Fayette County One Hundred Years Ago, Part III
The following article is Part III of a three-part series regarding the stories of past events that occurred in Fayette County 100 years ago, the first two entries of which ran earlier this year. It is interesting and sometimes necessary to take time to look back on previous events that happened in our county, both to learn and to be entertained. The people, places, and events all seem to have a story that needs to be told, or retold in this case. In the September 16th issue of the La Grange Journal, a large advertisement in the newspaper informed the public of the upcoming Fayette County Fair, held from September 15th through the 18th, featuring a roller skating act, a comedy act, a daredevil act, the carnival, agricultural exhibits, horse racing, and a dance each night in the Fair Grounds Pavilion.
In the same issue, in Ellinger, there was a robbery in progress in the C. W. Ehlinger Store when Sheriff Loessin and Deputy Reiss arrived at about 2:00 a.m. Upon entering the store, the officers found the burglars at work. The paper stated that “Then business picked up … There was a fusilade [sic] of shots, by both the officers and the burglars, the latter managing to effect [sic] an escape through a side door.” After the escape from the store, the burglars were followed to Fayetteville, where a wounded suspect was arrested. Later, the other suspect was arrested by Deputy Meyer of Ellinger and Deputy Sladek in Fayetteville. The suspects were identified as T. F. Hines, age 27, and Frank Reed, age 36. The auto used by the burglars was apparently taken out of Limestone County, and the tools used to break into the store were stolen from the nearby Minssen and Nitsche Garage. The two men would eventually receive a two-year sentence in the State Penitentiary. (Note: The Ehlinger Store was a long and narrow building, so the exchange of gunfire would have been a very dangerous situation for the Sheriff and Deputy Reiss. The Journal writer also noted that the village of Ellinger “seems to be an object of many burglaries.”) In the September 30th issue of the Journal, the scene would return to Ellinger, this time in the form of a tragic auto/railroad accident. The report would state the following: On Friday, September 24th, the three sons of Joe Kallus, Anton, Pete, and Lad, were crossing the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks south of Ellinger when the train and the car they were riding in collided. The train stopped after the collision and picked up the three victims and then carried them to the La Grange Hospital. The two younger Kallus boys, Peter and Ladislav would lose their lives in what the Journal referred to as a “deplorable accident.” The cause of the accident was placed on the steep grade of the railroad track, making visibility very limited for both parties.
The October 14th issue of the paper would carry an ad from the La Grange Motor Company- Ford Dealership. The company would advertise “The Most Popular Car in America Today,” with prices ranging from $360 for the Ford Roadster to $545 for the Ford Sedan Fordor. The one-ton truck for the farmer would sell at $325. (The 2026 basic Ford F-350 is listed at about $50,000, starting price.)
In the October 14th issue of the Journal, the reporter from Winchester would make a plea for something quite commonly heard today, namely for “everyone who drives a car... cut down their (auto) motors and drive slow” in the school zones. It was stated to “remember the school children” and “it is better to give heed now than to express regrets later.”
The November 11 issue reported that the communities of Flatonia, Swiss Alp, etc., were reporting fair weather, while the Winchester area reporter was exasperated with the problem of thievery. Apparently, some not so nice people were helping themselves to someone else’s pecan crop, a local farmer’s peanut crop, and appropriating other assorted items that they did not own.
The November 18th issue reported that Frank Rauch, storekeeper in Walhalla, had been shot in the shoulder. The incident seemed to stem from a disagreement between Mr. Rauch and a renter on his property over a rental settlement. Two men were arrested.
As the year came to a close, the town of Ellinger was once again in the news. The December 16th issue of the Journal stated that bricks were removed from the outside wall of the Ellinger Bank, where the vault was located and burglars entered the vault. It was reported by Mr. Leo Frede, Bank President, that a sum of money, less than one hundred dollars was taken from the vault. A search was then underway for two suspects by the sheriff’s department.
The last issue of the year, December 30th, centered around difficult events in the county. The end of the year brought wet conditions and left travel on the various roads both annoying and hazardous. Auto traffic, left stranded in the mud, had to be drawn out by tractors and/or mules. Good, sound paved roads were still lacking in the rural areas throughout the county and the state at this point in time.
This three-part series, dealing with the trials and tribulation of our ancestors one hundred years ago, should leave the reader with the realization that we are truly living in the best of times. We may dislike our current problems, but the lives of yesteryear seem a whole lot more difficult than today. Hopefully, we can be thankful to those who came before us, and left us with a great county and state to live in.
Footprints Of Fayette
Fayette County is one of the most historic counties in Texas. In this weekly feature from the County Historical Commission, a rotating group of writers looks back at local history.