The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 140, No. 13, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 30, 2017 Page: 4 of 14
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Page 4A — THE GILMER MIRROR, Gilmer, Texas March 30, 2017
Heard About Town
By Vic Parker
A little girl is leaning toward the lion’s cage. Suddenly, the
lion grabs her by the collar of her jacket and tries to pull
her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her scream-
ing parents. A biker jumps off his Harley, runs to the cage
and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch.
Whimpering from the pain the lion jumps back, letting go
of the girl, and the biker brings the girl to her terrified
parents, who thank him endlessly. A reporter has watched
the whole event. The reporter addressing the Harley rider
says, “Sir, this was the most gallant and bravest thing I’ve
seen a man do in my whole life.” The Harley rider replies,
“Why, it was nothing, really. The lion was behind bars. I
just saw this little kid in danger, and acted as I felt right.”
The reporter says, “Well, I’ll make sure this won’t go un-
noticed. I’m a journalist, you know, and tomorrow’s paper
will have this story on the front page. So, what do you do
for a living, and what political affiliation do you have?”
The biker replies, “I’m a U.S. Marine, a Republican, and
I voted for Trump.” The journalist leaves. The following
morning the biker buys the paper to see if it indeed brings
news of his actions, and reads, on the front page: U.S. MA-
RINE ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT & STEALS HIS
LUNCH. And that pretty much sums up the mainstream
media’s approach to the news these days.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation recently pub-
lished figures from the report, showing that “fatal firearms
accidents dropped 17 percent from 2014 to 2015 to 489.”
Moreover, the figure of 489 accidental firearm deaths is so
low, relatively speaking, that it represents “about three-
tenths of 1 percent of the 146,571 total accidental deaths.
Read it again and think about it—the number of accidental
gun deaths in 2015 was roughly “three-tenths of 1 percent
of the 146,571 total accidental deaths from ah other listed
causes. And while accidental gun deaths fell 17 percent
from 2014 to 2015, the total number of accidental deaths for
ah other listed causes rose 8 percent. NSSF observed, “It
should be noted that the decrease, which was the largest
percentage decline of any category, came in a year that saw
record firearms sales to many millions of Americans. ” Even
amid this surge in background checks — which resulted
from a surge in the demand for firearms — the number
of accidental firearm deaths plummeted to their lowest
level since 1903. NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti
said, “This latest release from the National Safety Council
shows that the vast majority of the 100 million American
firearms owners meet the serious responsibilities which
come with firearms ownership. They store their firearms
safely and securely when not in use, and follow the basic
rules of firearms safety when handling them.”
Two young nuns are ordered to paint a room in the convent,
and the last instruction of the Mother Superior is that they
must not get even one single drop of paint on their habits.
After discussing it, the two nuns decide to lock the door
of the room, strip off their habits and paint naked. In the
middle of the project, there comes a knock at the door.
“Who is it?” calls one of the nuns. “Blind man,” replies a
voice from the other side of the door. The two nuns look
at each other, shrug, and, deciding that no harm can come
from letting a blind man into the room, they open the door.
“Yowsa,” says the man. “Where do you want the blinds?”
A cowboy, who just moved to Wyoming from Texas, walks
into a bar and orders three mugs of Bud. He sits in the back
of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When
he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three
more. The bartender approaches and tells the cowboy,
“You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste
better if you bought one at a time.” The cowboy replies,
“Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is an Airborne
Ranger and the other is a Navy Seal, both serving overseas
somewhere. Before we ah left our home in Texas, we had
days when we drank together. So I’m drinking one beer for
each of my brothers and one for myself.” The bartender
admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there. The
cowboy becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks
the same way: He orders three mugs and drinks them in
turn. One day, he comes in and only orders two mugs. A11
the regulars take notice and fall silent. When he comes
back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, “I
don’t want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my
condolences on your loss. ” The cowboy looks quite puzzled
for a moment, then a light dawns in his eyes and he laughs.
“Oh, no, everybody’s just fine,” he explains, “It’s just that
my wife and I joined the Baptist church and I had to quit
drinking. It hasn’t affected my brothers though.”
Plant sale to support Upshur
County Library begins today
By Mary L. Kirby
The Friends of the Upshur County Library begin their
annual plant sale today, March 30, and continue tomorrow
and Saturday morning. The sale will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday and Friday and until noon Saturday or until the
plants are gone.
“We have ordered plants which are blooming and should
help get a garden color right away, ” said Board President Penny
Taylor. “The weather has been so unpredictable, but we tried
to pick plants which will appeal right away.”
Funds raised by the Friends in this effort will go to support
the library’s summer reading clubs which now serve three dif-
ferent age groups: youth, pre-teen and teenagers, and adults.
This will be the third year for the latter two groups which
appear to be attracting additional numbers each year.
For the gardener, the Friends are offering hanging bas-
kets of Bougainvillea, petunias, moss rose, chenille and fan
Flower (Scaevola) along with ornamental potato vines both
green and mixed.
For blooms which attract butterflies in the heat of summer,
four different colors of lantana are coming along with two
types of hardy hibiscus.
Also coming are Citronella to ward off mosquitoes and Bat
Face and verbena to attract butterflies. Budleia (Butterfly Bush)
in two colors is another variety to draw butterflies to the yard.
Daylilies and Salvia also will add late spring and summer
color, while passion vines and Madevellia are some other
colorful baskets on order.
Celebrity and Better Boy tomatoes and a variety of peppers
will help satisfy that hunger for summer flavors.
The Upshur County Library is at702West Tyler Street (Hwy 154
West.) The plants will be by or under the pavilion in the Friends
of the Library Park at the corner of Tyler and Bledsoe.
JUMPING FOR JOY five years ago at the annual Bee for Literacy held at the Gilmer Civic
Center were members of the Austin Bank Wordy Girlies, from left, Ashley Cook, Robin Cook
and Kimberly Ledbetter. After a 33-word duel with the BEE-lievers team of Deborah Betterton,
Sue Green and Frances Kendall, the Austin Bank team got the advantage on the word “espio-
nage” and won the contest with “Caribbean.” This photo was on the front page of The Mirror
on March 31,2012.
(Mirror photo by Mary Laschinger Kirby)
Punch Yourself in the Face
By Jim “Pappy” Moore
If you drive one car-length
behind other vehicles while
going 60 or 70 miles per
hour, please
take a mo-
ment to pull
off the road,
place your
car in park,
and turn on
your warning
lights. Then
punch yourself in the face.
If you drive 10 miles over
the speed limit while passing a
Texas highway working road
crew, with many signs warn-
ing caution, please, punch
yourself in the face.
If you refuse to turn on
your headlights early in the
morning or at dusk because
you don’t think you need them
to see, please punch yourself
in the face.
If you fail to turn on your
headlights or running lights
in the fog or heavy rain, please
punch yourself in the face.
If you stop at a red light
seven car lengths behind the
vehicle in front of you, please
punch yourself in the face.
If you speed up when you
notice someone is passing
you, please punch yourself
in the face.
If you turn around while
driving so you can talk to
someone in your backseat,
please punch yourself in the
face.
If you park in the pedes-
trian walkway at maj or stores
to wait on someone coming
out, please punch yourself
in the face.
If you blast through pe-
destrian crosswalks as if
they don’t have the right of
way, please punch yourself
in the face.
If you have traffic stack
up behind you because you
want that parking spot 20
feet closer to the store’s door,
please punch yourself in the
face.
If you consistently forget
to take your headlights off
bright when approaching on-
coming traffic, please punch
yourself in the face.
If you honk your horn at
other drivers any time other
than when it is absolutely nec-
essary, please punch yourself
in the face.
If you back up without look-
ing behind you and almost run
someone over, please punch
yourself in the face.
If you lack common sense
and courtesy when you oper-
ate a vehicle, please punch
yourself in the face until
you realize “hey, maybe I
shouldn’t do that.” Thanks!
© 2017, Jim “Pappy ” Moore,
All Rights Reserved.
Jim “Pappy” Moore is a
native son of East Texas who
still makes the piney woods
his home.
Shooting From Page 1
block of Cottonwood Road in
the Pritchett area, authori-
ties said.
The lawmen shot High-
tower five times after he
“raised his loaded rifle at
the officers,” who “video and
audio evidence showed yelled
and identified themselves as
a trooper and deputy” before
they are “heard screaming for
Hightower to put his gun down
and not to shoot.”
“Mr. Hightower’s gun was
loaded, a live round cham-
bered, and an additional
loaded clip was found in his
pocket along with his girl
friend’s cell phone,” Byrd’s
news release said.
The incident occurred after
a county dispatcher received a
call that evening from an un-
named person who “identified
that Dale Hightower Jr. had as-
saulted his girl friend and was
holding her against her will,”
Byrd wrote. “The caller stated
that he believed Hightower to
be intoxicated.”
Smith was near the address
on Cottonwood and was the
first responder, while Ortiz
interrupted eating dinner to
go to the scene southwest of
Gilmer, Byrd said. “After the
caller hung up with dispatch,
he called Mr. Hightower to
inform him the police had
been called and were on their
way.”
“When Trooper Smith ar-
rived at the location and exited
his marked patrol car, he could
hear a female’s voice scream-
ing from inside the residence, ”
Byrd wrote. “The gate to the
property was locked, so he
waited for backup to arrive,
which was Deputy Ortiz.
“Both officers walked on
foot to the gate and, while
still outside the yard, they
observed Mr. Hightower walk-
ing off his porch,” the state-
ment continued.” After they
identified themseves as law
officers and told Hightower
to put down the gun, he “took
a defensive position” and
raised the rifle at them, Byrd
wrote..
Hightower fell to the ground
upon being shot, the district
attorney said.
“Mr. Hightower’s girlfriend
was then called out of the
residence,” Byrd’s statement
continued. “She displayed
injuries consistent with be-
ing assaulted. Once the girl
friend was safe, Trooper Smith
jumped the fence and admin-
istered heroic efforts of CPR
to try to save Mr. Hightower’s
life.
“He and other officers
continued trying to revive Mr.
Hightowerevenafteremergen-
cy medical services arrived,”
he said. “The girl friend, after
being interviewed, stated that
Mr. Hightower said he would
shoot anyone who came to the
property and that she was not
leaving.
“The Texas Rangers were
called and took the lead in this
(See Shooting, Page 5)
Marketplace FromPage i
this event. There is a general
mercantile tent, where many
items, including old furniture,
lace and jewelry, will be of-
fered. Antique and vintage fur-
niture can be found in almost
every booth. Since this is the
spring marketplace, a garden
center has been added. It will
have wonderful live plants,
arranged in various ways, for
your outdoor decor.
Mr. Bill Taylor is a wel-
comed addition to the group,
as he is a demonstrating artist
and well known for his pottery.
For the first time, at this show,
DeeR Wood Works will travel
from Snyder, Oklahoma, as
demonstrating artists. They
make beautiful log and primi-
tive furniture pieces.
This year, keeping with
the theme of Yester-Year in
the Backwoods, a group of
western Upshur County re-
searchers will set up tables
by the research room, where
they will be sharing family
and community information,
pictures and documents from
this area. Other entertain-
ment is planned for Saturday.
If you love sharing western
Upshur County backwoods'
"tall tales," along with family
and community history, be
sure to bring a chair and visit
with this group. Lots of old
school pictures, from Latch,
Shady Grove, Little Mound,
Rhonesboro and early days of
Harmony will be shared. Com-
munity history books, along
with local cook books, will be
available to purchase.
A cowboy group, the Out-
laws, will have a conversation,
as if they were living in the mid
1800s in this area. They will
be available for picture takin'.
This is always a favorite for
the children. The Outlaws will
be here from 1-4 on Saturday,
April 8.
Blackstone Ridge is located
nine miles west of Gilmer
on F.M. 49, halfway between
Hopewell and Little Mound.
Call 903-725-6408 (Tuesday-
Saturday 10-5) for more infor-
mation. Sure hope everyone
will mark their calendar and
spread the word.
Check out our FB page:
Backwood's Marketplace
This FREE event is made
possible by Blackstone Ridge
Small Engine Center L.L.C.
Rear Vision Mirror
TENYEARSAGO
Coldwell Banker Lenhart
Properties Inc., spelling team
won the Bee for Literacy;
members were Vici Hughes,
Sarah Gilow and Sherrill
Ballard ... Katie Wilson and
Rendie Van Cleave of Har-
mony High School made it to
the quarterfinals at UIL State
Cross Examination Debate
Tournament ... New Diana
ISD broke ground on a new
elementary school one mile
west of the main campus . .
. Policies of Texas Gov. Rick
Perry came under fire at Up-
shur County Republican Party
meeting at Glenwood Acres
. . . Danny Weems of First
National Bank cautioned that
counting on "float time" for
checks to clear was no longer a
viable strategy... Texas State
DAR honored the accomplish-
ments of Helen Jones Smith of
Diana... Deaths included K.D.
Davis, 79; Elin Fowler, 60; Coy
Lee Bowser, 61; Mrs. Virginia
Ross, 82 . . . Evelyn Williams
Mclnnish paid her final visit
to the building on the south
side of the square which had
housed Williams Furniture
for 54 years . . . Jake Ashley
was winning pitcher in 14-0
Gilmer's 5-2 win over White
Oak . . . Minta Spears won a
state free-throw contest . . .
Justin Frost was having suc-
cess as a pitcher for Austin
College... Some of Cherokee
Trace was to close while Lake
Gilmer spillway and road were
being raised.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
U.S. Rep. Max Sandlin vis-
ited Gilmer ... GHS Building
Trades class restored what
was once the local library
at Roosevelt Park . . . First
National Bank spellers Paul
Wilson, Elaine Richardson
and Marcy Ragland won the
Bee for Literacy . . . Deaths
included Odell Turner, 79;
Jeff Ferguson Sr., 69; James
Dehart, 76 . .. Dr. David Jen-
kins presented “Israel - the
Crown Jewel of the Middle
East” at 20th Century Club
meeting . . . Chris McIntosh
won Brookshire’s district bag-
off ... Anthony Sustaire was
on TSTC-Marshall honor roll
... J.P. Steelman was elected
Gilmer fire chief... Jury here
awarded $1.5 million to four
women who had sued over
defective breast implants . .
. Upshur Rural expanded its
headquarters building . . .
Darrell Cook photographed
Hale-Bopp comet . . . Dr.
Larry Bennett reassigned
Coach Steve Marrs and named
Tommy Edwards as interim
baseball coach.
THIRTY YEARS AGO
Rev. David Jenkins, First
Baptist Church pastor, was
evangelist for a revival at
Gilgal Baptist Church . . .
Willie Fred Johnson Jr. of
New Diana was named most
valuable player and Fred
Aldridge of Ore City most
valuable on defense in District
18-2A all-district selections ..
. Deaths included H.D. (Hack)
Chamberlain, 54; Will O. Irons,
87; Raymond Jones, 37 ... A
late freeze endangered the
peach crop and home gardens
... County commissioners ap-
proved a contract with Marion
County to hold some of their
prisoners . . . Former Camp
County resident Barbara Con-
rad, internationally known
mezzo-soprano, scheduled an
April concert in Pittsburg...
Ann Bates chaired a Bluebon-
net Club style show and lun-
cheon at the Yamboree Exhibit
Building... Lisa Gipson won a
$1,000 Walmart scholarship...
Gilmer Chapter No, 355, Order
of the Eastern Star, honored
Mary Esther Stewart with a
tea at the home of Judge and
Mrs. Looney Lindsey... GHS
UIL academic team placed
third in district competition.
FORTY YEARS AGO
Pet. 1 Commissioner Offie
Nobles, 57, died at Gilmer
Hospital after a long illness;
County Judge Everett Dean
appointed his widow to succeed
him... The late John Brogoitti,
who had the idea that resulted
in the establishment of the
East Texas Yamboree, was
posthumously honored as the
county’s outstanding citizen by
the Upshur County Chamber
of Commerce .. . Mrs. Annie
Manes, 78, of Diana was fatally
injured in an auto accident
near Van... U.S. Department
of Health, Education and
Welfare accepted Gilmer ISD’s
(See Rear Vision, Page 5)
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Parker, Vic. The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 140, No. 13, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 30, 2017, newspaper, March 30, 2017; Gilmer, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth878413/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Upshur County Library.