Did Bill Longley survive his execution?

Sep. 3, 1878 was another tense day for Wild Bill Longley, as the famous gunfighter waited in the Giddings jail for an appeals court to decide whether he lived or died. At a precocious age, William Preston Longley displayed a talent ideally suited to the violent times that followed the Civil War.

LIBRARY CORNER

By HELEN THOMPSON Librarian, Mount Pleasant Public Library September? Can it be? Here are a few of the things we’re working on for the month: •Monday, September 5—Holiday •Tuesday, September 6—Paws to Read 4 p.m. (Registration required) • Tuesdays6,13,27—Pre School Story Time 11 a.m.

There’s no telling for whom the bell tolls

Every morning at precisely 5:30 a.m., my wife’s cellphone emits an alarm that sounds like the ringing of an old 1970s rotary-dialed telephone. I imagine the phone is beige and plugged into the wall with a five-foot-long cord that belongs to “Ma Bell.

Sit with the uncomfortable

Why does time have to move so fast? It seems like just yesterday that I was dropping my now 17-year-old son off for pre-kindergarten. Now, he is preparing to embark on his last year of high school. How do I have a senior in high school? I’m not old enough to have a senior in high school!

Memories real enough to smell the creosote

God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.” – J.M. Barrie (1860-1937), Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan.

Are you properly insured?

Provided by David Patterson Financial Advisor You probably won’t see it on your calendar, but September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. And it is indeed important to be aware of the importance of life insurance. Are you adequately insured? Many people aren’t.

Newspaperman writes best-seller in spare time

On Aug. 28, 1959 a book reviewer had nothing but the highest praise for a newspaperman’s first novel: “It may be a long time before a better one comes along.” Allen Stuart Drury was born in Houston during the First World War and grew up in a small California town.

LIBRARY CORNER

By HELEN THOMPSON Librarian, Mount Pleasant Public Library If you’re looking for something good to read, several books stand out on the September Library Reads list. Among them is Richard Osman’s The Bullet That Missed. This is the third installment of the wonderful Thursday Murder Club.

GUY STUFF

With the first day of school, kids are in the spotlight as a new year begins, full of all of the usual highlights and drama that goes along with being a student or teacher brings. There will be good times and bad times no doubt, but let’s just hope that the good times far outweigh the bad ones.

My old grandpa would always say:

Growing up, my two grandfathers never uttered sage words of wisdom for me to follow because the one died before I was born, and the other died before I even knew what “sage words of wisdom” even meant.