Amarillo Sunday News-Globe (Amarillo, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 33, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 14, 1938 Page: 84 of 264
two hundred sixty four pages : ill. ; page 23 x 18 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
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PAOB TWgNTf-EIGHT—SECTION B
AMARILLO SUNDAY NEWS AND OLOBE. AMARILLO. TEXAS.
Dates, Dollars Hard To Keep
By ALMA McGOWEN THOMPSON
Bight-one - year - old Dr. M. W.
Cunningham Is a man typical or
the Panhandle.
"They grow 'em big in Texas"
might have been said of this grand
old man, for he is big in stature
as well as in character, and he has
a delightful humor that endears
him to the younger generation.
Dr. Cunningham was corn at
Oklahoma. Miss., November 1. 1857.
He came to Texas in 1884—"I be-
lieve it was; it's hard to remem-
ber"—and settled at Ferris. Prom
there he went to Alvarado, thence
to Amarillo in 1890.
Dr. Cunningham practiced med-
icine in Mississippi before coming
to Texas. In 1887 he was married
to Miss Josie Stevens—he is fond
of telling how Josie led him to the
altar three days ahead of time be-
cause she didn't wish to marry on
Saturday—negroes' day! The doc-
tor had wished to wed on his 30th
birthday. To them were born fire
children, three of whom are living.
One child, a boy, died in infancy;
a daughter, Carrie, died in Cali-
fornia in 1909, a year prior to the
death of her mother.
Dr. Cunningham says that the
reason he came to the Plains was
the hPalth of his son Milton, at
that time two years old. A friend
of the family, Dr. Cartwright. had
been up here and upon his return
advised the Cunninghams to come
here for the child's health. In April
the doctor came out, and the fol-
lowing July his family followed him.
Tlie youngster thrived in this cli-
mate.
"Then. too. I came looking for
business," the doctor states. "My
first business venture here was in
the grocery line. Looney, another
man interested in the business, went
into partnership with me and we
each put in $500 and started up
the Amarillo Grocery Company
Later Mr. White (of White and
Kirk* wished to go into business
with us; so we told him to put In
$500 and come on. This he did.
Mr. White had just moved to the
Plains from Jack County for his
little girl's health. We had met at
the Presbyterian Church and he
had sort of made my place head-
quarters. We did pretty well in our
grocerv business until Looney got
too big ideas and got to spending
a hundred dollars a month. When
we called him to task he got mad
and said 'Buy me out, then!' which
we did.
"White and I did fine in our store
until a severe attack of appendicitis
left me in such condition I could
not walk without great pain. I sold
out to Mr. White who a short time
later organized 'White and Kirk'
which Is one of the oldest and best
known firms in the Panhandle. E.
W. White is one of the best men
that ever lived."
• • •
Doctor Cunningham went on to
*av that as soon as his health per-
mitted he went into the real estate
business, and he says emphatical-
ly, "The bulk of whatever fortune
I may have once possessed was
made In real estate, and not in oil
and gas, as some people think."
Then he continued, "There were
but 500 or 600 people in Amarillo
when I came. The 1890 census
showed 450 people. In 1900 I took
the census of Amarillo and there
were 1500 to a dot! but an upstart
in Washington tigured it 1450. How.
ever I know 1 was right. I had al-
ways prided myself upon my ac-
curacy in addition, and, besides, I
had had Professor Gee, who was
principal of the school then, to
check my report, and he got exact-
ly what'I did—1500!
"There wasn't much here in 1890,
and mast of that was north of th«
Amarillo Hotel My grocery store
was in the 500 block on Polk The
First National Bank Building, made
of stone, was being built. Later four
or five saloons were built—that sec-
tion was called Hell's Half Acre,'
and the name was not entirely a
misnomer. The sidewalks, what few
| we had, were high board walks.
"There were no fences between
here and Lubbock in that early day,
and cattle drifttcd badly during bliz-
zards. I filed on a section oi land
east of Canyon, nine miles from
Amarillo, shortly after 1 first came
to the Plains. L. H, Stephens and
[Dr. Cartwright also filed on land.
I Their sections were near mine. We
all used to have a great 'me.
"After we were in town perma-
nently a bunch of us used to go
quail hunting out to Landergin's
ranch. He had a great range At
first he bought 1,000 acres of land
in one block, then later bought 100.-
000 acres adjoining that. Part of
the land was hilly, and quail thrived.
1 recall one huntine trip that was
nearly tragic, but turned out to be
Just funny; Several of us were
down on Landergin's place and we
had scattered out. M. C. Nobles was
in the bunch and once just as he
and two others were coming up over
a li'tle hill one of the boys shot
and part of the shot went through
M. C.'s lip. and the other through
the skin on his forehead, but the
shot were small and the charge
from too far to do serious damage.
M, C. said he was too hard-headed
i !or a mere gun shot to hurt him."
Every summer the four cronies,
M. C. Nobles, Judge Crudgington,
| Pat Landergin and Doc Cunning-
|ham, went on a two weeks' vaca-
te •> together. "We always had fun,
f> Pat was a typical Irishman, full
of jokes and pranks." Here the
! good doctor laughed outright as he
thought of one such trip. "We were
: in a taxi going some place, from the
11rain to the hotel, I believe, when
Pat said to the driver, 'I see you
j have lots of grass and a tew cattle
ihere. Do you have any predatory
-
:
■ :f Si
1 *
THIS IS REMARKABLE INDEED. In a city that has grown apace as Amarillo has in the past two decades,
especially since 1925, where the old was almost continually making way for the new, here is a downtown area
that has not been changed to any great extent. Every building shown here is still standing. The view is west
x —i T'-ylor Streets. In the right background is the old First National Rank Building, and at the
National Bank Building. In the right foreground is the Cain Building; on the left is the
from Fourth and Taylor Streets,
left is the Amarillo
Wayland Building.
animals?"
To which the taxi-
driver answered, 'No, do you?' And
Pat replied. 'Yes, we have wild-
; cats, wolves, and a few Repub-
licans.' "
• • •
The story of Dr. Cunningham's
devotion to his wife is a beautiful
j one, and it shows the nobility of
: character that could put self aside
I entirely for another's happiness.
! Mrs. Cunningham's health had
j failed and her husband left his busi-
j ness to travel in vain search for her
comfort. They eventually went to
'California where he rented a com-
fortable house in that garden spot
of sunshine and flowers. One day
shortly after their arrival the doc-
tor and his wife were driving about
the city and the countryside when
they passed Forest Lawn Cemetery.
A man was selling plots, ana Mrs.
Cunningham remarked casually
that they perhaps should buy one.
••It. might be a good investment"
she said.
"It was hard to remember—just
looking at my wife—that she wasn't
entirely well: so I never placed any
significance upon her remark, but
in less than a year it was only too
evident that Josie would never be
well."
One day she said to him. "Hon.
I don't want to pass away in a
rented house." Whereupon M. W
took the first train for Amarillo to
sell a brick building on Polk With
the funds he hastened back to l.os
Angeles where he bought a house
and an acre of ground. After put-
ting a large force to work, and
spending $3,700 for repairs and re-
decorations, the place was just like
his wife wanted, and he moved her
into her home—to die!
"It was necessary to keep a nurse
continuously Miss Grosnickle was
with her the 42 months before the
end which came on December 29,
1910—less than a year from the day
she entered her California home. I
buried her there in Los Angeles be-
side Carrie in beautiful Forest Lawn
Cemetery, one of the beauty spots of
California.''
"Did you know my daughter, Car-
rie?" the doctor asked. "She was
a brilliant girl. She organized the
Christian Endeavor here at the
church, and was its president. She
often took the carriage and horse to
go out and bring the young people
in. Then when we were in Cali-
fornia she did a wonderful work
with those Spanish people. Often
she'd have 37 of them at a prayer
meeting; and then have the same
37 out to our house to dance—I used
to be mortally opposed to dancing,
but Carrie cured me. I said. 'Well,
anybody who can talk and pray as
you can may certainly dance if she
wants to!' None of my girls were
ever terribly enamored of dancing.
They were all very much like their
mother. None of them ever cared
anything about games or sports of
Father and Sons, Printers All
Southwestern Printing Company,
established in 1931. was purchased
in June of 1932 by Bruce Autry from
O, L. Taylor, the' founder.
Bruce Autry came to Amarillo in
1921 and for a number of years was
in charge of printing for Russell &
Cockrell. He came to Amarillo from
Texico-Farwell, where he and a
brother published The State Line
Tribune until it was destroyed by
fire in 1920,
G A. Autry, father of Bruce, pub-
lished a newspaper at Snyder, the
"Coming West." It was there that
Mr. Autry, the elder, showed "type
lice" to all of his five sons. That
was in 1910.
So Southwestern Printing Com-
pany's ownership and management
is backed by a generation of experi-
ence.
Robert Bruce Autry, son of Brucp
; Autry and now 6 years old, has his
any kind. I did. Why, the hardest
thing I ever had to give up was
; playing golf.
• • •
"After my wife's death 1 just
went all to pieces. I returned with
the children to Amarillo but I
seemed to keep going down hill un-
til after two years I was a walking
skeleton. Finally I went to Fort
Worth to an old family physician of
my wife's people. When he ex-
amined me that doctor laughed.
'You remind me of an old buggy
that's been driven in a dry climate
for five years!' I came on back to
Amarillo and Dr. Lockett told sister,
who had come to live with me and
the children, to feed me on raw
cabbage chopped fine with olive oil
poured over it. After three weeks
of that cabbage trick I decided to
leave off the cabbage and take the
oil straight. Kept, a bottle on the
table and I took a tablespoontul be-
fore each meal, and soon I was feel-
ing fine and was ready to go back
to work .
"Father was living with me, too.
own press, type and equipment in
the basement of his home and
prints cards for the neighborhood
children. He is going to be a print-
er, too. he declares. "Poor kid" says
the father.
Located in the Oliver-Eakle Build-
ing basement, air-cooled and in-
direct-lighted (affording splendid
working conditions) Southwestern
has doubled in equipment and pro-
duction.
Z. W. "Buster" Smith, who is in
charge of production at Southwest-
ern Printing Company, started in
the business with O L. Taylor when
it was founded.
George Tomberlin is in charge of
presses for the company and Frank
Roberts is in rharge of the bindery
Southwestern does all kinds of
commercial and fancy printing, and
I process engraving is a specialty.
He went blind at the age of 84.
Four years later I took him to Fort
| Worth to some eye specialists, but
■ he wouldn't get on the operating
table until they agreed to operate
on only one eye. After they had
I removed the cataract, he could see
; as well as any one out ot that
! one eye, but he never would con-
sent to have the other eye operated
upon.
"After sister's death. Mr. and Mrs.
Joiner kept house for me many
; years. Tlie children were In and
J out—they were in school most of
the year.
"I had given up my real estate
business; my partner, Mr. McGreg-
or, had died. That man had the
most wonderful memory 1 ever
knew. He was the treasurer of the
Presbyterian Church and he could
tell any man's exact, balance due on
a pledge without even referring to
his books. He was invaluable to
the church, and when he died the
church sent me to accompany his
body to Creston, Iowa, for burial.
"After leaving the real estate
business I became postmaster of
Amarillo. The postoffice was then
located on Fifth between Taylor
and Polk. However I had been
dabbling in the oil Industry and
soon my holdings had grown to
such proportions that I resigned
■my postmastershlp so I could de-
vote my time entirely to my own
business. In fact, the gas well had
blown in, and I thought I was a
millionaire and I wanted all m.v
time to spend my money! But my
girls saved me that trouble! They
each had a checkbook, and their
allowances were always overdrawn
"Now. my boy was jlifferent.
When he was only 14 I gave him a
check book, saying as I did so, 'Son,
I'm giving you this so you can buy
your clothes and whatever you
need—just don't bother me, but
don't ever abuse your privilege un-
less you want it taken away,' And
he never did, not even unto this
day."
The doctor told about a trip
which he and his daughter, Nina,
with Judge and Mrs. Crudgington
made to the East. "Oh. I don't re-
member the exact time—dates and
dollars are hard to keep. The Gen-
eral Assembly of the church was
meeting at Philadelphia. We went
by way of Chicago and the Hudson
River on to New York. The women
window-shopped all over the city
while I just scattered myself all
over New York. I went to ball
games—I saw Babe Ruth knock
a home run! I'll never forget that1
While the women and I were tak-
ing in New York, Judge Crudging-
ton went on to the Assembly at
Philadelphia, where we joined him
later. We spent about two days there
seeing the old historical places, then
we went on to Washington, D C.,
to pick up some things that Nina
had left there. On our way back to
Amarillo we came back by my old
home in Shannon, Miss. The place
had changed greatly. But that was
to be expected. Amarillo too, has
changed. It isn't the little cowtown
I once knew."
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY EDITION, 193B.
Post Hole Digger and Printer
H. B. Martin has made printing
history in Amarillo.
Beneath Cactus Jack Garnerlsh
brows, the pioneer printer's bright
blue eyes sparkle when ne relates
early day experiences in Amarillo.
To Mr. Martin, still active as the
manager of the printing company
bearing his name, (the commercial
printing plant is at 510 North Fill-
more Street) goes the distinction
of installing the first electric motor
on a printing press in Amarillo.
And the first lob of printing done
by electric power in Amarillo—the
plant was at the southeast corner
of Fourth Avenue and Taylor
Street—was a Labor Day program.
September. 1904.
Here's part of Mr. Martin's story
in his own style;
"In the latter part of August,
1901, I stopped off In Daihart and
obtained 19 subscribers for a tele-
phone system. At, that time 1 was
publishing The Hall County News
at Memphis A few days later I
boarded a Denver train. I was
carrying an old-lashioned 'tele-
scope' containing a pair of union-
alls, a pair ot socks, two clean
handkerchiefs and my other shirt.
As excess bacgage 1 carried a sharp-
shooter spade and a post hole dig-
ger. As there seemed to be no
special hurry about the telephone
system I decided to stop off In
Amarillo and look over a real tele-
phone system and maybe peep In to
find out what a sure enough 'hello
girl' was like.
"After depositing the post hole
digger and spade under the old
Mason Hotel down on the Bowery
I went up town and ate supiier at
Jack Floyd's restaurant, between
Fourth and Fifth on Polk Street
"Someone introduced me to Frank
Holland, who was publishing Texas
Farm and Ranch at Dallas Mr.
Holland suggested to me a good
newspaper in a growing town like
Amarillo would bring qulcket and
better results than a small tele-
phone system and would require a
much smaller investment Acting
on the advice of Frank Holland I
called on E T Basev. a former
circus man. who was publishing Tlie
Western Advocate in a bullet-
riddled building on the lot now
occupied by the Capitol Theater.
"Mr, Basey's feet were itching for
the sawdust ring. After convincing
; Ba.sey that I possessed a post hole
| digger that had been touring West
Texas with Molly Bailey's circus. I
had no trouble in inducing him to
accept It as a down payment on
the purchase price ot his newspaper
"There were two other considera-
tions, Including promises to pay,
written in the sale contract.
Upon Investigation I found there
was one subscriber who always In-
sisted on paying in advance for the
paper. At the end of four years
I came out In debt to that sucker
and it took about all the ready carh
1 could raise to reimburse him for
advance payments when the paper
finally suspended publication, Jan-
uary 11, 1905.
"Having failed in the newspaper
business, 1 shipped two wagon loads
of 'old junk' printering material
back to the foundry and used It as
a down payment on a real . job
printing planU-at least it was about
the best that had appeared in
Amarillo up to that time."
It was then that Mr Mai tin made
printing history in Amarillr,. In-
stalling the first electric motor on
a press.
"At first the light company would
contract only for night services."
continued Mr. Martin. "All press
work had to be done after 5 o'clock,
but it was only a short time until
there was sufficient demand for day
service and adequate power machin-
ery was Installed at the light plant
arid electric motors were rapidly
displacing the gasoline engine
wherever power was needed.
"I have always had faith in Ama-
rillo and have been identified with
the printing Industry here for al-
most 40 years and with the excep-
tion of a few months have always
operated my own plant."
"I sometimes think I may yet un-
dertake to learn the printing busi-
ness." Mr. Martin added.
The pioneer printer is like that.
He is not grumpy, but is growing old
gracefully. There is a twinkle In
his eyes as he talks.
• « •
When H. B. Martin was about five
years old the family came to Texas
from Georgia, where he was born,
and settled In Ellis Ccnty.
In I88H H. B. Martin went to
work. "I couldn't read or writ/'." ho
said, "and I thought I'd better learn,
so I went to work for the Haskell
Free Press."
He probably could read and write
rings around his classmates, but
Mr. Martin likes to talk that way.
For two years he worked for the
Haskell Free Press and then an elec-
tion year came rolling around, as
election years will, and he went to
Benjamin, where he published the
Benjamin Exchange.
While publisher of the Exchange
the pioneer printer of Amanllo an-
nounced the "birth of such papei'3
as the Clarendon Banner, started b •
Bob Edgell. He also announced first
editions of papers at Childress, old-
est of all business in that town, at
(Continued On Pag<- 29)
Good Eats - Popular Prices
U. S. CAFE
H. B. Callahan, Owner
4 I 2 Fillmore
36 YEARS OF PROGRESS
Starting as a small shipping point in 1902, we have grown constantly through service and fair dealing, until now we are
the largest and one of the best feed in transit points in Northwest Texas.
24-Hour Service in the Interest of Stockmen
EVERY MONDAY
At the Western Stockyards in Amarillo. The Amarillo Live-
stoc.lt Sales Company handles hundreds of cattle—all kinds
—from several states. They are sold at auction at prices as
high or higher than paid at major markets the same day.
RAIL CONNECTIONS
We are connected by rail with Santa Fe, Fort
Worth & Denver and R ock Island Railroads, which
insures quick service in moving livestock in any
direction almost hourly. We are also equipped to
handle trucks.
FEED PENS
Each pen equipped with plenty manger space, water and
bunks for short feeding . . . eight la'-ge pens for long feed-
ing. Best feeds are used according to owner's direction.
Branding, Dehorning, Tipping, Vaccinating, Weighing
RECENT EXPENDITURE OF $10,000 FOR IMPROVED WATER FACILITIES
OUR AIM
lhe Southwest s Biggest Stocker and Feeder Point
BILL HALE, Manager
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Amarillo Sunday News-Globe (Amarillo, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 33, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 14, 1938, newspaper, August 14, 1938; Amarillo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth299921/m1/84/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hutchinson County Library, Borger Branch.