Big Spring Ghost Tour

05/31/2026

Working on my next drawing. It includes two of my favorite things: art and… well, I’ll let you guess the second one. Any ideas? 😁

05/30/2026

05/01/2026

Payne Holt: A Different View of That Night
(Witness statement from August 14, 1882)

When I finished writing Payne Holt’s story, I believed I was done.
I thought I could close the file and walk away knowing the truth had been told. His story had been given its proper place. That, in some small way, justice had caught up with him.
Closing that file turned out to be harder than I expected.
Judging by the response, the likes, the shares, the conversations, I don’t think I was the only one who felt that way. There is something in this story that is still worth talking about.
So, I went back to look. Within that file, there is one testimony from a man named A.W. Midgly, a witness of that night.

Midgly said he was sitting in front of Lawson Smith & Co. when he “saw a man fall down quick” in front of the Nip & Tuck Saloon. When he walked over, he found Krause and Holt a few feet from the saloon door, the two men facing toward the depot. He described Holt as about five feet seven inches tall, around 150 pounds, and “very drunk.” Krause, he said, was sober, but “excited.”

Holt got up and approached toward Krause. Holt did not say or do anything except to walk up within arm’s reach and stand. Midgly said Krause accused Holt of having a knife. Holt’s answer was simple. “You can have the knife. I don’t want it.”

Midgly says he did not see if the knife was closed or open. Krause drew a revolver, “a regular six-shooter about forty-five caliber,” and said he would “blow your head off.” Holt answered, “you have got the drop on me.”

Krause put the pistol away and turned to walk off. Holt said, “I will meet you later”. Krause turned back. “God d** you, meet me now.”

Midgly said Krause walked up and struck Holt in the head with the pistol. At that moment, Midgly was watching closely. He says Holt “was not doing or saying anything.” He also noted that the light from the saloon “was not shining” where they stood.

Holt staggered, caught himself against a post, and never recovered. Midgly added, “If he (Holt) had been attempting to make any assault on Krause at the time I could have seen him”.

Midgly saw Holt again in the early morning hours, between two and three o’clock, in the bridge gang car.

By nine o’clock, he was dead.

This witness statement leaves us standing with Midgly, watching it happens in pieces and trying to make sense of it after the fact. Maybe that is the truth of it. The statement was taken by W.H Fooshee.

Not a clean ending just a clearer view of what happened on the night of July 28,1882, in Big Spring, Texas.

Holt's body was removed from Big Spring Cemetery in March 1883 by his brother and moved to Dido Texas close to the family homestead.

On April 6, 1882, E.A. Krause had been elected as Marshall in Colorado City.

Beth Henry, aka Beth of Death

04/29/2026

A collection of Ed and his father Albert's memories of early Big Spring and Joseph and William's journey to the new little town.

General Store

By Ed Fisher 1993 During the long drawn out battles of Chickamauga, General George H Thomas would sit around the campfire at night and tell his staff including his messenger boys about the places he had seen. The series of frontier forts in Texas had great fascination for the "Rock of Chickamauga". One his messenger boys was an 18 year old named Joseph Fisher from Indiana. After the war, Fisher returned north, in 1874 he migrated to Orange Co. CA, where he opened the 1st store in town which on the route to borax mines to the east, they hauled borax by 20 mule teams. A malaria epidemic hit in 1878, so he left his operation in the hands of trusted employees and returned to Indiana. That state was too well settled, he was an adventurer and liked less settled places. He remembered the tales of his former commander, Gen. Thomas, about the lure of Texas. Several people have told of Joseph's arrival at Ft Griffith on the Brazos in the summer of 1878. I have seen a letter addressed to "Joseph Fisher-West Texas". Lists were posted in those days at post offices, court houses, in the Ft. Griffin Echo to say that a person had mail at a certain place. Sometimes, a passing rider would know about the whereabouts of the addressee, and take deliver it. There were still marauding bands of indians and buffalo hunters. (Last recorded raid was 75 miles north of Big Spring in Garza County at the Llano Ranch, spring of ‘83. General J.J. Byrnes was killed at Quitman Wells in Aug '80). The virgin terrain was unfenced, no windmills, but there millions of acres of good land. In a vast area many times larger than most states, and with a climate that varied from 20 degrees below zero to 120 in the shade, it was necessary to equip and supply the needs of a group of hardy folks who inhabited the western section of Texas. Canyon City (Amarillo was supplied by Dodge City KS or Big Spring. Joseph saw a place to raise livestock, and possibly farm. But he had the insight that there would be people arriving out here when the Texas & Pacific Railroad finished building its tracks. He bought land in Taylor, Nolan, & Howard Counties His name appears on the Howard County's 1st Tax Rolls in 1880 (the T&P arrived in 1881). Fisher returned to Orange Co, sold his business there in 1880. Took a trip to Indiana and married a redhead named Lillie May. He decided to try his luck in Big Spring as the T&P was going to build a round house and division headquarters there. His first Big Spring store was in a tent on the back of the lot at 1st St and Scurry. The store carried only the basic needs of cowhands, railroad people, and any one else needing grub. He had flour in barrels, can goods, and some items of outerwear such as Levi pants and jackets. In 1883, after finding his wife Lillie, in the company of W.H.Webb, a former buffalo hunter and hide buyer, Joseph fired a pistol at Webb, missed. Lillie and Joseph got the first divorce decree in this area of west Texas. (Vol 1, Page 7-Dist Records). **Transcriber note: Fisher’s divorce was the second divorce decree in Howard County. Finalized October 11, 1883. Lilly May will marry W.H.Webb in Big Spring on October 13, 1883** When the divorce suit was finalized, Joseph returned to Sanford IN to visit his brother and wife Nettie. Nettie had a sister named Anna. So on 14 Nov 1883, Joseph married Anna and the foursome (with William's son Bernard) returned to Big Spring to form a partnership called J.&W. Fisher Co). It was in the back of a tent at 1st & Front St. that Anna delivered a son, Albert on 17 Sept 1885. The tent was next to another tent containing saddles and tack. So my dad used to say, "he was born in a manger". In 1885 the Fishers had a Mr Bommer bring stone from Mitchell County to build a two story store (2nd permanent structure in Big Spring. The couples lived upstairs until their homes were finished on Scurry St. It was here that Nettie gave birth to Joye in 1887, and Anna was blessed with a daughter named Zadee in 1888. By the time of the great drought in 1886, they not only sold the above mentioned items, but carried all sorts of leather goods, coal, seed, feed, horses, mules, barbed wire, tools, hardware, lamps, rifles, ammunition, stoves, clothing, and about anything else needed to survive on the plains and or hills. The drought was so bad, that a cow was worth more dead than alive. He paid $2 for a good "green hide", whereas a live cow would bring only a four bits ($1.00). Many a hide was shipped to tanneries in New England from their loading docks. The railroad and ranchers paid their employees once a month, so there was need to carry large sums of money to cash checks, as the closest large bank was in Ft Worth, some 250 miles to the east. Their vault served as a bank for many years, at least until Joseph and three other men could establish the First National Bank. Many ranchers settled up their accounts whenever they sold their livestock. No interest was charged, as the customers good will was worth more than the percent interest. Every thing was had a set price. No haggling was allowed. Rilly McWorter used teams of oxen to freight cargo from the old store to Canyon City (200 miles north just south of Amarillo). F. S. Gomez used mexican burros to carry smaller amounts of merchandise to far strung ranches in both New Mexico and Westexas. The medium of exchange in cattle deals was gold. This was transported by the cattlemen in his saddlebags. On one occasions, W.T. Roberts, the area's first permanent settler, put over a cattle deal with several of his neighbors. He asked Jos Fisher to accompany him to the express office and to witness the receipt of the money. (I understand it was $10,000). Joe was surprised when Mr Roberts told him that he was unarmed. When the sack was opened, there was a note in the top which read, "How do you like the yellow boys?" Roberts put the money in his saddle bags and carried it to his ranch for distribution (See Hutto). It must be remembered that the typical cowboy poke was paid $30 a month, grub, and bunk. Trees didn't grow above the Caprock for the most part is was a "sea of grass and some rock". Those settlers who lived on the plains had an especially hard time obtaining fuel. Cow chips were used when available, and many trips were made "under the cap" to haul from the ranch owners that did allow wood to be taken. One year at Christmas as a gesture of good will, R.M.Clayton up in Borden County, offered everyone in the county a free load of wood if they would come and get only only wood and not cut green trees, but coal was available at Fisher's. (See Borden County Citizen). A great flood hit Big Spring in 1902, there was 11 foot of water covering the railroad tracks that run right down Beals Creek and adjacent to the store. As luck would have it, a rail car of salt arrived the day of the flood, and a carload of green hides awaited the outbound train. So everything was not pure profit for the brothers. Eventually the sons became partners in the business. As time passed, Joye took over the grocery department in the stone building south of alley on Main St. (torn down in 1990), Bernard was in charge of windmills, hardware, and farm implements, (the first International Harvester dealer in western Texas, the dealership lasted until 1942), and on Johnson St between 1st & 2nd Sts. was the horse and mule barn as well a coal yard. Many a person has told me, that their grand dad spent the night bedded down at Fishery's stable, free of charge, but the guest had to pay for hay and oats. Miss Gertrude McIntyre had charge of the bookkeeping Section (8 clerks), she worked with the family from 1904 until 1942 and was a devoted family friend. (Her father was one of the area's first medical doctors). She said the store was open from before 7AM and sometimes closed at midnight. Joseph and Anna's son Albert had the dry goods, ladies ready-to-wear and mens furnishings in the two story stone building on Main. Al and Temp Currie organized the State National Bank in 1909). In 1905, C.W. Post, the breakfast cereal king, decided to build Post City a seventy five miles north, he had to have supplies. Of course, he could depend on Fishers’. On one order, he wanted 1200 spades (shovels). The order was sent to G C Simmons Hardware Co, St Louis. (Keen Kutter was their trademark). The company sent a dozen shovels. Upon arrival, Al Fisher saw the one wooden crate and quickly went to the telegraph office and got off a wire to Mr Simmons himself. The president of Keen Kutter hardware immediately sent the 100 dozen as ordered on the next west bound freight. He also invited Al to drop by his office and they would eat the finest dinner available in St Louis. There are many tales about the Fisher honesty and generosity. They granted credit to anyone that appeared to have need. Many a homesteader received their grub stake from the firm. The policy was to help others getting a start in this harsh land, so if they could weather out a few years, they would trade with us in the future. A lot of stories have made the rounds about some rancher a hundred or so miles away, would send a boy with a note saying, "send us some grub, and we will pay the next time we're in town to sell our stock". This faith in mankind build a steady stream of customers who could always depend on getting a fair deal. Joseph passed away in 1906, William 1931. Anna passed away in 1918,

Nettie in 1929 References: Robert L Martin, The City Moves West, Univ of Texas Press, Austin & London p 26 Howard Co. Dist Court Records, Vol 1, Page 7. John Hutto, Howard County in the Making (no pages) 1937 Shine Phillips, The Bibliography of A Prairie Town, p 130 Prentiss Hall 1942 Joe Pickle, Gettin' Started, (Howard County's First 25 years) Nortex Press, Burnet Tx 1980 West Texas Historical Assn Yearbook Vol 10 P 8-9, 93-101 Campaigning with Grant, Gen Horace Porter LL.D. The Blue & Grey Press, 110 Enterprise Ave, Secaucus, NJ 07094 p 1-3 Orange County News, July 25, 1979 Orange County Cal. Register 1874 Fort Davis (National Historical Handbook #38, 1965, p 44-45 Dallas News, Aug 1883 Borden Citizen (Historical Survey Comm), Dec 1967 Why Stop? Dooley, Lone Star Legends, Box 1646, Odessa TX Edition 1978 p50, (2d Edition printed by Lone Star Books, Box 2608 , Houston 77252 Ft Griffin on the Texas Frontier, C. C. Rister, U of Okla Press, 1956, p 17,-196 The Great Buffalo Hunt, by Wayne Gard, AA Knoph New York 1959 British Gentlemen in the Wild West, Law Woods, Robson Books Ltd, Golsover Hse, 5-6 Clipstone St London WIP 7EB 1990 Permian Historical Annual, Odessa TX, Vol V, Dec 1965 p41 Many articles in Big Spring Daily Herald Many articles in Big Spring Weekly News Several articles in the Fort Worth Star Telegram Numerous visits and interviews with many people. 1930-1993 Stories told by my Dad (Albert M. Sr) time and time again

Transcribed by Beth Henry, exactly as written, including original spelling and punctuation.

Picture of Joseph Fisher, 1884

04/28/2026

We are publishing a story by Ed Fisher. They will be posted in a series about the Fisher Family and the early days of Big Spring, TX.
Ed compiled these stories in a non published book before he passed away a several years ago.

GENERAL STORE
By Ed Fisher 1993
During the long drawn out battles of Chickamauga, General George H Thomas would sit around the campfire at night and tell his staff including his messenger boys about the places he had seen. The series of frontier forts in Texas had great fascination for the "Rock of Chickamauga". One his messenger boys was an 18 year old named Joseph Fisher from Indiana.
After the war, Fisher returned north, in 1874 he migrated to Orange Co. CA, where he opened the 1st store in town which on the route to borax mines to the east, they hauled borax by 20 mule teams. A malaria epidemic hit in 1878, so he left his operation in the hands of trusted employees and returned to Indiana. That state was too well settled, he was an adventurer and liked less settled places. He remembered the tales of his former commander, Gen. Thomas, about the lure of Texas.
Several people have told of Joseph's arrival at Ft Griffith on the Brazos in the summer of 1878. I have seen a letter addressed to "Joseph Fisher-West Texas". Lists were posted in those days at post offices, court houses, in the Ft. Griffin Echo to say that a person had mail at a certain place. Sometimes, a passing rider would know about the whereabouts of the addressee, and take deliver it.
There were still marauding bands of Indians and buffalo hunters. (Last recorded raid was 75 miles north of Big Spring in Garza County at the Llano Ranch, spring of ‘83. General J.J. Byrnes was killed at Quitman Wells in Aug '80).
The virgin terrain was unfenced, no windmills, but there millions of acres of good land. In a vast area many times larger than most states, and with a climate that varied from 20 degrees below zero to 120 in the shade, it was necessary to equip and supply the needs of a group of hardy folks who inhabited the western section of Texas. Canyon City (Amarillo was supplied by Dodge City KS or Big Spring.
Joseph saw a place to raise livestock, and possibly farm. But he had the insight that there would be people arriving out here when the Texas & Pacific Railroad finished building its tracks. He bought land in Taylor, Nolan, & Howard Counties His name appears on the Howard County's 1st Tax Rolls in 1880 (the T&P arrived in 1881).
Fisher returned to Orange Co, sold his business there in 1880. Took a trip to Indiana and married a redhead named Lillie May.
He decided to try his luck in Big Spring as the T&P was going to build a round house and division headquarters there. His first Big Spring store was in a tent on the back of the lot at 1st St and Scurry. The store carried only the basic needs of cowhands, railroad people, and any one else needing grub. He had flour in barrels, can goods, and some items of outerwear such as Levi pants and jackets.
In 1883, after finding his wife Lillie, in the company of W.H.Webb, a former buffalo hunter and hide buyer, Joseph fired a pistol at Webb, missed. Lillie and Joseph got the first divorce decree in this area of west Texas. (Vol 1, Page 7-Dist Records). **Transcriber note: Fisher’s divorce was the second divorce decree in Howard County. Finalized October 11, 1883. Lilly May will marry W.H.Webb in Big Spring on October 13, 1883**
When the divorce suit was finalized, Joseph returned to Sanford IN to visit his brother and wife Nettie. Nettie had a sister named Anna. So on 14 Nov 1883, Joseph married Anna and the foursome (with William's son Bernard) returned to Big Spring to form a partnership called J.&W. Fisher Co).
It was in the back of a tent at 1st & Front St. that Anna delivered a son, Albert on 17 Sept 1885. The tent was next to another tent containing saddles and tack. So my dad used to say, "he was born in a manger".
In 1885 the Fishers had a Mr Bommer bring stone from Mitchell County to build a two story store (2nd permanent structure in Big Spring. The couples lived upstairs until their homes were finished on Scurry St. It was here that Nettie gave birth to Joye in 1887, and Anna was blessed with a daughter named Zadee in 1888.
By the time of the great drought in 1886, they not only sold the above mentioned items, but carried all sorts of leather goods, coal, seed, feed, horses, mules, barbed wire, tools, hardware, lamps, rifles, ammunition, stoves, clothing, and about anything else needed to survive on the plains and or hills. The drought was so bad, that a cow was worth more dead than alive. He paid $2 for a good "green hide", whereas a live cow would bring only a four bits ($1.00). Many a hide was shipped to tanneries in New England from their loading docks.
The railroad and ranchers paid their employees once a month, so there was need to carry large sums of money to cash checks, as the closest large bank was in Ft Worth, some 250 miles to the east. Their vault served as a bank for many years, at least until Joseph and three other men could establish the First National Bank.
Many ranchers settled up their accounts whenever they sold their livestock. No interest was charged, as the customers good will was worth more than the percent interest. Every thing was had a set price. No haggling was allowed.
Rilly McWorter used teams of oxen to freight cargo from the old store to Canyon City (200 miles north just south of Amarillo). F. S. Gomez used mexican burros to carry smaller amounts of merchandise to far strung ranches in both New Mexico and Westexas.
The medium of exchange in cattle deals was gold. This was transported by the cattlemen in his saddlebags. On one occasions, W.T. Roberts, the area's first permanent settler, put over a cattle deal with several of his neighbors. He asked Jos Fisher to accompany him to the express office and to witness the receipt of the money. (I understand it was $10,000). Joe was surprised when Mr Roberts told him that he was unarmed. When the sack was opened, there was a note in the top which read, "How do you like the yellow boys?" Roberts put the money in his saddle bags and carried it to his ranch for distribution (See Hutto). It must be remembered that the typical cowboy poke was paid $30 a month, grub, and bunk.
Trees didn't grow above the Caprock for the most part is was a "sea of grass and some rock". Those settlers who lived on the plains had an especially hard time obtaining fuel. Cow chips were used when available, and many trips were made "under the cap" to haul from the ranch owners that did allow wood to be taken. One year at Christmas as a gesture of good will, R.M.Clayton up in Borden County, offered everyone in the county a free load of wood if they would come and get only only wood and not cut green trees, but coal was available at Fisher's. (See Borden County Citizen).
A great flood hit Big Spring in 1902, there was 11 foot of water covering the railroad tracks that run right down Beals Creek and adjacent to the store. As luck would have it, a rail car of salt arrived the day of the flood, and a carload of green hides awaited the outbound train. So everything was not pure profit for the brothers.
Eventually the sons became partners in the business. As time passed, Joye took over the grocery department in the stone building south of alley on Main St. (torn down in 1990), Bernard was in charge of windmills, hardware, and farm implements, (the first International Harvester dealer in western Texas, the dealership lasted until 1942), and on Johnson St between 1st & 2nd Sts. was the horse and mule barn as well a coal yard.
Many a person has told me, that their grand dad spent the night bedded down at Fishery's stable, free of charge, but the guest had to pay for hay and oats.
Miss Gertrude McIntyre had charge of the bookkeeping Section (8 clerks), she worked with the family from 1904 until 1942 and was a devoted family friend. (Her father was one of the area's first medical doctors). She said the store was open from before 7AM and sometimes closed at midnight.
Joseph and Anna's son Albert had the dry goods, ladies ready-to-wear and mens furnishings in the two story stone building on Main. Al and Temp Currie organized the State National Bank in 1909).
In 1905, C.W. Post, the breakfast cereal king, decided to build Post City a seventy five miles north, he had to have supplies. Of course, he could depend on Fishers’. On one order, he wanted 1200 spades (shovels). The order was sent to G C Simmons Hardware Co, St Louis. (Keen Kutter was their trademark). The company sent a dozen shovels. Upon arrival, Al Fisher saw the one wooden crate and quickly went to the telegraph office and got off a wire to Mr Simmons himself. The president of Keen Kutter hardware immediately sent the 100 dozen as ordered on the next west bound freight. He also invited Al to drop by his office and they would eat the finest dinner available in St Louis.
There are many tales about the Fisher honesty and generosity. They granted credit to anyone that appeared to have need. Many a homesteader received their grub stake from the firm. The policy was to help others getting a start in this harsh land, so if they could weather out a few years, they would trade with us in the future. A lot of stories have made the rounds about some rancher a hundred or so miles away, would send a boy with a note saying, "send us some grub, and we will pay the next time we're in town to sell our stock". This faith in mankind build a steady stream of customers who could always depend on getting a fair deal.
Joseph passed away in 1906, William 1931.
Anna passed away in 1918, Nettie in 1929
References: Robert L Martin, The City Moves West,
Univ of Texas Press, Austin & London p 26
Howard Co. Dist Court Records, Vol 1, Page 7.
John Hutto, Howard County in the Making (no pages) 1937
Shine Phillips, The Bibliography of A Prairie Town, p 130
Prentiss Hall 1942
Joe Pickle, Gettin' Started, (Howard County's First 25 years)
Nortex Press, Burnet Tx 1980
West Texas Historical Assn Yearbook Vol 10 P 8-9, 93-101
Campaigning with Grant, Gen Horace Porter LL.D. The Blue &
Grey Press, 110 Enterprise Ave, Secaucus, NJ 07094 p 1-3
Orange County News, July 25, 1979
Orange County Cal. Register 1874
Fort Davis (National Historical Handbook #38, 1965, p 44-45
Dallas News, Aug 1883
Borden Citizen (Historical Survey Comm), Dec 1967
Why Stop? Dooley, Lone Star Legends, Box 1646, Odessa TX
Edition 1978 p50, (2d Edition printed by Lone Star Books,
Box 2608 , Houston 77252
Ft Griffin on the Texas Frontier, C. C. Rister, U of Okla
Press, 1956, p 17,-196
The Great Buffalo Hunt, by Wayne Gard, AA Knoph New York 1959
British Gentlemen in the Wild West, Law Woods, Robson Books
Ltd, Golsover Hse, 5-6 Clipstone St London WIP 7EB 1990
Permian Historical Annual, Odessa TX, Vol V, Dec 1965 p41
Many articles in Big Spring Daily Herald
Many articles in Big Spring Weekly News
Several articles in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
Numerous visits and interviews with many people. 1930-1993
Stories told by my Dad (Albert M. Sr) time and time again
Transcribed by Beth Henry, exactly as written, including original spelling and punctuation.

04/25/2026

Kate Lowe of Big Spring: Rowdy or not?
In the year 1886, the name Kate Lowe appears in Big Spring tax records. By the
time it is all said and done, that name will show up in newspapers, courtrooms, and
in the kinds of places most good Victorian folks didn’t talk about openly.
Because of that, she could easily be compared to the women history remembers as
“Rowdy Kate.” I’ll be the first to admit I love that idea.
Luckily, something did turn up. In the June 22, 1886 edition of The Galveston
Daily News, Kate Lowe of Big Spring is referred to as “Rowdy Kate.”
By 1891, her name is in newspapers across Texas. One report describes a violent
night inside her establishment in Big Spring, where a Texas & Pacific Railway
brakeman caused a disturbance. Shots were fired. Another woman in the house,
Pearl Riley, was caught in it. The article doesn’t soften anything. It calls the place
what it was, a b***y house. It names Kate Lowe as the one who kept it. This
wasn’t a secret. Her place of business was known.
A few years later, the courts say the same thing in a more formal language. By the
mid-1890s, Kate Lowe is charged with keeping a “disorderly house,” defined
under Texas law as a place used for prostitution and frequented by vagrants. The
case is appealed, and the judgment is affirmed.
Big Spring at the time was a railroad town. The Texas & Pacific line ran through it,
bringing a steady flow of men, money, and violence. Where you had that kind of
traffic, you also had saloons, and houses like Kate’s. They were just a part of the
town.
Rowdy Kate was reported to have been accidentally shot in a boomer camp in
Purcell, OK. in March 1895. The following year, here in Big Spring, Kate Lowe
appears in the records as deceased, intestate, with John Birdwell appointed as
administrator of her estate.
In November 1896, the court authorizes the sale of her personal property.
By January 1897, her belongings of furniture, household goods, the contents of her
life are sold off for a total of about fifty dollars. But it doesn’t end there.
They fought over her estate for four years. They sold off her property, settled her
debts, and when it was finally done, by October 1900, with the court closing the
estate in February 1901, all that was left of Kate Lowe was twelve dollars and five
cents.
These are the properties tied to her name.
• Lots 1–6, Block 16
• Lots 7 & 8, Block 16
• Lot 11, Block 16
• Lot 3, Block 99
There are still gaps. We don’t know where she came from or how she ended up in
Big Spring.
What we do have are the moments where her life crossed into this town’s record.
It is by no means a complete story.
Someone who lived her life, for a time, here in our town. Thankfully, she left just
enough behind for us to find her again.
Could Kate Lowe be the “Rowdy Kate” of history? Perhaps it’s not definitive. A
newspaper article may not be absolute proof. But sometimes, in history, close is all
you get.
Beth Henry, aka Beth of Death

04/24/2026

Big Spring’s First Recorded Murder: Digging Up Old Bones

Big Spring’s past is full of stories, but this one still has a missing piece. It began on the night of July 28, 1882, between 10:00 and 11:00, when an argument broke out outside George Bauer’s Nip and Tuck Saloon between Payne Holt, 28, and E. A. Krause.
According to J. P. Hogan, the primary witness, Holt had entered the saloon “pretty full” and asked him to play a game of pool. Hogan agreed, later stating he did so to keep Holt from drinking more. during the game, Krause joined in and ultimately won.
What began in the saloon carried out onto the porch. John Monahan was among those inside and later reported hearing the argument escalate. Krause was said to be taunting Holt over the loss. Hogan recalled Holt shouting, “dog on your skin, we didn’t ask you in the game.” Another account stated that Holt held an unopened knife in his hand, though it was never used.
The confrontation turned physical. Holt received two blows to the left temple, one from Krause’s fist and one from the butt of Krause’s pistol. By 9:00 the following morning, July 29, 1882, Dr. McHenry examined Holt and reported that the wound extended to the skull. His official findings stated that Holt died from the injury to his temple, with no signs of apoplexy due to drinking.
Krause was arrested immediately and taken to the Mitchell County jail, where he was held without bail. On August 5, 1882, the sheriff received a summons from the judge of the 30th Judicial District of Texas, ordering that Krause be brought before the court in Stephenville on August 14. The order noted that the judge of the 12th Judicial District was absent from the state, rendering the original detention unlawful.
Bail was set at $5,000, a considerable amount in 1882, and eleven people signed as sureties. A Fort Worth newspaper dated August 17, 1882, referred to Holt as a deputy sheriff, which may account for the higher bail, though this has not been confirmed in other records. The trial was scheduled for October 10, 1883. Krause never appeared.
By February of 1884, the men who had signed his bond were left responsible for the full amount. As for Krause himself, he disappeared from the historical record. Payne Holt did not. His body was claimed by his brother and returned to Dido, Texas, now a ghost town, where he was buried beside his mother, Louisa Holt. Some say the story does not end there. In downtown Big Spring, there are occasional reports of a lone figure described as an old-time cowboy moving through the streets after dark, a presence that seems out of place. Whether legend or memory, it has become part of the story. Some have wondered if it is Holt himself, still tied in some way to the place where his life ended. On his tombstone are the words: May he rest in peace. And now that his story is told, I hope he does.

Beth Henry, aka Beth of Death