The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 32, July 1928 - April, 1929 Page: 214

                                
Southwestern Historical Quarterly

known, was typical of the frontier journalists. Except indirectly,
we know too little about him. It seems that he had been a loco-
motive engineer for a while in Kansas. In 1875, he went to Jacks-
boro, Texas, and established the Frontier Echo as editor and sole
owner. In this capacity, he became one of the most influential
men on the Northwest Texas frontier. He became the cham-
pion of the cattlemen. Although he never owned any cattle him-
self, he attended all the meetings of the cattlemen, and was one
of the organizers of the Northwest Texas Cattlemen's Associa-
tion. He was a close friend of J. C. Loving, cattleman, journal-
ist and, for a generation, secretary of the cattlemen's association.
There was never a ball, barbecue, or meeting, professional or
political, within a hundred miles to which Robson did not have
a pressing invitation. People went far out of their way to ex-
tend him a favor. He was an anti-prohibitionist, and could take
his "Tom and Jerry" straight. He had no fight to make on the
various Temperance Unions as long as the "abstainers" clubbed
together for mutual benefit and encouragement; but when they
began to take an aggressive attitude, he opposed them with all
the force of his straightforward character. He was an individ-
ualist to the core. He was not a churchman of any sort, yet
religious toleration never had a stronger advocate than he. In
writing about the ladies, never was there a Kentucky colonel
more gallant. He wrote up the weddings with a grand flourish,
always devoting about nineteen-twentieths of the space to the
bride. For his efforts there was always a reward in the form
of a big, fine cake with white frosting all over it. It became an
unwritten law of the land, that every wedding "written-up"
meant a cake for the editor. The only way to know Robson is
to read the columns of the Echo. In that way one establishes
an intimacy with him which can not be had in any other way.
Another pioneer editor of note was Edgar Rye, attorney, jus-
tice of the peace, poet, sign painter, builder, decorator, author,
soap factory superintendent, and for a period a quasi-vagabond,
and editor. In 1890, he became joint owner and editor of the
Albany News. Under his guidance for almost two years, the
News became an extraordinary newspaper. Among his numerous
other duties, Rye found time to utilize his versatile talents in
carving woodcuts with his pocket knife for the purpose of illus-

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