The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 13, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 26, 2008 Page: 4 of 24
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Clifton Record and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Nellie Pederson Civic Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
d
The Clifton Record
Wednesday, March 26,2008
Carolina Cassanova Gets Himself Killed At Caddo Lake
By Marc Johnson
Thank ya, i
W'
m*.
jam
i
Lord, fer the
bountiful rains
and fer sparing
us most of the
terrible storms
that took sev-
eral lives and
did much prop-
erty damage.
I’m writin’ this mess on the 19th
of March and it is a beautiful day
today.
As it always is; some folks got
more rain than others. Seems
fust liar ain’t got a chance. Y’all
heard that before? Anyhow,
seems some folks sorta south of
the Gap got some over 4”, and
some out ‘round Lanham just got
bout Vi”. Elsie Phillips; local
guvimint rain-guage keeper;
called me and said this guage
showed 3.01inches. Anyhow, it
was all good. Shore already
makin’ the weeds in my yard do
good.
Looked lak yestiddy, the 18th,
during the rain, would have been
a really good time to light some
of the many brush piles through
this country. Good pear-burner,
and some hi-priced diesel might
have got-r-done. If it wasn’t too
muddy to git to 'em. I didn’t see
no smoke nowhere.
By the way, all our Volunteer
Fire Departments are always
lookin’ fer folks to join up with
’em.
Also, lookin’ fer donations to
pay fer fuel and upkeep on all the
trucks they got. Can ya help?
The annual clean-up day fer
the Gap Community is here
again. Sattidy, the March 29 is the
day and Larry Simmons, owner
of Gap Tractor Parts, has gener-
ously agreed fer his yard; rat out-
side the Gap; to be the gatherin’
point fer all yore junk, and just
plain trash. No paint, or chemi-
cals will be allowed. Tires will be
accepted fer a fee. Volunteers
always needed fer projects such
as this. Can ya hep in any way? If
so, give Sandy Hartley a call at
597-0367. Any, and all help, will be
much appreciated.
April 8 is the day fer the run-
off election fer Bosque County
Sheriff between Anthony Malott
and Adam Sowder. You cannot
vote in this run-off election if ya
voted in the Republican primary.
Ifya didn’t vote in either primary,
orya voted in the Democratic pri-
mary, then ya will be allowed to
vote in the run-off. Please re-
member to bring yore voter reg-
istration card. This is important.
Bunch of us been wonderin’
where the cat-hair them Purple
Martins are. It was my under-
standing that they sent the scouts
out and about in February and
the main influx of Martins would
show up sometime in March.
Well, I hope they hurry up and git
here; cause March might nigh
gone.
Had one person question my
spelling of the “Puiple Martin”
bird. They thought it oughtta be
spelled with an “E” instead of an
“I”. I wasn’t shore enough to ar-
gue but I did take the time to
check it out in an old dictionary I
had. And here’s the straight
skinny. A “Marten,” with an “E,”
is a carnivorous quadruped, in-
habiting woody and rocky locali-
ties, valued fer its fur. A “Martin,”
with an “I," as in “Purple Martin,”
is a bird of the swallow family I
feel just a whole bunch smarter
now. Do any y’all?
Hard to believe that this is the
5th anniversary of us invading
Iraq? Some say it was totally
wrong; some say it simply had to
be. Regardless, it’s been a ter-
rible and costly war. Not only in
the billions of dollars we’ve spent;
but more importantly; the lives of
our military folks what’s been
lost.
Check out a couple of the lat-
est political statements our
Demo Candidates have just re-
cently made. Ms. Clinton says
she’ll start bringin’ folks home
and ending the war in just 60
days. OK! Mr. Obama says he’ll
end the war; starting on day one.
Do you reckon these folks think
they can git this done; or, any-
thing similar to it; on their own?
Don’t ya reckon our military lead-
ers and the folks in the Legisla-
ture gonna have some kinda say
in when; and how, this is gonna
happen. It ain’t gonna be as easy
as just “loadin’ & go.” Back to the
house. We probably all want ‘em
home; but we better have all our
ducks in a row ‘fore we do any-
thing too drastic. Reckon? Lots of
folks don’t think them Iraqis close
to tendin’ to their own bidness.
Many of the news folks keep
savin’ that they cain’t even pro-
vide basic services, or security on
their own. They mention we’ll
have to be there at least another
three years.
I keep harpin’ on the subject of
havin’ yore headlights on any
time ya out on the highway. These
rainy, foggy, overcast days
oughtta hep ya realize the impor-
tance of this small deal. It might
save yore life.
Any y’all out there make any
where close to fifty five hunnerd
dollars an hour? I’m gonna sort
that ya do. These cute l’il things
in this call-girl ring that the New
York Gov. was deaun’ with did. At
least, that’s what was reported.
Good gosh! Who they think they
are; CEO’s of something lak
Exxon/Mobil?
Midshipman Robert Potter re-
signed from the U S. Navy on
March 20,1821, and went home
to North Carolina to raise a little
hell.
When the ex-sailor was not
studying the law, he was raking
the Tar Heel elite over the coals.
A sharp-tongued critic of the
privileged planter class, he wrote
sarcastic poems publicly humili-
ating those cowardly aristocrats
who declined his invitation to a
duel.
Potter’s soaring popularity
with the common man won him a
seat in the House of Commons.
His tell-it-like-it-is appeal soon
earned him a promotion to the
U.S. Congress, where everyone
predicted big things for ambi-
Letters To
The Editor
Dear Editor:
On Saturday, March 15,1 saw
a late model white pickup truck
at the tank at the airport. I no-
ticed they were throwing a cast
net and thought they were af-
ter minnows. But on Sunday, we
realized what they really
caught — eight baby ducks.
Why would anyone want to
steal babies away from their
mother?
That is bad enough, but those
ducks were also farm animals,
belonging to my mother-in-law.
I want everyone to pay atten-
tion in our neighborhood and
keep an eye on their property.
If those people will steal baby
ducks, who knows what else
they will steal.
Carol Thomas
This Week
In Texas
History i
tious Bobby Potter.
All that changed on a vio-
lent afternoon in August 1831
in the North Carolina commu-
nity of Oxford. Tipped off to
his wife’s infidelities during
his long absences, Potter took
a pocketknife to two of the al-
leged home-wreckers. The
victims of the sadistic castra-
tions were a middle-aged
preacher and a boy still in his
teens.
Potter gave up his congres-
sional seat before serving a
six-month sentence for the vi-
cious and evidently unpro-
voked attacks. But the
scandal only served to
strengthen his standing
among his constituents, who
returned their hero to the
state legislature in the fall of
1834. Neither a messy divorce
nor an attempt on his life by a
brother-in-law had an adverse
effect on the election.
Potter’s fellow lawmakers
were not happy, however, to
see him and came up with an
excuse to ban the not-tem-
pered outcast. He was ex-
pelled from the House of
Commons in January 1835 for
the unpardonable sin of cheat-
ing at cards, a shocking viola-
tion of the chivalrous code of
southern conduct.
Facing the fact he had no fu-
ture in North Carolina poli-
tics, 35-year-old Potter packed
his bags for Texas. Arriving on
Second Generation of T. A.
Joseph Knowles McSpadden
Joseph K. McSpadden, the
son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
McSpadden, was bom May 27,
1881 in Clifton where he was
reared and attended school. In
1905 he married Eleanor Por-
ter and to this union five chil-
dren were bom: Tom, Grace,
Josephine, Joseph K, Jr., and
Porter.
In Clifton, Joe McSpadden
worked for many years for lWl-
liam Connally and Company, a
large mercantile store (Grand-
parents of Nell Gilliam Jenson,
Connallys owned stores in
Iredell, Meridian and Valley
Mills as well as Clifton). Mr. Me
Spadden was succesful in the
insurance and oil business sev-
eral years before moving his
family to Austin in 1931. He was
described as “a devout mem-
ber of the Presbyterian Church
in Clifton. He had a remarkable
sense of humor and a wonder-
ful talent for making friends.
No man could have been a
more devoted husband and fa-
ther than he was.”
The McSpadden family
moved from Austin to Houston
around 1943 - 44. In Houston
Joe was a deputy collector of
Internal Revenue.
Joseph K. McSpadden, 67,
died in Houston on Sept. 4,1948
“from peritonitis resulting
from an operation performed
several days previously for can-
cer.” Funeral services were
held in Houston on Sept. 6 and
in Clifton on Sept. 7. Brief ser-
vices were held at the home of
Bosque County History:
Looking Backward
To The Years
1870-1890
By Elizabeth Torrence
Mr. McSpadden’s niece, Mrs.
Lola Brewer, prior to services
at the First Presbyterian
Church conducted by Dr.
Malcolm Purcell of Houston,
former minister of the church
in Clifton.
“Pallbearers were Clarence
Carpenter, E. E. Schow, W. C.
Hurst, Robert Gloff, Phil
Gilliam, and Carl Pearson. In-
terment was in the Clifton
Cemetery.”
Two sons preceded him in
death: Porter, who died in Clif-
ton as a child, and Lt. Joseph,
Jr., who was killed in 1944 in
Italy during World War 11.
He is survived by his wife,
one son, Thomas McSpadden of
Wabash, Indiana; two daugh-
ters, Mrs. James Overholser
(Grace McSpadden) of Green-
wood, S.C., and Mrs. Adam
Jemsek (Josephine
McSpadden) of Sunnyvale, Ca-
lif.; five grandchildren; and one
sister, Mrs. Harry Bradstreet of
Clifton.
Sources of research: Obitu-
ary of Joseph K. McSpadden,
September, 1948 issue of the
Clifton Record. Bosque
County.Land and People,
“Thomas A. McSpadden” by
Kent Westley.
The Clifton Record
Serving Bosque County Since 1895
The Clifton Record (USPS-118-100 • ISSN-1086-9352) is published weekly, on Wednesdays,
by Progressive Media Communications, Inc., 310 West Fifth Street, Clifton, Texas 76634-1611.
Periodicals postage is paid at Clifton, TX 76634.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: Bosque County, one year $38; Elsewhere, one year: $45. Give old address
when requesting change of address. Per copy price: 50 cents.
POSTMASTER: Please send address change to: The Clifton Record, P.O. Box 353, Clifton, TX 76634.
OFFICE HOURS: Monday-Friday, 9-5; Closed Weekends. • DEADLINES: Fridays, 10 a m.
PUBLISHERS: James W. Smith, Publisher Emeritus; W. Leon Smith, President
STAFF: EDITORIAL - W. Leon Smith, Editor-InChief; Carol Spicer. ADVERTISING - Melanie Harvey (Marketing
Director), Tammy Shelton, Shelly Cooper; Timmy Kleine, Michele McLemore. BUSINESS — Kay Ortiz (Office
Manager), Allison Smith (Internet); CIRCULATION: Charlie Gandy, Pemie Stanford, Bud Shaffer, Georgia Bek,
Rhonda Fields..
Telephone: 254/675-3336 • FAX: 254/675-4090 • E-mail: news@cllftonrecord.com
Clifton Record Online: <www.cliftonrecord.com>
THE CLIFTON RECORD welcomes letters of up to 150 words on any public issue. Any letter that exceeds the word limit
may not be considered for publication. We publish only original letters addressed to The Clifton Record. An address and
daytime phone number must be induded so the author's identity can be verified. No letters wit be published uni
authorship is confirmed. Those who write letters are asked to limit their entries to one per month. All letters are subject to
editing. The Record reserves the right to decline publication of any submission. Letters must be signed. Letters written in
the promotion of political candidates or issues to be decided by an election wi not be considered for publication unless
they are scheduled for publication three weeks or more prior to the election. Individuals may purchase advertising space
during the period prior to the election in support of candidates or issues to be voted ipon. Letters written as cards of
thanks may be charged classified ad mle and be placed in classified section of newspaper, at editors' option.
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC: Any error or erroneous reflection upon the character,
standing, or reputation of any person, firm, or corporation which may appear In
this newspaper will be gladly corrected upon being brought to the attention of
the management
THE ENTIRE CONTENTS of each teeue of The Clifton Record are protected under the Federal Copyright Act
Reproduction of any portion of any Issue will not be permitted without the express permission of Progressive
Media Communications, Inc.
I’ve guessed fer a long time
that BiU Clinton sleeps with one
eye open; or in a separate room;
after some of the deals he got
caught in. I’m gonna bet this
former Gov. will be doin’ the same
thing. Some folks wonder why his
wife was standin’ up there with
him on the stage. Somebody men-
tioned that she probably had a
long, sharp, knife real handy
sorta giggin’ him in the side. I
cain’t wait to hear the “rest of the
story”? It oughtta be a hoot. An
expose book about him and Bill
would probably make the best
g<
N
the eve of the Lone Star Revo-
lution, he made the most of the
olden opportunity. As the
acogdocnes delegate to the
colonists’ convention in March
1836, he signed the Declara-
tion of Independence and ac-
cepted an appointment as
acting secretary of the navy.
When President Sam Hous-
ton chose his cabinet that Oc-
tober, Potter was nowhere to
be found. For months the good-
looking gadabout had ignored his
official duties to concentrate on
chasing other men’s wives, a dan-
;erous pastime that kept him in
ot water.
Mrs. Harriet Page fell for
the Carolina Casanova with an
indiscreet thud that offended
even broad-minded frontiers-
men. She later claimed the
smooth talker convinced her
that Mr. Page was among the
handful of Texans killed at the
Battle of San Jacinto. In real-
ity her husband was alive and
kicking, an inconvenient tech-
nicality that made Harriet a
bigamist when she tied the
knot with Potter.
The couple set up house-
keeping in East Texas on the
shores of Caddo Lake. Potter
had not lost his knack for woo-
ing voters and spent two terms
in the Republic Senate repre-
senting Fannin and Red River
counties.
In the meantime, a feud of epic
proportions transformed much of
eastern Texas into a combat
zone. Regulators fought Modera-
tors in backwoods ambushes and
full-scale pitched battles.
Potter locked horns with a
leading Regulator named Will-
iam Pinckney Rose, alias “The
Lion of the Lakes,” who hap-
pened to hail from Oxford, North
Carolina. The sly senator per-
suaded his pal, President
Mirabeau Lamar, to bring three
murder charges against Rose
and to put a hefty price on his
head. He set out in March 1842 to
remove the troublesome thorn
from his side and to collect the
reward.
Potter and a posse of 17 sup-
porters swooped down on the
Rose place. After searching high
and low for his foe, he rode away
unaware “The Lion” was hiding
under a pile of burning brush.
The Regulators returned the
compliment at dawn the next day.
Ignoring Harriet’s hysterical
warning, Potter panicked and ran
for the lake where he propped his
shotgun against a tree and tried
to swim for it.
As Rose held Harriet back, his
son-in-law shot Potter to death
with his own weapon when he
came up for air.
“Now what do you think of your
pretty Bobby?” asked the trium-
phant Rose.
Pointing at an artillery piece
just out of reach, Harriet re-
torted, “If only I had a match to
touch off this cannon, I would
shoot your tongue down your
throat!”
Rose and seven other Regula-
tors were detained briefly, but
murder charges were dropped
due to insufficient evidence. The
feud was finally winding down,
and amnesty was considered the
best policy.
OUR BOD
THE UNIVERSE WITHIN
Actual Human Bodies
Through May 26, 2008
When Robert Potter’s will was
probated the next year, Harriet
got the surprise of her scandal-
ous life. The bulk of the Carolina
Casanova’s estate, including the
house where his widow lived with
her latest husband — the late
senator’s handyman — was be-
queathed to yet another woman.
Back by popular demand!
“Outlaws and Lawmen”—“Best
of This Week in Texas History”
Vol. VI available for $10.95 plus
$3.25 postage and handling from
Bartee Haile, P.O. Box 152,
Friendswood, TX 77549 or order
online at www.twith.com!
WI'ITK
.Ml SI l M
3801 8- t • iii At11• mm'.> T <
im
DHKl,
CABLE ij
DISH Network
More channels for less money.
It’s about time
Gf»t (WA o? ?h#» NH^vfAton you try
DISH Nerv/o* otto* s vf-t 100 top
just $J2 »
Only DISH Network offers
all of these options:
H 100% aX-digital packages and picture
* Free DVR or HD DVR Receiver Upgrade
fcaoftWy $608 OW fee)
M Froe Standard Professional IneMtation
CC,Etc. s
402 North Avenue G
254-675-3511
America's Top 100 Onr wch«u
$32§9
dlsi?
NETWORK.
AITMRUXI IfTAftER
thMMMkM'
Bl*»M8fa>tfho6io»FoaMMtratfaBWfao«i» Mwah* owl, «Qrf»i»iM»Ml/ii«MiMaMiMi
A fartMUQli—IfawAwofa »OHHMoOwork i(M*iiofc«iii«ooo»re|0«smUoMlwo»»a» mo—1—w
sockjff prk» iui*0m omasum loom loo «4fa a» or POM fo» Mr* fooohiorM
ofli W>o»tta> of* >oih>»fo<fcroo«iiioi>nr >»>■.< IwItnOooo* oo ooloo6o<w«a, *>•<»—. nWhwiiMfalpipM
«re»o fa oath fart fawr tooohw; Iw art lo in >i i ......fa| lo> poo* opc* mmtm otofa.....A t—ortoMo tm—ii 0m
i«»ifafaM^OBP»fairt^ra>rt»w>^ooiaofa».tfairtfalMIPWHfafawtlWlfarfatfa»|faofaoofaWiw
/«M« HOI
% fa |>4oo«. MOKofi mi
• fafallfarfa»faPIWirtfa*»Ort*»lfafalfa«faOffaMWfa»fart*»|M»rtrt<.fart»rtWrt»NlfafaMfalMMWrtfa«i»rtOO>rtfalrt
M"—I —4 fartfafart CufaQiii Aftoiowot, wHMa ot nwwo.llnMpiifc.cii or fao« Hurt. Uni rfaoafa jrtiip by srtfafa aw arty
*“ -tmn oQo rtrtfa a th> ft an Hut fam»nrt mm* pm i*mt qmmm m m*t m nfawmrt am tmnoo hm
M Iroo of m *m Mhooifafa* to Moot t»mmm rt Mom rt MM l
w Mi w* not to toiOMod to MM eertto* Mupt tor varifertfai mi eofacMo poqM
fcmtrtfaHWrt
ttatottm fatal facw* ft
» wfa or # roortrfa fa pm
seller list. Wait.
Do we really need to make this
little trip? These higher’n a cats
back fuel prices will shore ‘nough
bring up this question. Airlines
cutting many flights. So, they’ll
have fewer seats to sell; but, they
can sell ‘em fer more money.
Think about this. They’ll git-r-
done; I just bet. I’ll just stay to the
house.
We got to continue prayin’ fer
the leaders of all nations and our
military folks wherever they are.
See ya next week,
Marc at the Gap
MAKE YOUR
“TWO
CENTS”
WORTH
COUNT!
• •••
Adam
Sowder Jr
Bosque County
Sheriff
Working IN Bosque County —
Working FOR Bosque County!
. t •. ' ,
Political advertising paid by Citizens for Adam Sownder, Jr., 513 S. Ave. R Clifton, TX 76634
4
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
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 Newspaper.
Smith, W. Leon. The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 13, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 26, 2008, newspaper, March 26, 2008; Clifton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth789061/m1/4/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Nellie Pederson Civic Library.