8 minute read
Texas History Minute:
As Dallas leaders attempted to tame the wild frontier city, gambling became a crime Wellknown gamblers like Holliday were targeted, and he was indicted in 1874 for illegal gambling The situation grew even worse in 1875 when he got into a shootout with a Dallas bartender While he was acquitted in the incident, Holliday realized his days in Dallas were numbered
The 1870s and 1880s on the western frontier were years filled with unforgettable characters who became legends Tales of their exploits echoed across the empty plains into the American imagination Doc Holliday became one of the most famous of these figures, and his journey into legend began in the Lone Star State
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John Henry “Doc” Holliday was born in central Georgia in 1851. His father was a veteran of the Mexican War and the Civil War He became an expert shot while a youngster When he was a teenager, his mother and stepbrother both died from tuberculosis, a widespread and deadly lung infection that was often called the “white plague ”
Holliday was an ambitious young man with a brilliant mind He reportedly absorbed languages such as Greek, Latin, and French In 1870, he enrolled at the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery, the most prestigious dental school in the country at the time, though few such schools were to be had. In just over a year, at the age of 20, he completed his doctorate
He soon established a dental practice in Georgia and was on his way to a quiet, respectable career when he also came down with tuberculosis While the disease is easily curable today, it was a death sentence in the 1870s The common belief at the time was that the warm, dry climates of the West could slow the deterioration of the lungs So with little left to lose, Holliday moved to Texas
He established a successful dental practice in downtown Dallas in 1873. However, his coughing fits during examinations and news of his contagious illness frightened away many patients As a result, the gambling he once enjoyed for recreation became an important source of income
That year, he left Dallas and headed north to Denison He attempted to restart his dental career in the small community, but his increasing complications from tuberculosis made it difficult to stay in business Within a few months, he left for Fort Griffin, northeast of modern-day Abilene His Grayson County office was the last known time he had a regular dental practice
At Fort Griffin, Holliday began gambling full time and moving from place to place For a time, he worked as a card dealer in Colorado On a trip back to Fort Griffin, he met Wyatt Earp, who was then working as a Deputy U S Marshal in pursuit of a suspected train robber
The two became close friends and that loyalty itself became a legend. Holliday saved Earp’s life on several occasions and stood with him and his brothers at the notorious shoot-out at the O K Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1881
Holliday found himself in several gunfights over the years but survived them all He succumbed to his lingering illness at a sanitorium in Colorado in 1887
Holliday’s fame rose in the years after his death as tales of his exploits and the famed gunfight at the O K Corral spread and eventually found their way into the movies. While many variations on the story have appeared, from such actors as Victor Mature, Kirk Douglas, and Dennis Quaid, many depictions gained acclaim for the portrayal of the legendary figure who was as quick with a oneliner as he was with his guns Val Kilmer’s performance as an unflappable and quick-witted Holliday in Tombstone (1993) has by itself won a legion of fans Arrested more than a dozen times and responsible for shooting an untold number of men, Holliday was never convicted of a crime Each April, Denison celebrates the Doc Holliday Festival in honor of its one-time resident
Dr. Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor. He can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail com and he said, 'I just don't feel like it ' I came back at lunch and all of his stuff had been moved out of the room - gone I didn't know where he'd gone. He didn't leave a note or nothing "
Patterson's family came and got him and took him to a doctor where he had a ruptured valve in his heart, and a rupture in his groin
"The doctor told him that if everything goes right, you might be able to play golf." said Smithwick
Patterson's father, a former professional boxer, went to Bear Bryant and pulled him by his loose necktie across the room Smithwick said that Patterson's father would have really done a number on Bryant, but was calmed down by Ralph
"Bear didn't do it, but he was in charge of the people that did do it " said Smithwick "I lost a lot of respect for him when he did that to Ralph "
Smithwick said that his practice started at 3:30 p m and would end at 7:30 p.m. and were given 20 salt tablets and no water At the beginning of practice they would weigh themselves and then again at the end of practice
"My first workout my freshman year, I weighed 205 at the beginning of practice and at the end, I weighed 187 " said Smithwick "I didn't think it was right It went against my beliefs I went down there to be a veterinarian, not to be a football player"
Around the same time that he made the decision to stop playing football, he decided to marry the continued from page 4 love of his life, Daisy After graduating from Texas A&M, he joined his cousin who was a practicing veterinarian in Richardson He worked with his cousin from 1961 before opening up his own practice in Richardson in 1964 Later, he would build a clinic on Spring Valley between Greenville Avenue and Central Expressway where he stayed until 1992
"I enjoyed working with the people as much as the animals " said Smithwick
While working in Richardson and living in Allen, Smithwick had purchased some land from Cecil Matthews in west Howe in 1971 Owning land in west Howe meant that one of the first people he met was David Catching who became his first client from Howe
"Talk about a neophyte The first person I met was David Catching Then I met Murray Akins, and then I met Wayne Cavender" said Smithwick "That's the only group that I knew basically at that time Being that I wasn't up here all the time anyway, that was probably enough "
Smithwick was formally inducted to Howe when he bought a tractor for his nearly 300 acres from Catching at Catching Bros (now Southwest Auction) The tractor he was purchasing was being sold by Murray Akins When the deal was completed, being confused with the Akins and Cavenders, he wrote the check to "Murray Cavender" Smithwick said that was kind of embarrassing, but it wasn't before long that he was invited to the Cavender/Akins family reunions Smithwick even convinced a visiting out-of-state Cavender that he was part of the family continued on page 13
Keep Howe Beautiful's Yard of the Month
for a most welcomed site
Finalists in this month's voting were 308 E. Haning St. 416 S Denny St 804 Ricketts St 916 Calder St 306 Young St
Howe ISD Substitute Training
Howe ISD is currently accepting applications for substitute positions for the 2016-17 school year To be eligible for substitute placement, applicants must:
* Be at least 18 years old
�Have a high school diploma or equivalent
All applicants who meet the above criteria are required to attend a mandatory training on
Wednesday, August 10th at 9:00 am in the Howe Elementary School before being placed on the district’s substitute list All applicants must provide the following:
* Two forms of identification (i e Driver’s license, social security card)
* Completed substitute packet (packets given at training) You may contact Pauli Stephens at 903-532- 3204 for additional information Application forms will be provided at training
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Helicopter
continued from page 1
Jeff Leake, who owns the property where the helicopter crashed, told the Herald Democrat reporter that Cavender walked uphill about 200 yards to Leke’s residence and banged on the door Leke said he was limping and was beside himself Leake called 911
"I was up there at my house and all of a sudden someone was knocking on the door," Leake told KXII-TV "It was the pilot saying 'help me, help me, I crashed my helicopter and my friend is stuck down there ' I saw his buddy still trapped underneath and the machine was on his arms, I lifted it up, flipped him over, prayed and started doing CPR with the help of the pilot until crews showed up "
Leake said he was able to lift the debris pinning Mr Katen while Cavender freed him The pair began trying the help the other occupant and began chest compressions
Both Cavender and the Mr Katen were transported to Wilson N Jones Regional Medical Center Cavender was later transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and was in stable condition
The National Transportation Safety Board took over the investigation Wednesday afternoon
“NTSB is investigating and typically we will be working with the FAA, who may be on scene to collect data for us and provide that to us,” Keith Holloway, an NTSB spokesperson, told the Herald Democrat Holloway said the goal of the investigation is to find what caused the crash by looking for possible mechanical failures, weather conditions, communications with air traffic control, witness accounts and any structure damage or failures to the aircraft itself The investigation will also examine the pilots history and flight log books. He said the answer to why the helicopter crashed won’t come right away
“It usually takes about a couple of days for the on-scene documentation to take place depending on the aircraft and the condition that the aircraft is in,” Holloway said “Once that has been completed, a preliminary report will be available on our website in about five to 10 days ”
Cavender had multiple fractures in his spine and underwent successful surgery at Parkland late in the week
Editor's note: Special thanks to the Herald Democrat, KXII-TV and KTEN-TV for the information throughout the week regarding this tragedy
Dr. Smithwick continued from page 11
"We were the new kids on the block and they would always invite us over" said Smithwick "Those are nice people. If you ever want to get into a group - you couldn't ask for a better family"
Dr Smithwick and his lovely wife Daisy have called Howe home for a number of years now As times have changed, their grandson Seth is well-hydrated during practices He weighs nearly the same at the beginning and end of each practice
Dr Smithwick's goal since age six was to be a veterinarian To reach that goal, he had to play a game for a coach that took him to the limits of what a human body can take His goal was not to be an NFL star, but to be a guy that loved animals and loved people In return, he became the one that was loved.
“If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride – and never quit – you’ll be a winner The price of victory is high but so are the rewards ” - Bear Bryant
