The Ennis Daily News (Ennis, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 116, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 16, 1957 Page: 1 of 8
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UNITED FREES LEASED WINK
ENNIS. TEXAS, THURSDAY, MAY l«. IM7
EIGHT I* \l*KS—El\ E C ENTS
NO. Hi
[briefIITornado Hits Panhandle Town;
At Least 19 Killed and 86 Injured
Tt*o» Lowmoktr Inttn
Squabble Over Gettysburg
AUSTIN Tex <11*. A Tea**
lawmaker has lashed out at
President Eisenhower and Brit-
ish Field Marshal Montgomery
for their criticism of a southern
general The Senator is Dorses
Hardeman of San Angelo, who
referred to statements made
Sunday by the President and
Montgomery at Gettysburg They
wen* quoted as saving they
would have fired both (ieneral
Hubert K Lee and the Union
Commander, (ieneral George (I
Meade, for their direction of
the Gettysburg battle Hardeman
said that the President was ‘ not
worthy to unlace the shoes of
the Confederate General
Fire Destroys Four Two Story
Buildings in Quanah
QUANAH, Tex (UP).—A roar-
ing fire in downtown Quanah
has destroyed four two story
buildings housing six businesses,
an apartment house and the
Masonic Lodge. Damage from
the fire late last night and early
today is believed to be at least
a half-million dollars. At least
six other buildings were damag-
ed by water and glass breakage
by the intense heat. Fire Mar-
shal Joe Murphy says the fire
probably started in the rear of
either a barber shop or a juve-
nile clothing store.
Loeffler Rumored
Ready to Resign
HOUSTON. Tex. (UP).—There
arc reports in Houston today
that Head Basketball Coach Ken
Loeffler of Texas A & M Col-
lege is expected to resign at
any time. He has been the target
of recruiting rules violation
charges. A Houston sports writ-
er. Bob Rule of the Houston
Press, says that he has learned
from the highest authority of
Loefflcr’s plans. He says that
Loeffler plans to take the action
on his own for what the writer
calls the good of the school. The
sports writer says that no pres-
sure appears to have been
brough by school officials to in-
fluence Locfflcr's resignation.
Bandera C of C Man
Probes ‘Kangaroo Court*
HOUSTON. Tex. (UP).—An in
vestigator from Bandera. Texas,
is in Houston today to round
up statements from some 200
residents who claimed they were
victims of a “kangaroo court."
The investigator represents
the Bandera Chamber of Com-
merce. He is Harvey Kilgore,
owner of Bandera’s Frontier
Hotel
Last week Jack I). Masor.
spokesman for the Houston
group which attended Bandera's
annual "stompede” celebration,
sent a letter of protest to State
Attorney General Will Wilson
Kilgore says he is in Houston
to "dig to the bottom" of why
a Bandera Sheriff went on an
arresting spree two weeks ago
The Houstonians complained
they were unjustly arrested and
fined.
Baby Girl Dies in Austin
With Sprouted Bean in Throat
AUSTIN. Tex. (UP). — An
eight-months-old girl died last
night in an Austin hospital
while doctors tried to remove a
sprouted raw pinto bean from
her windpipe. The child. Lillian
Pott hast, was the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Pott hast.
Her mother is an admittance-
clerk at Brackenridge Hospital.
Her father is a student at the
University of Texas.
Episcopalian
Confirmation
Hold More For Two
Two Ennis youths were con-
firmed in the Episcopal Church
in services at St. Thomas Epis-
copal Church here Tuesday
night by the Rt. Rev. Charles
Avery Mason, bishop of the Dio-
cese of Dallas.
They are Mary Ann Gore,
daughter of Mr and Mrs. Wil-
liam S. Gore and Danny Kay
Sharp, son of Mr. and Mrs
Henry H. Sharp.
Some Who Were Lucky Tell How
Red Dust Tornado Hit Town
SILVERTON Tex it P) May
Hi Some re.Mdents of (he little
Texas Panhandle town of Silver-
ton hit by a vicious killer
tornado last night consider
themselves lucky today The
twister killed at least 20 persons
here and its outskirts and in-
jured some HO more
One of the families escaping
injury was that of .1 K Been,
although their house was dam-
aged. The family includes Mrs.
Been, her husband and their 24-
year-old son. Walter Their
house was unroofed, the front
wall blown away and the other
walls smashed inward.
Another couple — Raymond
G re we and his wife, escaped in-
jury, although their house, on
the edge of the tornado’s path,
was slightly damaged.
Here is Mrs. Been's account of
the tornado:
I was m the kitchen of our
house when 1 heard a awful roar
and buzzing noise.
It seems like 1 heard it for at
least a minute—but it surely
wasn’t that long. I just don't
know.
My husband was asleep in one
bedroom ad our 24-year-old son.
Walter had lust gone into all-
ot hci bedroom
Suddenly. tin* lights went,
out I grabbed a flashlight -but I
before 1 could flip it on—some-
thing struck me in the back It
knocked me down and 1 rolled i
over against the cabinet. J
The noise woke up my hus-
band but he just stayed in bed.
Walter tried to crawl under his |
bed. but never did make it
All of a sudden, the noise was
over and 1 looked up and saw
the skv
Our roof was gone—so was
the front wall of the house All
the other walls were caved to
the outside.
I heard Walter hollering
"Mother." I went to check on
him and my husband.
It was a miracle. None of u.s
was hurt.
We crawled out a window.
The first people we saw were
our neighbors across the street.
Their car had been tossed a
good 100 feet aw*ay. The wom-
an wasn't hurt—but blood was!
streaming from her husband's
face. But, evidently he wasn't
badly hurl because she was;
more concerned with what had !
happened to us
Another Burglarized:
Armed Gunman Robs
Ennis Service Station
An armed robbery by a
masked gunman and a burglary
in which the cheajK-st fishing
reel was taken from a selection
plagued Ennis service stations
last night.
Horton’s Humble Service Sta-
tion. at the corner of Highway
75 and Crockett Street, was vic-
timized by the highjacking
Some $103 was taken f nun
the cash register by the masked
bandit who pointed a snub-nos-
ed revolver at the attendant
about 4 o’clock tins morning
and demanded the money.
Raymond Lewis Wilhoite was
attendant on duty at the station
operated by T. J. Horton at the
time of the holdup.
City Marshal H. G. W'llson said
Wilhoite told police that a young
white man his face covered
with a handkerchief and his hat
pulled low over his eyes, entered
the station and staged the
holdup. The bandit wore a
brown suit.
Wilson said the bandit ap-
proached the station on foot
from the rear and left the same
direction, running west toward
Breckenridge Street after he
took the money.
Wilhoite told officers the ban-
dit demanded “I want your
money." Wilhoite, startled by
the sudden appearance of the
armed robber, didn't move and
the man repeated his demand.
The attendant then opened the
register.
He called police as the bandit
fled. An Ennis Police Depart-
ment patrol car was nearby at
the intersection of Highways 75,
287 and 34 when the radio call
came and was on the scene al-
most at once. Wilson said, but
officers failed to find the rob-
Weat he r
ENNIS AND VICINITY
Scattered thunderstorms
this afternoon with highest
in the upper 80s. Scattered
thunderstorms tonight. Low-
est in the middle 80s Friday
... partly cloudy and not so
warm with highest around
80 Southerly winds 20-25
miles per hour becoming
northerly 15-20 miles per
hour Friday.
her
Wilson said, that officers, be-
lieving that he might still be in
the area searched the surround-
ing vicinity but failed to find a
trace of the gunman
Within about twenty minutes
of the robbery, Wilson said,
three cars from the Ellis County
Sheriff’s Department, two Ennis
patrol cars. Constable Obie
Freeman in his car. and City
Marshal Wilson in his personal
ear had arrived to join in the
search but failed to find the rob-
ber.
BURGLARY
Also, sometime during the
night, another Ennis service
station along Highway 75 was
burglarized. It was the M. G.
Stagner Gulf Station near the
north limits of the city.
Police reported that entry was
gained bv breaking a lock on the
front door Only a fishing reel
and some fishing line was taken.
Stagner told police that ex-
pensive reels were left untouch-
ed while the cheapest model
reel lie had was taken by the
bu rglar.
ACCIDENT
A one-car accident on South
Main was investigated by local
police at about 5 p.m. Wednes-
day. Wilson said that a car. “full
of girls." overturned in the 700
block of South Main but that
there were no injuries. Wilson
said he believed the girls were
from Corsicana
Injured
Victims Tell
Experiences
TI LLS. Tex (UP) A hus-
band and wife injured in the
Silverton tornado la»t night have
described from their hospital
beds in Tulia today the terror
they experienced when their
home was wrecked.
Mrs. Jane Whitfield tells this
story.
‘ My husband and I were in
bed when we heard this terrible
noise just as if a freight train
were running through our
house.
"We got up. looked out the
bedroom and there it was—the
i funnel. It was dark and sort of
j hugging the ground. We just
I had time to get on the floor.
“We held hands until the wind
j lifted James (her husband) away.
Then 1 felt myself floating
through the air and somehow 1
seemed to be pretty calm. 1 was
Just wondering what would hap-
pen next."
Mrs Whitfield said when she
recovered consciousness in the
yard of her home—she saw her
husband, blood running down
j his face, nearby.
I Mrs. Ray Thompson, also in
1 the Swisher County Housital at
| Tulia, told this story:
j “We were watching the news
j on TV when my husband and I
j heard the awfulest noise ever.
I 1 jumped behind a chair, then
| rode the floor for a few sec-
onds before being hit by flying
] debris. It knocked me uncons-
cious."
Mrs. Robert Proctor, who is
pregnant—and who lives about
a mile cast of Silverton. said
she, her brother-in-law. Bill
Proctor, his wife and baby were
at her house when the tornado
hit
“The lights went out and we
(Continued On Page 8)
Kiwanis Names
Sam Keever
Vice President
Sam Keever was elected sec-
ond vice president of the Ennis
Kiwanis Club at the organiza-
tion's noon luncheon Thursday.
He was named as successor
to Joe Mitchell, who resigned
upon moving to Houston upon
receiving promotion with the
Southern Pacific railroad.
The program for the meeting
consisted of two parts. Mrs. An-
na Lee Fink. Ennis public
school music instructor, present-
ed three talented youths “dis-
covered" in an Ennis High
School student-staged talent
show.
They were Jimmy Perry. Jam-
es Santos, and Judy Compton,
each singing two songs in indivi-
dually distinctive styles.
W. R. Schween, program chair-
man for the meeting, in a sur-
prise feature of the program
showed colored movies of the re-
cent Ennis Bluebonnet Festival
Oh, Oh, Where
Is Junior?
MIDLAND. Tex (UP)
One West Virginia family ha"
become very familiar with a
40 mile stretch of US Hwy 80
between Big Spring and Mid-
land as the result of a com-
edy of errors which delayed
their vacation juant to Ari
zona
The Riggs family stopped at
a Big Spring service station
Monday afternoon then drove
toward Midland -minus their
six-year-old son Raymond
Big Spring police radioed Mid-
land police to stop the family
and sent the boy to Midland
in a patrol car.
Meantime, the parents had
returned to Big Spring. They
were told their son was in
Midland and after hours of
confusion the parents and the
boy were re-united and set
off again for Arizona.
Dr. 0. L. Hargis
To Address
Palmer Grads
Dr. O. L Hargis, pastor of the
First Christian Church in Ennis
will address the graduates of
Palmer High School at the com
moncement exercises which will
be held in the Palmer School
Auditorium at 8:00 p rn. Friday.
Invocation will be given by
Glenda Williams. Marva Sue
Bardwell. ex-student now attend
ing Navarro Junior College, will
sing.
Welcome address will be given
by Harold L. Adams.
Presentation of diplomas will
be by Superintendent Roy James
Watson.
Charles K. Autrey will give
the benediction.
Both the processional and re
cessional and musical acconipan-
ment will be by Mrs. Billy J,
Dickerson at the piano.
The graduates are Harold
Lynn Adams. It. L Adair, Char-
les Autrey, Johnnie Ray Burns,
Joe Poss, Billy Caloway, Jean
Chenault and Glenda Williams
Bac'calaurate services will be
held Sunday at the Palmer High
School auditorium at eleven a m
The Rev. Gene Chamness, paslor
of the First Methodist Church
m Palmer, will give the address
The Rev. Bill Pausell, pastor of
the First Christian Church iri
Palmer, will read the scripture.
James K Wcslcr. teacher in
the Palmer School, will sing and
Billy J. Dickerson and Supt.
Watson will give the invocation
and benediction.
Mrs. Dickerson will play the
musical accompaniment for the
program and voices from the
various church choirs will supply
the choir for the service.
Commencement exercises for
the eighth grade will be held at
the Palmer High auditorium on
Wednesday at eight p m Mrs.
T. N. Scallorn. former Ennis
school principal, will be guest
speaker for the evening. Mrs.
Continued On Page Three
Patrol Lists
Names of Dead
And Injured
AMARILLO Tex 'UP' The
Highway Patrol in Amarillo by
mid morning today accounted
for 17 dead in the Silverton
tornado and one in the storm at
Lone Star near Loekney. Texas
The patrol lists the following
dead in Silverton
l .1 I) Bingham, white, 65
to 70 years old
2-Wally Domingo, a Mexi-
can about Hit
3—Veral Vaughn
4 —Mrs. Veral Vaughn
f> Ranee Stephens
6 Mrs Ranee Stephens
7 Unulentifiedi child, believ-
ed member of Stephens family.
8 Unidentified child, believ-
ed member of Stephens family
0 Unidentified child, believ-
ed member of Stephens family
10 Unidentified child, be-
lieved member of Stephens fam-
ily.
11 —Unidentified Mexican girl
7 to 10 years old
12 Mrs. Sam Thompson,
white, 05 to 70
13 Unidentified Mexican
girl, about 12
14 Unidentified Mexican
girl, alwut 20
15 Unidentified white baby
boy, 10 to 13 months old
16—Unidentified white boy,
one month to six weeks old.
17 Domingo Rivas, Mexican
male.
At the Lone Star Community,
near Loekney
18 —Mrs. E. Puckett. 30
The injured at Lone Star in-
cluded Mrs. Puckett's two chil-
dren. Linda. 10. and Pat. 8 Both
are injured critically.
Among those injured at Silver-
ton are nine members of the Joe
Callmgton family, including the
wife and seven children Galling
ton, 41, and his wife. Jo, 30, were
in critical condition as is eight
year old Ira Jay, one of the < lul
dren.
Other injured at Silverton.
who are in the Loekney Hospi
tal include Mrs Tommy Noble
10 Boyd Bingham, 41. Irene
Gallmgton Adams 20
'The Highway Patrol says the
injured in a Plamview hospital
include Robert J Piortoi 22
an unidentified Mexican female
twt» to thiee years oid m erifi
cal condition, and a 28 year old
unidentified Mexican man in
critical condition
In Northwest Hospital in Aina
rdlo, the patrol reports that Mr
and Mrs Luke Thompson are in
critical condition.
The patrol has identified these
other injured, but says it does
not know to what hospitals they
have been taken
Mr and Mrs. Whitefield, Mr.
and Mrs. Parker Rarnbly. con-
dition critical Mrs Robert Proc-
tor. Jr, and Mrs. Kay Thomp-
son
25 Homes and Other Buildings
Destroyed in Silverton, Texas
BULLETIN
SILVERTON, Texas (1 IV —The death toll from the SllveitOB
tornado now stands at 16, while another twister death at LOM
Star, Texas, near l.orknev brings (he loll to 26 killed.
The Silverton death loll rose to Hi today when the body of
an unidentified two or three year old hoy was found In a wrecked
home and another tornado x ictini. Mrs. Luke Thompson, died of
her injuries in an Amarillo hospital.
SILVERTON Texas (UP* A tornado which hit the sleeping
town of Silverton last night like an exploding cloud of red sand
left at least 18 persons dead and at least 80 injured
Eighteen torn bodies have been recovered so far today from
ditches and under piles of wreckage Sheriff John Lanham Raya
at least 80 were injured Might of these are in critical condition.
Highway patrol Captain .1 W Blackwell says at district head*
quarters in Amarillo “my man up there tells me he has seen and
counted 18 bodies and identified them at least to the extent of
probable age He says there are other bodies he has just not been
able to get to yet".
Blackwell says “It looks like
19 to 20 is about right."
Bardwell High
Exercises Set
For Eight Grads
Vesper services for the Bard
well High School class will be
Sunday at 8 00 p m at the school
auditorium Commencement ex
erases will be held 'Thursday at
800 pm at the school auditor
mm
.1 L Sullivan. Church of
Christ minister, will deliver the
sermon at the vesper services.
The professional will be by Mrs.
Vera Bruce
The Rev |{ R McCollum, pas-
tor of the First Baptist Church
of Bardwell. will pronounce the
invocation
"Lord Let Me Walk” and “It's
Gonna Shine will be presented
by the Gospeiaires quartet
II A McKee Superintendent
of Bardwell Schools will intro-
duce Sullivan
Tne Gospeiaires will then sing
Precious Memories'’.
The benediction will be by
Bob Gailey, member of the
school hoard The Recessional
will he hy Mrs Bruce
COMMENCEMENT
Miss Virginia Duff Represen-
tative District 52 will deliver
the address at the commence-
ment exercises.
I lie prof essional will be by
Mr s. Hi in e
K A Dycxx will give the in-
\ o< a! mu
I tie salutory speech will be
given by Katherine Dyess and
( arolyn Hailey will give the ve|e
flu lory address.
Mis diaries Ferguson, accom
pained by Mrs J L. Harrison
will sing "You'll Never Walk
Alone".
II A McKee will introduce
Miss Duff Bob Galley will pre
sent the diplomas to the eight
graduates. H A McKee will pre
sent the awards, after which lie
will give the benediction Mrs
Bruce will play the recessional
'The graduates are Kirby Bal
lard Jayne Branan, Alva Brum
field Katherine Dyess, Carolyn
Hailey. Joy Sain Billy Stewart
and Sylvia Watson
Mrs G. R. Meharg is class
sponsor
Easements Signed For Onion Creek Dams
The easements needed for flood pools, and 1.658 surface acres
water retarding structures plan- covered when the detention or
ned in the Onion Creek water- flood pools are full. These are
shed have now been secured, the same type of structures as
the Italy work unit of the Soil one that can be seen from U. S
Conservation Service assisting Highway 287 just west of Midlo-
the Ellis-Prairie Soil Conserva* thian. Two others are now under
lion District, has announced. construction just west and north-
Thirteen of these small dams west of Ennis on Mustang Creek,
are planned in this watershed. Last year, interested land-
These 13 structures will im- owners in the Onion Creek wa-
pound 2.137 acre-feet of water in tershed formed the Onion Creek
their sediment pools. At flood Watershed Association. Officers
stage there will be storage and a board of directors were
for 15.714 acres of flood water elected B. D. (Sonny) Wakeland
to be released slowly. One acre* is president. Wilmer Gorman,
foot of water is enough to cover vice president, and Ed Varnell is
one acre of land one foot deep secretary.
There will be 429 surface acr- Members of the board of di-
es covered in the 13 sediment, rectors arc P. A. Kcplinger, Wa*
xahachic, John Edd Bonkout arid
John E. Roebuck of Nash; Ernest
Brandon of Forrest on; C. O
Collier and Robert Unducrwood.
both of Bardwell. and Jack
Wakeland of Avalon.
Funds for building four of
these 13 sites have been budget-
ed by the Soil Conservation Ser-
vice from its flood control funds
for the 1957-58 fiscal year. It is
planned that all structures will
be completed! or under construc-
tion by the end of 1959.
Directors of the Onion Creek
Watershed Association have ask-
ed the Elhs-Prairic Soil Conser-
vation District Supervisors to ap-
prove Site No. 114 for construc-
tion first. This site is on Long
Branch which parallels the farm-
to-market road from the, old
Cartwright crossing to Howard.
It is to be built on land belong-
ing to Mrs. Faye Cox of San An-
tonio and on a farm belonging
to “Doc Gerron of Byrd.
'These 13 Onion Creek water-
shed sites are a pa rt of the co-
ordinated Chambers Creek Flood
Prevention Project. They are a
part of 131 such structures plan-
ned in the Greater Chambers
Creek watershed.
Site No 55. two miles north-
east of Maypearl has been com-
pleted Sites No. 19 and 20 on
Mustang Creek near Ennis are
under construction.
Easements have been secured
in the Waxaluehie Creek water-
shed and construct ion will .-.tart
soon on some of these
The purpose of these struc-
tures is to hold back as much
floodwater as is possible and let
it out at a controlled rate
When ail are completed and
functioning properly, with pro-
per soil conservation treatments
on the land flood damage will be
greatly reduced
Soil Conservation Service
flood control engineers estimate
that for each dollar spent in its
Chambers Creek Flood Control
Project. $2 46 will be saved. The
savings will be in the form of
property damage prevention,
based on past history.
The twister destroyed twenty#
five houses here . . at town of
about 850 residents. Fifteen
more houses were badly damag-
ed and another 15 slightly dam-
iged A cotton gin was destroyed
along with four grain elevators
and a barracks for Mexican cot-
ton pickers
RED SAND CLOUD
One woman, Mrs Billy Stev-
ens. says the tornado looked Like
a cloud of red sand as it roar-
ed angrily through the town of
850 persons—most of whom
were asleep.
Mrts Stevens, described the
tornado this way.
“It dipped and popped and
looked like red sand boiling and
rumbling when it hit. It looked
like a real low coud that had •
belly on it. and then it began
moving through town."
The Silverton tornado was one
of at least a dozen which
bounced around the Panhandle
last night.
knocked out
and lights in
The tornado
communications
the town.
United Press Correspondent
Tom Highley say-, the tornado
hit the southwestern part of the
town s residential section. He
says it looks as if the funnel
smacked squarely upon five
houses m a row. There is
nothing left of them hut founda-
tions.
Highley adds “Cars look as
if a giant had picked them up in
his fie and crushed them. 1 saw
two cars that had been picked
up from a street and dropped
100 yards awav in a field There
were two tug tank trucks seven,
ty-five yards nil the road in a
field .iml j school bus was turn-
ed over.
Highley aid that six bodies
were loaded onto one pickup
truck 'The dying and injured
were sent to hospitals in larger
towns surrounding Silverton.
Jo- C II Black -,«4>s he treat-
ed 50 to 60 per sons himself—all
covered with mud and suffering
from shock head injuries and
i uts I he more seriously injured
were sent to bigger hospitals at
Loekrief Lubbock. Dimmitt,
J ulia and Amarillo.
I lie Rev James Patterson,
pastor of the First Methodist
Church, .says he stepped out on
his front porch the instant the
tornado was over. He says “I
knew something was wrong be-
cause if was so still but I never
lid see the funnel"
LIGHTS WENT OFF
A member of a geophysical
team A I. Chick, was watching
TV m a hotel lobby in Silverton
last night
Most of the town's 850 rcsL
dents were in their homes—•
many of them already asleep.
At about 11 o'clock, Chick
heard the hail stop pounding
(Continued On Page ft)
First Texas DPS Chief
Dies Today in Austin
AUSTIN. Tex. <UPt—A vet-
eran law enforcement officer
and first director of the Texaf
Department of Public Safety hac
died in Austin. He was 77-year*
old L. G Phare.s. who had been
ill for several weeks.
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Bus, Daniel W. The Ennis Daily News (Ennis, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 116, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 16, 1957, newspaper, May 16, 1957; Ennis, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth786212/m1/1/: accessed June 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Ennis Public Library.