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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 9, 2019 10:34:52 GMT -5
“Thanks very much for the Frontier Times. Bozo gave you a pretty nice write-up about your book, but he should have devoted more space to it. Did you read Big-foot's adventures ? Boy, Pink and I nearly busted laughing over it. There was a red-blooded character in a red-blooded epoch!” —Robert E. Howard to Tevis Clyde Smith, June 1931 Robert E. Howard wrote his only non-fiction piece for Lovecraft's friend Wilfred Blanch Talman who was working as the editor of the The Texaco Star, and it was titled "The Ghost of Camp Colorado." It was reprinted in the June 1931 issue of Frontier Times, which is what Howard had requested Smith send him. In addition to the reprint of Howard's article, Smith had a very short (like two sentences) review of his book Frontier Generation. Finally, and most important to this post, Frontier Times was reprinting John C. Duval's biography of Bigfoot Wallace titled The Adventures of Bigfoot Wallace, the Texas Ranger and Hunter as a serial . The book was originally published in 1870 and has been reprinted many times over the years, but it seems the Frontier Times reprint may have been Howard's first exposure to the larger-than-life story of Bigfoot Wallace's life. The entire book is available for free at the Internet Archive, but if you want to just read what was reprinted in the issue that Howard read, jump to chapters XXXIX to XLII or pages 223-254. You'll see why Howard made the comment he did. THE ADVENTURES OF BIGFOOT WALLACE
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 10, 2019 10:17:15 GMT -5
"[Bigfoot Wallace] is perhaps the greatest figure in Southwestern legendry." —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, October 1931 "Who of all the sea-folk had not heard the wild, bloody tales told of Conan, the wild rover who had once been a captain of the Barachan pirates, and one of the greatest scourges of the sea?" —"The Black Stranger" by Robert E. Howard While some have posited that Bigfoot Wallace was a model for Conan of Cimmeria, I don't think he was the model, but just one more piece of Howard's evolution toward developing his most popular character. Mark Boardman in the magazine True West: History of the American Frontier, has an interesting article on Wallace titled "On the Trail of Bigfoot: Wallace, that is - The Legendary Texas Ranger." In the article, he brings up the Bigfoot/Conan connection. Link to the article here: On the Trail of Bigfoot by Mark Boardman
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 11, 2019 9:49:32 GMT -5
“I’ve seen Horsefeathers . . . Horsefeathers was better than Monkey Business, but not as good as either The Cocoanuts or Animal Crackers to my mind.” -Robert E. Howard to Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. September 1932 It seems Howard saw at least four of the Marx Brothers movies, but was apparently not as big of a fan as I am. They are a unique comedy act who hit the talkies at just the right moment, timed perfectly with their highly successful vaudeville act on Broadway. So, why am I talking about the Marx Brothers in a thread about Robert E. Howard and Texas history? Well, it just so happens that the Marx Brothers hit their stride with a performance in Nacogdoches, Texas. The story involves the Marx Brothers, a mule, and the Republic of Fredonia. Judge Wise, once again, in his podcast Wise About Texas, tells the story in episode 74, which can be linked to here: THE VAUDEVILLE MULEAnd now that you know the story, Groucho singing "Hail Hail Fredonia" in Duck Soup (1933) should make more sense; well, kind of . . .
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 12, 2019 9:40:19 GMT -5
“Cross Plains is a small town of – well, I guess at present the population is about 1800. It varies; during oil booms the town has had a population of six or seven thousand. It has an elevation of 1715 feet, situated as it is on the ridge of the Callahan divide. Because of its situation there is an illusion of a plains country. Looking south and west from the town there is only flat country to be seen. North east some four or five miles there rises a low chain of hills known as the Baker Mountains, while to the northwest are a pair of peaks some ten miles apart known collectively as the Caddo Peaks and individually as East Peak and West Peak.” —Robert E. Howard to August Derleth, December 29, 1932 In past Howard Days, the Robert E. Howard afficianados were treated to an evening tour of the Caddo Peaks. The above picture comes from Todd Vick's website "On an Underwood No. 5" and is taken from West Caddo Peak during Howard Days 2015. Alas, in the past several years, visits to the Caddo Peaks have stopped. Maybe one day they will start up again. I'd pay for the privilege. This is what the Handbook of Texas has to say about the two peaks: EAST CADDO PEAK. East Caddo Peak is four miles northwest of Cross Plains and two miles east of West Caddo Peak in southeastern Callahan County (at 32°10' N, 99°14' W). Its peak, with an elevation of 2,029 feet above sea level, rises 230 feet above State Highway 36 to the immediate south. WEST CADDO PEAK. West Caddo Peak, seven miles northwest of Cross Plains in southeast Callahan County (at 32°10' N, 99°17' W), has an elevation of 2,090 feet. It was named for the Caddo Indians. The surrounding terrain is flat to rolling and surfaced with deep, sandy loams that support brush and grasses. Howard mentioned the Caddo Indians once in a follow-on letter to the one written above and was dated January of 1933, in which he tells August Derleth that the Caddo Indians “lived mainly in the eastern part of the state.” This is accurate, for the Caddo Indians were primarily an East Texas tribe and most likely, because of the Caddo Indian Mounds they built, the two peaks near Cross Plains, Texas, were named for those mounds. The following video is about Caddo Mounds State Historic Site and it details the famous mounds and the Indian tribe that made them.
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 13, 2019 8:09:31 GMT -5
“North east some four or five miles there rises a low chain of hills known as the Baker Mountains.” —Robert E. Howard to August Derleth, December 29, 1932 Curious about Howard’s above statement in the last post, I went to look up the Baker Mountains, and the only reference I could find was from the Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Texas from 1892. It had this to say: “Baker mountain, which is one of a collection of buttes in the corner of Callahan county called the Savannah Hills.” That sounded right, so I tried looking up the “Savannah Hills,” but came up short. Next, I looked on a topographical map to see what was 4 to 5 miles north east of Cross Plains. What I found was a series of hills with Mexican Hat Hill being the tallest. I looked up that hill and found it was listed as being part of the Sabana Mountains. Sabana. Savannah. Close enough. And the location was accurate to Howard’s description. Here is what the Handbook of Texas Online had to say about those hills: "SABANA MOUNTAINS. The Sabana Mountains are near the headwaters of the Sabana River in southeast Callahan County (centered at 32°13' N, 99°09' W). Mexican Hat Hill, a summit at the center of the range, is six miles north of Cross Plains. The elevation of the range's highest peak, one mile west of Mexican Hat Hill, is 2,075 feet, which is 475 feet above Farm Road 880 in Cottonwood, one mile west of the range." Still, no mention of Baker Mountain. I wonder if Mexican Hat Hill is Baker Mountain? Note: The topo map above shows Cross Plains at the bottom and the marked spot are the Sabana Mountains.
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Post by charleshelm on Dec 15, 2019 19:13:47 GMT -5
Baker sounds familiar....I will think about it. Of course there is Ranger Hill but it is a long way from Cross Plains.
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 16, 2019 10:36:28 GMT -5
Baker sounds familiar....I will think about it. Of course there is Ranger Hill but it is a long way from Cross Plains. My guess is by asking some of the good wise folks of Cross Plains, someone will know the answer to this puzzle. -Some Line-Faced Scrivener
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 16, 2019 10:47:52 GMT -5
"I’m sending you a picture you may find interesting: a snap-shot of the Alamo in San Antonio. It’s just about surrounded with modern buildings but it still retains some of the look of a by-gone age - built in 1728, I believe. I’m not superstitious, but standing in the Alamo I have the same sensations I’ve had standing under the Dueling Oaks outside New Orleans - as if the place were haunted. San Antonio is a picturesque town, with the narrow river winding in and out all through it, with its broad plazas, old missions and cathedrals, and adobe houses shouldering modern buildings." —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, September 1930 In Howard's letters, he writes often of his visits to San Antonio. It seems to be one of his favorite places to visit. On a number of occasions, he mentions the Alamo and provides snatches of its history. Originally a Spanish mission, it has become best remembered as the pivotal point in the Texas Revolution when, following a 13-day siege, Santa Ana took the mission from the small Texian garrison, killing nearly all of the defenders (February 23 – March 6, 1836). The cry "Remember the Alamo!" soon went up and Texas was on the path to Independence. The following short video by the History channel is a good overview of the famous battle.
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 17, 2019 7:57:27 GMT -5
"I have read of Albert Marbin [sic, Martin] and his heroic expedition. In those days men put honor above their lives and he well knew that to enter the Alamo meant his doom. But he went clear-eyed to his fate, and died like a true Aryan, taking more than a life for a life." —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, ca. December 1930 Albert Martin is a critical figure in the Texas Revolution. Born in 1808 in Providence, Rhode Island (the home of H.P. Lovecraft) to a family of merchants, he became a general store merchant himself, which is what he was doing in Gonzalez, Texas, at the beginning of the Texas Revolution. He found himself involved in many of the key events including being a member of the "Old Eighteen" who protected the "Come and Take It" cannon and serving in what came to be known as the Siege of Bexar. He then found himself part of the Siege of the Alamo and on day one, February 23, 1836, he was asked by Lt. Col. William B. Travis to meet with opposing forces to try and arrange a meeting, which was rebuffed. The following day, Travis wrote his famous letter "To the People of Texas" which closed with the bold statement, "Victory or death!" and gave it to Martin to deliver so the world would know what was happening. Martin took it to Gonzalez, and despite many saying he should not go back to the Alamo, he organized a relief force consisting of 32 men and went back. He died for what he believed in on March 6, 1836. The famous letter by Travis still exists and was returned to the Alamo for an appearance in 2012. There was an event associated with its return where lots of people who think they are really important spoke with the Alamo in the background. After they were done, an historian tells the story of the letter and then actors recreate the scene whenTravis gives the letter to Martin. The following video starts with the speeches, which you can watch, but I would recommend skipping to the historian who tells the story at 18:45 or you can just jump to the recreation starting at 25:00.
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 18, 2019 10:18:05 GMT -5
THE ALAMO For days they ringed us with their flame For days their swarming soldiers came The battle wrack was gory. We perished in the smoke and flame, To give the world their traitor shame And our undying glory. —Robert E. Howard Still my favorite movie about the Alamo that preserves what Howard wrote in this short ode to the men who fought and died for Texas Independence at the Alamo. And with John Wayne as Davy Crockett, how can you beat that?
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 19, 2019 10:39:39 GMT -5
“Did I mention to you about getting into a belt of tear gas at San Antonio? With characteristic intelligence, the war department of the city's posts allowed a smoke screen laden with tear gas to be blown down on the city. It was a rainy, cloudy, day, and the stuff settled and stayed there for awhile. A lot of people thought it was an air-raid. I was just on the fringe of it; I didnt get into the smoke screen, but I got enough of that gas to clinch my opinion that modern warfare is the tripe. There was nearly a riot.” —Robert E. Howard to Tevis Clyde Smith, April 1932 As I said in a previous post, one of Howard's favorite cities to visit was San Antonio. He was there in January of 1932 and became part of a minor footnote in history. As he describes walking down the street in San Antonio and getting tear gassed, I did some research to find out how that happened. It turns out Brook Field in San Antonio (today Brooks Air Force Base) was having a chemical warfare demonstration. In the Air Corps News Letter from January 25, 1932, on page 43, there is an article by the news letter correspondent titled "Chemical Warfare Demonstration at Brooks Field." For two days, the troops received lectures on the use of tear gas. "The use of airplanes delivering gas attacks will greatly increase the effectiveness of this weapon in warfare, placing even the reserve troops far behind the lines within range of its attack and ravages," said Captain John McCoy of the Chemical Warfare Service. On the third day, the troops assembled in two waves on the airfield with their masks on and they were tear gassed. Several things occurred during the test. "An unusual incident happened upon the terrain spread with tear gas. A large rattlesnake with four rattles and a button hastened out of its hole and attempted to seek safety, but it was discovered and promptly dispatched by the men in the midst of the gas attack." Apparently, rattlesnakes don't like tear gas. It turns out, as they discovered, neither do dogs. Their dogs were not afforded gas masks, but were there with their handlers and the correspondent reported, "It was interesting to watch the dogs of the various squadrons accompanying the men through the gas attacks and to note their antics in their attempt to clear their nostrils. One of the smaller pets sank down on his front quarters and scratched his nose with his paws." Cruel, yes, but the men got their turn too. "To satisfy the Doubting Thomases of the effectiveness of the screen through which they had passed and the utility of the gas mask, it was suggested by the instructor that each of the waves march through the smoke screen without the gas mask. That was done. Many men lost their sense of direction. Veterans coughed and allowed the tears to dampen their ruddy cheeks and declared that this mask was a great improvement over the use used in the trenches in France." So, it turns out not only did the troops experience the smoke screen and tear gas, but so too did Robert E. Howard. Reference Link: Air Corps News Letter
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 20, 2019 9:06:54 GMT -5
“By the way, Price was stopped at the Red River crossing by men with guns in their hands, looking for the famous outlaw Clyde Barrow, who was working in those parts at that time. As I told him, it was fortunate that his car was loaded with objects that evidenced his innocence, for Barrow was about his size, and was, like him accompanied by a blond young lady: Bonnie Parker. As you might have read in the paper, Bonnie was with Clyde when he met his finish at the hands of the ex-Rangers, in Louisiana. Bullets from machine rifles, ripping through him, riddled her, plastered the interior of the car with blood, brains and bits of Barrow’s skull. 167 slugs were poured into the automobile of the outlaws.” —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, June 1934 The Price he is referring to in the letter to Lovecraft is, of course, E. Hoffmann Price, the only Weird Tales author Robert E. Howard ever met in person. That was in the Spring of 1934, and on May 23, 1934, Texas Rangers Frank Hamer (pictured above squatting on the left) and Maney Gault (standing in the back, all the way to the right), along with four Louisiana police officers, gunned down Bonnie and Clyde for the eight police officers and one prison guard they had murdered, effectively stopping their violent crime spree. If you are interested in a good movie that presents a decent portrayal of what really happened, check out The Highwaymen. If you are interested in a much more accurate researched account, the best of the books out there in my opinion is Jeff Guinn’s Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde (Simon and Schuster 2009).
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 20, 2019 9:26:48 GMT -5
As some of you may know, I am a professor of criminal justice and my area of research is policing. I am also a former police officer from both New Jersey and Virginia and a retired Military Police Officer. I always lament how the names of criminals like Bonnie & Clyde are better known than the law enforcement officers who were killed by these despicable people. The movie The Highwaymen does a good job of showing many of the reasons why this is the case. I thought I would honor the memories of the 8 police officers and 1 prison guard they killed before Hamer et al. put a stop to their killing. Click on any of the names below: Deputy Sheriff Eugene Clyde Moore, Atoka County Sheriff's Office, Oklahoma, End of Watch: August 5, 1932Deputy Sheriff Malcolm S. Davis, Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, Texas, End of Watch: January 6, 1933
Detective Harry L. McGinnis, Joplin Police Department, Missouri, End of Watch: April 13, 1933
Constable John Wesley Harryman, Newton County Sheriff's Department, Missouri, End of Watch: April 13, 1933
Town Marshal Henry D. Humphrey, Alma Police Department, Arkansas, End of Watch: June 26, 1933
Prison Guard Major Joe Crowson, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, End of Watch: January 27, 1934Patrolman Holloway Daniel Murphy, Texas Department of Public Safety, End of Watch: April 1, 1934Patrolman Edward Bryan Wheeler, Texas Department of Public Safety, End of Watch: April 1, 1934
Constable William Calvin Campbell, Commerce Police Department, Oklahoma, End of Watch: April 6, 1934Requiesce in pace.
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Dec 21, 2019 8:18:11 GMT -5
“Well, a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to you.” —Robert E. Howard to August Derleth, December 11, 1934
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Post by charleshelm on Dec 21, 2019 14:41:23 GMT -5
I don't always post here but I am reading and I appreciate the effort it take to put these together.
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