Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 108, No. 16, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 25, 1990 Page: 3 of 48
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Trinity Valley
Trivia
By DON HENDRIX
THE POLK COUNTY ENTERPRISE. SUNDAY FEBRUARY *5, 1996-PAGE 3A
Development association to install officers
What was behind »
I have some notes about a couple
of hangings that took place in Polk
County in 1877.1 plan to use it for the
next Pine Cone section, but I’ll
devulge what I know here in hopes
that somebody has additional infor-
mation about the incident.
In January or February 1877 a
local man named Frank Stutts was
approached by a mounted cowboy
named Sam Black who Was on his
way to Vicksburg where his family
lived. He was carrying a "16
shooting gun” and asked if Stutts
had seen a friend of his who had been
traveling ahead of him.
The same cowboy also asked the
same question to John Wiggins. Wig-
gins told hlha, yes, he'd seen his
friend, and in fact his friend had in-
quired about Black.
The next day Wiggins saw the two
cowboys together, but this time they
were in chains. With the group arriv-
ing at Wiggins’ place, the pair were
the prisoners of Morgan Rye Sr.,
Morgan Rye Jr., Frank Snell,
William Owens and Rudolph Fields.
They all spent the night at the Wig-
gins place and when they left the
next morning, they announced that
they intended to hang the two of
them. The group then rode east.
They were seen in Woodville as they
traveled.
Almost two weeks later, J.T. Cain
and his brother were hunting hogs in
the wood} in Tyler County when they
came upon some horse signs. Upon
investigation, they found a
hangman’s noose and then two
bodies with ropes around their
necks. They were the two traveling
cowboys. E.W. and Peter Wiggins
identified the dead men and gave a
statement to the Polk County sheriff
on February 22.
The men who had held the two
men prisoners were charged with
murder and they were later tracked
down in Louisiana and returned to
Polk County where they were in-
dicted for 1st degree murder on
April 19. When arrested, they had
Black’s “16 shooting gun.”
All but Snell were convicted of se-
cond degree murder in December
1879 and were sentenced to 10 years
in prism.
These notes were compiled by one
Roy Miller Jr. in 1982 from records
in the district cleric’s office, accor-
ding to the visitor to my office who
gave me this information. But I’ll be
darned if I made a note of who that
visitor was!
If any oldtimers around here, or
descendants of these men can shed-
more light on these events, I’d ap-
preciate it if you’d give me a call at
the Enterprise (327-4357) and share
it with our readers.
LUFKIN - Annual installation for
officers of the Deep East Texas
Development Association will be
held at 6:30 p.m., Friday, March 2 in
Lufkin at the Crown Colony.
Keynote speaker will be Senator
Bill Haley, who has chaired the
House Committee on Public Educa-
tion in the 68th, 69th and 70th
Legislatures, also served on the
House Committee on State Affairs
and Finance Institutions. Senator
Haley was instrumental in the enact-
ment of the most sweeping of
refrains in the Texas Education
system since the 1940 Gilmer-Akin
bill.
President Henson said, DETDA
will be honored with the presence of
state representatives and countv
judges and commissioners from the
nine-county organization.
Incoming officers are Tony Ben-
nett from Diboll, president; Gordon
Steele from Lufkin first vice presi-
dent and Eugene Koci from Wood-
ville, second vice president.
Bennett is vice president of Tem-
ple Inland Forest Products Corpora-
tion with the responsibility for cor-
porate communications and
legislative affairs. Steele recently
retired from the U.S. Forest Service
as staff officer for land management
planning and Koci is district
superintendent for Gulf States
Utilities.
Anyone interested in attending the
banquet is welcome and may make
reservations by calling 409 275-2389,
DETDA’s office in San Augustine.
Office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on
Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Tickets are $15 per person.
“Let’s give Angelina county a
good turnout and begin 1990 with a
100 percent attendance and welcome
our new officers to be installed at
this event,” said Henson.
Finale of the banquet will be draw-
ing of door prizes from the member
counties.
Psychology in classroom
*
topic of local seminars
LIVINGSTON - In recognition of
Public School Week, Beaumont
Neurological Hospital, the Texas
Department of Health, Partners in
Parenting and the Livingston ISD
are sponsoring the first in a series of
three seminars on Psychological
Considerations in the Classroom: In-
tervention and Treatment of
Children and Adolescents.
The first session will be held
March 8 in the Livingston Junior
High School Auditorium. Registra-
tion and refreshments will be from
Why I Am A Republican
By CHAMP CARTER
My father and grandfather
raised me to believe in sound
family values, in hard work and
honesty. Homosexuality and
abortion were not only illegal,
they were unthinkable. We be-
lieved in prayer, and we prayed
in school. And, yes, we were
Democrats.
When I voted the first time, I
voted for a Democrat for presi-
dent, and I did it without looking
seriously at the issues or the plat-
form that the party supported.
Looking back, I'm not proud of
that vote, because I cast my vote
based on the opinions that my
grandfather had formed on issues
back in the 1930's.
But the world had changed.
America had changed.
Somewhere between then and
now, the moral fiber of our nation
had begun to qnravel at its ends
like a rope that had been cut with
the knife of "Me-First-ism."
Somewhere between then and
now, the Democrats and the Re-
publicans had enlarged their
vision from basic economic issues
- - and, yes, I am still a conserva-
tive on economic issues - - to so-
cial and moral questions. I was
serious about working toward the
goals that my father and grandfa-
ther had taught me, and so I read
the party platform.
I was astonished to learn that
in theDemocratic Party platform
- - MY party pldtform - - seemed to
stand against everything I'd grown
up to believe in. The Democratic
platform endorsed giving homo-
sexual people a preferred status.
The Democratic platform en-
dorsed allowing women to kill
their unborn children without any
limitations. They called it ' pro-
choice." The Democratic platform
wanted to take the control of my
children's education away from
me and place it in the hands of
federal and state agencies. The
Democratic platform was op-
posed to voluntary prayer in the
classroom. I was amazed!
Now, I had been raised to
think that Republicans were bad
people, and so it was with some
misgivings that I decided to read
the Republican platform. I fully
expected it to be even worse than
the Democratic platform. I was
suprised to find that the Republi-
cans endorsed everything I be-
lieved in!
The Republican platform spe-
cifically said that homosexuals
were NOT to be given special
status, and that homosexuality
should NOT be presented as an
acceptable alternative lifestyle in
our public schools. The Republi-
can platform stated that an un-
born child has a fundamental right
to life except when the mother's
life is in danger, and it opposed
using our tax money to fund the
killing of unborn children. It even
said that our parents should have
theprimary responsibility for edu-
cating their children, not the state,
and it supported an ammendment
that would permit individual or
group prayer in the public schools.
It even supported the teaching of a
balanced view of creation being
taught in the schools - - that is,
Biblical creation as well as evolu-
tion.
After I read the platforms, I re-
alized why so many people had be-
come supporters of the Republi-
can Party. Its objectives come so
much closer to meeting the needs
and serving the future of my own
family and children, and its objec-
tives support the basic values that
my father and grandfather taught
me to honor.
So, when I made the decision
to become Republican, it was an
informed decision. I knew that my
father's values were sound, and I
knew that the Republican Party
was the party that now supported
those values.
I will vote in the Republican
Primary on March 13, and I hope
you will too. It you make tne same
informed decision that I did, I hope
you will support me, and will vote
forme foryour Republican County
Chairman in thatjslection. Let's
bring Polk County into the 1990's!
Sincerely Yours,
//;
CHAMP CARTER
1M N« fkr % CkMW OM. Ml ■« UH IMaplw n. Tin 1
3:30-4 p.m. and the presentation will
be from 4-6 p.m.
The presenter for the seminar is
Dr. L.M. Williams, a psychiatrist feu
private practice in Beaumont, who
also serves as medical director of
the Adolescent Program at Beau-
mont Neurological Hospital.
The second program in the series
is planned for April 5 and the third is
to be held on May 10. Dr. Williams
will be the presenter for all three
sessions.
The seminar is free of charge and
continuing education units for LPCs
and social workers have been ap-
plied for and are pending.
Support Alone Is Not Enough.
Get Involved with Law
Enforcement - Senior Citizens -
Fire Department - F.F.A. - 4-H - &
All Community Activities. Over
30 Years of Participation & In-
volvment in Polk County
Community Activities.
"I APPRECIATE YOUR VOTE"
Pct.#4 #4 On The Ballot
IWe _
Fm
R.R. “DICK” HUBERT
f COMMISSIONER
Pet. 4
HONEST • RELIABLE ^
Subject to Action of Democratic Primary
M. Pol. Mv. by a.a. “Web" Hubort. Tim*., P.0. Boa «, Uvlngaion. T« 7/351
Antique
I Saturday, March 3 *10 a.m.-9p.m. I
Sunday, March 4*12 noon - 6 p.m. I
• Collectables
• Glass
• Furniture
• Jewelry
• Books
• Wicker
WEST HILL MALL
Hwy 30 West-Huntsville
• Locator/Matching Service
• Miniatures
• French Porcelain & Crystal
More Information
295-8268
COMMUNITY CONCERT
LIVINGSTON COMMUNITY CONCERT ASSOCIATION
1990 - 91 Season Membership Drive
February 17 - March 2, 1990
JOIN NOW!
MEMBERSHIP NOT AVAILABLE AFTER MARCH 2, 1990
(No Tickets Sold For Individual Performances)
Thrill To Performances By:
• C.C. RYDER (Folk Singer)
• ED GERLACH'S BIG BAND
• I DO, I DO (Musical Play) ......*
• TENNESSEE RIVER BOYS
PLUS A Bonus Concert Featuring,
ANNA WERNER- BACHMANN -
International Musical Comedy Star - Performance In April
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL.....
Marilyn Taylor - 327-5674 - Livingston
Mozell Cowart - 368-2038 - Corrigan
June Elliser - 767-4531 - Coldspring
Ruth Wood - 594-7137 - Trinity
Polk County Chamber of Commerce - 327-2660 - Livingston
DURING THE WEEK OF FEB. 26
Clip this coupon fora HIGH RATE OF MUSICAL ENJOYMENT IDO! IIX)! — JACK*S\I IV JENKINS
Mall To: Llvlnpton Community Concert AuocUtlon ^ ^
_Stvrfmt Momborshipts) at $10 m.
_Fomdy (Ferwt(s), 2 or non
(1990-91 Season)
207 Red Oak,
Livingston, Tex. 77351
(Make Checks Payable To Livingston Concert Assoc.)
dtUroa) at $50 oa
NAME
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PHONE
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 108, No. 16, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 25, 1990, newspaper, February 25, 1990; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth781616/m1/3/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.