The Cases of Joe Blassingame and Springfield and McDade — Local Notes.

HEMPSTEAD, Tex., December 8. — Judge Burkhart will come here on Monday next for the purpose of hearing the case of Joe Blassingame, charged with the murder of ex-Sheriff McDade, on a writ of habeas corpus.

The sheriff and his deputies are busily engaged in hunting up and attaching another large batch of witnesses to attend the trial of Springfield and McDade at Houston on Thursday next. Nearly 100 will go there.

Dr. Van B. Thornton has purchased the R.R. McDade property here, and will remove from his country home to the city.

The Waller County Courier will be revived next Saturday under the management of Mrs. Farr and her nephew, Mr. William Newnam. This will make two papers published here. The new venture is promised a liberal amount of advertisements by the merchants, and will also probably receive all the county official printing, which will amount to a handsome sum yearly.

Captain J.D. Montgomery of this city, assistant sergeant-at-arms of the lower house of the last legislature, has received letters from nearly every one of the old members, and also many new ones, pledging their support to him for the same position at the next session. His well-known courtesy, competency and energy shown at the last session has made strong friends of those knowing him.

Quite a large number of old citizens of the county have removed or are preparing to change their residences in the near future. This is probably caused by the deplorable troubles which have so long agitated and excited the people. Politics and political questions — the ins and the outs continually grasping for supremacy — have been the main cause of all the troubles and also a score of new-made graves.

Were it not for the fact that Hempstead was an important railroad junction, with a roundhouse for the locomotives of the Western division of the Houston and Texas Central railway and a large corps of employees, who are paid a large sum of money monthly, it would be the deadest railroad town in Texas. nearly all the railroad men own homes, and they do not meddle with politicians, but let them fight out their own quarrels.

The good citizens have not despaired of reform yet, but are using every effort to restore the good name of the county, and hope to be successful.

"The Cases of Joe Blassingame and Springfield and McDade." Galveston Daily News, Sunday, Dec. 9, 1888, p. 2, col. 3.

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