The Way It Was:
No more whiskey on trains in Texas; see 29-foot snake
110 years ago
March 19, 1908: PARENT MAKES EXCUSE FOR BOY’S LANGUAGE
A boy of 12 or 13 years old was arrested and taken before Justice Williams of the West Side on a charge of using vile and obscene language in the presence of a number of other children his own age, including a number of girls. The boy’s father was with him in court and claimed his son had been provoked by the other children and used the language complained of while angry. This was a noble defense of the boy indeed! It showed the boy had come by his character “honestly,” to say the least. On account of the boy’s tender years (not because of his “tender” nature) the court let him off with a nominal fine and warning. The law in eases of this kind should be so made as to apply to the parents and not the offspring.
March 20: ROBBER GETS SEVEN YEARS IN PEN
A telephone message from Boston received this afternoon stated J. Jones, charged with entering the sleeping room of Mr. Tidwell on Rose Hill and stealing $60 and a gold watch several weeks ago, had entered a plea of guilty before the judge, who sentenced him this morning to seven years in the penitentiary. Johnson, as will be remembered, escaped after the robbery, but was arrested a short time later in Shreveport and brought back here and jailed.
March 21:
ASHDOWN NEWS
Three car loads of mules have been sold in Ashdown since the first of this year, and there will be another here Tuesday, half of which are already sold.
Ashdown has nine hotels and four restaurants. All seem to be making a living, and several are making good money.
March 22:
COME SEE 29-FOOT SNAKE
Sheriff Sanderson says Samson, the big snake, is a humdinger, and they all advertise their show to be the best that ever came from Texas. Twentynine feet long and weighs 310 pounds. Well worth your time and money. On the midway at big snake exhibit. Every man, woman and child should go see it.
March 23:
ROOF BURNED FROM DWELLING
The two-story frame dwelling at 410 Pecan St. was badly damaged early this afternoon by fire. Good work of the firemen, aided by good pressure from the fire engine, prevented the destruction of the house and probably spread of the flames, as a high wind was blowing. The fire is said to have originated from a painter’s blast, while the painter was scraping and burning the paint from the house preparatory to putting fresh coats.
March 24: SALOON OWNER INDICTED FOR SUNDAY VIOLATION
J.N. Lockhardt, who keeps a saloon outside the city limits on the Buchanan road, was arrested last night by Deputy Sheriff Peters on five charges of violation of the Sunday law. The warrant was based on indictments found by the present Bowie County Grand Jury. The defendant gave bond in the sum of $ 1,250 for his appearance in Boston on April 15 and was released.
March 25:
BORE HAD BEST OF IT AT OPERA
J.P. Sousa was talking about musical bores. “I must confess,” he said, “that a musical bore once got the better of me. I was at Wagner opera, and the bore sat on my left. He had a book of the score open on his knee, and he hummed every passage, every single passage. My patience was at last exhausted. I turned to the man and said, ‘I beg your pardon, but I didn’t pay, you know, to hear you sing.’ ‘Then,’ said he,’ you have all that into the bargain, eh?’”
50 years ago
March 19, 1968:
TRAINS NOW ‘DRY’ IN TEXAS
The Texas legislature has passed a law and the same has been signed by the governor, making it a misdemeanor to drink whiskey on railway trains. The penalty for a violation of the law is fixed at $10 to $100 fine.
March 20: PREFERENTIAL TEA HELD FOR RUSHES
Epsilon Sigma Chapter, Beta Sigma Phi honored its rushes at a preferential tea at Security Savings Hospitality Room in Oaklawn Village. Attending were Mrs. Jerry Alexander, Mrs. Winfield Dunn Jr., Mrs. Robert Mayes, and Mrs. Don Hackworth, Mrs. Joe Warren, Mrs. D.M. Eakin, Mrs. Dale Brake, Mrs. Don Dietrich, Mrs. W.D. Cobb, Mrs. Harry Lundgaard, Mrs. John Hackleman, Mrs. Eddy Johnson, Mrs. Lewis Brumley and Mrs. Norman Green. Mrs. Buford Norton, membership chairman, and Mrs. Jack Ray, president, presided at the silver tea service and Mrs. Bruce Williams poured coffee from a silver pot.
March 21:
MISSES AND A MISSILE
Nine of the Miss Texarkana candidates visit the U.S. Air Force missile display at Oaklawn Shopping Center. Those attending were Jeanette Aquino, Ann Trice, Christie Morrow, Lindola Ware, Bobbie Rothrock, Terri Ryan, Clara Borcherding, Paula Jones and Jane Jones.
March 22: WASHINGTON HIGH STUDENTS WIN FIRST PLACE
Two Booker T. Washington High School students won first-place trophies in contests held in conjunction with the annual leadership conference of the Arkansas Association, Vocational-Industrial Clubs of America, in Little Rock Friday and Saturday. Miss Betty Jean Turner won first place in the job interview contest and Henry Hollis placed first in the carpentry contest. Over 300 attended the convention from schools throughout Arkansas.
March 23: POSTERS TO BE REMOVED FROM TELEPHONE POLES
Texarkana, Texas, City Manager Howard Willingham announced that the city has been requested by the utility companies to enforce the ordinance barring posters from utility poles. Willingham said that no posters— whether political or advertisements of coming events—will be allowed on any of the utility poles and that those that are already up will be taken down immediately. He said that the utility companies have complained that the posters are a hazard to the men who have to climb the poles.
March 24: ARKANSAS WILL FACE SHUTDOWN
Arkansas’s most sweeping liquor crackdown since the Prohibition days of 1920s may be in the offing in wake of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board’s directive Tuesday, forbidding private clubs and country clubs in the state to sell or serve mixed drinks. According to ABC Director Harrel D. Hughes, Arkansas has an estimated 1,100 private clubs and country clubs, most of them chartered under Act 176 of 1963— the non-profit corporation act which does not mention alcoholic beverages.
March 25: STUDENTS TO PERFORM ‘NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH’
NASHVILLE, Ark.—The Junior class of Nashville High School will present “Nothing but the Truth,” a three-act comedy by James Montgomery, at the Nashville Junior High School auditorium. The cast will include Tommy DeBlack, Bernie Kreul, Johnny Harding, Gregg Elliott, Tommy Drivers, Brenda McFarland, Leta Sue Hockaday, Phyllis Toilett, Susan Shaddox, Donna Key Steel and Shelia Anderson. Sponsors of the class are Mr. and Mrs. Joe Goodrum.