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 Texas : Features : Columns : "It's All Trew"

The past delivers
unusual stories

by Delbert Trew
Delbert Trew
One of my favorite pastimes is perusing the past for interesting stories with a twist. Here are a few examples found.

During a movie years ago at the Majestic Theater in an east Texas town, a fire started in the projection booth due to an overheated electrical circuit. Without fanfare the ushers and managers emptied the crowd calmly and with order. As the fire spread the manager went back inside searching for anyone that might be left behind.

As he looked through the thickening smoke of the balcony he spied a young mother sound asleep in her seat nursing a baby. Probably tired from tending a newborn, she slept on in spite of his screaming at her to flee.

Finally he dashed across the flaming balcony to her side, snatched the nursing infant and fled to the opposite side entry. The mother awoke and ran screaming at the kidnapper of her baby. As she stepped through the entry door the entire balcony collapsed to the floor below. All escaped safely.

Most everyone has heard of Judge Roy Bean and his Law West of the Pecos. The man was self-appointed as judge, outrageous in behavior and arrogant beyond belief. He was once confronted with an unidentified corpse found on the prairie with a pistol and $50 in the pockets.

After due consideration Judge Bean fined the dead man $50 for wearing a concealed weapon.

A local Pecos butcher was hauled into Bean's court accused by a black washer-woman of failure to pay his laundry bills and even throwing her out of his butcher shop when she tried to collect her due. Bean sentenced the man to "deliver in person, four pounds of his freshest beefsteak, to the woman's home the first day of every month for one year or go to jail."

H
istory states there was once a Rev. Andrew Jackson Potter, a gun-toting preacher who passed God's word on to the heathen with his pistol lying on the podium beside his Bible. Although of considerable age and suffering from heart problems, he was known for long prayers in his sermons. One night at a revival in a small church lighted with coal oil lamps and candles he raised his arms to pray and keeled over dead. Mysteriously, though all doors and windows were closed, all lights both coal oil and candles went out at the same second. Quite an impressive exit, no doubt.

On a lighter note, the dangers of loss for cowboys and their mounts were not limited to range accidents and cow wrecks. A horse could be lost for many reasons.

I have read two notations, one years ago and another recently in Ivan Cate's new book, "XIT Ranch, A Texas Legacy," about how well-trained and well-behaved cow horses were sometimes confiscated by the rich ranch owners to use on their polo fields. Some ranches like the XIT often built training facilities for the hobby.

With access to many good horses, the cowboys all had their favorites. Each learned quickly to be aware of the visiting bosses when they came out on the range. The employees went to great lengths to hide or disguise a good working ranch horse from confiscation. They compared the "loss to the boss" the same as the old-time horse thieves.


April 27, 2010 Column © Delbert Trew
More "It's All Trew"
Delbert Trew is a freelance writer and retired rancher. He can be reached at 806-779-3164, by mail at Box A, Alanreed, TX 79002, or by e-mail at trewblue@centramedia.net. For books see DelbertTrew.com. His column appears weekly.

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