The Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 226, Ed. 1 Sunday, May 25, 1930 Page: 4 of 24
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Brownsville Times ‘They Just Aint What It Uster Be’
> News of Gay and Naughty 90’s Discloses
By JACK KUTLEDGE
We may as well begin with a
platitude.
Times change.
Today. 8unday. May 26 the Lower
Rio Grande Valley is confronted
with the necessity for a port the
quarantine of Florida citrus stock
action to remedy the shortage of
Mexican labor due to immigration
restriction bills paved roads to
various sections and a good ftve-
cent cigar.
Brownsville needs street signs
house numbers and a population in
excess of 25.000.
These things are daily topics of
conversation and occupy prominent
positions on the front pages of The
Herald and other Valley newspapers.
What wag happening In this sec-
tion fifteen and thirty years ago?
What were people writing home
about? What was making men curse
and women faint. (In those davs
women fainted believe It or not.)
What was the press raving about?
With this in mind the editor
commanded: ‘Look In the files and
find out ”
Laughs and Tears
Old newspapers and magazines
are always interesting. Some people
look at them and laugh. Those pe-
culiar women built like over-size
8's they sniker. These things on
wheels—are they automobiles? And
that advertisement there telling
about the excellent qualities of Bud-
weiaer Pale Lager what Is it all
about?
Others are fascinated by them.
Yellow brittle musty to he hand-
led with extreme care they seem to
breathe romance. Old newspapers
in particular are interesting. News-
papers are always so full of vigor
so alive. And an old newspaper al-
most breathes although one knows
that its life is over. The persons
figuring prominently in the day’s
news are sometimes dead some-
times gone. Events that were so vital
In days past are now* so insignifi-
cant. Predictions so optimistic when
made one knows with the added ad-
vantage of years rolled by were
false and unfulfilled
Pompous bombastic persons w-ho
are so cocksure of themselves should
read an old newspaper once a week
to regain their mental balance.
Two Month* Chosen
After wading through the files of
thirty-eight years of Brownsville
Heralds two montljs were chosen at
random. Away hack in the '80's and
90’s the paper was called the Daily
Herald later Brownsville Herald and
now The Brownsville Herald. Early
Heralds are decidedly smaller than
the present day paper and the front
pages are smothered with advertise-
ment*. Reading matter was partly
on the front page but mainly inside
looking out.
And there were no advertisement*
• of automobiles for the simple rea-
son that in those days automobiles
hadn't begun to compete with hors-
es as a means of transportation.
Advertisements dealt mainly with
the latest in whiskeys and hats.
The merry month of May begins
In Brownsville May 1 1893 with the
sunny admonition: “The coffin j
manufacturers having formed a
trust people must consider expenses
when they commit suicide.”
Brownsville citizens were having
trouble with nearsighted moss backs
who were hindering the growth of
; the community. What Brownsville
■ was striving for in 1893 was mainly
a railroad and after that the ambi-
tious wanted irrigation and imnu-
' gration A very satirical article in
the Daily Herald reads somethIt^
like this:
What Do Too Think?
An argument between Enterprise
and Mossback:
E.—“Weil. what do you think of
the situation?”
M. B —“What sltuatlonr*
E.—“Our present need of g rail-
road system of irrigation and !m-‘
migra tion ”
M B.—“What do we want immi-
grants for?
E. —“Immigration means more
people to till the soil and enhance
the value of the land; more people
to buy groceries and other neces-
saries of life: more freight which
means more commerce and a gener-
al advance of values.
M. B—“We bought our lands »*
10 cents an acre 20 years ago. am
they have increased In value to I
per acre without immigration. W<
don’t want your enterprising peopl
f® burden us with heavy taxes form
railroad commissions and otherwise
dictate to us how we shall goverr.
our affairs. We who are in the
manor born want to be left alone.-’
Big Things Happening
Big things were happening in the
city. People were coming and go-
ing. The editor of the Daily Her-
ald conscientiously recorded hap-
penings for posterity.
“Mr. 'fill ^fcley cama in from
feqpkport Saturday.”
Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Brooks took
ft trip to the coast Sunday."
"The students of St. Joseph's col
lege will give a picnic tomorrow.'
good many business men at -
fended May Day festival** at thr
public school.”
“Mr. Charles Bos worth the
Vial engineer of the Steamboat B-
sie is spending a week on the co*
fbr the benefit of his health.”
“The baseball game yesterday be
tween the town boys and soldi?-
resulted in a victory for the for
mer of 21 to 7.’’
We’ve corrected the typographic
errors. The paper set by hand
full of them.
Beading further we find the
Bloomberg and Raphari have Ju
received by the last steamer a fu'
line of French figured sateer.
Also a fine assorftient of ladies'
gents’ and misses fine black hosi-
ery fpelcal imported. Fvexy pair
{warranted.
Bargains Off wed
On page 3 we run across a bar-
gain:
“A BARGAIN: For sal# cheap
hand ambulano* Has
^wiTwonder If the Herald man-
feed to sell the ambulance.
tM******
The Newest International Bridge
The present international bridge between Brownsville and Matamoros is pictured above In 1893. the time of the feature no bridge at all was
spanning the Rio Grande and those who wished to go from town to town used ferry boats rowed with oars. Some adventurous souls swam
their horses across the river which was much aider and higher than it is now because no water was taken out for irrigation purposes Steamboats
sailed along the river where the bridge now Is.
was an advertisement of the South-
west Texas Immigration Bureau
Jesse O. Wheeler secretary. Land
had been subdivided and was for
sale. Prices were not given. In
these days when a development
company subdivides its land it usu-
ally sells in portions of one or two
acres and in some cases land is
divided into lots. 100x50. or some-
thing like that. In the naughty
nineties they were different.
*‘10.000 acres of the choicest land
subdivided into forty (40) acre lots
sold on ten (10) vears time to
BONA FIDE settlers ’’
Below the advertisement follow-
ed another:
Beer Was Cheap
•Export Pearl 3-X Beer. San
Antonio Brewing Association. Best
beer in the market. Guaranteed to
keep in this climate. Made from
the best malt and hope.”
An item on the first page shows
that politics were always politics
and those who ran for office did so
only at the urgent request of their
friends even as they do now. We
often wonder what would happen
to a politician without friends to
fall back on.
•‘Major George B. Zimpleman of
Austin is here. He said today: ‘I
expect to be the next postmaster of
Austin. I didn’t want the position
but Governor Hogg said that I
should not have it and the boys
decided that I should."
To please 'the boys” Major
Zimpleman is going to run for post-
master.
Did people always have trouble
finding keyholes In the dark? Ap-
parently so. Says the Herald: 'It
seems very strange that in all the
time night latches have been in
use. one with a funnel shape key-
hole and pointed key. to be used
in the dark has not been invent-
ed.”
It Rained Then. Too
City briefs. May 2 1803:
*'A little drizzle last night enough
to settle the dust.
"The Alice mail driver who came
in yesterday reports good rains
along the mail route."
“The Herald is delivered by car-
rier to any part of Brownsville or
Matamoro6 for one dollar a month
Mexican.
"The Brownsville and Matamo-
ros stockholders in the San Nich-
olas silver mines situated in the
state of Tamaulipas. Mexico held
a business meeting in the latter
city yesterday afternoon "
And now we hear from the home
folks:
“R. B. Rentfro. Attorney and
counselor-at-law. Will practice in
all Federal and State courts.
Brownsville Texas "
This is our mayor starting out
in business.
Todsy we laugh at the "Old
Home Town"* cartoons showing
signs on buildings which affect our
risibilities. In the Herald we find
one:
“Commission Merchant. Importer
of Wines. Licquors. and cigars. Also
table luxuries of all kinds Also shot
guns sporting goods pistols rifles
and ammunition." Our commission-
er mixed whiskey with pistols ap-
parently.
Grapefruit Not Mentioned
It is interesting to note that
among fruits listed as being grown
in the Valley and those most like-
ly to aid hi future prosperity
grapefruit is not mentioned even
once.. And grapefruit is the moet
Important fruit grown in the Valley
today. Another wrong guess.
Thoae mentioned are: Bananas
grapes lemons figs pears peaches
plums citrons and other fruits.
Bananas were at that time one of
the most important crops the
Herald telling about one man rais-
ing 5000 bunches on 6 acres of land
the bananas finding a ready market
in New Orleans and Galveston
House wives attention! Compare
these prices with what you are
paying today. Says the Dally
Herald. "These prices are author-
itative” _
Electrical W ork
and
Plumbing
in the new
JUNCO BUILDING
by
HAYS & SONS
ELECTRICIANS AND
PLUMBERS
PHONE SO
• *
•Meat rough cut 4 cents pound.
' Beef roast. 7 cents pound.
• Beef round steak. 6 cents pound.
“Beef tenderloin. 8 cents pound.
“Pork roast and pork chops 10
cents pound.
Catfish. 3 cents pound.
"Trout 5 cents pound.
•'Crabs. 12 rents dozen.
“Venison 5 cents pound.
“Chicken. 25 cents each
“Wild ducks. 6 to 8 cents each
“Small birds 12 cents dozen
"Cheese; American 25 cents
pound. Mexican 8 cents pound.
Vegetable* No Cheaper
Vegetables as a whole were ap-
proximately the same price as they
are now if we know our onions. But
meats and wild game were absurd-
ly cheap.
We come to the cinco de Mayo
celebration in these far away days.
A small notice appears in the
Herald explaining why it came off
the press so early. “The Herald
makes its appearance a little head
of time today in order that our
printers may take in the celebra-
tion in Matamoroa."
Folks And Clim
Marion White advertises: “A full
and complete stock at prices to suit
the Hard Times."
An item from New York—"Dr.
Fremont Smith who had remained
all night with Edwin Booth said
at 9:15 o’clock this morning that
the great tragedian was growing
worse.” The paper was dated May 5
the story May 1. Five days for a
news item from New York to get to
Brownsville.
.From San Antonio—"San Anto-
• Continued on Page 7>
W. O. Rozell
AUCTIONEER
“If it has value I can sell it
and get the money”
San Benito Texas Box 512
Phone 601 l-F-3
Most Southerly Brick and
Tile Plant In U. 6. A.
Build With
Structural Clay
Tile
The Modem Fireproof
Buildtnr Material
AIR-SPACED. The air ceils are insu-
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warm in winter and cool in summer.
FIREPROOF. Of course Clay Tile will
not burn. This alone justifies their
use in building.
ECONOMICAL. Structural Tile build-
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PERMANENT. Clay Tile buildings
are built to last. They are attrac-
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the tile resists weathering which
guarantees permanence.
The Junco Building
is built of our structural til*.
Valley Clay Products Co.
“What the Valley Makes Makes the Valley”
TAYLOR
Lumber Company
furnished materials
for the splendid new
JUNCO BUILDING
We will be glad to furnish you with plans and
estimates on any building you may be planning.
* . ■ ii ■ mm ... 11 1 ■
“TAYLOR MADE” HOMES
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The Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 226, Ed. 1 Sunday, May 25, 1930, newspaper, May 25, 1930; Brownsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1392846/m1/4/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .