Jones County Texas Archives - The Stamford News - June 14, 1907 *********************************************************** Submitted by: Dorman Holub Date: 28 December 2019 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/jones/jonestoc.htm *********************************************************** The Stamford News Friday, June 14, 1907 Vol. 8, No. 16 Plainview Dots Miss Mamie Pratt spent Sunday with Maria Gardner and Eula Birdwell visited Miss Laura Jones. Jones County Medical Society met. The following doctors from Stamford were in attendance: Bunkley, Jones, McReynolds, and White. We have opened a racket business in Stamford. We are in the building formerly occupied by the Nickel Store, on the north side of the square. -- Wagley Brothers The Citizens National Bank of Stamford W.H. Eddleman, President C.M. Pattillo, Vice-President J.R. Morrow, Cashier F.E. Morrow, Asst-Cashier Old Landmark Gone The First Law Case Tried in Haskell County On last Tuesday the first business house ever erected on the north side of the public square in Haskell was moved away to make room for a modern two-story brick building to be erected by the Odd Fellows. As this, almost the last landmark of the primitive town, was moved away, the writer and Mr. F.C. Wilfong got into a reminiscent mood and talked of the incidents of 1884-5, when this little box house 18 by 24 feet, was the most pretentious business house in town. It was erected in the spring of 1884 by Wm. Harvey, a rather dignified, old-fashioned farmer who had come west to make his fortune. When the house was completed Mr. D.M. Winn was put in charge with a stock of dry goods, high-heeled boots, fine Stetson hats, the only kind worn by the cow-boys of those days, the best woolen blankets, men’s suits of the best California cashmeres, etc. The only well on or about the square was sunk in front of this building and served to attract the thirsty who drank anything as mild as water. All the ranchmen and cowboys in Haskell, Stonewall, Knox and King counties came to Haskell to buy their clothing, blankets, whiskey, ammunition, and ranch supplies. The following spring, 1885, the county was organized and a shed room eight feet wide was added to this building and rented to the county for a court house and clerk’s office, J.L. Jones was the county clerk. The first case ever tried in the county was for assault and battery and was tried in this shed room. The defendant was his own lawyer. F.C. Wilfong and J.E. Wilfong, the present attorneys were on the jury. The State’s main witness couldn’t remember that the defendant had broken a stick over his head, and the rest of the crowd, who were present when the assault occurred, either didn’t know anything about it or were suffering from a severe lapse of memory, so the jury was compelled to return a verdict of “not guilty.” All of the bystanders participated more or less in the trial. Frank Draper was present and with a sharp knife and a soft pine board filled the air and the floor with shavings while he objected to the rule to exclude the witnesses in a way that way trying on the nerves of the prosecuting attorney, who had invoked the rule. Nearly everybody present expressed himself in an appropriate (?) way on the points in the case during the trial and several denounced the whole proceeding as an outrage and the justice of the peace and sheriff promptly disclaimed responsibility for it. The prosecuting attorney felt very lonesome and somewhat discouraged about this time and, to the best of his recollection, would have been glad to be with the defense. But that was 23 years ago - not a long time in an old settled country, but a long time in a new country, and things have changed greatly. Nearly all of the first settlers are gone and one by one, the old houses have disappeared to make room for better ones and now handsome stone, or brick buildings occupy or soon will occupy the places of all of them. In fact, the only original building remaining is one on the east side known as the Bon Ton restaurant. Of those who voted in the election to organize the county, F.G. Alexander, J.L. Jones, J.E. Wilfong, J.S. Keister, W.F. Draper, J.L. Baldwin, C.D. Long and F.C. Wilfong, are we believe, the only ones now residing in the county. The writer was here but had not been here long enough to vote. Judge J.E. Poole, now of the Free Press, was then county judge of Throckmorton county, to which the unorganized county of Haskell was attached for judicial purposes, and as such officer issued the order for the organization of Haskell. The Tonkawa Indians, a small tribe located on the Clear Fork near old Fort Griffin, hunted over this section and sold pecans and venison and antelope to the people in Haskell in the fall of 1884-5 prior to their removal by the government to the Indian Territory. “Purt” (or Pretty) Smith was the local Indian trader and had his shack about where the Alexander Mercantile Co’s warehouse. (paper is worn and unreadable). He left is out at night and a lot of cowboys in town saw too good a prank to miss. As soon as it was dark they stole the mutton, dug a pit and barbecued it. When it was done they sent an invitation to the owner to come and enjoy the feast with them. Tucker accepted the situation and took it as a good joke and went and ate as heartily as any of the crowd. A year or so later Mike Tucker was killed by lightning while riding about where Bell & Helm now have their implement house. Those were the happy, easy-going day of the cowboys and ranchmen, to whom the social rules of the 400 did not apply, but who stood up for fair play and were clearer hearted and more loyal than they. but time has worked many and great changes and the conditions of the country today are those of a prosperous agricultural country. Where the herds of cattle, horses, and sheep of those days cropped the luxuriant grasses from our fertile prairies there are now broad fields of golden grain, of cotton, corn and forage crops which sustain a happy and prosperous people, and where a few nondescript box shanties constituted the little frontier town now stand scores of handsome modern residences and stone and brick business houses, making a little city of no mean pretensions. -- Haskell Herald Rooms furnished for rent at Mrs. H.R. Gays residence north side of street East of Baptist church. Cemetery Clean Up Day. - J.M. Baxter, Sec.; Mrs. J.L. Blankenbeckler, Vice-Pres. Stamford Post Office Advertised Letters - June 9, 1907 J.W. Abell, W.A. Bomar, Raf Cinom, Mrs. E.J. Freeman, Bud Glasscock, O.P. Garrett, Pap Husley, George Husley, Miss Ruby Mormea, W.E. Orr, Miss Bessie Orr, Mrs. Millie Swrn, Mrs. M.A. Snodgrass, W.T. Walker, E. Weaver, Miss Nora Williams, G.W. Wilkerson. The W.I. Swaim Coy Boy orchestra is available. The W.H.M. Society of the M.E. Church sincerely thanks Mr. R.L. Wright of the firm of Wright & Hasell for canceling the Livery bill contracted by us during the conference. Mrs. Riddell, Press Correspondent; Mrs. Durrett, President. Stamford Realty and Investment Co.