Bastrop Advertiser and Bastrop County News (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. [123], No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 25, 1976 Page: 4 of 12
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Bastrop (Texas) Advertiser. March 2 5. 19 76
What Could Have Happened te the Whatleys?
(The following story, which
reveals well researched possi
biKties that might form a
background for happenings or
connections with the Whatley
case, was written by Nat
Henderson, well known and
Well read feature writer, and
appeared in a recent issue of
the Austin American States
man. The Advertiser is grateful
lo both Mr Henderson and The
American Statesman for the
privilege of reprinting it here )
Two decades ago a shallow
grave near Bastrop yielded the
body of elderly Felix B. Heidel.
who was brutally strangled on
his small ranch near I^eander
and hauled through Travis
County for clandestine burial
across the Colorado River from
the property of John and Faye
Whatley.
Has history implicated itself
in the baffling disappearance of
the elderly couple from their
1,498 acre riverbottom ranch
inside a fertile meander of the
Colorado in Bastrop County?
Something mysterious hap
pened to the Whatleys on Jan.
27 or 28.
Each passing day enhances
the probability that John
Whatley, 74, and Faye. 68, or at
least one of them, are hidden in
some grave, perhaps as far
from their home as Heidel was
interred from his.
Rustlers killed Heidel
Heidel. 78. was murdered by
two men who wanted him out of
the way while they rustled his
meager herd of 24 cattle on his
little 100 acre ranch on the
Burnet Highway northwest of
Austin. The Whatleys are much
wealthier.
Heidel's hands were bound
behind his back, and a wire
noose tightly encircled his neck,
when his body was found July
28. 1955. His bachelor son, Ed
Heidel, reported him missing
three days before the gruesome
discovery about 40 miles away.
Bennett Blake of Houston,
son in law of the Whatleys,
reported them missing more
than five weeks ago, either four
or five days after something
eerie occurred at their home.
Did somebody bind the
Whatleys to a door missing
from their bedroom and use it
as a stretcher to cart them
away?
Daughter first to worry
Blake's wife, daughter of
Mrs. Whatley by a prior
marriage, became worried
when the couple failed to show
up as planned for the wedding
rehearsal of their granddaugh
ter Jan. 30 as well as the
wedding the next day. Both
reportedly were fond of the
Blakes' daughter.
I^ong distance calls to the
Whatley home went unan
swered, and Blake telephoned
Bastrop County Sheriff Jimmy
Nutt the Saturday night of Jan.
31. Nutt dispatched a deputy
sheriff to the Whatley ranch six
miles south of Bastrop near the
old Hills Prairie settlement.
The house was silent; nobody
stirred, although both th«
Whatleys" Mercedes Benz cars
were in the garage..
The three bedroom house
was searched. The couple's
JOHN AND FAYE WHATLEY
eyeglasses, tiilllolds and drivers
licenses were at home.
Bullet hole in window
Bloodstains and signs of a
scuffle were absent. The only
hint of foul play was a .22
caliber bullet hole fired through
a window from inside the
house.
Only the Whatleys seemed to
be missing at the time, but
officers later determined an
inside bedroom door was gone.
Not a trace of the couple or a
reason for their disappearance
have been uncovered in the
tedious investigation since
then.
I .aw enforcement officers,
faced with a total absence of
clues, are examining even the
most remote possibilities. The
20 year old slaying of Felix
Heidel is being scrutinized
again.
Calvin White, 47. and Charlie
White. 43. strangled Heidel
with a wire noose. Testimony in
their separate trials disclosed
they dug his jr ve before
killing him across the Colorado
from land now owned by
Whatley.
Whatley on death list?
The White brothers, both
now dead, allegedly considered
Whatley as a possible victim,
since he owned more cattle
than Heidel. A third victim
reportedly was on the White
death list.
Has some unkept appoint
ment in Samara finally led
Whatley to a similar fate
planned for him two decades
ago?
The White brothers, ex con
victs with offenses ranging
from chicken theft to armed
robbery, were arrested in the
Heidel disappearance after an
Austin cattle buyer told police
the two men offered to sell him
the old rancher's cows.
Charlie White led T. 0. I.ang,
then Travis County sheriff, to
Heidel's grave near Bastrop.
Charlie, a two time loser, was
sentenced to death in the
electric chair after his trial in
October 1956.
&
Itcmotlrliii"
P
SHEET ROCKING - PANELING - PAINTING
TEXTONE - SMALL PLUMBINGS
WIRING HOUSES
Ihirty-hive ( 3") ) Years Experience
Rev. H. C. Burdett — Contractor
C all ?2l-2fl«4 — Austin No 472 2031
Franke - Sales & Service
SEPTIC SYSTEM INSTALLED
DRIVEWAY GRAVEL - FILL DIRT - LOAM
ALL SIZES WASHED GRAVEL
ALL GRADES WASHED SAND
BACK HOE SERVICE
M. J. FRANKE
Phone 321-5 381
Bastrop. Texas
2 tf
FRANKE PLUMBING
NEW CONSTRUCTION * REPAIR
DEPENDABLE SERVICE
Call Larry Franke
321 >8036
k
THE RANCH GARAGE, in which were
found two Mercedes Bentz cars and a pick up,
is empty now. One of the cars was released to
M rs. Whatlev's daughter, the other is in
storage. The pick-up is still on the ranch.
— Photo by Reid Sharp
r vvV
LOCKED AS VN'El.L is the entrance to the ranch road, leading to
the house. The place is essentiallv the same as John and lave
Whatley left it, though the Bastrop Counlv ( ourt has recently
appointed the Austin National Bank as temporarv administrator of
the Whatley estate.
— Photo bv Ron ('room
Calvin also got 'death'
Calvin, an habitual criminal
on parole from a life sentence
when Heidel was slain, was
sentenced to death in an earlier
trial in December 1955.
Calvin cheated "Old Sparky"
vlby dying in his cell in the Travis
County jail on Jan. 11, 1957,
only two days after losing his
final appeal from his death
sentence. He had complained to
jailers that electricity already
was jumping around him.
Justice of the Peace J. H.
Watson and others felt Calvin
literally "was scared to death."
Pathologists later attributed
the death to coronary sclerosis.
Charlie's death sentence still
was on appeal when his brother
escaped their chair by dying
prematurely of natural causes.
Charlie also lost his last appeal
and he was electrocuted at
Huntsville.
Officers grasp for leads
Vague specters from heinous
events in the past have been
aroused. The ghostly possibili-
ties are as wild as they are
improbable, but officers are
grasping at anything in the
Whatley disappearance, even
something as unlikely as a
smoldering revenge factor from
the Heidel case.
Yet. only wild conjectures
exist in all phases of the
Whatley mystery, and Sheriff
Nutt admits, "We're up against
a stone wall nothing to go on
but guesses."
Bastrop County has not had
an unsolved murder during the
16 year tenure of Sheriff Nutt,
and he is more convinced with
each passing day that the
Whatley case involves murder
of a strange nature.
Nutt is checking all rumors,
and his investigation has
touched on something which
occurred in Mexico over a half
century ago. Whatley, born in
Mexico, was the son of a
physician in Chihuahua.
Whatley lands grabbed
The Whatley property was
confiscated by revolutionaries,
and young John escaped from
Mexico under a wagon.
A rumor persisted that
someone in Mexico might have
come to Bastrop to kill Whatley
and prevent him from reclaim
ing his family's expropriated
land.
Nutt can find no indications
that the Mexican government
intends to return any expropri
ated land. Whatleys sister.
Anita Lorenz of El Paso, says
her brother would have never
bought any land in Mexico
because of his distrust of the
government. After talking to
Mrs. I.orenz. Nutt discounts
any Mexican connection.
Whatley. a self made million
aire since coming to Texas,
once operated a small dairy at
Ridgetop in what now is North
Austin. He sold the dairy,
bought land northwest of
Austin and in turn sold it for a
reported $500,000.
Whatley worth millions
Bastrop County Deputy
Sheriff Verlin Hemphnll says
V\ hatley's assets are some
where between $2 million and
$7 million
I> F. Kauffman Sr.. What
ley's nearest neighbor, says he
last saw him Jan. 26 as he left
for his regular Monday trip to a
bank in Austin Mrs Whatley
had lunch in Bastrop the same
day with Marie Ketha. an
antujue dealer
A Jan. 27 edition of The
Austin American Statesman
was opened in the Whatley
home when officers arrived
Jan 31. A Jan 28 edition of the
newspaper was still ifi the
mailbox in front of the house.
C~.
v -
■ -*^<3
h*e *
A
^ ^ v - -V .v*. " .r
„ * '■ - jsc? - •- .
STILL W AITING, is one of the five dogs at the Whatley Rancbl.
that are still being cared for on the ranch by T C. Hoffman.
Photo bv Reid Sharj
WITH ITS CONTENTS INTACT, the ranch
house remains undisturbed, but locked.
although occasional checks are made on it.
— Photo by Reid Sharp
leading Nut' to believe
something happened to the
couple Jan. 2T.
Louis Hat sman of Austin, a
longtime acquaintance of
Whatley, describes him as a
"loner." Whatley's son Barney
by a previous marriage also
says his father "pretty well
keeps to himself."
Wife was highly regarded
Mrs. Whatley on the other
hand is described by friends as
gracious, highly regarded in the
community and possessing an
outgoing personality. The
Whatleys were married four
years ago.
She is a former fraternity
housemother and women's
dormitory employee a' the
University of Texas in Austin.
She had two children bv a
previous marriage, Mrs. Blake
of Houston and a son who was
killed in a plane crash. Her
mother lives in Nacogdoches.
Mrs. Ketha. describing her
last lunch with Mrs. Whatley,
says, "Faye was in good spirits.
She was excited about going to
Houston for the wedding."
Nutt, still in charge of the
investigation even though the
FBI has entered the case, is
puzzled about the bullet hole in
the window about high enough
to go through a man's waist. «
Carried away alive?
Yet, the absence of blood
leans him toward speculation
that the Whatleys were
knocked unconscious, tied to
the missing door and carrif 1 to
a waiting vehicle. Scratch
marks on the front door
possibly were made as the
other door was lifted througn
it.
"I can think of no other
purpose the door would serve.
That's one reason to believe
they were alive when they left
the house," Nutt says.
Hunters saw a blue or green
pickup truck or van speeding
down the ranch road at Hills
Prairie on Jan. 27 at 9:45 p.m.
The vehicle was seen leaving
the Whatley ranch an hour
later.
The Colorado has been
dragged and a wide area
searched for freshly turned
ground.
Nutt doubts if the Whatleys
still are alive. A member of the
family has posted a $10,000
reward for information leading
to the discovery of the
Whatleys d< id or alive.
I Want To Be
Your Sheriff
EXPERIENCE
QUALIFIED
HONEST
Howard Holmes
Golf Teams Take
Fifth in Tournament
w
Two Golf teams from Bastrop
High School participated in the
Yoakum High School Invita
tional in Yoakum this past
Saturday. The two teams
scored 331 and 343 respectively
with the score of 331 good
enough for only fifth ^"place in
the tournament, with the
second team in 7th place.
Cuero scored the winning
score of 316 followed by
Refugio with 318,- Columbus
with 319, Yoakum with 325.
Bastrop 331. Fdna 342. Bastrop
second team 343. Hallettsv ille
343. Yoakum second team 352.
Kenedy 361. Karnes City 363
and Ganado 363.
Marcus Evans was team
medalist for Bastrop with a
score of 77 w hich was two shots
short of the tournament
medalist score of 75. Other
Bastrop team members are as
follows Greg Claiborne 82.
Grant I'ptmor 85. Jimmy
DeBaun 88. Howard Fiebnch 93
and the second team Scott
Curtis 83. Allen Eskew 85.
Randy Boone 87. Sheila Oldfield
88 and Randy Runkle 92. Keith
Evans. John Lester. Russell
I,euders. and Bruce Bryson did
not compete due to other
activities in conflict For some
unknown reason it seems that
after selection on the basis of
past scores someone on the
second team always delights in
beating someone on the first
team
Next Friday, March 26th all
High School teams compete in a
tournament, with one team
participating in the Kenedy
tournament and two teams
participating in the Lockhart
tournament. District tourna
ments for most schools start in
April. In April the only
scheduled tournaments are
Hallettsville on Saturday. April
10th and District 25AA in
I.uling on Tuesday. April 20th.
SCOl TSTO ATTEND
CAMPOREE
Members of Boy Scout Troop
187 of Bastrop will attend a
Camporee on Friday. Saturday
and Sunday, at the Moore
Ranch on the San Marcos River
near Fentress, according to
William H Stout. District
Scout Executive for Bastrop
County.
Let w orry chase you — don t
get into the habit of chasing it
DANCE
FRIDAY, MARCH 26
Music By
COUNTRY EXPRESS
8 - 12
No Hats
$2.50 per person
SATURDAY, MARCH 27
VI u sic Bv
KNIGHTS OF DIXIE
9 - I
Leisure Suits or Ties
$3.00 per person
Stardust Ballroom
At Elgin S.P J.S.T. Lodge
18 at Elgin. Texas.
Highway 95 North
For reservations phone - -
S.P.J.ST. Lodge 18. Elgin.
Texas I - 5 12 - 285-9 3 30
Thursday and Friday from
5 till 9 p m and Saturday
from 9 till Noon
DANCE
HIDEAWAY CLUB
Saturday, March 27th
MUSIC BY
COUNTRY LOVINS'
BEER SET-UPS
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Lawn
Socket
J
Curb
Socket
Fly Your Flag!
The Bastrop County Historical Society is
selling both of the above styles of flags for
businesses and for homes I he cost of the
curb flan includes making the socket for it
in the sidewalk
GET YOUR FLAG NOW BY CALLING
321-2472
THIS IS A BICENTENNIAL PROJECT
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Standifer, Amy S. Bastrop Advertiser and Bastrop County News (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. [123], No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 25, 1976, newspaper, March 25, 1976; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391001/m1/4/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Bastrop Public Library.