USA > Texas > A Twentieth century history of southwest Texas, Volume I > Part 47
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JOHN J. STEVENS, a leader in the ranks of the Republican party of Texas, who in public office has discharged his duties with the utmost capability and general satisfaction to the public, is now serving as post- master of San Antonio. He is connected with prominent and important business interests in this city and elsewhere and his activity in various lines has been a moving force in public progress, in commercial and po- litical lines. He was born in San Antonio, April 2, 1852, a son of John and Mary (McDermott) Stevens. The father was born in County Tip- perary, Ireland, and came to the United States in 1847. The following year he came to Texas as a clerk for General James Longstreet of the United States army, who made his headquarters at the government post at San Antonio. Mr. Stevens lived in this city from that time until his death, which occurred in March, 1900. He unfortunately suffered with an affliction of the eyes which practically prevented him from engaging in the active affairs of life. He was married in the old San Fernando cathedral in San Antonio to Miss Mary McDermott, a native of County Sligo, Ireland, who survives her husband and lives in this city. Her mother was of the Milmo family at Sligo.
John J. Stevens acquired his education in St. Mary's College, but
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when he reached the age of twelve years had to put aside his text books and enter the business world to assist in the support of the family. For two years he was employed in the office of the county clerk and when a youth of fourteen was made cash clerk in the quartermaster's depart- ment under Colonel J. G. C. Lee, there remaining for two years. On the conclusion of that service he was offered and accepted the appoint- ment of clerk to James P. Newcomb, then secretary of state. After act- ing in that capacity for a year he resigned to become private secretary to Governor Edmund J. Davis, the only Republican governor Texas ever had. He served in that position until Governor Davis completed his term of office, after which he received the appointment of deputy col- lector of customs at Galveston, where he lived from 1874 until 1877.
Mr. Stevens became connected with railroad service through ap- pointment to the office of chief clerk under Colonel H. B. Andrews, gen- eral manager of the Southern Pacific Railroad, and later he was made cashier of the Southern Pacific in this city and acted in that capacity for eight years. In the course of his service in that position he handled millions of dollars for the railroad company and it is related that he is the only man of whom the Southern Pacific never required a bond or an accounting of money.
One of Mr. Stevens' active interests for some time in San Antonio was in connection with the well known resort and watering place, the Hot Wells, of which he was one of the owners and the manager, but he sold out his interest in this in November, 1905. He is secretary of the San Antonio Brewing Association and was one of the founders, and was for years the vice president of the waterworks company of San Antonio, which furnishes the city with one of its greatest benefits and attractions -a supply of pure artesian water. He is also a prominent cattle man of Southwestern Texas, being one of the owners of a fine and extensive ranch lying thirty miles south of San Antonio in Wilson and Atascosa counties.
In February, 1906, Mr. Stevens received from President Roose- velt the appointment to the position of postmaster of San Antonio and is giving to the city a public spirited, businesslike administration, having systematized the affairs of the office and conducted its interests with the same keen discrimination, energy and foresight that have character- ized his private business affairs.
Mr. Stevens was married in San Antonio in 1879 to Miss Bettie Thornton, the eldest daughter of James T. Thornton, a member of the firm of Bennett & Thornton, who established the first bank of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens have five children : Mary, the wife of Claude Springall; Thornton, who wedded Miss May Douglass, of Lafayette, Indiana ; John J., who married Miss Katharine Douglass, of Lafayette ; Bettie and Eleanor, at home. Mr. Stevens has a social, genial nature, which makes him heartily welcome in the homes of many friends. He has figured prominently in local politics and is an influential member of the Republican party. The success of his life is due to no inherited for- tune or to any happy succession of advantageous circumstances, but to his own sturdy will, steady application, tireless industry and sterling in-
Homer Eads
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tegrity. These qualities combined with an agreeable presence and ex- cellent conversational powers give the secret of his personal popularity.
HOMER EADS, who on February 5, 1907, was promoted from as- sistant general freight agent and general live-stock agent for the Inter- national and Great Northern Railroad Company at San Antonio to the office of superintendent, San Antonio division, was born in Sumter coun- ty, Alabama, the son of Thomas Kemp Eads, also a native of Alabama, who came with his family to Texas in 1860, locating first at Port Sulli- van on the Brazos river in Milam county, whence he afterward removed to Caldwell in Burleson county. He was a teacher by profession and was closely associated with the educational progress of the state. He died in Bryan, Texas, in the '70s.
Mr. Eads is so well known in San Antonio in connection with the public enterprises that he has promoted, that he needs no introduction to the readers of this volume. He is a noted factor in public life and especially in the establishment of many important movements and enter- prises which have direct bearing upon the welfare and progress of the state. San Antonio and Southwest Texas have profited largely by his efforts and therefore his history has become an integral chapter in the annals of this section. He began his railroad career when a very young boy in 1872 as a messenger at Hearne, Texas, in the office of H. M. Hoxie, the well known railroad man, who for many years had charge of the Gould railroad interests in the southwest. Hearne was at that time the southern terminus of the International and Great Northern Railroad, which was being built southwestward through Texas to the Mexican border. When eight years of age Mr. Eads had lost his father and was forced soon afterward to provide for his own support. His people removed to Hearne at the time the railroad was completed there, and he secured a situation in Mr. Hoxie's office, acting first as messenger but soon became a telegraph operator. Later he was appointed station agent, being sent to Riverside, and from that place he was transferred to Palestine, being promoted to the dispatcher's office. When the con- struction of the road had been pushed southward from Hearne, Mr. Eads was appointed operator and ticket agent at Rockdale, where he remained for a number of years, later becoming freight agent, so that the duties of that position were added to his other work at Rockdale. In 1888 he received another promotion, being transferred to San Antonio in that year as commission agent. He has since made his home in San Antonio, with the exception of a comparatively short period when he occupied the office of superintendent of car service at Palestine. Following that position he was appointed assistant general freight agent and general live-stock agent for the International and Great Northern Railroad with offices and headquarters at San Antonio. He was thus brought very closely in touch with the great live-stock interests of Southwestern Texas and a number of prominent stockmen of the state, so that Mr. Eads has done more for the live-stock interests of this section of the country than any other one man. He has certainly exerted every effort at all times to bring about favorable conditions in the transportation of live-stock and it is probable that his road under his direction as live-stock agent has originated more live-stock shipments than any other road in
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Texas. He was instrumental in having two conventions of the Texas Cattle Growers' Association held in San Antonio.
As superintendent of the San Antonio division, I. & G. N. R. R., Mr. Eads has charge of the four hundred and twenty-five miles of track from Palestine to Laredo. This is the most important division of the "Texas Railroad," and Mr. Eads' position makes him a powerful factor in the affairs of Southwest Texas.
Mr. Eads was one of the organizers and is one of the officers and promoters of the San Antonio Fair Association, which holds the annual international fair at San Antonio, which has been of great benefit in ad- vertising this city and surrounding country and bringing large num- bers of visitors here each fall. For some time Mr. Eads had charge of the Mexican features of the fair. He was offered the presidency of the association but had to decline the honor on account of the press of his business interests. In June, 1905, he was chairman of the committee which made the trip to the City of Mexico and extended an invitation to President Diaz of the Mexican republic to participate in the fair and make an exhibit. Mr. Eads has also been prominently identified with the Carnival Association, the Casino Association and other associations of public benefit, the value of which are acknowledged. He was one of the directors of the Spring Carnival Association in 1906. He was also one of the originators of the project for the development of the hot sulphur wells south of the city as a resort and sanitarium, now attract- ing national attention.
For the past eight years Mr. Eads has been a member of and is now president of the board of managers of the Southwest Insane Asylum, a notable state institution located five miles from the center of the city on San Juan road. Mr. Eads has spent a great deal of time and has taken a great interest in bringing it up to its present high state of efficiency and usefulness-a splendid public philanthropy and model institution of its kind. Prominent in Masonic circles, he has attained the Knight Templar degree and he is also identified with numerous other societies and organizations.
It is doubtful if there is a citizen outside of public office who has labored so persistently, earnestly and effectively for general progress and development in this portion of the state as has Mr. Eads, and no movement for the general good fails to receive his endorsement, and in the majority of cases his hearty co-operation. Early in 1906 he was appointed a member of the executive committee in charge of the chapel and library building presented to the military post of Fort Sam Houston at San Antonio by the residents of this city. He took a very active part in awakening an interest among the citizens, and in raising the twenty-five thousand dollars necessary for carrying on this worthy enterprise. He is always called upon to help entertain distinguished visitors to the city and has been the means of bringing several of them here as well as se- curing important gatherings and conventions in San Antonio. He has watched very closely and taken a deep interest in the growth and devel- opment of San Antonio and Southwestern Texas, and is generally appre- ciated as a most useful and public-spirited citizen. He is watchful of opportunities and has the ability to look beyond the exigencies of the
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moment to the possibilities of the future. He not only labors for the present but for general benefit in years to come and his work has been practical and effective, for, while working toward the ideal, he has utilized the means at hand and does all for present as well as future good.
The Military Post and Headquarters.
The importance of the military establishment in the general prosperity of San Antonio has been previously referred to. It is said that through this channel almost a million dollars annually is distributed in the city of San Antonio. Obviously, on this account, the military establishment is one of the most valuable assets from the financial standpoint, not to speak of its influence on the social side of life and in many other ways.
Fort Sam Houston (given this name about ten years ago) is already one of the largest posts in the country, and the contemplated increase of its size to a brigade post will give it an enviable distinction in military affairs and make it still more a matter of pride and value to the city. The grounds of the post, including the target range, cover about six hundred acres, and there are quarters for eighteen companies, seventy-five sets of officers' quarters, commissary and quartermasters' depots, and a large corral for horses. As the headquarters of the Department of Texas, all the eleven garrison posts are supplied from the depot at this point.
"There are but few of our great military men that have not been stationed at San Antonio," said Chaplain Dickson (26th Infantry) in a recent article. "As low-ranking lieutenants they rode through this country with the old government pack trains long before the advent of the railroads. Weary marches through miles upon miles of sage brush and chapparal no doubt caused Sheridan to make the remark that 'if he owned hell and Texas he would rent out Texas and live in hell.' But times have changed. Industry has struck the soil of Southwest Texas, and now train after train loaded with choicest products steam north to supply the markets of the world.
"Generals Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnston did their tour of duty in San Antonio. Here Lee resigned his commission and cast his lot with the Confederacy. Captain William M. Edgar of this city mailed the letter. Grant was here prior to '61, and his son, General Frederick Dent Grant, recently commanded the Department of Texas. General Zack Taylor was stationed here; also Twiggs, Hood, Sheridan, Shafter, Lawton, Carbon, Stanley, Scofield, and others of national reputation. General McCaskey, the present department commander, served several years in Southwest Texas in the early days, and Colonel George Le Roy Brown, the present post commander, was stationed here from 1872 to 1876. (General McCaskey was transferred to the Department of Da- kotas in 1907.)
"An element that has had its effect in developing the mutual in- terests of the post and the city is the cordial relations that exist between the military and the civilians. The citizens of San Antonio appreciate the post of Fort Sam Houston and are always ready to make the stay of the officers and men as pleasant as possible.
"San Antonio has been termed the 'mother-in-law of the army.' Former Texas girls grace many of the homes even in the remote stations
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of our country. They have shared with the officers the hardships of army life. The proverbial hospitality of this historic and beautiful city has been passed from lip to lip, and with many old San Antonio is the most delightful station in the army."
The history of San Antonio as a military point coincides in many ways with the history of the city, for military operations have been con- ducted with this as a center ever since the founding of the presidio nearly two hundred years ago. Almost immediately after annexation, San An- tonio was made the recruiting point and point of departure for one di- vision of the army of invasion against Mexico. Soldiers were quartered in the city from that time. The quartermaster's depot was located in the Alamo for a period of nearly thirty years, except during the Civil war. While General Worth commanded the department (until his death in 1849) the headquarters were on the north side of Main Plaza.
The grounds for the arsenal on South Flores street were set aside in 1859, but it was not until after the war that this part of the establish- ment was transferred from its old location on Houston and Soledad streets.
From 1869 until 1875 the military headquarters were located at Austin, but in the latter year were returned to San Antonio, where they have remained ever since. The Maverick Hotel, now one of the popular public houses of the city, on the south side of Houston street, opposite Jefferson, was built originally for the military headquarters, and so used for a number of years.
The post garrison has been a permanent institution of the city al- most continuously since the war. The troops were withdrawn to Austin in 1873, but came back when the department was moved here. Various sites had at various times been offered for the construction of post quar- ters, but none was accepted until early in the seventies, when Government Hill was chosen for that purpose and was thus given a name which means much in San Antonio. Construction work on the first buildings at this site was begun in the summer of 1877, and through repairs, improve- ments and extensions the government has almost yearly laid out a great sum of money toward making Fort Sam Houston one of the best in the country.
One of the most important additions to the military establishment at San Antonio will be what is known as the Leon Springs Reservation, an extensive maneuver ground and target range now being planned at Leon Springs. The general scheme so far as developed at this writing is given as follows :
The general topographical scheme of the Leon Springs ranges are two main valleys running northwest and northeast, meeting in a triple divide draining into the Cibolo on the north, the Leon on the west and the Salado on the south. This would put the base of supplies in the east. The principal valleys include a water supply extending from the north- east to the northwest connecting the main tract. The principal camps would be in these valleys.
The target range will be located on the south, the men firing north- ward, the infantry range on the west and artillery range on the east. This would give a limit of safety of two to four miles for the infantry
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range and six to seven miles for the artillery practice. This will make both ranges perfectly safe in respect to adjoining lands. Some development may be necessary along the southern portion to adapt the ground to the highest results in target firing.
The artillery camp will be so located in order that the batteries may proceed to their daily practice without long marches. The camp grounds for the soldiers on target practice duty will likely be so located as to be independent of the main water supply.
According to the plans spoken of, the tract will also be arranged to accommodate two opposing divisions, one operating northeast to south- west, another division operating from northwest to the southeast. These divisions will each likely consist of two or more brigades, each brigade having two or three regiments.
The Spanish-American War.
The part of Texas in the Spanish-American war is notable chiefly because San Antonio was the rendezvous for the famous regiment of "Rough Riders." Most of the Texans who saw actual service during the brief period of the war were those who enlisted in this regiment.
At the opening of the Spanish-American war, in 1898, Congress authorized the raising of three cavalry regiments from among the rough riders and riflemen of the Rockies and the Great Plains. The command popularly known as the "Rough Riders"-the First United States Volunteer Cavalry-was recruited principally from these western states, and the mustering places for the regiment were appointed in New Mexico. Arizona, Oklahoma and Indian Territory. Before the detailed work of organization was begun, Dr. Leonard Wood was com- missioned colonel, and Theodore Roosevelt, then assistant secretary of war, lieutenant-colonel of the regiment.
Within a day or two after it was announced that such a unique com- mand was to be organized, the commanding officers were deluged with applications from every part of the country. While the only organized bodies they were at liberty to accept were those from the four terri- tories, the raising of the orginal allotment of seven hundred and eighty to one thousand men allowed them to enroll the names of individual applicants from various other sources-from universities, aristocratic social clubs and from men in whose veins flowed some of the most ancient blood in America.
The regiment gathered and was organized at San Antonio, Texas, The bulk of the regiment was made up of men who came from the four Territories. "They were a splendid set of men, these southwesterners." wrote Colonel Roosevelt, "tall and sinewy, with resolute, weather-beaten faces, and eyes that looked a man straight in the face without flinching. They included in their ranks men of every occupation; but the three types were those of the cowboy, the hunter and the mining prospector -- the man who wandered hither and thither, killing game for a living, and spending his life in the quest for metal wealth. In all the world there could be no better material for soldiers than that afforded by these grim hunters of the mountains, these wild rough riders of the plains. . They were accustomed to handling wild and savage horses; they were accus-
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tomed to following the chase with the rifle, both for sport and as a means of livelihood. Varied though their occupations had been, almost all had, at one time or another, herded cattle and hunted big game. They were hardened to life in the open, and to shifting for themselves under ad- verse circumstances. They were used, for all their lawless freedom, to the rough discipline of the round-up and the mining company. Some of them came from the small frontier towns; but most were from the wilderness, having left their lonely hunters' cabins and shifting cow- camps to seek new and more stirring adventures beyond the sea.
"They had their natural leaders-the men who had shown they could master other men, and could more than hold their own in the . eager, driving life of the new settlements.
"The captains and lieutenants were sometimes men who had cam- paigned in the regular army against Apache, Ute and Cheyenne, and who, on completing their service, had shown their energy by settling in the new communities and growing up to be men of mark. In other cases they were sheriffs, marshals, deputy sheriffs and deputy marshals-men who had fought Indians, and still more often had fought relentless war upon the bands of white desperadoes. * * All-easterners and westerners, northerners and southerners, officers and men, cowboys and college graduates, wherever they came from, and whatever their social position-possessed in common the traits of hardihood and a thirst for adventure. They were to a man born adventurers, in the old sense of the word.
"We drew a great many recruits from Texas; and from nowhere did we get a higher average, for many of them had served in that famous body of frontier fighters, the Texas Rangers. Of course, these rangers needed no teaching. They were already trained to obey and to take responsibility. They were splendid shots, horsemen and trailers. They were accustomed to living in the open, to enduring great fatigue and hardship, and to encountering all kinds of danger.
"The men worked hard and faithfully. As a rule, in spite of the number of rough characters among them, they behaved very well. One night a few of them went on a spree, and proceeded 'to paint San Antonio red.' One was captured by the city authorities, and we had to leave him behind us in jail. The others we dealt with ourselves, in a way that prevented a repetition of the occurrence."
The muster-out roll, as published in Roosevelt's book, names the following members of the Rough Riders whose address was given as San Antonio or vicinity :
Field. Staff and Band: Maxwell Keyes, Ist Lt. and Adjt .; Clay Platt, Of. Trumpeter.
Troop A: William Cranfurd, Corp .; John D. Honeyman, Corp .; Adolph Rapp. trooper. .
Troop B: Troopers, Wade Q.Eads, John S. Hammer. Frank S. Roberts, Race H. Smith, George E. Truman. Hammer was slightly wounded by shell, July 1, 1898, before Santiago de Cuba. Smith was shot in stomach, breast and arms by shrapnel. July 2. 1898, before Santiago, and died of wounds.
Troop C: Troopers, Thomas A. Anderson, John L. Dewees.
Troop D: Troopers, Solomon M. Cunningham. Gerald Carlow (from Boerne), John S. Howard (Boerne), Frederick W. Wolff.
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Troop E: Troopers, William M. Beard, James Conway, John G. Grigg, David A. Hadden, Charles E. Johnston, Homer M. Ramsey ( from Pearsall).
Troop F: J. Kirk McKurdy, trumpeter; Troopers, Edgar S. Adams, John Boschen, Frank J. Clark, Benjamin H. Colbert, E. Guy LeStourgeon, Nolan Z. Lavelle, F. Allen McCurdy, Adolph Rebentisch (wounded June 24, 1898), Samuel MI. Weller, John G. Winter (wounded July 1, 1898), Otto R. Winter, Adolph S. Wertheim; John A. McIlhenny, corporal, discharged to accept commission.
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