Palo Pinto County Star (Mineral Wells, Tex.), Vol. 89, No. 49, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 22, 1966 Page: 1 of 12
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Mineral Wells
Palo Pinto County Star
PALO PINTO COUNTY'S OLDEST BUSINESS INSTITUTION
Wednesday June 22, 1966
Official County Newspaper
County - Wide News
Coverage, Circulation
ANNIVERSARY EDITION FIFTEEN CENTS
Son's Palo Pinto County Star
Has Its Nintieth Anniversary
By LELA ABERNATHY
James Crittenden Son (1848 -
1938); was an early Texas edi-
tor. So reads history. Yet some
men leave a larger mark on
time than the dates of their
existence and their occupation.
J. Cv Son was such a man. He
is perhaps remembered best
as the 57-year editor of the Palo
Pinto County Star. This fact,
however, is not the beginning of
his saga.
An 18-year-old boy entered the
journalistic trade atHammers-
ville. Mo. There, one year after
the Civil War, he learned from
the old masters.
For the Hammersville Inde-
pendent, Son came out in fiery
editorial style during the
Grant—Greely campaign. Son
was a Democrat of the "old
school." So was Horace Greely,
the New York editor and presi-
dential candidate.
As a Democrat of the early
post Civil War era, the young
newspaperman supported
Greely. He took his pro-Dem-
ocratic position despite the fact
that Hammersville was a Re-'
publican stronghold.
The political battle raged. A
subscriber of the Independent
informed Son that to vote for
Greelv, one would "have to go to
the confectionary and buy a
strong emetic, and vomit.''
To this tasteless insult, Son
replied editorally that to vote
for Grant, "one would have to
learn to steal."
In the United States such re-
marks are the honest opinions
of outspoken men. In Repub-
lican strongholds shortly after
the Civil War such remarks
were the resignation state-
ments of editors.
So, Son ended his tenure in
Hammersville, Mo. A few years
later, in 1773, he journeyed to
the more Democratic strong-
hold — Texas.
During his first three years in
Texas Son worked for the Mc-
Kinney Messenger, was a print-
er for the Dallas Daily Com-
mercial, and coestablished and
edited the Piano News.
Then in 1876 the editor with
the "snapping black eyes" made
his final move. He loaded his
George Washington press on an
ox cart. He mounted a small
Spanish pony and threw a rifle :
over his saddle horn.
Thus the pioneer printer struck
out for Palo Pinto, the town
with a railroad future. The small
frontier town, nestled among
cedar and limestone covered
hills, never gained its rail-
road.
It did gain, however, the Palo
Pinto County Star, establish-
ed June 22, 1876. The little town
also gained an editor and a com-
munity leader.
As an editor, Son bit sharply
and praised grandly. In fact,
his praise of the "crazy wa-
ter" in the newly founded Min-
eral Wells put that city on the
map. As a reward for his edi- .
torial publicity he was awarded
a city lot in the "booming
town to the east."
As a community leader, Son
founded the Democratic party in
the county. Later, in the early
twentieth century, he represent-
ed the Seventeenth Congres-
sional District as its presiden-
tial elector.
Son operated the Star until
Jan. 1, 1934. He sold the paper
to Mary Whatley Clarke, whose
birth he had chronicled. Mrs.
Clarke, a journalist in her own
right and author of "The Palo
Pinto County Story," continued'
publication of the paper for
several years in a style equal
to Son's.
So, we know the history of
James Crittenden Son. We have
witnessed the birth and early
years of a still-published paper.
What, though, do we know of
Uncle Jim, as Son was fondly
called in the little village? We
have scrutinized the editor. Now
let. us view the husband, the
father, the father-in-law, the
grandfather, and the character
"you had blamed well let alone,
or be got back by that paper
he prints."
Uncle Jim married Ida T. Cor-
bin, a beautiful red head, two
James C. Son and his hand-press, manufact-
ured in 1838.
years after he arrived in Palo
Pinto. Glancing through old clip-
pings does not reveal the mar-
riage, but by the odd hand of
fate, it does reveal the love.
Why the "odd" hand of fate? Let1
it come from the pen of Uncle
Jim: "The saddest of all is
being encumbered with the.
duty of making notice of the death
1
^'w-V 11
Trrrr
Second Courthouse
Present Courthouse
First Courthouse
Three Courthouses Have Reigned
For Over 109 Years in the County
By BEULAH MCDONALD
By the Act of Legislature of
August 27, 1856, Palo Pinto
County was created. The Coun-
ty was organized from Bosque
and Navarro Counties. Palo
Pinto was named for Palo Pinto
Creek, a name derived from
from the Indian term meaning
painted pole or tree.
In a provision of the legis-
lative act the county site was
placed within a five mile radius
of the center of the county. The
act also stated that the coun-
ty site should be named Gol-
conda.
The regular August, 1857
County Court term was open-
ed by John Hittson, sheriff. J.
A. McLaren was Chief Justice,
and Washington Hullum, J.J.
Cureton, William Caruthers,
and R. W. Pollard were the
first commissioners and were
present at court.
The Court ordered that the
town of Golconda be surveyed
and laid out.
At the August, 1857 court ses-
sion, It was decided that there
was a need for a county court-
house. A notice was sent out for
bids for the building. The di-
mensions were to be 16 feet
wide by 22 feet long by 12
feet high. It was to be a frame
structure and have two doo rs and
three windows.
William G. Evans was award-
ed the contract for a bid of
$300.00. The structure went up
on Lot 1, Block 1 of the ori-
ginal town survey,SurveyNum-
ber 3. The survey called for a
320 acre town site.
This first building was used
until 1882 when a two-story
structure was constructed. The
new courthouse of native sand-
stone was built in Palo Pinto,
the old county site of Golconda
-with a new name.
The second building cost $35,-
000.00. The cut sandstone was
hauled by wagons and teams
from a rock quarry just south
of the town. All stones used in
the building were hand-hewn.
Much of the hand-hewn stone
from the first rock courthouse
was recut and used In the pre-
sent day courthouse. The pre-
sent courthouse was completed
in 1942 at a cost of $250,000.00.
The County commissioners,
headed by Judge J. Pat Corri-
gan were Jack Vaughn, 0. C.
Howard, M. 0. Shook, and W. E.
Brannon. Ernest Belcher was
District Judge and Sam Cleve-
land was County Attorney. J. E.
Hall was District Clerk.
J. C. Son, founder of the Palo
Pinto County Star, cametoPalo
Pinto County six years before
the old "clapboard" courthouse
was destroyed.
Son must have gleaned many
stories for his newspaper by
attending sessions of court in
the first structure during his
first six years of publishing the
Star. Old copies of his paper
show that he wrote much news
of court events which took place
In the old hand-hewn sandstone
building.
of our bosom companion, our
guiding star, our chief counsel-
lor, who for forty-six years
was a part of our very being,
our dear wife, and the mother
of our children."
Uncle Jim summed it up: the
closeness, the confidence, the
years, and the happiness of hus-
band and wife. By the odd hand
of fate it was written in a death
notice; yet he encompassed the
years.
A moment in history, rather
than a summary, shows the
lighter side of Uncle Jim, the
husband. Picture the brown-
haired, black-eyed man gazing
at the picket fences and log
cabins of the village.
Now recall if age permits, if
not, imagine a shrill "gobble-
gobble" as a schoolboy mocked
a turkey in front of Uncle Jim's
print shop.
A frown would come over Uncle
Jim's face as he gave sharp
warning to the youngster with a
flying tongue and a shaking fin-
ger.
Why? Well, Uncle Jim sold
Aunt Ida's turkeys once—and
he lost the money in a poker
game. It was the schoolboy's
delight to "rile" him about
the incident.
The joke wasn't usually on
Uncle Jim. Actually, he had
the last say and the last laugh
for three generations according
to the ol' timers.
Let us move, then, to Uncle
Jim, the father. He had, among
seven children, Audie Vee, a
lovely brunette, who was to be
wed to a local boy.
S. J. S. Abernathy, father of
the groom-to-be and a Palo
Pinto character in his own right,
made a proposion to Uncle Jim.
The conversation went some-
thing like this:
"I suppose, J.C., that since
mv son is marrying your daugh-
ter, half of your enterprise will
become mine," the elder Aber-
nathy remarked.
To be a good father and give
his daughter's hand in marriage
was one thing to Uncle Jim, but
to let a Scotsman overcome
him with a proposition was quite
another. "No, it doesn't mean
that by a damn sight," he an-
swered sharply.
So, Uncle Jim became a father-
in-law, but he didn't become
half-owner of his own paper. In
later years he served Ray Aber-
nathy, the son-in-law, with an
equal dose of his wit.
To pin-point the time of the,
last laugh on the second gen-
eration, the age and era maybe
described as the one in which
Ray Abernathy owned the drug
store in Palo Pinto.
It was the era of real ice-
boxes. The citizens bought ice
from Ray Ab at a rate of 12 1/2
pounds for a dime and 6 1/4
pounds for a nickle.
Now, as anyone knows, ice has
to be wrapped in paper to keep
it from melting. Ray Ab wrap-
ped his ice in newspapers.
Having run "out of newspapers
one day, Ray Ab wandered down
to the Star office to pick some
up. Uncle Jim informed him that
all he had were Stars. At that
time the Palo Pinto County Star
was printed on eight inch by
twelve inch paper.
"J.C.," the son-in-law said,
"your Stars just aren't big
enough."
With a disgusted grunt Uncle
Jim retorted, "They're big
enough to wrap fifty cents worth
of your ice in any day."
Much later, Ray Ab was dub-
bed Uncle Ray. It may be said
that the battle of wits between
Uncle Ray and Uncle Jim, two
of the small town's most favor-
ed and beloved citizens, raged
long and friendly.
What was the joke on the third
generation? It was one of Uncle
Jim's favorites. He convinced
Samuel Crittenden "Cr it"
Abernathy that there were "type
lice" between the lines of type
in his press frame.
When first set, a frame full of
type was full of spaces and the
spaces were full of ink. Uncle
Jim soon had the 10-year-old
"Crit" leaning far over the
frame, hunting for the "type
lice" in the spaces.
With a twist of his wrist, Uncle
Jim suddenly tightened the
frame, pushing the type togeth-
er. Ink in the eye for the third
generation.,.
James Crittenden "Uncle Jim"
Son, as journalist and lovable
character combined, was a maj-
jestic pioneer.
Sandstone
Is Antique
Jail House
Landmark
On December 13, 1879, a con-
tract for building the old sand-
stone Palo Pinto County jail
was awarded to Johnston, Mar-
tin, and Byrne. The two-story
jail was completed in 1882.
It was constructed of native
sandstone quarried, as was the
stone for the old courthouse,
from a spot south of Palo Pin-
to. We have been told that this
rock quarry is in McQuery
Hollow, due south of town.
The outside walls of the old
jail are 18 inches thick. Some
of the inside partitions, as well
as some of the flooring, is of
steel.
Today there is evidence of the
only hanging (the only legal
execution) ever held in Palo
Pinto County. If you should
visit the old landmark, you
would see, dangling from a
large hook, an old piece of rope.
It hangs from the high ceiling
over the steel trap door in the
second story floor of this 84-
year-pld building.
John Dove was sentenced to
"be hung by the neck, until
dead" in September 1894 on a
rape charge.
O. L. York was then the sheriff,
of Palo Pinto County and C. C.
Martin was the jailer.
Mrs. Martin, the jailer's wife,
made the black hood which was
used to cover Dove's head on his
execution day.
Reading from Mary Whatley
Clarke's "Palo Pinto County
Story," we learn that the first
jail, before the two-story struc-
ture, was built in 1858.
J. W. Carpenter built the first
jail for Palo Pinto County.
Many Palo Pinto County citi-
zens have voiced a wish that the
old sandstone jail could be pre-
served for a Palo Pinto museum,
as have other old jails in Tex-
as been preserved*
»
Old Sandstone Jail
Hexagon House Has Honeycomb Look
D. G. Galbraith after observ-
ing the structure of a honeycomb
came up with the idea of build-
ing a hotel in like manner and
the result was the fabulous and
famous long time land mark of
Mineral Wells for many, many
years, the Hexogon House.
In planning the structure from
the honeycomb idea, each room
at some time of the day re-
ceived the rays of the sun. Each
room also had cross ventila-
tion which was an important
asset for a hotel built prior to
airconditioning.
The house was elegantly fur-
nished and the rooms were
provided with all of the modern
conveniences. Rates in sea-
son were $1.50 per day; out of
season, $1.00 per day, which
included bath privileges. Meals
were available at nearby hotels.
Many celebrities signed the
register at the Hexagon during
its' heyday. Even after its'
heyday when the hotel rooms
were converted into apart-
ments the Hexagon retained all
the atmosphere of a most un-
usual place to live.
Fom the entrance hall as one
entered the lobby one could
see the stairways as they en-
circled each floor giving a gal-
lery effect.
Mrs. Galbraith managed the
hotel as long as she was able
to do so and then her family
helped her in handling the apart-
ments.
When her daughter made a
statement to the press that she
was demolishing the Hexagon
there was much protest but no
one came forward with the
amount of money asked for the
building, said to be the only one
of its kind in the world. There
was talk that the Hexagon would
make a nice location for a li-
brary,but it was all talk, there
was never anything that was done
about it.
This house kflown and written
about all over the world could
have been one of the most fa-
mous tourist attractions in the
world but all that is left are
memories of the house and pic-
tures of something that once
was--in Mineral Wells.
' mti)
Hexagon House
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Palo Pinto County Star (Mineral Wells, Tex.), Vol. 89, No. 49, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 22, 1966, newspaper, June 22, 1966; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth417294/m1/1/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boyce Ditto Public Library.