The First Caudillo

The word, caudillo, as used in Mexico, came to mean a political-military leader. Caudillo, translated into English as “leader,” or “chief,” but as in most peasant societies, the word came to express a dictator or potentate. The Merrimam-Webster dictionary defines caudillo as “a Spanish or Latin-America military dictator.” Image -
Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Aramburu

One of the best known caudillos in Mexican history was José Doroteo Arango Arámbula, also known as Pancho Villa. Villa was a provisional governor of the Mexican state of Chihuahua from 1913-1914.

Villa led a 1916 raid on Columbus, New Mexico, which resulted in a year-long expedition by General John J. Pershing to find the “bandit.” Pershing’s pursuit proved unsuccessful.
Pancho Villa was assassinated in 1920 by seven gunmen outside of Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Other historically famous Mexican caudillos were Antonio López de Santa Anna Pérez de Lebrón, Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Aramburu, José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori, and Álvaro Obregón Salido.

Iturbide marched troops into Mexico City on September 27, 1821. The following day, Mexico was declared an independent empire. Iturbide is known as Mexico’s first caudillo.

Mike Kearby's Texas copyright 2010

The Marlow Brothers

In 1888, Deputy Marshall Ed Johnson of Graham labeled five Young County men, the Marlow brothers, as rustlers and murderers. Many historians believe Johnson concocted the story against the brothers as a means of gaining favor with the powerful cattleman's association. Johnson's work for the association, had failed to apprehend any of the known rustlers working in the county.

Sheriff Marion Wallace of Graham tried to serve papers on the Marlow's at the behest of Johnson on December 17, 1888. Wallace was shot by Boone Marlow and died a week later. Boone Marlow claimed that Deputy Tom Collier, who accompanied Wallace that evening, fired the first shots inside his house and then fled outside. Boone said he pursued Collier and seeing a man approaching, gun in hand, shot and mistakenly killed Wallace. Boone took flight, but brothers, George, Epp, Alfred, and Charley were arrested and jailed in Graham.

On January 14, 1889, the captured brothers dug out of their jail cell, but were recaptured the next day outside of their ranch. Tom Collier, now sheriff, shackled the men together in pairs to prevent any further attempts at escape. A vigilante group mobbed
the jail on the night of January 17 in an attempt to extricate the Marlow's to a suitable place for lynching, but the brothers thwarted their assailants. George struck one vigilante, Robert Hill, so hard that the man died of his injuries two days later.

The next morning, a concocted story made its way through Graham saying that the jailhouse ruckus had been caused by Boone Marlow's attempt to free his brothers and only the jailer's bravery prevented such escape. A telegraph sent to United States Marshall, William Cabell in Dallas repeated the fabrication. Cabell immediately ordered his deputy, Ed Johnson, to move the brothers to Weatherford for safekeeping.

The day of the transport, outside of Graham, on Dry Creek, the vigilantes attacked the brothers once again. At the fight's conclusion, three vigilantes lay dead, as well as Alfred and Epp Marlow.
Boone Marlow was killed in Indian Territory on January 28, 1889.
In 1892, damage suits brought against their attackers awarded Charley Marlow $1950.00 and George Marlow $1000.00.

The movie, The Sons of Katie Elder, was based on the Marlow brother's story.

Mike Kearby's Texas copyright 2010

The Dictator and Thomas Adams

Thomas Adams (1818-1905) was the first person in the United States to manufacture chewing gum that had chicle as the base ingredient. Image - Thomas Adams.

Large quantities of chicle, which comes from the sapodilla tree in Central America, had been given Adams by friends of General Antonio López de Santa Anna. The former Mexican dictator was in exile at the time and spent time at Adams’ house on Staten Island. Santa Anna persuaded Adams that the inexpensive chicle could be compounded with the more expensive rubber to make an economical alternative for carriage tires.

Adams tried for a year but was unsuccessful at every attempt to accomplish the ex-dictator’s “get-rich” scheme. One day, after yet another rubber failure, Adams is reported to have popped a piece of chicle into his mouth. He remembered that Santa Anna enjoyed chewing chicle gum. Adams realized that the softer chicle gum was superior to the paraffin wax gum that was popular at the time in the United States.

Shortly after that, Adams and his oldest son, Thomas Jr., made up “penny sticks” of the gum and distributed them to a local drugstore. The chicle gum was an instant hit. Adams sold his chicle gum with the slogan "Adams' New York Gum No. 1 - Snapping and Stretching."

In 1888, Adams’ Tutti-Frutti flavored gum was the first gum to be sold in a vending machine. By 1899, Adams Sons and Company had become the largest and most profitable chewing gum company in the United States. In that same year, Adams and five other chewing gum companies joined forces as the American Chicle Company. Thomas Jr. was named chairman of the board of directors for the new company.

Thomas Adams Sr. died in 1905.

Mike Kearby's Texas copyright 2009