Freestone County, Texas
Reflections


FREESTONE PAST/PRESENT
J. R. (Sonny) SESSIONS
SHERIFF 1965-2001

BUZZARDS IN WORTHAM
  This article written by A.C. Black some years back and appeared in the 
Mexia Daily News.
 I only knew Mr. Black a short time before his death but am sorry I didn’t 
know him much longer as really enjoyed our short friendship. Mr. Black a 
WWII Navy veteran with service in the South Pacific.
  “I grew up in Wortham during the l920-30’s.  The big oil boom had 
followed on the heels of the big one in Mexia and was approaching an end 
about l926. The large influx of oil field workers and others began departing 
rapidly.
  Soon the town had settled back down to a thriving little farming 
community town of about two thousand or so citizens. Business was very 
good. Farmers came flowing into town on Saturdays. Most came in wagons 
drawn by a team of mules which tethered in the alleys while the families 
milled about on the streets visiting, and talking with friends and merchants.
  They usually ate a “nickel” hamburger or two, washing it down with a 
bottle of Nehi soda water and perhaps, eating a peanut patty. The children 
might go to “moving picture show” where they would see western stars such 
as Tom Mix, Buck Jones, Bob Steele, or Tim McCoy, ect. Admission was 
only a dime. The man of the family might seek out the local “bootlegger” 
while the wife wasn’t looking and purchase a bottle of “White Lightning” or 
good quality red corn whisky made by a famous local family down on the 
creek bottom.
  In the late afternoon, most families would load their wagons down with 
groceries. Perhaps a 98lb. sack of flour, a sack of corn meal, coffee, sugar, 
salt & pepper, a big can of coal oil (kerosene with a small potato stuck into 
the spout  to prevent spilling), large box of matches, tobacco, snuff, and 
maybe a little hard candy for the children. They would then head the mules 
out for home. (These were the only items that they didn’t raise at home).
  Most everyone had been enjoying prosperity, and life had been mostly 
quiet and peaceful during these few years. But suddenly everything changed 
!!!
  The Stock Market Crashed on my eighth birthday, Oct. 29th. 1929!!  And 
the GREAT DEPRESSION” began immediately. This was a terrible blow to 
the welfare of everyone!! Business came to an almost complete standstill, 
and I recall hearing merchants saying many times during the following years 
that “the town of Wortham was dying.”
  My Mother and Daddy were operating a small café (hamburger joint on 
north 2nd. St. during those years, and it was becoming pretty difficult to sell 
many of their nickel hamburgers, 20 cent plates of Irish stew, or bowls of 
chili. Several times I heard my Daddy say the town of Wortham was dead.
  And this seemed to actually be true around l931 because there were now 3 
fully grown buzzards constantly circling above the main street, and 
sometimes perching on the edges of the two story store buildings. They 
would perch there balefully staring down at the people below in the same 
manner as they would while patiently waiting for a wounded animal to die.
  There was a reasonable explanation for the unusual presence of these 
buzzards. A citizen named Wayne Riley, who loved pets, animals, birds 
most anything, was responsible for the buzzards. Mr. Riley was a welder and 
mechanic with a shop on the corner of the alley next to the calaboose (city 
jail). Someone had robbed a buzzard’s nest and sold them to him. Wayne 
had raised the birds, made pets of them, and when they were old enough to 
fly set them free. But he continued to provide food and water for them. They 
had become so tame and attached to him that he could approach them with 
food and they would always come flocking to him.
  Of course these buzzards attracted quite a lot of attention. Most people 
were amused by their presence, but some were not.
  The First National Bank building was on the northwest corner of Main St.
and 2nd Ave.  (The building with it’s marble front still exists as it did then)..  
Along the 2nd St. side of the building was a very long bench on the sidewalk 
which was in the shade each afternoon. Local merchants, customers, and 
some of the “town fathers” often sat there in the cool shade discussing the 
hard times, Pres. Hoover and other things. I was a very curious young boy 
and often sat on the curb near them to listen to their talk.
  On this particular afternoon, the three buzzards began to slowly circle low 
above the main intersection a couple of times, and finally alighted on the 
edge of the building across from us. The birds continued to sit there, 
balefully watching us in the same ominous way as they were waiting for a 
wounded prey to die. Some of the men on the bench seemed amused by this, 
but a few definitely were not.
  Suddenly one of our town fathers jumped to his feet “I’ve had enough of 
this” he declared. I know our town is dying!! But those darned buzzards are 
just too much! “They sure do hurt the town’s Image, “another man agreed.
  Roy (Crook) Calame the City Constable joined in “Lets go down and tell 
Wayne Riley that he has got to get rid of them dang buzzards right now”\
  They sure do make a fellow feel uncomfortable” another man said. “Sort of 
a bad omen or something.”
  All of the men got to their feet and the delegation headed for Wayne 
Riley’s Shop.
  I never saw the buzzards again after that day. I am sure that Wayne loaded 
them into his truck and carried them a long, long way from Wortham before 
turning them loose, I know that he would never have killed them.
  Wortham didn’t die> Unlike Mexia, most of the old downtown buildings 
remain just as they were back then. That is good.
  This article by Mr. Black tells it as things were in that period. Although it 
before my time I can relate to it. Wayne Riley and I became good friends.
This before air conditioning  so popular, the first evaporative cooler we had 
came from Wayne, I have been told he invented them along with other 
things. Wayne had a large building with an upstairs area all packed full of 
collectibles. He told me he had a airplane he built stored upstairs that going 
to revolutionize flying, I never saw it and it all burned back in 50’s or 60’s.
Wayne marched to a different drummer from most of us but very intelligent.