Vol 17 No. 01 - October 1939

Jean LaFitte Occupied Galveston Island

Galveston News, August 15, 1939.

Galveston owes much of the glamour and romance which today envelopes this picturesque island to the escapades of its Buccaneer master during the first part of the last century. The pirate, Jean LaFitte, who was lord and master of this island for four hectic years between 1817 and 1821, led a band of cutthroats, sometimes as many as 1000, in bloody raids on coastwise and foreign ships in the western gulf. For awhile he did a thriving business, but when the United States got after him and his gang in earnest, he soon found his particular profession not only financially unprofitable but also physically detrimental to his own well being. So he left Galveston for good and died five years later in Yucatan. Here is the story.

Mentions: * Lafitte's Grove * his brother Pierre * Barataria * Grand Terra * Gov. Claiborne of Louisiana * Coln. Patteson * Parish of Sacarap * Punta Culebra * Campeache * Maison Rouge * Madaline Rigaud* Gen. James Long * the Caronkaway Indians

The Killing of Tankersly and Carmean

By F. M. Cross.

James Tankersly and James Carmean were both residents of Comanche county. In the fall of 1863 they took a large supply of bacon to sell at Camp Collier, on Clear Creek in Brown county, some four or five miles from the site of the present town of Brooksmith. The men stayed two nights at the soldiers' camp, and on the second morning they started on the trip to their homes. When they had gone about six miles they were attacked by a band of about sixteen or eighteen Indians. The details of the attack are related in this story.

Mentions: * Pat Gallagher and Isom Large * Don Tankersly * Killeen, Bell county * A. B. Reagan, Brady, Texas * F. M. Cross * Gatesville, Coryell county * Col. James M. Morrison * Captain T. N. Collier * Vaughn's Spring on Clear Creek

Men Who Had Three Funerals Each

This article records some interesting facts about triple burials of early Texans.

Mentions: * John B. Denton * David G. Burnet * Anson Jones * Colonel William T. Austin * Lakeview Cemetery * James Cahill * General Albert Sidney Johnston

An Indian Ceremonial Dance

By Mary Austin.

I account that details the tribes of Indians of the Southwest celebrating their dance of the Thunderbird at their Pueblo in New Mexico.

Mentions: * Taos * Sangre de Cristo Mountains * Blue Lake * the La Fonda on the Plaza in the heart of old Sante Fe

The Escape of Kid Curry

By Joseph Pickett Williams.

Account which details events of the spring of 1903, when Harvey Logan, alias, Kid Curry, mounted on a thoroughbred Kentucky mare and rode leisurely out Gay street, in his escape from a prison cell on the third floor of the Knox county jail, Knoxville, Tennessee.

Mentions: * shooting gallery on the Bowery, one of the city's back streets * Cripple Creek * Union Pacific train robbery at Wilcox, Wyoming * Helena, Montana * Butch Casiday * Honorable Sam Haskell, former mayor of Knoxville * Sheriff Fox * the "Wild Bunch," a band of Montana and Wyoming outlaws * Tom Bell * Charlie Johnson * the Chilhowee Mountains *

The Diary of a Frontier Preacher

Further continuing the diary of Rev. Walter Smith South, a Methodist preacher on the frontier of Texas.

Mentions: * Bro. Hawkin's, head of Waxahachie Creek * Bro. Brack * Bro. Whitworth's meeting on Chamber's Creek, near Stoke's Bridge, Ellis county * Carr Forest * Bro. Zolicoffer * Bro. McDaniel * Nic Sims on Chambers Creek * T. Whitworth at Dr. Briggs * Bro. Farris * Mr. Howell * J. G. Johnson * Bro. Graham's on White Rock Creek. * Mose French * Wm. Polk * Phillip George * Battle Creek * Caruthers * Turley George * Mr`. Butoff * Bro. Sidwell * J. L. Crabb * R. Long * J. McGuire * Wm. South * Owenville * Wheelock * Boonville * J. Walker * Cardin, H. G. * Dr. R. J. Swearingen * J. E. Ferguson, I. G. Johns and Col. Machado * Dr. Thomason * B. F. Perry * J. V. Philpot * J. E. Carnes * Dr. G. W. Carter * R. Alexander * Henry Aubert * J. H. Kinney *

Flowers And Fruits From The Wilderness

Written by Z. N. Morrell, in 1871. (Continued from Last Month)

This is a serial article of 10 installments that traces the events in the life of fiery Baptist frontier preacher, Z. N. Morrell, who came to Texas from Tennessee in December, 1835 due to health problems. His life quickly became intertwined with many formative events in Texas history of which he played an important part. Morrell, besides being a notable preacher of the Gospel and a true Texas patriot, was also an excellent historian and writer.

Mentions: * Elm Creek * Lieutenant Errath * Frank Childress * George Errath * Nachitoches * W. B. Eaves' shop * the city of Byran * Brother Marsh, a Baptist minister from Mississippi, * James Talbert * Coryell, one of the rangers * Jesse Webb * N. T. Byars * H. R. Cartwcll * A. Buffington * Richard Ellis * brother Jenkins * Chappell Hill * an organization calling themselves "Primitive Baptists," on the Colorado River, twelve miles below Bastrop, and under the pastoral care of Abner Smith * Isaac Crouch * Daniel Parker * "two-seed" * Moses Shipman * Elder Joseph Bays * the Big Hatchie Association * James Ailcorn * T. J. Pilgrim * Brother Hanks * Thomas Hanks * a pious sister, living near Gonzales, named Echols * Dr. Marsh, a Baptist minister * Rev. W. W. Hall * Rev. L. L. Allen * Dr. Marsh * Dr. Smith * H. R. Cartmell * J. R. Jenkins, A. Boffington * James Huckins * Wm. Tryon * Dr. Smith, a Protestant Methodist * Roark and Andrew McGowan * Col. Matthew Caldwell, *

Early Day Prairie Fires in the Panhandle

By Ira Aten, El Centro, California.

One windy November evening in 1894, a cow outfit struck camp just west of the Pecos River near old Fort Sumner, New Mexico. The cook allowed the camp fire to get away from him and it started up a draw where the outfit was corralled. Then it headed east for the plains country, helped by a wind blowing fifty miles an hour from the west. There had been heavy rains during the summer and the grass had grown luxuriantly. Ranchers and settlers at that time had very few fire guards. During the winter season the wind was nearly always from the west, blowing at a fifty or sixty-mile clip. Of course this made it difficult to stop prairie fires. This time the wind blew a regular hurricane for three days and nights and that fire swept through the eastern part of New Mexico, into western Texas. This story describes the details.

Mentions: * Parmer, Castro and Swisher * the Amarillo and Plainview road * Bailey, Lamb and Hale counties * Deaf Smith and Randall counties * The XIT company * Vernon and Wichita Falls * the XIT ranch, Col. A. G. Boyce * Endee, New Mexico * the Escarbado Division of the XIT * Terra Blanco draw—a fork of Red River * the long S, JA XIT, and TAnchor * Castro county * Ed Connell and Wood Saunders * Trujillo camp

Thumbnail History of the XIT Ranch

The XIT ranch in the 1880's was the largest ranch in the world and it all laid in the Texas Panhandle. Its three million acres sprawled from the old Yellow House headquarters near what is now Lubbock, Texas, northward to the Oklahoma Panhandle, in an irregular strip that was roughly about thirty miles wide. It covered portions of ten counties: Daliam, Hartley, Oldham, Deaf Smith, farmer, Castro, Palley, Lamb, Cochran and Hockley. Here is the story of the greatest mega-ranch of the old Texas frontier.

Mentions: * Gov. Oran M. Roberts * Charles B. and John V. Farwell * headquarters at Buffalo Springs, 32 miles north of Dalhart * Blocker and Campbell * the Capitol Freehold Land Trust * AlFred Alonzo Lee . . . or AlFred Allee * John Henry Brown * LaGrange * Thomas Jefferson Green *

Alfred Alonzo Lee, or Alfred Allee

By Houston Wade.

Seeks to clear up confusion over the identity, pronunciation and spelling of Mier prisoner, Alfred Alonzo Lee

Mentions: * Captain John McClure * C. Allen's company of "Buckeye Rangers." * Galveston Island * Mr. David Macomb * Captain Dawson * Wm. Coltrin * Charles Bowman * Bernard E. Bee * Captain Ewen Cameron * John Rogan Baker * the Battle of the Rescue on February 11, 1843 * Israel Canfield * M. M. Jones * DeWitt.County * Col. L. W. Kemp * John Henry Brown * Harriet Smither * Harriet Smither * Rev. W. A. McLeod * Dawson Massacre * Rice, Garey and Low * Thos. M. Steil *

Jones Rivers' Defense of Claib Herbert

This story is an account of a lawyer who played a conspicuous part for many years in the courts of Texas, especially in the trial courts of the counties contiguous to the Colorado and Brazos Rivers, as far north as Williamson, and as far south as Colorado county. Especially the story concerns this notable lawyer's defense of a man, Colonel C. C. Herbert, familiarly known as "Claib Herbert," in the district court of Colorado county

Mentions: Mrs. Agnes Dromgoole and Mrs. Mattie Toliver of Eagle Lake * Mrs. M. E. Guynn of Houston * Colonel Edwin Waller * Mr, Eorean * Miss Norma Shaw * J. J. Mansfield * J. H. Wooten of Columbus *

Shippey's Comment on Gun-Play

Lee Shippy, in Los Angeles Times.

Account measures the relative merits and accuracy of the claims relative to who, in fact is the fastest draw in the west - Ed McGivern of Lewiston, Mont. or Milton Hicks of Georgia?

Mentions: a "Hogan's Alley" contest * Guy Giffen * "Butch" Cassidy and "Dutch Henry...

Port Bolivar Was Home of General Long

Galveston News. Account of Jane (Wilkinson) Long, wife of Gen. James Long whose pioneer spirit and patience have caused historians to call her the "Mother of Texas”, as well as the sight of their settlement in a crude adobe fortress at Port bolivar, Tx.

Mentions: * Natchez, Miss * Ann Herbert Long * Nacogdoches * Lafitte * La Bahia * the Caronkaway Indians * Chapultepec * Capt. Randall Jones * Richmond

A PIONEER PASSES ON.

Historical Obit. of Mr. Hugh M. Tow, an early pioneer of Llano county, Texas, and later of Fairfax. Oklahoma. He was claimed as one of Llano county's oldest pioneers.

Mentions: * born in Fannin county, Texas, August 18, 1851 * Mr. and Mrs. William Tow * Tow Valley * M. B. Clendennen, a pioneer sheriff of Llano county * John Behrens * Baby Head * Jim Cox * `Hoss' Maxwell * old Atkinson * Watson Flat * John Beimus * Mrs. Eliza H. Watkins, widow of the late L. C. Watkins of Harper * Uncle Joe Denton of Kerrville * Mrs. F. P. Layton of Medina * J. J. Starkey of Kerrville * Mrs. F. P. Giraud * Mr. and Mrs. Dick Beeler * Captain Gen. W. Baylt Carrizo Springs, Mrs. R. A. Winn of Rock Springs, O. T. Cardwell of Uvalde, Houston Kenedy and Bob Thompson of Utopia, * Florence Fenley, H. X. Hornby and Bob Dilvenport * Adolph Huffmeyer, Jim Mills, Billy Krempkau, Berry Roebuck, J. E. Bargley, * Judge C. G. Dibrell of Galveston * Mr. J. A. Martin of Tulia, Texas * Col. Michel B. Menard * Samuel Bangs and George H. French * Colonel A. H. Belo * A. H. Belo & Co. * W. L Moody, Jr., Galveston capitalist * George B. Maley * Silas B. Ragsdale, with Mrs. Ragsdale * Joan Marie. * Dixie Dude Ranch right out of Bandera * P. T. Barnum * Judge C. G. Dibrell * Chris Tellefson * Mr. N. H. Rose * Fogg Coffey * Harry Crozier * Paint Rock * an elderly man named Lightfoot. * Mr.. Littlefield, * Mr. Adair, part cwner of the Concho Cattle Co. * the old Roy Beau Saloon * Langtry * Babb * W. P. RATCHFORD.