Palacios Beacon (Palacios, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 31, 1986 Page: 4 of 14
fourteen pages : ill. ; page 22 x 16 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Page 4-Palacios Beacon, July 31,1986
in Texas History.
Pint-sized pioneers ride horseback cross-countiy
BY BARTEE HAILE
Aug. 1, 1911, Louie and
Temple Abernathy, pint-sized
sons of a Southwest marshal, 'eft
New York on a hazardous horse-
back ride to California. If in two
months the 11 and seven year-old
adventurers reached the Pacific
shore, they stood to collect
$10,000.
With thousands of miles al-
ready under their tiny belts, the
shave, the Bosque County native
migrated to the Panhandle where
he became an expert bronc
buster while barely in his teens.
By accident Abernathy dis-
covered the trick that gained
frontier fame. Attacked by a
huge wolf, he desperately thrust
his hand into the animal’s mouth,
grasped its lower jaw and held on
for dear life. To his astonishment
the hold instantly subdued the
[fir
in 1899, but wi&t
w.{iple came
along five ye^&j ||ater, the
restless father was tfolntg a badge
in the rough and tumble region
north of the Red River.
In 1904 Texas cattleman Burke
Burnett hosted a wolf hunt for
President Teddy Roosevelt. The
star attraction was of course
lawman Abernathy, who man-
handled several wolves for the
amusement of the famous guest.
back again. see Halley's Comet. then offered the stupendous sum
Afraid to carry money, the May 27, 1910, the miniature of $10,000 if Louie and Temple
boys packed a checkbook for celebrities arrived at Washing- could ride from sea to shining sea
Emergencies. But very few peo- ton, D. C., and were received at in 60 days.
the White House by President With a rousing sendoff from
fiesty little heroes were old hands powerful predator and prevented An inveterate outdoorsman, Ro-
at cross-country travel. During the wolf from biting,
the past two years, the Aber- Practice made perfect, and the
nathy boys made a lonely round fearless practitioner soon was
trip to New Mexico from their known far and wide as a world
Oklahoma home and twice jour- class wolf wrestler. Abernathy
neyed to New York City. performed the spectacular stunt
The brothers came by their on countless occasions and sold
osevelt was so impressed by the
exhibition that upon his return to
Washington he appointed Aber-
nathy US Marshall for the
Oklahoma Territory.
At ages nine and five, the
Abernathy brothers took their
pie would accept payment for the
goods and services rendered, and
those who did rarely cashed the
checks.
In the spring of 1910, Jack
Abernathy planned to welcome
back his old pal Roosevelt from
African safari when his ship
locked at New York. The boys
oo wanted to be on hand to see
the ex-President and with their
dad’s blessing set out on a
nine-state excursion.
Soaking up memories enough
to last a lifetime, the youths were
greeted by large crowds and
ba
:
toe
remarkable spunk quite natur- the captured animals to zoos and first solo ride. With their mother strutting politicians at every stop
ally. Having made his own way in carnivals,
the grown-up world at the tender To calm his apprehensive new
age of seven, Jack Abernathy bride, Abernathy tried a tamer
saw nothing unusual in his line of work and for a time
children’s precocious deeds. A - peddled pianos in Fort Worth,
veteran cowhand before he could Louie was born at the Texas town
dead and father working night along the way. They met pioneer
and day for the law and order aviator Wilbur Wright only mon-
cause, Louie and Temple fended ths before his tragic death from
for themselves. From their home typhoid fever, and in West
at Guthrie, Oklahoma, they rode Virginia a hotel proprietor woke
to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and them in the middle of the night to
William Howard Taft. The pro-
ceedings of the House of Repre-
sentatives were interruped for a
truly important item of business,
the introduction of Louie and
Temple.
When Roosevelt returned in
June from his big game hunt, the
three Abernathies accompanied
him on a parade through mid-
town Manhattan. For their trip
home Jack purchased two auto-
mobiles, and the family went
back to Oklahoma in stylq. Louie
drove a Brush, and his dad
followed in a Maxwell.
The next year innovative pro-
moters paid the boys to stage a
mock race to the nation's capitol
astride the symbols of the two
political parties, a donkey and an
elephant. The same hucksters
thousands of cheering New York-
ers, the lads left Coney Island
Aug. 1,1911. Required by the
conditions of the challenge to
sleep under the stars, the sturdy
kids braved the elements around
the clock.
For two boys with a combined
age of only 18, the odyssey was
feat of truly epic proportions.
Oct. 2, 1911, Louie and Temple
arrived no worse for wear in San
Francisco and completed the
3,500-mile journey.
Sadly the continental jaunt had
taken 62 days, and the gritty pair
missed out on the promised
prize. Louie and Temple returned
to Oklahoma and as adults
settled in Texas. With their
systems purged of the usual
wanderlust, both led surprisingly
staid and stable lives.
Texas taxes: to raise or not to raise
AUSTIN—Some mighty good
lawmakers are working day
and night to resolve the state
budget deficit, but it’s not easy.
In fact, it’s a lawmaker’s night-
mare.
The comptroller has raised
the official shortfall estimate
to $3.1 billion, the governor has
no plan to solve it, and the
voters will be waiting in No-
vember to pass judgment at the
ballot box.
To raise taxes or not to raise
taxes?
The president and the lieu-
tenant governor, even if they
had orchestrated it, couldn’t
have provided a starker con-
trast of the two sides of the
problem wrestling with Texas
legislators.
j, President Reagan visited
D dlas and blamed the Demo-
crats’ pro-tax mentality for the
state’s economic ills. That same
cfly, Lt. Gov. BUnlobby accel-
erated his push for a tax hike
to ease the state deficit.
STATE CAPITAL
HIGHLIGHTS
continues to
By Lyndall WiHitmi
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
patient with White’s timidity
and hardly content to wait for
Reagan’s trickle-down to reach
the ravaged economy of the
Lone Star State.
Hobby, like many others, be-
lieves voters will accept a tax
hike, if they understand how
badly it’s needed. At the same
time, Clements and the GOP
ticket are waiting to use a tax
bill like a club on the campaign
trail. It’s a gut-check for Texas
voters.
Governor Criticized
Reagan was in Dallas for a
Hfl
$1 million GOP fundraiser for
former Gov. Bill Clements, a
$5,000-a-plate bash which forti-
fied his anti-taxation cam-
paign.
Hobby was prepping for a
seven-city swing to promote his
plan, a combination of budget
cuts and tax raises. He is, in
effect, filling the vacuum of
leadership which many sena-
tors and representatives say
exists.
Governor Mark White so far
has not produced a plan for
solving the budget crisis, and
more and more he is being
openly criticized for lack of
leadership by members of both
parties.
Three-Act Play W
Thus, the stage is set for the
anticipated special session Au-
gust 6, a drama of three parts.
On one side is the Clements-
GOP bunch which doesn’t want
a tax hike, period. They’ll use
the issue on the campaign trail
to defeat anyone who votes for
higher taxes, if they can, par-
ticularly the governor.
On the other end is the
Hobby crowd which has already
made up its mind that a tax
hike will be good for Texas.
Generally, they have no strong
GOP opposition, or have dis-
tricts whore services are
needed.
In the middle is the gang led
by House Speaker Gib Lewis,
which wants to cut spending
first and wait until January’s
regular session to pass a tax in*
crease. They don't want ■ A
three-day special session to
pass a tax bill just before Elec-
tion Day.
Texas economy
move backward.
Unemployment for June
jumped a full point. Texas busi-
ness foreclosures were up, and
home sales were down.
Local property taxes for most
of the state were poised to in-
crease, and a study released by
the non-profit Texas Research
League found ihcal school bud-
gets had its highest increase in
history last year to fund the
HB 72 school reforms.
Ravaged Economy
Meanwhile, signs indicate the
Other Highlights
• The leader of a Tennessee-
based Paramilitary group said
its members will patrol the Rio
Grande border in spite of warn-
ings from Texas Attorney Gen-
eral Jim Mattox. Known as the
Civilian Materiel Assistance,
the grblljj has drafted ■planrtw
patrol for drug smugglers in
August and September.
• The attorney for Texas
prison inmates asked the feds
to fine the state $5.5 million for
not meeting court-ordered re-
forms and to release early some
400 inmates.
City _
£
Pali
^cios J
I
i Beacon
Second Class Postage Paid At
Palacios, Texas 77465
418460
NICHOLAS M. WEST.............PUBLISHER/EDITOR
ELAINE TEMPLEMAN...........OFFICE MANAGER
SHERYL McCOOL,................ADVERTISING
DEADLINE FOR ALL
ADVERTISING AND NEWS
IS 2 P.M. MONDAY
OFFICE HOURS
WEEKDAYS 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
[Closed Wednesday]
Published Each Thursday By:
THE PALACIOS BEACON
453 COMMERCE
P.O. Box 817
PALACIOS, TEXAS 77465
[512] 972-2610 or 972-3009
Voters Gut-Check
The Appropriations Commit-
tee has been working to slice
the budget, but even some con-
servative members will confess
their fears that they’ve cut too
deep into services."
Last week they postponed a
vote to cut $1.8 billion from the
budget, mainly because they
were waiting for the governor’s
plan. At this point, even Demo-
cratic lawmakers are not in-
clined to face the heat for
White, now or on the campaign
trail this fail.
So Hobby has stepped in. im-
MEMBER
mm
UJJJJUs SINCE 1885
UJJAJU, SINCE 1885
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
ASSOCIATION
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE
[Includes Applicable Tax]
One Year In-County.....$10.50
One-Year Outside County.....$12.50
One-Year Out of State.....$15.00
All Subscriptions Stop At Expiration Date
PALACIOS BEACON POLICIES: ’
*The Palacios Beacon reserves the right to refuse
any advertlsemen.
♦All “Letters to the Editor” must be signed by an
individual or Individuals. Letters are subject to
review by the Beacon regarding libelous, slander-
ous or erroneous content.
*The Beacon retains the right to edit all articles
due to space limitations, Journalistic standards. The
Beacon Is not responsible for the return of
JLnan|leU«iLmateHal._____________
♦Wedding stories are Imited to two-typed, double
spaced pages.
*A $3.50 fee Is charged on all pictures submitted
for publication.
♦The Beacon Is not responsible for any picture*
not picked up wlthlng two weeks of publication.
Pictures must be picked up at the Beacon office.
20 YEARS AGO-1966
Police chief Tom Hill and City
Recorder W. R. “Bill’ Hasley
tendered their resignations.
The city and Lions Club were
combining efforts to erect new
street markers ami stop signs.
Ground was broken Monday
for the new library building. Last
Friday the library board awarded
the building contract to Marshall
Lumber Co. of Port Lavaca.
Ap. 4 Jack Brune, who had
been in Viet Nam the past 11
months, was home for 30 days.
Edward Schulze, vocational ag
teacher, was attending a Farm
Tractor Reconditioning Worksh-
op at Texas A&I.
25 YEARS AGO-1961
Contract for construction of the
building for City State Bank of
Palacios was awarded August 1
From the Palacios Beacon Early Files
to the low bidder, Mercer
Construction Company of Edna.
Eli Mayfield was the high
bidder for Matagorda County’s
first bale of cotton of the season,
raised by the C. C. Ramseys.
The Hospital Auxiliary started
working at Wagner General
Hospital Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Penland
announced the birth of a son,
Ronald Keith, on July 3.
30 YEARS AGO-1956
Wednesday, an estimated 150
Aluminum Company of America
workers from this area joined
other Alcoa employees in a strike
when contract negotiations be-
tween the aluminum industry
and United Steel Workers of
America continued unsettled.
The shutdown at Point Comfort
left approximately 950 employees
I
idle.
Palacios voters, 1177 stronj
turned out at the polls Saturdi
to decisively elect George
Harrison commissioner of pn
cinct 3 and help put J. B. Colj
across as sheriff Carlton Cra'
ford was defeated for stat
representative by John Huebner.
Word was received from Wa-
shington D. C. that Highway 35
from Corpus Christi to Houston is
elegible for improvements with
federal aid primary funds.
Town and County Fashions, a
new children’s and j Indies’ wear
store, was scheduled to open St
7 »
427 Commerce, August 7.
35 YEARS AGO-1951
Farmers Co-op Gin had ginned
23 bales of cotton by Wednesday
morning as the harvest season
began to pick up speed.
Matagorda Countians had be-
en asked to contribute to the
current Red Cross drive for funds
to help alleviate the heavy
personal and property damage
wrought by the Kansas flood, the
Jvorst of the century.
Controversy over the size and
depth of the new boat basin
apparently was settled at a
special meeting Friday night
when the district engineers con-
sidered the proposed plan ade-
quate in all respects.
40 YEARS AGO-1946
Tfe Ralph Newsom's returned
t$P through New Mexico,
Nevada, Utah, Idaho,
Id, Montana and Wyo-
i*g. .
A fishing trip on the boat,
Riptide, piloted by Ed Barrett,
was consjder^d a huge success
Sunday. Others aboard were Jack
Barnett, Price Barnett, Calvin
Sexton, Curley Oglesby and Pete
Morales. A photo finish showed
Curley, Price and Calvin close for
first place in the 178 speckled
trout contest.
45 YEARS AGO-1941
The golf course was opened
Sunday after several weeks work
on the fairways and greens.
Mr. and Mrs. Worley Linville
announced the arrival of a baby
boy on July 27.
50 YEARS AGO-1936
Mrs. H. S. Bell was working up
a historical booklet for Deutsch-
burg’s 25 anniversary.
55 YEARS AGO-1931
The city water tower was
getting a new coat of paint.
The highway between Bay City
and West Columbia was complet-
ed.
The fifth year for the annual
training period of the Texas
National Guards at Camp Hulen
was to open Saturday, August 1.
Prof, and Mrs. W. A. Smith
purchased the J. Q. Adams
property near the Baptist Chu-
rch.
60 YEARS AGO-1926
Dan Moody had a lead in the
Democratic primary of 115,248
votes.
Mrs. Claire F. Pollard, county
superintendent, was getting up a
60 page county school annual.
65 YEARS AGO-1921
About 40 votes were cast in the
election for amendments to the
constitution. The two to carry
were Woman's Suffrage and the
Confederate Tax.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
West, Nicholas M. Palacios Beacon (Palacios, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 31, 1986, newspaper, July 31, 1986; Palacios, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth725825/m1/4/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Palacios Library.