Freestone County, Texas News of 1903 Dallas Morning News – Jan. 28, 1903 – Page: 7 Personal At the St. George - … F. F. Sims, Fairfield; … Dallas Morning News - February 7, 1903 – Page: 6 Freestone County 2,659 A Total of 937 Between the Number Paid and Assessed Special to the News Fairfield, Tex., Feb. 4 – The Tax Assessor’s record, showing the number of poll tax paid before Feb. 1, was finished today and shows 2,659 poll tax receipts to have been issued. The number assessed were 3,596, showing a difference between the number assessed and paid of 937. As there were many poll taxes paid, though, that were not assessed, there are probably more than 1,000 unpaid taxes in this county. The entire vote cast in this county for Governor last November was only 2,209, but in 1896, the total Democratic and Republican vote was 3,351. The total 1901 poll taxes paid were 2,644, only a few less than those paid for last year to date. Dallas Morning News – Feb. 25, 1903 – Page: 6 Bad Roads at Mexia Special to the News Mexia, Tex., Feb. 24 – The Fairfield mail hack that formerly made daily trips, only comes in three times a week now, goes over one day and returns the next. This on account of the bad roads. Another star route from here to Hancock twenty-five miles distant, is made on muleback as the hack can not get through the black land. Dallas Morning News - March 1, 1903 – Page: 3 Sudden Death at Winkler Special to the News Fairfield, Tex., Feb. 28 – Dr. Thomas Grayson, an old resident of Winkler, this county, aged about 70 years, died suddenly while eating dinner today at his home. He had been in good health and spirits up to the time of his death. The remains will be buried at Fairfield tomorrow. Dallas Morning News - March 28, 1903 – Page: 3 Flames in Fairfield Twelve Wooden Storehouses Burned to the Ground at a Loss of Twenty Thousand Dollars – Insurance Special to the News Fairfield, Tex., March 27 – One block of twelve wooden storehouses burned to the ground this morning. Many goods were saved. Total loss estimated at $20,000. Insurance not over $2,000. Buffalo, Tex., March 27 – News was received by telephone this morning that twelve business houses were burned in Fairfield this morning. The fire originated in a barber shop, and the flames spread rapidly, consuming every business house on the south side of the square in a very short time. The buildings were old frame houses and burned like tinder. Mexia, Tex., March 27 – A telephone message from Fairfield this morning gives the particulars of a big fire, that destroyed many business houses and contents there about midnight. The fire originated in a barber shop in the middle of the block and burned both ways until the block was destroyed. Very little insurance was carried by any of the losers, as it is hard to get insurance on such property, and the losses will reach into the thousands of dollars. Following is a complete list of the losses: Riley & Williford, dry goods; stock saved. Roller Bros., restaurant; complete loss. Hamp Jones, restaurant; complete loss. Shack Ely, groceries; complete loss. Rufe Boyd, barber shop; complete loss. Riley & Williford, furniture; complete loss. Tom McIlveen, dry goods, groceries, jewelry, and photograph gallery; complete loss. J. B. Gordon, restaurant; complete loss. Albert Currie, barber shop; goods saved. Burleson Bros., groceries; complete loss. Fred Fischer; some goods saved. Joe Hill, groceries and dry goods; saved nearly all stock. Beef market owned by Mr. Hill; no loss. Hill & Cotton, groceries; building burned, but some goods saved. Dallas Morning News - April 8, 1903 – Page 7 Negro Killed at Fairfield Special to the News Mexia, Tex., April 7 – A telephone message from Fairfield says a negro named Dan Washington was shot five times and instantly killed in the courthouse in Fairfield Monday evening. The Thorndale Thorn (of Milam County, Texas) - Friday, April 17, 1903: "A Military Academy Cadet; - Calvert, TX, Apr. 11th - The following are candidates for selection as Congressman Scott Field's appointment as a cadet to the Military Academy at West Point: Charles T. Harris of Mexia, G. W. Reeves of Tehuacana, Douglas Johnson of Corsicana, Mr. Chumbley of Brewer, Freestone County, Edna L. Meyers of Cameron, E. C. Camp of Milam county and Reagan McCrary of Calvert." Dallas Morning News - May 9, 1903 – Page 4 Fairfield-Keechi Tap The International and Great Northern Abandons the Project Special to the News Fairfield, Tex., May 8 – W. E. Richards is in receipt of a letter from L. Trice of the International and Great Northern system, in which he states that in accordance with his promise of some time ago he writes to inform us that he has just returned from New York, and the International has given up the idea of building the proposed tap from Keechi Station to Fairfield. Mr. Trice stated in his former letter that he was favorably inclined toward the project, but suppose that this put an end to the hopes of Fairfield securing a road from that source. Dallas Morning News – June 7, 1903 - Page: 2 Shooting at Israel Farmer Is Dangerously Wounded and Another Will Surrender Special to the News Wortham, Tex., June 6 – Word was received here this morning by telephone from Israel that John Pinkard, a farmer, had been shot and dangerously wounded. John Hooks, another farmer, left for Fairfield, the county seat, to surrender to Sheriff Walker. Pinkard was shot once, the ball entering above the heart and passing clear through the body. Dallas Morning News – July 27, 1903 - Page: 9 Amateur Games Fairfield 8, Winkler 4 To The News Fairfield, Tex., July 26 – In a game of ball for the championship of Freestone County played Saturday Fairfield defeated Winkler, the score being 8 to 4. Batteries: Fairfield, Foreman and Childs; Winkler, Phipps and Phipps, Hogue and Compton. W. B. MOSES Dallas Morning News - August 17, 1903 - Page: 3 Freestone County Prospects Boll Weevil Said to Be Cleaning the Field of its Fruit Special to the News Fairfield, Freestone Co., Tex., Aug. 16 – W. L. Lott, a merchant and owner of several farms in this county, was asked what he knew of the cotton condition. The following was his reply: “Ten days ago we had a very promising prospect. Today we have nothing. The boll weevil is cleaning the fields of all fruit, leaving only a few grown bolls on the old cotton that matured early. The farmers have all become discouraged and quit plowing. The weevil are here in abundance. I have been out several days looking through the cotton and examining the crops in this section, and find them just as I state. The crop in this county will not make exceeding one bale to ten acres, and I honestly believe I have not overestimated it if any error. In some of the field I have examined I have found as many as seven grown weevil on one stalk, and the forms were all pierced. The only fruit on the stalks were the occasional grown bolls and a few blooms on top, and the weevil were in and around them. Any of the farmers in this section will verify these statements. They are made from personal examinations and are correct…. Dallas Morning News - August 29, 1903 – Page 10 Fairfield 21, Cotton Gins 18 Special to the News Fairfield, Tex., Aug. 23 – In the third game of a series with Cotton Gins for the championship of this county, Fairfield won by a score of 21 to 18. There will probably be a couple of more games played, as the Cotton Gins will wear the belt. Dallas Morning News - October 8, 1903 - Page: 16 The State Press Fairfield Recorder: Some of our people have left and others are going to leave. Running from the boil weevil is like dodging lightning. Freestone County is the easiest section of the State in which to make a living, and we believe that times will improve next fall. Dallas Morning News - November 24, 1903 - Page: 6 State Press Wortham Journal: Diversification of crops is getting to be a password with every one. Only a few years ago there was hardly any talk along this line except by the newspapers. But now the farmers, merchants and everybody are talking and considering what variety of crops will be a paying product in each respective locality. …. Fairfield Recorder: The country local paper fulfills a mission that the city semi-weekly will never fill. Week after week it goes into the homes of its friends, telling of the incidents, though insignificant, that transpires among friends and neighbors. Though it may be a source of ridicule to the city paper, when it sees in the columns of its little country brother, that John Smith is building a new barn, or Jim Jones is repairing his fence, yet to the subscriber of the little county sheet it is news, ….