The Olney Enterprise (Olney, Tex.), Vol. 105, No. 24, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 15, 2013 Page: 4 of 10
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Opinion
Cemeteries need money, not complaints
Everyone has been in an uproar over the
condition at the local cemeteries. We have
been getting calls here at the newspaper, as
have employees of City Hall and members of
the Cemetery Board and City Council.
I can understand how it is frustrating and
painful for anyone to see ihe grave site of a
loved one overgrown with weeds and grass
to the point where it is obscured, but there are
ways to help that go beyond complaining.
The biggest need the Cemetery Board has
right now, as far as upkeep of Restland and
Pioneer cemeteries is concerned, is money. I
talked with the Cemetery Board chairman on
Tuesday morning, and after hearing the asso-
ciation's financial situation, I can assure you
it is dire, at best.
Sure, it's nice to be able to pay a caretaker
more than $25,000 per year to mow, weedeat
and perform other duties at both cemeteries,
but that is just not financially feasible any-
In the past, I have seen citizens of Olney
step up and give of themselves, including
both time and money, when the need arose.
Well, folks, another of those needs is here.
The Cemetery Board needs our help to
make sure the cemeteries are cared for appro-
priately.
Instead of complaining about the care at
the cemeteries, or going out to Ihe cemeter-
ies and complaining (or threatening) the city
crews and others who are taking time away
from their normal jobs to try to get the weeds
under control, open up your checkbook and
write out a tax deductible donation.
If that's not an option for you, then perhaps
you could help arrange a fundraiser that will
1 saY *
out there, and it should be main- A lot of you will
onoring those who have passed away is
something that civilized people do (to para-
Donations are not pouring in to the Cem-
etery Board for upkeep of the properties, and
they get only $10,000 a year from a perpetual
care fund, which they do not control, to help
pay expenses. Other minor income sources
do not even come close to making up the dif-
ference to pay a full-time caretaker.
Trying to pay a $25,000-plus salary on
$10,000 a year is like trying to put out a grass
fire with a bucket of water. It just doesn't
work.
go toward cemetery maintenance.
Honori
rething tn
phrase a line from the Letter to the Editor
this page).
So, whether you have a loved one out there
or not, or whether you plan to be buried at
the local cemeteries or not, it's time to step
up. Donations can make the difference be-
tween having continued upkeep provided
:h plot
responsible for his or her own lots, which and $25,000 each
What’s too hard to understand?
Dear Editor,
What is it about "There is no money" that
people don't understand? The Cemetery
Board has told us this, yet people still com-
plain, but do not want to take the respon-
sibility that the board has no money is our
fault, all our faults.
Many will say, "I paid $100 to buy a buri-
al space
tained." Now, stop and think for a minute.
How unrealistic is that? How could $100
provide a burial space and upkeep for eter-
nity? "That is how long that grave will be
there." If that were possible, what a bargain
that would be.
It is time for us to step up and take care
of our own. No one owes us anything, so
let's work this out. I have a plan that will
take care of this and no one will be hurt in
the process. If the city of Olney would put
a $1 charge on each water bill they send out
each month, and the Housing Authority
would charge each tenant $1 for water, and
a deal could be made with the rural water
to put $1 on each of their bills that goes to
their users who have Olney addresses (they
fee i
week and do it ourselves. But who wants to
do that weekly when you could get it done
for you for about 24 cents a week?
I know some of you are saying, "I can't
afford anything." Now, let's see about that.
Let's cut down on all the things that are
not good for us. There is soda, candy bars,
chips, beer, cigarettes, fast food, unneces-
r trips around town...I could go on
on, but you get the picture
"I'rr
at the cemeteries, or having e
could add a small billing fee for their trou-
ble), this would bring in between $20,000
o a whole new can of worms,
ductible donations may be left at City
opens up a
Tax deductible donations may t
Hall or sent to 705 W. Howard. Make sure to
note the donation is for "Cemetery Mainte-
nance."
Lyeai
ie fro
say, "I'm not going to be
buried out there" (Can you be so sure? You
will be dead) or "I don't have anyone bur-
ied out there."
So what? The reason you should pay is
because this is your hometown. You owe
your respect to the ones who went before
us, the same as the ones that come after us
do. This is something decent people do. We
may continue to gripe about things, but
how many dollars have you given this past
year?
This is like voting. If you don't vote, you
have no right to fuss. If you don't help with
the cost of the cemetery, either go out there
and clean up your property or stop all the
fuss.
Let's all send in a donation (it is tax de-
ductible) today. I'm sending mine now.
I believe all people of Olney are just not
aware of how dire the situation is. Let's
This, plus a little from the annuity, would
be enough to keep our cemetery and our
pride looking good. Of course, there is
another way out. Everyone, load up your
lawn mowers and weed eaters about once a
stop being freeloaders and step up and do
ghtthi
donations to the Olney Cemetery
Board, 705 W Howard, Olney, TX 76374
Helen Harris
ie right thing.
Send
Bass gang members
took different paths
The fates of the two surviving members
of the Sam Bass Gang could not have
been more different.
Jim Murphy and Frank Jackson played
much different roles in the last stages of
the gang's existence.
The Texas Rangers caught up with the
gang at Round Rock, thanks to a tip from
one of Bass' own men, Jim Murphy. The
outlaws had robbed too many Texas
trains and towns to remain on the loose.
Law officials caught Murphy and con-
vinced him that he could feed them infor-
mation and escape a prison sentence. He
soon alerted the Texas Rangers that the
gang planned to rob the bank in Round
Rock on July, 20,1878.
His betrayal ultimately ended in Bass'
death. Murphy escaped jail time, but area
Bass sympathizers turned his life into a
caged existence.
There were so many threats on his life
that he asked the Denton County sheriff
for permission to sleep in the jail. Other-
wise, he felt he would be murdered in his
bed.
His enemies' thirst for vengeance was
short-lived. Murphy suffered from chron-
ic eye trouble, which he treated with eye
drops containing the deadly poison, bel-
ladonna.
Within two years of Bass' death, the tor-
mented Murphy was found dead in the
cell where he slept. Tales abounded that
he was poisoned by someone, but regard-
less of the source, he died a lonely and
reviled man.
On the other hand, Frank Jackson, the
often overlooked hero of the Round Rock
attack (from an outlaw's perspective),
lived a charmed life compared to Mur-
phy.
Partly because of luck and daring, the
17-year-old Jackson's rescue of Bass de-
fied the odds.
Ambushed by the law, Bass had no
chance in the street fight after a slug hit
him in the gun belt. The shot delivered
an extra deadly dose of exploding brass
cartridge and gunpowder into his belly.
Another freak shot clipped off his trigger
finger.
Jackson ignored the flying lead and
boosted the wounded Bass onto his horse
with one hand, managed to balance Bass
and get both horses out of town through
©I*t£g ^Enterprise
A MediaNews Group Newspaper USPS 408-020
TU
TEXAS PREStt
ASSOCIATION
■I West
■if Tea is Press
Association
Mindi Kimbro Tommye Leemann
Editor General Manager
Karen Harris William Dean Singleton
Advertising Mgr. President
Robert L. Krecklow
Publisher/Vice-President
a !3IMedlaNews Group newspaper
The Olney Enterprise is published once per week, each
Thursday, by Lake Country Newspapers, 213 E. Main
Street, P. O. Box 577, Olney,Texas 76374, (940) 564-
5558, or Fax (940) 564-3992. Periodicals postage paid at
Olney, Texas. Subscription rates: In Young and Adjoining
Counties, $23.99 per year; elsewhere in Texas, $27.99 per
year; outside Texas, $33.99 per year.
e-mail: editor@olneyenterprise.com
website: www.olneyenterprise.com
Display ad deadline: Monday, 3 p.m.
Classified ad deadline: Tuesday, noon
Send address changes to The Olney
POSTMASTER:
Enterprise, P. O.
Box 577, Olney. Texas 76374-0577
North Texas Tales
By Gay Schlittler Storms
the gunfire.
The teen took Bass to a quiet spot west
propped him under a live
kson wanted to stay with
of town and
oak tree. Jac
Kang-
opped him under a live
>tay w
Bass and fight it out with the Texas Ra:
ers and the posse.
But Bass insisted that the boy get out
while he still could. Jackson reluctantly
rode away from the dying Bass and the
outlaw life forever.
In the meantime, the Texas Rangers had
organized a huge search party which was
late getting started. First of all, the Bass
gang was expected a day later. Second-
ly, an unsuspecting deputy walked into
the Texas Rangers' stakeout and blew it.
Known as a zealous enforcer of the "no
gun, no holster" town ordinance, the
clueless deputy tried to collect the out-
laws' guns.
What must have seemed like an outra-
geous request to the Bass gang cost the
deputy his life.
After the ensuing gun battle, Jackson
rescued and was forced to abandon Bass.
The law — posses from various towns and
the Texas Rangers — caught up with the
outlaw. He was still alive and conscious
enough to tell them of Jackson's heroics,
but he refused to answer any other ques-
tions.
The closest hospital was in Austin. The
authorities took the outlaw to the old
Round Rock schoolhouse where he died
Sunday, July 21, 1878, on his 27th birth-
day.
Despite the role Jackson played in the
saga of Bass, authorities were less than
impressed with the teenage robber. The
search for him extended throughout the
U.S. and Canada. He was seen by "those
who knew" from Canada to Brazil. As
late as the 1980s, a wild west magazine
claimed that the file on Frank Jackson re-
mained open in the Texas Department of
Public Safety.
What really happened was that in the
1920s, the Rangers began to get contact
from "an old bandit" who lived in New
Mexico and wanted to get square with the
law.
The old bandit turned out to be a long-
time, highly respected New Mexico
rancher and businessman. He had a large
spread and a large family. This rancher
had once been known in Texas as Frank
Jackson.
Authorities sent a lawman to talk with
him, and had they sent some of the easy-
going types, the old man might have
returned to Texas to clear his name. Un-
fortunately, they sent Frank Hamer, a
steely-eyed lawman with quite a reputa-
tion. He must not have convinced Jack-
son that giving himself up was the thing
to do. Hamer closed the file on Jackson in
1937 after the old man had already died a
natural death.
Apparently, the lawlessness of Frank
Jackson was laid to rest long before his
actual death.
And judging by the scales of outlaw
justice, Jackson and Murphy probably re-
ceived their just rewards.
How to write a letter to the editor
The Olney Enteiprise welcomes let-
ters and comments from readers.
Letters mustbe signed bv the author.
The Olney Enteiprise does not with-
hold signatures for any reason;
therefore, no letters sent without
signatures will be printed.
Letters must include both an ad-
dress and telephone number for
verificationpurposes. Letters should
be limited to 450 words. Letters
containing more than 450 words
could be printed as a guest column,
at the editor's discretion. The editor
reserves the right to edit letters for
length, libelandgood taste. Deadline
for submitting letters is 5 p.m. each
Monday.
Deliver letters to 213 E. Main or mail them to: P.O. Box 577, Olney, Texas 76374.
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Kimbro, Mindi. The Olney Enterprise (Olney, Tex.), Vol. 105, No. 24, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 15, 2013, newspaper, August 15, 2013; Olney, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth836760/m1/4/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Olney Community Library.