Download or read book The First Waco Horror written by Patricia Bernstein and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2006-01-18 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1916, in front of a crowd of ten to fifteen thousand cheering spectators watched as seventeen-year-old Jesse Washington, a retarded black boy, was publicly tortured, lynched, and burned on the town square of Waco, Texas. He had been accused and convicted in a kangaroo court for the rape and murder of a white woman. The city’s mayor and police chief watched Washington’s torture and murder and did nothing. Nearby, a professional photographer took pictures to sell as mementos of that day. The stark story and gory pictures were soon printed in The Crisis, the monthly magazine of the fledgling NAACP, as part of that organization’s campaign for antilynching legislation. Even in the vast bloodbath of lynchings that washed across the South and Midwest during the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Waco lynching stood out. The NAACP assigned a young white woman, Elisabeth Freeman, to travel to Waco to investigate, and report back. The evidence she gathered and gave to W. E. B. Du Bois provided grist for the efforts of the NAACP to raise national consciousness of the atrocities being committed and to raise funds to lobby antilynching legislation as well. In the summer of 1916, three disparate forces - a vibrant, growing city bursting with optimism on the blackland prairie of Central Texas, a young woman already tempered in the frontline battles for woman’s suffrage, and a very small organization of grimly determined “progressives” in New York City - collided with each other, with consequences no one could have foreseen. They were brought together irrevocably by the prolonged torture and public murder of Jesse Washington - the atrocity that became known as the Waco Horror. Drawing on extensive research in the national files of the NAACP, local newspapers and archives, and interviews with the descendants of participants in the events of that day, Patricia Bernstein has reconstructed the details of not only the crime but also its aftermath. She has charted the ways the story affected the development of the NAACP and especially the eventual success of its antilynching campaign. She searches for answers to the questions of how participating in such violence affected the lives of the mob leaders, the city officials who stood by passively, and the community that found itself capable of such abject behavior.

Download or read book Six Shooters and Shifting Sands written by Bob Alexander and published by University of North Texas Press. This book was released on 2015-03-15 with total page 497 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many well-read students, historians, and loyal aficionados of Texas Ranger lore know the name of Texas Ranger Captain Frank Jones (1856-1893), who died on the Texas-Mexico border in a shootout with Mexican rustlers. In Six-Shooters and Shifting Sands, Bob Alexander has now penned the first full-length biography of this important nineteenth-century Texas Ranger. At an early age Frank Jones, a native Texan, would become a Frontier Battalion era Ranger. His enlistment with the Rangers coincided with their transition from Indian fighters to lawmen. While serving in the Frontier Battalion officers' corps of Company D, Frank Jones supervised three of the four "great" captains of that era: J.A. Brooks, John H. Rogers, and John R. Hughes. Besides Austin Ira Aten and his younger brothers Calvin Grant Aten and Edwin Dunlap Aten, Captain Jones also managed law enforcement activities of numerous other noteworthy Rangers, such as Philip Cuney "P.C." Baird, Benjamin Dennis Lindsey, Bazzell Lamar "Baz" Outlaw, J. Walter Durbin, Jim King, Frank Schmid, and Charley Fusselman, to name just a few. Frank Jones' law enforcing life was anything but boring. Not only would he find himself dodging bullets and returning fire, but those Rangers under his supervision would also experience gunplay. Of all the Texas Ranger companies, Company D contributed the highest number of on-duty deaths within Texas Ranger ranks.

Download or read book Billboard written by and published by . This book was released on 1974-11-16 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends.

Download or read book The Texas 7 written by Gary C. King and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2001-04-16 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A true crime story of a 2000 Texas prisonbreak and the deadly manhunt that followed in its wake. “You haven't heard the last of us yet ...” These were chilling words on a note left behind by seven armed and dangerous inmates who escaped from the John Connally prison in South Texas on December 13, 2000. Their promise has apparently been fulfilled. The inmates, now known as the Connally Seven, are suspected of having first robbed a Radio Shack in Houston, and then, days later, on Christmas Eve, of having fatally shot and runover a young police officer during an assault on a Dallas sporting-goods store. For six frantic weeks, a massive manhunt with a significant reward had only turned up dead ends...until a tip came in from someone who had seen the gang on Fox-TV’s America’s Most Wanted. Authorities arrested four of the seven prisoners, including suspected ringleader George Rivas, in Woodland Park, Colorado, and a fifth inmate shot himself during police negotiations. Immediately intensifying the search for the last two heavily armed and dangerous prisoners, police and FBI closed in on them at a Holiday Inn in Colorado Springs just two days following the previous arrest. After five hours and a telephone interview with a TV news station in which they expressed their feeling that the breakout was a statement against Texas’s judicial system, the two inmates surrendered themselves, putting an end to a long and frightening episode. The Texas 7 goes behind the scenes to give you a detailed, fascinating account of the events leading up to and after their brazen prison escape—and the exciting chase that ultimately led to their capture.

Download or read book Brann s Revenge written by S. Smith and published by Gatekeeper Press. This book was released on 2019-08-22 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This story is historical fiction about the city of Waco, Texas, Baylor University, and some of the Baptists and folks of the town during the latter years of the 19th Century. Most of the characters are loosely based on real people that lived at the time but are exaggerated and extrapolated to develop the story. Not everything was peaceful serenity in this small town located on the Brazos River on the cusp of the 20th Century. People held grudges and had axes to grind for real or perceived wrongdoings between such characters as William Cowper Brann a semi-famous local newspaper writer, the Carroll Brothers who ran the Baptist religion in the state, and the mayor of Waco, J.W. Riggins. Red, the primary narrator falls in love with Inez Brann, the daughter of William Cowper Brann, the city’s primary antagonist of the story. Red is heartbroken at their truncated relationship. As the story progresses, the history of the city including the devastating F5 tornado that struck the city in 1953, plays a critical part in a love story and quite possibly subsequent tragedies that have repeatedly struck the city over the years.

Download or read book Paper Dreams written by Joyce Richards Case and published by Inspiring Voices. This book was released on 2014-06-12 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hope Davidson meets the man of her dreams, a man on a quest of his lifelong Paper Dream. In pursuit of his ambition, Winn Prichard wrestles with his feelings for Hope, a strong woman of faith. Dare he risk falling in love again? To take another chance at love, Winn loses sight of truth. His mistakes are too burdensome to reveal to her. Will his deceptions destroy her love for him? In 1928, running from failures of the past, Winston Prichard passionately pursues his goal of publishing his own newspaper. Will lack of money, unwise choices, and a weakness for alcohol push his Paper Dreams further from fruition? His continuing difficulties cast doubt about a relationship with Hope Davidson. Should he make her a part of his odyssey? Hope's love for Winn is all encompassing, and she shares his vision; however, discoveries of his transgressions plague her. Maybe her Papa was right when he warned, "If he's a skunk, I hope you see his stripe before it's too late." When each plan crumbles, Hope relies on her faith, yet she questions the wisdom of chasing the aspiration. Hope prays for a secure marriage without secrets. She wonders if desires are personal vanities or if they are placed in our heart by God for His divine purpose.

Download or read book The Good the Bad the Butlers written by Charles L. Olmsted and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2015-06-01 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite his challenges as a deaf-mute, Burnell Butler was one of those who dreamed of a better life in Texas. Lured by all the twenty-eighth state offered, Butler, his wife, twelve children, and seven slaves gambled big in 1852, migrating from Mississippi in covered wagons to the unknown prairies of Texas. It was there that the Butlers would begin a new chapter, fueled by their rugged, hard-working spirit. Charles Olmsted, a former award-winning sports writer, relies on extensive research and anecdotes to chronologically capture the fascinating history of the Butler family. Beginning with a cattle drive during the Civil War, Olmsted details how Burnells son, William G. Butler joined in helping build the foundation for the multi-billion dollar beef industry, rode the Chisholm Trail with his family from the 1860s to the 1880s as part of the transformation to cattle cars on railroads, and often settled disputes with gunfights. Included are excerpts from letters, newspapers, and books as well as details from land purchases, proclamations, and real-life accounts. The Good, the Bad, the Butlers shares the true story of a pioneer family as they built a new life in Karnes County, Texas, and attempted to survive all the challenges of living in a dangerous and dusty land.

Download or read book Time of the Rangers written by Mike Cox and published by Forge Books. This book was released on 2009-08-18 with total page 517 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second installment of a no-holds-barred look at the history of the famed Texas Rangers from western author Mike Cox Following up on his magnificent history of the 19th century Texas Rangers, Mike Cox now takes us from 1900 through the present. From horseback to helicopters, from the frontier cattle days through the crime-ridden boom-or-bust oil field era, from Prohibition to World War II espionage to the violent ethnic turbulence of the ‘50s and ‘60s--which sometimes led to demands that the Texas Rangers be disbanded. Cox takes readers through the modern history of the famed Texas lawmen. Cox's position as a spokesperson for the Texas department of Public Safety allowed him to comb the archives and conduct extensive personal interviews to give us this remarkable account of how a tough group of horse-borne lawmen--too prone to hand out roadside justice, critics complained--to one of the world's premier investigative agencies, respected and admired worldwide. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Download or read book Austin Colony Pioneers written by Betty Smith Meischen and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2019-06-28 with total page 646 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Austin Colony Pioneers is a collection of many families that came to Texas in its earliest days and the German settlers and their influences upon the growth of Texas. The book is filled with many anecdotes, short stories, obituaries and articles gleaned from area newspapers. These early families intermarried and not only filled Austin’s original colony but their descendants went to every corner of America. The book traces many of these early pioneers into the present day and also gives their roots before they came to Texas. Colonel William Barret Travis of the Alamo has been a constant element of Betty’s historical research because her family was connected to him in many ways. There are descriptions of persons of historical note such as that of General George Custer and his command of Hempstead, Waller County, after the Civil War. There are stories of towns that once flourished and today are no more. The pages are packed with accounts such as the Bell-Schaffner feud and Shootout in Sealy, Texas and tales of infamous Six Shooter Junction, of Elizabeth Ney, the famous sculptress, and many other historical places and persons of interest.

Download or read book A Hundred Years of Texas Waterfowl Hunting written by R.K. Sawyer and published by Eakin Press. This book was released on 2024-08-05 with total page 638 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The days are gone when seemingly limitless numbers of canvasbacks, mallards, and Canada geese filled the skies above the Texas coast. Gone too are the days when, in a single morning, hunters often harvested ducks, shorebirds, and other waterfowl by the hundreds. The hundred-year period from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century brought momentous changes in attitudes and game laws: changes initially prompted by sportsmen who witnessed the disappearance of both the birds and their spectacular habitat. These changes forever affected the state’s storied hunting culture. Yet, as R. K. Sawyer discovered, the rich lore and reminiscences of the era’s hunters and guides who plied the marshy haunts from Beaumont to Brownsville, though fading, remain a colorful and essential part of the Texas outdoor heritage. Gleaned from interviews with sportsmen and guides of decades past as well as meticulous research in news archives, Sawyer’s vivid documentation of Texas’ deep-rooted waterfowl hunting tradition is accompanied by a superb collection of historical and modern photographs. By preserving this account of a way of life and a coastal environment that have both mostly vanished, A Hundred Years of Texas Waterfowl Hunting also pays tribute to the efforts of all those who fought to ensure that Texas’ waterfowl legacy would endure. This book will aid their efforts in championing the preservation of waterfowl and wetland resources for the benefit of future generations.

Download or read book Where the Heart Leads written by Jeanell Bolton and published by Forever Yours. This book was released on 2015-11-17 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A woman's past . . . A new beginning. It's the only thing former child star Moira Farrar wants. Putting her painful Hollywood memories in the rearview mirror, she's headed to Texas and to an exciting new job directing a small-town theater group. But it's the sinfully sexy smile of red-headed rancher Rafe McAllister that makes Moira really dream of starting over-even though she knows that anything more than a fling would set the stage for heartbreak. A cowboy's future . . . When Rafe buried his wife three years ago, he buried his heart along with her. Now, the only woman in his life is his daughter . . . and all of the women in Bosque Bend know that. But from the moment he lays eyes on Moira, he feels alive again. Maybe it's her quick wit and clear-eyed compassion. Whatever it is, Rafe wants Moira, body and soul. So why is she so skittish? Rafe aims to find out-before his second chance at happiness rides off into the sunset . . .

Download or read book Ghosts of the Rio Grande Valley written by David Bowles and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2016-09-26 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the darker side of Texas history in this collection of chilling local lore—includes photos! Hidden in the dense brush and around oxbow lakes of the Rio Grande Valley wait sinister secrets, unnerving vestiges of the past, and wraiths of those claimed by the winding river. The spirit of a murdered student in Brownsville paces the locker room where she met her end. Tortured souls of patients lost in the Harlingen Insane Asylum refuse to be forgotten. Guests at the LaBorde Hotel in Rio Grande City report visions of the Red Lady, who was spurned by the soldier she loved and driven to suicide. In this book, David Bowles explores these and more of the most harrowing ghost stories from Fort Brown to Fort Ringgold and all the haunted hotels, chapels and ruins in between.

Download or read book Big Wonderful Thing written by Stephen Harrigan and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 944 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Harrigan, surveying thousands of years of history that lead to the banh mi restaurants of Houston and the juke joints of Austin, remembering the forgotten as well as the famous, delivers an exhilarating blend of the base and the ignoble, a very human story indeed. [ Big Wonderful Thing is] as good a state history as has ever been written and a must-read for Texas aficionados.”—Kirkus, Starred Review The story of Texas is the story of struggle and triumph in a land of extremes. It is a story of drought and flood, invasion and war, boom and bust, and the myriad peoples who, over centuries of conflict, gave rise to a place that has helped shape the identity of the United States and the destiny of the world. “I couldn’t believe Texas was real,” the painter Georgia O’Keeffe remembered of her first encounter with the Lone Star State. It was, for her, “the same big wonderful thing that oceans and the highest mountains are.” Big Wonderful Thing invites us to walk in the footsteps of ancient as well as modern people along the path of Texas’s evolution. Blending action and atmosphere with impeccable research, New York Times best-selling author Stephen Harrigan brings to life with novelistic immediacy the generations of driven men and women who shaped Texas, including Spanish explorers, American filibusters, Comanche warriors, wildcatters, Tejano activists, and spellbinding artists—all of them taking their part in the creation of a place that became not just a nation, not just a state, but an indelible idea. Written in fast-paced prose, rich with personal observation and a passionate sense of place, Big Wonderful Thing calls to mind the literary spirit of Robert Hughes writing about Australia or Shelby Foote about the Civil War. Like those volumes, it is a big book about a big subject, a book that dares to tell the whole glorious, gruesome, epically sprawling story of Texas.

Download or read book The Last Shootist written by Miles Swarthout and published by Forge Books. This book was released on 2014-10-14 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Young Gillom Rogers has just given the coup de grace to a famous gunfighter involved in a bloody saloon shootout in 1901 El Paso, Texas. After swiping J.B. Books's matched Remington pistols off his body, Gillom thinks he may be able to ride this spectacle to fame and glory as the last shootist. But Gillom is an eighteen-year-old with lots of growing up to do, and showing off his new pistols quickly gets him into a gunfight he didn't bargain for. Gillom sets out for adventure, determined to become a shootist like his hero, John Bernard Books. On his dangerous journey into manhood, he runs into yellow journalists, a New Mexican horse breaker, and a train robber. When he meets a Hispanic saloon dancer named Anel in the booming copper mining town of Bisbee, Arizona, Gillom Rogers is forced to reconsider what kind of man he really wants to be. Miles Swarthout's The Last Shootist is the sequel to one of the most famous Westerns ever written, and concludes the tale of a junior shootist's coming-of-age in a dazzling gunfight in a deadly pimp's whorehouse, as a trio of fiery teenagers ride hard into a new twentieth century. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Download or read book Day Trips from Austin written by Paris Permenter and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2010-11-09 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For local travelers looking for an experience in their own backyard, this book is the essential guide to things to see and do around Austin, from Waco's Texas Ranger Hall of Fame to Museum of Handmade Furniture in Braunfels.

Download or read book Magic Valley Murders written by Jack W Horvath and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2019-10-28 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Garza did not set out to be a serial killer. The first victim fell into an accident because David did not know that his father's pistol had a hair trigger. With that under his belt, it seemed natural in a rage to take the life of one who had offended him. The third victim, a law officer, fell to a vicious cutthroat attack made in what he perceived to be self-defense. It just got easier each time.

Download or read book Rawhide Texas written by Wayne Gard and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2015-07 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What makes a Texan tick? The answer can be found not in military and political histories, but in the social history of the people of Texas—the story of their long, heroic battle to conquer challenging conditions as America’s frontier pushed westward. Pioneer settlers grappled with summer droughts and winter blizzards, often fighting for their lives against Comanche Indians or wild animals. Unknown diseases killed the livestock. Prairie fires destroyed fields and pastures, and clouds of grasshoppers devoured crops. To beat these odds, early settlers had to be as tough as the rawhide they braided into quirts or lariats—for only the strong survived. All Texans shared in the hard life of the frontier. Picture, if you will, a circuit-riding preacher swimming his horse across swollen streams to conduct a camp meeting. A doctor as he rides fifty miles or more through rough country to set a broken bone or deliver a baby, or a schoolteacher risking her life to protect her pupils during an Indian raid. Or a newspaper editor, shot in the back for telling the painful truth. These—any many more—were the people who built Texas. Wayne Gard portrays them in informal sketches of pioneer life on the Texas frontier, illuminating the still-emerging Texas character. What makes a Texan tick? You’ll find part of the answer in Rawhide Texas.