COLUMBUS
One of our elder citizens came in the other day and said that the Colorado river at Columbus overflowed its banks eleven times in the year 1833. This is a great many times, some will say, but from the records the river has overflowed its banks seven times since last February, and is just falling within it banks after the seventh time.Weimar Mercury, May 26, 1900, page 8
WEIMAR INSTITUTE HONOR ROLL
The following pupils having made the required averages, their names have been place upon the honor roll of this school for the month of January 1904:
Tenth Grade--Mamie Gusman,. Dell Garrett.
Ninth Grade--Beatrice Obenhaus, Will Doggett, Florence Herndon and George Herder.
Eighth Grade--Lula Gusman, Willie Ratliff, Leona Insall.
Seventh Grade--Kathleen Munn, Ella B. McCormick, Julia Barta, Louise Shaver.
Sixth Grade--Mattie Garrett, Kyle Brooks, Joe Bartosh.
Fifth Grade--Sibyl Chapman, Foy Walker, Douglas Allen, Dick Brooks, Lula Walker, Mannie Louterstein.
Fourth Grade--George Louterstein, Willie Ammann, Bettie Walker, Trace Hill and Juuia[sic] Tooke.
Third Grade--Henry Brasher, John Doggett, Willie Black, Cooper Gusman, Alf Shatto, Ira Townsend, Bob Insall.
Second Grade--Helen Taylor, Ernestine Brooks, Frank Shaw, Eddie Barta.
First Grade--High: Laurille Moore, Wilma Munn, Bessie Rogers, Walter Black, Myrtle Williams, Aubrey Chapman, Eddie Kunetka. Low: Jack Brasher, Joe Barta. Jesse Insall.
G. A. More, Principal.
Weimar Mercury, February 6, 1904
The Cigarette Must Go
We saw this morning a letter to one of our business men concerning the habits, character, etc. of an applicant for a position in the employ of a railroad company. After a list of questions on different points, there was printed in large red letters entirely across the page of the sheet the question, “Does the applicant use cigarettes?” This emphasizes the fact that railway companies and other large employing concerns have set their faces against the use of cigarettes by their employees. This young man may fail to get a job is he is a cigarette smoker. To boys who have not yet become so addicted to the habit they can not quit, and who would be in condition to accept good, lucrative positions with concerns that employ men and pay well, we would say don’t take up the habit, or if you have begun, quit it at once before you are so great a slave you can not do so—Athens Review
Weimar Mercury, September 2, 1904
Transcribed by Judy TalkingtonNew Sleeping Car Service on “The Katy” at Half Rates
Commencing at once, the popular M. K. & T. Ry. Is inaugurating a line of World’s Fair excursion sleeping cars which will be operated on “The Katy Fair Special” from points in Texas to St. Louis. It was the intention of “The Katy” to establish this service with the opening of the fair, but the Pullman company were unable to finish and deliver these sleepers, which are modern in every respect until now. These sleeping cars are especially designed for hot weather service. Instead of the hot, dust absorbing plush seats, these cars are upholstered with cane, and are otherwise equal to the standard sleeping cars. The linens, and other service, are equal to the standard sleepers, but the great feature is that the sleeping car rates will only be about one-half the present charges. This addition to the excellent service offered by “The Katy” will no doubt prove very popular with the traveling public, and will give many an opportunity of taking sleeping car accommodations that otherwise would have been compelled to travel in chair cars or coaches.
Reservations for space can be secured on application to any ticket agent.Weimar Mercury, September 2, 1904
Transcribed by Judy TalkingtonThe Summer Normal.
The attendance at the normal continues to increase, new students having entered each day since the opening, until at this writing (Wednesday) there are forty-eight students enrolled. The classes were organized the first day of the session, and regularl work began the second day. Already considerable ground has been corered, and those in attendance seem to be an intelligent and earnest lot of men and women, who are determined to derive the greatest possible benefit from their attendance on the normal. The instructors are exerting themselves to give them the best service of which they are capable, and no doubt at the close the most of those in attendance will be well pleased with the work done. A half holiday was given the students Monday afternoon that they might witness the firemen's contests.
The faculty have arranged for a series of lectures to be given during the session. These will consist of one or more lectures on physiology by Dr. S. B. McLeary, and an address on the school laws of this state or some kindred subject by Hon. J. J. Mansfield. Others have been invited to address the normal on subjects of interest to teachers, and due notice of the time of these lectures will be given. The public are invited to attend these lectures, and to visit the normal at any time.
The following is a complete list of the students enrolled: Miss Susie Eason, Shimek; Miss Frankie Dick, Arthur Miller, Columbus, Miss Leona Korthauer, Eagle Lake, Sister of Divine Providence Nelanie Gerard, Weimar, M. Odilie Loth, Dubina, M. Rose Bader, Schulenburg, M. P. Heinrich, High Hill, M. L. Warshburger, Weimar, M. Adeline Jones, Ellinger, Misses Mary Steffens, Lexa Crawford, Mrs. J. B. Bond, and Mr. T. N. Powell, Smithville, Miss Adelia Kesselus, Bastrop, Mr. C. Theumann, Cat Springs, Miss Ida Parma, Messrs. Joe Kopecky and Willie Halamicek, Roznov, Miss Minnie V. Franz, Mr. A. Lueders, LaGrange, Mr. Leo Peter, Dubina, Mr. Geo. Helmcamp, Jr., Cistern, Miss Ida Heinsohn, Zapp's P. O., Miss Allen Hopkins, Mrs. C. B. Baker, Mr. Guy Crozier, Waelder, Miss Mamie Koehl, Fayettevile, Miss Minnie Andre, Biegel, Miss Emma Hatch, Muldoon, Miss Ida Carter, Saturn, Miss Alma Melcher, Swiss Alps, Miss Grace Bockham, Flatonia, Miss Leona Morrow, Hackberry, Mr. A. Behrens, Oldenburg, Mr. H. L. Eck, Bluff, Miss Mattie Campbell, Borden, Misses Nell Hancock, Maria Watson, Lilly Holman, Holman, Maude Armstrong, Willye Shaver, Mamle Gustian, Messrs. G. Oehler, J. P. Rosenberg, Loe Williams, Will Doggett, Tommie Insall, Weimar.Weimar Mercury, July 4, 1903
Submitted by RoxAnn JohnsonNews Notes From Altair
We recently had the pleasure of spending a week at Ingleside, the finest summer resort on the Texas coast.....
On our way to Ingleside we stopped off at Kenedy, and there we met Judge George Webber. He will be remembered as one of the crew of the Sallie Black, once a battleship that plowed the raging waters of the Colorado river, and was kept near Columbus. There are several of her crew yet living, so says Mr. Webber, and some of them still live in Columbus. Dr. Bob Harrison was her captain, Lee Harris was admiral, and we believe Mr. Webber said Connie Byars was one of the crew. ...Weimar Mercury August l, 1903, page 1
Vox Populi Postmistress
Vox Populi, Sept. 10.--The newly appointed postmistress of this place, Miss Frances Frnka, who received her commission August 26, 1903, is in all probability the youngest postmistress in Texas and perhaps in the United States.
She is 18 years of age and is a young lady of sterling character. She has acted as assistant for the past three years and is well suited and qualified to discharge the duties of the office. While assistant she had the office under her care most of the time.
On June 13 of this year the postoffice here was burglarized and $30 in money and stamps stolen. She suspected two negroes and furnished information to the officers which led to the arrest of the two men, who afterward confessed the crime and are now in jail in Houston.Weimar Mercury, September 26, 1903,page 3
Dead Letter List.
List of letter remaining in the post office at Weimar, Texas, for the week ending Oct. 7. If not called for will be sent to the dead letter office Oct. 21, 1905.
Mrs. Sallie Weimar
Vessie Taylor
Sr. Don Florencie Aspeitla.To obtain above letters please mention advertised. Respectfully,
E. F. Seydler, P. M.
Weimar Mercury, October 24, 1905
A negro named Joe Emerson, a charcoal burner by profession, was exhibiting a tooth last Saturday, which had been picked up in the Clear Creek country. It was an extremely large specimen, and evidently at one time did good service for some mastodonic inhabitant of this section. The tooth, or rather the broken part, was petrified, and weighted ten pounds.
Colorado Citizen, January 19, 1901
Josiah Payne made his last trip to Matagorda with the mail last Saturday. thus ended four years of most faithful and ardnous public service. In storm and freeze and flood, Mr. Payne has conscientiously and unflinchingly done his duty; and were it not that he is as tough as a pine knot he would not have stookd it. He has gone to his old home in Colorado county to rest and visit relatives and friends while he decides wht he will do next. V H. Hrding, the new contractor on his route, has put a Mr. Stephens in Mr. Payne’s place. He will carry pasengers in a buggy or hack as the business may require.--Bay City Tribune.
Weimar Mercury, July 12, 1902
Mrs. Lillain Mair, of this city, secured a divorce from her husband, W. A. Mair, in the district court at New Orleans, La., last week. He is to pay her alimony in the sum of $55 monthly and she was given the custody of the children. Mr. Mair has been a traveling natiional organizer for the C. K. of A. for several years and is considered the ablest solicitor in the employ of that organization.--Halletsville New Era.
Weimar Mercury, July 19, 1902
Deborah Sampson, who enlisted In the Continental Army as Robert Shurtleff, was one of the most dashing and brave fighters for the cause of liberty. She enlisted in Massachusetts regiment and served three years before it was known that the brave soldier was a woman. She was taken ill in Philadelphia, says a writer to the Ladies' Home Journal, and the the hospital nurse had pronounced her dead, but a slight gurgling attracted the doctor's attention; he placed his hand over her heart, and, finding to his surprise an inner waistcoat tightly compressing her breast, ripped it open. She was immediately removed to the matron’s apartments, where everything was done for her comfort, The commanding officer upon learning that his aide was a woman granted her an honorable discharge and presented her with a letter from Washington commending her services. The humble soldier stood before him with shining eyes filled with tears and thanked him many limes, begging him to ask that her fellow soldiers be told, and that he ask them to tell him if she had done aught that was unbecoming. This was done and her comrades and officers declared their respect for her was unbounded. Upon her honorable discharge she returned to her mother's home striving to escape the calumny which followed her singular career. After General Washington became president he wrote a most cordial letter to Mrs. Gannet (Deborah Sampson, she having married In the meantime), Inviting 'Robert Shurtleff' to visit him. She accepted and was treated with the greatest honors by the president and the residents of' Washington.
Weimar Mercury, June 1, 1901, page 3
TWO NEW TOWNS BUILDING
Columbus, Tex., May 12.--The rice Industry In Colorado county has created two new towns. Lakeside, on the Cane Belt railroad; owned by Captain Dunovant, has a large store, a gin, a $50,000 rice mill, all of which with the rice farms and pumping plants constitute a village of some 500 or 600 people. A $350,000 sugar refinery soon to be built will add greatly to the town.
The second town is Garwood, named for ex-Senator Garwood, formerly of Bastrop, now of La Grange. This town is now being built on a high prairie on the west bank of the Colorado river, about twenty miles south of Columbus at a point heretofore known as Red Bluff, now owned by Hon. M. H. Townsend, W. T. Burford and T. F. Bouldin of Columbus, and T. A. Hill, of Weimar. The townsite was laid off two months since and the streets properly graded., An attractive postoffice building is finished and some ten or twelve houses, dwellings and stores are completed and others in course of erection. One of the requirements of the townsite company is that only creditable, substantial houses shall be built, and all shall be painted. A large pumping plant is nearing completion on the bluff over the river and nearly three miles of canal, most of which is 100 feet wide, is constructed. The Red Bluff Rice company, composed of the above named gentlemen, is planting 1000 acres in rice for this season. A gradual descending grade of the land from this point south to the bays skirting the Gulf of Mexico affords the possibility of extended irrigation for rice in this direction and it is the intention of the company to extend their canal and irrigate more land year after year.
The county has just completed a steel truss bridge across the river at Garwood, thus connecting two of the most fertile and prosperous sections of the county. The nearest railway station is Matthews on the Cane Belt railroad, about five miles distant and every effort will be made to induce the Cane Belt company to extend a branch line to Garwood, with good reasons to hope they will do so.
The soil in that section is rich, black, pulverable, holding water admirably, but not so sticky as to prevent easy cultivation. There are at present three steam gins in the neighborhood, which usually ginned from 3000 to 3500 bales of cotton annually before the boll weevil visited this section. The Red Bluff Rice company’s proposition is decidedly promising and in the near future their town as a business place, will doubtless develop into considerable importance,
Mr. J. A. Harbert of the Stafford-Harbert Rice and Canal company reports that he is further advanced with his crop than any rice farm he has heard from in the state. His rice is up six inches and he has put water on it to stay until he will harvest. His company Is watering 000(?) acres of rice this season.
Weimar Mercury, May 25, 1901, page 6
HILLEBRAND SHOT.
And Jesse Wink is Now Under Arrest.
Columbus, Texas, May 9. – A year and a half ago at a dance in Shaw’s Bend, William Wink shot Rhinehardt Hillebrand through the neck with a pistol and Hillebrand killed William Wink. Hillebrand recovered from that wound. This morning about 8 o’clock as Hillebrand was passing the Wink farm, where Jesse Wink, son of the late William Wink, was plowing, he was fired upon twice with a shotgun and six times with a pistol. Hillebrand fired twice at Jesse Wink with a six-shooter, but his eyes were filled with blood and he missed his aim. Hillebrand was hit in the face, hands and arm with twenty-one small shot, all flesh wounds. His most serious wound is a shot over the left eye, which lodged behind the eyeball. He will not lose his eyesight unless suppuration ensues. Sheriff Bridge and Constable Hester brought Jesse Wink to town at noon.
Schulenburg Sticker, 11 May 1905
Letter From Altair
Jesse Thomas has accepted a positionas railroad agent and operator at Ben Arnold, a station on the S. A. & A. P. road near Waco. The “Sap” can boast of one thing--as having the smallest railroad agent of any road in the state. Jesse is 4 1/2 feet tall, weighs 78 pounds and is 18 years of age.
---
We heard from Jesse Thomas. He will be at Ben Arnold until Jan. 1st, and then go to Rockport for a month. We suppose you would call his job a relief agent. Jesse says all the ticket windows are built too high.Weimar Mercury December 16, 1905, page 10
Jesse is the son of Henry C. and Margaret ThomasSince the beginning of the year there have been a number of changes in business and a general shifting around of clerks. Max Konz has combined his stock with Chas. Fahrenthold; Frank Anders is now with the Boettcher Co.; J. F. Rypple is clerking for Chas. Fahrenthold; while Ferd. Berger can be found behind the counter at Herder & Klimicek's.
Weimar Mercury, January 15, 1909
District Court
To The PublicThe district court of Colorado County will convene in Columbus, September 5th, 1904 and will continue in session for four weeks thereafter.
The grand jury will assemble on Monday, September 5th at 10 o’clock a.m. and the petit jury selected for the firs week will assemble on Tuesday the 6th day of September, at 10 o’clock a.m. The petit jury for the second and third and fourth weeks will asemble on the first day of each week respectively.
The non-jury docket will be called on the first day of the term and the appearance docket on the second day and the jury docket also on the second day of the term.
The first two weeks will be devoted to civil business and the last two weeks to criminal business.
Witnesses in criminal cases need not appear until Monday of the third week of court, being the 19th day of September. In trial of criminal cases preference will be given to cases where defendant is in jail.
The cases where special venire is required; such special venire will be drawn and cases set for trial, as soon as court convenes. All other cases, not capital, are set for trial Monday of the third week of court.
List of Grand Jurors
M. Rhodes
J. W. Westmoreland
Murry Hill (col)
Chas. Williams
O. H. Bock
J. W. Holloway
J. O. Boetcher
J. C. Townley
Andres McBride
Chas. Leyendecker
John Pinchback
W. E. Welford
L. M. Jones
H. R. Byars
B. Leysaht
R. H. BeyerPetit Jurors for the First Week
Ned Hoadley
J. J. Whatley
Haney Mathews
Ed Kansteiner
Carl Obenchain
Chas. Burttschell
Anton Grossinger
D. Brunkenhoefer
August Laas
Jim Newsom
Jesse Tinkler
Walter Adams
J. E. McDonald
T. J. Wooldridge
Fox Stephens
Sam Little
H. W. Hasse
Will Truitt
Herman Dealon
Frank Arnold
W. C. Hoegemeyer
Albert Davis (col)
C. A. Parks
T. W. Davis
W. T. Chester
G. W. Hoegemeyer
Koney Harris (col)
Gustave Burger
L. C. Beckmeyer
John M. Kuhn
T. P. Luck
Abe Steiner
Hays Stephens
Emil Koehl
J. E. Johnson (col)Petit Jurors for Second Week
Geo. Keith
Gus Brown
J. A. Lamkin
Sam Monroe
Algernon Harbert
Herbert Simpson
S. L. Jordon (col)
F. W. Armstrong
G. S. Adams
Gus Wagner
Wm. Hunder (col)
David Thomas
Alfred Buske
Wm. McBride
Max Connor
J. T. Vick
Wm. Lichey
Albert Adex
Louis Brane
Elmo Chandler
Chas. Sigler
Walter Little
Abe Beaks
Eugene Toliver
John Cassagne
Frank Martin
Lee Yhoung (col)
J. W. Holloway
E. B. Weishuhn
E. E. Cooper (col)
Albert Grobe
Wm. Kuhn
Paul Laake
Ed Ernst
W. H. KoetherPetit Jury for Third Week
Frank Kellison
Henry Poppe
Herman Witte Jr.
John Perry
John Dahse
Otto Ammann
A. M. Waugh
Tom Heynes (col)
J. R. Gusman
Chas. Lillie
A. Gerstenberger
Joe Haas
Sam Hamburger
Chas. Kohleffell
Simon Dillard (col)
G. A. Britt
Net Callison
Arthur Carter
Will Ashford
L. W. Kellison
Edwin Burger
Albert Hahn
J. O. Cherry Jr.
Gus Brown (col)
San L Barber (col)
R. W. Byars
Joe Blaske
R. C. Coleman (col)
Harry Fulford
Nic Broad
J. C. Westmoreland
Joe Greene
B. H. Dailey
Frank Broad
Horace McRee
Henry Sous
Leo Hahn
A. W. Becker
Felix Van Wagner
Andrew BradenPeitt Jurors for the Fourth Week
Adolph Hasse
John York
Jim Brooks
John Nelson (col)
Ed McRee
Wm. Weishuhn
L. M. Wirtz
Will Pinchback
Jim Cooper
Chas. Holton
Ed Wink Jr.
Frank Mason
Robt. Goldsmith Jr.
M. Nicolia
Ledora Prince (col)
Allis Clapp
Dock Hardeson (col)
Chas. Ashenback
Wm. Gerstenberger Jr.
J. J. Dawson (col)
Aug. Obenhaus
J. C. Calhoun
Maderson Rowe
Wm. Cavett (col)
C. M. Bailey
Joe Dillard (col)
Chas. Ramsey
R. Donaldson (col)
C. A. Haas
Dick Burford
S. D. Chapman
Ed Howard (col)
Emil Burger
Geo. Baxter
Harry Johnson
W. F. B. Wicker
T. Doggett
Ford Frazer
Wm. Hunter
Harry Webb (col)Yours truly,
Chas. E. Sronce, D. C. C. C.Weimar Mercury, September 2, 1904
Transcribed by Judy Talkington