This Week in Duval County History, June 3-9

 

POSTED BY: CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM JUNE 3, 2019

June 3

On June 3, 1883, Elizabeth Gravis sold the “Rabb interest” to Trinidad Flores for $142. John Rabb had purchased part of the Ventura Flores Land grant of San Diego originally sold by Eduviges Flores and her husband Gerardo de Leon to John P. Kelsey in 1857.

Duval County Deed Records

June 4

On June 4, 1857, Eduviges Flores and her husband Gerardo de Leon sold to John P. Kelsey and John L. Haynes of Starr County one league out of the undivided tract of five leagues on the San Diego Creek, being the grant originally made by the Spanish crown to Ventura Flores, father of Eduviges Flores. The sale price was $1,000 and included all her right and title to a sixth of one-fifth of the adjoining grant made to Julian Flores, her grandfather.

Duval County Deed Records

June 5

On June 5, 1915, San Diego voters, on a vote of 64-1, approved school bonds of $18,000 to erect a new school building. School trustees hoped to have the school built by September.

Corpus Chisti Caller & Daily Herald, June 6, 1915

June 6

On June 6, 1884, Refugio Gomez was executed in San Diego for the murder of Esteban Dimas, who was killed the year before. Gomez’s execution took place in the evening between 12 and 1 o’clock. At 12:15 the San Diego Gun Club marched into the jail yard and took position around the scaffold. Gomez was brought out by Father Bard, the priest in attendance, who remained with and close to him all the time. The irons were removed and he Gomez mounted the scaffold. Sheriff L.L. Wright read the sentence to him in English, which was translated into Spanish. Gomez said he had nothing to say and was rebound, the black cap put on and the fatal noose adjusted around his neck. At 12:20 the drop fell, breaking the condemned man’s neck. He made a few convulsive motions with his legs and his chest heaved for some time. Twenty-five minutes after he was declared dead by Drs. Wright and Hanelley, his body was cut down and delivered to his friends for interment. The event drew a large crowd, but throughout the entire proceedings, they remained quiet and orderly. The trap had a drop of about five to six feet.

The reason Gomez gave for killing Dimas was that the latter had cursed him. He met him in Laredo and asked him to accompany him and be his partner, which Dimas consented to do. They came to San Diego to the fiestas. He gave Dimas $30. Later in the day, he gave him $25 more and his false key and other appliances for burglary. Dimas got to drinking and Gomez told him to quit as he did not do business that way, that he always remained sober on these forays. But Dimas told him he was bigoted, that he talked too much, and called him a most insulting epithet and he called him out to walk and have a talk with him, and then shot him.

Gomez said there were fourteen convictions against him in Mexico but that he escaped them all as there was no jail in Mexico that could hold him, and that the one in San Diego was the only one that did. He escaped once in Monterey and five times in Matamoros.

Corpus Christi Caller, June 8, 1884

June 7

The number of acres in cotton production in Duval County had increased twenty-five percent. An early cotton crop had already been picked in the northern parts of the county. If the county got another rain in August as many as 7,000 bales were expected to be picked.

Fort Worth Gazette June 20, 1894

June 8

On June 8, 1876, Antonia Flores de Everett sold her interest in the lower half of the tract of San Diego, consisting of 3,398 acres and one half of her interest of the town track in San Diego to Encarnacion Garcia Perez.

Duval County Deed Records

June 9

Cattle and horse stock in Duval County were doing fine, and large herds were being shipped or driven to San Antonio and other markets. Grass and rain were in abundance and the largest corn crop in the county’s history was expected to be harvested.

Fort Worth Gazette June 9, 1885

4 COMMENTSON "THIS WEEK IN DUVAL COUNTY HISTORY, JUNE 3-9"

1. Elsa E. Garcia | June 4, 2019 at 11:15 am | Reply
   My minds eye imagins the happenings you relate on you blog and I am delighted to see my old home town have a history that is exciting as any “western” or Frontier movie.

• cardenas.ae@gmail.com | June 4, 2019 at 4:03 pm | Reply
  Thank you, Elsa, for this delightful description of my work. It is truly my pleasure to do this.

2. Edna Campos Gravenhorst | June 4, 2019 at 8:47 am | Reply
   Thank you for these history nuggents. I appreciate the work you do in preserving our history.

• cardenas.ae@gmail.com | June 4, 2019 at 4:01 pm | Reply
  You’re welcome. Thank you, Edna, for your kind words.