Outdoor Odyssey

My post on September 13, about sighting a cougar outside of Hondo, Texas reminded me of a funny story relating to Hondo, written Lee Wallace, my Great Uncle.

In 1896 Lee, my Mother's favorite Uncle, was a young man, just out of college and he sent a number of letters to potential cities where he might open up a legal practice.  The response is very funny!

INQUIRY

"Early in 1896, as a young attorney, I was casting about for a new location somewhere in the great southwest.  Among other inquiries made by letter, one was directed to the Justice Of the Peace At Hondo, Texas, giving some details about myself and asking some.  I told him I was a young attorney, unmarried, somewhat nervous because of temporary health impairment, asking the price of board, number of local attorneys, number of population of the County, and expressing my preference to board with some quiet family without children, if suitable place could be found."

"The following is copy of reply to my inquiry:"

"Hondo City, Jan’y 30th, 1896

Lee Wallace, Esq.

Canton, Texas

Dear Sir:

Your letter of inquiry of date Jan’y 24th has been duly rec’d and contents prayerfully and carefully considered.  You say you are a young attorney, but neglected to state how young.  All our attorneys consider themselves young, though there is not one who has passed the half-century post.  You say you are unmarried.  Bless you, my boy, come here and we can so soon marry you off.  Our female population is largely in excess of the male.

You won’t be unmarried long.  Come right off.

Board can be had from $25.00 per week to $2.50 per month, according to where you board and how you can chaw hash.

We have no quiet families here.  Every family is well provided with howling, yelling kids, and besides the head of the family gets home about 10:00 or 11:00 p.m., well tanked up, and the old woman and he have a hell of a time until day.  But come and marry and establish a quiet family of your own.

There are five regular attorneys here, but about 45 curbstone lawyers, the latter get the business and the former are engaged in hunting lost mines.  But come here, we’ll marry you off and you can help us in the way of increasing the population and looking dignified.  The population of this county is about 5000, but this being an election year, it will run up to about 7500.

Hoping to see you soon,
                                        I am very truly yours,
 

A. M. Lamm
J. P. Pr. 1, Medina Co.
Hondo City, Texas.”

Lee choose Kerrville!

          

My Great Uncle, Lee Wallace, a lawyer, writer and judge, was quite a “sport” and well known throughout our State.  He was my Mother’s favorite Uncle and some of his exploits are near legendary.

Around the turn of the 20th century, Lee, County Attorney for Kerr County, Texas and another lawyer, decided they would go and visit one of Lee’s friends in Pecos, Texas, probably a hundred and fifty to two hundred mile trip.  Remember, no interstates and very few cars then and their chosen mode of transportation was a team of horses, pulling their wagon.

        Here Lee is shown with his “Sunday” rig.  

A car trip from Kerrville to Langtry, even with our modern highways, is not easy today and in the early 1900’s, had to be a nightmare.  To bolster their courage, along with their pistols, they took two cases of whiskey, one for their trip and one for Lee’s friend.  Wouldn’t you know it, their wagon broke an axle near Rocksprings and their three to four day trip turned into a week.

Finally arriving in Langtry, with the whiskey gone, and no “gift” for Lee’s friend, his friend’s court was in session.  The bar was closed, and they witnessed the strange brand of justice practiced by, Lee’s friend, Judge Roy Bean!

The complaint was by an Anglo rancher that one of his horses was stolen.  Judge Bean brought out a Mexican man that was already in jail and said he must have done it.  The jury found Mexican guilty and Judge Bean sent him back to jail for a longer term or a hanging (Lee never said).  With the swift sentence, the bar quickly opened and warm greetings were exchanged.

After several days, with Lee’s visit and business completed, he and his fellow traveler loaded up for home.  To bolster their courage for the grueling trip, Judge Bean presented them with two more cases of whiskey.  Four days later, minus the whiskey, they arrived safely in Kerrville.

Back then, you had to be careful of the water you drank!

Rereading my Great Uncle, Lee Wallace’s book, “Waif Of The Times”, I came across some of his ‘thoughts’ about income taxes and wealth redistribution.  Lee’s writings spanned a time period of 1900 to 1930 and definitely covered 1913, the year the 16th amendment to our Constitution was passed, eventually giving us the IRS.

Lee was a staunch Democrat and elected official – County Attorney, District Judge and received an appointment by Pres. Roosevelt to become a Federal Judge, but turned it down because of his health.  It turns out he had successful surgery and lived 22 more years.  He should have taken up FDR on his offer!

After the Civil War ended, and for the next 100 years, Texas and the entire South was almost 100% Democrat.  As the liberals and elitists encroached on our society and government, the South and Texas became more conservative and Republican.  Lee’s thoughts, written almost 100 years ago, echo true to this day…

“If you take away from me the things I have earned without my consent you are a robber.  If you give it or part to another, you make a robber out of him.”  

“I hate you for taking my earnings without my consent; I hate the one you give it to for accepting it, and you both hate me for hating you because you know that I know you robbed me.”

“A thief always hates a sheriff, not that the sheriff has done the thief any wrong but because the sheriff is in the business of competing with the thief.”

Feelings were obviously high against the recently passed income tax.  I believe we, that pay the taxes, still feel that way in 2008!

You have met my Great Uncle, Lee Wallace, and read some of his humorous stories. Recently, I enjoyed a family reunion with the fine family of his wife, Winnie. Lee had no children and his estate was left to Winnie and her son George. George, a WW II veteran, has passed away, but his wife, Virginia Hearne, along with their 3 children and spouses and 6 Grand Children attended the event. It was held “way up” the Guadalupe River, in the heart of our state’s beautiful, hill country at Lee and Winnie’s Lodge.

Virginia had my attention telling me some stories about Lee, when someone mentioned, how about his trip to Pecos, Texas? Never missing a beat, she passed on to me the following story about Lee’s younger days.

This is another story written by my Great Uncle, Lee Wallace. It probably happened in the mid 1920’s, shortly after Lee arrived in Kerrville, Texas.

Wilkerson and Wakefield

By Lee Wallace

The first day of this past January thirty-eight years ago, young, egotistical Charley Wakefield appeared before old, rheumatic Adam Wilkerson with an air that would arouse the envy of a Chesterfield.

This is another story from the book, "Waif Of Times", written by my Great Uncle, Lee Wallace.  He was either the presiding judge or defense attorney in this case.  He was know for his oratorical skills and was a self-styled poet, so I favor him being the defense attorney.

Art Sheely was prosecuted on a charge of goat theft.   The main witnesses for the State, two trappers running their lines on a cold morning at sunrise, from a high cliff, swore they saw Sheely catch and kill the goat with his knife far down in the canyon below them.  That about this time Sheely discovered the witnesses and ran away without the goat and that they immediately reported the matter to the sheriff, who went to the scene, found the dead goat and nearby a bloody open knife.  They testified they had seen Sheely  a short time before the theft with just such a knife.

When I created this Blog I had mentioned in “About The Author” that this past summer I edited a collection of short stories, “Waif Of The Times”, by Lee Wallace, a Great Uncle of mine.  Lee was my Grandfather, Dr. Harmon Wallace’s, younger brother.

I just finished re-reading the stories, for I don’t know how many times, and still found them enjoyable, and they fit well in my “Hill Country Happenings”.  Kerrville, Texas, where many of these stories took place, is one of the many beautiful areas in our Texas Hill Country! 

From time to time I plan on posting a story of Lee’s.  They were copyrighted in 1946 and published by the author. So, I believe it is fitting to offer a brief bio of Lee Wallace.

Lee Wallace was born in Van Zandt County in “deep” East Texas in
1868, a Civil War baby boomer.  The 1880 census lists Lee as “working
on farm”.  He was all of 12.   His father, Shaw Wallace, was my
Maternal Great-Grandfather.  Shaw, was a Confederate veteran, born in
Northern Ireland in 1819 and died of pneumonia in Ben Wheeler, Texas,
in 1906 .  Shaw’s life and times are another good story.

I met
Lee Wallace one time in 1950 when I was 14.  Lee had just been
diagnosed with stomach cancer and since he was my Mom’s favorite Uncle.
She wanted to visit him before he became too ill.  Lee died July 2,
1953.

He was a lawyer and judge.  He attended Sam Houston College
in Huntsville, Texas. but did not attend law school.  He was twice
married but had no children.  Lee came to Kerrville in 1896 and he told
me he arrived there with “a bull whip and a Bible”.  A number of years
ago, a friend of mine from Kerrville told me that Judge Wallace was “a
tough old guy”.  I have been told he was a protégé of Captain Charles
Schreiner, a very prominent resident of Kerr County and Kerrville and
that later in his career was appointed a District Judge and served in
that position until he retired, due to poor health, in 1936.

Lee
was known for his wit and oratorical skill and his most famous quote
was “I have never forgotten a friend nor forgiven an enemy.”  In later
years he modified this as follows, “It is too much trouble to have an
enemy, since you have to work to dislike someone and you have to keep
remembering a grudge.”