Aransas Pass Progress (Aransas Pass, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, October 27, 1922 Page: 1 of 4
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ARANSAS PASS PROGRESS
■ 1
V oiumis^&I II
ARANSAS PASS, SAN PATRICIO COUNTY, TEXAS, OCTOBER 27, 1922
Number 27
THE CITY OF CERTAINTY, WHERE SAILS MEET RAILS
ailing Develops Oil and Gas
sShowing In Sigmund Well
---------“-Bailing from the bottom upward was givefc a trial in
"Sigmund Well No. 3 last Friday. In using a 4-inch bailer hot
' much headway was made and as no night driller and crew
• had been engaged we shut down again,” said Mr. Sigmund to-
day-;1 “The bailer brought up sand and shale that was heavily
saturated with oil.
“All arrangements were made with the drillers and crew's
to bail Monday,' but rainy weather stopped us. Tuesday bail-
ina-; was resumed and continued until about 3 o’clock when a
, V^cGld rain set in and work had to be suspended all day Wednes-
day. %*he crews got at it again Thursday, and bailing day and
night, y to be continued. Every time the 4-inch bailer is run
-•41$%is^-'.the 6 inch to the bottom, the sand and shale taken
out shows great deal of oil. The large 6 inch bailer, used
to reduce with* shows a, good deal of1 oil and',gas every trip out.
“We hope that as soon as we can keep the bottom clear
and then run dowjp and bail out that the gas will, blow in the
well.”
■ Mr- -Sigmund returned from the well late this afternoon
and reported that gas was strong enough to blow a core into
the casing for about 150 feet, but this was worked out again.
When lie left every bailer was showing more oil than ever
before.
Principals In Roberts Killing
Are Held Without Bai:
State Boat Reliance Destroyed
1 By Fire—Caused by Explosion
SO WANS ARRIVE TO SPEND
THEIR USUAL WINTER HERE
Mr: and Mrs. J. It. Craven, of Clear
Lake, la., arrived Thursday.evening
to spend' their usual winter hunting
and fishing and enjoying themselves
generally.
“We . thoroughly enjoy our winters
in Aransas “Pass,” said Mr. Craven.
“All those who want to can go to Flor-
ida or California, but neither place
can offer Kth.e- winter climate or the
hunting, and fishing that Aransas Pass
affords. The beneficial effect of the
federal migratory bird law has been
fie means of increasing the number of
^eks and geese to a point where any
ftrtsman can easily obtain tlie legal
fait, if they are a good enough shot,
[“and the sanctuary for migratory fish
that has been created by your state
game department by closing the waters
between the twro termikial railways
against all seines should make fall and
winter fishing most excellent. Last
year I put in most of my time hunt-
ing as it was almost impossible to
catch a mess of fish, but this year I
expect to divide my time between hunt-
ing and fishing.
' “We find it a great economy, as
well as a pleasure, to spend our win-
ters in Aransas Pass. Tlie railroad
fare to Aransas Pass from Clear Lake
made a trip almost prohibitive, so last
year I bought a Ford car in which to
make the journey. My car expense
last year on the trip was just $47 and
this trip tlie expense was between $13
and $14. Of course wei had to pay our
living expense, but we would have
had to do that at home. Furthermore
our winter’s fuel bill at home would
cost over $200 and in the winter time
it is almost impossible to obtain vege-
tables of any kind. Here our fuel
bill is practically nil afnd vegetables at
reasonable prices are generally ob-
tainable. We can live more comfort-
ably herd than at home, and infinitely
cheaper and better than in either Flor-
ida or California.
"We found good roads all the way
except for a small stretch near Mc-
Alister, Okla., at Karnes City, Tex.,
and between Gregory ,and Arajnsas I
Pass.”
STATE CELEBRITIES ENJOY
FINE HUNTING AND FISHING
Hon. W. W. Boyd, State ; Game,
Fish and.Oyster.Commissioner, accom-
panied by Bruce M. Bryan, assistant
Attorney General and Lon A. Smith,
State Comptroller, arrived last Sat-
urday from Port Lavaca in the state
boat Jim Duke, and returned Tues-
day. While they were out on busi-
ness connected -with .the department,
they mingled pleasure with the busi-
ness by enjoying wonderful sport in
the duck blinds and in pole and line
fishing.
Movement of Fuel Oil
The movement of Mexican fuel oil
through Aransas Pass for the week
ending Thursday, October 26, totaled
59 cars, distributed as follows:
Yoakum, 14 cars; Waco 12 cars; San
Antonio, 10 cars, Kenedy, 8 cars; Cor-
pus Christi, 5 cars; Alice, 2 cars;
Pleasanton, 2 cars; Houston, 2 cars;
Kingsville, 1 car; Beeville, 1 car;
Yougeen, 1 car and Aransas Pass, 1
car.
Oil Boat Arrivals
Oil bargp, Freeport Sulphur No. 1
arrived from Texas City this morning
with a cargo of fuel oil for thei Swift-
sure Petroleum Company. The tanker
Mex-Oil is due to arive Saturday from
Tampico with a cargo of fuel oil for
the San Antonio and Aransas Pass
railway.
Corpus; Christi Caller, Wednesday,
October 25: Following an examining
trial before Justice of. the Peace ,W.
W. Sharp yesterday afternooil Lee
Petzel, former constable, was ordered
released on $5,000 bond, while former
sheriff. Frank G. Robinson,, Joe Acebo
and Cleve Goff were ordered remanded
to jail without bond. It is expected
that Petzel will make his bc^nd today.
The four men have been held since
October 14 in connection with tjie
shooting of Fred Roberts.
The witnesses heard yesterday were
Mrs. G. E. Warren, wife of the prp-
prietor of Warren’s Grocery store, near
the scene of the shooting; Howard
Grant and C. T. Archer.
Mrs. Warren, the first! witness call-
ed, told of the incidents which occur-
red the afternoon of October 14. Mrs.
Warren said that she was at her desk
near the front of the store, when two
men entered and asked for a sack of
tobacco. After buying -this, they-lean-
ed with their backs on the desk and
rolled a cigarette. Her husband, she
said, was in the wareroom at the rear
of the store, but came to the front and
began talking to the two men. Mrs,
Warren said that they asked him how
business was, and when Mr. Warren
replied “pretty slow,” they said “that
is the way it is with all Ku Kluxes;
that’s whajt happened to Ellis.” Acebo
then remarked, according to Mrs. War-
ren. “Warren is a Ku Klux—every-
body say^ be is.” Robinson said, “you
are a Ku Klux, aren’t you, Warren’,,
.a1'ini-.then “By God, you know you are,”
atnd slapped him in the face, said Mrs.
Warren.'
Mr. Warren, she said, jumped be-
hind the counter, and seized two bot-
tles. Robinson went out, and Acebo
followed him, saying to Warren, “don’t
you hit me.” Warren replied, “Get
out of here.” Mrs. Warren said that
she then called the police station, and
asked that police be sent to the store.
Chief of Police Monroe Fox and James
Shaw arrived very quickly, she said,
and asked who had assaulted Mr. War-
ren ; when the men were pointed out
to them, they told her that Robinson
was the man she was referring to,
and Chief Fox went across the street
and talked to Robinson. When he re-
turned, Mrs. Warren said, lie told her
that he had told Robinson to stay
away, and offered to arrest him, but
Mr. Warren said “wait until I think it
over.”
The police then returned to the
station, and Mrs. Warren said that she
called Fred Roberts at his home.
Asked how long she had known Fred
Roberts, Mrs. Warren replied that
they had known him when they lived
in Cleburne, Texas, 14 years ago.
She said that Mr. Roberts came into
seen Roberts after he left the build-
ing. She said that while she was talk
ing Roberts, Robinson and Acebo were
aeros sthe street, and walked back and
forth in front of the; store, but at the-
time Mr. Roberts left, she had lost
sight of the sheriff, and. only saw Ac-
ebo make a gesture. After Roberts had
left, Acebo went south on Staples St.,
and “almost immediately,” she said,
she heard shots. Before the shots were
fired, she testified, she did not know
where Warren was, nor could she say
how many shots were fired.
After the shots were fired, Mrs. War
fen continued, her husband ran from
the wareroom to the front of the store;
i a fewT minutes, Acebo and “another
man” appeared at the front door, and
began firing into the store. Mr. War-
ren jumped behind the counter, and
when he raised his head, another shot
was fired. One bullet she said went di
rectly above her. head, and embedded
itself in tlie wood. , Another struck a
shelf filled with groceries, and still
another struck an oil tank. In all,
she said, five shots were fired into the
store. She denied that any shots were
fired from within the store, saying
tl*.at at no time since they had owned
the store had there been a firearm in
it.
She said that she did not know Goff
nor Petzel, but that she could de-
scribe* the man who stood in the door
firing. Questioned by John Pope,
counsel for the defense, she" said that
she had called Roberts because she felt
the need of a good friend. She said
that Mr." Ellis was- at the store at the
time of the shooting, but could not say
for certain whether or not he came
with Mr. Roberts. Asked why Mr.
Mayfield and .Tesse Wright were there,
she said that §he did not know*. Mrs.
Warren said that she talked to Mr Rob
erts about the incident that afternhon,
and that, it was possible that the other
men might have overheard the conver-
sation. Mrs. Warren; upon, questioning
said that the men seemed very much
incensed.
She said that several men were in
tlie .store when the shooting began, hut
that she'did not know just where they
all went. Roy Clift, Mrs. Warren tes-
tified, was calling a number on the
telephone, hut when the shoting be*”
he dropped the telephone and ran to-
ward the rear of the store.
Mr. Pope asked Mrs. Warren liow
she could ease her conscience in the
light of the fact that she had called
Mr. Roberts to the store. The State
objected to this question and Judge
Sharp sustained the objection.
Howard Grant, the second witness,
testified that he had met Lee Petzel
at the Faust Cafe, and had asked
him about some work. They then went
*vzy.v>.-
The state boat Reliance,' of the game-fish and oyster de-
partment, stationed at Arsjfnsas Pass, was totally destroyed by
fire about !?i^‘,1^sf' night, entailing a loss to_the state of about
$4,500 and a loss to Deputy Thompson and his assistant, Jim
Witt, of about. jML.
Deputy Thompson " and Mr. Witt were out ' Scouting the bays
for illicit fishermen and grounded at Catfish Bend, which is
about one half mile this., side of the end of thd%d} terminal in
the Morris and Cummins1 channel. The' engine was slowed down
and put in reverse and an effort! was? being made to winch the .
boat off the shoal. While engaged in this work thW'engine com-
menced hack firing ami before they could reach it to shut it
off, there was a terrific explosion and the boat immediately
enveloped in flames..: ...Lt,- is supposed that the feed pipe burst
and exploded the 50 or 60 gallons of gasoline carried in the tank.
With great presence of mind Assistant Witt leaped1 through-
the flames to the rear ..of the boat and jumped into the skiff.
Cutting the rope he made way aft and rescued Deputy
Thompson from his perilous position and then shoved off to
safety. Tlie great hurst of flame following the explosiioh
made it impossible or the men to reach tlie fire extinguishers
in the cabin, and had they! been able to do so, the small ex-
tinguishers would have made n©> impression on the seething
flames.
Deputy Thompson and^A^istant Witt lost all their extra ,
clothing which was on hoard and Deputy Thompson lost a :
valuable shot gun, about 50 decoys and all his fishing para-
phernalia besides. All that was saved from tlie boat was one|
sack of decoys which Deputy Thompson threw overboard while
waiting for Mr. Witt to come uni with the skiff. The decoys
belonged to Col. William G. Sterrett, former state game, fish
and oyster commissioner who left them with Mr. Thompson at
the close of last season. They had all been repainted and re-
paired in anticipation of Mr. Sterrett’s annual visit this fall.
“The loss of the boat is exceedii^.^ unfortunate” said Dep-
uty Thompson, “as there is ho money.,, available just now for
the purchase of another one and the legislature does not meet
until January. However, we will make some sort of boat ar-
rangement whereby we can still; attend to our duties.” Im
the store from the wareroom. She j to the city hall, and while at the po-
said that she talked to Mr. Roberts, ['lice station, someone called the sta
Asked if she saw the shooting, she j tion and asked that police he sent to
said she did not, that she had never ! Warren’s store. He said that he and
Petzel got in; the rear seat'of the au-
tomobile, when Fox and Shaw started
at once toward the place mentioned.
The car was parked on Staples street,
and Grant, and Petzel 'remained in the
car while Chief! Fox went, into the
store, followexl shortly by Mr. Shaw.
Grant said that the chief of polled
talked to Robinson, but that lie did not
know wliat was said. A few minutes
later, he said, Robinson and Acebo
talked to Petzel, while Grant niovecT
away a few steps. He then went, into
tlie meat market near Blake’s Drug
store, he said, and remained there for
some time, talking to Petzel, Goff, arid
several other men. While he was there
Fred Roberts drove up, and went into
Warren’s store.
Grant said he told Petzel that he.
was1 going to take a: street car back
to town, and that Petzel said, “stick
around awhile; Mr. Frank is going to
whip Mr, Roberta” He said that
when Roberts came out the side door
of the store, and got in his car, Rob-
inson walked toward him. When he
reached Roberts’ car, he reached over
and shut off the ignition switch, stop-
ping the engine. He then stepped hack,
according to Grant, and fired three
shots at Roberts, Acebo, who was
across^ the street at the time Robinson
went up to Roberts’ car, started across
the street, arid after reaching the ear.
fired' one shot at Mr. Roberts.
Questioned as to thq positiojn of Mr,
Roberts at tlie time at which he was
shot Grant said that he .had qn,e hand
on the steering wheel, and tlie othSr
hand resting on the back of ihe front
seat. He said that; at the t me that
yAceho fired, at Mr. Roberts, he was ly-
ing on Iris side in the front siat.
Petzel, .Grant said, was. on me walk
outside the store, and fired three shots
into the building. He said that he
was not sure whether anyone else fired
or not, but that Acebo fired into the
side door of the building.
When the shooting occurred, accord-
ing to Grant, Cleve Goff, who was
across the street at the time, ranfacross
tlie street toward the store. Grant said
that he seemed to be having difficulty
in getting shells into his pistol.N
C. T. Archer, the third witness tail-
ed to testify, said that he saw the lin-
ing. hut did not know at the time \^ho
had been killed, He said that he sW
Goff standing in the west door of the
building, with his pistol pointing into
the store. He then went across the
street to Fred Roberts’ car, and looked
inside it. After lie had returned to the
w*est side of the street, he said to Goff,
“ain’t that Fred Roberts?” Goff, Mr.
Archer testified, “Yes, that’s Fred—
(CONTINUED ON SECOND PAGE)
Coal! Coal!
Coal!
No doubt there will be a
shortage of Coal. Every-
body should place their
order in time. I have se-
cured a good supply and am
in a position to make prompt
deliveries at any time.
WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH THE
ENTIRE MONTH
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Warrick, W. E. Aransas Pass Progress (Aransas Pass, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, October 27, 1922, newspaper, October 27, 1922; Aransas Pass, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth975355/m1/1/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Ed & Hazel Richmond Public Library.