Did R. M. Potter Coin The Alamo
Phrase?
By J. Marvin Hunter
In the last issue of Frontier
Times appeared an article, "Alamo
Phrase Buried in Obscurity," which
addressed the authorship of the
famous phrase, "Thermopolae had
its messenger of defeat—the Alamo
had none." Various persons have
been credited with having coined
this immortal phrase, among them
being Gail Borden, Edward Burleson,
Tom Green, and others, and now comes
another claimant for that honor
in the person of Reuben Marmaduke
Potter, eminent patriot of the days
of the Republic. More light is thrown
upon this subject by Mr. Louis Lenz
of Shreveport, La , who sends in
a Photostat copy of a portion of
a pamphlet by Captain Reuben M.
Potter. Here is the story.
Mentions: Rev. Edward Fontaine
* Mirabeau B. Lamar * Miss Fidelia
Burchard * Naugle * Louis Lent *
James Gordon Bennett *
Boyce House And A Texas Horned
Frog
Boyce House, now a prominent
feature writer and radio commentator
of Fort Worth, is the man who started
"Rip," the Texas horned frog on
his road to fame, and landed him
on the front page of nearly every
paper in the United States, back
in 1928. This is the account of
House and the famous frog by R.
K. Phillips of the Weatherford (Texas)
Democrat.
Mentions: Eastland, Texas * News-Scimitar
and Commercial Appeal * the Daily
Oil Belt News * Judge Edward S.
Pritchard * Eugene Day * Mr. Singleton
* Dr. William T. Hornaday * Andrew
Volstead * Wings Over Chaos * Knowles
Witcher Teel * Lilith Lorraine *
Sara Borschow, Ruth Clark Callis,
Aline B. Carter, J. E, Crews, Mary
Estelle Daunoy, Blanche hing Fitch
* Willie Hardcastle, May Laufenburg,
Lilith Lorraine, Dora Price, Rowena
Selby, Knowles Witcher Teel, Mabel
Lindsey, Vick, and Ethel Young *
Texas Rangers On The Scout
By A. J. Sowell (Continued from
Last Month.)
In 1870-71 the Indians were very
numerous and hostile on the Texas
frontier, and a call was made by
the Governor for several companies
of volunteers to go on a campaign
against them. There was an immense
scope of country to protect, stretching
from the Rio Grande to Red River.
The Indians were more numerous in
the northwestern part of the State,
and committed many depredations
under the notorious leaders, Big
Tree, Satanta, Sittanka, and others.
This account especially deals with
the conditions of the Texas border
at that time, especially in the
northwest, and relates incidents
of Indian warfare as recalled by
old settlers in that region. Account
includes detailed record of the
brutal Indian attack on the poor
Keenon family.
Mentions: Dave Smith * Jacksboro
(or Fort Richardson). * Brit Johnson
* Lost Creek in Jack county * General
Braddock * Captain Baker and Lieutenant
Hill * Big Sandy Creek * Bud Seglar
* Jim Schuler * John Fitzgerald
* Lieutenant Hill * Dave Woodruff
* Sergeant Payne * Jim Townsend
* Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees,
Caddoes * Captain Cox * Captain
Sansom * O. T. Brown * Col. Bean
* Keenon's ranch * the Keenon family
* The widow Paschal * (Continued
Next Month.)
Notable Texans I Have Known
Elmer J. Edwards, Jr., Waco,
Texas
The account describes individuals
that have always had the interests
of Texas foremost in their lives
and will always be the noblest of
Texans. They have kept the sparks
of tradition and romance burning
in the hearts of all loyal Texans
by their untiring, unceasing efforts
to preserve a realization of the
historical heritage of the people
of Texas.
Mentions: Misses Adina and Mary
De Zavala * Lozenzo De Zavala *
Pat Neff Hall * the Cullen F. Thomas
Carillon * Baylor University * Ursuline
Academy * Sam Houston State Normal
in Huntsville * Dean Thomas Ulvan
Taylor * Mrs. Annie Pennybacker
of Austin * Mission San Francisco
de las Tejas * El Santissimo del
Nombre de Maria * Mrs. G. Keith
Gordon of San Antonio * Mrs. Bessie
Lee Fitzhugh of Waco * the old Tehuacana
College * Mr. Guy Bryan Harrison,
Jr., * Senator Tom Connally * Pat
M. Neff * McGregor * Miss Alta Jack
* town of Burleson * Burleson Renfro,
the son of William Henry Renfro
* Dr. Rufus C. Burleson of Baylor
University *
Guadalupe County's First Cotton
Gin
By J. M. Woods, San Antonio,
Texas
The growing, sale and the manufacture
of cotton into cloth, the varied
use of the by-products of cotton,
is such an important factor of the
lives of such a vast number of people
that the story of the effort to
further the commercial production
of cotton in Guadalupe county is
an interesting one. W. R. Posey,
of Seguin, recalls in this article,
his grandmother's account of the
work of her husband, Ben Posey,
in erecting the first cotton gin
in Guadalupe county:
Mentions: the Posey family came
to Texas from Virginia * he located
on York's Creek on the line between
Guadalupe and Comal counties in
1852 or 1853 * Rogue's Hollow *
When A Thin Dime Brought Good
Luck
By Clifton Seymour Stuart
Author of this article, Clifton
Seymour Stuart, was an old time
telegraph operator in Texas, and
spent several years in Marshall
and Dallas, and he wrote many interesting
stories of early railroad life,
which were published in Frontier
Times. Here is another of his fine
offerings from his early Texas life
experiences.
Mentions: Dan Stuart * Maurice
Barrymore * Ethel, Lionel and John
Barrymore * Eagle Ford * T. C. Junction
* Daddy Alvoid * Henri Marcella
of New Orleans * the old St. James
hotel * Old man Herman Kretz * Jake
Shaeffer * Pop McNaughton * the
Jeffries-Johnson fiasco * Dangerous
Dime McGrew *
Frontier Culture In San Antonio
Mentions: Beethoven Mannerchor
* The story of Old Man Mullins *
Jake Mullins * William McManus *
Reminicences Of Jeff Holt, Frontiersman
As Told to His Son, Roy Holt.
Account of Jeff Holt, who was
born in Erath county, Texas, near
Granbury, May 17, 1862. He spent
most of his years in Coleman county,
Texas and offers excellent detailed
glimpses into life in early days
there. This
account offers some rich and rare
early Coleman county history and
genealogy.
Mentions: Jim Holt * settled
in Erath county, between Robinson
and Kickapoo Creeks * Zebudee Holt
* William Carroll Holt * Jackson
Holt, Allen Holt, Nathan Holt, Charlie
Holt, Acie Holt * Wood county *
Rains county * Boone county, Arkansas
* Aunt Martha Bellah * Bosque county
* Valley Mills * Father bought land
on Mukewater Creek about four miles
southeast of the Santa Anna Mountains
* Mukewarrah, Comanche chief * the
Council House fight in San Antonio
* the old Lone Star cemetery north
of Point, Texas * Sam Bellah * Jim
Beaird * Emory * Sheriff McConnell
of Kaufman county * Mattie Gertrude
Beaird * Will Beaird * C. C. Burk
* Charles Cock * Pink Barton and
Bailey Barton * Jack Woodward *
Chris Burk * Bob Campbell and Ellie
Campbell * Trickham * Fort Griffin
* the Busk Ranch * John Hardin *
Allen Holt * Gouldbusk * Fred W.
Turner * Talpa * the Beck and Overall
ranches * the Turner ranch * Rockwood
* Dick Cheatem * Miles Wofford *
Chris Burk * John and Jim Brannan,
Rich Coffey * William Jennings Bryan
* Jim Hogg * Brownwood * Coleman
City * C. M. Grady, ex-ranger and
my neighbor for many years, who
now lives in Brownwood; H. H. Brown,
another neighbor for many years;
also S. H. Duggins, a near neighbor
yet; L. L. Baker, Ellie and Bob
Campbell, Chris C. Burk, George,
Thomas, Andy, and Bob Kirkpatrick,
Miles and Frank Wofford, Lewis and
Henry Brooks, Dr. J. P. Matthews,
L. L. Shield, Dr. T. M. Hays, Linnie
and Charlie Hunter, Sam Phillips,
L. V. Stockard, W. R. Kelley, V.
L. Grady, Sam Harper * Rich Coffey,
Captain John Elkins, W. W. Hunter,
Joe Green, Tom Johnson, John Cox,
Bose Blackwell, Pink and Bailey
Barton, Henry Sackett, Veach Woods,
John Bannister, Thad Knox, and Joe
Morris. * were J. L. Vaughan, Charley
Shield, the Porters, the Featherstons,
Billy Guthrie, Henry Voleutine,
Lee Page, Charley Haynes, John McClatchey
*
Happy Recollections Of Boyhood
Days
By J. Marvin Hunter
"It is pleasant to look backwards
sometimes and recall amusing incidents
that occurred in the days of our
youth. In the years that I have
lived I have had many varied experiences,
some strange, some tragic, some
blood-curdling, some sorrowful,
some humorous and delightful. Through
all these years there has been enough
happiness and sunshine to outweigh
whatever sorrows and misfortune
that has come to me."
"My happy childhood days were
spent at Mason and Menardville,
and I have a vivid recollection
of many things that occurred, particularly
at Mason,, which, to the reader,
may not be interesting, but to me
they are treasures and souvenirs
of my boy-hood that will never be
forgotten."
"One of the humorous, yet pathetic,
incidents that I recall happened
at Mason in 1892. The Baptist congregation
had erected a new church building
on High Street, just across from
D. Doole's store, and shortly after
its completion a protracted meeting
was held there, the services being
conducted each night for about two
weeks. Rev. C. A. Mangham conducted
the revival. A family by the name
of Harris had just moved to Mason
from Hunt or Hopkins county. Mr.
Harris was a lawyer, and had three
sons one of the sons, Charlie Harris,
was also a lawyer, and a little
later this young man was elected
county attorney. Charlie Harris
was a fine looking young fellow,
always went well dressed and, like
his brothers, was very popular with
the girls…"
Further Mentions: a German by
the name of Heimann * Aunt Nancy
Garner * Bud Garner * Sam Garner
* Centennial Spring * the Scott
Cooley gang * Charlie Gowan * College
Spring * Post Hill * Billie Todd,
Mick Hey, Manks and Sterling King,
Wes Smith, Holmes Doole, Charlie
Broad, Orb Stapleton, Will and Jim
Lemburg, Otto Schmidt, Charlie Bernhard,
Cal Moody, Edgar Mebus, Will Sands,
John and Irvin Mayo, Robert and
Otto Bogusch, Clyde Traweek, Willie
Garner, John Butler, Frank Garner,
George, Jess and Wils Leslie, Lawrenge
Christopher, Emil Schroeder, Dee
Payne, Mark Adcock, John Hubbard,
,Kay Hubbard, Felix Eckert, Gus
Eckert, Fritz Klett, Willie Dye,
Otto Keyser, Henry Keller, Ike and
Bud Martin, Ed Henrich, Will Holland,
Max McAllister
