Freestone County, Texas History News of 1878 Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) January 11, 1878 edition - Page 2 Fairfield lacks $3500 of the $50,000 required to be subscrived on the projected railroad through Fairfield county. It is thought the people will soon be entertained by the sight of surveyors for the line. It is much cheaper to survey a route for a railroad than to build it. This has been satisfactorily demostrated to the people along the line of the proposed G., C. & S.F. route. =========================================================== Galveston News (of Galveston, Texas) - Saturday, January 19, 1878 Page: 4 HOTEL ARRIVALS WASHINGTON HOTEL F[rank] G. Gullette, Fairfield ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) February 8, 1878 edition - Page 1 A Fairfield hotel-keeper is building an underground ice house. The Recorder does not say where he proposes getting his ice. [same issue, same page] Fairfield Recorder: The great New York Show came and went as advertised. It's a humbug....We are sorry to note, for many weeks, the bad behavior of some boys at the Sabbath School. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) February 15, 1878 edition - Page 2 Fairfield, Freestone county wants a good, steady shoe maker. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) June 28, 1878 edition - Page 2 At Fairfield, a stock dealer was robbed of $560 in currency which he had in his trousers pockets, and which he had carelessly laid on a chair by his bed. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) July 5, 1878 edition - Page 1 There was two executions on Friday. Paolo Parras, a Mexican, was hanged at Corpus Christi, for murder, George Solomon, a negro was hanged at Fairfield, for the murder of his wife. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) July 12, 1878 edition - Page 2 Dave Wade and Geo. Waters, negroes, had a fight in Freestone county. Wade was killed and there is one Republican vote less. Waters surrendered. ----------------------------------------------------- The New York Times Wednesday, July 23, 1878 Fruit in Eastern Texas The Galveston (Texas) Christian Advocate of the 20th inst. says: "East Texas, though its lands may not equal in fertility those of some other sections, has resources that will insure a large population. Its mineral resources, its fine timber, and its fruit lands, will open industries which will make it the home of a crowded and prosperous population. Each visit we have made has impressed us with the special adaptation of its soil and climate for the production of fruit. It is only of late years that the attention of fruit-raisers has been turned to the choicest varieties. The results show that it can compete with the orchards of Maryland or the finest products of the tree or vine sent out from California. We were presented with a box of peaches raised by Brother C. B. Richardson near Henderson, of the Chinese cling variety, which would have averaged over a half pound each in weight. His orchard has varieties which begin to ripen about the 25th of May, and other come on in order until frost. His Irish potatoes yield 200 bushels per acre, and other vegetables in proportion. We saw specimens of the Texas mammoth apple, grown by G. B. Kelly, some 20 miles from Henderson. We were ready to believe the statement that this variety is well named. They weigh about 22 ounces each. Pears and grapes do finely. Many think the pear is, of all fruits, specially suited to this climate. Large quantities of fruit are shipped annually from the orchards in this region, and are a source of increasing income to those who are paying attention to this industry. One farm we visited in Anderson County is shipping about 75 boxes of peaches per day. These boxes sell at from 40 to 75 cents in Galveston." ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) August 23, 1878 edition - Page 2 A Fairfield man, who has been west, lately returned home, and now pronouces Horace Greely a fraud. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) August 31, 1878 edition - Page 1 The Fairfield Recorder estimates that the cotton crop of Freestone county will be cut short one half by boll worms and dry weather. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) September 06, 1878 edition - Page 1 Almonds are grown in Freestone county. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) October 4, 1878 edition - Page 2 The Fairfield Recorder reports the death of J. F. Nordike from black jaundice. This disease, it says, in almost every instances baffles medical skill frequently proving fatal in from 18 to 36 hours. ----------------------------------------------------- The Waco Daily Examiner newspaper (of Waco, Texas) October 11, 1878 - Page 2 ANOTHER MURDER - Mr. William Martin, who was, so far as we are informed, an inoffensive man, was basely murder in this county last Monday night. He will be remembered as the gentleman who ran for the office of county commissioner in this beat at the last election. The following account of the murder was copied from the Recorder of yesterday. Last Monday night Mr. William Martin, an old man 60 years old, and his son Robert, a young man, were fired at by assassins and the old man was instantly killed. Mr. M. lived about eighteen miles from here, in the southern part of the county. He and his son had been in Fairfield that day, and when in a mile and a half of home on their return, at night, two men shot at them from the roadside. The old man was killed, as above stated, but his son was not hit. He however was thrown from his horse near the scene of the shooting, and his skull fractured, which injury has nearly deranged his mind. We have not the space to give the particulars of the murder this week. Strong circumstantial evidence points to the guilty parties who, doubtless, will be arrested if found. - Freestone Record. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) October 11, 1878 - Page 2 Freestone county was the scene of two murders last week. The Recorder says two young men, in the southern part of the county, went into a field where two negroes were picking cotton and deliberately shot them down killing one and wounding the other. William Martin a man of 60 years of age and his son were fired on by assassins and the old man instantly killed. As usual, no arrests were made. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) October 18, 1878 - Page 2 Freestone county will soon become notorious for the number of murders committed within her borders. The Fairfield Recorder in its last issue records another cold blooded murder - the assassination of a negro man named Riley, who had his body filled full of buckshot while quietly walking along the street at night. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) November 01, 1878 edition - Page 2 A succesful stock show was held at Fairfield, Freestone county last week. The Freestone county grand jury found 24 indictments, of these 3 were for murder and 3 for assault with intent to murder. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) November 08, 1878 edition - Page 2 Sugar cane is successfully cultivated in Freestone county. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) November 22, 1878 edition - Page 1 The Fairfield Recorder publishes an obituary notice of the death of the greenbackers in Freestone county. The g. b. vote in that county was 618, of whom 600 was negroes; these were induced to vote g.b. ticket by Dr. Edmund J. Davis. Norton did not get a single vote in the county. [same issue - Page 2] Nortons vote in Freestone county was 0. Freestone county is to have a hog and pig show. This is a hoggish piece of business. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) November 29, 1878 edition - Page 2 The Fairfield Recorder learns that a shooting scrape occured at Buffalo last week between Joe Harrison and two men named Lucas and a man named Knight. Harrision and one of the Lucases were mortally wounded. No cause is assigned for the tournament. Perhaps it was only for fun. ----------------------------------------------------- Brenham Weekly Banner newspaper (of Brenham, Texas) December 10, 1878 edition - Page 4 ...W.S. Varnon, Fairfield; ... - are registered at the McClelland.