Tennyhaw, Timpson, Bobo and Blair chant was famous

Today is Monday April 8, 2013. The birthdays for the week are: Apr. 8: Clara Garrett, Dr. Dixon Golden and Fannie Watson. It was the birthday of Lennie Lucas, Ned Rogers and Erma Daniels James born 1910.

Apr. 9: Marcelle Hughes, John Price, Hamp Blythe, former Center Secretary. It was the birthday of Chet Hribal and C.A. Manning. Jr.

Apr. 10: Rick Lane, one of my cousins, Wanda Ramsey and Heidi Helander.

Apr. 11: Pat Bradshaw and Dessie Hooper. It was the birthday of Hinkle Schillings, Bill Bowlin and Lyle Bailey Schillings.

Apr. 12: Diane and Winston Warr, Sandra Yarborough and Danny May. It was the birthday of Virginia Palmer, Ned Ross and Elizabeth Wise, My grandchildren’s grandmother in Illinois.

Apr. 13: Marguerite Holt Lavender, Stephen Kimbro, Herbert Perley, Jane Helander and Rhonda Schmutz.

Apr. 14: John C. Rogers Jr., Greg Gardner, Laesa Sanders, Sally Watson Soderquist and Wardlow Lane III. It was the birthday of Fred Hudson, Charles Bradshaw and Delton Chandler.

Apr. 15: Karen Bowlin, Rodney Schmutz, Monica Motley, Kristi Ihlo, Randy Snow and Clifford Ray Lowe. It was the birthday of Louis Wilburn and Lois Barbee who was born 1904. It is the wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Christian.

Apr. 16: Doug Lampley, Charles Eberenz and Shirley Ann Parker. It was the birthday of Mrs. L. C. Eddins, Beverly Choran Hurst, Livey Batson and Clyde Lyles born 1902, and Dorothy Eddins.

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Kevin McGowin called me and said he has been real sick with the flu and hopes to be able to keep delivering the Houston Chronicle again, but he is still too weak to deliver papers.

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Here’s another memory recalled about the Depression Days. I’ve said this before, that as well as I can recall there were no small or large businesses in Center closing or going bankrupt during the Depression.

I believe it was because money stayed in Center. People’s wages were in line with the low-priced food items and all extra merchandise. Folks just didn’t have extra money to drive out of town to shop in Shreveport or Nacogdoches.

At Bridges Drugstore where I worked, there were only four of us workers, Mr. E. I. Bruce, pharmacist and manager, Mrs. Beulah Biggar Case, Bookkeeper, the soda jerker and me.

All worked as a clerk if needed or one was absent. We all learned to “jerk soda.”

There were extra soda jerkers (mostly high school boys) on Saturdays since they had lots of business on this day.

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This is a chapter that actually happened during the Depression. Tine Carrol owned a variety store a few doors down the street from Bridges Drug Store. It was across the street from the Payne Buildings. His two clerks were Virgie Ramsey, manager and Thelma Samford, clerk. One day the two of them had to be out and they got me to leave my job at the drug store and manage their store for over an hour.

My boss didn’t mind. I was getting a few variety store customers. Bob Eddins, CHS school teacher, came in the drug store and asked about my absence, He and Mr. Bruce thought up a name of some non-existent product and sent someone down to have me look all over the store for it, which I did. It took a long time for the hunt, and they got a big laugh out of it.

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I doubt if there’s anyone alive who remembers the movie idol of the early 1920’s, Rudolph Valentino. One of his movies which I recall was “Blood and Sand.” It was about a Spanish bull fighter.

Rudolph died young and the world grieved for him. I read that a woman clad in a long black cloak and veil visited his grave and kept fresh flowers on it. An effort was made to find out who she was but they never did.

••••••• Along about the same time the world news readers were concerned about Floyd Collins, a young man seeking adventure by crawling to a long depth into the great Kentucky Mammoth Cave. A big rock fell on his legs trapping him to his death. Every effort known to man at that time was used to save him without success.

Songs were written about him. I’m sure you can find this exciting story on your computer, “The Fate of Floyd Collins”. I believe this was before we had a radio. We got our news in the Houston Chronicle.

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For good luck, some women punched a hole in a dime and wore it around their ankle. We don’t see that anymore. They are wearing shining gems on a chain around their ankle, and it seems that women don’t wear hose or stockings anymore. Toe nails are well groomed and painted every color imaginable. Some women wear rings on their toes.

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Tenaha, Timpson, Bobo and Blair is a chant some players say while shooting dice. There are several ways told that this expression was started.

I like to believe the one that retired U. S. Army Colonel R.R. Morrison gave us at our historical society meetings in the 1960’s.

Col. Morrison was the commanding officer of a National Guard unit in France from Shelby County in WWI.

When the unit was leaving on the train going to war from Timpson, a group of soldiers got in a crap game. When the dice hit a certain number, a soldier yelled “Tennyhaw.” Others yelled Timpson, Bobo and Blair as they approached these communities.

The chant became famous and still continues. It is as much Shelby County Texas as Hot Tamales Hot and Mill Creek Punch is to Center during the last century.

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I talked on the phone with A. J. Procell, Wednesday April 3 about the damage to his fruit trees from the recent storm and freeze. His Mayhaw tree crop was hurt real bad, but the figs seem to have survived as well as his few peach trees.

A. J. explained, “My mayhaw trees and berries were hurt. That storm did a real job on them. It broke limbs and in falling knocked the fruit off. This is 3 years in a row for the crop of mayhaws to be low. At first it looked like I might get 100 cases but now I’ll be lucky to get 25 or 30 cases. But you’re going to get all the mayhaw jelly you want”.

He added, “We can make our plans, but God is in command, and we go by what he plans for us.”

The mayhaws should be ripe in May and figs are ready in July and August.

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David Swanzy is featuring me on his website www. shelbycountytx.com. Terri Lacher worked hard on the story, gathering information from me and others. Andi Foster spent hours scanning and arranging pictures Dixie took to her from my albums. I haven’t been able to see this since I don’t have a computer, but Dixie has printed off one of the articles for me, and told me it was a wonderful tribute.

David puts out a new issue of his online magazine each month.

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I received another arrangement of silk flowers from the Willie Nelson family on April 4. It is the second delivery this week.

I’ll call Willie later and thank him.

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Mattie