Vol 22 No. 05 - February 1945

Mrs. Mary Olive Peril

J. J. Starkey

Account of Mrs. Mary Olive Peril who lived an eventful life, saw many changes in the nation, in her adopted State, and in the section of Texas where she spent most of her days. Mary Olive Locke, who later became Mrs. William A. (Billy) Peril, was born near Springfield, Illinois, on October 6, 1849. In 1851 the Locke family immigrated to Bexar county, near San Antonio, Mary Olive at that time being two years old. After her marriage to Billy Peril, she came as a bride to the Peril settlement midway between Kerrville and Harper. The Peril homestead was her home thereafter until death at sunrise on December 7, 1944. Here is her story.

Mentions: Dean T. U. Taylor * the Kerr County Pioneer Association * the Barnett Springs church * W. R. Peril of Kerrville * Miss Judith A. Locke of Kerrville * Mrs. Elizabeth Horn of San Antonio *

Who Remembers Charlie Small?

By Bob Beverly, Lovington, NM

Account of old Charlie Small who was responsible for killing more Mexicans than almost anyone in Texas.

"At times Charlie Small would come by and visit Uncle Mack and Uncle Jim, who I was staying in camp with or breaking a few ponies for. At times he would say: "Jim, did you ever shoot a Mex.?" Uncle Jim would say, "No, Charlie, I never had that to do yet." "Well," Charlie would say, "I shot one today, and they always jump right straight up and squall like a cat when you shoot them. I never let one get away when I find them alone."

Story is that Rangers killed Small under the water tank at Langtry, but the writer of this story has his doubts.

Mentions: the Black Hills country * Day & Criswell, who established a steer ranch on the south side of Grand river, just west of where the two rivers come together, and later buying the Three Six company out south of Grand River, South Dakota, north of Bellefourche. * , Mr. John Clay, who founded the John Clay Commission Co. * Comstock * Scar-Faced Charlie * Ames & Jennings * Joe Sitters * the Sanderson train robbers * the Ozona country, near the old High Lonesome ranch of Heard & White * the old S. P. railroad * famous Jersey Lily saloon * Cow Creek * John Thomas, afterwards sheriff at Odessa for a number of years *

N. J. Jones Relates Incidents

By Colonel M. L. Crimmins.

Account of early incidents in the life of Major N. J. Jones, of Archer City, who was born in 1854, and joined Captain June Peak's Ranger Company in Throckmorton county in 1877. That company is credited with the killing of Arkansaw Johnson, Sam Bass' most trusted lieutenant, and capturing Pipes, Herndon and Jim Murphy, and they drove Sam Bass and his two surviving companions out of Northern Texas. Mr. Jones later served under J. W. Campbell.

Mentions: A woman named Nancy Hill, from Parker county * the town of Saint Jo * Zack Callaway and O'Neal * a man from Georgia, named Williamson * A man by the name of Hargus * a man by the name of Rat Morrow * Tom Easter, Luke Easter and Andy Easter * Doc McClane * a man named Batchelor * J. Evetts Haley * Capt. Ches. Schreiner, of Kerrville * J. Evetts Haley * George W. Littlefield * Spearman, Texas * the JH Ranch *

Six And One-Half Years In The Ranger Service

MEMOIRS OF IRA ATEN, SERGEANT CO. D, TEXAS RANGERS (Continued from Last Month.)

Second installment in an excellent and highly detailed four-part series of the fine service and notable exploits of Captain Ira Aten, a Texas Ranger and a peace officer during the 1880's and 1890's. The First installment contains great old photo of Captain Aten.

Mentions: Rube Boyce * Coahoma, Texas * Brownwood * George W. Shaw * the Carter and Coggins feud * Sheriff Shaw * the Pegleg stage robberies * Ben Thompson * Judge Blackburn * Camp Leona, near Uvalde * the Jim Ned country, north of Brownwood * Belton * L. S. Ross * Belton * Captain William Scott * Mr. Gilbert * some fence cutting operations near Richland, south of Corsicana * Peta Nocona * Quanah Parker * Cynthia Ann Parker * Jim King * General Mackenzie * West Nueces * Kickapoo Springs * The case of Dillinger * Realitos, about 100 miles southwest of Corpus Christi * John Hughes * Ned Gibson * the "Jay Bird" faction * Wharton * Kyle Terry * sheriff, J. T. Garvey * Henry Frost and Volney Gibson, a, brother of Ned Gibson who had been killed at Wharton * Tom Smith * the Woodpecker faction * J. W. Blakely * H. S. Mason and Judge J. W. Parker * the Houston Light Guard * Frank Schmidt * the Brenham National Guard * H. H. Frost * Pat Tiennan, sheriff of Galveston county * the shooting of the McClelland brothers * Dimmitt, in Castro county * Andrew McClelland * Hugh McClelland * Judge L. Gough of Amarillo * Mr. Robert H. Allen, El Centro * Lucien Morrison * Tulia, Texas *

Early Methodism In Texas

By Dan Ferguson, Dallas, Texas.

Great account of valuable history of Protestant worship in early Texas, particularly focusing on the early pioneer Methodists in Texas during the first half of the 1800's.

Mentions: Jonesboro * Clarksville * Gaines * Pendleton's Ferry in Sabine county * William Stevenson * James P. Stevenson * Col. Samuel McMahan of Sabine county * Littleton Fowler * Dr. Martin Ruter * the Allegheny College at Meadville, Pennsylvania * Ruter's College, in Rutersville * Robert Alexander * John Wesley * Nacogdoches * McMahan chapel * General Thomas J. Rusk * Rev. Allen, a Presbyterian * Mrs. Woolworth * Mrs. Laura Fowler Woolworth * John B. Denton * James Gilleland * Jesse Holderman * Mrs. Christian, who became the great grandmother of Bishop A. Frank Smith and Bishop W. Angie Smith * Aunt Celie Craft * Margaret Belle Jones * Sergeant and Mrs John J. Broderick * Mrs. John M. Holt * Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Meitzen *

Jesse Burnham: Intrepid Pioneer

By J. Marvin Hunter

Jesse Burnham, (in the early days the name was spelled Burnam), came to Texas with the first immigrants to Austin's first colony in 1821, from Duck River, Tennessee. He first settled at Pecan Point, and later moved to Fayette county, and ran a store at Burnam's Ferry on the Colorado river. Two of his sons, John H. Burnam and William Owen Burnam, were in the Battle of San Jacinto. Captain Jesse Burnam was a noted Indian fighter and frontiersman, and at the time he settled on the Colorado that section was constantly exposed to Indian depredations, and, the settlers being few and far between, he was compelled to rely mainly upon his own good right arm and his trusty rifle for protection against them. His body is buried near the old home, and the fifth generation of Burnams still live there at a beautiful spring shaded by immense pecan trees. His descend-ants, most of them, use the old name Burnham, considered the correct way of spelling it. Here is a brief story of the old pioneer.

An Old-Time Cowboy Passes

By J. Marvin Hunter

Account of Jack Miles, who was one of the colorful pioneer cowboys of the State. Born April 22, 1866, in Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, he was brought to Texas six years later by his father, the late Jonathan Miles, landowner, cattleman, and builder of West Texas towns. He grew up with a brawling and vigorous West Texas. His father, Jonathan Miles, who once owned most of the original townsite of San Angelo, along with ranch lands farther out, was a leader in bringing the Santa Fe railroad to San Angelo and in development of farming and irrigation activities along the Concho rivers. The town of Miles was named for the family, and a second Runnels county town, Rowena, was named for a sister of Jack Miles. This is his story.

Mentions: Water Valley * Mrs. Jonathan Miles * the Ben Ficklin flood, in 1882 * R. B. Price of Columbia, Mo * Sheriff Jim Spears * the Doak Ranch * Horace Wambold * Yellow House Canyon * Cecil Rhodes *

LEE COUNTY SPEECH

By Mrs. Julia Jones.

It is said that Lee county people have a language of their own. In a study of local phraseology, a knowledge of the locality is essential to easy tracing of some word or term to a particular race, or linguistic group earlier inhabiting that area.

Some examples of a few unique expressions, common to Lee county people:

"Great big gormin boy or girl,"—an over-grown young person.
 "The out-kitenest fellow,"—unusual, ingenious, original. "A plum, or right sightly place,"
 "Quite a spell aforehand, "—some time before.
 "Fetched and tote,"—brought and carry.
 "Catchin' weather,"—kind thought to foster spread of disease.
 "Heered, "—heard.
 "Didja,"—did you.
 "A tall,"—at all.
 "Mosey,"—go; "I'll mosey on now."
 "Doncy,"—ailing.
 "Stick in the mud„"—non-progressive
 "Spranglin',"—wide spread.
 "Her'n or his'n,"—hers or his.
 "Ruckus,"—quarrel, or fight.
 "Plum out-done,"—overwhelmed.
 "Faintified,"—subject to fainting spells.
 "A noggin"—small amount of drink.
 "Right folksy, or plum folksy," friendly, or sociable.
 "Fash,"—fret, or agitate, as "don't fash yourself."

Mentions: Fletcher of Giddings * Ephriam Roddy, Tanglewood, a small town on the S. P. railroad.

BRIEF ACCOUNT OF RENNE ALLRED

Renne Allred, Sr., of Houston, father of former Governor James V. Allred * the Bellaire Cafe * Mr. and Mrs. Charles Nelius, Mrs. Joe Smith, Mrs. R. H. Gallier, Walter Hasted, Mrs. Charles Cronemeyer, W. H. Redfield Chas. Moulds, Harry Goode, G. E. Little, Mrs. J. D. Borland, Mr. and Mrs. Emil Miller, Leon Moreau, Mrs. H. Z. Kelly, Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Chaillot, H. H. Alexander and Fred Stillman. Also aiding in the plans were Mr. and Mrs. Ira D. Brown, Jr., W. C. Arthur, C. F. Brown, Mrs. C. E. White, Miss Ethel Moebes, C. F. Stan-ford, Mr. and Mrs. Worth Jones, Mrs. Margaret Feagin, Mr. and Mrs. Guy Gibbs, W. Kirkland, Dr. Bob Renfrew, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Guillot, Wesley Nelius, Vera Downey and John Mallrath."