It Happened Today . . . in Texas

Rhett Callahan
  • 5.0 (1)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A podcast ripped from the front (and back) pages of Texas newspapers

Episodes

  1. 03/24/2025

    The Great Southwest Railroad Strike – March 24, 1886

    March 24, 1886.  Gordon, Texas.  John Fortner was 28 years old.  Blue eyed, light complexioned, with a red moustache and an otherwise good appearance.  He was said to have a good name in the town, with no history of criminal mischief or other malfeasance.  But at 7 pm on March 24th, having encountered a small boy returning from a hunt and carrying about a quarter pound of powder, John Fortner, baggage-master and warehouseman at the Texas and Pacific Railroad’s Gordon depot, undertook to dispose of the powder by burning down the Gordon depot, an act which produced a lot of smoke, but very little damage.  Still, Fortner was caught, placed under arrest, and conveyed by US Marshals to the Parker County jail for incarceration pending trial.  What occasioned this act so out of character for Fortner?  Well, turns out, it was just one of many acts of vandalism and property damage resulting from the Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886.  Idling regional rail traffic with a 200,000 worker strike, the action was one of the earliest labor versus management disputes, and it drew the attention of four regional governors and even the president and federal authorities.  And in the end, it would go down as a colossal failure and even lead to the collapse of one of the first national labor unions, the Knights of Labor.

    11 min

  2. 03/17/2025

    The Politician and the DQ Waitress – March 17, 1981

    March 17, 1981, Liberty, Texas.  Girls like Vicki Moore didn’t travel in the circles of high society.  They were far more likely to be found at the bowling alley, the trailer park, or working the afternoon shift at the local Dairy Queen.  And that’s right where Vicki was, when she met local Liberty attorney Price Daniel, Jr.  If that name sounds familiar, it should.  Price Daniel, Sr. was kind of a big deal.  A lawyer, like his son, Price Daniel Sr. was a state rep, then the Speaker of the State House, then Texas Attorney General and Texas Senator.  In 1957, he was elected the 38th governor of the State of Texas, and even finished his career as a justice on the Texas Supreme Court.  And Price Daniel Jr. had a similar career arc planned.  Well before the age 40 he was already the speaker of the Texas house, and planning a run for Attorney General just like his dad.  And if that wasn’t enough, Price Jr. was also a direct descendant of Sam Houston on his mom’s side.  What motivated Price to order that afternoon coffee at the Dairy Queen and court Vicki Moore may have been nothing more that the oldest temptation that men confront.  But when Price Daniel Jr. died on the floor of his family estate, the victim of a .22 caliber bullet fired by his wife Vicki, his death would lead to accusations and claims that shook the town of Liberty to its very roots.  Because on March 18, 1981, as Price Daniel’s sisters sued for custody of the couple’s children, Vicki spun a tale of drug use, pederasty, and domestic abuse that nobody was ready for.

    11 min

  3. 03/11/2025

    A Silver Star: Major Elmo Donaho – March 10, 1045

    Maj. Horace Elmo Donaho March 10, 1945.  Stephenville, Texas.    Eula Langston Donaho had lost her husband Cody just nine months earlier.  And though she had four other children, her mind and heart were preoccupied with the fate of her son Horace Elmo Donaho, a captain in the US Army.  Elmo had left John Tarleton College and been commissioned an officer during World War II.  He had fought in Italy and been captured by the Germans in June of 1944.  Cody died just weeks after getting word that his son was missing.  Ultimately, it was learned he had been captured and taken prisoner by the Germans.  But today, in Stephenville, good news was on the way.  Elmo had been liberated from a German POW camp by Russian allies advancing on Berlin and was on his way home. Additional Information: Article on Reunion of Elmo’s Camp Bowie Commissioning Class (The Unholy 10) Details on Silver Star Obituary for Maj. Horace Elmo Donaho   Article of Elmo’s Return to Combat Article from Aug 18, 1950 The Galveston Daily News (Galveston, Texas) -->

    8 min

  4. 03/03/2025

    Nomination in Peril: John Tower’s Problems (March 3, 1989)

    March 3, 1989, Washington DC. and recently elected president, George Herbert Walker Bush has departed the White House for a visit to the Pentagon.   As the motorcade makes its way from Pennsylvania Avenue across the Potomac, a welcoming party assembles in front of the building with Secretary of Defense nominee, former Texas senator John Tower, joined by acting secretary of defense, William Howard Taft IV and Admiral William Crowe, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff greeting the president.  But back on Capitol Hill, the Senate convened for the second day of debate on Tower’s nomination, which came under attack as stories of drunken escapades and sexual harassment were luridly put forth in the confirmation process.  And when all was said and done, John Tower would be the first time that the Senate had rejected a Cabinet nominee of a newly elected president, and in many ways, the precursor for many confirmation fights to follow.     For More Information: Articles: Boston Globe article Sen. Hollings (D-SC) Newsletter on Tower Nomination Now It’s History Article Article on Weyrich Testimony Videos: Hear Paul Weyrich Discuss His Senate Testimony Tower Press Conference after Nomination Rejected Day 3 of Nomination Hearings – Paul Weyrich Testimony Other: NTSB Report on ASA 2311 Crash

    10 min

  5. 02/24/2025

    Shoot Me! – Chuckie Rumbaugh’s In Court Suicide Attempt (February 24, 1983)

    February 24, 1983.  Amarillo, Texas.  Charles Rumbaugh was 25 years old at the time, but he was determined 25.  He liked things on his terms and on his schedule, and it people weren’t willing to cooperate with him, well, he might just have to take matters into his own hands.  And so when his lawyers persuaded a federal judge to stay his execution for a murder that Rumbaugh had committed when he was just 17, Charles Rumbaugh decided that he would take matters into his own hands.  If the state of Texas wouldn’t execute him, he’d find someone else to do it.  And so on this Thursday morning, an hour into a hearing before federal judge Mary Lou Robinson to determine his competency to waive his appeals, Rumbaugh decided to act.  Pulling out a homemade blade, he moved toward Deputy US March Olen McClendon yelling, “Shoot me!” And that’s exactly what Olen did. But this was just the one more in a long stream of Rumbaugh misdeeds and crimes.  Listen to today’s podcast to get the full background on what led young Chuckie Rumbaugh to seek suicide by cop. Episode Notes: Newspapers.com Clippings on Courtroom Shooting (Page 1) (Page 2) Newspapers.com Clipping on Retrial Local Radio Station News Post 5th Circuit Review of Judge Robinson’s Competency Finding(includes description of courtroom shooting).                 Texas Department of Corrections Inmate Page

    11 min

  6. 02/17/2025

    Justice Delayed: The Murder of Carla Walker (February 17, 1974)

    February 17, 1974.  Benbrook, Texas.  Valentine’s Day had come on Thursday that year, and for the students of Western Hills High School, the traditional rituals of young love were honored and observed as usual.  Chocolates, roses, love notes, all the usual accoutrements of high school romance were in play.  And of course, there was a dance.  The Valentine’s Dance would be held on Saturday, February 16th.  And if there was a belle of the ball, that honor surely had to go to Carla Walker, a 17-year-old junior cheerleader who, of course, would be attending with her date, the quarterback of the football team, naturally, Rodney McCoy. But as the dance let out and the young couple parked behind the Ridgelea Bowling Alley to steal a little more time together, their tryst would be interrupted by a stranger, who would pistol whip Rodney and abduct Carla Walker, whose body would be found three days later, though her killer would remain free for over 45 years. Episode Notes: Texas Monthly Article – Skip Hollandsworth Fort Worth Star-Telegram Article – Body Found Kneeland Suspect in Walker Slaying – FW Star-Telegram McCurley Arrest – FW Star Telegram Dateline NBC Report – After the Dance Carla Walker and Rodney McCoy   Glen Samuel McCurley (2020)

    12 min

  7. 02/10/2025

    The General’s Machine Guns – February 10, 1923

    The wreckage of the two fatal crashes. Laredo (above) and San Antonio (bottom)   February 10, 1923.  Kelly Airfield.  San Antonio, Texas.  US Army Brigadier General Billy Mitchell was a handful for his friends and worse for his enemies. But he was also a bonafide war hero.  Given command of the entire American air combat forces in Europe, Mitchell led almost 1500 US and allied planes in an overwhelming air campaign during the battle of St. Mihiel in September 1918.  Under his leadership, the Allies established complete aerial superiority and devastated German ground forces.  And after the war, Mitchell became an unceasing advocate for air power as the key to victory in future wars.  So, when Brigadier General Mitchell made his way to San Antonio to inspect the 3rd Attack Group based out of Kelly Air Field, a demonstration of aerial prowess was very much in order.  But to the shock of Mitchell and the sorrow of the San Antonio flyers, four deaths and three crashes would be the legacy of this visit. And as it turns out, Billy Mitchell very well may have been responsible for those deaths.  Because after arriving in San Antonio, he had modifications made to the planes and ordered the pilots to execute new combat tactics they have never been trained in.  And the last two of those deaths happened today in Texas, right before the eyes of General Billy Mitchell.                   Show Notes:     Billy Mitchell, the 3rd Attack Group and the Laredo Project of 1923 Photos of the 3rd Attack Group en route to Laredo – February 9, 1923                                     The Flight Line at Kelly Airfield

    10 min

  8. 02/03/2025

    An Inconvenient Hero: Tony Dawayne Adams

    February 3, 1979 – Vidor, Texas.  Vidor Detective Lieutenant Sam Kitrell had been working overtime since January 30th, when New Mexico truckers James Hinchey and Rex Patrick Atencio were found stabbed to the death in the chest inside their bloody cab.  Hinchey’s son Eldon, who had been sleeping in the back, was the only witness.  Awakened by an argument, Eldon knew the killer to be a hitchhiker who had joined them at a Lake Charles truck stop.  Working non-stop for two days, Kitrell had located and arrested the hitchhiker, 17 year old Tony Dawayne Adams, who had fled back to Vinton, Louisiana and hidden out in a hotel room.  But on February 3rd, as Adams sat secure in the Orange County Jail, Kitrell got the first of the news that would change his case:  James Hinchey wasn’t James Hinchey and Eldon wasn’t his son.  And in less than two weeks, Tony Dawayne Adams would walk out of court, a free man, even though the police didn’t believe him and his story changed conveniently with the identity of Hinchey.  But the reality of who James Hinchey really was changed Tony Adams from a brutal murderer to a vigilante hero, and ultimately a free man. *Trigger Warning – This podcast contains allegations of sexual assault.* Episode Notes Adams at Age 17 on his release Hinchey’s True Identity Revealed – https://www.newspapers.com/article/austin-american-statesman-2379/164555270/ Report on Adams Initial Arrest in Slayings – https://www.newspapers.com/article/san-angelo-standard-times-hinchey/164555624/ Article on Plea Bargain – https://www.newspapers.com/article/victoria-advocate-21679/164555527/ Article on Adams 2009 Arrest – https://www.newspapers.com/article/bryan-college-station-eagle/164559175/ Tony Dawayne Adams TDCJ Profile https://inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/viewDetail.action?sid=02600438 GoFundMe for widow of Eldon Call  https://www.gofundme.com/f/eldons-final-expenses Adams Arrest Photo in 2009 Eldon Call in Jail after Murders

    10 min

  9. 01/27/2025

    A Family Affair: The Murder of Leon Daugherty

    January 27, 1932 … Livingston, Texas. Polk County has always had its share of violence. In July 1931, when the district court came into session on July 13, there were seven murder cases on the docket in this small county. And before the month was out, another would be added to the list after the newly wedded bridegroom Leon Dougherty, 21 years of age, was shot in the head and killed in front of the house where he lived with his father-in-law. And while another murder may not have turned heads in Livingston, the defendant surely did. The trigger woman was none other than 21 year old Lillian Creel, who would become the first woman to be charged with murder in Polk County, and charged along with her, her employer, on whose word she claimed to have acted. The dead man’s father in law, Tom Duke.

    7 min

  10. 01/20/2025

    Burned at the Stake: The Lynching of Bragg Williams

    January 20, 1919.  Hillsboro, Texas.  The county seat of Hill County was tense, and the locals were not happy.  It was a time of economic and cultural change.  Hillsboro was still a rural, agricultural community.  It’s proximity to Dallas that we take for granted today was measured in hours not minutes.  The 6000 residents or so were coping with the changes of the time – automobiles and motorized vehicles were becoming more prevalent.  Electricity was more widely available, but in rural areas only 10-15% of homesteads had connections.  But times were changing. World War I had sparked a push for change in the South, as Black veterans returning from the war demanded greater respect and civil rights, inspired by their contributions to the war effort. However, this push for equality was met with fierce resistance, leading to heightened tensions and a surge in violence, including the Red Summer of 1919.  But before summer would come, little Hillsboro would be the site of one of the most grotesque and condemned lynchings in US history.   Join us today for a troubling chapter in Texas history as we look at the arrest, trial and lynching of Bragg Williams.

    11 min
  • 10 Episodes

About

A podcast ripped from the front (and back) pages of Texas newspapers

Information