Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part II (Austin: insurance, neighborhood)

[BudB]

Okay, I reckon that ten days of total disinterest is long enough so unless someone objects, I will throw this out and see who bites. Once upon a time at about age ten or eleven, me and a buddy were standing on the S. Gevers St. railroad overpass watching a train pass beneath us. It was fairly exciting for us kids because of the noise and hot smokey fumes blowing up from the two or three diesel engines as they passed directly underneath us pulling a couple dozen box cars into town. As it disappeared toward downtown we were suddenly accosted by a San Antonio policeman who surprised us after parking nearby. He was belligerent and dang near abusive as he gave us a bunch of crap about how he was hauling us to jail for throwing rocks at the train because somebody called and reported us. He scared us pretty bad with the tongue lashing and taking down our names and address, etc. then telling us to get the hell off the bridge and never let him catch us doing it again. Now maybe that happened from time to time but me and my friend had not done it or even thot of doing it as we were having too much fun being fumed by the train and simply watching it hauling along those tracks. I realized later that the semi sadistic cop was just having a little fun with a couple kids who were a target of opportunity and he was bored or so it seemed in retrospect. With all due respect, this set my opinions as and attitudes about SA police for many years to come as a bunch of redneck bullies especially years later when my hair got longer than was socially acceptable and a couple similar instances occurred again with no provocation or reason. I know that there was a lot of bad guys, gangbangers or whatever back then just as now but hassling kids for no particular reason wasn't right. So has anyone else got similar or dissimilar tales to tell or are we gonna let the GBNF page die of loneliness? Ciao' for now, BudB

[Dwangle]

Maybe it has run it's course..I knew it would be you who would miss it the most.We did have problems with cops. We just had Sling Shots ( although we called them something else) but sometimes cops would come and hassel us about them. We would shoot birds with them but it was hard to do. We were just kids. We had BB guns too. I heard sombody shot their sister with a BBgun. I just couldn't believe that. I think she was ok. One time someone I knew stole a car and the tire blew out . The rim cut a track down Fred road to Dewhurst and down next to St Gregory's church throwing sparks all the way. Me and Mike were watching the Baseball games. It was a pretty big deal. We watched the cops arrest everybody. The next day we rode our bikes following the rut the car made. Really cool!

[Dwangle]

Ok I gotta tell you this one even though it is way before my time and it was told to me by my dad. My dad used to gig frogs in Olmos park when he was a kid. It was way out in the sticks back then. He would also go hunt out near New Braunfels. He was out there with a friend when when the train came by. There was a guy on the train shooting at stuff with his rifle while the train went by. My dad watched while the rifle fell out the window and landed in the river. As the train went by they ran to the spot and --sure enough--there was a rifle stuck in the mud in the river. They took it home and cleaned it up and -I swear - he tells me he gave it to me. I still have it. It is an old Remington Targetmaster 22. Weird huh?

[Dwangle]

I just read your post again and I know what you are talking about but that was really not an important part of my life. I knew what I was doing. It was just rebellion. I remember talking to a friend about going to Port Aransas. We were gonna leave Sunday morning. Saturday afternoon another friend called to tell me about a concert in Austin. It was gonna be Lighthouse and Mike Bloomfield. A comedian too..David Frye?? Maybe. He did a Nixon thing. We took off for Ausin thinking I would easily get back in time for Port Aransas. I remember guys standing around asking "Do you have any cents"? To which I would reply "No cents at all!". It was fun and totally irresponsible. You know Bud you kinda open doors that I have sealed off years ago. Maybe I need to open them up again. A lot of my friends left San Antonio for what ever reasons..Remember that old song "Good Time Charlies got the Blues". That song was so real to me I couldn't stand to listen to it. When I do get in contact with old friends they tell me that they would love to move back to San Antonio but they would have to take too much of a pay cut. I have a brother and sister who live in Austin. Way north side near round rock. I think they are happy. I am happy too!

[BudB]

Sir Dwangle, even if nobody else responds to my message, your "sealed off" and sincere recollections are each and all worthy of reflection and I am most grateful to you for sharing them. I guess most other past posters prefer keeping their more personal memories sealed off and that's cool but sharing our own humanness with each other is very important part of life just as are the sweeter memories about former hang outs, past times, favorite eateries, family trips, or whatever.
And, btw, I am damned glad the cops are there when we need them and have great respect for them as a group of civil servants. It can be a noble profession and eventho San Antonio has certainly had its share of bad seeds, there have been far more good cops. I just wanted to stir the pot here but like you said, maybe it has run its course. RIP GBNF

[*mud*]

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Originally Posted by BudB

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I guess most other past posters prefer keeping their more personal memories sealed off



And, btw, I am damned glad the cops are there when we need them
and have great respect for them as a group of civil servants.
It can be a noble profession and


even tho San Antonio has certainly had its share of bad seeds,
there have been far more good cops.

Bud, I've got plenty of those kinds of memories/experiences.
I'll type a few out when I have time.

Even though the statute of limitations is way gone,
I'll start my recollections out with *someone I know/knew* *SIKK*

Nowadaze, cops seem to like me, or at least act like they do.

I have a great deal of respect for them and the job they do.
at one point it wasn't that way.
left home at 15 and I was runnin with a fun crowd
.


As for bad seeds, worst I remember off the top of my head - Stephen Smith.
sniping people at 50-100 yards.
now they have GPS in the cop cars and I think he wooda been stopped quicker.
he was stopped back then when another cop shot and killed him.

.
.

Anyone remember when the Hays County Jail had the statue over the front door??
It was a guy anchored to a ball and chain.

first time I saw it -
One night we were driving up to the Vulcan
SIKK was driving way over the speed limit with a suspended license
when a DPS officer threw a monkey wrench in the plan.

mud
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[SATX56]

I share your concerns BudB!! I'm not liking this newly detached thread from our long list of memories!! Some of us unloaded in the last thread and now require something else to stir our memories. I knew some really good cops in my teen years. I was no trouble maker so not much as far as run ins with the law. I remember the Stephen Smith thing. Some good some bad, like any profession. I'll continue to check in my favorite old thread. I'll post when I think I can contribute!! Hang on GBNF !!!!

[epileptor7]

HI,
I am curious as to the history of the land and former house on top of the hill at the NW corner of 35 and judson . It wasn't built by Cliff Morton, He just bought it.
Does anyone know the name of that hill? Has anyone heard of something strange about the history of this house during WW2?
You can still see pics of it on google earth, from the street view too.

It had to be important strategically, for comanche hill is just NW of there,with nacodoches running between them.Apparently Mr. Morton owned Comanche lookout, But after he died his company sold it because of the liability, Kids partying. I heard they had hired a security co. to guard it at night, but it gets expensive paying 5 people per night.

Hope someone can help!
Thanks,
Niles

[SATX56]

Originally Posted by epileptor7

HI,
I am curious as to the history of the land and former house on top of the hill at the NW corner of 35 and judson . It wasn't built by Cliff Morton, He just bought it.
Does anyone know the name of that hill? Has anyone heard of something strange about the history of this house during WW2?
You can still see pics of it on google earth, from the street view too.

It had to be important strategically, for comanche hill is just NW of there,with nacodoches running between them.Apparently Mr. Morton owned Comanche lookout, But after he died his company sold it because of the liability, Kids partying. I heard they had hired a security co. to guard it at night, but it gets expensive paying 5 people per night.

Hope someone can help!
Thanks,
Niles

I used to hear they caught a German spy there!! Observing Randolph activities of course! It's a pretty lofty hill for observing! I've been to Commanche hill look out tower thingy back in the early 90's I guess. Still had a big house in the center I believe. No clue to who owned the house in question. Seems like Boysville Org. had a facility just behind or north of it!

[BudB]

Hopefully somebody with that knowledge will chime in because I too have wondered about that old house for the past fifty years give or take a couple. All I ever heard was that the military occupied it after Pearl Harbor and kept it sealed off for the duration because of its perfect vantage point for scoping out the comings and goings at Randolph. RAAF was never a secret base as such but since WW II it has been a training site specializing in graduating pilot instructors who then teach the newbies how to fly elsewhere. When the Korean war got going in June 1950 RAFB brought in a bunch of B-29 bombers to retrain veteran crews for the strategic bombing of North Korea. Anyhow, whoever knows more about that neat old house on the hill, please share your info.
Meanwhile, I've always reckoned that the SAPD had to be a tough bunch since the earliest days of dealing with drunken cowboys, then soon after, drunken soldiers, really bad banditos, glue sniffers, bootleggers, pachucos, etc. and gang bangers so I never intended to put them down as a group. But I'll add that their motto as spread across the rear facing portion of trunk lids for many years always ticked me off. It read "Your Safety Is Our Business" which is a worthy sentiment maybe but I always thot my safety was my business. The rest is law enforcement, good, bad or otherwise and since the "War on Drugs," a lotta bad. Having said all this let me finish by saying how much I miss those long gone days trapped at a bus stop downtown until mine came by watching the traffic directing officers. Standing for example at E. Houston and St. Mary's with only a uniform, pair of white gloves and a loud whistle plus lots of stamina and a good sense of humor expressed in the waving of arms, a repertoire of dramatic or wacky postures, some hand jive and the occasional stare or glare as suggested by this old postcard. byfernow, bud