True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young. Page: 236
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236 TRUE STORIES OF OLD
striking and well remembered instance of that was when Judge
John Kerlicks was a candidate for some county office against
the late Captain A. K. Taylor. The returns, I believe, showed
the election of Kerlicks, but the result was so close that Taylor
contested the election and brought suit in the District Court.
When the case came up for trial the first box opened was that
from Wescott precinct. Uncle Dick's home box. There were
more ballots found than there were votes out that way, and there
was such evidence that the ballots had been manipulated that
the whole vote from that precinct was thrown out, thus leaving
a sure majority for Captain Taylor, who was given the office.
While all the Democrats regretted the result, for they wanted
to see John Kerlicks elected, yet they realized that the case was
not so bad as it might have been, for though Captain Taylor was
a Republican he was a clean man and had never affiliated with
the scalawag Republicans and carpetbaggers. He made a good
official and to the day of his death was one of the most honored
and reputable citizens of Houston.
Uncle Dick Westcott and Uncle Dan McGary were two of the
most remarkable characters who ever lived in Houston. Uncle
Dan owned and edited the Age, and whenever an election was
to be pulled off Uncle Dick helped him with his editorial work.
Either one was a hot wire and made little use of parliamentary
language when discussing a Republican candidate or his adherents.
so when the two put their heads together and produced
,a article it was something long to be remembered. They said
just what they thought and as it was generally understood that
they willingly held themselves personally responsible for any
and all of their utterances no one had cause to complain. Uncle
Dan was particularly bitter, for he had had experience. He had
tried to edit a Democratic paper in Brenham but had made it
so hot that the Republican voters burned down his office and
the Republican officials placed him in jail where he remained
for some time. When he got out of jail he came to Houston and
started the Age. He and Uncle Dick joined hands and though
as a rule the Age was practically the same paper day after day,
Uncle Dan using the same matter all the time, when an election
was coming on all that was changed and the Age became one
of the livest sheets imaginable. Both these old war horses have
long since gone to their reward. Peace to their ashes!
A BIG NEWSPAPER SCOOP.
A LL old citizens and newspaper men remember the big
Post published in Houston in 1883. It was the biggest
and best paper ever published in the South up to that
time and a good sized fortune was spent in keeping it going
during the year of its existence. Hardenbrook was general manager
and looked after the business end, while Tobe Mitchell was
managing editor. Both were wide awake newspaper men, Har-
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Young, Samuel Oliver. True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young., book, 1913; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth24646/m1/236/?rotate=90: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.