By Jerry Flook, Historian
Published in the Garland-Rowlett Messenger, September 2012
William A. (Will) Holford, longtime editor of the Garland News, was arguably “Mr. Garland” for at least the first three decades of the past century. His editorials extolling Garland’s virtues and occasionally calling out its shortcomings, as well as his pithy commentary on the political scene, brought attention to the town and to his newspaper.
Holford was born in 1871 near the neighborhood of Slapfoot (Lawson) in eastern Dallas County. he grew up with a fondness for the out-of-doors, especially fishing and hunting. The following is one of the tales he told of growing up in what was still an untamed part of the county:
In the early days nearly every family kept a pack of hounds, and it was almost a nightly occasion to hear the dogs trailing. On clear, still nights they could be heard for miles, and the prettiest music ever listened to is a chorus of long-eared hounds on a hot trail with all parts carried. many of these dogs have been known to follow a trail for two days, after which they would be in the repair shop for several days. Nothing would cause a fight quicker than to abuse one of these dogs or try to steal him. Horse and cattle stealing could be overlooked, but the man who stole a hound carried his life in his hands.
It is said that as a youth Will Holford aspired to become a cowboy, but after his first attempt at bulldogging a calf, he thought better of it. In 1888 he was hired as “printer’s devil: by John Cullom, a relative and owner of the Garland News. In 1904 Holford purchased the News, serving as owner/editor until 1914 and again from 1918 until 1931. In the intervening years he operated a newspaper in Abilene. Holford’s droll humor is seen in the following item from 1906:
The newspaper editor two weeks ago had a fine lot of chickens and was expecting to revel in egg eating this winter without being under necessity of contemplating the relative values of 25 cents and a dozen eggs. But all human expectations are doomed to crumble. One night last week some light fingered, fowl hungry son-of-a-gun visited the roost and took everything but two old setting hens and a couple of dung-hill roosters with spurs six inches long.
In 1923, as the economic stimulus by the completed Bankhead Highway became obvious, Holford exulted: “People are moving to Garland so fast lately that what few gossips we have are being worked overtime to circulate their [the newcomers’] peculiarities and shortcomings.”
Holford remained a hunter all his life, particularly fancying the pursuit of a fox or a wolf. After coming to Garland he frequently hunted with a group of local friends, several of whom lived in the Spring Creek neighborhood. The following item from 1913 recounts one of that group’s hunts:
About 25 dogs and a like numbered men engaged in a fox and wolf chase in the Anderson Thicket east of town last night. A red fox was turned loose, but for some reason refused to run. An Oklahoma timber wolf was then turned loose and gave a fast race for about an hour, when he took refuge on John Tinsley’s back porch. Dick Motley roped him and he was turned loose again, but ran under John Allen’s house. Members of the chase included Nat Means, Steve Hamlin, Jeff Shafer, Bill Kinglsey, Jim Capps and W. A. Holford.
And this from 1919: The News editor has discovered a brand-new fish bait which lures the wily catfish from their dens when nothing else will tempt them. That bait is plain old tom cat. First kill your cat, being careful it isn’t your neighbors, unless he is eating your chickens. Remove the hide carefully so that no haits will adhere to the meat. Catfish are notoriously particular about hairs in their food.
Despite the space he devoted to building up the image of his town, the News editor did not hesitate to cite his moral lapses. In 1919 he reported that two women and two men had been arrested at the cemetery on charges of vagrancy.
They were conducting themselves in a very…..