In the early '70s the Waller County Courier was published by Mr. Joe FARR for several years as an independent newspaper with varying success.  He abandoned the paper in the latter part of the '70s.  In 1885 Messrs. FARR & White resumed the publication of the Courier.  Mr. Joe FARR was at the helm, while Mr. White was the financial backing of the paper.  The paper became sickly and died a slow death.  In 1887 a Mr. Hutchinson published the Ledger.  It, too, went to an early grave.  The press was bought by Mr. E. P. Alsbury, a well known writer, who commenced the publication of the Advance Guard.  It was this paper in which, in April 1888, there appeared an anonymous article which was construed to reflect on Sheriff Tom McDade.  Stephen Alchin fathered the article, which caused one of the bloodiest feuds ever known in Texas.  Deputy Sheriff Dick Chambers, Steven Alchin and ex-Sheriff Tom McDade are in the grave, Jack McDade and Dick Springfield are in the penitentiary, all caused by one harmless article.  The Courier was reorganized by Mr. Reed two years ago.  He struggled hard to make the paper a success, but the public did not support him as perhaps they should have done, and the Courier goes down, to be resurrected perhaps at some future day by someone else.

"One of the bloodiest feuds ever known in Texas." The Galveston Daily News, September 13, 1891, p. 6, col. 3.

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