Document text
Vrom F. C. by
Gussie Hale, P.W.
cioneer Experiences
AD1TORIAL FILaX COPY
by
Mrs. Florence Angermiller, P.W.
f,LDB CutnITY, DIsTitiCT 10
Page 1
EVAN AXES :.LKER
Uvalde, Texas
Ev,ln Jones milker was born December 4th, 1856, in 4ashington
0ounty, Arkansas. He came to Grnoeland County, Texas, in the fall
of 18(34. James G. 4alker and Temple Leech Walker were his parents,
and his fnther was a Methodist preacher and a doctor.
irs. E. G. lalker was Nancy Harris and was born in 1868 in the
community of Oak Island, twelve miles south of San Antonio. M. and
Zrs. 4aker have three ohildren, who are Maurice, Harold and John.
"I was five yenrs old during the Civil ,Tar, but I remember once
back in Arkansas, during the war, there wes seven jail hackers 0011.0 into
our house nnd stood my father up in front of the fire place, with several
guns pointing in his face. They were going through the house and carrying
out everything they wanted, and we children were screaming and crying to
the top of our voices. Finally, my father called for the captain and
told him he had aproteotion or pass from General-nont Which he offered
to the cv,ptain. But the captain claimed to be a Penn Indian and could
not read English and asked my father to read it for him. After my
al
fpther had read it, the Zoldiers brought back everything they had tmic
from the house. And I want to state that that was the only house
standing in that part of the country next morning. All you could see
was the chimney to a house and an apple orchard. The Yankees had
burned them all.
"I remember an old man named Freshour. He was old and deaf and
pioneer Sx-,)eriences E. Z. Wailer
Page 2
232
and he was wnlking along and the Yankees dome up behind him end hollered
at him to stop. Of course he did not hear them and they shot him in the
back nnd killed him. M7 mother and some more ladies had to dig n grave'
nnd bury him, for my father and two brothers who were home on e. furlough
hAd already gone back to the Southern Army. There were no other men in
the country. my two brothers were also home the night the Tnnkees raided
our house, but they were hid up in the attio while the Northern soldiers
were there.
"On this same raid they went into the home of two of my uncles and
took them out and hung them tw their own gate post. They were both big
men end were s4 mother's brothers. My mother was there and saw it all
end as long as she lived she never got over the shock. I don't know why
they celled it a eivil war, I think it was the cruelest war we have ever
had. e lived right on the line between the North and south end could
often her,r both cannons firing. I had five brothers in the Southern Army
right in the thick of the fighting and not one of them was ever wounded.
"After I came to Texas, I would go beck to
pisns with my half-
brother after loads of aprles. One night we were camped in the Indiand
n-tion in Oklahoma. Je had just finished eeting supper when a man rode
up pnd my brother asked him to get down and have supper. Alile he was
getting off his horse he showed a six-shooter in his right hand. My
brother hastened to the wagon and come back with a six-shooter buckled
around him. 4014 nothing happened but my brother stayed up all night
and guarded the horses. Of course he satire kept out of the light. I
siert but he said he could hear them whistling around all night. He said
they wanted, to steal his horses and he always said I snved hi. life.
They would have killed him but they didn't went to kill me beonuse I
VAS a child. Thc 11:4711j6ckers were not hard boiled then like they are
Iioneer 'fiperiences E. J. Ialker
Page 3
now. They were not modernized then for they hnd just ne soon kill a
chlid now la t grown-up.
ft(
n the way b-ek with the load of apps we had crossed the Red
River and we struck quicksand in the bar, nftd. 1::wn to the axle.
Of course we bad forded the river. Well, my ,brother went off to get help
and while he was out, a bunch of Yankee soldiers came. flight there I
got the scare of my life, for I had had one scare of Yankee soldiers and
they tnlkod me into giving them all the ales they could do anything with.
Rut when they sew my brother coming they vacated.
"Another time we were coming beak from Arkansns and my brother had
a store end two residences in San Marcos on the mnMaroon River. So
just as we got there we disoovered the residences wore on fire. I was.
standin close to Jay brother and I was wearing a Yankee cro, oL, is
locked around et me and saw me standing there with that Yankee cap on and
he jerked it off my head and threw it in the fire. I believe he would
have whiped me if another brother had not interfered. Anywny both houses
burned down*
"When my father first came to San Antonio to prerqlh there was only
one Methodist church in town and they only paid him 4.0000 a yenr. He
preached there two yenrs. While we were in San Antonio, it came a big
hail storm. I'll bet some of those stones weighed five or six pounds.
I never snw such hail. One neighbor said a. stone went throueh his tin
roof end come on through and knocked the head out of a flour barrel in
the kitchen. It knocked all the blinds off the windows where it struck.
"Nett before we went to San Antonio the city was quarantined on
acoount of cholera and they said the people died in bunches with it.
One time they wore taking a man to the cemetery to bury him. They had
the coffin,which was homemade, in a wagon and a pair of mules hitched to
Pioneer Xxperienees E. J. Walker
the wngon. All, the mules e(Ft soared and run away and three the
on the street and busted it oIen end the an came to and eot up a
beck 4jme.
ef.Ae to 1,-Fv,ade onytirthday on Deceetar 4th, n14. I 1
in Uvalde to stert ell over again.
"The bigehest butiness houses here then was F. A. Piner Comp
A. C. A.er gerdwerel T.Z. Starkey Grocery store, G. H. Ounningh
Brothers, aneral Nerchandize, Doctor S. f. Anplewhite's Drugstore
Talley 3rothells groeery store. Talley Brothers were the first t,
delivery wtton in Uvalde. He kept 9 bell on the horse end every
where Iohn 1lei aii.
"L. (3hweet.i. A.t,, on Mein street then end i believe his 7'lice
Is the wily on that hal-kept it's orginal name on down throuh
The old lea hod a big heert And sympathized with the widows end
up
1 hnve ut/many an order for them that he geve,es I was clerking
at the time. Yes. he always helped poor people and thet kind of
from the heert. he was sure a sonorous old man and reedy to ha].
need. I olerxed for him nineteen yeari.
"Old an J. J. H. Patterson hed one of the best drygoods e
town when i first come here, down on Bast Hein CAreet.
"Peter Iireish was another one that was here and had a drygo
notion store. Vieth nnd Gus .ALllor was here in the store bu.sine
and was looted stwut where Maim Hooper is now, but later aoved
Homer's store is now loontod. And I went to say every :house in
town wea made of lumber. All sidewalks, if any, was made of pie
could her:x a ,aan ste-p on it for n quarter of a mile.
lowle,wes not in business when I first ear
guess he he7Aid I was coming nnd left. nut I won't tell whet I
thet. Anyway we could always tell when Gus Bowles was in town;
Pi ihrperianoes 1. I. *WM Page 5
could heft, him laugh for two or three hleeke.
"Old Men 0111 Devi. ems here when I some hereand had a Rfe.t Market
oa Mmrkes Plume whish Is now Mole Plasm. And on the earner where the
Manhottan Ciffe is wow we used to sell it Barnhill corner ow., ilte II run.
SS
iture store owned by Mr. Revell. Well, it fought fire end/everythillt wee
made of lumber end it burned ell the vay down to where Made Drug Canpany
now. And the religion IS stopped, there was little reek house there then.)
In between the two corners vele tee residemees, Sheriff Rob And T. B. Revell
lived in them. But everything buried up.
"George Varner **(noire& the 1. C. Piper fterdelre and it was located
"but where Sill Tvaas ;overly store is nes. And N. L. mirntton was post-
master here then and the aost-offiee was right about where f.C. -enney is
I
,The i'.e.rtan, the Uvalde papaw, wis edited by a man nemed Smitten&
his
C. suoseSed/with the peps,. Aid I believe the offiee efs
looted about where the leasonio building now 'Minds.
"Joe ',Naughty was in business an the soma: of ;utat 4ctin where Taylor's
filling etntion ie)next to Nelson's barber shoo. latish and Murris had a
4roods store down on the south side of West Main. And Qliver Dumpier
hnd a place of husiasse 0 43n) bet:L.0f lihaTo .ioyth#3 store is now.
A. M. Am* hAd a saddle shon right ill the some block. &ad L. M. %MOS we
a shaelaaker nd hl had ,his business aloes to here aloe had his saddle shoe
"Mrs. Henry 4erts and Reverend L. D. chem. were Jut in two of the first
arnves Vint WAS nut in tho.444.10t cemetery. I helped'to bury them 4oth.
Do nhAii succeeded my father as pastor of the,Aethodist Ghureh la the tall
of 'ON those dnye it was oustomary for a 4rencher to nreseh at one
place Just ono yenr end then sameone else took his place.
firvt job when i Moot ensme to Vvelde was to work in Applealtite's
'ioneer Experienees E. Z. Walker
Page 6
232
drugstore. Dr. OplewhitChad the first telephone here. It ran from
his home to his Drug Store. It was a funny looking thing, you didn't
ring it you knocked on it when yell wanted to call someone. It didn't
have any battery T don.t. !mow what it had, I guess the noise just went
down the wire.
"M. Moke Was on East Main Street and had a store close to Schwartz.
Pier Guyon had a blacksmith shop her. and he was also in the undertaking
business where the bottling works is now. And the trees that are there
now were planted by him.
"On Y3ast Nein Street Mrs. rredrieh had a store and it was run by
her two sons Willie and Adam.
Jelker rnd I were quietly married Sentember 6th, 1884 right
here in uvnlde in a little house right where the new undertaking parlor
is now. Reverend I. T. Morris, pestor of the Methodist Churoh, eerformed
ueremony.
"After I left Dr. Applewhite I went to work for Cunningham in his
grocery store on 'test Main street and there were two saloons close by.
After I had been there s few years I moved over to the rker building
and went into the store business with H. Wiener, but in 1896 I sold
out. ,\f ter that I clerked at different places. One niece was for Moyer.
"In 1902 I began work for L. Schwartz end au I said before I
worked there about nineteen years. I quit work there in '21.
"I o ened my last store in May 1923, but on account of age and ill
health I sold out in August 1936. But alAring that time I made lots of
frienas 1;nd would see them most every day. I Kivu them greatly now."