1865. The chUd, AA''. H.
Bonner, Jr., grew to manhood, and at the age of twenty married
Miss Malinda Blackburn, a woman of rare accomplishments, who
continued to reside in Angelina County until her death, which
occurred in 1897, leaving nine children, as follows; all of whom
are among the most thriving and respected citizens of Texas :
W. H. Bonner, a merchant for many years, and now engaged
in the sawmill and lumber business in Angelina County; J. L.
Bonner, farming in Angelina County ; Mary Bonner, married AA'.
M. Vinson; T. J. Bonner, died in Lufkin, Texas, in 1907; Gordon
Bonner, died while a student in the State University at Austin, in
1890; B. F. Bonner, is in Houston in the lumber and oil business,
being connected with the Kirby Lumber Company, and is highly
rated in the commercial world; J. S. Bonner, is President of the
Bonner Oil Company, of Houston; Stella Bonner, married J. C.
Means, who is now in the lumber business, in Houston, and Presi
dent of the Texas & Louisiana Lumber Company.
AV. H. Bonner, father of the present now large and influ
ential family, spent his boyhood days on the frontier of Texas

Texas — The Country and Its Men 657

fighting Indians. He was in many engagements with the red
skins, as far out as Comanche and Brown Counties.
In 1859, he started to move his famUy to Brown County, and
did move his cattle. The CivU AA'ar came on, and on account of
the Indians getting so daring, he reconsidered moving his family
there, but kept his cattle on the Leon River in Hamilton County. .
He went to the war in 1861, and remained untU the close of
hostUities, when he returned home. He went west and gathered
up what cattle he could find. During this time he had many
engagements with the Comanches and other warlike tribes of
Indians. He sold what remained of his herd, and returned to
his farm. On one of the raids that the Indians made down the Leon
River vaUey, they killed everything they came across, among
which was several of the old settlers. They stole one child, a
boy, by name of John KurkendoU, kiUed his sister and a school
mistress. Mr. Bonner and several others organized and followed
them for three days and nights, but they finally had to abandon
the chase. About a year afterwards KurkendoU was ransomed
by the Government. Mr. Bonner accompanied the father of the
boy to the United States Post at Fort SUl to get him and restore
him to his parents, which was done. The boy had been beaten
and abused until there were scars all over him.
Mr. Bonner participated in many of the important battles of
the war between the States. After the war, he returned to his
home on the Neches River, in Angelina County, and opened up
a farm in 1866, intending to retire to private life, but his neigh-
bers recognized his ability and solicited him to represent them in
the Twelfth Legislature. He consented, was elected, and served
his constituents and the Democratic party with distinction. He
was afterwards made County Clerk by the unanimous vote of
his county. He finally withdrew from politics, as his personal
affairs demanded his undivided attention. He engaged in cattle
raising and farming the rest of his life. The estate which he left
to his sons was a princely one, and has been held intact by the
family. At the present time they have more than twenty-five

658 Texas — The Country and Its Men
hundred acres under cultivation in cotton and corn. He was a
Mason of many years' standing in the Homer Masonic Lodge, at
Homer, that then being the County seat of Angelina County.
W. H. Bonner, head of the present Bonner family, died in
July, 1888, at Lufkin, and was buried with Masonic honors.

"The muffled drum's sad roll has beat
The soldier's last tattoo.
No more on life's parade shall meet
That brave but fallen few.
On fame's eternal camping ground,
Their silent tents are spread.
And Glory guards with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead."

Mrs. Bonner is buried beside her husband in Lufkin. Her
life, which was intimately bound up with the history of Texas,
came to a close in 1897. Her Spartan qualities became the legacy
of Texas, and the present, and future historians of Texas will
concur in bestowing upon her the worthy tUle of "One of the
Mothers of Te.xas."

Texas — The Country and Its Men 659

WILLIAM ADAMS
ALICE
WiUiam Adams of Alice, Texas, is one of the foremost rep
resentative cattle men of his section of country. No man has done
more for the upbuUding of Duval County than he. In 1898 he
was elected County Commissioner of Duval County, and served
for a number of years. On July 29, 1896, Mr. Adams was mar
ried to Miss O, Young, and the following children have been
born to them : Elizabeth Norwick, Harry, Lee, Walter, Herbert,
Mary, Alice, George R. Adams. A daughter is the wife of H. W.
Garrett, a prominent citizen of Alice.
Page 312

- WESLEY C. ISAACKS
MIDLAND
The subject of this sketch, Wesley C. Isaacks, was among the
first children born of American parents in Texas. His father,
Sam Isaacks, when but a boy, came to Texas from Tennessee and
settled in Angelina County in 1819. His mother, who was Martha
Richardson, came from Louisiana with her family about 1830,
and was soon after married to Sam Isaacks, she being his second
wife. Wesley, their oldest son, was born in Angelina County on
the 31st day of May, 1833, and was not quite three years old
when the battle of San Jacinto was fought. His father was one
of the small band who fought the Mexicans for Texas independ-

660

Texas — The Country and Its Men

ence. AA'esley grew to manhood in what was then the wUds of
East Texas, and necessarily received but the rudiments of an

WESLEY C. ISAACKS

education, but was an almost incessants reader and was among the
very best informed men, especially along scientific and political

Texas — The Country and Its Men 661
lines. He enlisted early in the Confederate Army ,and served
under Captain Beasley until near the end of the war, when he
was transferred to the navy. He was married in i860 to Annis
Foreman, who is also a native Texan. Soon after the close of
the war he moved to Bell County and purchased a farm on Little
River, not far from Salado, where he lived untU 1876, when he
moved to AA'illiamson County, and lived there and in Bastrop
County until six years ago, when he came to Midland to spend his
last years with his son. He died at his son's home in Midland on
February 4, 1909, and was buried in Fairview Cemetery. He was
of a modest and retiring disposition, and possibly no expression
descriptive of his life could be more appropriate than the words
of his epitaph : "He lived not for himself but for others."
There survive' him a widow and two children, Mrs. Marlow
and Judge S. J. Isaacks, both of Midland.
A few words about Judge Isaacks will not be inappropriate.
He was born on the farm in Bell County, February 18, 1869. He
is self-educated and was married early in life to Minnie Rutledge,
of Travis County. He represented Bastrop County in the Twenty-
. eighth Legislature and made some reputation as a reformer, hav
ing introduced and advocated what was known as the Hogg
Amendments, Constitutional amendments defining insolvent cor
porations and forfeiting their charters, prohibiting lobbyists, pro
hibiting corporations from contributing for political purposes, and
prohibiting the giving of free passes. (Nearly all of these propo
sitions have since become laws.)
Judge Isaacks moved to Midland in 1903, was elected, over
his protest, as the first Mayor of the city, and when the Seven
tieth Judicial District was created he was appointed District Judge
by Governor Campbell, without solicitation. He was elected in
1910 for a term of four years. Some of his decisions, especially
on the school law, have been noted and of far-reaching effect.
Judge Isaacks is also President of the Board of Trustees of
Midland College, and gives a great deal of labor and attention to
that institution.

662 Texas — The Country and Its Men

WILLIAM McCARTY PECK
denison
The Texas judiciary has always been notable for the high
quality and thorough legal ability of its members, and Judge
Peck of the Fifteenth Judicial District has not only measured up
to the high standard of the Texas bench, but has added much
from his individual character. He has for forty-two years been
identified with his profession in Grayson County, and he repre
sents the best quality of the judiciary and upholds the dignity
of the bench and the bar of the State.
William McCarty Peck was born May 27, 1848, near Indian
apolis, Ind., being the second among four children born to
Daniel and Sarah (McCarty) Peck. His father dying when he
was only eight years old, his early education was acquired in the
schools nearby, and at the age of seventeen he went to North
Alabama to visit relatives, where he was employed in clerical
work for a time. Returning to his native state, he took up the
study of law with the firm of Williamson & Daggy, the senior
member of which firm was Attorney General of the State of
Indiana. Judge Peck completed his law studies in North Ala
bama and was admitted to the bar there in 1872. In the following
year he moved to North Texas, locating at Denison, and has been
engaged in the practice of law in Grayson County ever since un
tU appointed District .Judge.
Judge Peck is a Democrat and has many times rendered sig
nal service to his community. From 1879 fo 1881 he served one
term as Mayor of Denison. For most of the time for a quarter
of a century he was a member and during much of the time was
chairman of the School Board of Denison. In the Twenty-Third
and Twenty-Fourth Legislatures he represented Grayson County
in the Lower House and was a member of Judiciary Committee
No. I. In January, 191 2, Judge Peck was appointed to fill out
an unexpired term as judge of the Fifteenth Judicial District, and
in the fall of that year was elected for the regular term in that

Texas — The Country and Its Men 663
office, a position to which he lends dignity and inspires both the
bar and the general public with confidence in his fairness and
judicial ability. Judge Peck is a Knight Templar Mason. For
several years he was connected with the Board of Trade at Deni
son, and has always been ready to take part- in city and county
affairs. In 1873, in Morgan County, Alabama, Judge Peck was mar
ried to Miss Augusta Charlton, an accomplished and beautiful
young lady of that county. One chUd only was born to them,
Charlton Peck, who was a gifted young attorney, but unex
pectedly became afflicted with nervous trouble, which misfortune
continued for several years, recently resulting in his death, and
his father and mother are prostrated by grief over the loss of
their only child.
Judge Peck, for years continued his studies, and under pri
vate instructors acquired a thorough knowledge of Latin, Ger
man, French and Spanish, and also a wide acqukintance with his
tory and English and American literature, being a contributor to
a number of publications. A writer of prose, he has by no means
neglected the muses. While he says he has written five hundred
pages of prose to one. page of poetry, in 1915 a volume of his
poems was issued by the well known house of Neale Publishing
Company of New York.

FIELDING S. FRITTER
brackettville
Fielding S. Fritter was born February 3, 1827, in Stafford
County, Virginia. His parents were Augusta and Susan Frit
ter, prosperous farmers of Stafford County. In 1852, after the
death of his parents, having heard much in regard to the wilds
of Texas, and being of an adventurous nature, he made up his
mind to leave the scenes of his chUdhood and cast his lot with
the people of Texas. Soon after his landing in West Texas, he
engaged to carry the maU between Brackettville and San Antonio.
In those days that country was infested with the barbarous Co-

664 Texas — The Country and Its Men
manche and Apache Indians, and it was a dangerous and haz
ardous undertaking, often taking fifteen days to make the trip,
and on many of these trips he fairly had to fight his way through
the Indians. Mr. Fritter joined the Fourth Arizona Regiment and fought
through the Civil AVar. After returning home, his home county
had many lawless characters, and by the united effort of the law-
abiding citizens Mr. Fritter was prevailed upon to accept the
office of Sheriff. It is needless to say that he soon restored law
and order, and peace reigned in the county soon after he went
into office. In 1874 he was married to Miss Annie Ross. Seven children
of this union are still living, one daughter to whom he was deeply
attached and six sons. Mr. Fritter stood high in Masonic cir
cles, having belonged to the circle for more than forty years. The
name he left behind him should be a rich heritage to his children.

WILLIAM WIEDENFELD
comfort
WUliam Wiedenfeld, the subject of this brief memoir, was
born in Comfort, Texas, January 10, 1861. His mother and fa
ther came to Texas in 1848, and opened up a farm and ranch,
and permanently settled in Kerr County; his father was a ven
erable and honorable citizen in the community where he spent
so many years of his life. He died November 9, 1904, his de
voted wife following him to the grave ten years later, having
died April, 1914, at their old home in Comfort.
The subject of this sketch was brought up under the Chris
tian influences of a devoted mother. He received his education
from the common schools of Comfort. He began his business
life as a clerk in a store at Comfort. Later he engaged with
Faltin & Schreiner of Kerrville.
On December 13th he was happily married to Miss Lena
Dietert of Comfort, Texas. Two children have been born to
this union : Freda, married to Gus H. Lindner, and Edwin who

Texas — The Country and Its Men

665

is still at home with his parents. The name of Mr. VA^iedenfeld
has gone beyond the limits of his home county, and no man
in AA'est Texas enjoys a higher standing in the community than
he. He reorganized the Comfort State Bank in 1913, and was

WILLIAM WIEDENFELD AND GRANDSON

at the reorganization made President, and still holds that posi
tion. There is no set of people who have added more to the
wealth and honor of Texas than those German pioneers who
came with, and after Prince Solm, from Germany to this coun-

666 Texas — The Country and Its Men

try, from 1845-48. They located in that western section of the
State when it was in the hands of the savage Indians, and en
dured all the hardships, dangers and precedents incident to the
conditions which then existed in Texas. Those immigrants most
ly landed in the old town of Indianola, and many of them walked
from their place of landing to New Braunfels, Comfort and
Fredericksburg. They had much to contend with, dishonest land
sharks, Indians and severe droughts which continued for several
years after they landed in their new homes. From the day of
their landing in Texas they were recognized as law abiding and
honorable people, and today their decedents have and are dis
charging in an honorable way their full duty of citizenship. It
is a fact that in many of the German settled counties in Texas
you will find that there is not a delinquency upon their tax rolls.
Texas has always and ever will extend the right hand of fellow
ship to such people as foUowed the star of destiny to our shores
from Germany from 1845-50 — the decedents of those pioneers
who have made garden spots of the wilderness where they set
tled as immigrants to this country. Mr. Wiedenfeld has accumu
lated a modest fortune and is surrounded w^th a happy home and
family.

FRED G. CHAMBLISS
BEEVILLE
Judge F. G. Chambliss,' District Judge of the Thirty-Sixth
Judicial District of Texas, was born in Monroe, La., December
31, 1865. His father, W. R. Chambliss, was a prominent planter
m Louisiana, and gave his son a thorough education by putting
him through the University of Louisiana and fitting him for his
chosen profession. Governor O. B. Colquitt recognized his abUity
and fitness for the bench and appointed him to his present posi-

Texas — The Country and Its Men

667

tion. At the end of his first term he announced for election and
carried his district over one of the oldest and most popular law
yers of the district.

FRED G. CHAMBLISS

On December 4, 1895, Judge Chambliss was married to
Miss Louise Wilson. Two daughters, Alice and Sarah Grayson,
have blessed this union.

668 Texas — The Country and Its Men
DOUGLAS McCARDELL
COLD SPRINGS.
Dr. Douglas McCardell was born in 1866 in Goodrich, Polk
County, Texas. He was the son of T. A. and Carabelle McCar
dell, prosperous farmers. His grandparents, James and Eliza
beth Davis, came to Texas at an early date. His grandfather
practiced law for many years after coming to Texas and gained
great prominence in the State. His son, James K., served in the
Mexican AA^ar in 1846, dying at Cold Springs in 1884. He also
served through the Civil AA^ar, holding the rank of Captain
through the conflict, in Elmore's Regiment. The subject of this
sketch received his education at the Texas University and Tu
lane Medical University of New Orleans, graduating in 1899, and
has since been practicing medicine in Cold Springs, and the sur
rounding country.
In 1893 he was happily married to Miss Lula Irene Mc-
Keller. To them have been born three children, Minerva Fran
cis, the eldest, born on August 14, 1894, graduated with honors
at Baylor College in Belton, Texas, in 1916; Lula BeU, born on
September 4, 1896, and is now in school at Belton. Annie Kate,
born in 1907, attending school in Cold Springs.
Dr. McCardell owns large farming interests in Polk County.
He was one of the organizers of the San Jacinto State Bank.
In 1907 acted as President from 1907 to 191 7, then resigned the
Presidency, but retained a place on the Board of Directors.
Dr. McCardell has been a Mason since 1899; also a mem
ber of the Eastern Star about ten years, a member of the AA'.
O. AA'. ; also the Modern AA'oodmen of America, a member of the
School Board for about fifteen years, now serving his sixth term
as County Health Officer. He is a member of Cold Springs
Baptist Church and a Democrat.
James Davis, grandfather of Dr. McCardell, was born in
Mississippi about 1808, came to Texas in 1842, bringing a large
number of negro slaves, locating on Martinez League No. 4 of
San Jacinto County. He was largely interested in the Eleven

Texas — The Country and Its Men 669
League Martinez Grant. He was a lawyer, practicing continually
after coming to Texas until his death. He represented his dis
trict in the Legislature of Texas in 1844, serving two terms.
He was the author of and introduced a bUl in the Legislature
on land title limitations which became a law. He was a soldier
in the Mexican War. In 1846 he participated in the Battle of
La Plantipans in which a few Texans were killed and eighty
Mexicans. After that battle he returned to Mississippi, bringing
his family back to Texas with him. He died at Cold Springs in
the year 1855, and was buried at that place. He left two sons,
the eldest, James Davis, and Captain Jack Davis, who served in
the Confederate Army, where they both made brUliant records.
After the war he served several terms in the Texas Legislature.
representing Liberty and Polk Counties. He had four daughters.
Eliza Davis married James McGowan of San Jacinto County,
now deceased; Caroline Davis married C. A. McCardell of
Livingston, Polk County. The youngest daughter, Minerva
Davis, married Dr. J. H. McCardell of Livingston. The eldest
daughter, Catherine, married Mr. Lea, being the brother of Col
onel James Lea of Houston, who has also served several terms
in the Texas Legislature and is now a very prominent lawyer.
Mrs. A. C. McCardell is the mother of Dr. Douglas McCardeU
of Cold Springs, and Dr. W. K. McCardell of Livingston, Texas.
Dr. McCardell is now in the prime of intellectual and physi
cal manhood and his lifework is yet approaching its golden me
ridian. The past gives promise of a useful and briUiant future.

CHARLES MARTIN

mason

Charles Martin, Sr., was born in Meschede, West Phalen,
Germany, in 1828. His father was a man of strong and steriing
character, and trained the boy to follow the straight path of rec
titude and honor ; besides giving him such an education as would

670 Texas — The Country and Its Men
fit him for the great battle of life. Before coming to Texas he
had learned to speak six languages : English, German, French,
Spanish, Latin and Greek — which were of great assistance to him
after landing in this country. The strife which existed in Ger
many during the Napoleonic era (an extended account which
is given on page 418) probably decided him on coming to Texas.
He landed at Galveston in 1852, being then 24 years of age;
went to San Antonio and found employment in the store of a
Mr. Ulrich as clerk. Shortly afterward he went to Fort Concho
and clerked in a settler's store. He had tired of Texas and made
up his mind to return to the scenes of his boyhood in Germany.
He visited an uncle at Hedgwigs HUI to bid him a farewell, but
he was persuaded by his uncle to go into business at Hedgwigs
HUI, instead of returning to his native land. He opened a store
there, which was the only one betwen there and Fredericks
burg. The country was unsettledand full of Indians. On the
loth of December he was married to Miss Anna Mebus, the
accomplished daughter of AUville and Henrietta Mebus of the
Hedgwigs HiU Settlement. Mrs. Martin, like her husband, was
educated in Germany. Her father died at Hedgwigs HUI, June
24, 1867, and mother died in Fredericksbiirg, December 12, 1874.
It is only those who have encountered the hardships and dangers
incident to frontier life that can picture what those early set
tlers had to endure through those troublous times. The In
dians made several raids for plunder and murdered people, steal
ing horses and several times took children into captivity. These
are memory pictures yet on the mind of Mrs. Martin that \\\\l
never be effaced.
Mr. Martin died at his home November, 1879. After his
death Mrs. Martin opened a small store and tavern which she
built up to a large mercantile establishment. Here she had a
clesperate set of thieves and robbers to contend with, with which
the country was infested, but she proved equal to the occasion.
In connection with her business she bought catde for M. Half
& Bro., receiving 10 cents per head commission; later she bought
for Schreiner & Lytle, at 25 cents commission, and bought wool

Texas — The Country and Its Men

671

for AA'. H. Holloway of Burnet. These facts are mentioned to
show the business strength of Mrs. Martin. She was Postmis
tress of Hedgwigs Hill for thirty-eight years. From her union

CH«RLES MARTIN SH.

with Mr. Martin two sons, Charles L. and Max, were born Oc
tober 14, 1861, and December 17, 1863.
She began buying land in small tracts until she and her sons

672

Texas — The Country and Its Men

^i^^i ^^BHI

^^^^^^^^^^^^^t/^KBft^"^9^^B^^BwEm^^^^"

^^^^m*

pH^fc JB
I^^B^H^B^S'-,^ W^^^B^Br ^K^^^^^^^^K^^^^^^^KtB^S^
MRS. MARTIN ANO SONS
Texas — The Country and Its Men 673
had acquired sixty-five thousand acres, which is still owned by
the family. In 1901 Mrs. Martin and her sons established the
Commercial National Bank of Masori, of which Mrs. Martin has
been its President since its organization, and she and her sons
enjoy the distinction of being the largest taxpayers in the coun
ty. A few years has brought many w-onderful changes in her
life. For a time in her young womanhood, while at Hedgwigs
Hill, the conditions of the country forced her to live on a scanty
and rough diet, using potato, coffee, jerked beef, etc. Now,
in her declining years she is quietly resting in her beautiful home,
surrounded with every comfort that wealth can provide. AA^e
would like to have followed Mrs. Martin through the rapid
changes of her life, but the space allotted in this volume will not
permit, and it is to be hoped that her recollections will be pre
served in a lasting form for the future historians of Texas.

CHARLES WATERS STEWART ,
navasota
Born at Montgomery, Texas, February 10, 1837. At the age
of 20 years he went to BlackyUle, S. C, to reside, having com
pleted his education at Oakland College, Miss. Was local agent
for South Carolina RaUroad for six years. At the beginning of
the CivU War he organized and was Captain of the BlackviUe
Guards, but resigned command of the Guards to join Hamp
ton's Legion. Shortly afterward he was made gunner in Hart's
celebrated South Carolina Battery from Charleston. His com
mand participated in most of the great battles fought by the
Army of Northern Virginia. Hart's Battery especiaUy distin
guished itself in the great cavalry fight at Brandy Station, oc
cupying a position considered the most terrible and hazardous in
the midst of that truly awful battle, holding the road for J. E. B.
Stuart for fifteen minutes under the concentrated fire of seven
or eight Federal batteries. Charles Stewart was among the most
gallant defenders of the guns of said battery; his gun being

674 Texas — The Country and Its Men
disabled and volunteers caUed for, he took charge of another
gun, received a shell wound on the left arm, almost paralyzing it
and horribly lacerating it, but he would not leave the gun. He
was called the "Dare Devil of Battery H." For conspicuous
bravery he was offered promotion, but refused, preferring to fol
low the fortunes of his battery. At Malvern HiU he was wound
ed on the shin, splintering the bone very seriously. Wounded
at Gettysburg by gun shot. At the Second Battle of Manassas
he was seriously wounded on the head by a fragment of flying
shell which fractured the skull, leaving a permanent scar; was
promoted to Lieiitenant for relieving another gunner who was
fatally wounded; "his own gun broken." At Battle of Cul
pepper he was thought to have been mortally wounded and was
reported dead. His right hip was shattered by an ounce mus
ket ball (which his family still have) and his spinal column
was badly injured, from which he suffered more or less all his
life, pieces of bone often being extracted as a result. He was
confined nine months in Richmond Hospital, then given a sixty
days' furlough to his old home in BlackvUle, S. C. At expira
tion of his leave of absence, "returned and reported ready for
duty." Being unable to ride he was recommended as Quarter
master, with rank of "Captain," serving in that capacity untU
the close of hostilities, when he was honorably discharged and
paroled at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia. He always cher
ished the warmest feeling toward those noble ladies, the Sisters
of Charity. They undoubtedly, by skillful nursing and patience,
¦saved his life. One night after long weeks in the gangrene
wrard. Sister Julia kissed the pale, emaciated boy who was thought
to be dying. He, in his delirium, thought it w-as his mother
welcoming him home to Heaven. It was a most affecting scene,
even the physicians shed tears. In the latter part of 1865 he en
tered into mercantUe business in BlackviUe, S. C. In 1867 he
married the lovely and gifted Miss Anna L. Peeples, daughter
of Dr. B. F. Peeples, a lineal descendant of the "Earl of March."
Her mother was the great granddaughter of the celebrated Irish
leader and statesman, Sir John Tobin, and General Atien Lar-
tigue's granddaughter. This young couple began life with only
illustrious descent, the courage "to do and to dare." Charies W.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

675

CAPTAIN CHARLES WATERS STEWART

676 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Stewart was a descendant of the "House of Kings" which bears
his name. Allan Fitzgerald, "High Steward" of England, mar
rying Marjory Bruce King, David II's daughter, the name be
ing changed to Stewart or Stuart and so on down through the
present King of England by Princess Mary, daughter of James
II, marrying William of Orange, and Annie marrying George of
Denmark, both having occupied the English throne and were
the present ^King's ancestors. After being married two years
they moved to the town of his nativity, Montgomery, Texas.
He was an old-line Democrat, served his country one term as
County Treasurer, seven terms as Tax Collector, serving sixteen
consecutive years. He was again elected Tax Collector, but re
signed in favor of a Confederate soldier, Mr. Alex Taylor.
Mr. Stewart moved to Navasota in 1890, entering the gro
cery business. He served almost continuously as city father
(being Alderman of the Fourth Ward) until he was elected
Mayor, serving four years in that capacity.
Captain Charles Stewart was First Lieutenant of Camp
Hannibal Boone, United Confederate Veterans, son of Julia Shep
herd, daughter of Captain AA'illiam Shepherd of Raleigh, N. C.
He was a fine type of the Southern soldier, possessing many noble
traits of character. He was sympathetic; cordial, courageous,
hospitable, a good man, a Christian gentleman. Captain Stewart
was the son of that distinguished patriot and statesman. Dr. C. B.
Stewart, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence of
Texas, March 2, 1836; great grandson of Chief Justice Pinckney,
also great nephew of Sir Edwin Bellinger, who married the
daughter of Governor James Oglethorpe of Georgia. After the
Batde of San Jacinto, Dr. Stewart acted as interpreter in all ne
gotiations wUh General Santa Anna. He came to Texas in 1827
from New Orieans, La. ; was a native of Charieston, S. C. ; was
a member of Austin's Second Colony; was Secretary of State
under Henry Smith, first Provincial Governor of the Province
of Texas. He was one of a committee of four who drafted the
Constitution of the Republic of Texas. He Avas also Secretary
of the convention of the Declaration of Independence of Texas,
at old AVashington on the Brazos (the first Capital).
When the Declaration of Independence of the 2nd of March

MRS. CHAS. STEWART

Texas — The Country and Its Men 677
had been signed it was found no seal had been provided. Feel
ing in his vest pocket. Dr. Stewart found a brass button con
taining a single star upon it, which was used attesting the com
pleteness of the document, hence Dr. Stewart was the originator
of the Great Seal of the Lone Star Republic. He was also
designer of the Lone Star flag. The Stewart famUy have pos
session of that valuable relic with Mirabeau B. Lamar's signa
ture upon same as President of the Republic ; signed Sam Hous
ton's commission as General Commanding of Texan forces.
Growing weary of public life until "the clarion call to duty
sounded," he responded. This was during the days of recon
struction and carpet bagger rule. Riding upon a white charger
conspicuous for its beauty, his "locks as hoary," with a gun
plucked from the field of San Jacinto, imagine, if you can, its
great length having been sold by the English Government in
the days of George III to Mexico, and with streamers of crepe
StiU longer and justice written on his forehead, he entered the
old town with a great and. mighty following.- There was justice
that day at the polls and ever afterward. Beside being a daunt
less hero he was a splendid example of high Southern character.
When President Grant presided over the Nation he wrote Dr.
Stewart, inquiring if he were related to Josiah Stewart. The
doctor replied he was. The President again wrote, saying if
he desired a position it would be forthcoming, as he, the Presi
dent, believed in taking care of his family and relatives. The
doctor replied, thanking the President for his magnanimity, but
closed his letter with this declaration: "WhUe L fully appreciate
your offer, I can not bring myself to accept a position at the
hands of the Republican Party." A like offer was made to his
son, Charles, but also declined. Charles Stewart is a relative
to the present President, through the Bullocks of Georgia. The
subject of this sketch was a great grandson of Governor Bull
(Barnaby Bull), the Royal Governor of the Province of South
Carolina; was also a cousin of John C. Calhoun, so the "Fire-
Eater's" blood mingles in his veins. A relative of the gaUant Ma
jor John Pelham, through General Lartigue. In fact, he was re-

678 Texas — The Country and Its Men
lated to most of the prominent families of South Carolina, Vir
ginia, Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama.
Such in brief is the story of the life of one of the South's
illustrious sons and most gallant defenders. He died at his
home at Navasota Texas, March 7, 1907.
Captain Charles AV. Stewart is a cousin of William Shepherd
Benson, head of the United States Navy.

J. N. COLLIER
SILSBEE
Jesse N. Collier was born October 7, 1861, at Spurger, Tyler
County, Texas. His father, Zachariah C. Collier, was a farmer
and merchant — a man of worth and sterling character — who
came to Texas from Georgia about 1851, and later married Miss
Mary Elizabeth Walker.
In 1884, Jesse, the subject of this sketch, was married to
Miss Rannie Lou Floyd, and shortly thereafter went into the
mercantile business at Colmesneil, Texas, where he remained for
twenty years and did a thriving business. He closed up his busi
ness affairs at Colmesneil and moved to Silsbee, Texas, and there
again engaged inthe mercantile business, operating one of the
largest establishments in East Texas. There is not a better
known merchant in Southeast Texas than is Mr. Collier.
He is President of the SUsbee State Bank, SUsbee, Texas.
In the commercial world Mr. Collier enjoys a high rating and
m his home county enjoys the confidence and esteem of his peo
ple. He has done much to advance his people and country, and
his life should give inspiration to the youths who are about to
enter the great struggles for success. Mr. Collier started in life
with only wUling hands and a well balanced mind, and though
yet in the prime of life holds a commercial rating above the
average. Mr. Collier was married the second time to Miss Leona

Texas — The Country and Its Men

679

Viera Griffin, daughter of the late Warren Griffin. Of this
union three children have been born : Jesse Newton, Jr., Richard
AA'arren and Viera Virginia, all of whom are in school. By the
first marriage two daughters survive their mother : Mary Tem-

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pie, now the wife of Martin Ebeling; and Rannie Lou, the wife
of AA'. A. MUes, both residing in Beaumont, Texas.
Mr. Collier is a Thirty-Second Degree Mason and a mem
ber of Yellow Pine Lodge of Colmesneil, Texas.
680 Texas — The Country and Its Men

WILLIAM PETTUS HOBBY
BEAUMONT
Lieutenant Governor William P. Hobby was born March 26,
1878, at Moscow, Polk County, Texas. His parents were Edwin
and Dora Pettus Hobby.
The subject of this sketch received his education in the com
mon schools of Texas. He started his business career as a sub
scription clerk in the business office of the Houston Post. From
this position he advanced until he became managing editor of that
paper. Having acquired a controlling interest in the Beaumont
Enterprise, he moved to Beaumont and took charge of that paper,
which now ranks as one of the leading papers of the State.
In 1913 he was inaugurated Lieutenant Governor and re
nominated and re-elected November, 191 5. He distinguished
himself as an able and impartial presiding officer of the Senate.
Being now (1917) but thirty-nine years of age, it is not un
likely that still higher honors wUl be bestowed upon him. He
has been called upon several times during his terms of office
to act as Governor of the State in the absence of Govemor
Ferguson. He was happily married to Miss AA'illie Chapman Cooper,
May IS, 1915. He is a Thirty-Second Degree Mason. Judge
Edwin Hobby, father of Lieutenant Governor Hobby, was for
many years prominent in State affairs. In 1864 he entered the
Confederate Army and served throughout the war. At the age
of nineteen years he was elected Captain of a company in the
Eighth Texas Regiment under Generals AA'alker and Magruder.
In 1863 he was elected to the State Senate and re-elected to the
Senate of the Fifteenth Legislature and at the time of his death
was Presiding Judge of the CivU Court of Appeals. On March

.Texas — The Country and Its Men 681
lOth, Lieutenant Governor Hobby was appointed Secretary of
the Federal Land and Loan Bank of Houston, which he resigned

WILLIAM pettus HOBBY

September i, 1917, to assume the Governor's chair during the
impeachment trial of Governor James E. Ferguson.

682 Texas— The Country and Its Men

VAN ALVIN PETTY
SAN ANTONIO
Among the men who have made fortunes in the exploitation
and development of the vast resources of the State of Texas, one
of the most successful, is Van Alvin Petty, for years engaged in'
the manufacture and distribution of the lumber products of
Southeastern Texas and now one of San Antonio's most honored
citizens. AA'hUe retired from the lumber business, Mr. Petty is
still active in the financial world and has become one of the most
eff'ective factors in the creation of the new commercial city of
San Antonio. Gifted by nature with the qualities of leadership,
with striking' executive abUity, Mr. Petty is a successful man
from whatever point of view his career may be regarded.
Van Alvin Petty is a native of the State of Texas, which is
perhaps one of the reasons why he has always taken so keen an
interest in the upbuilding of the State. He was born at Bastrop,
in Bastrop County, in i860, son of E. P. and Margaret E.
(Pinner) Petty. His father. Captain E. P. Petty, who was born
at Dover, Tennessee, January i, 1828, studied law and began the
practice of his profession in his native town, and on January 3,
1849, just twenty-one years of age, married Miss Margaret E.
Pinner, who was born in Stewart County, Tennessee, in 1832,
daughter of Dr. Joseph Pinner of Dyersburg, Tennessee. In 1852
Captain Petty and his wife came to Texas; were located for a
short time in Seguin, but in November, 1852, moved to Bastrop,
the county seat of Bastrop County, where he established himself
in the practice of his profession. His partner was the late Colonel
G. AA'. Jones, who gained his military rank in the war and was
long one of the most distinguished law-yers of the State. At the
beginning of the war both members of the firm deserted the
law to serve their country. Colonel Jones was in command of the
Seventeenth Texas Infantry and Mr. Petty enlisted in his regi
ment. He became First Lieutenant in Captain John M. Finney's
company, and a short time later, on the reorganization of the com
pany, became its Captain. Captain Petty commanded his company

Texas — The Country and Its Men

683

'20

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684 Texas^The Country and Its Men
through the various campaigns in Arkansas and Louisiana, taking
part in many battles and skirmishes, and among them the battle
at Mansfield, Louisiana. During the Red River campaign, a short
time later, at the battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, on April 9,
1864, while gallantly fighting at the head of his company, or rather
of the small remnant of his company that had escaped death or
wounds. Captain Petty fell wdth a bullet wound in his breast.
Many tributes, and these of the highest kind, have been paid to
the memory of Captain Petty by his friends and comrades in the
great war, all of whom have spoken of him as a noble and sincere
gentleman, and a brave, wise and efficient soldier and officer.
His wife, Mrs. Margaret Petty, died at the home of her son in
San Antonio, August 15, 191 1.
There was born to Captain E. P. Petty and wife, two daughters
and three sons : Sallie BeUe, who died in infancy ; Ella Pene, who
became the wife of J. T. McDonald of Hills Prairie, Texas, and
who departed this life March 13, 1890; C. Frank Petty, who lives
in Gibbsland, Louisiana, and is now engaged in the manufacture
of staves ; Don G. Petty, who was a successful lumber manu
facturer and who departed this life May 13, 1913, and Van A., the
subject of this sketch.
Van Alvin Petty grew up in Bastrop, received a good edu
cation there, and his first experience in business came in 1882,
when he went to Beaumont, the center of the lumber industry,
and entered the employ of Olive & Sternenberg. In a few years
his services had become so valuable to the company that he was
given varied executive responsibilities and in 1890 acquired finan
cial interests in the Olive, Sternenberg & Company. In 1905 the
company was recognized as the Olive-Sternenberg Lumber Com
pany. Fromxthe beginning his rise in the business world was
rapid, due not only to his acquisition of a thorough knowledge
of lumbering in every department between the lumber camp and
the sale of the finished product, but also due to his gifted natural
business ability. His associates also say that Mr. Petty has always
shown a peculiar judgment and discrimination in selecting oppor
tunities, and for the past quarter of a century has been on the
safe side of growing prosperity. The Olive-Sternenberg Lumber
Company, as manufacturers of yellow pine lumber, succeeded to

Texas — The Country and Its Men 685
Olive & Sternenberg, who had their first mill at Beaumont, but
subsequently established their milling headquarters in the town
of Olive in Eastern Texas, and conducted both manufacturing
facilities and maintained extensive lumber yards in various sec
tions of the State for the distribution of the product. The timber
holdings of the company were finally exhausted in 191 1, and
though the company is still in existence it is no longer engaged
in manufacturing. This firm was one of the most successful of
the independent concerns in Eastern Texas, and its members all
became wealthy through its operation. Since retiring from the
lumber business Mr. Petty has interested himself in other fields
as capitalist and investor, and has been generally successful and
has increased rather than dissipated his fortune.
Mr. Petty was one of a number of men who financed and
built one of San Antonio's most splendid modern hotels, the
Gunter, and is now one of the Directors of the Gunter Hotel
Company. He is also President of the Mission Wood and Coal
Company. Fraternally Mr. Petty has always taken a keen interest in
Masonry, and his affiliations are with the Blue Lodge, Pine
Lodge No. 642 at Kountze, Texas, the Royal Arch Chapter No.
188 at Beaumont, the Knight Templar Commandery No. 7 at
San Antonio, also San Antonio Consistory No. 5, Scottish Rite
of Freemasonry, and the Alzafar Temple of the Mystic Shrine at
San Antonio. He also belongs to the Hoo-Hoos, to the Young
Men's Christian Association, to the Texas Automobile Associa
tion, the San Antonio AutomobUe Club and the International
Qlub. His beautiful home is at 10 Tenth Street and he and his
family have lived in San Antonio since 1901.
Miss Mary Cordelia Dabney became the wife of Mr. Petty
in 1887. She was born not far from San Antonio, on the Cibolo,
and was reared at La Grange. Mr. and Mrs. Petty have three
sons : Van A., Jr., Dabney E. and Olive S. Petty. Van A., Jr.,
studied law in the law school of Cumberland University at La-
banon, Tennessee, graduated with the degree of Bachelor of
Arts and began practice at San Antonio in 1913.
Dabney E. and Olive S. Petty, after spending one year at the

686 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Georgia School of Technology at Atlanta, entered the University
of Texas. Dabney, taking up the study of geology, is now located
in Central America as geologist for the Costa Rica Oil Company
(a branch of a large United States Oil Corporation), working
over concessions in Costa Rica and Panama, with headquarters at
Limon, Costa Rica.
Olive S. Petty graduated from the University of Texas in
1917 as civil engineer, entered the Officers Training Camp and
was commissioned as Lieutenant in the Engineers Officers Re
serve Corps.

JAMES R. MOSS
LLANO
James R. Moss, eldest son of Mathew W. and Mary Moss,
was born in Fayette County, Texas, January 24, 1843, ^^i^ ^^^
reared in Williamson County, where his parents settled four years
later. His educational advantages were limited, the neighborhood
schools taught from three to four months in the year, being the
sole reliance of the youth of his day for that mental training and
equipment now considered so essential to success in life. At the
opening of the Civil AVar, then in his eighteenth year, he entered
the Confederate Army as a member of Company E, Seventeenth
Texas Infantry, McCuUoch Brigade, with which he began active
service in Arkansas and later took part in that series of brilliant
military movements along the Red River, incident to the Federal
General Banks' campaign in Arkansas and Louisiana. He was
injured by a fall the day before the batde of Mansfield, which
necessitated his transfer from the infantry to the cavalry, in which
branch he served during the remainder of the war. After the
surrender Mr. Moss engaged in the live stock business in Llano
County, which he has since followed, having -thus .been identified
with the cattle industry nearly all his life and is familiar with all
its details and experiences. He is one of the oldest stockmen of
Llano County and has been one of the most successful. He owns
a ranch of about 9,000 acres, located in the southern part of Llano
County, which he has stocked with a high grade of cattle. Men-

Texas — The Country and Its Men

687

tioning Mr. Moss' experiences on the frontier brings to mind the
fact that he took part in one of the last Indian fights in Llano
County, the Pack Saddle Fight. The incidents of that affair, as
related to the writer by Mr. Moss, were as follows :

JAMES R. MOSS

On the 4th of August, 1873, a party of redskins, supposed to
be Comanches, made a raid into Llano County, and stole a lot of
horses, with which they were making their escape out of the coun
try when a company of eight, Dever Harrington, Robert Brown,

688 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Eli Lloyd, Arch Martin, Pink Ayers and the Moss brothers,
James R., William B. and Stephen B., was hurriedly organized
and started in pursuit. After following the trail, perhaps a distance
of forty miles, the Rangers discovered the Indians about noon on
the following day in camp on the top of Pack Saddle Mountain.
Concealing their movements the pursuers carefully reconnoitered
the situation and discovered that the redskins had made only a
temporary halt to rest and refresh themselves. They had passed
over an open space of forty yards in width, covered with grass, and
had pitched their camp on the edge of the bluff beyond, leaving
their stock in the glade to graze. The bluff where they halted was
skirted below with sparse growth of stunted trees which, with
some scrubby bushes growing adjacent, afforded them a' good
camping ground. Some of the Indians had lain down to rest,
while others were roasting meat over a stick fire and eating. It
was agreed among the cowboys that they would charge across the
glade on horseback and put themselves between the Indians and
their horses,- then dismount and open fire. The charge was made
and all dismounted before firing, except William Moss, who fired
two shots from his horse. Though surprised, the Indians gath
ered their guns and returned the fire, forming, as they did so, in
a kind of battle line, in which manner they made two separate
charges, evidently intending, if possible, to reach their horses.
But they were repulsed each time and a third line was broken up
before they were well out of the timber, under cover of which it
was formed. One buck, bolder than the rest, advanced alone to
some distance to the right of the others and without firing his
gun which, however, he held grasped in an upright position,
seemed determined to make his way to the horses. He came
within a few feet of the cowboys, some of them firing at him, when
suddenly he turned and retreated to the edge of the timber, fell
forward stone dead, but, as we afterwards found, still tightly
grasped in his hand his gun. About this time three or four Indians
started up a chant and began to file off under the bluff, the others
followed suit and almost in a twdnkling of an eye nothing more
was seen of them. On inspecting the battle ground the Rangers
found three bodies. Four of their own number were more or less
hurt, William Moss being shot in the right arm and shoulder, the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 689
ball ranging through the breast and coming out on the left side.
Arch Martin shot in the left groin ; Eli Lloyd three slight wounds
in the arm, and Pink Ayers two balls in the hips. It was esti
mated that there were twenty Indians, seventeen bucks, two
squaws and a boy. All of the stock which the Indians had, twenty
head, together with some of their firearms, saddles and accoutre
ments, fell into the hands of the Rangers. None of the wounds
sustained by the pursuers proved serious, except those of Wil
liam Moss ; he has always suffered more or less with his.
Though he has considerable military experience, Mr. Moss
has never been before the public in any official capacity. His
private affairs have engrossed his attention to the exclusion of
everything else. In 1877 Captain Moss was happily married to
Miss Delia Johnson of Llano County. They have raised eleven
children : Zella is a bookkeeper and cashier of the Moss Mercan
tile Company; Mathew is cashier of the Llano National Bank;
Leda, wife of J. B. Cage, resides at Manchaca, Texas ; Edgar is
a well known and prosperous stockman of Llano County ; Inez is
a teacher of El Paso County ; J. Ray is at the head of the Moss ¦
MercantUe Company of Llano; W. B. is a prominent lawyer of
Oklahoma City; A. J. is cashier of the First National Bank of
Junction City ; Mary is still at the home of her parents at Llano ;
Otilla is a teacher at Kennilworth Hall at Austin ; R. Onley is a
student of the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee.
The declining years of the life of Mr. Moss have been spent
in the uplift and education of his children, all of whom are now
useful and honorable citizens of their native State. It can be truly
said that the world is better that Mr. Moss has lived.

F. O. FULLER
COLD SPRINGS
Hon. F. O. Fuller, Speaker of the House of Representatives
of the Thirty-Fifth Legislature, was born at Melrose, Nacog
doches County, Texas, November 2, 1873. His parents were B.
F. and Josephine Fuller. His father was a native of Alabama,

cruL^

Texas — The Country and Its Men 691
came to Texas in 1869. His mother is a native of Nacogdoches
County, Texas.
The subject of this sketch received his education from Sam
Houston Normal at HuntsvUle, Texas, and the Southern Normal
University of Tennessee. After graduating he taught school for
several years. In 1901 he was admitted to the bar in Tennessee.
In 1904 he was elected County Attorney of San Jacinto County,
Texas. Mr. Fuller served one term and was then elected to the
Thirtieth Legislature, and subsequently re-elected to the Thirty-
First, Thirty-Second, Thirty-Third, Thirty-Fourth and Thirty-
Fifth. Jn all of these bodies Mr. Fuller occupied important posi
tions on the leading committees, and was looked upon as one of
the strong men of the House. The Thirty-Fifth Legislature
unanimously elected him Speaker. At the close of the session, as
an evidence of his popularity, he was the recipient of many beauti
ful and costly presents from the House and its employes. In his
appointment of the committee to investigate the charges against
Governor James E. Ferguson for malfeasance and wilful misap
plication of public funds, he won the respect and admiration of
the people of Texas by his admirable course of placing on that
committee men who could neither be bought nor coerced from
finding a verdict in accordance with the evidence.
On AprU 28, 1895, Mr. FuUer was married to Miss Lizzie
HoU, of San Augustine, Texas. Five chUdren have been born to
them as follows: Earnest, Pearl, Earline, Frank (girl) and Mary.
Mr. FuUer is a Thirty-Second Degree Mason, Scottish Rite,
and his career as a private citizen and public servant has won
for him the confidence and esteem of the people of Texas.

692 Texas — The Country and Its Men

JAMES O. LUBY
SAN DIEGO
San Diego, Texas, has no more highly esteemed citizen than
the Hon. James O. Luby, ex-County Judge of Duval County, who
first came to Texas as a soldier in the Confederate ranks. To the
great struggle between the South and the North the State of
Texas is indebted for some of its foremost men in all ranks of
life — men who in all probability would have rounded out their
careers in other sections of the country, but whom the fortunes
of war caused to seek new fields in which to recuperate their
losses and to begin again lives that had been all but shattered in
the support of the "lost cause." Here in the new and developing
Southwest they gathered together the broken threads of life and
gallantly fought the battles of peace, eventually forgetting the
misfortunes of the past in the successes of the present. Judge
Luby identified himself with one of the counties of Texas which
at the time was in the isolated borderland of South Texas, and
performed a valuable individual share in the development which
has since brought Duval material wealth and substantial civil and
industrial order.
Judge Luby is an Irishman, born in the city of London, of
Irish parentage, in 1846. He lost his father when he was a baby
and in 1854 accompanied his mother to the United States, the
family first settling in New York, where he received a public
school education. From an early age his fortunes became varied
and brought him into interesting parts of the AA'estern world and
into the dangers of mUitary life. In 1861 he W'as on the Island of
Cuba, and in April of the same year he went to New Orleans and
enlisted in the Confederate Army, being mustered into Col. A. H.
Gladden's First Louisiana Infantry on April 8. His regiment was
sent to Pensacola, Florida, next into Tennessee, and participated
in many of the more important engagements in the Middle AA'est.
Following the battle of Shiloh in 1862 Mr. Luby received his hon
orable discharge but re-enlisted as a member of the Fourteenth
Louisiana Infantry. His service with this command was soon

Texas — The Country and Its Men

693

HON. JAMES O. LUBY

694 Texas — The Country and Its Men

afterward interrupted by capture, and after getting his parole in
September, 1862, he went to the Mexican border at Brownsville,
Texas. There he joined Col. J. S. (Rip) Ford's famous com
mand, and continued with that frontier branch of the Confederate
Army until the last battle of the war, fought at Palmetto ranch in
Texas, close to the scene of the first battle of the Mexican War.
This engagement took place May 13, 1865, and resulted in a vic
tory for the Confederate Army.
At the close of his military career. Judge Luby joined the
Mexican Liberal Army under General Serrando Canales, serving
with the rank of Captain until 1867. That year saw his rem.oval
to San Diego, in Duval County, which city has since been his
home. Judge Luby took an active part in the progress and de
velopment of the early Duval County, and has witnessed a great
transformation since the days of the open range until now San
Diego is a center of commercial, industrial and educational activi
ties, and the name of Judge Luby has been identified with many
enterprises which have contributed to its growth and improve
ments. After a few years he read law and was admitted to the
bar in 1878.
During his term as County Judge of Duval County, numerous
improvements and great advancements took place, and he was
one of the county's most popular and efficient officials. He has
a wide acquaintance among men of note in Texas, and many of
them are his personal friends. During the administration of
President Arthur, Judge Luby served as Collector of Customs at
Brownsville, and in 1900 was Supervisor of the census.
Judge Luby was married in Corpus Christi to Miss Mary J.
Hoffman. She was born near Karlsbad, Bohemia, Austria, but
was reared in Nueces County, Texas. Her father, Kletus Hoff
man, brought his family to Southwestern Texas in 1857. Her
sister. Miss Annie Hoffman, became the wife of the late Norman
G. Collins, who at the time of his death was one of the wealthiest
men of Southwest Texas. Judge and Mrs. Luby have four chU
dren : John M. Luby, a graduate of the Annapolis Naval Acad
emy in 1894, serving with the rank of Commander in the United
States Navy; James, Mrs. Adelaide AAHiitman and Mrs. Kate L.
Shaffer. Judge Luby is the owner of two handsome homes, one
in San Diego and the other San Antonio.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

695

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MRS. JAMES O. LUBY
696 Texas — The Country and Its Men

JOHN W. WHITE
mason
John W. White was born in Gonzales County, July 22, 1854.
His parents were Thomas Jefferson and Martha Elizabeth AA'hite,
who moved to Texas and settled in Gonzales County in 1851.
Eight chUdren were born to them after coming to Texas, as fol
lows : John W. White, James Phelps and Thomas D., who died
in 191 5; Ida, the wife of R. H. Walker of Gonzales; SaUie, wife
of J. M. Murphy of Gonzales; Pearl, wife of H. A. Wroe of the
American National Bank of Austin, and Libby, now residing at
Austin, unmarried; Hilda, now Mrs. M. W. Hodges, of Roswell,
New Mexico.
Mr. White's mother died at Gonzales, May 31, 1900; her hus-
banti survived her fourteen years ; he died at Roswell, New Mex
ico, November 13, 1914, aged 86 years.
The subject of this sketch was educated in the public schools
of Gonzales, save one term at Tehuacana University in Limestone
County. He started in his business career in 1873, working for
Dillworth & Littlefield in a store for his board and clothes; he
worked for them three years, then in company with his uncle.
Major George W. Littlefield, bought out a livery stable, which, at
the end of three years they traded off for a ranch, which was the
first ranch ever owned by Littlefield & AA'hite. Space forbids fol
lowing Mr. White through his rapid rise in the financial world, all
of which he says he owes to the sound advice and help he received
from his uncle. Major George W. Littlefield.
On February i, 1905, Mr. White organized the German-
American National Bank and has been its President since its
organization. On February 4, 1891, Mr. AA'hite was married
to Miss Cora Bridges, and the following children have been born

Texas — The Country and Its Men

697

to them : Thomas Jefferson, Chas. B., Jenney Davis, Lula MU
dred, Mary Elizabeth, AA'alton AA^alker, John AVilburn. Thomas
Jefferson is married and has charge of his father's ranch. Mr.

JOHN W. WHITE

White's accumulations in property since he went to Mason is
estimated at more than $500,000. No better citizeu lives in
West Texas.

698 Texas — The Country and Its Men

ELDRIDGE HOWARD PENDLETON
farm ersville
Mr. Pendleton was born in Scott County, Virginia, August
2, 1843 ; was reared and educated there until he came to Texas,
at about the age of fourteen years. In 1861 he enlisted in
Company E of the Sixteenth Texas Cavalry, commanded by Col
onel William Fitzhugh. He, beginning as a private, was made
Orderly Sergeant of his Company at its organization, and in
1863 was promoted to First Lieutenant, and was one of the
most efficient and gallant officers of this excellent regiment. Lieu
tenant Pendleton took part in the fight at Cotton Plant, Arkansas,
was wounded in the assault upon the Federal forces at Milliken's
Bend, Louisiana, and again wounded at the Battle of Mansfield
April 8, 1864. When the war ended he surrendered with the
forces at General Smith's headquarters in Shreveport, Louisiana.
He returned to Texas, attended school after his release, and was
occupied in farming and as a mercantile clerk until he was able
to establish a business of his own which he conducted with much
success until 1893. Since then he has been engaged in the ad
ministration of his private financial affairs. Mr. Pendleton was
a veteran of the Texas Infantry division, army of the Trans-
Mississippi department. He was President of the Exchange
Bank in Farmersville and held said position for some time after
it consolidated with the First National Bank untU he resigned.
Mr. Pendleton played a prominent part, both in the social
and business circles in which his boys, w-ith strong determina
tion, are carrying out his ambitions.
The untimely death of Mr. Pendleton removes from the
sphere of activity and usefulness one of Farmersville's foremost
citizens. He was reared from boyhood in this city and older
residents knew him from his youth up.
His business career from the beginning has been an unin
terrupted success, in mental equipment, business sagacity, enter-

Texas — The Country and Its Men

699

ELDRIDGE HOWARD PENDLETON

700 Texas — The Country and Its Men
prise, integrity, and public spirit he was one of the strong men
of FarmersvUle and Collin County.
The magnificent establishments which he aided so much in
building up are eloquent testimonials to his abUity and worth.
His personal traits were such as to win for him the friendship
and respect of all who knew him. He was a man of broad sym
pathies and of generous nature. None were more ready in re
sponse to the cry of distress and what he did to mitigate the
woes of his fellow creatures was done without vain glory or
ostentation. He was intensely loyal to his home city and ever ready to
aid any movement looking to its advancement.
In January 14, 1869, Mr. Pendleton was united in marriage
to Miss Sarah Cassie Robinson, who died December 6, 1903. To
them were born eight children, all of whom survive him, except
C. D. Pendleton and Miss Grace Pendleton, who died May 12,
1879, and October 24, 1878, respectively. The living are : Wil
liam Fredrick, Tom E., James E., Claud H., Homer, George C.
Pendleton, Misses Charlotte and Clara Pendleton, all of whom
live in Farmersville with the exception of Thomas E., who re
sides at Durant, Okla.
Mr. Pendleton was a faithful member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. The funeral services were conducted at the
Methodist Church by Rev. A. R. Nash, assisted by Revs. Faw-
cett and Bryant.
The burial services were conducted by the Masonic Lodge
after the regular church service. The Masonic burial service
took place at the Odd Fellows Cemetery, where his remains were
laid for their final resting place.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 701

WILLIAM FRANKLIN MITCHELL
marfa
The history of a country is found in the biography of its
prominent citizens. The history of Texas, at times, has been made
glorious by the deeds of its private citizens, — the men who have
not sought places of prominence, but have worked along the by
paths of life which lead to the great public highways of progress ;
such a private citizen is William Franklin Mitchell.
He was born on the 17th day of February, 1842, in Fayette-
viUe, Lincoln County, Tennessee, his father and mother being
AVUliam J. and Elizabeth Crawford Mitchell; they were farmers
and among the pioneers of the State. In the latter part of Octo
ber, 1852, when the subject of this sketch was only ten years of
age, the family moved to San Antonio, Texas, arriving there just
before Christmas Day. At that time San Antonio was a typical
Mexican town, with only a few shingled roofs and one wooden
bridge crossing the river. In a short time after coming to San
Antonio the family moved and settled out on the Medina, about
fifteen miles from the city.
These were the days of Indian depredations ; theft and mur
der by them were common, and the pioneer, unless he kept close
watch on his loved ones and property — and even then there was
little safety at times — was liable, on returning in the evening after
a day of toil in the field or woods, to find his loved ones mur
dered, his home in flames, and his little property scattered. These
were the surroundings of Mr. MitcheU in the early days of Texas ;
these were the environments of the pioneer which fused into his
fiber the iron ne;rve and the high moral element which distin
guished and made granite like the character of our forebears.
Mr. Mitchell remained on the farm, occasionally attending
school in San Antonio, until the outbreak of the CivU War. In
March, 1862, he joined the Thirty-second Texas Cavalry, Wood's
Regiment, with General Bee in command of the brigade. After

702

Texas — The Country and Its Men

WILLIAM FRANKLIN MITCHELL

Texas — The Country and Its Men 703
four years of gallant service he returned to his old home in
"May, 1865.
Without any means after the war, he started in the stock
business. Although it was free grass and unlimited range, yet
during those time the life of the pioneer stockman was more
strenuous and beset with more difficulties than in the later times.
In the very commencement of his new career he met with an
experience which came very near ending his life. There was but
little law and no order in the country at this time ; the horse thief
aboimded and the cattle rustlers were organized in bands, and the
law-abiding citizen was put to many trials in preserving life and
property. The Indian had departed to further Western fields, and
his white and yeUow counterpart sprang up in many places to
molest the peaceful, honest people. The incident referred to was
when a number of Mexican horse thieves had raided a nearby
ranch and were approaching the settlement where Mr. Mitchell
lived; he, with Jess Presnal and Simp Tom, undertook to arrest
them. A fierce fight took place; the thieves were noted char
acters and very desperate. Mr. MUchell was shot through the
breast ; a number of the thieves were kUled, — in fact, it is reported
that only one got away. Mr. MitcheU, after many months of
suffering, finally recovered.
About 1884 Mr. MitcheU moved to Presidio County with his
cattle and setded on the range known as A.ntelope Springs. He
finally, in the early nineties, became one of the Cattle Kings of the
West, having at this time about 10,000 head of cattle. He then
moved with his family to San Marcos for the purpose of giving
them better educational opportunities than those enjoyed by him
self whUe at San Marcos,— owing to an unfortunate trade wherein
he was robbed out of about $100,000, he retired from business.
In 1865 he was married to Miss Mary Jane Kerr, and from
this union there were born six chUdren: Thos. C. Mitchell, F.
Arthur Mitchell, W. B. MitcheU, Etta M. Rosson (nee MitcheU),
Eva M. Joyce (nee MitcheU), and Ola M. Hofheinz . (nee
MUcheU).

704

Texas — The Country and Its Men

MRS. WILLIAM FRANKLIN MITCHELL

Texas — The Country and Its Men 705

.V short extract from an account of his golden wedding tells
the story of his happy married life :
"a golden anniversary celebration.
"The pleasure of your company is requested at the Golden
AA'edding Anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. AA'. F. Mitchell, Tuesday
evening, March i6, 1915."
AATien the above words were read, a thrill of anticipated pleas
ure filled the hearts of their friends in Marfa and surrounding
country. Never during their many years of residence here-have
this grand old couple neglected to share their happiness with
others, or to lend a helping hand in all good -w^orks, whether of a
pubhc or private nature. This event not only marked the half
century of their wedded happiness, but gave their many friends
an opportunity to show their love and respect.
About two hundred guests gathered at the palatial home of
their son, AA^ B. Mitchell and his wife, together with the other
sons, daughters and grandchildren. The spacious reception rooms
and halls were beautifully decorated in colors of gold and white.
Special music was rendered. Finally the guests caught the tones
of the old wedding march, played by the granddaughter, Katherine
Mitchell, when the wedding procession wended its way down
the sairs. The procession was led by Mesdames W. B. and F. A.
MitcheU; immediately following were Mrs. T. C. Mitchell, Mrs.
Lacy, T. C. MUcheU, F. A. MUchell, Mrs. Rosson, AV B. MUchell,
Mrs. Joyce and Mrs. Hofheinz. Then the matrons of honor, two
old friends of the family, preceded the handsome groom and love
ly bride of fifty years ago. All participating in the procession
were handsomely dressed ; the bride was attired in the softest and
most delicate shade of pearl grey crepe-meteor, and carried an
exquisite bouquet of yellow jonquUs, and though seventy-one
winters had passed her by, her hair was stiU but httle frosted
by the flight of years, and she bore herself as one who had found
wife and motherhood a crown of glory. The groom, seventy-
three years of age, also testified in his erect carriage and well
preserved physique, years of upright living and contentment.
Mr. MitcheU is a Democrat, pure and unadulterated, a pro
hibitionist without any marks of qualification, a strong consistent

706 Texas — The Country and Its Men
member of the Methodist Church, a citizen ever ready to stand
on the side of law and order, a friend in adversity, as well as in
the days of prosperity; fearless without rashness, honest in
thought and deed, a faithful, loving father, and a most devoted
husband. Such timber as this has been laid in the foundation of the
Republic.

MARION SANSOM
FORT worth
As a business developer in the livestock industry and one of
the ablest and best known in all the Southwest, is Marion Sansom.
He is President and General Manager of the Cassidy- Southwest
ern Commission Company, with branches in St. Louis, Kansas
City and Oklahoma, and has various other connections which are
familiar to the stockmen of the Southwest. It would be a mistake
to classify Mr. Sansom as a broker or commission man strictly.
His part has been much more important than that of a mere
buyer and seller. For a number of years he has controlled large
capital resources and has handled these resources in such a wav
as to develop and to promote the livestock industry and business
generaUy throughout the Southwest, and due to his effective work
it can be truthfully said that in thousands of cases he has caused
a production of two carloads of cattle where only one was pro
duced before, and has directed his men in such a way that hun
dreds of farmers and stockmen are indebted to his favors and
assistance for their individual prosperity. Mr. Sansom is known
and honored in all livestock circles from the extreme Southwest
to the great cattle market of the Middle AA'est.
Marion Sansom is a native Texan, born in AA'alker County
on a farm June 20, 1852, a son of R. P. and Susan (Manning)
Sansom. The mother was also born in Texas and the father
came here in the very eariy days. His early training was in the
common schools and he also attended Trinity University at
Tehuacana, but left school before graduating. He was endowed
by nature with quick perception, sound judgment, and a capacity

Texas — The Country and Its Men

707

708 Texas— The Country and Its Men
for handling large propositions, and his schooling and experience
have only increased his abilities in those directions. . As a boy
and youth he lived on the farm with his parents, and thus became
thoroughly familiar with the work of raising cattle, horses and
other livestock, and thus gained a thorough stock of knowledge
which was fundamental in his subsequent winning of success,
and at an early day acquired the knack of making good bargains,
so that he had all the necessary essentials for the successful stock
man. AVhen he entered the commercial field for himself he was
well equipped to meet any exigency that might arise. Mr. Sansom
is a man of few words and has usually followed the precept of
acting first and speaking about it afterward.
As the executive head of the large corporation known as the
Cassidy-Southwestern Commission Company, he is engaged in
the buying, and handling of an immense number of carloads of
livestock every year. The business is incorporated with a capital
stock of three hundred thousand dollars, and has a surplus of
more tj^n folir hundred thousand dollars. The company was in
corporated in 1903. ¦ Iri the year 191 3 the company handled more
than seven hundred thousand head of livestock, which means
more thari twenty-two thousand carloads of cattle. An important
feature of the business is the large sums directed by the company
to loans on cattle and other stock, and at the present time the
company has more than three mUlion dollars thus invested and
in active use in producing livestock for the market. Mr. Sansom
has various other interests outside of the company of which he
is President, and was the organizer and first President of the
Stock Yards National Bank at Fort AA'orth. He was also Presi
dent for more than twenty years of the First National Bank of
Alvarado, and is a Director in the Federal Reserve Bank of Dal
las, Eleventh District. He owns large interests in oil mUls and
cattle ranches, and owns most of the stock in the M. Sansom &
Company, wholesale grain and hay dealers. He is a lover of fine
stock, and on his own ranches has produced many specimens
of livestock which have taken prizes at home and abroad.
Since 1902 the home of himself and family has been in Fort
Worth. For a period of ten years he was a member of the Board
of Directors of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas,
eight of which he served as President, and his splendid business

Texas — The Country and Its Men 709

ability and thorough knowledge of agricultural and industries of
Texas made him a most capable adviser in the direction of the
affairs of that institution. AA'hile living at Alvarado, Texas, Mr.
Sansom married Miss Eliza Po-w^ell, daughter of Rev. John Pow^-
ell. Their three children are : Mrs. AA'ill Schultz, Marion, Jr.,
and Nina Susan, all of whom make their home in Fort AA'orth.
Mr. Sansom holds membership in the Masonic order and is a
member of the Shrine, and is also affiliated with the Knights of
Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

JAMES STEWART
FORT DAVIS
James Stewart, who is one of the honored pioneers of this
AA'est Texas county, is a native of Ireland, born June 12, 1845.
He was educated in the national schools of Ireland, and later
studied for a time in the Christian Brothers' College at London
derry. AVhen he was eighteen years old he entered the Civil
Service in Ireland, and continued in that work until he resigned
to come to America at the age of twenty-one. After spending a
few months in the East, he came to Texas in 1867, and this State
has been his home now for forty-seven years. During five years
of this time he followed raUroading, was a stationary engineer,
and in various kinds of occupations.
Then in February, 1 880, he came out to Fort Davis, which
at that time was a post situated in the midst of a great unfenced
range, occupied only by the herds of a few cattlemen then operat
ing in this country. For about three years he was engaged in
the operation' of a small steam flour mUl, and then entered the
general merchandise business, which he conducted for two years.
After this, as already stated, in May, 1887, he assisted in the
organization of the county, and was elected to the office of County
and District Clerk, to which office he was continuously elected
by the people for over twenty-nine years; also he owned the
leading hotel at Fort Davis, which was conducted under his pro-

710 Texas — The Country and Its Men 
prietorship, although Mrs. Stewart was the active manager and
the real head of this popular establishment.
At Fort Davis, on AprU 27, 1885, Mr. Stewart married Miss
Marie A. Fink. Mrs. Stewart, through her own career and that
of her father, is very intimately associated with old Fort Davis.
Her father. Captain Theodore Fink, was an officer in the United
States Army and was with the troops which first established Fort
Davis on the Western frontier of Texas before the Civil AA'ar.
He subsequently returned to Michigan and in that State organ
ized the first Michigan regiment of volunteers for service in the
Civil AA'ar, but his death occurred in Detroit, May_2, 1861, whUe
the regiment was still in the process of organization. Mr. and
Mrs. Stewart are the parents of one son and one daughter, named
James Kenneth and Grace Frances. Mr. Stew^art was reared
in the Catholic faith, and in politics is a Progressive Democrat and
actively interested in local politics. He and his wife have a very
attractive home at Fort Davis, and a source of great pleasure to
Mr. Stewart is his beautiful garden, where he satisfies his love
for flowers and plants, and spends much of his leisure time. He
also possesses an excellent and well selected library, and is fond
of books and all the good things of life. Besides his other inter
ests he engages to a considerable extent in real estate business in
Fort Davis.

WILLIAM CLARK BUFORD
HENDERSON
Son of Abram J. and Elvira I. Buford, was bom March 7, 1854,
at Hernando, De Soto County, Mississippi. His father was a
prosperous cotton planter. At the outbreak of the war between
the States, he enlisted in Company I, Twenty-ninth Mississippi
Infantry, and later became color bearer of a command made up
of the Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth Regiments and other detached
Mississippi troops. At Jonesboro, near Atlanta, where the Con
federates, under Joseph E. Johnston, made an effort to check
the ad\'ance of Sherman's army, then starting on the famous

Texas — The Country and Its Men

711

march to the sea, his father, while in front of the line holding
aloft the regimental colors, was severely wounded and compelled
to retire from active service for a time. Upon his recovery, he

WILLIAM CLARK BUFORD

rejoined his command and served with distinguished valor until
the final surrender. He died at his home in 1882, and is buried
beside his wife at Overton, Rusk County, Texas. His wife was

712 - Texas— The Country and Its Men

the daughter of the Rev. WUliam A. Bryan, an ordained minister
of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
The subject of this sketch received his preliminary education
in the common schools of his native town, subsequently graduat
ing from the University of Mississippi in the class of 1872.
Judge Buford was married on October 26, 1879, to Miss Susan
Christian Hall at Henderson. In this connection he tells the
following interesting story of how he found his fate: "Just
before I left home in 1874 my father gave me a lot of land in
Texas, and I determined to go there on my way to California,
for the purpose of ascertaining the character and extent of my
estate. When I reached Rusk County I found the land and also
found a girl ; and didn't go any further — got the land, and got the
girl." In June of the following year he passed the .usual exami
nation, and was licensed to practice law at Carthage, Texas. He
was for several years a member of the Board of Examiners of
Rusk County and served one term as Mayor of Henderson. Judge
Smith, being disqualified, he was connnissioned by Governor
Hogg to try the Smith County bond cases, involving about
$200,000, and subsequently tried a number of cases in Rusk and
Panola Cotmties, in which Judge Graham was also disqualified.
AA'ithoiit solicitation, he was appointed by Governor Camp
bell to succeed Judge R. B. Levy, upon the promotion of the
latter to the Court of CivU Appeals for the Sixth Supreme Judi
cial District. He qualified at Austin in August, 1907. At the
expiration of his term, he was opposed for re-election by a gentle
man from his own county, and proposed to his opponent that
they leave; the selection of a candidate to the citizens of Rusk
County. The challenge was accepted and at the May primaries
he was nominated, and in November, 1908, at the general election
was elected to the office of District Judge of the Fourth Judicial
District. He was an enthusiast upon all subjects relating to agri
culture and horticulture, and frequently found time to indulge his
tastes in these directions. His children are as follows : Robert
Abram, now a practicing lawyer; Mary Gladys, wife of Earl
Douglas of Houston, Texas; Elvira I, AA'illiam AA'alker, Donna
C. and Susie C.
The Judge resided at Henderson, where he had a host of
admiring friends. He died September 17, 1916.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 713

W. T. JONES
marfa
As strange as it may appear, nevertheless it is a fact, that
despite the rapid civUization and development of the AA'est and
the close commercial and social relations between Texas and the
rest of the w'orld, circulation of newspapers and books — descrip
tive of the country and its resources, many, the majority, w-e may
say, of the people North and East, especially in other countries,
have but a faint conception, or none, of the cattle interests and
its details in this pre-eminently cattle country.
They have heard of ranches and ranges and herds, and cattle
kings, but we dare say few of them have an adequate idea of a
real cattle king. AA'e present, therefore, in the following pages
the details in the life of a typical ranchman, a millionaire by
his unaided exertions.
Few, we dare say, ever dreamed when the subject of this
sketch left the scenes of his boyhood, with nothing but a well
balanced head and a strong determination to win, of the possi
bUities for a poor boy. In this glorious sun-kissed land, possibili
ties turned into achievements.
AA'. T. Jones was born in Butler County, Alabama, March ii,
1859. His parents were AA' K. and Annie Jones. The father
moved to Texas and settled in Bosque County in 1866, where he
opened up a small farm, subsequently moved to Valentine, Texas,
where he died in 1914. His wife died in Alabama in 1862, before
he moved to Texas. AA'illiam T., who grew up without a moth
er's care, remained on his father's farm, rendering such aid as
he could, until he -was thirteen years of age. He attended school
for a short time in Comanche County; went to work for Reed-
Hogan Company on their cattle ranch and ran cattle all over the
country, earning from $20 to $25 per month. He succeeded in
accumulating a small bunch of cattle, fifty-two head, but he be
came indebted to a merchant and, not having the money to dis
charge his obligations, turned over all of his cattle to his merchant

714 Texas — The Country and Its Men

at $8 per head, causing him to again stand on the bottom round
of the ladder.
In 1895 he bought the Kelly ranch in Jeff Davis County,
comprising 640 acres and 600 head of cattle, on credit for $10,000,
and an open range right, which he paid off in three years. He
has since added many acres to his original purchase, and has
built up as fine a herd of high grade registered Herefords as
there is in Texas.
On November 14, 1884, W. T. Jones was happily married
to Miss Alice Jones of Coleman City, Coleman County. To this
union five children have been born : Elgin died in infancy, Jesse,
Frank, George and Ruth are all living at home with their par
ents in their palatial home, built among the picturesque moun
tains of Jeff Davis County. Both Mr. and Mrs. Jones are earnest
working members of the Presbyterian Church and are ready con
tributors to every worthy object of charity and ever)' undertaking
for the advancement of the community. The space allotted in
this work will not permit more than a casual reference to the
worth, character and usefulness of Mr. Jones in the community
where he resides.
It is certain that the future historians will perpetuate his
memory that his life may stand out and be an inspiration to those
yet to come.
ROBERT HESTER JONES
DE KALB
AA'ell and favorably known as a successful attorney in North
Texas, the subject of this reference was born in Elberton, Geor
gia, December i, 1857. His father, E. A. Jones, a physician of
repute, and his mother, Cornelia Jane (Blackwell) Jones, were
native Georgians. The former died in 1866, at his home in the
Cracker State, his wife expiring at AA'oodville, Oklahoma, at tiie
home of her son. Dr. E. A. Jones, Jr.
On January 3, 1884, he was married to Miss Eliza Jane Mer
chant of Bowie, Texas. Four children have blessed the union,
vi"z: Robert H., Estell, Lillian, now the wife of E. O. Emerson
of DeKalb, and Oscar E.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

715

Mr. Jones has had the high privilege of being a school teach
er, a fate common to the early history of many of the most dis
tinguished members of the American Bar. His experience in this
connection was at Bowie, Texas, wdiere for three years he "in-

ROBERT HESTER JONES

Structed the young idea how to shoot," resigning the position
soon after his marriage to begin the practice of the law .
In 1896, he was elected County Judge, in which office he
served four years, returning to regular practice in 1900. His pro-

716 Texas — The Country and Its Men
fessional services have been sought in nearly every important
case in his section, since his retirement from the bench. He was
elected without opposition in 1914, tot the Thirty-Fourth and
Thirty-Fifth Legislatures ; is Chairman of the Committee on Ju
dicial Districts, and a member of several other important commit
tees. Mr. Jones has four grandchUdren ; is a strict Presbyterian ;
belongs to the AA'oodmen of the AA'orld and always votes the
Democratic ticket.

JOSEPH HUBERT KURTH
keltys
AA'as born at Bonn, Germany, the son of John Adam and Martha
Kurth. His father was a cooper, who died in Germany in 1858.
As a youth the subject of this sketch was employed for six years
as clerk in a mercantile establishment, wd-iich he resigned to make
his advent into Texas in 1877, landing at Galveston in June of
that year. His first employment was as a common laborer on the
line of the Santa Fe Railroad in Austin County. Having acquired
a smattering of English in a few months, he secured a clerkship
in the lumber office of AA'. H. Harris & Co., at Seguin, which he
resigned to accept a like position with Samuel Allen, with wdiom
he subsequently formed a partnership and began milling lumber
at Kurth Station, in Polk County, on the Trinity & Sabine RaU
road. After two years of success he retired from the firm and
formed a partnership with a small mill in Trinity County. He
had at this time about $8,000, which represented his savings since
landing on the Galveston docks. AA'ith this capital he purchased
a small sawmiU of J. A. Ewing & Co., at Keltys, and soon after
was joined by Mr. S. W. Henderson, who bought a half interest.
Under the firm name of Henderson & Kurth this partnership con
tinued until September, 1890, when the Angelina County Lumber
Company was incorporated with a capital of $75,000, since in
creased twdce, and now amounting to $300,000. The company
owns 11,000 acres in Nacogdoches County. Besides these proper
ties, the company owns 30,000 acres in Nacogdoches County.
Since the company was incorporated it has increased its sawmiU

Texas — The Country and Its Men 717
capacity, and in 1900 erected a new mill with a capacity of 60,000
feet per day.
This mill was destroyed by fire in August, 1906, but was at
once replaced by one of the most complete and modern sawmills
in East Texas, its capacity being from 100,000 to 115,000 feet per
day. The company has ample dry kilns and operates eighteen
miles of standard gauge railroad to supply logs for the mill, own
ing the road and rolling stock, consisting of four locomotives and
sixty-five cars. The pay roll includes about 200 men ; there are
150 houses for employees erected about the mills, and lumber
enough in sight to keep the mill running at full capacity for at
least twenty years. The company has instituted a complete elec
tric light plant which supplies light and power for the offices,
stores, planing and saWmills, and the residences of its owners.
Mr. Kurth and Miss Hattie M. Glenn, daughter of AA'. H.
and Mrs. Hattie H. Glenn, of Montgomery, Texas, were united
in marriage on May 25, 1882, the result of the union being five
chUdren, namely: J. H., Jr., Ernest L., Roy AA'., Melvin E. and
Robert E. The eldest son, J. H., Jr., operates a sawmill in An
gelina County, and also owns a steam laundry in Lufkin. Ernest
L., a graduate of Southwestern University, is bookkeeper in the
office of the Angelina Lumber Company. Roy W. is an account
ant in the Lufkin National Bank. Melvin E. is a student at
AA'ashington and Lee University, at Lexington, Virginia. The
youngest son, Robert E., is attending the Southwestern University
at Georgetown. Mr. Kurth is President of the Lufkin Foundry & Machine
Company, one of the largest concerns of its kind in the State;
President of the J. H. Kurth Lumber Company, of Lufkin,
Texas; a stockholder in the Memphis Column Company; Presi
dent of the Henderson Brick and Construction Company, of Luf
kin; a Director of the Lufkin National Bank, and is interested
in many other ventures, all of which have been revenue pro
ducers. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and
a Mason of high standing.
Mr. Kurth's career illustrates the truth of the adage that
"industry brings its own reward." The history of the country pre
sents few cases that parallel the remarkable rise to power, wealth

718 Texas— The Country and Its Men
and influence. From a lowly place on a pUe driver squad, prac
tically unable to speak English, to the position of a wealthy and
successful mUl owner, classed among the millionaires of Texas,
all accomplished within forty years, reminds one of Monte Cristo,
the difference being, however, that Dumas' tale was a romantic
fiction, while the story of Colonel Kurth is founded on substan
tial facts.
I. A. PASCHAL
SAN ANTONIO
Judge Isaiah Addison Paschal was bom at Lexington, Geor
gia, in 1808 and died at San Antonio, Texas, February 21, 1868.
He read law under Colonel Frank Hardeman, a distin
guished lawyer and statesman of Georgia, and was admitted to
the bar in 1830.
He moved to Louisiana in 1833 and was a member of the
Legislature and Circuit Court of that State. In 1845 h^ moved
to San Antonio. He was elected to the Texas Legislature in
1857 and was a member of the Constitutional Convention of
1866 at the earnest solicitation of prominent citizens of all shades
of political sentiment w'ho believed his conservatism and Union
sentiments would be of great benefit to the State in its then
chaotic condition.
As a lawyer' he was in the front ranks of his profession.
As a jurist he possessed a mind of remarkable clearness, vigor
and analytical power. He was thoroughly grounded in the ele
mentary principles of the law and learned in its precepts and de
cisions, as well as principles. As a speaker and debator, whether
in the forum, the courts or on the hustings, he had few su
periors. He was earnest, candid and sincere and built on the
broadest lines. All questions, public and private, were viewed
by him from the highest standpoint. Few men were gifted with
greater prescience on all matters relating to the then future de
velopment of Texas, and all of his predictions in this respect
have been fulfilled with wonderful accuracy. He was one of the
ablest of the original champions of the school, homestead and
land policies of Texas.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 719
He was absolutely fearless when the occasion demanded
that he denounce a wrong or defend the right, either public or
private, and few men cared to antagonize him when he assumed
either attitude, and yet he was as gentle, kind and trusting as a
woman, and loyal to his death to his friends.
There was a charm about his manners and rare con\-ersa-
tional powers that was felt by every one who ever met him. His
ancestors came from the south of France in the seventeenth cen
tury and settled in North Carolina, and have preserved the char
acteristics of their Huguenot extraction from that early day.
He was a devout member of the Presbyterian Church, an
honored citizen and a true man, and the influence of his daily
life was an inspiration to his friends and fellow citizens.

THOMAS W. FORD
HOUSTON
Hon. Thomas W. 'Ford, one, of the ablest members of the
Southeast Bar, began the practice of law at Burkeville, Texas,
in 1875. For ten years, from July, 1880 to 1890, he resided and
practiced at Jasper, Jasper County, and since the latter date has
been connected with the Houston Bar. He has served as special
judge of the First Judicial District, and in special cases by ap
pointment of the Governor, and at one time represented Jasper,
Newton and Orange Counties in the Sixteenth Legislature.
Judge Ford was one of the promoters and builders of the G. L.
P. & H. R. R. from Houston to Galveston, and served as its first
President, subsequently becoming Vice President and General
Attorney. Thomas AA'. Ford was born at Burkeville, Newton County.
Texas, October 6, 1847. His parents were David and Maria
(Van Dyke) Ford; the mother was born in New Jersey in 1812.
The ancestors were of French Huguenot stock, and had origi
nally settled in Virginia in the seventeenth century. Grandfather
John Ford emigrated from South Carolina about 1810 and settled
on Pearl River, in Mississippi, where he -was a planter. David

720 TiixAs — The Country and Its Men
Ford (the father) -was born in South Carolina in 1805, and after
spending most of his youth in Mississippi came to Texas in 1841,
during the era of the Republic. He was a planter" and slave
owner and a very influential citizen at Burkeville, where, during
the Civil AA^ar, he served as Post Quartermaster. He died in
September, 1873, whUe his wife survived until 1892. There were
six sons and six daughters in the family, only two of whom are
now living. Dr. F. C. Ford of Nacogdoches and Thomas W. Ford.
The latter, reared in the country home at BurkeviUe, began
his education in the country schools, and at the age of eighteen,
in 1865, just before the surrender of Lee, enlisted in Company E,
Whitfield's legion of the Texas Cavalry Brigade, under General
Earl Van Dorn. He later entered the law department of Cum
berland University at Lebanon, Tennessee, and on graduation in
1875 began practice at Burkeville. His career as a lawyer has
been dignified and successful, and he has also achieved promi
nence in business and public affairs. He is President of the Sour
Lake Chemical Company and interested in other undertakings;.;
Fraternally he affiliates with Newton Lodge No. 136, A. F. &
A. M. ; Ruthven Commandery No. 2, K. T. ; Washington Chapter,
R. A. M., and El Mina Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is a
member of the board of stewards of the First Methodist Episco
pal Church, South, at Houston. He is a Democrat in politics.
In 1871 Judge Ford married Miss Mary A. Cheatham.
James Cheatham, her father, a pioneer planter of Newton County,
was a native of Tennessee and a cousin of General Frank
Cheatham, the noted Confederate General. Mrs. Ford died
April 2, 1902. She was the mother of seven chUdren, as follows : .
Florence, wife of T. H. Stone, the Houston lawyer; Thomas C,
an attorney, who died October 26, 191 5; Francis C, formerly
quarantine officer at Galveston, Texas; WUliam H., deceased;
Ethel G., wife of O. M. Stone of Houston; Henry H., formerly
Manager of the Mound Oil Company, now engaged with his
brother, F. C, in wholesale hay business at Alvin, Texas, and
Mary Louise, wife of Dr. Jesse M. Goss of Houston.

THOMAS W. FORD

722 Texas — The Country and Its Men

WILLIAM E. BLAKESLEE
AUSTIN
A resident of Texas for forty years, was born in St. Louis,
Missouri, on the 2oth of August, 1859, his parents being Abram
and Mary Virginia Blakeslee, both of whom died in HaUettsville,
Texas, at the ages of 81 and 76, respectively. His education was
obtained in St. John's School in Baltimore.
The Blakeslee family came to Texas from the City of Bal
timore in the spring of 1877 and after the first year, wdiich was
spent in Houston, purchased land in Gonzales County, and for
ten years engaged in farming and stock raising.
In 1885 he married Rosa May Ollre, a native. Texan, and
soon thereafter removed to Lavaca County, where he engaged
in commercial pursuits and established a weekly newspaper,
which he conducted successfully about six years, during which
time he studied law^ He entered the profession of law and was
soon after elected to the office of County Attorney, wdiich he
held for three terms, voluntarily declining a re-election for a
fourth term.
Mr. Blakeslee took an active interest. in the material devel
opment of Southwest Texas, and was active in the political life
of his section, and was repeatedly honored by the people who
placed him in positions of trust and responsibility.
In 1907 he was appointed as a member of the Board of
Pardon Advisers by Governor T. M. Campbell. In this position
he became distinguished for his probity, and humane disposition
of questions affecting executive clemency. After four years'
service, he retired from office, but upon the inauguration of Gov
ernor James E. Ferguson, was again called to fill the important
duties of the same office.
His marriage was a happy union, eleven children having
blessed their family circle, ten of which are living : Marie Stella,
nee Mrs. J. C. Korioth; Joseph AV., Louise Lay, now Mrs. J.
AA'. Byrne ; Elenora, Alfred E., Sylvester, Regina, AA'illiam, Jus
tine and Rose Mary.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

723

Mr. Blakeslee was for four consecutive terms the President
of the Catholic Knights of America in Texas, and became Su
preme Vice-President of the order in the United States.
He is a gentleman who readily makes friends, is energetic

WILLIAM E. BLAKESLEE

and efficient in the performance of his public duties. AA'ith a
pleasant home and the pleasures of a large family of lo\ing chil
dren about him, he is to be envied both as an official and m
his private life.

724 Texas — The Country and Its Men
GEORGE DULLNIG
* SAN ANTONIO
Mr. Dullnig, who at his death, which occurred in December
19, 1908, was one of San Antonio's most prominent and suc
cessful merchants, was born in Austria in 1846, and came with
his parents to America when a lad of seven. A few years later,
at an age when many boys are at school, he was compelled to
do for himself and made his first attempt at rnercantile busi
ness by selling fruit on the streets of San Antonio. From a
youthful fruit vendor to a prosperous shoe dealer while yet in
his teens, was indicative of that latent energy and business acu
men which was to place him well at the front among the mer
chants of the Alamo City. In later years he embarked in the
retail grocery trade, but not yet satisfied, made a wholesale es
tablishment of it, in which was transacted a world of business.
Success crowned his efforts, when, with the spirit of expansion
still upon him, he added to his other tremendous activities a
mammoth retail dry goods establishment, which still grows in
extent and popularity.
Mr. Dullnig organized the Fifth National, now the Alamo
National Bank, and was one of the prime movers in the con
struction of the San Antonio and Gulf Railroad, now the Vic
toria Division of the Southern Pacific System. He belonged to
no secret associations or lodges, but in his early days was an
energetic member of the old Volunteer Fire Department, re
maining until the organization of the Modern Paid Department.
Mr. Dullnig is survived by his widow, formerly Miss Frances
AA'erner, with whom he was united in marairge August i, 1865.
His sons, who are all engaged in business, are George Jr., Presi
dent of the Dullnig Dry Goods and Grocery Company; Charles
A., Otto A., Edward J., Albert V., Adolph C. and MUton H.
Dullnig. His daughters are Mrs. A. F. Dignowity, Mrs. Charies
Rische, Mrs. Gus Bohnet, Mrs. Frank Gonder, Mrs. Walter H.
Krueger, Mrs. Emile E. Dullnig and Mrs. Chas. C. Mayer.
Possibly no man in the city of his adoption is entitled to
greater praise for what he accomplished during a long and busy

MRS. GEO. DULLNIG

Texas — The Country and Its Men

725

career. Certainly none are to be credited with having done more
for the civic advancement of the Alamo City.

GEORGE DULLNIG

He was a devout Christian, member of the St. John's Luth
eran Church and a liberal supporter of same. His benefactions

726 Texas — The Country and Its Men

were many, but the most noted beneficials were the donations for
orphans, "Catholic or Protestant." He always wanted the chil
dren to be as happy as his own. Every Xmas it has wis delight
to select their toys, and at his death mother received the follow
ing note :
"AA'e deeply sympathize with you and your children in the
act of Providence which has deprived you of a kind hus'band and
father and us of a true friend."

WILLIAM JOEL BRYAN
perry's landing
AA'illiam Joel Bryan was born on Hazel Run, St. Genevieve
County, Missouri, December 14, 1816. His parents were James
Bryan and Emily M. (Austin) Bryan, only daughter of Moses
Austin. His father was engaged in merchandising on a large
scale for that country, and in mining and manufacturing lead ore.
In 1 83 1 the subject of this sketch came to Texas with his
mother, stepfather and family. He attended a good school in
Potosi, Miss6iiri, taught by a Mr. Fitzgerald, who afterward be
came the leading lawyer of that place; but young AA'illiam Joel
Bryan loved the chase and outdoor sports more than his books,
and consequently, his education was limited. After he came to
Texas his occupation was that of a farmer, in Brazoria County,
where he resided continuously from 1832, until his death which
occurred March 13, 1903.
He married Miss Lavinia Perry (niece of his stepfather),
in 1840, and at once settled at the extension of Peach Point,
which he named Durazuo, where he spent the remainder of his
life in his beautiful home. He reared five sons and two daugh
ters. His daughters died young. The oldest, Mary, married
Dr. C. AA'. Trueheart, of Galveston; and the other, Lavinia,
married Mr. Thomas J. Stratton, by whom she had four chil
dren, three boys and one girl. Two of his sons are now living;
married,, have families and are respected as useful and prosper
ous men — James Perry now living at Freeport, Texas, and Guy
M., Jr., an honored citizen of Houston.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

727

WILLIAM JOEL BRYAN

728 Texas — The Country and Its Men
In 1835 William Joel Bryan went out in Captain Ebberly's
Company from Brazoria County, among the first volunteers who
marched to Gonzales to meet the Mexicans; under General Ste
phen F. Austin, took part in the siege of San Antonio ; as a sol
dier in Captain Calder's Company was among the first volun
teers to go to Gonzales in 1836, and was at that place when the
Alamo fell ; and when General Houston ordered his soldiers to
fall back, he was wdth the army on its retrat and would have
taken part in the Battle of San Jacinto with his brother, M. A.
Bryan, but for sickness. He was a good soldier throughout the
campaign in which he participated — none truer, none braver.
He was a picket guard in 1835 at San Antonio, when Deaf
Smith was pursued by Mexican Cavalry, and would have been
captured, but for the timely aid given by him and J. W. Hassell.
During the campaign of 1835 he participated in various skir
mishes and rendered valuable service in a number of scouting
expeditions. After the Battle of San Jacinto he resumed farm
ing, which he followed until his death. He had few superiors in
point of industry and scientifific and practical knowledge of
agriculture. During the War Between the States he contributed four sons
to the Confederate Army and devoted himself to feeding the
troops at and near the mouth of the Brazos, at his own expense.
No more self-sacrificing, generous patriot labored for the success
of the Lost Cause. He was a good citizen at all times and sup
ported every good cause to the extent of his means- and influence.
A man of fine personal appearance, and when he attended the
annual meetings of the Texas Veterans' Association with his two
brothers, M. A. and Guy M. Bryan, they always attracted atten
tion. The three brothers came to Texas when it was a wilderness,
in 1831 ; passed through all the changing scenes and vicissitudes
that have marked the history of Texas since that time.
William Joel Bryan rejoiced in the fact that he lived to
see the dream of his youth realized — the chief deep-water port
on the Texas coast established at the mouth of the Brazos, in
sight of his first and last home in Texas — a home that reminds
the traveler or guest of the glorious, hospUable, ante-bellum South
The grounds are adorned with magnolias, cedars, and majestic

Texas — The Country and Its Men 729
live oaks; the banana and orange trees suggest the Orient, and
a profusion of rare flowers gives evidence of the refinement
and culture of the master of the fair domain and his household.
He was esteemed by all who knew him. His word was consid
ered as good as his bond. Honored and respected and beloved
by his family and friends, he passed away to receive the rewards
of a w'ell-spent life.

S. W. HENDERSON LUFKIN
Simon AA'oods Henderson, son of J. S. and Sallie Henderson
of Clinch County, Georgia.
His father was the father of fourteen children, three by the
first and eleven by his last wife, the subject of this sketch being
next to the youngest in the family. His first occupation was
working on a small farm owned and operated by his father.
AA'hen he became twelve or thirteen years of age and able to earn
something for himself his father permitted him to go out and do
what he could in order to take care of himself. He then began
to clear land and buUd smaU houses, doing the work himself, and
earning from 25 cents to 50 cents per day, the latter the best
he ever earned in Georgia. He left Georgia December 15, 1883,
after his father's death, who died in his eighty-sixth year. He
landed in Corrigan, Polk County, Texas, December 19, 1883, and
had saved from his earnings in Georgia $238, which he had
when he landed in Corrigan. He was first employed by Hen
derson & Myers, tie contractors. Three months after he entered
their employ he was offered $100 per month, which he refused
to accept, and continued -wdth his first employers, who shortly
afterwards raised his salary to $85 per month. He remained with
them eight months later, and business becoming stagnant, his em
ployers made a proposal to sell to him, which he accepted, and
continued the business until 1886, making quite a success of it,
having accumulated in the meantime something like fifteen

730 Texas — The Country and Its Men
thousand dollars. In 1888 he invested $8,000 in the Henderson
& Kurth business at Keltys, and later on invested all he had in
the company. Ever since his arrival in Texas he has contributed to some
of his relatives in Georgia. His fiist schooling was in a log
cabin where the terms were limited to three months. For a short
time he attended the public schools of Homerville, Georgia. His
entire school days did not exceed six months.
He was married in 1888 at Corrigan to Miss Emma Gardi
ner from Louisiana, who lived only about seven months after
their marriage. Then he married Miss Louise Reed of Lufkin,
Texas, on May 10, 1903. She was the daughter of C. T.
Reed, a prominent citizen of Lufkin. Two children have been
born to this union, Simon W. Henderson, and a girl baby who
died when seven months old.
He is President of the Henderson Brick & Construction
Company of Garrison, Texas; the third partner of Henderson,
Shearer & Miller of Lufkin, contractors who have built nearly
every brick house in Lufkin to date and also a great many houses
over Texas and Louisiana. He is a Director in the Lufkin Na
tional Bank, and was one of the organizers. He is also one of
the organizers and third partner of the Lufkin Telephone Ex
change, also founder of the Lufkin light plant, and owns about
half the stock in it now. Mr. Henderson is also the founder of
the Lufkin Foundry and Machine Company, and still a stock
holder in the company.
He was Road Overseer for one term in Georgia and elected
School Trustee in the Independent School District of Lufkin for
1907, but had to give it up on account of his railroad relations.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 731

B. F. STERLING
HOUSTON
Captain B. F. Sterling, for more than seventy years a resi
dent of Texas, and an officer in AA'aul's Texas Legion in the
armies of the Southern Confederacy, died Sunday night at 10:40
o'clock at the residence of his son, R. S. Sterling, 600 Avondale.
Captain Sterling was 85 years old. Death came at the end of
one month of illness.
He was born in Mississippi, coming to Texas at a very early
age, and locating at Liberty. Before the war between the States
he was in business there, and he returned at the close of hos
tUities in 1865 to take up business again. He married Miss Mary
Bryan, a daughter of a noted Texas frontiersman, John Bryan.
When Captain Sterling died, ten of his eleven children were
grouped around his bedside. They were : R. S. Sterling, F. P.
Sterling, Mrs. S. E. Barrok and Miss F. M. Sterling, of Houston;
O. B., B. C. and J. B. Steriing, of Dayton, Texas; A. A. Sterijng,
of Batson; J. L. Sterling, of Galveston; Mrs. C. A. Barrow, of
Beaumont; Mrs. George Koehler, of Texas City.
He is survived also by twenty-eight grandchildren and nine
great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held at 10 o'clock Tuesday morning
from the family residence. Dr. AV. S. Lockhart, assisted by Rev.
John Stevens, a lifelong friend of Captain Sterling, officiated.
Active pallbearers were : AA'. AA^. Fondren, Lee Blaffer, A. E.
Kerr, Dr. S. M. Lister, C. B. AA^ood, Stuart Giraud. The honor
ary pallbearers were : C. P. Vance, A. F. Sharp, E. B. Pickett,
Sr., and Clay Chambers of Liberty ; J. J. Hall, commander Dick
Dowling Camp United Confederate Veterans ; Fred Chase of Gal
veston; R. M. Farrar, T. C. Dunn, Sr., S. F. Carter, Niels Esper-
son, L. A. Carlton, George Hamman, C. G. Pillot and AA'. H. Gill.

732

Texas — The Country and Its Men

H. F. sterling

Texas — The Country and Its Men 733

B. A. BENNETT
banquette
The subject of this sketch was born September 22, 1824, in
Perry County, Alabama, near the City of Radfordville. His
father was a prosperous farmer in that locality, having moved
into that territory from Georgia shortly prior to the AA'ar of 1812,
his preliminary education was completed in Alabama. In 1854
he moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, where he remained one year;
he then came to Texas and settled at Gonzales, where he rernained
two years, then he moved to Banquette, where he engaged in
farming and stock raising.
In 1863 the Mexicans became very troublesome in Texas,
especially in the section where Mr. Bennett resided, and for their
safety he sent his family to Gonzales, where they remained for
two years, he staying on his ranch at Banquette to protect his
property. In 1865 the Mexican ravages had abated to a great
degree, and he brought his family back to their present home,
and a year later he enlisted in the Cenfederate States Army under
the command of Captain J. J. Richardson. Bravery and loyalty
were the characteristics of the activities of Mr. Bennett in the
protection of the Americans of the surrounding country against
the plundering of Mexicans.
His first marriage w^as to Miss Allsup Bennett, who died
in 1863 leaving two chUdren. On September 29, 1869, occurred
his second marriage to Mrs. Sarah Jane Cook, the mother of two
children by her first marriage. To this second union five children
were born. ^
The life of Mr. Bennett was contemporary with that of
Messrs. King and Kennedy, and they became warm, ever-lasting
friends. During the frontier troubles wUh the Mexicans, Mr. Ben
nett suffered greatly from the depredations of the desperadoes
and cattle thieves who infested that locality.

734

Texas — The Country and Its Men

During the temporary absence of law and order, "held the
fort" and stood in the interests of the people of his vicinity.

B. A. BENNETT

Mr. Bennett was at one time a wealthy ranch owner, but lost
the larger part of his fortune during the long drought which con
tinued for several years, beginning in 1893.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 735

LOUIS DOLCH
EAGLE PASS
Among the prominent families of the Rio Grande border
country, none are better known than the Dolchs of Eagle Pass.
nor has there been among the pioneers of that section one -who,
living, was more universally respected, and dying left a more repu
table name as a legacy to his family, than the man whose name
is the caption of this sketch.
Louis Dolch w^as born in Newpriestadt, in Baden, Germany,
jNIarch 20, 1832. He received the benefits of an excellent educa
tion, and came to America when a young man, first making his
home in San Antonio, where he arrived in 1S54, being then in
his twenty-third year. His stay in the Alamo City was brief,
when he resumed his search for a permanent abiding place. He
went to Castroville, the shire town seat of Medina County, and
bought property ; erected a house, and began the cultivation of his
land. Several severe seasons of drought somew-hat discouraged
him, when at last he determined to go elsewhere. His third
home seeking migration in Texas was Eagle Pass, at that time
one of the most isolated frontier communities on the Rio Grande,
where he remained, engaged in various occupations until the out
break of the war bet-ween the States, He promptly enlisted in the
Confederate Army ; served with honor throughout the momentous
four years, and returned to his border home, practically without
means. His first employment w^as as a' bookkeeper, at which he
continued until he established first on a very modest scale, the
Dolch Hotel, since very much enlarged and improved, and during
all the intervening years recognized as one of the famous hos-
telries of the West.. Mr. Dolch enjoyed the reputation among his
fellow townsmen as a man of high character, and model citizen,
a devoted husband, a kind and indulgent parent. He died in 1888,
being survived by his widow, formerly Miss Rosina Scbier, to
whom he was married at Castroville, in 1857; and the following
children : Louis F. Ferdinand ; Mrs. Klappenbaugh, deceased ;
Mrs. T. G. George, wdio for twenty years has been the agent

736 Texas — The Country and Its Men

LOUIS DOLCH

Texas — The Country and Its Men 737

of the Southern Pacific Railway at Eagle Pass, and vice-president
of the Border National Bank; Mrs. AA'. L. Lyman, wife of the
owner of the principal drug stores at Eagle Pass and Piedras
Negras, Mexico, and Mrs. S. P Simpson, whose husband is
president of the Border National Bank.
Mr. Louis F. Dolch, eldest son of Louis Dolch, was born at
Castroville, Texas, August 7, i860. AA'hen a lad he accompanied
his parents to Eagle Pass, in which community he was destined
to become one of its most substantial, farsighted and enterprising
citizens. He attended the schools of CastroviUe and San Antonio.
Before his twenty-first birthday he had become engaged in com
pany W'ith Mr. F. M. Hartz in developing the coal mines in Ma\-
erick County, the success of which industry is a lasting monu
ment to his abUity and foresight.
Among other enterprises which have promoted the growth
and prosperity of Eagle Pass, was the organization by Mr. Dolch
of the Electric Light Company, in which he w^as for several years
a prominent factor.
Mr. Dolch also has interested himself in the irrigation prob
lem. As in other directions he not only made a study of con
ditions, but invested largely of his means, and at the time of his
death, had one of the most beautifully irrigated farming tracts in
the entire AA'est.
His wife was Miss Klappenback, a daugher of one of the
first famUies of Castroville, to whom he was married at Castro
ville. They have three children. The eldest daughter is the wife
of Morris Fox, Jr., of Eagle Pass; Oscar, connected with the
State Bank & Trust Company of Eagle Pass, and a younger son
still at school. death of LOUIS DOLCH
Died. — In Eagle Pass, Texas, July 29, 1907, at 10 ;30 a. m.,
Louis F. Dolch, aged 47 years, 11 months and 11 days.
On Monday afternoon about 2 o'clock the news swiftly
spread over the community that Mr. Dolch had been found dead
on the Dolch-Dodrowolski farm, one mile south of town. He
had left for the farm early in the morning, and on his not re
turning at noon, his brother, Ferdinand, -went to the farm to in
vestigate the cause of his non-appearance. AA'hen the brother

738

Texas — The Country and Its Men

MRS. LOUIS DOLCH

Texas — The Country and Its Men 739
arrived at the farm the body had just been discoxered by work
men who had notified Manager Frick. Dr. E\-ans was notified
and hurried to the scene, and many friends started at once to
give all assistance possible. Mr. Dolch was found lying under
a hackberry tree, and about one hundred yards away his horse
was hitched. Life had been extinct for several hours.
In the death of Louis F. Dolch Eagle. Pass loses one of its
foremost citizens. In fact, it is doubtful if an}- other man has
been so fully identified with the welfare of the town and county
as has the deceased. He was born in Castroville in i8()0, and
came to Eagle Pass with his parents when a small boy. Here
he grew to manhood, and here were laid the scenes of his suc
cesses in business. And he was successful in a much larger way
than many think, not in the mere accumulation of worldly goods.
but in the victory over unmeasured obstacles, in the success of
new and untried enterprises, and in the courageous and un
swerving fidelit}' to the cause of industrial dexelopment. Mr.
Dolch has been known for a long time as the pioneer in the de
velopment of irrigation in this part of the southwest. Several
years ago, together with Mr. Dobrowolski, of San Antonio, he
cleared Up the valley below Eagle Pass, and installed a pumping
plant, using the waters of the Rio Grande. Later the firm of
Dolch, Dibrill & Mosheim placed the Rio Grande valley above
town in a high state of cultivation. It is not detracting any credit
from any li\ing man to say that Mr. Dolch was the moving and
directing spirit in both of these laudable enterprises. He gave
to these farms the tireless energy of his best years. Under the
impetus given by his courage and ultimate success, truck farming
has become a successful business for many people in this part
of the countr}'. Train loads of onions and other truck-farm
products annually leave Eagle Pass as a direct result of the good
work done by this one man in the beginning of the industry.
Mr. Dolch early saw the possibilities in the Eagle Pass coal
fields, and while he was not the first to open up the mines here.
he dug the first shaft when there was only one working mine in
the field, and in a large measure he helped to bring the coal fields
of Maverick County to the attention of commerce. The Eagle
Pass Coal & Coke Company, of which he was president, did as

740 Texas — The Country and Its Men
much to bring business and industrial prosperity to Eagle Pass
as any other concern. Later, when failing health compelled him
to relinquish the active control of his properties, the severance
of his connection with his coal interests gave him deep regret.
In the -years past, Mr. Dolch's abilities were not directed toward
the coal and irrigation fields alone. For years he was one of
Eagle Pass' most successful merchants, and only retired from this
phase of business when his other interests claimed his whole at
tention. He was a director and officer in several of our most
successful and extensive business establishments. Testifying to
his popularity, he w"as for several conseutive terms elected County
Assessor, retiring a few years ago undefeated.
Several months ago his health began to fail. At first, accom
panied by his loving -wife, he tried travel. The best medical ad
vice the country afforded was sought. He gave over the manage
ment of his business affairs to others in a vain effort to recover
his losing strength. The cheering words of friends, the physi
cian's skill, the tender care of those who loved him, were exerted
in his behalf daily. He was a nervous man, and the aid of will
ing hands, and the natural strength of his constitution, could not
overcome the destroying force of a nervous breakdown.
At last it was known that the end was not far off. The
strong, sturdy man of other years had made his last fight. The
mind that had planned and fought battles, and domineered over
defeat, and wrought victorious in nature's stubborn domain, had
surrendered in the face of invisible forces that no man can
conquer. Louis F. Dolch is dead. AVe give to his family the tribute
of the great love, and the deep sympathy of the people. His
friends loved him, recognized his few faults, and knew his many
virtues — but in his home he was at his best, all hopefulness for
his children, all tenderness for the wife of his younger, and ma-
turer manhood, all love for all of these. Fie is gone, but his
name will remain on record forever. Not alone will the archives
of the county be eloquent of it, the ascending smoke of industrial
furnaces will speak of a reclaimed and fertile valley will be linked
with it.
Mr. Dolch was an honored member of the Knights of

Texas — The Country and Its Men 741
Pythias, Odd Fellows, Maccabees and Masonic Lodges, and was
buried under the auspices of the last named. The Masonic pall
bearers, active, were Messrs. Douglas, Dunsmore, Hartup, H.
Jackson, Jr., Buchanan and Owen. The honorary pallbearers,
chosen from among his warmest personal friends, were : J. B.
DibrUl, Chas. Schuessler, Jesus Gomez, R. Muzquiz, A. Boubel,
Henry Dennys, VA'm. Hausser, R. F. Vaughan, Emil Mosheim
and Wm. Dodrowolski. Giving tribute to the worth of the man,
an immense concourse followed his remains to the grave. — Rio
Grande News.

T. H. ZANDERSON
SAN ANTONIO
Mr. Zanderson's reputation as a business man has gone far
beyond the limits of Texas. For many years he has been a
conspicuous figure in AA'est Texas as one of the largest wool
buyers in the State. He was born in Europe, where he was
educated, but took a finishing course after coming to America.
He was appointed U. S. Consul to Denmark by President Grant
and served as such for seven years, resigned and settled at San
Antonio and established a large sheep ranch on Devil's River, also
bought wool in large quantities for the market. In 1889 he was
married to Miss Letia Egan, of San Antonio, and three daughters
were born to this union : Aniellia, Cecelia and Pauline. Mr. Zan-
derson stands high in the Masonic Circle, he having been a mem
ber of the Alamo Lodge since 1894. He ranks high in the com
mercial world and has accumulated a princely fortune. He was
born in Europe December 25, 1845.

742

Texas — The Country and Its Men

T. H. ZANDERSON

Texas — The Country and Its Men 743

OLIVER J. WOODHULL
An enterprising business man who makes his home in San
Antonio, is proprietor of a ranch of twenty-fixe thousand acres
lying west of Spoftord, in Kinney County.
Mr. WoodhuU was born on Long Island, New York, and was
there reared to agricultural life. Fie accjuired an education in
the East that has fitted him to manage extensive business inter
ests in his later life. In 1879 he came to Kinney County, Texas,
where lived his brother. Captain S. J. AA'oodhull, wdio had located
there in 1873 and formed the nucleus of what has since become
the noted Anacacho ranch, owned by AA'oodhull Brothers, the
other member of the firm being J. T. AA'oodhull. This ranch em
braced thirty-five thousand acres and lies ten miles east of Spof-
ford. Mr. AA'oodhull, of this review^ now has the entire manage
ment of the ranch, his brother, S. J. AA'oodhull, now being in busi
ness in Las Cruces, New Mexico, wdiile his brother, T. J., is
acting as vice-president of the First National Bank of San .An
tonio. In addition to his interest in this ranch Mr. AA'oodhull is
also the owner and proprietor of a ranch of twenty-five thousand
acres, lying ten miles west of Spofford, so that he is one of the
extensive owners of land in Southwestern Texas. The AA'oodhull
brothers have been very successful in their business \-cntures, both
in their native State as well as since taking up their abode in
the Lone Star State. .S. J. AA'oodhull in earlier life was a seafar
ing man and it was in the East that he won his title as captain.
J. T. WoodhuU followed mercantile pursuits in the East, while
our subject was there engaged in farming.
Mr. WOodhuU has made a specialty of the raising of cattle on
his ranch, but of late years has also become widely .known as a
breeder of fine horses, which branch of his business he has culti
vated as much for pleasure as profit. He has for several }'ears
past made his home in San Antonio, from which city he gi\ es
personal supervision to his ranch and interests. He is a man of

744

Texas — The Country and Its Men

.....

p)*'"'

P#
^K^ ^
hHH
OLIVER J. WOODHULL
Texas — The Country and Its Men 745
good business judgment, readih' recognizing and improving op
portunities and so utilizing the advantages that have come to him
that he has worked his way steadily upward in the financial world
and is now numbered among the prosperous and influential resi
dents of this section of the Southwest.
Mr. WoodhuU was united in marriage to Miss Virginia AA'ar-
wich Jones, who is also a native of New York. They have a
pleasant home in San Antonio and are hospitable people, prom
inent in the social circles of the city.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON
cuero
About the middle of the eighteenth century, four brothers
named Hamilton, lace merchants, left their native land, Scot
land, and came to America. One of these brothers went to the
Island of Nevis, and there in 1757 was born to him a son, the
illustrious Alexander Hamilton.
Another of the brothers settled in Louisiana, and a third in
Pennsylvania, while the location of the fourth is not kno)Vn.
The Pennsylvania brother fought under General AVilliam
Henry Harrison at Tippecanoe. He had several sons, one of
whom, John Hamilton, moved to Kentucky, married and had
several chUdren; among them the subject of this memoir — Alex.-
ander HamUton, born July 29, 1846, at Carlisle, Kentucky.
It was natural for the fond parents to name one of their
sons for his illustrious kinsman.
When young Hamilton was still a child, his mother died, and
shortly thereafter his father decided to pass the remainder of
his days in the Lone Star State.
With this end in view, he sent one of his sons to view the
land and report to him. This son, John Hamilton, Jr., rode over
much of the State prospecting, and finally selected a beautiful
spot on Deer Creek.
To this place- his father removed in 1852, bringing with him

746 Texas — The Country and Its Men

ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Texas — The Country and Its Men 747
his famUy and considerable property, nearly all of which was
swept away as a result of the Civil AA'ar.
When only 17 years old, Alexander Hamilton enlisted in
the Confederate Army and served till the close of the war. He
took part in the last battle of the Civil AA'ar, that wdiich was
fought near Brownsville about three weeks after General Lee's
surrender, and before the news of that tragic event had reached
that distant part of Texas.
Like many Southern young men, Mr. Hamilton was left
w ithout means, and with but limited education.
His principal schooling was given him by Judge John AA .
Staton, who afterwards became Chief Justice of the 'Supreme
Court of Texas, and his wdfe, Mrs. Staton, for both of whom he
ever cherished the highest regard.
Strong in mind and body, however, and endowed with un
conquerable energy and a will power given to but few, he went
to work vigorously, and by 1871 he had accumulated sufficient
capital to justify him in opening a mercantile business at Clin
ton. The following. year he removed to Cuero, where he resided
untU his death, always manifesting a deep interest in the w^elfare
of his town and county.
In 1878 he married Miss Annie Thornton, daughter of Dr.
and Mrs. Thornton of Victoria. To bless this union four sons
were born, three of whom still survive — Thornton, Alexander
and Roy — a comfort and solace to their bereaAcd mother while
she lived. Mr. Hamilton's leading characteristics were his uncompro
mising honesty, strong sense of justice, and his tender devotion
to his wife and children.
Though he accumulated a fortune, every dollar was an hon
est dollar. No "tainted money" ever found its way into his
coffers. His charities were numerous, but unostentatious, and
many widows and orphans have had his assistance, of which the
world knew nothing. His home life was beautiful, and his busi
ness life unspotted.
Though not a member of any church, yet he exemplified in
his life and character the principles of the "Golden Rule," and
has left to his children the precious heritage of a good name.

748 Texas — The Country and Its Men
and to his neighbors and countrymen the example oi, a business
career directed by wisdom, and guided by the principles of right
and justice. Such men constitute the pillars of State and society. He
built the first brick buUding in his town, Cuero, and founded the
First National Bank of that city, was its president for many
years and it stands one of the leading financial institutions of that
section of the State, a monument to his financial skill and ability.

VIGGO KOHLER
BEEVILLE
AA'as born in Copenhagen, Germany, December 31, 1844. He
is the son of Frans Kohler and Maria Malmgren. His father
was a builder and contractor and he was also an amateur sculptor
of note. Viggo Kohler, after attending the Copenhagen Common
Schools, graduated from a technical college for buUders and
mechanics. His first line of work was as builder in w-ood, which he pur
sued for several years. He came to Texas in 1869, landing at
Rockport, where he lived until 1873, and worked at his pro
fession as general contractor. The latter year he moved to Cuero.
In 1885 he went to Beeville, and engaged in the lumber business
and cattle raising. He used diligence and economy in all his
business enterprises and accumulated money w-ith which he
bought lands and established ranches. He now^ owns several
valuable ranches and many thousand acres of land and is one of
the foremost business men of his community.
He is a Mason, having joined the order in 1874, and is prom
inent in Masonic circles.
Mr. Kohler is a director in the First National Bank of his
home town and is a most useful citizen, with a wide circle of
friends and numerous business connections that touch the indus
trial life of his section at many points. He has shown by his
success in instituting and operating large enterprises that he is a
developer as well as a builder.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 749

JOHN F. TORREY
NEW BRAUNFELS
Mr. Torrey came to Te.xas in 1838 from Hartford, Conn..
established a business in Houston and Austin and went to New
Braunfels about the time the first German settlers reached the
place where New Braunfels now stands. He was a wonderfully
energetic, good and useful citizen.
During the sixties of the past century New Braunfels be
came the seat of the first woolen factory established in Texas,
on the banks of the Comal river. This enterprise was solely of
New Braunfels origin, a stock company, which later became a
private company and manufactured excellent cloth and blankets.
It proved a success as far as it went, but was later given up on
account of some of the most interested owners retiring, partly
on account of change of residence and partly on account of age,
etc. Dr. Theodor Koester, heretofore mentioned as the chief
medical officer of the Colony of Prince Solms, was the main pro
moter of the woolen mills industry, but withdrew later when it
became a close syndicate. Dr. Koester came with the first set
of immigrants in 1S44 and remained in New Braunfels until his
death, a useful, honest and well-beloved citizen.
Two good-sized tanneries were established in the early days
of New Braunfels, which were furnishing all the leather, not
alone used by the saddlers and harness manufacturers of the
place, but was sent all over the State, untU the railroads came
and crippled this enterprise to such an extent that it hencefor
ward did not prove profitable. The same proved to be true of
the saddlery and harness trimming manufactured of metal, which
had assumed a considerable extension at the time; and various
other industries. So far as New Braunfels was concerned, the
railroads have proven more detrimental than beneficial to the
manufacturing interests of the place.
Gustav Adolph v. Benner came with Prince Solms, and had
charge of the commissary department of the Colony, was later
appointed postmaster of New Braunfels and held this office until'

750

Texas — The .Country and Its Men

JOHN F. TORREY

Texas — The Country and Its Men 751
his death in 1857. His wife, Mrs. Louise Benner, nee Mitten-
dorf, was retained in said office and became thereby the first
w-oman postmaster ever appointed in the United States for such
Federal office. Mrs. Benner kept this office until after the Civil
AA'ar and was replaced on account of having held office and
thereby being friendlv disposed to the cause of the Confederate
government. Mrs. Benner sold her property in New Braunfels .
later, and made San Antonio her home, where she died in 191 3.
at the .age of 92 years. Her daughter, Mrs. Captain Edgar
Schram, her grand-daughter, Mrs. A. Hohrath, and great-grand
daughter appearing in the group below — four generations.
MR. GUSTAV adolph BENNER, NO. VI.
Industrial pursuits on any larger scale outside of manual
handiwork of tradesmen were not yet known in Texas. The
first factory of any consideration, as far as history is concerned,
was erected at New Braunfels by J. F Torrey in 1850. This
was a door, sash and blind factory of some magnitude, consider
ing those days. The factory was a three-story frame building,
the power furnished by the Comal, which river was dammed
so as to furnish sufficient power for even greater establishments
than -were brought into use in 1850, and late in the '50s this
factory was destroyed by fire.
In i860 a new building of solid rock was commenced, and
later, after being finished, it was converted into the first cotton
factory in the State, brought about by the owner of the site, Mr.
J. F. Torrey, and Mr. H. Runge, a wealthy merchant of Indianola,
and later of Galveston, who by some agreement with the then
Confederate Government, were authorized to import machinery
from Europe, by way of Mexico free of duties, in order to manu
facture yarn and cotton cloth for the people of the South and
Government, on account of the blockade established by the United
States of the southern ports. This factory was later, in the year
1869, destroyed by a terrific cyclone and tornado, together with
other property of the town. The carding machines, weighing se\--
eral thousand pounds, were carried away by the storm and never
found again. A number of other freaks of this disturbance, such
as carrying a heavy metal bell from its place under the porch of
a-hotel. some three or four hundred yards, without injuring any-

752 Texas — The Country and Its Men
thing to its original place; further, a lightning rod of a building
was twisted into the shape of a corkscrew ; also from the roofs
of various houses strips were cut out, looking as if done by a saw,
straight and smooth ; some brick structures were blown away
from their foundations, so that a person could hardly tell where
they had originally stood.
After this disaster of 1869 the structure w-as rebuilt by J. F.
Torrey and used as a cotton gin, saw, grist and flour mill, but
was again partly destroyed by a great flood of the Comal, which
also carried away the new bridge, just finished a few days before,
and tuned over to the city authorities.
Not discouraged by all of this misfortune, Mr. Torrey again
rebuilt said structure, but same was again destroyed by a great
flood, and this time this immense pile of solid masonry was car
ried away, dowm to the foundation.
getic and useful citizen. He left his home and family and moved
away to Comanche, Peak, Granbury.
While on a visit to San Antonio he died in that city Sep
tember 27, 1893, J"] years of age.

FELIX BRACHT
CIBOLO
Felix Bracht was born January 14, 1808, at Provence on the
Rhine, moved from Holland at an early day. He was educated
at the University of Bouse, on the Rhine. Served his military
term in Berlin. In 1833 he was married to Miss Josephine Proe-
hazka, a daughter of the Governor of Bohemia. Four children
were born to this union. Only one of the children, Josephine,
came to Texas, Felix Bracht died at the old Bracht home on
the Cibolo, now the home of Mr. Julian Stapper. He was a
Mason for many years. He was the first settler on the Cibolo.

Texas — The Country and Its Men

753

He was a devout Catholic, and as the country around his home
began to settle, he used to go to San Antonio and bring the priest
out and services were held at hi,s home.

r^^l^^^^^^^^B

§:s
Hv^^^l
FELIX BRACHT
The Cibolo was the rendezvous at that time for the Apache
and Comanche Indians, and even to this day many of their flint
arrows are found in the neighborhood of where he lived.
754 Texas — The Country and Its Men

LEVI A. BETTERMAN
nuecestown
The birthday of American Independence is also the birthday
of Levi Betterman, he having been born on July 4, 1834, in
Greentown, Ohio. His ' parents were Joseph and Mary Ann
Betterman. In 1859 he went to Chicago and remained in the AA'indy City
two years. Thence he moved to Milwaukee, and was employed
on a construction train on the Milwaukee & AA'atertown railroad,
and did similar work on the Milwaukee & AA'estern road. He
made money in this business, with wdiich he came to Texas, and
cast his fortunes with her people.
The Civil AA''ar breaking out, though not long a citizen of
Texas, and just from the North, he promptly espoused the cause
of his adopted State, and enlisted in the Twenty-fifth Texas In
fantry, Gillespie's Regiment, and participated in many of the
bloody battles of that sanguinary and fratracidal conflict.
He was captured at Arkansas Post but was exchanged.
Again at the battle of Atlanta, he was captured and underwent
a long imprisonment at Camp Douglas, Chicago, until the cessa
tion of hostilities gave him his liberty, wdien he returned to Texas
to take up the thread of a useful life, that had been sundered by
the ruthless hand of war. He found himself now-- without money
or property, but with an inexhaustible fund of energ}' and pluck.
Cincinnattus-like, he laid down the sword to take up the
ploughshare, and began life anew on a farm in Liberty County.
He farmed in this county five years, and then opened a general
merchandise business at Sour Lake. After merchandising for
three years, he returned to Liberty County and from there he
finally, in 1 88 1, moved to Nueces County. He bought out the
only store in Nueces and became postmaster as well as mer
chant. He remained the postmaster for sixteen years and w-as
always attentive and obliging. A man who can manage a post-
office in a small town for sixteen years, and still -retain his popu-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 755
larity, deserves to rank along with Job in the matter of patience
and resignation under great temptation. This is what Mr. Better-
man did, however, and it shows that there are no better men thari
Mr. Betterman, if the play on words may be pardoned. He had
the name of the town changed to Nuecestown.
March, 1862, he married Miss Esilla Rachal, and six chil
dren — four boys and two girls — have been bom to them. They
are now growm, some of them married, and all of them reflect
ing credit on their aged parents.
Mr. Betterman died May 26, 1913,

CHARLES OILMAN HUBBARD
pearsall
Charles Oilman Hubbard was born at Berlin, A'ermont, Janu
ary 16, 1844, being the son of Elisha Hubbard and Charlotte
Buckley Rolfe-Hubbard. His father was a farmer. His mother
was born in 1813, and his father bom in 1803. His father died
in 1856 at Beloit, AA'isconsin.
In his early manhood he was a tea merchant in Chicago,
but came to Texas in 1872. He owned a sheep ranch near Circle-
ville, AA'illiamson County, which he sold at the end of five years
at a good profit. The knowledge which he gained in that business
proved of value, enabling him to become wool buyer for Colonel
T. H. Zanderson in 1879, with whom he continued many years.
AA'ithdrawing from Colonel Zanderson, he became State repre
sentative for Denny, Rice & Co., wool merchants, of Boston,
Massachusetts. He moved to Pearsall, Frio County, in 1881.
where he acquired extensive real estate Holdings. On August
14, 1883, he was married to Ella Mary Piatt of Fitchburg, Massa
chusetts. One child was born unto them, Mabel Charlotte Hub
bard, now Mrs. James Leonard Carlisle, of Pearsall, Texas.
He was sturdy and optimistic, systematic and prompt in
business. Aided materially in the development of his community.

756 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Had wonderful faith in the possibilities and resources of his
adopted State. For some time he dealt in fine livestock, to which
he was devoted.
He died November 22, 1902, at Pearsall, Texas.

- JOT GUNTER
SAN ANTONIO
Jot Gunter was born on a farm in North Carolina in the
year 1845. He was the fifth son of a large family of chUdren,
and, his parents being in rather straightened circumstances, he
_did not have the advantages that many children are afforded.
When he was a very small boy, however, his parents moved to
Georgia and remained a few years, removing later to Upshur
County, Texas, just before the Civil War. Here they bought a
farm, which became the Gunter homestead, where the family was
reared and where the family resided until the death of Jot
Gunter's father.
Jot Gunter received his early education at Gilmer, under the
tutorship of a celebrated Georgian, Professor Looney. Just be
fore he reached the age of 16 years, the Civil AA-'ar broke out and
he enlisted in the Confederate Army. His company did not leave
the State, but saw hard service in guarding the Texas frontier.
AA'hen the battle of Sabine Pass took place the company was on
the way to reinforce Dick Dowling's troops. His company fol
lowed Dick Dowling's command all along through their rough
and dangerous service until they were mustered out.
After the war had come to an end, the young soldier turned
his face homeward, clad in the torn and bedraggled uniform
which he had worn throughout the conflict. His pockets were
crammed with valueless Confederate currency, yet he took up
the serious duties of life with a firm heart and determination to
face the struggle without a m.urmur. He settled himself upon
his father's farm and worked from sunrise to sunset.
After two years of work upon the farm he saved money
enough to go to school again and studied law at Gilmer, under

Texas — The Country and Its Men

757

JOT GUNTER

758 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Judge Roberts, who later became Governor of the State. For
three years he read Blackstone and the statutes and made a repu
tation as one of the most promising young lawyers of the sec
tion and time. After graduating according to the strict rules
of Governor Roberts, he married Miss Roxana Ford, daughter
of Dr. Ford, one of the most prominent citizens of Gilmer. He
later moved to Sherman, \vhere his young wife taught music to
swell the family income.
After practicing less than three years, and making a repu
tation as a young criminal lawyer. Jot Gunter met a practical
engineer named AA'. B. Munson, who interested him in a scheme
to buy Government land certificates and locating claims for
others. The two formed a partnership and went into the busi
ness. The lawyer did the legal work and the engineer the sur
veying. They soon worked up one of the largest and most
remunerative businesses in the State and their fame spread from
border to border. After remaining in partnership until 1885,
when each had amassed a good fortune, the alliance was dis
solved. Mr. Gunter then went into the cattle business and became
one of the leading cattlemen of that part of the State. He re
mained in that business until 1888, when he moved to Dallas and
conduced a pioneer real estate business. He remained there in
that business until the panic of 1892-93. During the years be
fore the panic he had gained much wealth, which the panic did
not greatly affect. After the panic ceased he again began oper
ations and continued with T. B. Jones, the two men conducting
one of the largest cattle businesses in the State.
Wherever in the State Mr. Gunter has lived he gained the
love, admiration and esteem of the citizenship. He was always
known as one of the most fairminded and patriotic citizens of
the State. He was a typical Southerner, wdtli a Southerner's
hospitality, and was ever charitable to his fellow-man. Though
he preferred to live the life of a private citizen, Mr. Gunter was
known and honored by the leading politicians and statesmen of
Texas and often helped them to victory.
Before Joseph W. Bailey had trod the halls of Congress, he
won the friendship of Jot Gunter and the two grew as brothers.
Since reaching the pinnacle of success, the young statesman has
often said that a large part of his success was due to the assist-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 759
ance of Jot Gunter. AA'hen death was hovering above the man,
Joe Bailey hurried to his side and remained until the end.
Mr. and Mrs. Gunter had only one child, Eula, who married
John Hardie and died after three children had blessed the union,
being named Ester, Gunter and Jock. After the death of his
daughter. Jot Gunter took his grandchUdren under his care
and they have lived with him ever since. Besides his wife and
grandchUdren, three brothers and one sister survive the dead
man. They are AA'illiam, Isaac and L. Gunter and Mrs. Childress.
On the day of the funeral Governor Campbell had the flag
on the State House lowered to half-mast on account of the death
of Mr. Gunter. The Governor alluded to him as "a citizen
patriot."

ALBERT LEE PATTON
FREDERICKSBURG
The subject of this sketch was born at Independence, Mis
souri, June 9, 1851. His parents were J. AA'. H. and Elizabeth R.
Patton, who came to Texas with his wife's father and first settled
near San Antonio in 1875; was married to Miss Emma AA'afir-
mund, daughter of Emil AA'ahrmund, one of the most widely
known pioneers of Texas. A year and a half later he went with
the house of Dietz & Shardine of San Antonio. Earning from
ten doUars a month to nine dollars a week, which went to the
support of his mother and three sisters. He remained with Dietz
& Shardine about two and one-half years, then went to Fred
ericksburg, where he remained three years; during that time
worked as a tinner for Blum & Lacey. July, 1871, he left for
Austin on horseback. The country was then infested with Co
manche Indians. Arriving at Austin, he associated himself with
the house of B. Radkey, and remained until February, 1872; re
turned to San Antonio and entered the house of Lacroux & Cos-
grove, and remained with them a short time, and in July, 1872,
moved to Fredericksburg and formed a partnership with Louis
Volbrecht, tinner and hardware merchant. After three years he

760 Texas — The Country and Its Men
bought Mr. Volbrecht out, and continued the business alone, hav
ing engaged in various other lines of business, untU 1908. In
1899 opened a private bank at Lott, Texas, which has since been
made a National bank, capital $50,000. At the present their
statements show loans and discounts at $143,072.95, deposhs
$352,892.00, surplus $52,947.09. Mr. Patton is now and has
been its president since its organization ; was prominent in bring
ing the Aransas Pass railroad into Fredericksburg; is a large
stockholder, owner of the Citizen's Bank of Fredericksburg, and
has a valuable farm interest in Falls and Kendall Counties, and
enjoys the confidence and esteem of the community in which
he resides.

DANIEL DENSON DODD
MARSHALL
Daniel Denson Dodd, the subject of this sketch, was born in
Lafayette County, Arkansas, September 28, 1857; a descendant
of one of the oldest families in America; his great-grandfather
came to America with John Smith and settled on the peninsula
at Williamsburg, Virginia. His great-grandfather was given by
King George twenty-five square miles of land in what now is
Union and Lawrence District, South Carolina, and settled there,
and it was there that his grandfather, Edward Dodd, was born, on
June 14, 1778, and his father Jesse J. Dodd, was born October
29, 1830. They are of Scotch-Irish descent. About 1840 his
grandfather moved with his family to Campbell County, Georgia.
and it was there that his father grew to manhood, and on October
7, 1856, was married to Martha C. James, the daughter of David
James of Henrj' County, Georgia. On the 20th day of the same
month he started to Texas, coming all the way in a two-horse
wagon. He landed at Bright Star, Arkansas, within three miles
of the Texas line, on the 20th day of December, 1856, where he
resided for seven years, during which time he served as County
Treasurer of Lafayette County, Arkansas. In September, 1863.
he moved to Cass County, Texas. He was a Baptist preacher

Texas — The Country and Its Men

761

DANIEL DENSON DODD

762 Texas — The Country and Its Men
of some note and a most successful farmer. In October, 1870,
while on his way to Georgia to see his mother and relatives, in
passing through New Orleans, he contracted yellow fever. He
went to Atlanta, Georgia, where he died, leaving in Texas his
widow and five children, Daniel Denson being the oldest. Two
of the children died during the next year, the other three are
still living.
Daniel Denson being the oldest and the only boy, was given the
best common school education to be had in the country schools
at that time, but left school when quite young and was married
when 18 years of age to Miss Lucy Rogers, a daughter of Col.
AA^illiam Rogers of Tippah County, Mississippi. To them were
born thirteen children, eleven of them still living. Myrtis, the
oldest, married AVise W. Wolfe; Miniard married Miss Ruby
Cowles; Earlton married Miss Clara Boazman; Carrie married
Charles W. Wheeler; Evazonia is unmarried; Enola died at two
}ears of age; Eula married AA'illiam P. Johnson; Daniel Denson,
Jr., died at two years of age ; Ennis T., Hardy A., Justyne, Lucy
and Dewey Davis are all at home and unmarried.
In 1886 Daniel Denson Dodd was elected to the office of
County Clerk of Cass County, Texas, which office he held for
six years. He was then elected Representative of the county, for
which office he refused to stand for the second time, but in 1894
made the race for Land Commissioner of the State and was de
feated by A. J. Baker. He made, however, a very creditable
race, carrying almost solidly the eastern part of the State. He
now resides in Marshall, Texas, and is the Secretary of the Young
Men's Business Club of that city. At the present writing (1918)
Mr. Dodd is the efficient Mayor of Marshall, Texas.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 763

JACOB A. HERRING
The recent appointment of Jacob A. Herring as United
States Marshal for the Southern District of Texas has brought
into the Federal service one of the most capable business men and
experienced managers of public affairs in the State. Mr. Herring
has had a long and active career, has been a banker, a farmer.
Superintendent of the State penitentiary system, and those wdio
are best acquainted with his work say that in every post of re
sponsibility he has acquitted himself with credit and with an
efficiency that makes a certainty to the value of his service in his
present position.
Jacob A. Herring w-as born in Cass County, Texas, November
21, 1863; spent his early life there on a farm, and secured an
education from the public schools. Until he was grown he lived
on the home place, and from the age of sixteen has actively con
tributed to the management and work of the old farm and to the
support of his widowed mother. At the age of twenty he was
married and began life for himself, and continued as a farmer
in that section of the State until 1892.
Mr. Herring in that year became Sergeant in the Penitentiary
Department of Texas" in Fort Bend County, and continued that
line of work until March, 1899. That was followed by his re
moval to Madison County, and the beginning of his extensive
operations as a farmer and stock raiser near Midway. After
some seven or eight years he was again called from his duties as
a farmer and business man in January, 1907, when he was ap
pointed Superintendent of the State prison system by Gov. Thos.
M. Campbell, as successor to Capt. Searcy Baker. In the per
formance of those onerous responsibilities he spent four years,
with residence at Huntsville, and then returned to Madisonville,
and had his home and looked after his business there until 1913,
when he came to Houston as United States Marshal.
It was during Mr. Herring's superintendency of the peni
tentiary system that Texas accomplished many reforms in the
management of its convicts and undertook to abolish the lease
system.

764

Texas — The Country and Its Men

During his residence at Madisonville and vicinity Captain
Herring acquired a large importance in business affairs. He was
President of the First National Bank of Madisonville, having
assisted in the organization and incorporation of that bank, with

JACOB A. HERRING

a capital stock of $50,000.00. He was President of the Cotton Oil
Mill and Fertilizer Company in the same town and President of
tlic company that organized and installed the waterworks. He
was a member of the firm of Turner, Herring & Barton, at Mid-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 765
way, engaged in general merchandise trade, and is stUl senior
member of the firm of J. A. Herring & Company, extensiveh'
engaged in stock farming in Madison County. Of his large agri
cultural interests, he has twenty-five hundred acres under culti
vation, and almost all of that land has been improved by his own
work and supervision.
Captain Herring's politics might be described as progressi\-e,
prohibition. He was one of the original AA'Uson men in the State.
Fraternally, he is prominent in Masonry, and also belongs to
both orders of Woodmen. His lodge and chapter affiliations with
Masonry are at MadisonviUe ; he belongs to Trinity Commandery
Xo. 29 at Huntsville, and the Elmina Temple of the Mystic
Shrine at Galveston.
Captain Herring was married in Clay County, Texas, No
vember 21, 1883, on his twentieth birthday, to Miss Blalock.
daughter of Jesse R. Blalock. To their marriage have been born
the following chUdren: Ennis T., a farmer of Madison County.
w-ho married Margaret Hardin; Leslie, wife of J. A. Sowel of
]\ladison County; Robert B., who lives at Midway and married
-\nnie Gresham; Inez, who married John Price of Madison\-ille.
and Jacob A., Jr., who is in school at Houston.
Captain Herring's father was Rev. Jacob Herring, and the
maiden name of his mother was Rhoda J. Jackson. The father
came to Texas in 1849, settling in Cass County, and was origi
nally from AA'ayne County, North Carolina, where he was born
in March, 1812. His early education was supplied by the com
mon schools, and forty-two years of his life were spent as a Bap
tist minister, and it was in that calling that he did his chief work,
and never had any military or public ser\ ice record. He was a
Southern Democrat. His death occurred in 1880, and his wife
passed away in 1910 at Huntsville, Texas. Their only child w^as
Capt. Jacob A. Herring. The Herring family is of colonial stock,
and the name was spelled originally with one "r" instead of two.
Mr. Herring's great-great-grandfather was perhaps the first to
leave Old England and settle in the Colonies, and secured a patent
for land from King George III in A\'ayne County, North Caro
lina. Both the great-grandfather and grandfather bore the name
of Jacob.

766 Texas — The Country and Its Men

JOSEPH S. CULLINAN
HOUSTON
It is regrettable ihat the data could not be obtained to give
a review of the life and achievements of this worthy and patri
otic citizen — his rise from a poor farm boy to one of the leading
and most influential citizens of Texas might have given inspira
tion to many a lad of ability now chilled by disappointment and
about to turn aside from life's great struggle, to take fresh cour
age and press on with resolution to the achievement of an
honorable career. Mr. CuUinan's parents, John Francis and
Mary Francis, were natives of County Clare, Ireland, and were
married in Dubuque, Iowa, April 13, 1856. The subject of
this imperfect notice was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, De
cember 31, i860, and attended the public schools in his native
State. After leaving the farm at an early age he engaged in
various occupations pertaining chiefly to the petroleum industry.
April 14, 1891, he was married to Miss Lucie Halm at Columbus,
Ohio. The following children haxe been born to this union :
John Halm, Craig Francis, Nina Jane, Margaret and Mar}'. Soon
after President AA'ilson declared war against Germany, Mr. Culli-
nan was an important factor in developing the Federal Food Law
and assisting Mr. Hoover in organizing the Food Administration.
He is President of the Houston Chamber of Commerce and is
rated high in the financial world.
In politics Mr. Cullinan affiliates with the Democratic Party.

Texas — The Country and Its Men 767

JOSEPH S. CULLINAN

768 Texas — The Country and Its Men

IMPEACHMENT OF GOVERNOR
JAMES E. FERGUSON

N'ARIOUS CHARGES OF MALFEASANCE AND CORRUPTION IN OFFICE
CHARGED AGAINST HIM BEFORE THE THIRTY-FIFTH LEGIS
LATURE, CHARGES UNANIMOUSLY SUSTAINED BY AN
INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE. HE ESCAPED TRIAL
FOR IMPEACHMENT ON ACCOUNT OF THE
NEAR APPROACH OF THE ADJOURN
MENT OF THE THIRTY-FIFTH
LEGISLATURE
Governor James E. Ferguson, the twenty-fifth Governor
of Texas, is the first Chief Executive of Texas who has ever
been charged with corruption in office. For the want of space
we cannot go deeper into the Ferguson Administration than to
give the resolutions which were introduced by Hon. H. P. Davis
of Van Zandt County in the Thirty-Fifth Legislature and the re
sults of the findings of the committee of nine to whom the reso
lution was referred. In selecting this committee, Hon. F. O.
Fuller, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Thirty
Fifth Legislature, carefully selected the nine members from the
ablest men of that body. Their unanimous report, which is given
below, was regarded as a great victory for the Governor, inas
much as they did not recommend his impeachment.
RELATING TO CHARGES AGAINST THE GOVERNOR
Mr. Davis of Van Zandt offered the following privileged
resolution :
Honorable F. O. Fuller, Speaker, and Members of the House of
Representatives :
I, H. P. Davis, Representative of the Twenty-Ninth Repre
sentative District of the State of Texas, am informed "and be
lieve and under the solemnity of my oath of office, do hereby
represent and charge :
I. That James E. Ferguson, Governor of the State of

Texas — The Country and Its Men 769
Texas, has at various and sundry times during the year 191 5 and
1916 and during his tenure of office as Governor of the State of
Texas misapplied and misappropriated the public funds of the
State of Texas in violation of the Constitution of the said State
and in conflict with the plain decisions of the courts of the State.
2. That he has misapplied and misused a large part of a
certain appropriation made by the Thirty-Fourth Legislature,
amounting to $10,000, and specifically described on page 130 of
the General and Special Laws of the State of Texas, First Called
Session, as follows :
For Governor's Mansion and Grounds and necessary labor
to care for same,
1916  $2,000
1917  2,000
Labor and employes at Mansion for year
ending August 31, 1916  1,000
Fuel, lights, water and incidentals, for year
ending August 31, 1916  2,000
For year ending August 31, 191 7  2,000
3. That he has not only misapplied and misused a large
part of said appropriations, but in addition thereto, in utter dis
regard of the Constitution, the decisions of the courts and his
oath of office, he has approved for payment by the State ac
counts for merchandise and many articles for which he owes
and is personally liable, and, on said approved accounts, defi
ciency certificates have heretofore been issued.
4. That in violation of the ConstUution and laws of the
State of Texas he has misapplied and misused a large part of an
appropriation made by the Thirty-Fourth Legislature of . said
State described on page 219 of the General Laws, First CaUed
Session, and described as follows: "Payment of rewards and
other expenses necessary for the enforcement of the laws, litho
graphing, telegraphing and for other purposes, $7,500."
5. That in violation of the laws and the Constitution of
the State of Texas he has approved accounts for articles pur
chased for his personal use and for the use of his family and
household as charges against the State of Texas, some of which
accounts have been paid out of appropriations already made by

770 Texas — The Country and Its Men
the . Thirty-Fourth Legislature, and some of which have been
made the basis for deficiency certificates issued by the Comp
troller of said State.
6. That in violation of the Banking Laws of this State, he,
wliile an officer of a State bank, towit, the Temple State Bank,
became indebted to said bank in a sum in excess of the amount
allowed by statutes, and in so becoming indebted to said bank
he violated both the civil and criminal statutes of the State of
Texas ; that his connections with said bank and his indebtedness
thereto were unknown to the people of the State when they
elected him to the great office of Governor the first and second
times — that the people were misled and deceived by him, and
his said transactions with said bank were concealed from them.
7. That he is now indebted to said bank, unless the amount
has been reduced or paid within the past twenty days, about
$170,000. That prior to, or about the ist of December, 1916,
he was indebted to said bank in the sum of approximately $120,-
000, a large part of which amount had been incurred for a long
period of time prior to that date, and said amount, if secured to
any extent, was inadequately secured. That the president of said
bank, and some of its officers had been endeavoring to collect
said amount and had been urging the payment thereof by the
said James E. Ferguson, and had declined to allow the said
Ferguson to increase his indebtedness to said bank. That
the cashier of said bank, one Hughes, well knowing that
the said Ferguson owed said bank said amount, and that the
same was far in excess of the amount allowed by the Banking
Laws of the State of Texas to be loaned to one person, and
that said amount had been loaned in violation of the said statutes,
on or about the 5th day of December, 1916, loaned the said Fer
guson an additional amount and allowed him, the said Ferguson,
to withdraw same from said bank. The said sum so loaned by
said Hughes to said Ferguson was between $30,000 and $50,-
000, and said additional loan increased the said indebtedness of
the said Ferguson to about $170,000. That at the time, in De
cember, 1916, the said loan was made to the said Ferguson and
the facts and circumstances under which the same was made
constituted a wilful misapplication of the funds of said Temple

Texas — The Country and Its Men 771
State Bank, which offense, under the statutes of this State, con
stitutes a felony punishable upon conviction by imprisonment in
the State penitentiary for a term of not less than five nor more
than ten years. That under said statutes any one who aids and
abets an officer of a State bank in the wilful misapplication of
the funds of a bank is also guUty of a criminal offense. That
the said James E. Ferguson aided and abetted the said officer
of said bank in the wilful misapplication of the funds of said bank
and in violation of the plain provisions of the Banking Laws of
this State. That in addition, under the conspiracy statutes of
this State, the said James E. Ferguson and the said officers of
said bank would be guilty, and it is here now charged that they
are guUty of a criminal violation of the Banking Laws of this
State. That aU of the loans made by the Governor, including
the loan in December, 1916, were made in violation of the spirit
and the letter of the Banking Laws of this State. That the
transactions of said Ferguson with said bank, and the loans
made to him by it, and the violations of the law in connection
with said loans were concealed from the people of the State of
Texas by the said Ferguson and were unknown to the people
at the time he was elected Governor in 1914 and 1916 and were
not disclosed and known by the people untU about February 20,
191 7, when the president of said bank, H. C. Poe, made a par
tial statement of said Ferguson's transactions with said bank as
shown by a true copy of said statement marked "Exhibit A" and
made a part thereof.
8. That said James E. Ferguson, Governor of the State of
Texas, executed certain mortgages to the said Temple State Bank
to secure aU or a part of his indebtedness thereto and requested
the officers of said bank to withhold same from record in order
that he might be relieved from crUicism of his political opponents,
and said mortgages were so withheld. That while said mort
gages were so being withheld from record by the officers of said
bank, the said James E. Ferguson executed other mortgages to
other' parties on the same property, or a large part thereof, and
said other mortgages were placed of record before the mortgages
to said bank were recorded, thereby making the mortgages and
security of said bank subject to the liens of said other mort-

772 Texas — The Country and Its Men
gages, all of which is fully shown by the said statement of the
said H. C. Poe, President of said bank, heretofore made an ex
hibit to and a part hereof.
9. That the said Temple State Bank accepted what is known
as the "bonding plan" to secure its depositors, and did not be
come a beneficiary of the bank guaranty fund. That many of
the officers and stockholders of said bank were and now are
on said bond. That within the past ninety days that said bank
has made an application under the law to change from the bond
ing plan to the guaranty fund plan in order that said bondsmen
may be relieved from liabUity on said bond in case of a faUure
of said bank by reason of the indebtedness of the said Ferguson
to it, and have been and are now endeavoring to have said lia
bility transferred to said fund, which is strictly a sacred trust
fund belonging to the State banks of the State of Texas. That
the said -James E. Ferguson has been and is now cognizant of
the effort of said bondsmen to secure their release from said bond,
and approves same.
10. That .the Commissioner of Insurance and Banking, Hon.
Charles O. Austin, has been since his appointment to the office
by the said James E. Ferguson, Governor of the State of Texas,
cognizant of all the facts with reference to the indebtedness of
the said Ferguson to said bank, and has had full reports relative
to said indebtedness and said transactions made to him by the
State bank examiners and by H. C. Poe, and, although requested
to do so, he has faded and refused and still faUs and refuses
to require the said Ferguson to pay said indebtedness to said
bank. That the said Charles O. Austin knew that the transac
tions and loans of said James E. Ferguson with said bank, and
the acts of the officers of the said bank in making said loans
to him, were in violation of the civil and criminal provisions of
the State banking laws of the State of Texas, and notwith
standing such knowledge, with the acquiescence and approval of
the said James E. Ferguson, Governor of the State of Texas,
he refused to enforce said banking laws as to said bank. That
by his course in said matter the said C. O. Austin became a
party to the violations of the banking laws of the State of Texas.
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the public good, the
cause of truth and justice to all parties and all officers concerned

Texas — The Country and Its Men 773
requires that a full, fair and impartial investigation be made by
this Legislature, that all the facts which would show or tend to
show the truth about the acts herein enumerated, and which will
enable this Legislature to take such action as the facts developed
may require, and to pass such laws as may be necessary to pre
vent a repetition of such transactions, and for this purpose a
committee of seven shall be selected from this House. Said com
mittee shall be organized by electing one of its members chair
man and one secretary, and shall have authority to employ such
stenographers and clerks as may be deemed necessary, and to
call upon the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House for service of pro
cess and enforcement of its orders. Said committee shall be and
the same is hereby vested with the power to issue process, sum
mons witnesses, to take and have taken depositions in such man
ner and with such notice as it may be ordered, to compel the
production before it of any papers, loans, books or documents
for the purpose of securing testimony. It is hereby vested with
all the powers now vested in the district courts of this State;
that each member of said committee is hereby vested with the
power to administer oaths ; that the method of implied procedure
in gathering evidence as well as in the prosecution of the work
for which it is constituted shall be within the discretion of the
committee, and said committee shall have power to take and keep
a record of any and all transactions of the said parties herein
before mentioned which come under the observation of said com
mittee during its investigation, and which may either directly
or collaterally concern the official conduct of the said officers
hereinbefore mentioned, or which may show or tend to show
any violations of the laws of this State by said parties. Said*
witnesses shall be paid in the same manner and amount as is pro
vided for witnesses summoned before the House and any of its
committees. The sessions of said commUtee shall be open, and
it is hereby authorized to sU and hold its sessions at- any place
within the State of Texas for the purpose of securing and tak
ing such testimony of the wUnesses as can be procured to be
brought before U at the Capitol of the State, or which may be
inaccessible to the committee without such sitting at other points
than the' Capitol. The committee is hereby given authority to

774 Texas — The Country and Its Men
employ counsel to represent it and the public, and any officer
whose transactions may be deemed the subject of inquiry by the
committee shall have the right to be represented by counsel and
shall be entitled to participate in the conduct of the investigation
with the same powers, duties and privileges as belong to any at
torney-at-law - representing parties in any of the courts of this
State, and each shall have the right, and the duty of said com
mittee, or any individual member thereof, to interrogate any and
all witnesses which may be brought before it in such a manner
and to such an extent as may be necessary to develop the full
truth and all the facts related to the matters herein enumerated,
and such other matters as said committee may investigate. Said
committee, however, shall not be restricted to any rule of evi
dence in procuring evidence, but shall obtain the facts regard
less of the usual rules of evidence.
The report of said committee shall contain a correct and ac
curate stenographic transcript of all proceedings had in and be
fore said committee, giving questions, answers, objections to
evidence, ruling thereon, names of parties and disposition thereof,
or used in evidence before said committee, including the trans
cript and the entries in all books or accounts, showing or offer
ing any light on any of the transactions hereinbefore mentioned,
together with such recommendations as the committee, or any
member thereof, shall see fit and proper to make to the House,
and it shall be recorded at length in the Journal of the House.
The necessary traveling and personal expenses, retainers and
fees paid counsel, all witness fees, mileage, and all other expenses
of said committee to be paid out of the contingent fund of the
House upon accounts duly approved by the chairman of said
committee. The said committee in addition to making a report of the
facts ascertained by it, shall and is hereby instructed, in case it
finds the' allegations and charges herein made true, in whole or
in part, to prepare and submit with its report such specific
charges as may be the basis, or may be necessary in impeach
ment proceedings against the said James E. Ferguson, Governor
of the State of Texas, before the Senate of said State.
The said committee of seven to be appointed by the Speak-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 775
er of the House of Representatives. H. P. Davis.
Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 3d day of March,
A. D. 1917.
(Seal) Haskell Smith,
Notary Public in and for Travis County, Texas.
report of investigating committee
The Speaker laid before the House, for consideration at this
time, the foUowing report, which was read to the House :
Committee Room,
Austin, Texas, March 15, 191 7.
Hon. F. O. Fuller, Speaker of the House of Representatives :
Sir : We, your committee appointed to investigate the charges
filed in the House of Representatives on March 3, 191 7, by Hon.
H. P. Davis, Representative in said Legislature, against Gov
ernor James E. Ferguson, beg leave to report as follows :
The resolution as amended and adopted by the House on
March 6, 191 7, provides that "the committee shall at the conclu
sion of the taking of testimony make a report of Us findings to
the House, and the House shaU thereupon take such action upon
the same as it shaU deem proper and just in the premises."
The committee will take up the charges seriatim, and here
now make their findings, as follows :
I. This charge, in substance, is that James E. Ferguson,
Governor of the State of Texas, during the years 1915 and 1916,
misapplied and misappropriated the public funds of the State of
Texas, in violation of the Constitution of said State, and in con
flict with the plain decisions of the courts of this State. The
committee finds that the said James E. Ferguson did misapply
and misappropriate public funds of the State of Texas, in viola
tion of the Constitution of said State, during the time herein
charged, in that he did use certain public funds in the purchase
of groceries, butter and eggs, meats, chickens, vegetables, feed
stuffs and automobile supplies. The appropriation made by the
Thirty-Fourth Legislature for the years ending August 31, 1916,
and August 31, 1917, provided for "fuel, lights, water, ice and
incidentals, $2,000 for each year." The committee make no criti
cism of the fuel, lights, water and ice, although many of the
commUtee doubt the constitutionality of these items, and the

776 Texas — The Country and Its Men
evidence before the committee shows the committee beyond a
qustion that these items have been paid for, for many years past,
and no serious question has ever arisen concerning same, and
the attorney for proponent raised no objection concerning same,
and no court has ever passed upon these particular items in any
appropriation bill. Inasmuch, however, as the district court.
Court of Civil Appeals, and the Supreme Court of this State
(although the latter has not yet acted upon a motion for re
hearing) did in the case of Terrell vs. Middleton, reported in
the 187 Southwestern, decide that groceries could not be paid
for out of such appropriation, and the committee think it not de
batable that groceries could not be included in the term "in
cidentals." Said appropriation for "fuel, lights, water, ice and
incidentals" was more than consumed by Governor Ferguson, a
very large portion of which was for groceries and the other items
above mentioned, and in addition thereto deficiency warrants
have been issued for an amount considerably in excess of the
appropriation. 2. Answering the allegations of the second charge in the
resolution, the committee find that there was no misapplication
or misuse of any of the appropriation made by the Thirty-Fourth
Legislature for the Governor's Mansion, including repairs and
improvements to mansion and grounds and necessary labor and
employes to care for same. Neither does the committee find that
there was any misapplication or misuse of any of said appropria
tion for fuel, lights, water and ice, but about this the commit
tee has the same doubts as to the constitutionality of the same
as expressed in paragraph i above; but the committee does find
that the expenditures made for so-called "incidentals" for the
year ending August 31, 1916, including groceries, meats, vege
tables, butter and eggs, chickens, feedstuffs and automobUe sup
plies was not warranted by law.
3. Answering the charge contained in the fourth paragraph
of the resolution, in which the charge is made that the said Gov
ernor James E. Ferguson did misapply and misuse a large part
of said appropriations, and in addition thereto that he has ap
proved for payment by State accounts for merchandise and many
articles for which he owes and is personally liable, and that he

Texas — The Country and Its Men 777
has approved deficiency certificates, the committee find that the
said Ferguson has not only misapplied and misused a part of
said appropriations for the purchase of groceries and like sup
plies, but that he has in addition approved deficiency accounts
in excess thereof to cover groceries and simUar items which are
not properly chargeable to the State, and were for his personal
and private use.
4. Answering the fourth charge in said resolution, wherein
it is charged in substance that Governor James E. Ferguson did,
in violation of the Constitution and laws of this State, misapply
and misuse a large part of an appropriation made by the Thirty-
Fourth Legislature, and reading as follows : "Payment of re
wards and other expenses necessary for the enforcement of the
laws, lithographing, telegraphing and for other purposes, $7,500,"
the committee find that the said Ferguson did not, with any
fraudulent intent or bad faith, misapply or misuse any part of
this appropriation. The evidence shows that the only items ex
pended out of said appropriation about which any isslie was
made before the committee was an expenditure of $251 to .pay
the traveling expenses of C. C. McDonald to Washington, in an
effort to enforce the quarantine laws, as well as to reduce a claim
that the national government had against the State of Texas for
mUitary supplies which had been stolen from the Texas National
Guard, and which claim was properly chargeable against this
State. The committee find that this was a legitimate expendi
ture. The committee also find that the traveling expenses of
Governor Ferguson to Washington and New York,, amounting to
about $260, and charged to his "traveling expense account," for
which an appropriation had been made, was also entirely proper.
The only other item paid out of this appropriation was for the
services of Mr. W. N. Craddock, who for several months rep
resented the Governor in visUing State instUutions and ascer
taining the financial needs thereof, as well as attending sessions
of the appropriation committee to assist in determining the needs
of the various institutions. As it turned out, this proved to be
a beneficial expenditure of public money, but the committee is
of the opinion that whUe the employment was in the utmost good
faith, and valuable service was rendered, yet, that this was a

778 Texas — The Country and Its Men
dangerous precedent, and that the Constitution and laws, as well
as the intent of the Legislature, was not to use money appro
priated for the "enforcement of the law" for such purposes.
5. Answering the fifth charge of said resolution, the com
mittee refers to its answers to the first, second and third para
graphs above and does find that said James E. Ferguson did, in
violation of the Constitution and laws of this State, approve ac
counts for articles purchased for his personal use and for the
use of his family and household, such as groceries, vegetables,
butter and eggs, meats, chickens, feedstuffs and automobUe sup-
pHes; and the committee further find that such articles have
been made the basis for deficiency warrants issued by the Comp
troller of this State.
6. Answering the sixth charge set out in the resolution,
relative to the said Ferguson having violated the banking laws
of this State, the committee find that the said Ferguson has
since his tenure of office, knowingly, become indebted to the
Temple State Bank in a sum in excess of the amount allowed
by statutes. The committee find that the said James E. Fergu
son, since his inauguration as Governor in January, 1915, has
been neither an officer nor a director of said bank. The com
mittee does, however, find that as Governor of this State he is
under oath to see to it that the laws are faithfully executed, and
that he did, knowingly, permit and encourage the officers of said
bank to violate the statutes of this State which provide in sub
stance that no person shall be permitted to borrow more than
thirty per cent of the capital stock of any bank, the capital stock
of said Temple State Bank being at that time $125,000 and the
surplus about $35,000, and his personal loans aggregating about
$80,000. Answering' further the sixth charge of said resolution, the
committee make no finding as to whether his indebtedness was
unknown to the people of this State when they elected him, and
that they were misled and deceived by him in that regard, because
no evidence was introduced upon this question.
7. Answering the seventh charge of said resolution, the
committee find that the said Ferguson is not now and never has
been personally indebted to the Temple State Bank in the sum

Texas — The Country and Its Men 779
of $170,000. It does find that up until about a month ago he
was for his personal account and for the Bell-Bosque Stock Farm,
of which he and his wife were the principal owners, and for
certain accommodation paper for which he was personally liable,
and which he owed said bank approximately $170,000; that said
indebtedness had all accumulated since he became Governor and
since he ceased to be an officer or director of said bank except
about $12,000, which he personally owed said bank at the time
he became Govemor; and $30,000 which the Bell-Bosque ranch
owed; that said indebtedness has accumulated since that time,
and whUe the committee find that it may have not been secured
by any liens of record, yet, it does find that the assets of said
Ferguson were more than amply sufficient to fully protect said
indebtedness. The commitee does further find that beginning
with last April the officers and directors of said bank did, by
correspondence as well as resolutions (entered upon the minutes
of said bank), endeavor to reduce the indebtedness of said Fer
guson. The committee further find that one Hughes, men
tioned in the resolution, did not loan the said Ferguson, about
December 5, 1916, an additional sum of between $30,000 and
$50,000, nor did the said Ferguson and the said Hughes enter
into any conspiracy, as charged, to violate the banking laws of
this State, and neither was guUty of a wilful or felonious mis
application of the funds of said bank, in connection with any
notes taken at that time, the findings of the committee being
that the said Ferguson was asked by the said Hughes, in writing,
to execute two notes aggregating the sum of $50,000 with which
to take up the overdraft of said Ferguson in the bank at that
time. The committee further find in connection with this trans
action that the said Ferguson did not procure any loan or any
sum of money whatever at that time, but only executed notes for
his overdrafts. The committee does not find that all of the
loans made by said bank to Governor Ferguson in excess of
thirty per cent of the capital and surplus of said bank were
made in violation of the letter of the banking laws of this State,
and as Governor of this State, charged with the enforcement
of aU laws, he did violate the letter of the law and acquiesced
in and encouraged its violation by the officers of said bank.

780 Texas — The Country and Its Men
In this connection, however, the committee say that it does not-
believe there was any wilful or criminal intent upon the part of
said James E. Ferguson to defraud said bank or its depositors
or to cause them any loss, and further find it to be at that
all of the personal indebtedness of said Ferguson due said bank
has since been paid, and that he is no longer responsible to said
bank for any indebtedness except one note of $37,500 owing
by the Bell-Bosque Stock Farm, and which said loan is not in
excess of the amount permitted by law and is amply secured.
Answering further and undertaking to answer all the al
legations in this paragraph of the resolution, as well as all others,
the committee make no finding as to whether these facts were
unknown or concealed from the public at the time James E.
Ferguson was elected Governor in 1914 and 1916, because no
evidence was introduced upon that question.
8. Answering the eighth charge in said resolution, the com
mittee find that the said James E. Ferguson did execute certain
mortgages to the Temple State Bank to secure a part of his
indebtedness thereto, and the committee further find that said
Ferguson did not request the officers of said bank to withhold
same from record in order that he might be relieved from criti
cism of his political opponents. The committee find that the
said Ferguson subsequently executed another mortgage to the
American National Bank of Austin, and nothing was said or
asked about any existing mortgages. The committee find that
the Temple State Bank began to complain of his indebtedness
long before the execution of other mortgages to other parties,
and said Temple State Bank had, ample time and opportunity
to have recorded its mortgage, if it had so desired. The commit
tee further find that said last named mortgages were on addi
tional property amounting to more than 900 acres of valuable
land not included in the mortgage to said Temple State Bank.
In this connection, the committee repeats what it has heretofore
said, that all of the personal indebtedness due said Temple State
Bank by the said James E. Ferguson has been fully paid.
9. Answering the ninth charge contained in said resolu
tion, relative to the Temple State Bank undertaking to change
from the bonding plan to secure its depositors to the bank guar-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 781
anty fund plan, the committee find that said bank during last
year was operating under the bonding plan, and furthermore that
it has for this year executed a new bond under the same plan.
There was hearsay testimony that such a plan for change was
once contemplated, but there was no evidence as to whether the
idea has been abandoned or not, and no further evidence -was
introduced before the committee concerning the matter.
lo. Answering the tenth charge contained in said resolu
tion, relative to the Commissioner of Insurance and Banking,
Hon. Charles O. Austin, being cognizant of the violation of the
banking laws by the Temple State Bank in extending an ex
cessive line of credit to Governor James E. Ferguson, the com
mittee find that beginning with AprU of 1916 the examiners of
said department, in the most commendable performance of their
duty, furnished said department official reports of the violation
of the banking laws of this State by said bank in extending an
over-line of credit to said Ferguson; that other reports subse
quent to that time and simUar in nature were also filed with
said department; that the Commissioner of said department up
until about September i, 1916, is dead, and that about Septem
ber I, 1916, the Hon. C. O. Austin was appointed to said office,
and the committee find that he did not actually know the condi
tion of said loans by said bank until about January 4, 191 7, but
we believe in the exercise of reasonable diligence he should have
ascertained said facts prior to said time.
The committee further find, as heretofore stated, that said
excessive loans were in violation of the laws of this State, but
the committee further find that there was no collusion or con
spiracy between the said Austin and the said Ferguson to violate
the banking laws, and that, in fact, said Ferguson did not up
untU about January i, 1917, have any conference with said
Commissioner concerning his said loans, and then only in an ef
fort to readjust and secure the same.
In conclusion, the committee begs leave to report to the
House that the most serious charges contained in the resolution

782 Texas — The Country and Its Men •
are those concerning the purchase of groceries and like articles,
and bank transactions. We think the purchase of groceries for
the Governor and his family is subject to just criticism because
in contravention of the Constitution and in violation of the de
cisions of the courts, but it is only fair to state in this connec
tion that past Legislatures, including the Thirty-Fourth, have
been making gradual encroachments upon the Constitution in an
effort to do indirectly what it could not do directly, and sup
plement the meager salary now paid the Governor by furnishing
such things at the Mansion as fuel, lights, water and ice. We
think these facts, together with his sworn statement that he will
promptly repay to the State any amount which the Supreme
Court shall finally decide is not properly chargeable to the State,
should be considered in connection with the good faith of the
Governor, and we are, therefore, of the opinion that said trans
actions are not sufficient to justify the filing of impeachment
proceedings. Relative to the transactions between the Governor and the
Temple State Bank, we beg to say that in our judgment they
are deserving of the severest criticism and condemnation. As
Governor of the State he was and is charged with the enforce
ment of all laws. The large sum of money borrowed by him
from said bank, and far in exces's of its capital and surplus, w^as
a plain violation at least of the letter of the law. All laws,
regardless of what any man may think about them, should be
fairly and impartially enforced. He, knowingly, encouraged the
officers of the bank to violate the banking law, and we neither
excuse nor condone the same. In view, however, of his pre
vious connection with said bank, and of the history of the trans
actions involved, the payment of his entire personal indebted
ness, and after undertaking to pass impartially upon all facts and
circumstances before us, our conclusion is that said conduct was
unjustified and wholly unwarranted, but does not merit the se
vere pains and penalties of impeachment.
In connection herewith we submit a stenographic report of
the evidence taken in accordance with the terms of the resolu
tion under which the investigation was held. A full statement of

Texas — The Country and Its Men 783
all expenses incurred are on file with the Committee on Con
tingent Expenses. Respectfully submitted,
Bledsoe, Miller of Dallas,-
Thomason of El Paso,
Pope,
Bryan, Carlock,Fly, Bryant,
McMillin.
Question recurring on the report, it was adopted.

The people of Texas did not approve of the suspended sen
tence by the House of Governor Ferguson, and a clamor for im
peachment swept over the State, which practically forced Speaker
FuUer to reconvene the Legislature in special session for the pur
pose of impeaching the Governor. He issued his proclamation
for the House of Representatives to convene on August the first
to consider the impeachment trial. Governor Ferguson also
issued his proclamation for both branches of the Legislature to
meet on that date. The House, by an almost unanimous vote,
presented to the Senate twenty-one charges of malfeasance and
corruption in office. The Senate was sworn in as a High Court of
Impeachment by Chief Justice Nelson Phillips, and ten of the
twenty-one charges were sustained by the Senate mainly by a vote
of 27 to 4, September 22, 191 7. The expulsion of the Governor
from office disbars him from ever holding office in this State
again. Before his impeachment the Grand Jury of Travis County,
composed of the best men of the County, was convened and they
returned into Court nine felony indictments against the Governor.
The following able article- from the Houston Post in regard
to the criminal indictments, is self-explanatory :

784 Texas — The Country and Its Men

THE FACTS ABOUT THOSE FAMOUS
CASES AT AUSTIN

imnDmiitinniuiiiiitsimiiiinK

they were never considered on their merits, as erroneously
proclaimed by certain partisans and newspapers,
but were the victims of legal techni
calities ; an accurate analysis
made from the court
RECORD.
By Upshur Vincent, Sp-ecial Staff Correspondent.
Austin, Texas, Dec. 22. — Since Judge James R. Hamilton on
December 11 found it necessary to dismiss the cases then pend
ing in the Travis County Criminal District Court against James
E. Ferguson, there has been a well defined effort on the part of
the defendant and his henchmen throughout the State to predicate
upon that action the statement that the defendant was innocent;
that the charges brought against him were for political purposes
only ; that the merits of the case were gone into and that the Court
was convinced that no guUt could be attached to the said
Ferguson. Some of the newspapers of the State have foUowed the lead
of the defendant in those cases and have in their news and edi
torial columns led their readers to believe that Judge Hamilton
entered into the merits of the charges and found nothing to sus
tain them. Such was not the case, and there are no facts of record in
the Travis County Court which show any investigation on the
part of the Court into the truth or falsity of the charges.
What does appear in those records is that the indictments
were drawn in a faulty manner by the District Attorney. That
the allegations do not correspond with the facts as stated to the
Court by the District Attorney, was the basis upon which most
of the cases were dismissed. The District Attorney drew up the
indictments. The District Attorney made the verbal statement

Texas — The Country and Its Men 785

of facts. The District Attorney made the motions to have the
indictments quashed and the cases dismissed.
The fact of the business is that Distrit Attorney Shelton did
not assist the Grand Jury from the beginning in carrying out the
instructions of Judge Hamilton to investigate all departments of
the State Government. In fact, he exerted himself to the end
that the investigation be dropped and the indictmeuts be not
brought. Actual proof that the Prosecuting Attorney was not acting
in behalf of the State in those cases, came after the Grand Jury
had been engaged in the investigation some little while, and after
District Attorney Shelton had insisted that there was nothing in
those cases and that they were wasting time in the investigation.
district attorney kept DEFENDANT INFORMED OF PROCEEDINGS
It was when District Attorney Shelton saw that the Grand
Jury was going to carry out the instructions of the Court, and
proceed with the investigation, that Governor Ferguson appeared
with his body guard of State Rangers at the Grand Jury room
and asked that he be heard. He was not called before that body.
But he was heard by them. And several times he made use of
the expression that he knew "what the Grand Jury was doing."
Finally, the defendant was asked by a member of the Grand Jury
how he knew — who had informed him of the actions of the
Grand Jury?
The defendant hesitated, asked that the question be repeated,
then turning to the District Attorney, said, "I believe you told
me, didn't you, John?" and the District Attorney indicated that
he did. It was thus that the defendant knew all along just what
stage the Grand Jury investigation had reached — and in some
way the news became the public property of all his friends.
It is provided that the proceedings of the Grand Jury shall
be kept secret. Especially was U intended that the person under
investigation by a Grand Jury should not be informed of that
fact untU an indictment was drawn and the defendant arrested.

786 Texas — The Country and Its Men

But the District Attorney had no qualms of conscience in thus
violating that law and the rules of the Grand Jury room as weU.
And with the knowledge that this was the attitude of the
District Attorney, the members of that Grand Jury could not
have been expected to accept his word that no conviction could
be had on the evidence which they heard with their own ears.
PLENTY OF EVIDENCE TO SUSTAIN GRAND JURY CHARGES
As a matter of fact the members of that Grand Jury had
ample evidence before them to sustain the charges brought. The
Grand Jury men do not make any "plea" that they "felt that a
further inquiry would bring forth whatever additional evidence
might be needed to convict."
The charges found by the Grand Jury were based on the
evidence before them and upon their oaths as Grand Jury men.
Every bit of evidence necessary to convict upon every charge
made by them was presented to them by credible witnesses —
and had the Grand Jury refused to present those charges they
would have violated their solemn oaths.
There was nothing of politics in the bringing of those charges
against the Governor and the other defendants indicted with him.
No politician had aught to do with the investigating of the Gov
ernor. No former student of the University of Texas had aught
to do with the pressing of those charges. No politician and no
friend of the University was before the Grand Jury in any of
the investigation connected with the finding of these charges.
The question of prohibition did not enter into the matter in any
wise. FRIENDS OF FERGUSON WERE ON THE GRAND JURY
On the other hand, there were strong friends of the then
Governor among the men, who brought the charges. And there
were strong antiprohibitionists among them, too. That Grand
Jury did not want to bring criminal charges against Governor
Ferguson, and it was with sorrow that they found themselves
forced so to do.
The Grand Jury was largely in the same position that the
Texas Senate was when it tried Governor Ferguson on the
charges preferred by the Lower House of the Legislature. The

Texas — The Country and Its Men 787
Senators did not want to convict Ferguson. They did not want
to impeach him. At least one member of that body talked to the
present writer with tears in his eyes of the vote that he must
cast against Governor Ferguson. "It is the saddest act of my
life," said that Senator, "but I have got to do U. There is no
other way out of it with honor — I can not violate my oath taken
as a member of this High Court of Impeachment."
That man is one of the best friends that Ferguson ever had.
He did not vote to impeach Governor Ferguson because any
Grand Jury found indictments against him. He did not vote to
impeach Governor Ferguson because of any University influence
brought to bear upon him. He did not vote to impeach Governor
Ferguson because of any political influence brought to bear. It
was none of these things that caused this man and the Senate
of Texas to impeach Ferguson. That action was taken because
the evidence before the Senate, sitting as a High Court, was con
clusive of the guilt of the Governor.
It was the same way with the Grand Jury charges. They
were based entirely on the evidence brought before that Grand
Jury and believed by them to be true.
HOW the senate voted on these grand jury charges
The action of the Grand Jury was thoroughly vindicated
when the Senate of the State of Texas convicted Governor Fer
guson upon every riiaterial charge made by the Grand Jury.
That trial in the Senate was no ex parte proceeding. The de
fendant was allowed to bring before the Senators every bit of
proof that he could gather, tending to show his innocence. The
defendant, himself, spent hours on the stand— and it was largely
upon his own evidence that he was convicted and removed from
office. The first charge investigated and presented by the Grand
Jury conemed the diversion of the "Governor's Mansion fund"
by Ferguson and Us expenditure for groceries and other merchan
dise for himself and his family. This is the famous "chicken
salad" case. The charge before the Senate concerned only Gov
ernor Ferguson's violation of his express promise to pay back
the money he had expended in this way; and the vote of fifteen

788 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Senators was reported in favor of his conviction. Manifestly
there would have been no occasion for paying this money back
had it not been taken.
The Court entered on the docket this order in the case, under
date of December ii, after having overruled a motion to quash
the indictment :
"Written motion of District Attorney to dismiss this'
case presented in open Court. Motion to dismiss said cause
heard and considered by the Court and cause dismissed on
the ground, among other things, that the State has not and
can not procure sufficient evidence to warrant or sustain a
conviction ; and on the verbal statement by the District At
torney, made to the Court in open Court, in the event that
said motion to dismiss this cause was by the Court over
ruled, he — the District Attorney — would make the same
statement to the Jury and ask for a verdict of not guilty."
Thus the District Attorney sets up his judgment against that
of the members of the Lower House of the Legislature, who
indicted Ferguson on this charge, and against that of the mem
bers of the Grand Jury who indicted Ferguson on this charge.
THE matter of THE $5600-N0TE OWED TO THE TEMPLE BANK
The third and fourth charges presented by the Grand
Jury concerned the matter of embezzlement of $5,600, then in the
Temple State Bank, and its use to pay a private note of the de
fendant. The Senate of the State of Texas, assembled as a High Court
of Impeachment, and with all the evidence before it, found Gov
ernor Ferguson guilty on this charge by a vote of 27 to 4. Among
the twenty-seven men voting to convict were some of the stanch-
est friends that Ferguson ever had.
There was certainly no question in the minds of these friends
of Governor Ferguson that ample evidence was presented to war
rant them in convicting him on that charge. And surely, no one
will argue that the Grand Jury was not justified in finding a true
bill against the defendant in that case.
Certain other of the charges presented by the Grand Jury
related to various sums of money which came into the posses-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 789
sion of Governor Ferguson and were by him deposited in the
Temple State Bank instead of the State Treasury, as required
by law. On similar charges relating to these same deposits the
Senate found Governor Ferguson guilty. Members of the Senate
found, by a vote of 26 to 5, that Ferguson profited by the de
posits of the Canyon City Normal fund ; by a vote of 24 to 7, that
he profited by the deposit of State funds in the Temple bank;
by a vote of 26 to 5, that he assisted in the deposit of $250,000
of State funds in the Temple bank for profit ; and by a vote of 27
to 4, that he diverted Adjutant General's funds to pay for the
Canyon City Normal buildings. The Senate went thoroughly
into all these matters and the conviction voted by such men as
Hudspeth, Bee, McCullom, Harley, Bailey and Caldwell — all of
them close personal friends of Ferguson — was surely based only
on the evidence.
And as surely was the evidence brought before the Grand
Jury a sufficient base for the charges presented by that body
against Governor Ferguson.
the canyon city normal $100,000 building fund
The last indictment brought against Governor Ferguson re
lates to the $101,356.30, which Governor Colquitt turned over to
him when he assumed the office of Governor. The indictment
charges that he took it, misapplied it, and converted it to his own
use instead of placing it in the State Treasury, as required by law.
The High Court of Impeachment tried Mr. Ferguson upon
the charges that he profited by the deposits of the Canyon City
Normal fund and found him guilty by a vote of 26 to 5. That
Court tried him upon the charge that he diverted the funds of
the Adjutant General's Department and used them to replace
those taken from the Canyon City Normal fund, and found him
guilty by a vote of 27 to 4.
It would seem that if those two convictions were based upon
evidence, there must have been as a base for them the fact that
the Canyon City Normal fund was first diverted. And the Grand
Jury, in Us last indictment brought against the former Governor,
merely charged him with this original diverting of the funds.

790 Texas — The Country and Its Men
Surely it wUl not be argued that the Grand Jury was at fault in
finding such an indictment in view of the other developments in
that case. some history of the trial of these cases
There is much of interest in the Court procedure connected
with these cases. When they came up for trial on December ii,
the defendant, James E. Ferguson, presented and urged motions
to quash the indictments and recited the following reasons :
That they were defective because the Grand Jury re
turning them was not lawfully constituted.
That, he, James E, Ferguson, was not in law at any
time a receiver or depository of public money belonging
to the State of Texas ; and could not, in law, have received,
misapplied and converted to his own use, public moneys be
longing to the State of Texas by virtue of his office, and
for this reason said indictments charging misapplication of
public funds are insufficient and fatally defective.
That said indictments for misapplication of public funds
are fatally defective because of duplicity, in that the Dis
trict Attorney joined two separate and distinct offenses in
one count in the indictments.
That said indictments are defective because they faU
to allege the time when such moneys came into the hands
of the defendant by virtue of his office as Governor, or
when such moneys should have been paid into the State
Treasury by him.
Referring to the indictment which charges the defendant
with knowingly and wilfully borrowing, withholding and con
verting from its purpose a certain special fund appropriated by
the State Legislature for the specific purpose of purchasing for
the use of the Governor's Mansion and grounds, fuel, lights,
water, ice and incidentals, the defendant asked that this indict
ment be quashed for the additional reasons that :
The indictment is fatally defective because it fails to
name or define the specific fund referred to and the manner
of such diversion.
It is defective because it fails to allege the time when

Texas — The Country and Its Men 791
the money came into the hands of the defendant and the
time W'hen defendant should have paid same into the State
Treasury. Referring to the indictment in which the defendant was
charged with unlawfully and fraudulently misapplying and con
verting to his own use the sum of $5,600 which had come into
his possession and was in his care and control by virtue of his
office, defendant asked that it be quashed for the following ad
ditional reason :
That said indictment was fatally defective because it
faded to aUege that said embezzlement occurred without
the consent of the State of Texas.
That said indictment was fatally defective because it
faded to state how much money was consigned or turned
over to defendant.
none of these reasons showed innocence on the
part of ferguson
It wUl be observed that none of the alleged reasons given by
the defendant showed or sought to show that he was innocent of
the charges brought against him.
On the contrary, every reason advanced was a practical
admission of the truth of the charge, and was only an attempt
to gain the dismissal of the charges upon purely technical grounds.
The defendant did not attempt to show that he did not divert
and use for his own purposes and those of his family the special
fund known familiarly as the "chicken salad" money, as charged
by the Grand Jury.
The defendant did not show, or attempt to show, that he
did not on or about January 21, 1915, take, misapply and convert
to his own use the srmi of $5,081.11 as charged by the Grand
Jury- The defendant did not show, or attempt to show, that he did
not take for his own use and deprive the State of the $5,600 in
what is now known as the "Temple State Bank $56oo-note case,"
as charged by the Grand Jury.
The defendant did not show, or attempt to show, that he was
not guilty of the acts complained of in each of the other charges

792 Texas — The Country and Its Men
brought by the Grand Jury. He did not even refer to the truth
or the falsity of those charges in his pleas to the Court to dismiss
those cases. And the Judge of the Court did not consider in any
wise the truth or falsity of the charges when he entered upon
his dockets the orders releasing the defendant from the custody
of the State and dismissing the cases.
the opinion of the court and what it covers
Judge Hamilton in the written opinion he filed stated con
clusively his findings upon each of the propositions the defendant
advanced as basis for- his motions to dismiss the cases. The
Judge brushed aside all the small contentions of the defendant
in regard to the legality of the Grand Jury and decided that it
was legally empowered to indict. But the Court did find:
"That James E. Ferguson, as Governor of the State,
was not by law and by virtue of his office a receiver and
depository of public money, and the motion to quash the
indictments against the defendant for misapplication of
public money belonging to the State is sustained."
In view of that action the Court did not consider the other
arguments of the defendant.
In the "chicken salad case" the Court further held that the
reasons pleaded by defendant for quashing that indictment were
not good; and the same order was entered in the matter of the
$5,600 item.
These indictments were, however, dismissed by the general
opinion and order of the Court entered in all cases based upon
fatal dfefects in the drawing of the indictments by the District
Attorney. REGARDING THE CANYON CITY NORMAL INSURANCE MONEY
In the matter of the $101,000 Canyon City Normal insurance
money deposited with Ferguson by retiring Governor Colquitt, and
on which centered one charge presented by the Grand Jury, the
District Attorney filed a motion to dismiss, and assigned the fol
lowing reasons :
That the State was wholly without evidence to prove venue
in Travis County, because the State could not prove that the

Texas — The Country and Its Men 793
money was taken or received in Travis County, or was ever trans
ported into or through Travis County, and none of the circum
stances exist which could confer jurisdiction on a Travis County
Court; and "the District Attorn\;y represents to the Court that
each and all of the acts necessary to commit this offense were
wholly committed in BeU County, Texas, and the State has been
wholly unable to prove any necessary acts to have been com
mitted W'ithin this county."
Further, that the monies were in the Temple State Bank
and were not in a Travis County bank. That if any offense was
committed it was committed in Bell County and not in Travis.
"Wherefore the District Attorney is of the opinion that it
would be impossible for the State to secure a conviction, and if
a conviction were obtained, for the same to be permitted to stand
under the law, and he therefore respectfully requests that said
cause be dismissed."
The District Attorney also filed with Ihe Court a statement
of facts regarding the evidence in this case in which he says :
"* * * James E. Ferguson, Governor of Texas, was
indicted for the offense of embezzlement alleged to have
been committed in the County of Travis and State of
Texas, on or about the 23d day of August, 191 5.
"The facts in this case wUl show that * * * while said
money (the Canyon City Normal fund) was on deposit to
the account of the said James E. Ferguson, there was
charged to said account the sum of $5,600 at the Temple
State Bank in Temple, Bell County, Texas.
"That the money so charge to said account was a per
sonal obligation of the said James E. Ferguson, and in no
wise an obligation of the State, and ought not to have been
paid out of any money on deposit to James E. Ferguson
as Governor. "That aU of said transactions occurred in Temple, Bell
County, Texas.
"That I, as District Attorney, advised the Grand Jury
that in my opinion Travis County had no jurisdiction to try
this case against James E. Ferguson for embezzlement;

794 ¦ Texas — The Country and Its Men
but the Grand Jury returned said indictment and the same
is now pending in this Court.
"These are the facts with reference to jurisdiction,
and I submit them to the Court."
district attorney stated guilt of accused in above
It will be observed that the District Attorney, himself the
friend of Ferguson, and who had busied himself from the be
ginning in preventing, and trying to prevent, the bringing of in
dictments against the accused, admitted in the above statement
of facts that the Governor was guilty. Here are the words of
the District Attorney :
"The facts in this case will show, that * * * the money so
charged (the $5,600) to said account of the said James E. Fergu
son and in no wise an obligation of the State, and ought not to
have been paid out of any money on deposit to James E. Fergu
son as Governor." 1
There is no question of guilt in this statement of facts drawn
by the friendly attorney. Mr. .Shelton did not attempt here to
shield the accused. What he did seek was to convince the Court
that Bell County was the place where the offense w^as committed
and that Bell County was the place where the case should be
tried. how the court disposed of these contentions
Judge Hamilton, in his opinion filed in answer to the motion
recited above, had this to say :
"The indictment in this case alleges that the defend
ant did in Travis County, Texas, unlawfully and fraudu
lently embezzle and fraudulently misapply and convert to
his own use certain money * * * viz : The sum of
$5,600, etc."
And the Court quotes from the statement of facts as given
by the District Attorney in the following manner :
"The District Attorney in his motion to dismiss this
case in paragraphs 2 and 3 says : 'O. B. Colquitt as Gov
ernor of the State of Texas turned over to the defendant,
James E. Ferguson, Governor of Texas, $101,000 by de-

Texas — The Country and Its Men 795
livering to the said James E. Ferguson certain deficiency
warrants, certain certificates of deposit, certain checks and
drafts, which were by the defendant deposited in the Amer
ican National Bank of Austin, Travis County, Texas, some
of which was later transferred and deposited in the Temple
State Bank in Bell County, Texas.'
"There is a variance between the allegations in the in
dictment and the facts as stated by the District Attorney.
Money is property, but property is not necessarily money.
The proof must correspond with the allegations in the in
dictment and be confined to the point in issue, otherwise
a verdict could not stand.
"Under the statement of facts as set out by the Dis
trict Attorney in his motion to dismiss this case, the Court
is not in position to say that Travis County would not
have jurdisction for embezzlement if all the facts are such
that an indictment could be properly drawn. There is,
however, a fatal variance between the allegations in the in
dictment as drawn and the facts as stated by the Dis
trict Attorney, and for this reason the case is dismissed."
In other words, the Judge found that the District Attorney
in drawing the indictment had used the word "money" instead
of "property;" had accused the defendant of embezzling money
when it was really not money but certificates of deposit that had
been embezzled.
To the lay mind the difference between "money" and "cer
tificates of deposit" will not seem of sufficient importance to
warrant the dismissal of a case. But the trained legal mind of
Judge Hamilton found in that difference of wording sufficient
evidence of fatal variance between the facts and the indictment
to warrant him in blotting the case from his docket.
BUT STILL there WAS NO CONTENTION OF INNOCENCE
But the fact must not be overiooked that there was in
none of these proceedings any contention that the defendant
was innocent of the charges brought by the Grand Jury. There
was, on the contrary, a well defined plan to keep any Court from

796 Texas — The Country and Its Men
investigating further and discovering for the people of Texas
the extent of guilt of the defendant.
In no single one of these cases did Judge Hamilton enter
into any investigation of the guUt or innocence of the defendant.
In no single one of these cases was the quashing of the indict
ment and the dismissal of the case predicated upon the innocence
of the defendant. And in no single motion filed by the defendant
was any attempt made to establish or even to claim the innocence
of the defendant.
It must be noted in the consideraiton of this case that it was
District Attorney Shelton who endeavored to get the Grand Jury
not to investigate Governor Ferguson; it was the District Attor
ney who kept the defendant informed of the proceedings in the
Grand Jury room; it was the District Attorney who drew up
the faulty indictments ; it was the District Attorney who filed the
motion that the cases be dismissed; and it was the District At
torney who threatened the Court that if the cases were not dis
missed he would tell the juries there was not sufficient evidence
to convict and would ask them for a verdict of not guUty.
On the other hand, it must be noted that the Grand Jury was
responsible only for the charges which they presented against
the defendant. The members of that body did not draw the
indictments; they did not allege that Governor Ferguson was a
State depository; they did not allege that he embezzled money.
On no acts of the Grand Jury was the predicate laid for the dis
missal of these cases. The charges which they brought were
true; were sustained by the evidence given before them; and
must have been brought by any Grand Jurors who had regard
for the oath to which they subscribed when they were empaneled.

GENERAL INDEX
CHAPTER I. Page.
Introductory— The First Contest on the Soil of Texas between
Americans and Indians  1_7
CHAPTER II.
Mrs. Long at Bolivar Point, 1820  8-10
CHAPTER III.
Fight of Bowie .with Indians on the San Saba in 1831  11-18
CHAPTER IV.
The Scalping of Wilbarger and the Death of Christian and Strother,
in 1833  19-23
CHAPTER V.
Fall of Parker's Fort in 1836; the Killed, Wounded and Captured;
¦Van Dorn's Victory in 1858; the Recovery of Cynthia Ann
Parker ; Quanah Parker, the Comanche Chief  25-34
CHAPTER VI.
TEXAS INDEPENDENCE :
A Glimpse at the First Capitols — Harrisburg, Galveston,
Velasco, Columbia (the first real Capitol), Houston, and Aus
tin, the first Permanent Capitol  35-37
CHAPTER VII.
SOME REMINISCENCES :
First Anniversary Ball of the Republic of Texas, and Other
Items of Interest  38-42
CHAPTER VIII.
FAMOUS COUNCIL HOUSE FIGHT :
In San Antonio March 19, 1840; A Bloody Tragedy; Official
Details  :  43-48
CHAPTER IX.
THE GREAT INDIAN RAIDiOF 1840 :
Attack on Victoria; Sacking and Burning of Linnville; Skir
mish -at Casa Grande Creek; Overthrow of the Indians at
Plum Creek  49-57
CHAPTER X.
CAPTIVITY OF SIMPSON CHILDREN :
The Murder of Emma and the Recovery of Thomas, 1844  58-60
CHAPTER XL
BRIEF HISTORY OF CASTRO'S COLONY  61-65
CHAPTER XII.
GOVERNORS OF TEXAS AND PRESIDENTS OF THE RE-
PUBLIC, 1835 to 1918  o8-129
CHAPTER XIII.
EARLY GERMAN IMMIGRATION :
By Capt. Edgar E. Schramm  418-431

General Index

CHAPTER XIV.
BIOGRAPHICAL. Page.
Adams, William  '.  659
Allen, 'Wilbur P  415-517
Allyn, Charles H  151-153
Ball, Robert L  282-285
Baker, -Waller S  224-234
Bartlett, John  307-308
Bailey, Joseph W,  367-368
Bass. C. L  450-453
Batts, R. L  433-434
Betterman, Levi A  '  754-755
Bell, Hansborough P  -  93
Bennett, B. A  733-734
Bierschwale, Wm  180-181
Blakeslee, Wm. E  722-723
Blakey, loshia  600-602
Blakev, t. "W  599-600
Bliem, Milton J  162-165
Blount, E. A  161-162
Bluntzer, Vincent  -.  332-339
Bluntzer, Nicholas  339-344
Bonner Family  655-658
Borden, S. G  431
Boynton, C. M  310-312
Bracht, Felix  752-753
Brite, Lucas C  323-326
Browne, ."V. A  '.  330
Brown, T. N  184-185
Brown, Clinton G  185-187
Browne, James G  321-322
Buford, W. C  710-712
Burmeister, Frank H  506-508
Burnet, David G.  78-79
Brulay, George  499-502
Bramlette, William  '  •  582-584
Bramlette, Edgar  584-586
Bryan, Guy M  542-550
Bryan, Wm. Joel  !  726-729
Campbell, Thomas M.  126-129
Cassin, William  '. . .165-167
Chapa, F. A  587-589
Chambliss, F. G  ¦,  666-667
Child of the Alamo  549-550
Clark, Edward  97
Clark, William H  389-394
Clinton, John J  514
Coljbs, T. D  ,  298-303
Cochran, Travis S  248-251
Coke, Richard  105-108
Collier, W. W  277-279
Collier, J. N  678-679
Collins, F. F  ¦  447-450
Cook, F. W  644-646
Collins, L. G  504-506
Collins, N. G  432

General Index

Page.
Collins, W. B.  234-236
Colquitt, O. B.  127-128
Corrigan, Ellen Mrs  " " 5g4
Crouch, B. L  .-  536-542
Council House Fight, San Antonio, 1840  ; . . . . 43-48
Culver, John A  .' ' ' ' ' .266-267
Culberson, C. -\  123-124
Culver, Geo. B  267-268
Cullinan, J. S  755
Cruse, John and Robert A  480-482
Davidson, W. L. (of Austin )  14g
Davidson, W. L  .530-536
Davis, E. J  105
Davis, J. H. P  354-356
Dignowity, .\. F  622-625
Dielmann, J. C  261-264
Dittlinger, Hippolyt  -  557-559
Dolch, Louis  735-741
Dodd, D. D  760-762
Dullnig, George  724-726
Dunn, Nicholas  303-306
Edwards, Thomas C  509-511
Edwards, J. M  174-175
Etheridge, F. M. '.  280-282
Evans, Ira H  381-385
Farnsworth, J. E  '.  279-280
Faust, Joseph  •  378-380
Ferguson, James E  129
Ferris, Roval A  435-437
Finley, N. W  202-204
Ford, T. W  719-720
Fox, Daniel, Mrs  317-319
Fritter, F. S  663-664
Frederich, W. J  359-363
Forbes, Thomas, Sr  607-608
Fry, E. J  158-161
Fuqua, W. H  625-631
Fuller, F. 0  689-691
Garitty, James  591-593
Gentry, F. V  256-258
Glass, Hiram  146-148
Graham, J. W  356-359
Green, E. J. L  441-443
Griffith, Peyton S. . . . :  453-454
Grinstead, J. E  308-309
Goeth, Carl A  400-402
Gross, Jna R  220-222
Groos, Frederick  156-158
Goode, Mary A. D., Mrs  204-206
Gunter, Jot  756-759
Hamilton, Alexander  745-748
Hamilton, A. J  101-102
Hamilton, James R  403-406
Hanley, H. B  482-483
Harper, A. J  273-275
Hart L J  641-644
Hawkins, W.'e.'  -.  •  646-650

iv General Index

Page.
Head, H. 0  167-168
Heard, A. J  258-260
Heard, W. J. J  260
Hefner, Wm. J  319
Henderson, S. W  729-730
Henderson, James Pinckney  89-93
.Herring, Jacob A  763-765
Hertzberg, Mrs. Anna Goodman  251-252
Hindes, Geo. F  238-242
Hobby, W. P  680-681
Hoffman, Chas  528-530
Hogg, Jas. S  118-119
Holmgreen, Geo. E  459-462
Hubbard, Chas. G  755-756 '
Hubbard, Franklin E  236-237
Hubbard, R. B  108-109
Houghton, John H  246-248
Houston, Sam  80-84
Huey, Joseph  464-465
Introductory  1-7
Isaacks, W. C  659-661
Imboden, W. M  ,  443-445
Impeachment of Governor James E. Ferguson  768
Ireland, John  ,  111-115
Jacksori, J. D  387-389
Jarvis, E.J  168-171
Jones, A. C  242-245
Jones, R. H  714-715
Jones, W. T  713-714
Jones, Mark  580-581
Jones, Anson  87-88
Joske, Alexander  568-570
Keesey, Whitaker  455-459
Kenney, J. W., Sr  253-255
Kenney, Jno. W., Jr  255-256
Key, Edmund  150-151
Knight, R. E. L  365-367
Kohler, Viggo  748
Koch, Ernest H  290-291
Kostoryz, Stanley L  465-466
Kurth, Joseph Hurbert  716-718
Lamar, Mirabeau B  85-86
Lanham, S. W. T  120-121
Lankford, Tohn S  285-288
Lillard, Geo. P  176-179
Littlefield, Geo. W  134-146
Long, Mrs., at Bolivar Point  8-10
Lowe, W. A  636-641
Lubbock, F. R  98-99
Luby, J. 0  692-694
Lutcher, Henry J  470-473
MacGregor, Henry F  352-353
McFaddin, J. A  613-618
Martindale, Geo. N  563
Martindale, R. M  561-563
Marwitz, H  222-223
Maverick, G. M  '.  \  577-579

General Inde.\

Mahon, M. S.  ^^^^^^^
M^'""' u wi  669-673
Massengill, W. J  589-590
Mathews, Lenora H   275-277
McCardell, Douglas  • • . • • g^ggg^
McDowell, Bert J  [  396-393
McDowell, S. J. P  .476-480
Mebane, .-V. D  212-215
Mebane, .\. D., Triumph Cotton  215-218
Mitchell, W. F  .701-706
McLaughlin, J. W  .398-400
Moore, A. J  ..'.'.'..'.'.'.'.'.'..'. ^344-347
Moore, John M  516-519
Moore, Thomas E  347-349
Morris, W. J  597-599
Morris, .\. R  599
Moss, J. R  686-689
Munson, M. S  609-613
Morrow, Wright C  407
Murrah, Pendleton  100-101
Nasworthy, John Richard  294-298
Odem, D  474-476
Oliver, E. R  288-290
Paschal, Isaiah A  718-719
Paschal, Frank  312-317
Parramore, James H  437-439
Padgitt, W. C  369-372
Patton, A. L  759-760
Pease, E. M  94-96
Peck, W. M  "  662-663
Pendleton. E. H  698-700
Peter, T. S  179-180
Peterson, Niels P  j22-.S24
Pettv, V. A  682-686
Phillips, Frank J  408-409
Piper, Frederick A  363-365
Powers, Philip  595-597
Power, James F  466-467
Presnall, Pope \  566-567
Pritchett, H. C  409-411
Ramsey, W. F  468-470
Rachal, Darius C  572-574
Real, Julius  519-522
Roberts, Oram M  110-111
Rogers, Manuel and W. L  326-330
Rogers, J. H  483-499
Ross, L. S  115-117
Runnels, Hardin R  96
Russell. R. R  194-197
Rust, Jackson  .'  411-413
Ryals, J. H. M  511-513
Sansom, J. W  618-621
Sansom, Marion  706-709
Sayers, J. D  .^  122-123
Scanlan, Thomas H  *.  385-387
Schawe, C. T  ;  271-273

General Index

Page.
Schramm, Edgar E  570-571
Schreiner, Charles  130-133
Sebastian, W. P  439-441
Shook, J. R  153-156
Shindler, Emma E. Blount  i7i-i77
Simpson, Margaret, Mrs  r  320
Skinner, S. P  291-293
Slaughter, W. J  188-190
Smith, Henrv  68-77
Sutherland, W. G  560
Stumberg, Geo. R  ¦. .264-266
Storey, A. B  269-271
Storey, James  553-556
Stapper, Julian  550-552
Stone, Heber  650-653
Sterzing, H. F  653-655
Stewart. C. W  673-678
Stewart, J  709-710
Sterling, B. F  731
Tarlton, B. D  211-212
Terrell, T. 0  445-447
Terrell, H. B  206-208
Thatcher, Jno. W  : . .567-568
Thompson, J. E  603-606
Throckmorton, J. W  103-105
Torrey, Tno. F  749-752
Torbett, J. W  208-210
Vaughan, Geoge C  502-504
\'ann, J. W  593-595
Washer, Nat M  182-184
Wessendorf, T. B  632
West, Solomon  467-468
Wear, W. C  ¦  192-194
Welder, Phil R  372-373
Wheeler, E. W  606-607
Wells, J. B  574-577
White, 1. W  696-697
Whiteselle, James E  462-464
Wiedenfeld, Wm  664-666
Wilcox, Chas. A  349-351
Wolfe, Manson H  171-174
Wolters, R. A  394-395
Wood, Andrew J  175-176
Wood, George T  93
Woodward, Caven  524-526
Woodward, C. B  526-527
WoodhuU, Oliver T  743-745
Wooten, T. D. . . .'  197-202
Wright, W. W  306-307
Wroe, H. A  219-220
Zanderson, T. H  741

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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