Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 19, 1983 Page: 2 of 34
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Page 2, The Hondo Anvil Herald, Thursday. May 19, 1983
STATE CAPITAL
HKMU6HTS
ly Lyndtll Wiliam*
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
- «
Austin - For two yean
-VFexas legislators have
known that cuts in federal
funds would hamper state
government budgeting and
last week lawmakers learn-
; ed the latest report indicates
federal aid here fell by more
than $420 million in 1982.
The dedine was 50 per-
. ..sent greater than the aver-
... age loss to all states under
, the Reagan Administration’s
cutbacks.
.1. Abo last week, legislators
l'..’ discovered that the fragile
*' $30 billion proposed budget
now in conference commit-
tee may still have to be
trimmed by some $220
v., .million.
. Lawmakers expect to free
up the needed revenues by
reducing the state’s contri-
butions to the Teachers Re-
. tirement System from the
present 8.5 percent to 7.1
percent of a teacher’s salary'
Higher Taxes?
: The scrimpy budget yet to
- - be finalized still has some
1 ’ lawmakers, and particularly
Gov. Mark White, pushing
!pr a major tax hike,
espedlly to increase teacher
“■ salaries.
White has lobbied House
Speaker Gib Lewis in sever-
al private meetings to relent
. on his decision to halt all tax
... (like bilb in the House.
Across the rotunda, Lt. Gov.
Bill Hobby, who predicted a
hike was needed months
ago, has remained publicly
silent, perhaps waiting for
Lewis to act.
Since by law all tax biQs
must originate in the House
Ways and Means Commit-
tee, Lewis’ stance is all-im-
portant in the tax debate.
Forecasters see no tax bill
coming out this session.
White v. Bullock
Meanwhile, Comptroller
Bob Bullock continued snap-
ping at White’s heels last
week, critizing the governor
for failing “to put his name”
on any tax proposal and
failing in leadership.
Bullock, who announced
he would run against White
in ’86 before White even
took office in January, would
love to see White come out
solid for higher taxes. Bul-
lock would use the issue
against him on the campaign
trail and White, who well
knows the trap Bullock is
goading him into, has al-
ready made several public
statements which make him
appear unsure of his course.
Some wise heads predict
White will wait until a
special session to raise
taxes.
Veto, Gasohot
White is also losing on
another of his pet issues:
making the Public Utility
Commissioners elected in-
stead of appointed. He has
gone as far as threatening to
veto the bill unless the
election dause b included,
but lawmakers don’t seem to
be giving in. In hb search to
find allies, he has also threat-
ened to veto the Railroad
Commission sunset bill.
Other action in the White-
Bullock saga indudes:
- White authorized Texas
to repay $50 million in
federal loans used for state
unemployment benefits. The
state, on former Gov. BUI
Clements’ initiative, bor-
rowed $452 million when
high unemployment drained
the Texas fund.
- Bullock supported a bill
to repeal the tax break on
gasohol, saying state
government could gain $1.5
million if the tax were re-
instated. Bullock immediate-
ly drew good-natured but
determined fire from Agri-
culture Commissioner Jim
Hightower, who said Bullock
“was more fun than a sum-
mer picnic”, but wrong. Bul-
lock, however, was backed
up by Hobby and, apparent-
ly, Lewis.
The Water Plan
The eight-bill Texas
Water Plan package was
tabled in its entirety last
week by Midland Republican
Tom Craddick, who objects
to the plan to protect river
flow into coastal bays. The
package won’t come out of
his House committee until
it’s amended, he explained.
I-and Commissioner Gary
Mauro said he will oppose
any amended package that
doesn’t include the hays and
estqaries.
TV Senate
Measures psssed by the
Senate last week included:
- A five dollar fee on court
costs in divorce esses.
- A five dollar saltwater
sportfishing stamp fee fo
pay for coastal fishing law
enforcement.
- Increased penalties for
catching redfish and speckl-
ed trout.
- A bill requiring that
topless bars and other sex-
ually oriented businesses be
maintained at least 1,000
feet from churches and
schools.
- A Mil to implement the
federal brucellosis program
and avoid a quarantine of
Texas cattle.
- A five percent hike in
mandatory liability auto
insurance next year.
The House
Measures approved by the
House included:
-A bill making it against
the law for JPs to refuse to
perform interracial mar-
riages on the basis of race
alone.
- Allowing schools to hire
non-cert ified teachers for
science and math classes
- Requiring counties to
help pay for emergency
medical care of poor Texans.
Rural lawmakers opposed
strongly, arguing that rural
tax dollars shouldn’t be used
to bail out urban hospitals.
MEDINA COUNTY HIST-
ORY got its first sample
copy of the cover that will
appear on the book when it
is published later this year.
Shown with the sample copy
is David Zinsmeyer, who
took the cover photograph,
Jakelynn Meyer of Dlianis,
who is doing the typing,
record keeping, fifing and
general work in the history
office at the Courthouse, and
Frances Proctor, who is the
daughter of the home’s own-
er, Mrs. Lena Reitzer. The
German-Alsatian home b
located in Quihi.
By J. A. Rios
As Henry lay feverishly in
the midst of the thicket he
thought about the day’s
events. It was barely day-
light and he was still bleed-
ing from hb leg wounds. He
knew he had some broken
bones. One of the first things
he had done was to cut off
hb boot to prevent swelling.
Thankful he was still alive,
Henry suddenly realized
how thirsty be was.
In order to change hb
thoughts, he reconstructed
the day’s events. Everything
had happened very quickly
-too quickly, in fact.
Henry had started the day
by going up the Verde Creek
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One Point of View
Crockett Report
By JimCiockett,
State Representative
The House passed Senate
. Bill 826, a companion to
House Bill 491 by Repre-
sentative Emmett of Harris
County on its third reading
on Friday. This bill would
- z permit county commission-
‘»:;i|r’s courts to charge fees for
use of ^County recrea-
*:ttonal facilities and services
l': imd the rental pf sale of
'-i related supplies. The fees
•JiyoukJ be limited to the
;'-*'ijpnount8 needed each year to
.^provide the facilities and
^services. No fees may be
charged for admission to any
ijStJeneral purpose county
f' park. A committee amend-
ment by Representative
Crockett prohibits fees for
the use of restrooms and
the sale of water for human
or animal consumption.
Sports teams composed of
minors which are sponsored
by civic organizations are
specifically exempted. In ad-
dition, counties are given
wide discretion in waiving
charges for other groups. It
was felt that these revenues
would make the mainten-
and construction of
: ance
;county parks a more bear-
able expense.
at
w
I
1
K
§
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I
i
I
§
?5ji-
f-'-
The House passed House
Joint Resolution 72 by Rep-
resentative Carriker of Roby
on third reading on Wednes-
day. This proposed constitu-
tional amendment would al-
low the Legislature to estab-
lish a “storable commodities
preservation program" fund-
ed through the issuance of
state general-obligation
bonds. The money could be
used to make loans and
provide other financing
assistance for construction
of storage facilities for agri-
cultural products. The prin-
c$al amount of bdnds out-
standing at one time could
not exceed $25 million. The
proposed constitutional
amendment would be sub-
mitted to the voters in
November 1983. It is ex-
pected that loans would go
primarily to build storage
facilities for grain, such as
com, wheat, milo, and rice.
Loans could also be used for
cotton and soybeans. The
intent is to lend money to
farmers to put up their own
on-site storage facilities.
House Bill 1222, the enabl-
ing legislation, is specifically
designed to help family-farm
operations. It specifies that
the total amount of loans to
one farmer could not exceed
$25,000, and the storage
facilities to be financed could
only be large enough to store
one average year’s produc-
tion of storable commodities.
The $25,000 limit assures
that the program’s funds will
go mostly to moderate-sized
operations rather than big
corporate farms.
The House passed H.J.R.
86 and H.B. 1536 by Repres-
entative Larry Shaw of Big
Spring on Thursday. H.J.R.
86 proposes a constitutional
amendment to create a fire
department emergency fund
and to authorize the state to
make grants, loans, and fin-
ancial assistance available to
fire departments in the state
from maintenance taxes on
grfcs premiums on fire ins-
urance. H.B. 1536 will create
the state agency designated
by the legislature to provide
the grants and loans to local
fire departments and other
public fire-fighting organiza-
tions and to aid in providing
necessary equipment and
facilities to comply with
federal and state law.
House Bill 487 by Watson
of Deer Park passed second
reading Friday. It would
require the departments of
Water Resources and Health
to adopt rules defining the
characteristics which make
an area unsuitable for a
hazardous waste dump.
Some considerations are the
possibility of ground or sur-
face water contamination.
The agencies now rely on
informal technical guide-
lines. Hearings on new sites
would be required, and citi-
zen input would be encour-
aged.
After the House adjourn-
ed for the week end FYiday,
the House Urban Affairs
Committee met and voted
out favorably House Bill 440,
the proposed amendment
which would legalize pari-
mutual betting. It will now
go to the Calendars Commit-
tee, and it is likely to be
debated on the House floor
the week of May 23.
At present the tally of
phone calls and letters in
Representative Crockett’s
office is running more than
two to one in favor.
Days come and go and the
weather continues to tease
this entire South Texas area
with the promise of rain. But
somehow other areas are
flooded and all of South
Texas remains dry and par-
ched.
I don’t know if it is
because we don’t pay the
preacher or if he doesn’t
turn in all the money. What-
ever, it is dry as Mules.
I visited Mathis last week-
end and that area looks
almost as pitiful as the area
around Hondo, especially the
lake. However, I guess Med-
ina Lake looks almost as bad.
The main difference in the
two lakes is that Lake Cor-
pus Christi, which some
people still call Lake Mathis,
supplies drinking water for
several cities in that area.
Right now it stands some six
feet below normal and no
one has a dock that readies
into the water.
People in that area are
already talking hurricane
season for they believe the
only way the lake will fill
bade to normal is by a
hurricane dumping water
into the lake and onto its
watersheds. Weather people
already have predided this
is the year for violent hur-
ricanes.
Naturally, residents had
rather have the lake full
through normal rainfall, but
as they sit there and watch
the water get lower and
lower each day they begin to
rationalize that they can
stand a big blow if it will
give them water.
Such a hurricane season
should also provide relief for
this area because usually
when one hits the Gulf Coast
of Texas we receive part of
the rainfall.
But dry as it is I still don’t
think it is dry as it was in
West Texas back in the early
fifties. At that time the
Baptists were sprinkling
converts and the Methodists
were giving rainchecks. And
I swear that one week when
it was the hottest and driest
I saw the trees following the
dogs around.
One big problem I noticed
in the Mathis area that we
don’t have here was mosqui-
tos. I stayed with my friends
Ted and Brunye Capps and
at night the mosquitos were
absolutely awesome. They
have a large plate glass
window in their kitchen and
once the lights were turned
on that window was solid
with mosquitos, and so were
the walls of the outside room
next to the kitchen. During
the day they were nowhere
in sight.
And would you believe
that no one had a spraying
program going to try to
eliminate the mosquitos. At
least when the mosquitos
get so bad around here the
City Council runs out the
fogging machine.
Now those mosquitos
were out in numbers and it
was lucky they didn’t grow
as large as they used to grow
in East Texas when I was a
boy. Sometimes up there if
you were lucky you could
rope one of them and bell it
so at least you could tell
where they were.
I remember one night
when I was a strapping boy
of thirteen or so I awoke to
find two mosquitos perched
on the foot of my bed. They
were talking to each other.
“Do you want to eat him
here, or take him down to
the creek and eat him
there?” one asked the other.
The larger mosquito
thought quite a while and
then said, “1 guess we’d
better eat him here, because
if we take him down to the
creek the big boys will take
him away from us.”
And I guess if it hadn’t
been for Old Unk staggering
home drunk about that time
and scaring them off I would
not be here writing this
column.
The Old Philosopher
(Editor’s note: The Old
Philosopher on his South
Texas grass farm has a few
words on the Hitler Diaries
and a few other things.)
Dear editor:
One thing to be learned
from the “Hitler Diaries” is
that handwriting experts,
like psychiatrists at a
murder trial, can come
down on either side. One
expert found the 60 volume
authentic, another said
they were fakes, just as one
psychiatrist can find a
murderer sane, another in-
sane.
If I were a lawyer and
had a client who was so
guilty the best I could do
for him was to get a hung
jury, I’d like to have two
handwriting experts or two
psychiatrists on the jury.
Regardless of the evidence,
each would be positive in
opposite directions.
HONDO ANVIL HERALD
Published at 1801 Ave. K. Hondo, Medina County, Texas
Entered at the Poet Office, Hondo, Texas as Second Class Mail.
Published every Thursday in Hondo, Texas? by Associated Texas
Newspapers, Inc.
William E. Boxer, Publisher
Barbara Barger Wilson, Assistant Publisher
Frances Rettser Praetor, News Editor
Tony Mead ere, Production Superintendent
80s Lee, Bueineee Manager
Pans Neater Heivey, Reporter
Beatrice Koch, Classified Advertising Manager
Rese DenringMt, News Compositor
Nora Ssnehss, Comasenial Printer
Tarry Tsagus, Spbrto Editor
DefcMe Yeung, Advertising Compositor
Uo Adkag, Asst. Adv. Compositor
DEADLINES: Advertising Copy - 5 p.m. Monday
Editorial Copy - New Tumday
The CastroviDe Anvil, Est. 1886
The Hondo Herald, Eat. 1891
Consolidated •• Oct. 17,1908
The LaCoete Ledger. Eat. 1916 ^
Consolidated - June 1,1961
Any erroneous reflection upon the character, standing or
reputation of any person, firm or corporation which may appear in
The Anvil Hwiid will be corrected upon being brought to the
attention of the publisher.
No charge is made for publications of notices of church or other
public gatherings where no admission is charged. When admission
Is charged or when goods or warn of any kind are offend for self,
The Anvil Herald's special advertising rates will apply.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
In Madina Co.--I8.00 ?tr Year In Texaa-410.00 Per Year
Out of Btato-$15.00 Per Year
P08TMABT*R--8erd address changes to
XfcjHoirioAn^
TEX&S LORE *
Qonradjftcholson Jfilton
CAME FROM NEW MEXICO TO TEXAS IN 111*1 TO BUY A BANK IN ONE OF
THE BOOMING- OILTOWNS. TURNED DOWN IN BRECKENRlD&E, HE
TRIED CISCO BUT THE BANK OWNER RENEGED ON HIS PRICE AND
THE DEAL FELLTHR0UGH. THEN HE TRIED TO RENT A HOTEL ROOM...
But there was a story in
the papers far more inter-
esting than the fake diaries.
An outfit has been
exposed selling high school
diplomas and college de-
grees from schools that
don’t exist. You pick out
the diploma or degree you
want, send them a check
and get your certificate by
return mail.
Some people are outraged
that you can get a piece of
paper certifying you’re
more educated than you
are.
What’s wrong with that?
High Schools and colleges
do it all the time.
In fact you might ask, if
you can keep a kid in high
school four yean without
teaching him anything,
why not let him spend his
time playing video games
and just hand him a
diploma when he reaches
the proper age and save the
expense of holding him in a
class room? Mail rooms
issuing meaningless dip-
lomas are a lot cheaper
than class rooms doing the
same thing.
Back to the to-do over
those forged diaires. You
never know when such
things will show up. You
reckon some of the Federal
courts’ haywire decisions in
recent years have come
about because the judges
were working with forged,
inaccurate copies on the
Constitution?
Yours faithfully,
J.A.
DPS gives driving tips
BUT THE LOBBY WAS JAMMED WITH PROSPECTORS AND FORTUNE
HUNTERS. H.L. MOBLEY,THE OWNER WHO RENTED EACH ROOM THREE
TIMES A DAY, TOLD HILTON .’"WE’RE FULL. COME BACK IN EIGHT HOURS
WHEN WE TURN THIS CROWD LOOSE.” MOBLEY CONFIDED TO HILTON THAT
HE WANTED TO SELL THE PLACE AND GET INTO THE OIL BUSINESS, SO
HILTON PAID #40,000 FOR
WHAT HE CALLED,"A CROSS
BETWEEN A FLORH0U3E
AND A GOLD MINE.”
THUS BEGAN THE HILTON
HOTEL CHAIN.
Motorists should prepare
themselves for summer driv-
ing, according to Trooper
A.L. Kempf, Safety Officer
of the Texas Department of
Public Safety. With summer
approaching many people
are planning vacations and
he warned drivers that acci-
dents can spoil vacation
trips.
“Summer driving is dif-
ferent because the motorist
is trying to get away from it
all, and this means getting
into an unfamiliar environ-
ment,” he said. A good rule
is to plan your trip before
leaving and know highway
numbers and streets that
you will travel, Kempf ad-
visee.
He suggested that
motorist check all hoses, fan
belts, tires and to make sure
the vehicle is in good
mechanical conditions before
making any trip. He also
advised motorists to get
plenty of rest each night.
Kempf stated that
“motorists entering large
rities should plan their trips
to avoid rush hour traffic,
obey speed limits, avoid the
use of alcohol when driving
and be patient.”
Trooper Kempf said,
’Drivers who think ahead,
stay alert and drive defen-
sively can have a safe trip
and a great vacation.”
with Louis, Fred, Charles,
and a Negro named Johnson,
to gather cattle. All except
Johnson were armed with
Winchesters.
Henry grimaced as he
realized that they had gone
about 15 miles from New
Fountain and, in hunting
stray cattle, had become
careless. They had not seen
Indians but Henry remem-
bered he had sighted some
men before the ambush and
shrugged them off as
friends.
Henry winced again as he
remembered the Indians
whooping wildly and shoot-
ing his horse just behind the
saddle before he could fully
react. When his horse fell,
the weight of the dead
animal crushed Henry’s left
leg under him. Henry count-
ed at least 10 shots from
firearms, the bullets also
killing Johnson’s horse.
Fortunately, Henry did
not panic and was able to
draw his Winchester, all the
while pinned to the ground
by the horse. The Indians
had initially thought that
Henry had been killed and
retreated when the dreaded
Winchester was drawn.
Henry had struggled des-
perately to release his leg.
When he finally succeeded,
he ran into a sumach thicket.
From this point, Henry
counted at least 10 Indians.
The Indians had the
advantage and fired into the
bush excitedly, yet miser-
ably. One Indian slipped
behind Henry and would
have killed him if he had not
undershot. Luckily, Henry
was able to aim true and
killed the Indian.
Henry knew his shot had
been heard and surmised the
party of Comanches would
search until they found him.
In desperation, Henry ran
into the open. He heard an
Indian’s yells and shots and
felt a bullet strike his foot,
going in the bottom and
coming out in the front,
tearing the instep horribly.
The force of the shot knock-
ed him down, but he recover-
ed and ran to a liveoak
thicket. ...........
Henry realized his situa-
tion was futile. He had only 4
cartridges in the Winches-
ter’s magazine, having fired
2. He had a box full of
ammunition in his saddle
pocket, which was under the
dead horse, and thereby
useless.
Henry’s thirst brought
him to the present. It was
nighttime and he might get
to the Arroyo Hondo, which
was not as far away as the
Verde. However, Henry
realized he could not walk.
His only chance was to crawl
and hope the Indians had
left. Wondering why the
Indians had suddenly disper-
sed, Henry figured his
friends were dead. He knew
the cattle and horses had
been scattered or taken.
Henry made slow pro-
gress and when daylight
came he found he had crawl-
ed a mere 400 yards from the
liveoak thicket. He felt weak
and numb, cold and miser-
able.
After several hours of
inching his way toward the
Hondo, Henry heard a famil-
iar rattling sound. He ascer-
tained it was a wagon. He
struggled to stand and final-
ly did so by propping himself
on the Winchester.
When his friends found
him, Henry was in extreme
pain. Elated that he was
alive, the men thought Hen-
ry had been killed by the
Indians and were actually
searching for his remains.
This 1893 episode was
experienced by Henry Hart-
man, a Medina County Texas
Ranger and grandfather of
Harold Hartman of Hondo.
Henry related this tale, in
1897 for A. S. Sowell’s book,
TEXAS INDIAN FIGHT-
ERS.
17th Airborne
seeks members
The 17th Airborne Divi-
sion Association, composed
of men who served as pen-
troopers and ghdermen in
the 17th Airborne Division
during World War n, is
conducting a membership
drive to locate all
If you served with this
Division, please contact
Edward Siergiej, Secretary-
Treasurer, 62 Forty Acre
Mountain Road, Danbury,
Connecticut 06810, for de-
tails of the Division Associa-
tion as well aa information
about the 30th Annual Re-
union which this year will be
held at the Peabody Hotel,
Memphis, Tennessee on
August 11-14,1083.
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Proctor, Frances Reitzer. Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 19, 1983, newspaper, May 19, 1983; Hondo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth818604/m1/2/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hondo Public Library.