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!

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.

The following is a story by my Great Uncle, Lee Wallace, published and copyrighted in 1946.  Apparently, he was involved in this case, probably the Judge.

Ham Bailey

Ham always had a tear in his voice.  He was on trial charged with assault to murder one Stark by cutting him with a knife.

Placed on the stand as witness for himself and after identifications
he was told by his attorney to tell the Jury everything done and said
by Stark and himself to and concerning each other the day of the
alleged assault.  The following is Ham’s direct testimony:  “Hit wuz on
the 4th of July.  I wuz working out at the Fair Grounds for the Fair
Managers.  Hit wuz just when the hosses and waggins wuz a goin’ out and
the automobiles wuz a comin’ in.  The hosses wuz scared of the
automobiles.  I wuz showin’ the folks where to put the waggins and the
hosses away from the automobiles.  I had never seen that feller 
(indicating Stark) before.  He come to where I wuz and said he heard I
wuz a bad man and he said he wuz a bad man, too; and we wuz a goin’ to
find out right there which of us wuz the baddest.  I told him somebody
had told a story on me.  I wuz not a bad man.  I was a workin’ man
trying to make a livin’ without stealin’.  About that time the sheriff
come along and told him to leave me alone – and he left.  I did not see
him anymore until I went to town after the Fair broke up.”

“I
worked all day.  I didn’t git no dinner.  When the Fair broke up I
started to town on foot.  When I got to Town Creek, Shell Lawrence
overtuck me and I got in his hack and rode to town.  I got out at the
bush-arbor by the side of the saloon where George Heiman had coffee and
hamburgers.  I hadn’t had no dinner.  I wuz blowin’ on my coffee to
cool it, and Mr. Stark come and set on the bench by me with his back to
the table.  He didn’t say nothin’.  But roostered me, (indicating with
his right elbow).  That sloshed the hot coffee all over my hand,
scalded my hand”.

Here the witness paused and his attorney asked,
“Mr. Bailey, then what did you say or do if anything?”  To which the
witness answered, “I didn’t say nothin’.  I cut his throat.  I didn’t
have no pistol.”

Lee’s Note:

 Just another case of where a fellow was hunting rabbits and squirrels and jumped a twelve-foot mountain lion.

Before the turn of the 20th century, Lee Was looking for a location to open up his legal practice.  This response is a funny!

"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:

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.”