Mexia Daily News - Dec. 26, 2003 edition
by J. R. (Sonny) Sessions

R. L. "Fudge" Thomas

In early 1999 a short time before his death I visited for the last time with
lifelong friend R. L. Thomas, locally known as Fudge who some 85 years old at
the time. Over the years he told me many stories of his early life and family.
There a very close relationship with his family and mine as all his born on my
grand daddy's place near Kirvin, all later moved to the Fairfield area. His
father a cowboy for my grand daddy died when Fudge only two years old leaving
his mother a black widow with a large family to raise and working for 50 cents
a day.

While still living in the Kirvin area Mr. Prince Utley and son O.B. Utley
operated a meat shop in Kirvin. Mr. Utley told him to take a little red wagon
to the slaughter pens and get a load of meat and scraps for the family, these
trips helped them thru many hard times. His sister Lovey told me they carried
drinking water from Woodland to where they lived west of there, quite a
distance.

For many years Fudge a good farmer always had sweet potatoes he peddled along
the highways and good turnip green patches, every year he kept me supplied in
these and I furnished him a place to fish, which he loved.

My Daddy, Mother and family moved into the old County Jail in 1931 when he went
in a Sheriff. Fudge just a youth was in Jail at the time on charges today would
not be considered. He spent quite sometime there helping with the cooking,
dishwashing, cow milking or whatever needed including babysitting myself. He
moved into the furnace room in the basement of the Courthouse with old man
Louis Vernon and helped keep the courthouse. When released from Jail he
wouldn't go home but continued to stay in the basement of the Courthouse. He
continued helping around the Jail as needed. He told of slipping old whisky
stills from the piles of contraband stacked on the north side of the
Courthouse. He also told of dipping up some of the corn whiskey poured into the
bar ditches around the Courthouse Square to dispose of it and selling it. When
he finally left the Jail he had $100 in cash which a princely sum in those
days.

Fudge told of my being left with him while my parents gone to different
functions, this not unusual as remember staying with the cooks and going to
funerals and such with them on occasions, He told on one occasion he and I
being left at the Jail alone when an escape was suspected and Daddy told him if
any prisoners got out and away he would send him to the pen. Fudge said he saw
one prisoner come out a hole he had made in the old brick wall, this being on
the second floor the prisoner tried to jump into a tree nearby, he missed
falling to the ground breaking his shoulder. Fudge said he sent me into the
Jail to get a gun which he held on the prisoner trying to escape until Deputy
Homer Robinson got back. He said another prisoner thought about trying to
escape but saw Fudge with the gun. I can't say I remember all this, but do some
of it as only four or five at the time.

Fudge told that after leaving the Jail he went to work making whisky for one of
my old whisky making friends, he said he outran the officers raiding the stills
on several occasions. The last time he ran the others ran off and left him, he
escaped but quit the whisky business after a conversation with my Daddy.

We were supposed to meet again soon with more stories but as have done too many
times waited too long. I did enjoy a long friendship with Fudge one of my
favorite characters. I still remember his fishing trips when he often brought
an old gal you could hear hollering a country mile every time she caught a
fish, little or big.

The Thanksgiving season we observe yearly has been thought to have first been
held between the Pilgrims and Indians in New England in the 1600's. Some
historians today believe the first such event occurred on the Rio Grande near
El Paso in 1598 by Spanish Conquistadors and American Indians.

Memorial services for longtime friend Homer Little, pleased to learn from Rev.
Henry Colson that he held quite a reputation in Gospel Singing and well known
as Bass singer not only locally but also with such groups as the Sunshine
Singers, the Jordanaires, the Stamps-Baxter Quartet and even Red Foley. He and
Bunyon attended many Sunday Singings.