Now training and working horses and mules can be very trying and exciting
sometimes. First, let me
tell you about a mule named Kit. Orvil was working and training her. After him
working her and another mule
one morning, we fed all the horses and mules in a real large feed trough.
After lunch, my brother went to put the bridle on ole Kit. But ole Kit had
another idea. She turned her
tail to Orvil, with her ears laid back, daring him to get close enough for her
to kick him. So Orvil took the long
bridle rein and, staying clear of her feet, began to hit her real hard with it.
It was not long till ole Kit had
enough of that, so she turned around and walked up to Orvil, and meekly stuck
her head in her bridle.
Now let me tell you of two incidents concerning the team running away and the
results. First, when we
finished milking several cows each morning, we would take them a short distance
down the road to another
pasture across the country road that divided our acreage. One evening as I was
going to bring those cows back
to be milked again, Papa’s hired hand, Mr. Murray, was discing a field
opposite the pasture with four horses
pulling a riding disc. Now I could tell you that those horses were hepped up
about something. As I was about
even with those horses, for some reason, they started running away.
Mr. Murray fell off of the disc and those horses ran through a barbed-wire fence
and ran up the road
toward our house. Instead of turning into the driveway leading to our barn, they
kept going up the road. About
fifty feet past the house, one of the lines became entangled with the disc and
started drawing the horses sharply
around into the sharp disc. One of the horses fell into the disc and the others
were tromping on him.
Now my mother, being a very brave and capable lady, grabbed a butcher knife and
ran to where the
great mix-up was and cut the line that was pulling those horses into a great
heap. Thank the Lord for a brave
and competent mother.
Now the second incident involves me being involved in a team run-away.
Having finished baling a small patch of hay, the crew loaded a wagon with about
30 bales of hay. For
some reason, Papa told me to drive the team of horses to the barn.
We were only a short distance from the house and barn, but we had to make a
sharp turn to the left as
we were crossing a wide branch. When we started down into the very wide branch,
the horses wanted to pick
up speed as they were going downhill as we entered into the branch. I was
sitting on the right end of a bale of
hay trying to hold the horses back. As we were going down into the wide branch,
me and the bale of hay fell
off as the horses picked up speed. To keep from becoming entangled and dragged
by the lines, I threw them
off to the left as I fell to the right side of the wagon.
The team kept running up the little narrow road, up past the barn, past the
house, made a sharp turn
down the country road in front of our house. A short way down that road, the
wagon turned upside-down with
the wheels spinning in the air. Of course the horses and wagon separated and the
horses stopped a short ways
from the wagon. They were perfectly gentle then.
* * *
Now, on May 8, 1923, I was plowing corn. That evening, I noticed a great cloud
of smoke about 4
o’clock continuing to rise several miles northeast of where I was. Little did
I know that a great calamity had
hit our family, as well as other families.
The J.K. Hughes No. 1 oil well had blown in on the east bank of Chambers Creek.
Later, as the crews
were changing, a spark ignited the oil and a gas well. Thirteen men were burned
to death. Two of the thirteen
men escaped with bad burns and died that night. One of those men was my mother’s
only brother, my Uncle
Emmett Byrd. He left a wife and two children, and a second daughter, Lucille
Early, was born later.
* * *
Now let me tell you of an incident that happened with Ole Kit while I was
driving her and Ole Coley
to Corsicana and back with a wagonload of cottonseed.
I had sold the cottonseed and bought a wagonload of hulls and cottonseed meal to
feed to the cows.
Now Ole Kit had a tendency to throw a fit for no reason at all. She had done it
one time when I was riding
her from the field to the barn to feed all the horses and mules at lunch time. I
managed to jump off of her
without getting hurt.
As I was returning home with the load of cow feed, Ole Kit threw one of her fits
out there close to the
Eden Ranch. I held the lines real tight and jerked on them real hard. Now, in
the process of her fit, Ole Kit
slung her bridle off but I kept the lines real tight and her bits did not come
out of her mouth. So there I sat
holding those bits in her mouth.
In a few minutes, a man came along and put her bridle back on her head and tied
it with a piece of wire
so it would not come off if she threw another fit; but she did not throw another
fit on the way home. Boy was
I glad to see that man come up the road.
* * *
Now, I want to mention a few little things that was said or happened during my
three years at Navarro
High School.
I enjoyed my math classes more than any of the others. Mr. Garland was my math
teacher. He gave
us tests real often. One particular time, after we had a test, he told the
pupils of another class that he expected
me to make a 100. Well, I only made 98. One of those other pupils told me I
should have made the old rascal
give me those other two points.
On another occasion, after I had missed classes a few days because of the rainy
weather that caused the
school bus not to run, I still made a high grade. Mr. Garland explained that
though I had missed classes, I still
did my homework, therefore I knew what system to use to solve the problems.
I also enjoyed our fellowship on the basketball court during recess. Mr. Joe
Burkes was our basketball
coach. One day someone threw the basketball at the goal. Instead of going in the
goal, it lodged between the
goal and the backboard. All of the big tall athletes started trying to jump up
there and dislodge the ball. After
all of them failed to jump high enough to touch it, I said, “Let me do it.”
Of course every one of them laughed
at me. I was the smallest one there. But I insisted.
So Mr. Burkes said, “Everyone get back and let a man do it.” Now the
backboard was fastened to a
big black post about 12 inches wide. Instead of trying to jump high enough to
knock the ball loose, I backed
off about 15 feet and ran straight at that big post. If I miscued, I would smash
my head and face against that
big post. About three feet from the post, going full speed, I sprang as high as
I could. I drew my legs up
toward my chest and clasped my feet and knees around that big post. I then
straightened my body upward and
reached up and dislodged that basketball. Everyone was silent for a second, then
one of the boys said, “Are
you a monkey or something?”
Now there is another incident I want to tell you about. On another recess, I got
the basketball and made
a long, over-my-shoulder shot at the basket, and the shot was good. I happened
to glance toward the
schoolhouse, and there, looking out the window was a beautiful girl. She gave me
a big beautiful smile. That
smile meant more to me than making that long shot at the basketball goal! About
two years later we got married
and had 54 years of wonderful married life, raising two wonderful sons, Charles
and Chester. Her name was
Winnie Leona Scruggs. She has gone to live with Jesus.
* * *
One night on the way from church to Winnie’s home, I told her that I would
like for us to get married
as soon as I got a little better off financially. She said she would too. Later,
when we had decided to go ahead
and get married, we went inside her home after church to tell her parents. I
told Mr. Scruggs we had decided
to get married and wondered what he thought about it. He was real encouraging!
He said, “I think it will just
be another couple in the bread line to get free food.”
Well we proved him wrong, but we might have eaten better sometimes if we had
gotten in the bread
line. Winnie and I were married at her father’s, J. M. Scruggs, house in
Navarro, Texas, on November 16,
1934. All of the Scruggs family are a lovely group to be associated with. I am
still Uncle Odis to all of them.
I love them all. The Capehart’s and the Scruggs’ family almost seem like one
big family to me.
After the ceremony, we went down to the “Capehart Farm” where my father,
myself, and some helpers
had prepared the older “Capehart house” for us to live in. Winnie and I had
gone to Haney’s Grocery store
a few days earlier and bought a big bill of groceries. The total bill was $9.00.
Now on our wedding day, I was
the proud owner of $40.00. I gave the pastor, Rev. Medley , $10.00 for
performing our wedding. I told him
I thought my wife was worth it. Our happy time together for 54 years proved I
was right.
(Rev. Medley was Pastor of the Navarro Assembly of God Church.)
Our wedding was performed in Winnie’s parents home. About 30 minutes after we
were pronounced
“man and wife,” we loaded Winnie’s clothes in Mr. Scruggs’ car and he
carried us down to a house on Papa’s
farm, and put us out! I went to work on Papa’s farm the next morning as usual.
The nearest thing to a honeymoon was a few months later when my parents decided
to go to Noble,
Oklahoma to visit his brother – Uncle Billy Capehart – whom he had not seen
in many years. Papa and Mother
invited me and Winnie to go with them. We really did enjoy the visit and getting
to know my Uncle Billy and
his wife, Aunt Betty. (We never saw them again.)
Now let me give you some information that will give you a picture of the times
and financial condition
of that time. One of our neighbors decided to sell their furniture and
quit
house keeping. I bought a big
wagonload of furniture for $20.00. Then, one Saturday, while I was standing
outside Mr. Haney’s Grocery
store, a man came by with a truckload of homemade tables, straight chairs, and
rocking chairs. They had not
been painted, but they were very strong and sturdy. I bought two of the rocking
chairs. I still have both of
them. I am sitting in one of them as I write the article. They cost me $5.00
each.
* * *
In the year 1936 (December 30, 1936), our first son, Charles, was born. During
Winnie’s pregnancy,
we went to see her doctor about twice. At the time for the delivery of the baby,
we were staying with Winnie’s
parents in Navarro. I was working at the cotton gin in Navarro, Texas. There
were two reasons for us staying
there at this time. The first reason was that while I was at work, Winnie would
not be left alone during her time
of pregnancy. The second reason was that I would be close to my job. During that
time, our son Charles was
born in his Grandfather’s home.
Winnie’s doctor came out there to perform the delivery. Now – listen to this
– the doctor’s total charge,
including the office calls and the trip to Navarro for the delivery of the baby,
was $35.00.
When Chester was born (November 7, 1939), his doctor came down to our farm,
about two miles
below the Hopewell Cemetery. His total charge was $50.00. He was a higher priced
baby than his big brother
Charles.
The first night after Chester was born, Charles and I were laying on a quilt on
the floor beside Winnie’s
bed. Shortly after we had laid down, Charles began to cry. He said, “That baby
has got my place.” But it was
only a few days until he was loving that baby.
In the later years, after we had bought a farm and moved to Eureka, Texas, our
boys grew up and
wanted to learn to drive our car. So I drove out in our 10 acre pasture at
Eureka and let them, as they got old
enough, drive around in the pasture. Later I let them drive some as we were
going to or coming home from
church. They were always excited when they got to drive.
Both of our sons married and gave me and my wife two wonderful grandchildren
each. These four
grandchildren in turn gave me five great-grandchildren.
Then in the years of 1986 and 1987, the Lord called my wife and both of my sons
home to be with
Him. That was a great loss to me. I missed my sons coming by my Texaco station
to visit. I also missed my
wife at home and at my station. I especially missed her when I went to church
Sunday morning and she was
not beside me when I sat on our regular pew.
* * *
Now let me tell you of the many blessings of God in our lives and in our
business ventures through the
years.
A few years after our marriage, I accepted the Lord as my Savior and was
baptized in my father’s stock
tank. I have been active in the Lord’s work ever since. I feel that the Lord
has blessed and guided me in my
business and personal decisions as well as my work for the Lord.
My work as a farmer was slow. I continued working with my father as usual. I
would get up early and
go over to the cow pen at Papa’s and help milk the cows. Mother would then
give us milk as we needed it.
My first investment as a farmer was a big black horse for $40.00. Papa’s
landlord then loaned us a
mule so I would have a team to farm with. The next year I rented some more land,
so I borrowed the money
at the bank to buy a real good team of young miles. I was now a two-team farmer.
I still had to borrow the
money to operate through the year.
Then I got a job at our local airport during World War II. So I traded my mules
in on an Oliver Tractor
so I could continue farming and work at the airport. My job was to check and
fill the planes with fuel between
flights.
After about a year of that, the mechanics were attending a class there in one of
the hangers to learn
more about repairing the planes. Since I got off of my job at the time they were
going to class, I just mingled
with them in those classes. No one asked any questions. When the school was
over, I also took the test. So
they gave me a job as a mechanic. That meant more money. But, as it turned out,
it meant much more than
that.
As the war got worse, I was called to report for active duty in the army.
Several of us were told to
report at a certain place in Dallas. Some of us were to be ready to catch a bus
for a certain place (active duty).
That got mine and Sandy May’s attention. So we began to look for someone to
tell us that we did not qualify.
Sandy May was put to active duty. I had two reasons for not going. No. 1, I was
working at an airport to help
qualify pilots for duty. No. 2, I had two young children depending on me for
their support.
It took a while, but I finally found the right one to talk to. I was told I
could go home! I immediately
started looking for a bus going to Corsicana. Our company bus had already gone
back to Corsicana. So I came back to work at our local airport.
Little did I know how attending that class uninvited was going to affect my
life. It may have been what
kept me from being a casualty in battle.
About a year or so later, the airport closed down. The war was still going on.
Someone came from the
Galveston airport to see about hiring some experienced mechanics to work on
their B-24 airplanes. Several of
us signed up to go. My having attended that training class uninvited was still
paying off. God saw the future.
So I sold my mules and small herd of cattle, borrowed Mr. Scruggs’ cotton
trailer, and moved to
Galveston. Chester started to school while we lived in Galveston. I had worked
in Galveston one year when
World War II ended and so did my job, so we moved back to Navarro.
A few months later, one of our church members told me about a job opening at the
Texaco warehouse
in Corsicana. The owner, Mr. Rex Bounds, knew that I had also worked on the
gasoline service truck at the
Corsicana AirField, so I would be familiar with working around gasoline. So I
got the job of driving a Texaco
Service Truck for $150.00 per month. Bot, I had gotten in the money.
A few months later, I heard that Mr. Jim Stewart wanted to sell his farm in
Eureka, Texas, so me and
my wife went to see him. I bought his 55-acre farm for $5000.00. Think about it.
It had a five-room house
and a big barn on it. We lived on and farmed this 55-acre farm several years.
Our two boys, Charles and
Chester, graduated from Mildred High School.
Then my brother, Jimmie D., wanted to sell his home on West 12th Ave in
Corsicana. So to save so
much traveling, I bought his 2-bedroom house for $4000.00 and rented my house
out at Eureka, Texas. I sold
three small sales off the 55 acres before I sold the total remaining acres. I
sold one 20 acre block and two 3 acre
plots to two other people. We then traded the remaining 29 acres to Auto Baker
for a 2-story house at 2112 West 5th Ave in Corsicana and $8000.00 cash. I later sold the 2-story house to
Trent Hobbs for $18,000.00.
At one time over the years I owned 10 pieces of property. I doubled my money on
each of them.
In 1974 I bought my present home in Navarro, Texas, for $4000.00. I think it
would sell for
$35.000.00 today. I might ought to sell it. It is something to think about.
I drove the Texaco Delivery Truck for 14 years, then Mr. Bounds leased my Texaco
Station to me.
Six years later, I bought the station for $10,000.00. 21 years later I sold the
station for $20,000.00. At the
time I sold the station, I was worth near $100,000.00 counting my home and cars.
I don’t know what happened
to all of it.
So much for the finances!
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