The Boerne Star (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 2, Ed. 1 Tuesday, January 6, 1998 Page: 4 of 18
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Page 4A
The Boerne Star
Tuesday, January 6, 1998
evpoint
Langtry graced
Rio Grande town
illie Langtry graced the tiny tumbleweed town of
the same name with her famous presence on
4Jan. 4, 1904. But Judge Roy Bean was not on
hand to wel-
come the object
of his long-dis-
tance affection.
Fifty years
before, Emilie
Charlotte Le
Breton was
hardly a candi-
date for interna-
tional immortali-
ty. At the age of
20, the clergy-
man’s daughter
had scarcely set
foot off her
native Jersey,
the British
island near the
coast of France.
This Week in
Texas History
By
Bartee
Haile
Lillie candidly confessed decades later to marrying
for money. “One day there came into the harbor a
most beautiful yacht. I met the owner and fell in love
with the yacht. To become the mistress of the yacht, I
married the owner, Edward Langtry.”
Soon after the couple took up residence in London,
the stunning bride was elevated to the public pedestal
reserved for the Professional Beauties of the day.
Although this exclusive elite was restricted to upper-
crust ladies, the rules were waived for Mrs. Langtry.
At Lillie’s first portrait sitting, the artist placed in her
delicate hands the crimson lily of her home isle. For
the rest of her life, she would be known as the Jersey
Lily.
During that initial vear as a Professional Beauty,
Lillie met an unknown Oxford author. Perhaps
because he proclaimed her the new Helen of Troy,
she stood by her unabashed admirer through thick
and thin, which for Oscar Wilde meant imprisonment
and ultimate exile for his homosexual escapades.
According to the hottest gossip in Great Britain in
1879, Lillie was the mistress of the Prince of Wales.
The future King Edward VII was not her only royal
conquest. Crown Prince Rudolph, heir to the throne of
the Austro-Hungarian Empire, also fell under her
spell.
At 27 Lillie committed social suicide. While intoxi-
cated at a costume party, she took the outrageous lib-
erty of dropping a chunk of ice down the back of the
Prince of Wales. Snubbed by the infuriated monarch-
in-waiting, the crude commoner was ostracized from
aristocratic circles.
Uncollected bills suddenly came due, and Lillie was
hounded by a horde of creditors. But the worst was
yet to come. The fallen goddess was pregnant, and
the father was someone other than her husband.
Lillie vanished from the London scene in 1881 and
gave birth in seclusion to Jeanne Langtry. The girl
was secretly raised on the Isle of Jersey, and for
years nobody, not even Edward Langtry, knew of her
existence.
Wilde suggested that Lillie profit from her looks by
taking to the stage. Picking parts requiring little or no
acting ability, she was an immediate sensation.
Londoners packed the theater for every performance
to see the legendary Lillie in the flesh.
She was the first British woman to endorse a com-
mercial product and the first to smoke in public. Both
breakthroughs provoked uncomplimentary compar-
isons to ladies of the evening, but the unconventional
celebrity was immune to criticism.
Lillie made her American debut in 1882, the same
year Roy Bean showed up at Vinegaroon on the Rio
Grande. The ornery magistrate insisted to his dying
day that the foreign actress inspired the change, but
Other sources indicated Vinegaroon became Langtry
in memory of a railroad foreman.
During an 1887 tour of the United States, Lillie
acquired American citizenship in order to obtain a
divorce from Edward Langtry, by then a penniless
alcoholic. Ten years later, a newspaper reporter
uncovered the carefully concealed decree which con-
tained the details of her daughter’s birth.
Edward denied any knowledge of the divorce and
the mystery child. Despite years of lurid speculation,
the identity of Jeanne Langtry’s father was never dis-
closed.
The day Edward died a pauper in a lunatic asylum,
Lillie, whose personal fortune exceeded $3 million,
won a hundred thousand pounds at the races. The
press pilloried her as a heartless Jezebel, who drove
her former mate out of his mind and to a wretched
death.
The Southern Pacific train stopped at the Langtry
station, and lovely Lillie stepped from her private car.
At last she would meet the quaint Texan, who had
worshipped her from afar for so many years.
But Roy Bean was dead and buried having passed
away the previous March in his saloon, the Jersey
Lily. In a touching ceremony, tearful inhabitants pre-
sented Lillie with the judge’s pistol, the six-gun that
enforced the Law West of the Pecos.
Although Lillie spent the rest of her life in pampered
luxury, the years were more melancholy than mellow.
As a grown woman, Jeanne wanted nothing to do
with her absentee mother and refused to let her see
her grandchildren. The Grim Reaper cut short the
reign of Edward VII in 1910 plunging Lillie into months
of mourning.
A second spouse was a high-born gigolo, who did
even bother to attend her funeral in 1929. Lillie
Langtry may have had the world by the tail, but happi-
ness was always just out of reach.
Order your 1998 “This Week in Texas History “ cal-
endar today from Bartee Haile, 1912 Meadow Creek
Dr., Pearland, TX 77581 for $10.95 (fax included) plus
$3.00 shipping and handling
The Boerne Star
282 N. MAIN • (UPS 059-740)
P.O. Box 820
830-249-2441 • FAX 830-249-4607
THE BOERNE STAR (UPS 059-740) is published twice week-
ly for $28 per year in Kendall and adjoining counties, $35 else-
where in Texas and $50 per year outside of Texas by the
Boerne Star, 282 N. Main, Boerne, Kendall County, TX. 78006.
Periodical postage paid at Boerne, TX.POSTMASTER: Send
changes of address to THE BOERNE STAR, P.O. Box 820.
Boerne, Texas 78006-0820
Seasonal fireworks recall a ‘perilous fight
was different this year. I drove
■ past every fireworks stand in the
JLHill Country without stopping.
But that”s only because number one
son has no interest in fireworks any-
more. Time was we marked the calen-
dar by the opening and closing of the
seasonal vendors.
Although that phase passed, if I live
to be a hundred, I’ll never forget the
year my son lit up an East Texas lake
with fireworks. It was a holiday. Lee
loved fireworks. He liked a lot of things
that are potentially dangerous, but I’ve
come to believe that’s the nature of a
teen-aged male child.
That evening some years ago, Lee
had collected a real stash of “artillery.”
He had used allowance to buy his
choice, I had contributed to the collec-
tion and he had conned other friends
and relatives into providing him fire-
works. He had enough to defend the
South Shore of Lake Murvaul against
any enemy invasion.
The whole thing started innocently
enough. One after another, we
“ooohed” and “awwed” at -the brilliant
flashes.
We didn’t suspect anything when the
little “whizzer” spiraled upward. We
really didn’t even think anything about
its trajectory downward until it drifted
toward the big plastic bucket of fire-
works. But the instant it hit the arsenal,
we hit the road.
- Shooting fireworks one the lake
meant launching them from the pier.
Not only was it
safer than on land,
but it was a tradi-
tion. Everyone
who lived around
the little lake
enjoyed their fire-
works from the pier
and likewise every-
one who lived
around the lake
enjoyed a “multi-
media” presenta-
this week.
tion — a variety of
fireworks around the shore.
But there was one drawback.
Lighting fireworks from a deck on the
end of a 50-foot pier meant that in the
event of an unplanned evacuation,
there were only two ways to go — div-
ing in the water or hoofing it back down
the pier.
There was no time for talk the night
Lee’s collection ignited. There was no
time for anything. In a heartbeat, we
all knew what was about to take place
as the spent device floated right down
into the bucket.
In what seemed like an eternity, but
was in reality milliseconds, four people
turned and headed for land. The only
thing wrong with this was that the pier
was not wide enough for four people
whose heart was working faster than
their legs.
In this case, it also meant going
through a boathouse because that’s
where the pier went. It was the only
way back to land.
I'M A
DOCTOR!
HOW CAN YOU
By
Star
Editor and
Publisher
Leon Aldridge
Words can’t do justice
to what happens when
around $150 worth of
fireworks gets ignited —
all at once.
Curiosity got the best
of me. While others
were scrambling, I
looked back. Don’t ask
me why, but I recalled a
story about Lot’s wife.
Looking through the
boathouse doorway, I
saw several things.
First, I saw an unbelievable fireworks
“display.” Rockets were shooting in all
directions, bombs were exploding. All
manner of whizzers, climbers, whirly-
gigs, and flares were going off. The
was should have been there to cover it
for CNN.
Second, I saw visions of my pier
burning. I knew it wouldn’t last long
when it hit the water, but I did have an
investment in it. Also, I was standing
on it.
Last, I looked beyond the glare and
the noise to see my retired neighbors
next door, frantically trying to get off
their pier. They looked as if they could-
n’t decide whether to try to move a little
faster or to save the lawn chairs as
they dodged bottle rockets.
The it hit me. I picked up a broom in
the boat house and reached around the
door. It was just long enough to shove
what was left of the exploding arsenal
off into the water.
With a muffled fizz, the mass of fire,
melted plastic and still detonating fire-
works hit the water and sank, before
that night, I didn’t know fireworks would
continue to go off under water.
Slowly, it fizzled and as fast as it had
started, it was over. As the last bit of
bubbling steam rose from the murky
depths, I looked around.
Not a noise was to be heard on the
lake. Then it started. First my neigh-
bors. Then it spread around the lake.
Applause. Shouts of “more, more.”
My son was devastated. He
watched three weeks of allowance and
the successful efforts of a month’s beg-
ging go up in smoke and flash. He had
no fireworks and the evening was
young. But young hearts always come
through. His sister Robin, feeling com-
passion and sympathy share her fire-
works with him. I was impressed.
It was quite a night. People asked
for weeks, “What happened over there
on the South Shore the other night?” It
was most likely the most spectacular
thing that happened since the time
lightening struck the electrical trans-
former.
The legend of “the greatest fireworks
display ever” still remained on the little
East Texas lake the day we moved.
Looking back on what happened, no
one was hurt, no major damage
occurred. Then it was scary — today
it’s funny. There was no way to be pre-
pared for it.
Last week, as I recalled the incident,
I wondered what the New Year holds. I
wonder if I’ll be prepared.
pe’s AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR
Breaking chains of
state’s illiteracy
CHARGE MORE
FOR YOUR WORK
THAN I DO FOR
MINE? .
2 CUZ -
EVERY YEAR
I GET LOTS OF NEW
4 MODELS T’ WORK ON 1
—AN’ YOU JUS’ J
GET TH" a
I SAME OL 1
ML DESIGN!
- =0
X0
Bible Verse ...
Worth Quoting ---
eading instills skills and habits that remain with
us. Being read to is the strongest influence on a
child’s intellectual development.
1?
lesi
com
According to
the National
Assessment of
Educational
Progress, children
of illiterate par-
ents are twice as
likely as their
peers to be illiter-
ate. Like their par-
ents, they may be
left behind by an
increasingly tech-
nologically
advanced society.
Today, virtually
every entry-level
position avail-
Your Voice in
Washington
By
Congressman
Lamar Smith
An inheritance gained
hurriedly at the
beginning, Will not be
Facts do not cease to exist just
because they are ignored.”
—Aldous Huxley
blessed at the end.
Thought for the Day ---
PROVERBS 20:21
New American Standard Bible
Faith is the bird that
feels the light when
dawn is still dark.
able—from fast-food server to receptionist or cashier—
requires interaction with modern technology, and in most
cases, a computer. And workers are expected to contin-
uously upgrade their skills and abilities throughout their
lives—something that is impossible for someone who
cannot read a training manual or textbook.
According to the National Adult Literacy Survey, 30
percent of welfare recipients cannot fill out a job applica-
tion or make change for a dollar, let alone type on a key-
board.
Adult education must become more of a priority at the
local, state and federal levels. If more resources are not
invested to promote adult literacy, we can never hope to
break the cycle of illiteracy and eliminate this national
problem that affects all of us. San Antonio has made
adult education a priority and is beginning to reap the
benefits of a more literate population.
Without such an emphasis, we cannot hope to remain
competitive economically as a state or as a nation in a
world that requires ever better-educated and more highly
skilled workers. Support services can mean the differ-
ence between a parent traveling the road to literacy, tak-
ing their children along for this exhilarating ride, or pro-
longing a situation that can hurt us all economically.
My idea has since been incorporated into House-
passed education legislation, a sign that Congress
understands that adult illiteracy poses a threat to
America’s children.
My office in Washington is here to serve you. Please
don’t hesitate to call us at 202-2254236.
Contract workers and temporary employees cost state $41 million
4 ontract workers and
G temporary employees
— cost at least $41 million
in the past state budget year,
the Austin American
Statesman reported last week.
Those workers, however, do
not appear on the state’s
annual $6 billion payroll. Nor
do they receive health care
and retirement benefits.
Although state officials say
they don’t know how many
outside workers perform state
jobs and how much paying
them costs, they acknowledge
that both numbers are increas-
ing.
“I don’t think any of us have
a handle on it,” said House
Appropriations Chairman Rob
Junell, D-San Angelo. “I think
we’d like to see where they
are.”
With more than 250,000 full-
time workers on the state pay-
roll in 1997, the Legislature
imposed a cap on full time
positions. State officials want
to ensure that the cap doesn’t
lead to an increase in hiring
“temps." •
Among the tasks assigned
to temporary workers are pro-
gramming computers, opening
mail containing child support
checks, nursing mentally ill
patients in state hospitals and
taking calls.from victims of nat-
ural disasters.
State Auditor Lawrence
Alwin said he will study the
growing number of temporary
and contract workers who per-
form tasks for the state.
Health-care Pool Opens
Texans who couldn’t get
health insurance because of
their medical history gained
access Jan. 1 to a source of
coverage with the opening of
the Texas Insurance Risk Pool.
“This is a milestone for
Texans who have gone without
health insurance because poor
health made them insurable,”
said Insurance Commissioner
Eltpn Bomer.
The pool was created by
legislation sponsored by Rep.
Kip Averitt and Sen. David
Sibley, both of Waco, and
passed by the 1997 state
Legislature.
The pool will sell two major
medical plans that differ only in
their deductible amounts and
out-of-pocket maximums. Both
plans offer lower costs for
patients who use health-care
providers on the pool’s
provider network, but patients
are free to use out-of-network
providers for.an additional out-
State
Capital
HIGHLIGHTS
By Lyndell Williams & Ed Sterling
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
of-pocket cost.
Annuities Rules Approved
Banks in Texas cities of any
size may obtain agents’ licens-
es to sell annuities under inter-
im guidelines approved by
Insurance Commissioner
Bomer last month.
The guidelines will govern
banks’ annuity sales until the
1999 Legislature can amend
the state’s agent licensing
laws.
Bomer issued the guidelines
in response to an October rul-
ing by U . S . District Judge
James R. Nowlin of Austin.
Nowlin ruled that federal bank-
ing laws authorizing banks to
sell annuities override Texas
laws that prevent their doing
so.
Annuities are investment
contracts usually sold by life
insurance companies. To sell
annuities, a bank must be
licensed as an incorporated
insurance agent by the Texas
Department of Insurance.
A bank also must be
appointed by at least one life
insurance company to act as
its agent for the sale of annu-
ities.
Day-care Law Takes Effect
Jan. 1 was the deadline for
daycare providers to comply
with a new state law requiring
people who care for three or
fewer children to undergo crim-
inal background checks by the
state.
“The background checks are
designed to ensure that no
person with a criminal or sub-
stantiated child-abuse history
is entrusted with the care of
children,” said Karen Eells, a
spokeswoman for the Texas
Department of Protective and
Regulatory Services.
After the background check
is completed, the caregiver is
issued a certificate of listing
with the state at a cost of $20.
Caregivers who don’t
become listed with the state
risk penalties, including fines
of up to $2,000 and up to six
months in jail.
Other Capital Highlights
• A telephone survey of
2,710 people between January
and April last year revealed
that about one in for Texans
witnessed an incident of child
abuse or neglect. The poll also
showed that almost 30 percent
of those surveyed did not
know state law requires them
to report such incidents to
authorities.
• The Public Utility
Commission has approved a 4
percent interim rate cut for res-
idential customers of Texas
Utilities Electric Co.
The rate reduction applies
only to the non-fuel portion to
the non-fuel portion of a
monthly electric bill. PUC offi-
cials said some commercial
customers, mostly small and
medium-sized businesses
would get a rate cut of 2 per-
cent.
• The Texas Office of Public
Utility Counsel has joined the
Virginia State Corporation
Commission in asking the
Supreme Court to overturn
new federal rules that removed
state caps on pay calls, includ-
ing the 25-cent cap that Texas
had.
1
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Keasling, Edna. The Boerne Star (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 2, Ed. 1 Tuesday, January 6, 1998, newspaper, January 6, 1998; Boerne, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1626321/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Patrick Heath Public Library.