Palo Pinto County Star (Mineral Wells, Tex.), Vol. [103], No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 18, 1980 Page: 1 of 8
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MAMIE OEO^G
PALO PINSO , TX 76072
'Palo Pinto County's Oldest Newspaper First Established in 1876
Palo Pinto County
Palo Pinto
Lone Camp
Santo
Brazos
Gordon
Mingus
Strawn
Graford
Salesville
Palo Pinto Lake
Possum Kingdom
Mineral Wells
Founded June 22,1876 Number 12
Published at Mineral Wells, Texas 76067
One Section
Thursday I September 18,1980
• Once Around
The County
by Thelma Doss
The Dallas Historical Society announces a public lecture and
gallery tour Saturday September 20 at the Hall of State, Fair
Park, Dallas. The gallery tour will be at 2 p.m. according to
Conover Jones, curator, Dallas Historical Society - "That Red
Head Gal: Fashions and Designs of (Gordon Conway." At 3l
p.m. the lecture will be given by Betty Marzan, professor
North Texas State University — "Fashion Design of the 1920's
and 1930's."
Pauline Mithcell and Faye Smith, Strawn, attended the Texas
Extension Homemakers Association District 8 camp at the 4 -
H Center in Brown wood Sept. 9-10.
Homemakers in Palo Pinto County are getting ready for
Achievement Day to be held October 29 in Gordon at the
i^nerican Legion Building. Clubs in the county will have
displays and state reports will be heard.
R.W. Crudgington, Strawn, has leased the Mingus Feed Store
and has purchased the Mingus Meat and Provisions store.
The former location of Franks Cafe in Mingus is being
remodeled and a barbeque place is expected to be located
there.
Rodney Edwards, age 10, a Gordon School student has
learned and is learning a lot about art from his grandmother
Clara Lewis. Rodney has several (4) of his oil paintings on
exhibit at the Village Art Center in Gordon. He decided to
paint in oils this summer and chooses his subject favorites such
as old barns, scenes and he likes to paint old houses, too. He's
experimenting in pastels now.
( Rodney has been encouraged by his teachers at school, Jill
Page, Dee Ann Roberts and Harley Ethridge, school
superintendent. Rodney has lived in Gordon for three years,
has participated in UIL contests on the local level, and is
looking forward to UIL participation this year.
His interests are varied, he expects to start studying music
this month with Tip Cash of Perrin, he likes to crochet, makes
afghans and pillows and he says, "Anything that's easy." He
paints on fabric, too and designs his own T - shirts. One is
painted with flowers, another has Spider Man.
Not to be outdone his creativity 'turns to making photo>
albums, bread dough plaques and he likes all kinds of crafts.
He has even made "corny dolls" out of corn cobs with a nose
of popcorn and a head made from the cob He's started an
Around the World quilt but says he only has one block
finished so far. He likes to embroider, too.
Rodney plays football, swims a little and is a straight A
student.
His grandmother Clara conducted art classes in Mineral Wells,
Abilene and Decatur for a number of years and is teaching
Rodney and his brother Robert, age eight. Robert likes to do
charcoal and ink sketches,
Mrs. Lewis has sold many of her paintings and is doing some
commission work now. Her paintings have found their way'
into many homes in this area and as far away as Hawaii.
(Continued on page 8)
\
8 Pages
Price 15 Cents
SECRETARY OF STATE - George W. Strake, Jr.
congratulates Mr. and Mrs. D.H. Ward. Mrs. Ward is Texas
Heritage Project County chairman of Palo Pinto County.
They attended official ceremonies at the State Capitol
launching the Texas Heritage Project, a statewide
educational and patriotic program. The project is a
cooperative endeavor of the Texas Historical Foundation
and the Texas Historical Commission. It is financed by a
grant from the Moody Foundation of Galveston.
Early Palo Pinto County Jailers
By Mamie George Martin
Since 1857 when Palo
Pinto County was organized
and since the first sheriff of
the county, John Hittson,
was jail - keeper as well as
sheriff, there have been a
number of jailers during the
117 years of Palo Pinto
County's history.
The first jail in Palo Pinto
County was from legend of
log construction with a picket
stockade fence built around
the one room, dirt floor jail.
It was built in 1858.
The first native sand stone
jail building in Palo Pinto
County was contracted for in
the year 1879. The two story
jail was completed in 1882.
W.B. Reid was one of the
earliest known jailers of Palo
Pinto County.
Serving as jailer, in the two
story jail under Palo Pinto
County Sheriff, O.L. York
and also under Tom
Hindman, and also another
Palo Pinto County Sheriff,
James Owen, was Charles C.
Martin.
Martin came to Texas from
Hall County, the State of
Missouri, about 1875. He was
a young man who had served
in the Civil War with the
founder of the Palo Pinto
County Star. The founder of
the publication was James C.
Son, who had also come to
mm
- ■ •
RODNEY EDWARDS — ten year old artist, Gordon, shows
some of his paintings that are in the gallery at the Village
Art Center, Gordon. Rodney started painting in oils this
summer and likes to paint rustic scenes. Presently he is
experimenting in pastels. A straight A student, he has many
craft hobbies.
Texas about the same time as
his friend Charles Martin.
On January 12, 1877,
Charles C. Martin married
Miss Mary Jane Wilson who
came to Texas with her
parents from her native home
in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.
This young couple was
married by D.B. Warren,
county judge, in the county
of Palo Pinto and town of
Palo Pinto.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin moved
to the Metcalf farm on the
Brazos River north of Palo
Pinto. Their two children,
Jocie and Olin, were born
while living on this farm.
Moving to Palo Pinto from
the farm Martin was
appointed as a deputy sheriff
and jailer. The Martins lived
in the living quarters of the
jail. Mrs. Martin did the
cooking for the family and
also the inmates while Mr.
Martin's duties consisted of
jail duties and deputy sheriff.
Rose Elizabeth Martin was
the first child to be born to
the jailer, Martin and his wife,
"Jennie" after they came to
live in the jail. She was born
January 4, 1888, and William
Edward Martin was the first
son to be born in the jail.
With four children to care
for, Mr. and Mrs. Martin
realized that she would be in
better health if she gave up
her duties of cooking for the
jail. Martin resigned his
duties as deputy sheriff and
jailer to become a candidate
for the justice of the peace.
He was elected to this office
in 1904 and served until his
death January 21,1917.
At the time Charles C.
Martin was serving as deputy
and jailer under Sheriff O.L.
York the only legal execution
in Palo Pinto County took
place. A prisoner, John Dove,
was sentenced to be hung in
September 1894 on a rape
•charge. Mr. Martin told his
wife, Jennie, of the hanging
to be held, so she gathered
her four young children and
took them south of the jail
building to a creek and high
rock ledge where they felt
secure and stayed until after
the execution of John Dove
as they were afraid of a mob.
Mrs. Martin sewed the
black hangman's hood worn
by Dove when he was hanged.
She kept this hood for many
years afterwards. It was
Local project chairman
attends Austin ceremony
viewed by many people who
came from far and near to see
the hood and place where the
rope was tied, a scaffold was
built just east of the back
door of the jail for the
hanging.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin moved
from the jail later about 1895
to the location across the
street from the jail south;
here they lived until their
deaths. Today their youngest
child, Miss Mamie George
Martin, resides on the same
premises.
There were numerous
other jailers after Charles C.
Martin served the county
under three different sheriffs.
Some were W.B. Reid whose
son, Dwight Reid, later
became a jailer. Joe B.
Johnson, R.B. (Dick) Choate,
O.N. Grimes, John W.
Bozzell, Aaron Jordan, who
was a county sheriff as well as
iailer at the same time. Then
Dwight Reid moved in, other
jailers were Charlie Leird,
O.H. (Ott) Howard, John
Bond also was jailer and
sheriff at the same time. John
Edmondson was another who
was sheriff and jailer. In
1942 the new courthouse was
completed which also housed
the jail on the third floor.
The old jail building
completed in the year 1882,
is being preserved by the Palo
Pinto County Historical
Association and houses a
museum with interesting
grounds and buildings.
When the Martins lived in
the jail the living quarters
needed some repair work so
they put down a new floor
which was of wide planks
with wide spaces between.
The young daughter, Rose,
found a crack wide enough
that she would put articles
through the cracks. She lost a
shoe and small china doll in
this way. Some 80 years later
when the new floor was being
put in for the museum in the
old jail building the workmen
found the shoe and china doll
that had belonged to Rose.
(Now Mrs. Rose Genz of
Houston.) They will be given
a place in the museum.
A number of times
prisoners have escaped from
the old two story sandstone
Palo Pinto County jail in the
county seat, Palo Pinto. I
remember a few in particular:
(Continued on page 8)
AUSTIN - The Texas
Heritage Project, a statewide
educational and patriotic
program designed to
strengthen a spirit of pride in
the renewed patriotism for all
Texans, was launched during
official ceremonies this week
at the State Capitol.
This dynamic program is a
cooperative endeavor of the
Texas Historical Foundation,
a nonprofit group formed to
preserve, promote and
protect the heritage of Texas,
and the Texas Historical
Commission, the state
preservation agency. Funds
were made possible by a grant
from the Moody Foundation
of Galveston.
Governor William P.
Clements, Jr. endorsed the
Texas Heritage Project, "It is
one of the finest programs to
be started in Texas in many
years. An emphasis on the
rededication and celebration
of Texas patriotism is what
the people of Texas need to
rekindle the unique spirit of
Texas. I particularly
commend the increased
emphasis that is being placed
on future observances of
Texas patriotic days."
To kick off this patriotic
rededication, Governor
Clements issued a
proclamation designating
September 1 - 7 Texas Navy
Week and called upon all
Texans to celebrate the
important role that the
Navies of Texas played in
achieving our freedom.
The comprehensive and
promotional Texas pride
project has as one of its goals
the revival of interest in such
other Texas patriotic days as
Confederate Heroes Day,
Cinco de Mayo,
Emancipation Day, Texas
Pioneer's Day, Stephen F.
Austin Day, Texas
Independence and Flag Day
and Battle of San Jacinto
Day.
The Texas Heritage Project
hopes by reviving an interest
in such days a wider
appreciation and observance
of Texas patriotic days will
be encouraged within the
local communities.
Another significant
contribution of the Texas
Heritage Project will be the
compiling of business
histories and biographical
sketches of early Texans to
be housed in the State
Archives enabling all Texans
access to research material.
This goal of the Texas
Heritage Project will bring
neglected periods of time
back into focus and will
serve to illustrate the vital
role that our free enterprise
system, Texas Sytle, has
served in the growth and
development of the
Southwest.
To accomplish these facets
of the Texas Heritage Project
will be the achievement of
the volunteers in all of the
countries of Texas.
In Palo Pinto County, the
Texas Heritage Project
County Chairman is Leta
Ward, P.K. Lake, and the
County Historical
Commission Chairman is also
Leta Ward.
Hearing set on
appraisal status
A hearing on a permanent
injunction to prohibit Palo
Pinto County's participation
in a property reappraisal has
been scheduled for 2 p.m.
Monday, September 29, in
29th District Court in Palo
Pinto.
The hearing will determine
if the county has a legal
contract with the Palo Pinto
Tax Appraisal District which
is conducting the reappraisal
and if the county can issue
$200,000 in certificates of
obligation to fund its share of
the project.
A temporary injunction
order in the lawsuit filed by
Mary Jane Birdwell, a Palo
Pinto ranch owner, was
received Wednesday by
county officials.
The temporary order,
drafted by Mrs. Birdwell's
attorney, Adrian Overstreet
Of Austin, appears to uphold
the three allegations made by
Mrs. Birdwell in the suit, and
enjoins the county from
fulfilling any part of the
contract or making any
payments or issuing any
certificates of obligation until
the permanent hearing is
held.
State District Judge Jim
Wright, who presided during
the hearing on the temporary
injunction on Aug. 11 will
also conduct the permanent
injunction hearing, County
Judge Mike Smiddy said.
In the suit, Mrs. Birdwell
contends that the county
commissioners illegally
delegated their constitutional
authority to act as the
county's board of
equalization by contracting
with the tax district, which
will appoint a three - member
board to hear tax complaints.
She also alleges that some
services provided for under
the contract should have been
let for bids, and that the
issuance of the certificates of
obligation was illegal under
the Interlocal Cooperation
Act, which specifies the
contracted services shall be
paid for with current
revenues.
The suit was filed after
county commissioners voted,
against the objections of a
citizens' organization, to
remain in the appraisal
project for 1981, and to issue
certificates of obligation to
fund the project to avoid a
substantial tax increase in the
next budget year.
On Monday, commiss-
ioners approved a 93 - cent
tax rate for 1980, which
Smiddy said would be
sufficient to cover the
budget. However, he said, in
the event the county is not
allowed to issue the
certificates of obligation to
fund the reappraisal, the
county, if its contract is
declared legal, will need to
use some $137,000 in
invested funds to pay for the
project.
Opponents of the project
are protesting what they say
is the exorbitant cost of the
project and the associated
office expenses, claiming that
the project could have been
conducted cheaper on an
in-house basis using the
county tax office with Tax
Assessor - Collector John
Winters as chief assessor.
However, the tax district
board has contracted with
Professional Appraisal Co. of
Arlington and Pritchard
Abbott for the appraisal
work, and has hired Mineral
Wells ISD Tax Assessor -
Collector Harold Quillen as
chief appraiser.
Though a reappraisal is not
mandated to begin until
1982, according to the new
state tax code, officials of the
(Continued on page 8)
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Palo Pinto County Star (Mineral Wells, Tex.), Vol. [103], No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 18, 1980, newspaper, September 18, 1980; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth417302/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boyce Ditto Public Library.