Tales from the Morgue

1951: Students Buy Tickets To Avoid Juarez Jail

12/21/1951

Two El Paso college students were victims of an ancient shakedown racket In Juarez. Bill Merkin of St. John's drive and Jack Vincent of North Oregon street said they paid $10 for tickets to a "policeman's party" to escape going to jail.'

The two men said they had just left a fraternity party at the Continental Hotel Tuesday night and had traveled approximately two blocks north of 16th of September street on Juarez avenue. They were stopped by two uniformed men in an old 1951 or '52 Oldsmobile, light blue in color.

Charged Speeding

"One of the men got out, but when we got out he climbed back in the car," Mr. Vincent said. "He told me I was going 30 miles in a 20 mile zone.

"Then he started talking about taking me to a doctor to see if 1 had been drinking and charging me with driving while drunk. He| said I would get three days in jail, a $75 fine and my car impounded.

"They just kept making threats about what they could do to me. I asked the man his name and he said Roberto Aguirre. Finally, I asked him just what he wanted me to do.

Bought Tickets

"He told me I could buy 10 tickets to this party and everything would be all right. That's what I did and they let us go. We reported this to the American Consulate and they told us to report it to the Tourist Bureau.

'It would be easy enough for the Juarez Police Department to find out who the men were by tracing their car. One thing for sure, we'll never hold another fraternity party in Juarez," Mr. Vincent said.

Meanwhile, he has 10 tickets for the "Gran Posada Anual" sponsored by the Department of Transportation, The event was held yesterday. Neither Mr. Merkin or Mr. Vincent cared to attend

1931: Quake Danger Over In EP, Scientist Says

08/17/1931

Seismologist Declares Earth Tension Relieved

By Tremors It won't happen again—not for a long time.

A scientist sent this word to El Paso Monday, following the earthquake early Sunday which shook and scared thousands of persons throughout the southwest.

"It will be a relatively long time before 'sufficient tension again is stored in the earth around El Paso to cause another tremor," Father A.W. Forstall, seismologist at Regis college, Denver, Colo., predicted.

Quakes are regarded as a release of tension stored in the earth, he explains.

Strains are termed faults, and, when the strain is broken, a quake occurs. It has been known that 'faults' existed in the El Paso area, similar to those in California and northern Mexico," said. Father Forstall.

It is impossible to forecast the intensity of quakes or the time of occurrence, he added.

The earthquake Sunday, the most severe in the memory of most El Paso residents, occurred at 4:41 a.m. and lasted about 45 seconds.

Report Second Shock

A second shock of less intensity was felt by Ft. Bliss weather office officials at 5:45 a. m. and a third at 6:35 a. m.

Accompanied by rumbling noises, the quake awakened the majority of El Paso residents.

Property damage was slight in El Paso, but extensive in Valentine, Tex., where buildings were destroyed.

Damage in Valentine was estimated at $75,000.

The tremor was felt throughout the southwest and in northern Mexico. No one was injured seriously.

Felt in Mexico

The main quake was of third degree intensity, and lasted 38 minutes, though not for that time over the whole area, which extended from Dallas, Tex., to Silver City. N.M, and hundreds of miles into Mexico.

Father Forstall said the tremor was just short of being “highly destructive.”

L.A. Nelson head of the department of geology at College of Mines and Arts, said the shocks probably were the “tail end” of intense disturbances in Mexico.

Girl Tells How Quake Felt Thirteen Stories in Air

1960: Blacker Than Night Were the Eyes of Felina,But Marty Says There Ain't No Rosas Cantina!

01/15/1960

Out in the West Texas town of El Paso,

I fell in love with a Mexican girl.

Night time would find me in Rosa's Cantina,

music would play and Felina would whirl...

So runs the song "El Paso," which Marty Robbins, who came to El Paso today, has made the most warbled ballad in the world.

Guess what Marty found in the town of El Paso today?

Not Rosa's Cantina. "I've never been able to find Rosa's place myself," the handsome singer confided, "People are always asking me if it's a real bar in Juarez or El Paso."

Blacker than night were the eyes of Felina,

Wicked and evil while casting a spell.

My love was deep for this Mexican maiden,

I was in love but in vain I could tell...

What Marty actually found in the town of El Paso today was Felina!

The Chamber of Commerce, in appreciation of the fact that Marty has sold 3,500,000 records of the song, presented a real live "Felina" to the composer at a luncheon today at the International Club.

 She is Cira Serros, El Paso model who also welcomed King Baudouin of the Belgians to this West Texas town a year ago. Cira, of course, is not wicked at all, but the 21-year-old beauty could charm a cowboy off his best horse.

 It was all in fun and not only enlivened the luncheon but added to the immense publicity the song has created. The host was Kurt Spier of Albert Mathias and Co., distributor of Columbia Records, aided by Al Buchanan, sales manager for Columbia, and Mrs. Buchanan.

 One night a wild cowboy came in,

wild as the West Texas wind.

Dashing and daring a drink he was

sharing with wicked Felina

the girl that I love. I challenged

his right for the love of this maiden,

down went his hand for the gun that he wore.

My challenge was answered in less than

a heartbeat, the handsome young stranger lay dead on

the floor ...

Marty Robbins is 30 and the author of many other hits, such as "Singing the Blues," "White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation" "Big Iron," and "Running Gun." He gives two performances today-at 7 p. m. and 9 p. m. in Liberty Hall.

Young Robbins has appeared here before. On a previous trip he got the inspiration for the song that is now No. 1 on the Billboard and Cash Box polls. He was driving Into El Paso on the Carlsbad highway at night and there, spread before him, were the twinkling lights of El Paso and Juarez.

"That view inspired me," Mr. Robbins said. "The words came to me right then—a song about El Paso. I worked on it later but it was too long. Columbia wouldn't record it."

Out through the back door of Rosa's I ran,

out where the horses were tied,

I caught a good one, it looked like it could run,

up on its back and away I did ride;

 just as fast as I could from the West Texas town

of El Paso, back to the badlands of New Mexico.

Back in El Paso, my life would be worthless,

 everything's gone in life, nothing is left...

"I worked it over again and again," Marty related. "I worked on that song for three years, off and on. But instead of making it shorter it got longer. I couldn't tell the story in less than four minutes and 37 seconds."

Meanwhile Marty continued with his other compositions. He sang with Grand Old Opry in Nashville, Tenn. His career had started in his home town, Phoenix, after his discharge from the Navy after World War II.

It's been so long since I've seen the young maiden,

my love is stronger than my fear of death . . .

My love is strong and' it pushes me onward,

down off the hill to Felina I go.

Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys ...

 Shouting and shooting I can't let them catch me,

I have to make it to Rosa's back door.

Something is dreadful wrong,

for I feel a deep burning pain in-my side.

"Finally I gave up," Marty said. "I couldn't make the song any shorter. So Columbia went ahead and recorded It —four minutes and 37 seconds long. Well, It's sold pretty well."

I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle,

I feel the bullet go deep in my chest.

From out of nowhere Felina has found me,

kissing my cheek as she kneels by my side.

Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for,

one little kiss and Felina goodbye.

 

1962: Around the World and Back – In Tony Lamas

 

Photo caption: 03/04/1967 Taking part in ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the opening of a new Tony Lama boot factory are, from left, Mayor Judson Williams, Joseph Lama, Mrs. Tony Lama Sr., Angelina Faulkner, Tony Lama Jr., Tony Lama Sr., Teresa Weber, Louis Lama and Commissioner Rogelio Sanchez.

10/21/1962

Today an El Pasoan traveling anywhere from France to Hong King is just as likely to see a pair of El Paso made Tony Lama boots as he would had he traveled from his home to the downtown area.

This is a part of a success story that began nearly 50 yeas ago when, in 1913, Tony Lama Sr. began producing handcrafted cowboy boots in El Paso. From a production of approximately 20 pairs of handmade boots during that first year, the company has grown to where it now turns out over 350 pairs of handcrafted boots a day. This year Tony Lama boots are sold by more than 1500 retail stores throughout the world.

Hitch at ft. Bliss

In 1913 western boots were rough, rugged pieces of foot-gear – practical and utilitarian, designed to protect cowboys and western outdoorsmen from the rattlesnakes and rough range and desert flora. The boots were made of plain calf and kidskin and were a somber black or a sober brown.

El Paso in 1913 was a border town of 42,000, and was a thousand miles from anywhere. Tony Lama Sr. was a 27-year-old shoemaker from Syracuse, the son of Italian immigrant parents. Lama came to El Paso with the 6th Infantry and after his hitch at Old Ft. Bliss decided that the southwest was the place to make his permanent home.

Servicemen Spread News

He opened up shop at 109 East Overland Street combining his skills as a shoemaker and bootmaker. From the small start in 1913, the company grew at a steady pace, and in 1920 when El Paso’s population had gown to 77,000, and Lama had become the city’s leading bootmaker.

It was about the same time that a great change came to bootmaking and to the entire western wear industry. Thousands of Texans who had served in World War I, along with other servicemen from the western range had taken their boots and their western clothes with them to training camps all over the United States, and western boots had been worn by hundreds of A.E.F. marines and soldiers serving in Europe. This event, together with the exposure to western customs and dress experienced by thousands of doughboys from eastern and mid-western states, led to a tremendous upsurge in the demand for and manufacture of western boots and clothing.

Western movies added to this growth in the late twenties and early thirties when cowboy stars became the household heroes across the country and throughout the world. In fact, it was as a direct result of western epics that cowboy clubs sprung up in such unlikely laces as Paris and India.

Fans Tramp the World

World war II played an even greater part in the growth of western boot sales to a national industry. For then there were G.I.’s tramping almost every part of the globe, and quite a few did their tramping in a pair of western boots, with many Lama boot fans among them.

All this time the Lama Company was keeping pace with El Paso’s own growth and the company held to its place as one of the city’s leading industries. In May of 1959, the Lama Company moved from its first location at 109 East Overland to 219 S. Oregon where today over 150 people are employed in making quality Lama boots.

An unusual side of this story is the fact the Lama has never undertaken the mass production of its boots. The company has won its position as one of the world’s leading bootmakers by sticking to traditional handcrafting that assures top-quality products. Every Lama boot is hand-lasted, and every boot when finished is the product of at least 25 separate hand-crafted operations. In fact, so strict is this quality-production, that with a few exceptions in popular stocks styles, every boot is fitted to the individual customers’ foot measurements.

50,000 Individual Measures

To help maintain this type of quality for its customers, the Tony Lama Company keeps a permanent file of more than 50,000 individual measurements. Once a person orders a pair of Lama custom boots, his or her measurement chart is added to this file. For those customers who have unusual foot measurements, the company creates individually carved lasts to assure each customer of a perfect fit with every pair of boots.

Along with the strict adherence to traditional hand-crafting, Lama has taken advantage of those production methods which can be utilized without effecting quality. Thus the Lama company uses modern industrial sewing machines for stitching on popular stock models, and has taken to modern systems of storage, inventory tabulation and packaging.

Changes have not only came about in production and sales distribution, but in boot designs as well. Now-a-days kidskin, calfskin, sealskin, sharkskin, buckskin, lizard and pigskin leathers from the United States, water buffalo leathers, Brazilian alligator, ostrich from Argentina and kangaroo leathers from Australia go into Lama boots. And where once brown and black were the only colors, today a customer can name just about any known finish or dye – natural, pearlized, suede, white, brown, blue, red, green or even gold, and Lama will make up the boots. A Lama customer has a choice of Lama designs, or with custom boots can order any design he imagines will look great on the range or at the Saturday dance and he’ll get it.

One of World’s Largest

This kind of service, and Lama traditional handcrafted quality have been the factors in the growth of this El Paso Industry and have taken the name of El Paso literally everywhere. Of course the hard work, thought and ability of Tony Lama Sr. and of his three sons, Joseph (Bert), Louis, Tony Jr. and son-in-law Tony Caruso have been the major factor in the company’s continued success.

As one of the world’s largest manufacturers of custom boots, the Tony Lama company ships to customers in England, Nigeria, India, Lebanon, Sweden – to Panama, Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela and to such far off places as Korea, Japan, Australia, the Philippines and Hong Kong, There are Lama boots being worn today, too, in countries behind the Iron Curtain.

Harry Truman Wears ‘Em

In the United States there are many notables who count themselves as Lama “boot-men.” Hollywood stars Joel McRea, Keeman Wynn, Rex Allen and Slim Pickens – rodeo standouts such as Benny Reynolds, Harry Chartiers, Guy Weeks, dean Oliver and Jack Buschbom wear and endorse Lama boots.

Perhaps the most distinguished Lama boot wearer is Harry S. Truman, former President of the United States. Mr. Truman ordered his first boots in 1946. Lama designed the El Presidente boot as an exclusive. The boots were made with Kangaroo vamps and kid tops inlaid with silver and gold and were presented to President Truman by Joseph “Bert” Lama.

Most Lama boots are sold through the company’s more than 1500 retail dealers from Maine to Hawaii, and most are sold to working cowboys, ranchers, horsemen, and to a cross section of citizens who’s work may take them to such diverse places as Madison Avenue or an ocean-going tanker.

So if you are one of those lucky American travelers who venture to far off places, don’t be surprised if the Camel-riding guide in Lebanon or the straight-shooting hero of a Japanese TV western is wearing a pair of familiar-looking boots. Chances are the boots were made in your home town by the Tony Lama Company.

Tony Lama photo gallery

1927: Hosiery Shop Has Record Opening

August 11, 1927

Ads In Times And Herald, Exclusively, Draw Crowds

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5,200 PAIRS SOLD

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Extra Cash Registers Borrowed To Handle Rush Of Business

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El Pasoans bought more than 5,200 pairs of hose from the new Cox’s Allen A. Hosier Shop yesterday when customers jammed the shop throughout its opening day and all but fought for the privilege of getting their money down on the counters.

Setting, through the use of advertising exclusively in The Times and Herald, what is believed to be a retail merchandising record for El Paso, the shop opening marked a new chapter in the business romance of a concern which began five years ago with $1,000 capital and now operates 23 shops doing an annual business of more than $1,000,000.

Unannounced, W.H. Cox came to El Paso recently with a staff of assistants to open the local branch.

Space was obtained for the shop in the building with the Silk Shop, 209 North Mesa avenue.

The opening of the shop was advertised only one day in The Herald and yesterday morning in The Times. The results were astonishing, even to so experienced a business man and advertiser as Mr. Cox.

From the time the doors were opened in the morning until after 6 p.m., men, women and children crowded the shop.

Long before the closing hour the entire stock of 4,000 pairs of $1 hose had been sold out and Mr. Cox had put 1,200 pairs of $2 hose on sale at the reduced price of $1 in order not to disappoint customers. The $2 hose also were sold out.

The shop started the day with one cash register and one cashier. Before the day was over two other cash registers had been borrowed in an effort to keep up with business and extra cashiers had been employed.

The opening day was the second largest in the history of the company, although all but one of the 22 Cox shops are located in cities larger than El Paso.

Tired but happy last night, Mr. Cox said, “I have heard people say that newspaper advertisements are not read by the general public, but our re cord sales today show that thousands read our ads in The times and The Herald, carrying the sole announcements we made.

“I have a five-year lease on my store building, and I wish it was 10. That is how much I want to stay out of El Paso now.

“We did not intend to send but half the hosier here for the opening that we sold today, but T.J.A. Arrington, head of our accounting department, said that if we did not sell it in El Paso, we could ship to our other stores.

“In our dollar hosier line, we sold out.

“We expect that 1,800 pairs would be enough to last through the opening day, but our entire supply of 4,080 pairs was exhausted.

“Before our opening sale started, it was thought in some quarters that we were offering ‘second’s,’ but when the people saw our stock the different liens went like wildfire.

“One woman purchased 84 pairs.”

Mr. Cox said that the success of his opening sale proves that El Paso is one of the best business cities in the south and the southwest, and that the people here have money.

“Women are well dressed here,” Mr. Cox said, “and where they are well dressed they always buy good hosier. I sold much more high priced hosier than the cheaper brands, which is an unusual thing.”

Mr. Cox said that El Paso’s trade is as select and discriminating as any place that h has seen.

“The response which we received from El Paso citizens is exceptional,” Mr. Cox said.

“We know that much of the response which we received is due to the advertising, which we carried exclusively in The Times and The Herald. The results have been so great that all our future English advertising will be carried in The Times and The Herald exclusively.”

William Fishman, president and manager of The Silk Shop, was instrumental in getting the Cox’s Allen A. Hosier shops to locate in El Paso.

1961: Firemen’s Wives Answered Calls, Too, in Early ‘30s

03/31/1961

Thirty years ago the El Paso Fire Department was considerably smaller than it is now. The City was less than a third its present size. The Department’s facilities were perhaps crude or even inadequate by present standards. But the firemen of the 1930s were protected by the benevolent wing of the Ladies’ Aid to the City Firemen – a group guaranteed to give smoke eaters first aid and care they needed, since it was composed entirely of firemen’s wives.

Group Not Chartered

The group was never chartered in the legal sense, but some time in 1934 the wives began accompanying their husbands to major El Paso fires – serving them coffee and other refreshments, and dressing injuries.

However, it wasn’t until after the tragic American Furniture Co. fire in February of that year, which took the life of Capt. W.F. Bloxom, that the ladies began taking formal first aid training.

Under the instruction of Fireman C.L. Moore, they soon had a top first aid team in operation which became competent enough to be invited to exhibit at the 1936 Texas Centennial in Fort Worth.

Other Teams Join

It was the only organized women’s group in Texas officially qualified to administer first aid.

They did so well at the centennial that other women’s groups in the state began organizing similar teams, and before long the El Paso ladies were going to various competitions through the state.

However, their primary function never altered – to act as an auxiliary unit to the Fire Department. In that capacity they did invaluable work – as “sisters of mercy” to injured or exhausted firemen on the job, and as social leaders in the department.

Parties and bridge games in the fire house (before the Civil Service put an end to such non-functional frivolity) were organized by the Ladies’ Aid and provided many a happy moment for fire fighters, required to live at the station during their duty time.

The Fire Department is too big now to have a Ladies’ Aid as it was in the ‘30s, and the organization gradually ceased to function about the time of World War II.

Today the Department is a highly efficient small army of 329 and its needs are taken care of by trained doctors and ambulance driver attendants. Firemen’s wives are no longer permitted to be an unofficial wheel of the machinery. As the City grew away from its easygoing was of a former time, so did the Fire Department.

1953: Contingent Of Hollywood Stars Takes Part In World Premiere Here

April 22, 1953

By Sim Myers
Times Amusement Editor

A couple of news stars were created, a new color process easier to watch and at least as effective as Technicolor was introduced, and thousands of persons participated in the Monday activities which signified the gala world premiere here of “Take the High Ground!”

Elaine Stewart and Russ Tamblyn, both of whom appeared here in the all-day festivities which introduced the big Dore Schary-produced M-G-M picture of infantry training, gave performances in the film of stellar character.

A stage show in which the stars spoke and gave brief acts ended the day’s activities which were a result of co-operation between film executives, stars, Ft. Bliss officials, Army representatives, civic officials and officers of Texas Western College.

Two of the three showing of the picture and appearances of the stars at the Plaza Theater were sold out and hundreds of persons milled around in Pioneer Plaza and stood in line before the theater hopeful of getting tickets or of seeing some of the stars.

The movie itself, filmed in the main at Ft. Bliss, was an effective production which took advantage of the local scenery and the heart-warming routine of Army training.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s new Ansco-Color proved to be one of the biggest assets of the picture, seeming much easier on the eyes than and as satisfactory a process as the standard of the industry, Technicolor.

But the activities of the day began early Monday with the arrival at Union Station of the contingent of stars from Hollywood. That a group was preceded by Miss Elaine Stewart who arrived from Atlanta and a personal appearance tour of the East on Saturday.

Arrival of Richard Widmark and Tamblyn, stars, Dore Schary producer, George Murphy, master of ceremonies, and other Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer officials touched off activities which began at 9:30 a.m. in Hilton Hotel.

At that press conference breakfast, stars, City officials and Army officers talked with representatives of press, radio and television before making a six-car escorted cavalcade to Ft. bliss.

At Ft. Bliss, the stars visited Maj. Gen. Stanley R. Mickelsen, commanding general, and then were given military escort to the Memorial Flag Pole were Dore Schary was presented the Army Citation of Achievement.

Gen. Mickelsen made the presentation in a ceremony which included playing of “Take the High Ground” march by the combined 62nd and 65th Army Bands, a salute by the 531st AAA Bn. Which stood at attention during the ceremonies, and presentation of the stars of the film.

The citation stated in part “… Mr. Schary made significant contributions toward enhancing the prestige of the Army through the medium of motion pictures. By his faithful portrayal of the unselfish, patriotic devotion of American citizens serving the cause of freedom with the United States Army, Mr. Schary and the studio he represents succeeded in creating a better public understanding of the Army and its aims … His service in the national interest has been of great benefit to the Army and merits the recognition of his fellow Americans who wear the uniform of the service.”

Also on the speaker’s stand was Brig. Gen. Frank Dorn, Army deputy chief of information, who arrived here from Washington for the premiere.

Following the outdoor affair, M-G-M entertained the touring group, Interstate officials, city officers, Army and Air Force officials, Texas Western College officers, the press, and other El Paso leaders at a cocktail party and luncheon in the Officer’s Mess.

At that time, Richard Widmark was made an honorary sergeant, Chris Fox of the State National bank introduced prominent El Pasoans, and George Murphy introduced the stars and executive of the movie.

Dore Schary, vice president and production chief of M-G-M told the audience that he considered “Take the High Ground!” a significant contribution which pictorially has captured the spirit of the Infantry training and the reasons which make such training so necessary to our present way of living.

Introduced during the program were Maj. Gen. Bryan Milburn, Gen. Dorn, Gen. Mickelsen, Brig. Gen. John Hewett, Brig. Gen. Bill Waters, Tom Rogers, president of the Chamber of Commerce of El Paso, Sheriff W.O. (Jimmy) Hicks, Dorrance Roderick, president and publisher of The El Paso Times. W.J. Hooten, editor of The Times, W.W. (Woody) Wilson, general manager El Paso Chamber of Commerce, and Col. Cyrus Shelton.

Immediately following luncheon, the stars were taken to KROD-TV for a television appearance, and thereafter made the first appearance on stage at the Plaza.

The picture will begin its regular run at the Plaza Tuesday while the Stars and studio officials will continue through Texas making four additional gala openings.

The picture will not be in general release for about a month.

Click here for more photos of the gala premiere.