Stephenville Empire-Tribune (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 49, Ed. 1 Friday, November 26, 1937 Page: 1 of 16
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: City of Stephenville Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Dublin Public Library.
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AWARDED ULO OUT DT INI BY
ktlOK. AND JUDOED MIT WABBLY TAPBB DT TBZA1
Vol, M, No. M; TRIBl
LOW BIDDERS ON
JTAC BUILDING
ARE TABULATED
Addition To Tarleton Science
Building To Be Erected
In Near Future
Vol. M, No. SO
8TEPHENVILLE, ERATH COUNTY. TEXAS, FRIDAY. NOVEMBER SO. 1087
SIXTEEN PAGE8—Vol. 67. No. 49
Hair Raiser
Although the contracts had not
been officially awarded Wednesday,
low bidders have been tabulated on
the large addition to be made to
the science building at John Tar-
leton College.
Low bidders for the general,
plumbing and electrical contracts
were announced by Autis McMa-
han, business manager of the col-
lege, Wednesday as follows: gen-
eral contract, A. F. Blair, Lake
Charles, Louisiana; plumbing con-
tract, Martin Bros., Dallas, and
electrical contract. Empire Elec-
tric Co. The three bids totaled
$66,361.00.
Contracts were expected to be
let Thursday, or later this week,
the report from the business of-
fice indicated. Work probably will
begin on the project by January
Figures submitted by the low
bidders were as follows: general
contract, $58,964.00; plumbing, $6,-
275.00; electrical. $2,140.00.
Excavation work already is un-
der way at the college on the new
dormitory for girls, to be erected
at the site where the registrar’s
home burned last summer. The unit
is to be a 28-room affair, modern
and complete in every detail, and
similar to the one constructed last
year.
’J’HE building of the Trinity river
canal is liable to become one
of the outstanding building pro-
jects in Texas within the next few
years. Engineers who have been
working on details of the pro-
posed canal in reference to the final
cost are ready to report. In fact
they have reported, and the total
amount of cash required to con-
struct the canal from Fort Worth
to Houston will approximate sixty
million dollars. Government agen-
cies who figured the cost some
years ago said it would coat two
times that amount. Those most
recently engaged in the engineer-
ing department of the project have
been paid out of funds subscribed
by individual citizens, the report
being that one man in Fort Worth
spent $76,000 from his personal
funds to take care of the preli-
minary costs. Both Dallas and Ft.
Worth are grfing to get behind it
with all the energy and influence
they can muster, all with the hope
that Washington will come forth
with the necessary capital for its
completion. It is also said that in
the event the government will not
finance it, then business and in-
dustrial leaders will pay the bill
themselves.
It seems that Olark Oable, mov-
ie star, has a horse named Sunny
and the horse knowB some tricks.
One of them Is to pick Oable up
by the hair. Anyway the picture
speaks for itself.
RED CROSS ROLL
CALL CAMPAIGN
ENDS INIS WEEK
Final Appeal Made To Local
Citizens To Become Red
Cross Members
rpo the average person who has
not had time to inquire into
both sides of this gigantic propo-
(Continued on Page 8)
BLAZE FATAL TO
BABY ASLEEP IN
CRIB NEAR HERE
The Infant Son of Lingleville
Family Is Burned To Death
Friday Morning
Asleep in his crib and unaware
of danger, James Wendell McDow-
ell, 17-month-old son of Mr. and
Mrs. Macy G. McDowell of the
Lingleville community, was burned
to death Friday when fire destroy-
ed the family home.
Parents of the infant were away
at work and its grandmother, who
was keeping the child at the time,
had gone a short distance from
the house to see after a flock of
turkeys.
The fire started around a defec-
tive chimney and the grandmother
did not see the blaze until the
building was crumbling in. It was
too late for her to enter the house
hnd rescue the child, so she ran for
help.
A strong north wind caused the
frame structure to burn quickly,
prevonting anyone from entering
and Removing the child to safety.
The noose of a rope was thrown
around the cradle, but the cradle
was empty when pulled out through
a door. The charred body was dis-
covered later.
Burial was made at East End
Cemetery at Lingleville Friday af-
ternoon.
Thanksgiving Day was originally
supposed to have ended the annual
Red Cross roll call drive, which be-
gan Armistice Day, but it prob-
ably will be the end of this week
before the last member is signed,
according to a recent announce-
ment.
A meeting of city and rural
school principals was held at the
Chamber of Commerce assembly
room Saturday afternoon, result-
ing completed plans for the cam-
paign in the outlying rural dis-
tricts of this vicinity, as well as in
Stephenville itself.
Erath county’s quota this year is
500 members. Whether or not this
number will be obtained will not
be known before the end of the
week, but encouraging progress
had been made by those enlisted in
the drive up to Wednesday after-
noon.
Ben McCollum is the chairman
of the roll call campaign in the
Stephenville district, while Mrs. A1
Christie is engaged in the same
capacity at Dublin. Mrs. C. L.
Cromwell, Stephenville, is chair-
man of the local permanent Red
Cross organization, but the cam-
paign now under way concerns on-
ly the annual roll call work.
Stephenville always has given a
cordial response to this work and
is extremely favorable to the orga-
nization, especially since it has
been of so much material aid to
local citizens in various emergen-
cies. Those who wish to join as one
of Erath county’s members should
contact the proper authorities im-
mediately, since the campaign was
supposed to have ended Thanks-
giving Day.
School Official
Issues Statement
To Rural Schools
J. S. Clendenin, county school
superintendent, requests that any
schools having certain books that
are not being used bring them to
his office, as there are numerous
calls made for them.
Books desired are second grade
spellers, fourth grade spellers, sev-
enth grade English, arithmetic and
geographies, eighth grade English,
histories and first-year algebra
texts, and eleventh grade Prose
and Poetry of England.
Concerning statements as to
meetings State aid requirements,
Supt. Clendenin said: “There are
a few schools that have not made
the statement that they have met
the immediate requirements in or-
der to get State aid, and as soon
as this is done, according to the in-
spector’s instruction to us, Erath
county rural schools will be ap-
proved for the entire amount of
State aid needed to balance the
budget for the eight-month term
for all the unaffiliated schools, and
nine-months for the affiliated
schools.”
UNDERGOES OPERATION AT
TEMPLE HOSPITAL MONDAY
Mrs. Carroll Sheffield, who en-
tered Scott and White Sanatarium
at Temple on Wednesday of last
week for clinical treatment, under-
went a major operation Monday
morning. Mr. Sheffield writes his
friends here that she is doing fairly
well.
Stephenville Stores Launch
Campaign For Christmas
Trade; All Will Decorate
CITY’S TWO GRID
TEAMS IN FINAL
TILTSTHURSDAY
Both Tarleton and High School
Eleven** Have Made Good
Record This Fall
Stephenville’s two prominent
football teams, the John Tarleton
Plowboys and the High School Yel-
lowjackets, play their final 1937
games Thanksgiving afternoon to
close a successful season for each
eleven. Tarleton plays NTAC at
Arlington, while the high school
defends the runner-up position in
the Oil Belt in a contest with Ran-
ger here.
Tarleton and Weatherford are
tied for the lead in the Central
Texas Conference. Both were un-
defeated and untied in conference
play until the two teams clashed
here November 11, the game end-
ing in a 7-7 deadlock.
Failure to make the extra point
after touchdown is all that kept
the Stephenville High School Yel-
lowjackets from ending their first
year in class C competition in 13
years in a tie with the Abilene
Eagles for first place in the Oil
Belt District 3-A circuit. The Eag-
les edged out the Jackets 7-6 at
Abilene November 5, after Steph-
enville held a fourth-quarter lead
of 6-0 until the final moments of
play.
Both Must Win Thursday
Tarleton must defeat Arlington
to stay in the title race, while
Weatherford’s hustling Coyotes
will have troubles of their own to
hold their tie for the conference
lead.
Of course Stephenville still has
a chance for a tie (on paper), if
San Angelo’s big burly Bobcats
can upset Abilene’s undefeated
and untied Eagles at San Angelo
(Continued on Page 8)
Stephenville ia.launching its Christmas buying campaign this week,
as a glance at the holiday advertisements in this week’s issue of the
Empire-Tribune will indirale. Local merchants have a large volume
of Christmas merchandise, in the various styles, colors and designs,
and are anxious for tfie people in this trade territory to start making
their purchases as quickly as possible.
almost “mass production” methods
of service. The accompanying dis-
advantages of this kind of shop-
ping are self-evident.
For these reasons the Stephen-
ville merchants are making a plea
now that patrons in this entire
trade territory come to Stephen
ville now and start looking through
the various stores and making
a few purchases for the holiday
season.
Christmas Lighting Soon
Christmas lights will go up
around the square next week, un-
der the auspices of the Chamber
of Commerce. Incidentally, the
close of next week will be De-
cember 4—and only a short time
until Christmas.
Merchants also are planning in-
dividual lighting arrangements for
store fronts, display windows and
interiors. Wolfe’s Nursery has vol-
unteered to place evergreens in
as many display windows in the
business section as the owners de-
sire, which also will add to the
festive appearance of the down-
town district.
In addition a number of private
homes will place lighted Christmas
trees in front yards, windows, halls
and on porches to robe the entire
city with the spirit of Christmas.
Stage Is Set
All in all, the stage is set for
the gayest, best and most en-
joyable Christmas season that Ste-
phenville has experienced in sev-
eral years. Last year showed a
decided improvement over the pre-
ceding eight years, but it is the
desire and the plans of the local
merchants to make the 1937 sea-
son still better.
And, off-hand, merchants can see
no reason why this year should
not be an outstanding one from
every standpoint. A light cotton
crop notwithstanding, citizens in
the rural sections of this trade
territory are realizing substantial
sums from the sale of turkeys, pe-
(Continued on Page 8)
Chief among the reasons that the
business men and women of Ste-
phenville are urging customers to
make their purchases early this
year is the fact that past ex-
perience has proved to these mer-
chants that late shopping causes
a great disadvantage to the buy-
er—and it is the whole-hearted de-
pire of Stephenville business own-
ers and managers that each cus-
tomer may shop with the utmost
satisfaction.
Merchants not only want their
patrons to buy while there is a wid-
er variety of goods to select from,
but they also want them to be able
to enter the store at a time when
each clerk can give every customer
quick, efficient and courteous ser-
vice. Sometimes, when clerks are
over-rushed, it is difficult to main-
tain the usual amount of com-
posure, thereby failing in the max-
imum requirements of all-around
efficiency.
Benefit To Customers
It is not, however, due to any
special concern over the clerks—
although the proper consideration
also is given them—that merch-
ants are making the appeal to shop
early. It is due to the greater
advantage that the customer will
enjoy when making purchases two
or three weeks before Christmas
than could be obtained during the
final week, or during the two or
three days immediately preceding
Christmas Day.
As mentioned before, there will
be much more merchandise to
choose from when shopping now
than will be on hand a week or two
from now. In addition, the pa-
tron may take plenty of time in
looking over the different gifts, as
well as other items and articles
needed at this particular time of
the year. Clerks also will have
more time to devote to customers
now than they will a little later
on. Individual attention can be
given to the early shopper, where-
as, later, it will be a question of
Edison Memorial
\
4 I
Shown after its recent comple-
tion at Coring, N. Y., is the giant
electric light bulb which will sur-
mount the $100,000 memorial tow-
er to Thomas Alva Edison at Men-
lo Park, N. J., where Edison in-
vented the first incandescent elec-
tric light. The bulb, 14 feet high,
contains 960 electric lights with
a 24-inch reflector to be utilised
as an airplane beacon.
DRIVERS’TESTS
PATROLMEN DUE
EACH THURSDAY
Only On Each Thursday From
2 to 5 P. M. Can Drivers
Get Licenses
Texas Highway patrolmen, who
were here last Thursday afternoon
from 2 to 6 o’clock, were to return
again this week at the same time
to test drivers seeking operators’
and chauffeurs’ licenses. The men,
working in behalf of the State De-
partment of Public Safety, will be
here each Thursday afternoon for
an indefinite period to give these
examinations. ,
Licenses cannot be obtained from
anyone else in town, it has been
announced. The same procedure is
being gone through with all over
Texas in n campaign to reduce the
number of automobile and truck
accidents.
Drivers’ licenses are free—that
is, the operators’ licenses are—and
chauffeurs’ licenses are the same
price of $3 each, Patrolmen John
T. Cone and Foster Nelson, said
while here last week.
They also expressed intention of
establishing an office in the court
house, probably in the district
court room for the time being.
Cope and Nelson are working out
of Mineral Wells and can be here
only on Thursday afternoons from
2 to 5 o’clock, and those desiring
licenses are requested to co-operate
with the campaign of the State
Department of" Safety by making
an appearance at the office of the
I patrolmen on the designated day
and between the hours stated.
Both Employers and Employees I Those who already have licenses
’ are not required to renew them
RETAIL STORES
CLOSED FOR THE
ANNUAL HOLIDAY
Complete Plans To Take
The Day Off
First Thanksgiving
Proclamation
“By the President of the United States of America.
“A Proclamation.
“Whereas, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of
Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly
to implore His protection and favor,—and,
“Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint committee request-
ed me to recommend to the people of the United States a day of Public Thanks-
giving and Prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the
many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an oppor-
tunity to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
“Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of No-
vember next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that
great and glorious Being who is the beneficient Author of all the good that
was, that is, or that will be—that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him
our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people
of this country previous to their becoming a Nation; for the signal and mani-
fold mercies and favorable interpositions of His providence, which we exper-
ienced in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of
tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable
and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish Constitutions
of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one
now, lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are
blessed and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;
and in general for all the great and various favors which He hath pleased to
confer upon us.
“And, also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers
and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him
to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in
public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly
and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the people
by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, dis-
creetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Soverigns
and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us) and to bless them
with good government, peace and concord. To promote the knowledge and
practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them
and us, and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal
prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
“Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October,
in the year of our Lord 1789. G. WASHINGTON.”
Practically all of the retail
stores in Stephenville were to close
nil day Thursday for Thanksgiv
ing, with only service stations,
cafes and possibly the drug stores
planning on remaining open to
take care of the holiday business.
The postoffice and both banks also
were to observe the day.
In co-operation with the other
business institutions of the city,
the Empire-Tribune was published
one day early in order that em-
ployees might have the day off.
Owners and managers of the
various business concerns stated
that Thanksgiving Day is observed
as a holiday to allow clerks and
other employees to take a much-
needed day off from the routine
work and to further the spirit of
the day. Employers and employees
alike plan a day of real thanks-
giving, as well as Thanksgiving,
for blessings received.
Outstanding Holiday
This holiday, along with Christ-
mas, rates as one of the main ones
of the year and is one that is al-
ways observed in Stephenville. The
entire population was preparing
for it Wednesday, as housewives
were busy cooking and the lesser
half of each household, along with
the other members, were complet-
ing plans for spending the day in
one way or the other.
Football games will attract a
great many people from this area.
A large number will ride the spec-
ial train, and go in private cars,
to Arlington for the Tarleton-Ar-
lington game, while another big
crowd will remain at home to see
the Stephenville and Ranger high
school teams play here. A few
planned to go to College Station
for the A. & M. game.
At any rate, much activity was
evidenced Wednesday afternoon as
Stephenville prepared for the an-
nual Thanksgiving holiday.
until their expiration, which, in
most cases, is in 1939. Others, how-
ever, are required to take the ex-
aminations from the patrolmen be-
fore any can be issued. Ability to
drive and proper safety devices,
in good working order, on the au-
tomobile are the chief require-
ments, but the driver must be fa-
miliar with road laws. There is
nothing to fear from the tests.
Local Post Office
Hears About Death
Of Former Leader
The local post office received
word Wednesday afternoon of the
death of Albert Sidney Burleson,
former postmaster-general of the
United States. In respect to his
memory, the national flag was low-
ered to half mast throughout the
remainder of the day.
Burleson served under the ad-
ministration of the late President
Woodrow Wilson, and was among
the first Texans to receive recog-
nition with an important political
office at Washington.
Details were lacking concerning
his death, but it was believed that
his demise was caused by the in-
firmities of old age and that fun-
eral services probably would be
held Thursday afternoon.
Pie Supper at Pigeon
There will be a pie supper at the
Pigeon school house Friday night,
December 2. Everyone is invited to
bring a pie and plenty money.
New Grocery Store
Opened Recently
By Henry Minter
Henry Minter. pioneer grocery-
man of Stephenville, has recently
opened a new grocery store in the
building next door to the offices of
the Southwest Gas Company on
East College street. He carries a
complete line of staple and fancy
groceries and fruits and vegetables
of all kinds.
Besides being able to supply the
grocery needs of the people of Ste-
phenville and surrounding com-
munities, Mr. Minter maintains a
LOCAL ROUTE IS
TO BE INCLUDED
INU.S.CANVASS
House - To - House Canvass Of
Route Number 2 Will Start
November 29
free delivery service, and will be
triad to deliver orders at any time.
He asks former customers of his
and others who are in need of gro- 37 to each of the 48 state* "The
ceries to call him at his new place Stephenville post office was desig-
of business and assures them that
Stephenville, Route 2, has been
selected as one of the approximate-
ly 37 rural routes in Texas in
which a house-to-house canvass
will be made beginning Monday,
November 29, to determine the
number of totally and partially un-
employed and the number of those
working on various government
relief projects. The federal gov-
ernment is conducting the census
on this, as it did on the general
survey last week, through the local
post office.
There are 1800 communities in
the United States which have been
selected to receive this separate
house-to-house canvass, averaging
their needs will receive prompt and
efficient attention.
Mr. Minter ha* ctwned and con-
ducted a grocery store in Steph-
enville for years and knows the
business from every angle. He
knows how to buy and his knowl-
edge concerning the quality of gro-
ceries is all that is needed to make
him one of the best qualified and
most efficient grocerymen in the
city.
nated as one of the 37 in Texas
and Stephenville, Route 2, the com-
munity, nr route, on which the cen-
sus will be taken.
Returns from this canvass must
leave the local office by Satur-
day, December 4, giving workers
but one week to complete the task.
Complete General Survey
Concerning the general unem-
ployment census, cards left the Ste-
phenville post office for Dallas
(Continued on Page 8)
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Stephenville Empire-Tribune (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 49, Ed. 1 Friday, November 26, 1937, newspaper, November 26, 1937; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1130260/m1/1/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dublin Public Library.