It Happened Today . . . in Texas

March 24, 1886.  Gordon, Texas.  John Fortner was 28 years old.  Blue eyed, light complexioned, with a red moustache and an otherwise good appearance.  He was said to have a good name in the town, with no history of criminal mischief or other malfeasance.  But at 7 pm on March 24th, having encountered a small boy returning from a hunt and carrying about a quarter pound of powder, John Fortner, baggage-master and warehouseman at the Texas and Pacific Railroad’s Gordon depot, undertook to dispose of the powder by burning down the Gordon depot, an act which produced a lot of smoke, but very little damage.  Still, Fortner was caught, placed under arrest, and conveyed by US Marshals to the Parker County jail for incarceration pending trial.  What occasioned this act so out of character for Fortner?  Well, turns out, it was just one of many acts of vandalism and property damage resulting from the Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886.  Idling regional rail traffic with a 200,000 worker strike, the action was one of the earliest labor versus management disputes, and it drew the attention of four regional governors and even the president and federal authorities.  And in the end, it would go down as a colossal failure and even lead to the collapse of one of the first national labor unions, the Knights of Labor.    

March 17, 1981, Liberty, Texas.  Girls like Vicki Moore didn’t travel in the circles of high society.  They were far more likely to be found at the bowling alley, the trailer park, or working the afternoon shift at the local Dairy Queen.  And that’s right where Vicki was, when she met local Liberty attorney Price Daniel, Jr.  If that name sounds familiar, it should.  Price Daniel, Sr. was kind of a big deal.  A lawyer, like his son, Price Daniel Sr. was a state rep, then the Speaker of the State House, then Texas Attorney General and Texas Senator.  In 1957, he was elected the 38th governor of the State of Texas, and even finished his career as a justice on the Texas Supreme Court.  And Price Daniel Jr. had a similar career arc planned.  Well before the age 40 he was already the speaker of the Texas house, and planning a run for Attorney General just like his dad.  And if that wasn’t enough, Price Jr. was also a direct descendant of Sam Houston on his mom’s side.  What motivated Price to order that afternoon coffee at the Dairy Queen and court Vicki Moore may have been nothing more that the oldest temptation that men confront.  But when Price Daniel Jr. died on the floor of his family estate, the victim of a .22 caliber bullet fired by his wife Vicki, his death would lead to accusations and claims that shook the town of Liberty to its very roots.  Because on March 18, 1981, as Price Daniel’s sisters sued for custody of the couple’s children, Vicki spun a tale of drug use, pederasty, and domestic abuse that nobody was ready for.

Maj. Horace Elmo Donaho March 10, 1945.  Stephenville, Texas.    Eula Langston Donaho had lost her husband Cody just nine months earlier.  And though she had four other children, her mind and heart were preoccupied with the fate of her son Horace Elmo Donaho, a captain in the US Army.  Elmo had left John Tarleton College and been commissioned an officer during World War II.  He had fought in Italy and been captured by the Germans in June of 1944.  Cody died just weeks after getting word that his son was missing.  Ultimately, it was learned he had been captured and taken prisoner by the Germans.  But today, in Stephenville, good news was on the way.  Elmo had been liberated from a German POW camp by Russian allies advancing on Berlin and was on his way home. Additional Information: Article on Reunion of Elmo’s Camp Bowie Commissioning Class (The Unholy 10) Details on Silver Star Obituary for Maj. Horace Elmo Donaho   Article of Elmo’s Return to Combat Article from Aug 18, 1950 The Galveston Daily News (Galveston, Texas)  

March 3, 1989, Washington DC. and recently elected president, George Herbert Walker Bush has departed the White House for a visit to the Pentagon.   As the motorcade makes its way from Pennsylvania Avenue across the Potomac, a welcoming party assembles in front of the building with Secretary of Defense nominee, former Texas senator John Tower, joined by acting secretary of defense, William Howard Taft IV and Admiral William Crowe, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff greeting the president.  But back on Capitol Hill, the Senate convened for the second day of debate on Tower’s nomination, which came under attack as stories of drunken escapades and sexual harassment were luridly put forth in the confirmation process.  And when all was said and done, John Tower would be the first time that the Senate had rejected a Cabinet nominee of a newly elected president, and in many ways, the precursor for many confirmation fights to follow.     For More Information: Articles: Boston Globe article Sen. Hollings (D-SC) Newsletter on Tower Nomination Now It’s History Article Article on Weyrich Testimony Videos: Hear Paul Weyrich Discuss His Senate Testimony Tower Press Conference after Nomination Rejected Day 3 of Nomination Hearings – Paul Weyrich Testimony Other: NTSB Report on ASA 2311 Crash

  February 24, 1983.  Amarillo, Texas.  Charles Rumbaugh was 25 years old at the time, but he was determined 25.  He liked things on his terms and on his schedule, and it people weren’t willing to cooperate with him, well, he might just have to take matters into his own hands.  And so when his lawyers persuaded a federal judge to stay his execution for a murder that Rumbaugh had committed when he was just 17, Charles Rumbaugh decided that he would take matters into his own hands.  If the state of Texas wouldn’t execute him, he’d find someone else to do it.  And so on this Thursday morning, an hour into a hearing before federal judge Mary Lou Robinson to determine his competency to waive his appeals, Rumbaugh decided to act.  Pulling out a homemade blade, he moved toward Deputy US March Olen McClendon yelling, “Shoot me!” And that’s exactly what Olen did. But this was just the one more in a long stream of Rumbaugh misdeeds and crimes.  Listen to today’s podcast to get the full background on what led young Chuckie Rumbaugh to seek suicide by cop. Episode Notes: Newspapers.com Clippings on Courtroom Shooting (Page 1) (Page 2) Newspapers.com Clipping on Retrial Local Radio Station News Post 5th Circuit Review of Judge Robinson’s Competency Finding(includes description of courtroom shooting).                 Texas Department of Corrections Inmate Page  

February 17, 1974.  Benbrook, Texas.  Valentine’s Day had come on Thursday that year, and for the students of Western Hills High School, the traditional rituals of young love were honored and observed as usual.  Chocolates, roses, love notes, all the usual accoutrements of high school romance were in play.  And of course, there was a dance.  The Valentine’s Dance would be held on Saturday, February 16th.  And if there was a belle of the ball, that honor surely had to go to Carla Walker, a 17-year-old junior cheerleader who, of course, would be attending with her date, the quarterback of the football team, naturally, Rodney McCoy. But as the dance let out and the young couple parked behind the Ridgelea Bowling Alley to steal a little more time together, their tryst would be interrupted by a stranger, who would pistol whip Rodney and abduct Carla Walker, whose body would be found three days later, though her killer would remain free for over 45 years. Episode Notes: Texas Monthly Article – Skip Hollandsworth Fort Worth Star-Telegram Article – Body Found Kneeland Suspect in Walker Slaying – FW Star-Telegram McCurley Arrest – FW Star Telegram Dateline NBC Report – After the Dance Carla Walker and Rodney McCoy   Glen Samuel McCurley (2020)

The wreckage of the two fatal crashes. Laredo (above) and San Antonio (bottom)   February 10, 1923.  Kelly Airfield.  San Antonio, Texas.  US Army Brigadier General Billy Mitchell was a handful for his friends and worse for his enemies. But he was also a bonafide war hero.  Given command of the entire American air combat forces in Europe, Mitchell led almost 1500 US and allied planes in an overwhelming air campaign during the battle of St. Mihiel in September 1918.  Under his leadership, the Allies established complete aerial superiority and devastated German ground forces.  And after the war, Mitchell became an unceasing advocate for air power as the key to victory in future wars.  So, when Brigadier General Mitchell made his way to San Antonio to inspect the 3rd Attack Group based out of Kelly Air Field, a demonstration of aerial prowess was very much in order.  But to the shock of Mitchell and the sorrow of the San Antonio flyers, four deaths and three crashes would be the legacy of this visit. And as it turns out, Billy Mitchell very well may have been responsible for those deaths.  Because after arriving in San Antonio, he had modifications made to the planes and ordered the pilots to execute new combat tactics they have never been trained in.  And the last two of those deaths happened today in Texas, right before the eyes of General Billy Mitchell.                   Show Notes:     Billy Mitchell, the 3rd Attack Group and the Laredo Project of 1923 Photos of the 3rd Attack Group en route to Laredo – February 9, 1923                                     The Flight Line at Kelly Airfield

February 3, 1979 – Vidor, Texas.  Vidor Detective Lieutenant Sam Kitrell had been working overtime since January 30th, when New Mexico truckers James Hinchey and Rex Patrick Atencio were found stabbed to the death in the chest inside their bloody cab.  Hinchey’s son Eldon, who had been sleeping in the back, was the only witness.  Awakened by an argument, Eldon knew the killer to be a hitchhiker who had joined them at a Lake Charles truck stop.  Working non-stop for two days, Kitrell had located and arrested the hitchhiker, 17 year old Tony Dawayne Adams, who had fled back to Vinton, Louisiana and hidden out in a hotel room.  But on February 3rd, as Adams sat secure in the Orange County Jail, Kitrell got the first of the news that would change his case:  James Hinchey wasn’t James Hinchey and Eldon wasn’t his son.  And in less than two weeks, Tony Dawayne Adams would walk out of court, a free man, even though the police didn’t believe him and his story changed conveniently with the identity of Hinchey.  But the reality of who James Hinchey really was changed Tony Adams from a brutal murderer to a vigilante hero, and ultimately a free man. *Trigger Warning – This podcast contains allegations of sexual assault.* Episode Notes Adams at Age 17 on his release Hinchey’s True Identity Revealed – https://www.newspapers.com/article/austin-american-statesman-2379/164555270/ Report on Adams Initial Arrest in Slayings – https://www.newspapers.com/article/san-angelo-standard-times-hinchey/164555624/ Article on Plea Bargain – https://www.newspapers.com/article/victoria-advocate-21679/164555527/ Article on Adams 2009 Arrest – https://www.newspapers.com/article/bryan-college-station-eagle/164559175/ Tony Dawayne Adams TDCJ Profile https://inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/viewDetail.action?sid=02600438 GoFundMe for widow of Eldon Call  https://www.gofundme.com/f/eldons-final-expenses Adams Arrest Photo in 2009 Eldon Call in Jail after Murders    

January 27, 1932 … Livingston, Texas. Polk County has always had its share of violence. In July 1931, when the district court came into session on July 13, there were seven murder cases on the docket in this small county. And before the month was out, another would be added to the list after the newly wedded bridegroom Leon Dougherty, 21 years of age, was shot in the head and killed in front of the house where he lived with his father-in-law. And while another murder may not have turned heads in Livingston, the defendant surely did. The trigger woman was none other than 21 year old Lillian Creel, who would become the first woman to be charged with murder in Polk County, and charged along with her, her employer, on whose word she claimed to have acted. The dead man’s father in law, Tom Duke.

January 20, 1919.  Hillsboro, Texas.  The county seat of Hill County was tense, and the locals were not happy.  It was a time of economic and cultural change.  Hillsboro was still a rural, agricultural community.  It’s proximity to Dallas that we take for granted today was measured in hours not minutes.  The 6000 residents or so were coping with the changes of the time – automobiles and motorized vehicles were becoming more prevalent.  Electricity was more widely available, but in rural areas only 10-15% of homesteads had connections.  But times were changing. World War I had sparked a push for change in the South, as Black veterans returning from the war demanded greater respect and civil rights, inspired by their contributions to the war effort. However, this push for equality was met with fierce resistance, leading to heightened tensions and a surge in violence, including the Red Summer of 1919.  But before summer would come, little Hillsboro would be the site of one of the most grotesque and condemned lynchings in US history.   Join us today for a troubling chapter in Texas history as we look at the arrest, trial and lynching of Bragg Williams.

 January 13, 1994.  Azle, Texas.  Bonnie Conkling is headed to the post office to ship a package to her beloved daughter Ceslee, who is living her dream down in Florida.  Ceslee is in her third year as a clown for the famed Ringling Brothers Circus.  And the 1994 touring season is getting underway.  But before Bonnie can get the package shipped, she hears the news.  A Ringling Brothers Circus train had derailed near Lakeland, Florida.   And by the end of the day, she’d receive the news that every mother dreads.  Ceslee, aka Sassy Lee, was one of two Ringling Brothers employees who lost their lives in the derailment.  But the spirit of Ceslee, loved and remembered by friends and fans alike, lives unconquerable even to this day. Show Notes: Thanks to Ceslee’s Ringling Brothers co-workers, fellow clowns Mike Weakley and Lara Heidtman Smith for taking the time to share their experiences in the circus with Ceslee.  Their insights are sprinkled throughout this episode. Before working on this episode, my knowledge of clowns and the circus was pretty much limited to my own attendance at the Ringling Brothers shows I saw as a kid or took my sons to see. When people said she was known for her falls, I had no idea what that meant.  But in the course of researching this episode, one video I saw of Ceslee absolutely wowed me in trying to grasp the athleticism and skill that goes into clowning. Courtesy of Lara Heidtman Smith, we have a few photos of Ceslee and Lara on the road with Ringling Brothers:   You can read the NTSB Report here. A photo of the wreck is here: http://kathleenmaca.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/trainwrecklarge.jpg

January 6, 1936. Pendleton, Oregon.  Oregon, you say?  Well hold your horses just a minute.  It’s Monday morning and William Owens kisses his wife Etta goodbye and heads to his job as assistant foreman at one of the Union Pacific sawmills in Pendleton, his place of employment for almost 13 years.  He’s had a nice run here in Pendleton.  Good job as a machinist, met and married his beloved Etta, and an all around reputation as a good guy. But William Owens doesn’t know that a stranger was on his way to town.  Two of them actually.  Sheriff Tom Able of Lubbock County, and Sheriff Jim Cook of Bailey County would arrive at noon.  And four hours later, Williams Owens, or John Teal as he was known when he lived in Texas, had confessed to an 18-year-old murder and was on his way back to Texas with them.  Would justice delayed be justice denied?  Find out in Episode 6 of our podcast: It Happened Today  . . .  in Texas. Show Notes for “It Happened Today in Texas” – Episode Date: January 6, 1936Episode Summary:In this gripping episode, we delve into the capture of William Owens, previously known as John Teal, who confessed to the murder of 22-year-old Evelyn Monts—a crime that occurred 18 years prior in Bailey County, Texas. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of rural Texas in April 1918, detailing the events leading up to the murder and the long, elusive pursuit of justice.Key Themes:Murder and Confession: William Owens, a respected member of the Pendleton, Oregon community, is apprehended by law enforcement from Texas. He confesses to the murder of Evelyn Monts, revealing dark secrets from his past. The Love Triangle: The episode explores the tense dynamics between Evelyn Monts and her suitors, particularly the rivalry between Teal and Lee Cooper, leading to a fateful encounter that resulted in tragedy. The Crime Scene: A detailed account of the day of the murder, where Monts was shot while with a student, shedding light on Teal’s unstable character and the regional societal norms of the time. Justice Delayed: The shocking outcome of Teal’s trial after nearly two decades and the implications of his brief eight-year sentence, highlighting themes of justice and its complexities. Key Characters:William Owens (John Teal): The murderer who lived under an alias, leading a quiet life while harboring his dark past. Evelyn Monts: The victim, a young teacher whose aspirations were tragically cut short. Lee Cooper: Teal’s rival for Monts’s affection, whose presence escalates the tension leading up to the murder. Sheriff Tom Abel and Sheriff Jim Cook: The determined lawmen who finally tracked down Teal and brought him to face justice. Conclusion:The episode emphasizes the poignant story of Evelyn Monts, her legacy, and the reflection on how long it took for justice to be served in rural America. It serves as a sobering reminder of the impact of violence and the protracted quest for truth in a world where reputations and lives can shift drastically in an instant. 

December 30, 1842.  Austin, Texas. 1842 had been a tense time for the infant Republic of Texas.  Regular incursions of Mexican troops across the loosely defended borders peaked with the rapid March capture of San Antonio by Mexican General Rafael Vasquez.  With over 1000 troops with him, the Texan defenders fled quickly, with many retreating to Austin.  And though Vasquez’s raiders withdrew rather quickly, the shock of the ease with which a major settlement fell shook the young nation’s government, at least its Executive Branch.  That March raid would lead to something much greater.  Internal dissension, a lawless executive, and a mini-civil war, as the local populace of Austin did what the country’s president refused to do, and defended its legal status as capitol of the Republic against the angry overreach of famed General Sam Houston in the not so famous Texas Archive War.

December 23, 1927.  Cisco, Texas.  It had been a chilly week in the run up to Christmas.  And though balmier days were ahead, it was still chilly as the 3500 residents of the bustling little town prepared for Christmas. Founded 49 years earlier, by 1927, the town’s economy was largely driven by farming, ranching, and the railroad. Many residents were employed by the Texas and Pacific Railway, which passed through Cisco, while others worked on local farms and ranches.  And there may have been Christmas carols.  They wouldn’t have been singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town yet, because that little ditty wouldn’t be written for another seven years.  But Santa Claus was indeed coming to Cisco, not with elves, but with accomplices, and he was carrying a pistol.

December 16, 1826. The town of Nacogdoches at the time was an established, but small community, estimated at between 500 and 1000 people. But it stood at a crossroads touching the edges of the immigrant Anglo colonists pushing further into Texas, the indigenous populations, being displaced but still dominant in their lands and feared in the colony, and the public officials and forces of the Mexican government, the sovereign of the land called Texas. It was a trading post and a hub for newly arriving immigrants. So, when Colonel Ben Edwards rode into town with 30 troops and declared the independence of the Republic of Fredonia, to be centered right there in Nacogdoches, well that’s when things got real serious.  

December 15, 1899. Marfa, Texas. Philipine Krupp and her son Cornelius, residents of Houston, had been staying at the ranch of Lacy and Mary Jane Duncan. The ladies headed to town in a horse drawn carriage to do some shopping. With them was another young lady from Houston, and Mary Jane’s granddaughter, seven year old Inez Coalson. And on the Southern Pacific rail line, Fast Freight No. 243, a dual engine freight train was west bound for Marfa. When carriage and conductor meet, it’s sure to make news. And it happened today in Texas.  

The city is Dallas TX. And the location is the old Dallas County courthouse -- the courtroom of District Judge C. A. Pippen. It’s Friday afternoon and five days of rain have given way to mild temperatures for December with highs in the mid-60’s. But in the jury room things aren’t so mild. And the trial of Ray Adams, a central Texas farmer who earlier that fall had gunned down local banker Orville Mathews on the streets of Dallas, over a bet of all things, is about to come to a shocking end. It happened today in Texas.

Meet your host Rhett Callahan as he invites you to follow along with our new Texas history podcast.