Tarrant County TXGenWeb

Yesterday's News In Tarrant County

Page 1-B

Items from the Graham Leader, Graham, Texas
Published in Footprints Vol. 31 No. 3,
Vol. 32, Nos. 2 & 4 and Vol. 33 No. 4

Compiled by Barbara Knox

Dec 30, 1882

Fort Worth is destined to be among the best cities of the state. She has the finest water works, has extended the street railroads, has gas lighting of the streets, has built a cotton oil mill and an opera house, and soon will have all major streets paved. In addition, another railroad will be added - the Fort Worth and Rio Grande.

Clarence Veitch was in Mrs. Lizzie Swim's fruit and vegetable stand when he lit a cigar and put the match to a sky rocket causing all the other fire works to explode, setting fire to the building. A Bartheo, Mrs. Swim's brother, was badly burned on his hands and face in an effort to rescue his sister. She perished in the fire and officers are searching for Veitch.

Jan. 6, 1883

At 3 oclock yesterday, 99 bales of cotton at Union depot caught fire - 14 were saved and the loss amounted to $6500.

March 10, 1883

Four suits have been filed in Fort Worth for divorce: Emma Pearl Costa vs. Garibaldi W. Costa - plaintiff claims brutal treatment; no children; Lula Alberto Gabriel vs. Amiel Alberto Gabriel - plaintiff claims brutal treatment and says defendant stole her jewelry; no children; Martha Halen vs. Charles Henry Haley; five children; plaintiff says defendant unbearably cross from opium eating and brutal to her and children; Molly Finley vs. Sam Finley - defendant whipped plaintiff brutally in public. All four husbands charged with using foul language.

On October 10, 1869, Lemuel Edwards was found dead on his farm on Clear Fork 5 miles from Fort Worth. At the time, his son-in-law, James Creswell, was thought to be the murderer. The case was forgotten until several months ago when Sheriff Maddox received word from south Texas that a prisoner named Creswell, alias Williams, was being held to see if he was wanted elsewhere in the state. He was brought to the Fort last week, found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to life imprisonment.

April 14, 1883

The second charge against Mrs. Burchell, postmistress at Fort Worth, was read on Saturday. Eight sacks of H. H. Warner's circulars had been sent for distribution. Only three were given out and the rest sold. She was bound over to the Federal Court on $500 bond.

May 19, 1883

Dallas and Fort Worth are struggling to surpass each other in commerce and trade. The Fort had the edge but Dallas recently secured a large boot and shoe factory and will also have a large cotton factory.

June 18, 1883

Fort Worth. At 10 o'clock this morning a chambermaid at the El Paso Hotel found Robert H. Rozell, well known cotton buyer, "start and cold in death." He had just returned from a trip to San Antonio for health reasons; visited his wife (who left him in Little Rock two months ago because of his drunkenness) and his little son. He later purchased 10 grams of morphine at a drug store which he took when retiring,. The jury called it "death from heart disease."

July 24, 1883

The City of Fort Worth was terrorized tonight with the threat of a riot. Two hundred men, working on the sewers, had been waiting two weeks to be paid. When the city council finally appropriated enough money, a mistake was made, and only sixty cents out of each dollar was actually paid. The riot was prevented by the vigilence of Marshal Rea and other officers and eloquent speeches by Alderman Hickey and Attorney M. D. Kent.

Feb. 22, 1884

There was a "general stir up" at the First Baptist Church in Fort Worth, when George S. Eaton of Galveston, brought charges against the pastor, Rev. J. D. Murphy. The minister's daughter is involved in the case, and the trial will probably end early next month.

This page was last modified 22 June 2019.