A shooting at the saloon
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| An Early Image of the Weston Saloon Photo Courtesy of Joe Herring, Jr. |
A wealthy ranchman and a saloon owner walk into a bar… only one of them comes out alive.
Last week I promised you a story about men behaving badly and the truth behind a local legend. You may think that a story about a murder in downtown Kerrville is an odd destination for my first trip into Kerrville’s past, but I have my reasons for taking you here.
Kerrville was a rough-and-tumble frontier town in the late 1800s, and this story paints a vivid picture of what Kerrville, and a lot of the Texas Hill Country, was like over 130 years ago. This is also a story I’ve told many times during my walking tours downtown and have researched the event in depth. In prepping for writing this column, I uncovered new information relating to this story, when I thought I knew everything there was to know.
The setting for this story takes place in Barleman’s Ranch Saloon on Water Street. The building was constructed by Charles Barleman in 1890 to house his saloon. In 1900, the building was purchased by M.F. Weston, who continued to run a saloon there until prohibition outlawed the consumption and sale of alcohol in 1920.
Known locally as the “Weston Building,” it has been the home of many businesses, including Chaney’s Confectionery — a combination Taxidermy studio and candy store. Other businesses to operate there were a barber shop, the City of Kerrville water department, a creamery, and for a while was the office for the Kerr County Abstract & Title Company, a business that is still in existence and currently operates in a historic home on Earl Garrett Street. Since 1995, it has been the location of Francisco’s Restaurant.
About 20 years ago, I first heard the story of a Texas Ranger who was shot and killed in this building, but that was the extent of the story. The events leading up to the shooting, the name of the Ranger who was shot and the shooter were never given.
One historian told me that the Ranger was shot during a gunfight on Water Street and expired on the front steps of the saloon.
You would think the story of a lawman’s demise in downtown Kerrville would offer more details, but there was nothing in the local history books. Many historians had heard the story but didn’t know any details.
After digging through old newspapers, books and online resources, I pieced the story together. The story involves two men: Bill Holman of Del Rio and Tom Carson of Junction.
Bill Holman was a wealthy rancher whose business would take him to towns all over the Hill Country. When he visited a town, his arrival was often mentioned in the town’s paper as being in the city. He was also known for holding a grudge and being involved in many longstanding feuds. Through my research I found this mention of him from a spring visit to Caldwell in the March 16, 1882, issue of the Brenham Weekly Banner, leading me to believe Mr. Holman was no stranger to barroom brawls:
Tom Carson of Junction was the owner of the Double O Saloon in Junction City (now known as Junction), but he was not a Texas Ranger. There was a ranger serving in Texas who had the same name, which is where I think the confusion came from. The ranger Tom Carson died in Gatesville a year and a half after the incident in Kerrville and appears to have never been in Kerrville, so I am 98% sure this busts the legend of the slaying of a Texas Ranger on the streets of Kerrville.
At times, saloon owner Tom Carson did help chase down bad guys when a posse was formed, which also may have led to the confusion as to which Tom Carson had been shot in the saloon. He was often mentioned in the Kerrville and San Antonio newspapers as a visitor, and was even mentioned as serving as best man at a wedding. I once thought Carson was the “good guy” in this story but only last week found a mention of him in the book “It Occurred in Kimble” by O.C. Fischer, a book about the history of Kimble County that leads me to believe that Mr. Carson may not have been completely innocent.
According to O.C. Fisher, sometime during the winter of 1884, a gambler named Jim Stout entered Carson’s Double O Saloon in Junction at closing time. Carson and his business partner, Andy Royal, had been having trouble with Stout over his gambling, and some kind of argument took place. During the confrontation, Stout appeared to be reaching for his gun when
Carson shot him.
As Stout was dying, he told witnesses “I went to that saloon tonight on their invitation to have a little game. I thought Tom Carson was the best friend I had. … Boys, don’t ever put too much confidence in a man, not even a friend.”
Carson went to trial for the murder of Stout, was found not guilty and continued to live in Junction after the incident.
On April 21, 1893, both Tom Carson and Bill Holman were drinking in Barleman’s Ranch Saloon in Kerrville. What happened next was reported in newspapers across the south, from San Antonio to New Orleans.
An argument erupted between the two men. One account stated that the two men had a long-standing feud. Another account said the argument was a result of Carson accusing Holman of being “inappropriate with his sister.”
As tempers flared, Carson, who was unarmed, decided to leave the saloon. As he was exiting the screen door at the front of the building, Holman took aim and shot at Carson four times. Two bullets found their mark — Carson was shot in the back and died instantly.
One bullet was imbedded in a door frame and another in the floor of the saloon. I often wonder if either of those bullets are still lodged in the woodwork of the building.
A reporter from the San Antonio Daily Light visited Kerrville in June of 1893 and gave a pleasant account of his train journey to Kerrville. He mentions meeting Capt. Charles Schreiner, the grave of Capt. Joseph Tivy, and repairs to an artesian well that was damaged by a drill bit. At the end of the article he mentions the “most recent shooting in Kerrville.”
The reporter said that Adolf Barleman, the brother of Ranch Saloon owner Charles Barleman, showed him one of the pistol balls that passed through Tom Carson and was imbedded in the door frame of the building, along with the pistol ball in the floor. The article also mentioned that Bill Holman was released on a $10,000 bail bond and was to face trial during the next court session.
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| A photo of the interior of the Weston Saloon. This photo came from a temperance pamphlet, circa 1920 called "Brown's Jag" by J.E. Grinstead |
A year later, Holman went to trial in San Antonio for the murder. Between the time of the newspaper report above and the trial, Holman had found 12 witnesses to testify in his defense. The witnesses said that every time Holman and Carson crossed paths, there was an argument, that Carson had a terrible temper and had threatened Holman’s life several times. According to them, Holman was justified in shooting the man (in the back) and as a result, Holman was acquitted and found not guilty.
But that’s not the end of the story. Holman eventually faced an odd sort of justice. In 1921, Holman was feuding with County Judge James Cornell in San Angelo. Some sources say the feud was over politics, others say it involved something to do with prohibition. Before the quarrel started, the two men had been close friends.
Judge Cornell was upset that he and Holman couldn’t settle their differences, so he invited his friend to a hotel in San Angelo to see if they couldn’t settle their disagreement. Unfortunately, the men were unable to mend the rift in their relationship and decided to part ways.
After exiting the hotel, Cornell crossed the street. Holman was several feet behind him and yelled, “If you brought me here just to quarrel, I might as well kill you,” and began to draw on Cornell.
Unfortunately for Holman, his gun got caught in his clothing. This gave the judge time to turn around, draw his own gun and kill Holman.
When Cornell was taken to court for murder, the murder of Tom Carson was presented as evidence of Holman’s bad temper, and Cornell was found not guilty.
Next week: I promise a kinder, gentler story from Kerrville’s past.
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