The Age, Volume 4, Number 9, August 1, 1983 Page: 1 of 1
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Age Index and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Chambers County Library System.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
H
U
VOL. IV
WALLISVILLE, TEXAS
AUGUST 1, 1983
No. 9
THE AGE
Established at Houston, May 15,
1871 by D. L. McGary. Moved to
Wallisville March 15, 1897. Discon-
tinued in 1908. Reestablished by the
Wallisville Heritage Park, December
1, 1979. $1.25 per paper, $15.00 for
one-year subscription.
Wallisville Heritage Park
P.O. Box 16
Wallisville, Texas 77597
continued
"I STAND BEFORE YOU AS A
LOOKING GLASS"
THE EXECUTION OF GEORGE
WALKER IN LIBERTY, 1889
Shortly thereafter construction
began immediately east of the jail-
house on the gallows for the April
5 execution. The night before his
scheduled death found Walker cheer-
ful, chatting in a most amiable man-
ner with anyone who came within
his presence. He slept soundly that
night, but the guards noted that he
had moments of wakefulness when
he would moan loudly and in a most
"piteous manner."
Walker arose early on the morning
of April 5, 1889, still in a cheerful
banter, to bathe, shave and eat a
light breakfast. There was only one
moment when he seemed to lose his
composure, but he quickly regained
and returned to his party-like mood.
The Sheriff provided him with a
customary suit of clothes to meet
his wishes. Walker selected a black
suit, white shirt and white gloves.
Editor Chambers was allowed an
audience with the doomed man, ar-
riving shortly before the time he had
to leave and meeting him in one of
the misdeamenor rooms on the
second floor. As a deputy brought
Chambers into the room to find
Walker (who could not read or write)
holding a paper before his face as if
he were caught while reading. The
man told Chambers that he was at
peace with God and was prepared to
make a short talk to the crowd be-
fore his execution. He related to the
newspaperman an even different
account of the murder, saying that
he had come upon his son, Charlie
Brown and LaCour on the night of
the murder. The trio were coming
down the railroad tracks together,
meeting the party on the tracks
near the home of Mr. E. B. Pickett.
Brown hollered, "Is that you, old
man?" Walker said he replied that it
was, to which Brown asked, "Do
you want a drink?" Walker replied
in the affirmative, and the whole
group headed down the tracks to-
ward the river. Brown, according
to Walker, repeated the signal known
to all of them, "watch Harvey,"
several times and then struck LaCour
with two blows and killed him.
Walker then quoted himself as say-
ing, "Brown, you killed that man!"
Brown, in a statement laced with a
few choice obscenities, stated that it
was not the first white man he had
killed.
Chambers hurried outside to find
the streets crowded with approxi-
mately 1500 people, all in a mood of
holiday levity. Sheriff Morris had
gotten wind of a rumored plot to
storm the jail and seize the three
black men and had wisely deputized
50 men to preserve order.
At approximately 11:40, the
Sheriff and his army of deputies led
Walker out of the jail and toward
the gallows. The doomed man was
attended by his pastor, Rev. Baldwin,
and by two of Baldwin's deacons,
John Roberts and Jake Smith. Morris
and the deputies flanked Walker on
either side as they forced their way
through the straining crowd, which
immediately broke into the chorus
of "The Battle Hymn of the Repub-
lic."
Walker joined in happily with the
singing, his loud voice rising over
the others and his hands clapping
over his head as he walked. As the
last strains of the song died away,
the convicted man walked steadily
up the steps to the scaffold and
"wore a smile of calm indifference"
as he reached the top and looked out
across the great gathering. The
crowd then broke into another old
hymn, "The Old Ship of Zion,"
at the conclusion of which Walker
shouted, "This nigger wants to go
home!"
His hands and feet were pinioned,
and he turned to thank his jailer.
Walker next addressed the crowd
for some thirty minutes in a long and
rambling discourse that was often
tinged with eloquence. He began
by saying: "Ladies and gentlemen,
there are here today many a face
that I have never before seen. My
friends, I stand before you as a
looking glass." Walker then called
out and asked if Volezar LaCour,
brother of the deceased victim, was
present. The brother stepped for-
ward, and Walker said,"I want to
ask your forgiveness, sir." LaCour
assured him he was forgiven if he
only would confess who did the
killing.
Walker instead resumed his
speech: "I only ask you today as
a man to forgive a man who is going
before his Maker. I stand upon the
platform of the gallows which will
soon break my neck, but Oh, God!
how I have been misguided. Tonight,
I expect to have rest for my soul in
paradise. Why is it that a man can be
so bold who stands like me on his
last platform? I want to teach you
all to do right and wrong no one."
At that point Walker requested
the Sheriff to call the names of the
witnesses who had testified against
him in his trial. Morris stepped for-
ward and called some fourteen
names, only four of whom answered
and stood before him. He then asked
if Cicely Neasly and Caroline Jackson
were present, to which a voice in
the crowd hollered that they were
feeling poorly that day. Walker
replied, "Well, this is a good time
for them to be poorly."
He asked repeatedly for a cup of
water, which Morris hastily offered.
He next asked for a chew of tobacco,
which was proffered by Volezar
LaCour. He also spoke highly of the
deceased Little Corette LaCour,
stating he was a good man and that
whiskey—or perhaps just the Devil-
had gotten into Walker and caused
him to assist in the murder of a good
man. He shook hands with Volezar
LaCour and with the dead man's
father, J. M. C. LaCour, and with
anyone else on the platform willing
to extend his hand.
At precisely 1:15 in the afternoon
on a sun-splashed Liberty street,
the executioner covered his head
with a black cap, placed the noose
around his neck and sprung the trap
door that plunged George Walker
into eternity. All was silent save for
the voice of Rev. Sip Baldwin inton-
ing his God to have mercy on a
sinner.
NOTE: The newspaper known as the
Winnie Chronicle lurched into public
view in 1907 and suffered any num-
ber of calamities during its brief his-
tory as the voice of East Chambers
County. An early editor, Dr. Guerr,
appears to have furthered the paper
along during its early days. P. S. Dee,
who also happened to be the cashier
of the bank in Winnie, was probably
the most notorious newspaper editor
of his day. Dee, as the following arti-
cles reveal, skipped the country with
approximately $14,000 from the
bank's coffers. One story told about
P. S. Dee had him playing on a
Winnie ball team which was pitted
against the Anahuac team. Dee sup-
posedly hit a base run, looked back
to see that the umpire was not
watching, and headed straight for
second base, avoiding the nuisance
of first base altogther. The Anahuac
fans raised quite a ruckus, as they
should have, but the umpire did not
see the play and could not rule him
out. Someone in the grand stands
muttered, "A man that would steal
that way in a ball game would steal
in a bank." A couple of weeks
later, P. S. Dee skipped the country.
THE PROGRESS
Friday, August 30, 1912
The Winnie Chronicle, which has
failed to come out the past two
months owing to the indefinite
abscence of its editor, P. S. Dee,
the absconding cashier of the Winnie
bank, has been put on its feet again
by T. A. Jenkins, who has in him the
making of a good newspaperman.
He wields a versatile pen and takes
up matters pertaining to the develop-
ment of Chambers county in a man-
ner which is wholesomely refreshing.
Being a civil engineer, he is especially
adapted to the work of boosting
good roads, drainage and irrigation.
His motto is, "Boost, don't knock."
In his very first issue Mr. Jenkins
has by far gotten out the best paper
since its inception and we are sure he
will add improvements as he moves
along. The earnest support and ap-
preciation of the citizens of Winnie
and Stowell is due him.
THE PROGRESS
Friday, November 1, 1912
P. S. Dee, formerly cashier of the
Winnie bank, who is indicted in the
embezzlement of $800, and who has
been at large two months surren-
dered himself to the sheriff of
Marion county, ill. at E. St. Louis,
and was brought to Chambers county
by Deputy Sheriff Buskirk. Mr. Dee
was placed in the custody of Deputy
Sheriff Gordon last Friday, where
he will remain until the next term of
court.
NOTE: The city of Liberty was
one of the earliest incorporated
municipalities in this regions, and the
council and mayor were not exactly
known for their leniency. They were
very strict with its citizens, both
black and white. Many newspapers
throughout Texas were quite amused
and a little bit surprised over the
city's policies toward cursing in the
presence of the fairer sex, as ex-
plained in the following set of
ordinances.
THE LIBERTY GAZETTE
H. C. Shea, Editor
June 4, 1855
CORPORATION ORDINANCE
ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF
TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF
LIBERTY, APRIL 1855
Be it ordained by the Mayor and
Board of Trustees of the Town of
Liberty, in Council convened, That
it shall be the duty of the Mayor to
appoint a sufficient patrol to keep
the negroes of the Corporation with-
in their respective homes after nine
o'clock at night, and should any be
caught out after that hour, without
they are on special business for, or
have a written permission from their
owner, they shall receive not more
than twenty-five lashes.
SEC. That it shall be the duty of
the Marshal, if he finds a negro
(slave) within the limits of this
Corporation, who is not a resident
thereof, without a written permission
from, or on business for his or her
owner, to give said negro not more
than twenty-five lashes.
SEC. That if a negro is found
within the Corporation, who is not
a resident thereof, whether with or
without a written permit from his
or her owner, after five o'clock in
the afternoon on the Sabbath, unless
on special business for his or her
owner, or on a permitted visit to
his wife, it shall! be the duty of the
Marshal to inflict upon said negro
the punishment prescribed in the
preceding sections.
SEC. 4. That is shall be lawful
for the Marshal to deputize some
one to act for him or assist him in
the performance of these duties.
Be it ordained. &c. That should
any person or persons be guilty of
any unnecessary boisterousness or of
using profane language in the hearing
of females, or of drunkeness, so as
to distrub any one in the streets,
within the corporate limits, it shall
be the duty of the Mayor to have
the offending party arrested and
impose a fine upon each one so
offending, not less than five nor
more than twenty-five dollars, ac-
cording to the circumstances of
the case, and should the party so
muleted refuse to pay the fine it
shall be the duty of the Marshal to
place him or her in jail until the same
is paid or secured, and all expenses
therein.
Be it ordained, &c, That any
person shooting off a gun or pistol,
in or about the Court House square,
or within two hunderd yards of any
inhabited building of the Corpora-
tion, unless upon extreme necessity,
or in a place prepared and licensed
for the same shall pay a fine of five
dollars, which fine may be collected
before the Mayor; one half going to
the informer and the other half to
the use of the Corporation.
A. G. VANPRADELLES.
MAYOR, pro tem.
J. D. LUM, Secretary, pro tem.
NOTE: Nothing is more amusing
today than the idea of an ordinary
layman defending himself in a court
of law. Back in 1912, Mr. George
Speights, father of the late Edwin
Speights of Wallisville, did just that,
and he won. Speights went up
against then-County Attorney A. W.
Marshall in the court of Justice of
the Peace J. C. Lloyd. Marshall at
one time was a law partner of James
R. Davis in Wallisville.
THE PROGRESS
Gay L. Tufts, Editor & Publisher
Friday, November 1, 1912
OLD FAMILY DOG KILLED
On the night of October 19th
George Speights shot at a dog which
was molesting his sheep. The next
morning Uncle John Barrow found
his faithful old dog dead in the
thicket nearby. Presuming that
George had killed the dog, Uncle
John made complaint and the case
was tried before Squire Lloyd
Friday, with County Attorney Mar-
shall prosecuting. Mr. Speights was
his own attorney and he handled
the defense admirably. Mr. Speights
admitted having shot at a dog which
was running his sheep, but as it was
in the night he did not know whose
dog it was or that he had hit the dog.
Mr. Barrow said the old dog had no
teeth and could not harm the sheep
anyway. The case was tried before a
jury and a verdict of not guilty re-
turned. Jury—J. W. Mangrum, Neal
Clark, R. Quaid, W. G. Bond, W. H.
Fisher, George Willcox.
MEMORIALS
Mr. James Henry (Casey) Jones
Mrs. Tavia LaFour
Mrs. Lorraine Silva
Judge & Mrs. J. B. Mayes
Mrs. G. C. Mayes, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. John Middleton
Mr. Grover Taylor Jones
Mrs. Lorraine Silva
Mrs. Annie May Craft
Mrs. Tavia LaFour
Mr. James Carey Smith, Sr.
Mr. & Mrs. John Middleton
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Wallisville Heritage Park (Organization). The Age, Volume 4, Number 9, August 1, 1983, periodical, August 1, 1983; Wallisville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth404103/m1/1/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Chambers County Library System.