Waco Tribune-Herald from Waco, Texas • Page 12

Poge Texas Saturday, Jan. 9, 1971 MACARTHUR WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUI) Old Soldier Spanned Three Centuries ISAAC BROCK SHORTLY BEFORE HIS DEATH Old Soldier Never Just Faded Awav By ERNIE MAKOVY Staff Writer The tombstone you can barely read its writing: Brock. Born March 1, 1787. Died Sept. 3, 1909.

Aged 122 years, 6 months and 2 Now the famous words: Old soldiers never die. They just fade away. Brock never laved to hear Gen. Douglas MacArthur utter that news. But had he, he would have known it was truth, wisdom and prophesy.

For Brock was an old soMder, turned down by the Confederate Army in 1861 at the age of 74, but one who was later hired by another man as an Army blacksmith. He was more than just a soldier, though. He loved horses and ride them to town because he wanted to save them. He was also a pretty sprite old man, marrying an 18-year- old girl in 1851 at the age of 64 and then fathering 12 children. THAT WAS his second marriage.

Little is known of his first wife, except that she Gties Ask Renaming Of Highway bore him four children and died at an early age. And even when he was well past the 100-year-old mark, Brock considered a 35-mile hike from his China Spring home to Waco nothing more than a casual stroll. He made his last such hike when he was 120 and he probably would have made more if he gone blind. Even the fittest of generation may find those stories hard to believe. But true, as are several others.

At one time lin his younger days, Brock hiked to Texas from NortJi Carolina, where he was born, and twice when he was in his 80s he got into fights. Old-timers recall one was with his 80-some-odd-year-old landlord John McCann and began over a political argument. The cither was with a much younger man named Granger. No need to say who won them. WITH HIS high temper went other charac teristics: generosity, kindness, energy and skill.

The late Mrs. SalMe Ballard, one of 16 offspring, used to say he was doing something for other people. But he never forgot his own family. made all the furniture we ever Mrs. Ballard once recalled of her father.

carved the chairs out of wood and made seats of hickory bark for them, over an East Texas. He made his own plows, too. I remember watching him break the ground with those hitched to a yoke of When Mrs. Ballard, who was bom during the Civil War, was eight years old, she walked with the rest of the Brock family from Smith County, near Tyler, to their new home at China Spring. They walked because Brock had loaded the oxen-drawn wagon with household goods, including the hickory bottomed chairs.

TRADED his land in Smith County for two yoke of oxen, a wagon and two Mrs. Ballard recalled several years ago. moved to McLennan County with them. I know how long it took, I remember. We camped out by the But Brock was a fast walker, and he always used his horses to draw wagon loads of cotton to town instead of riddng them.

he had cotton to take to town, he would let the boys load it on the wagon, tell them to come on when they got it ready. walk ahead and make arrangements. When they got to town, there he would Mrs. Ballard said. Brock wasn't rich; in fact he was downright poor.

He write his own name MONTOYA'S SHOE SERVICE Complete Shoe Boot Repair 1105-A So. Valley Mills I)r. Phone 753-2142 Lame Duck Put On Speaker Staff Emergency Service Mental and Emotional Problems Coil 752-1131 Waco-McLennon County Mental Hwtth and Menfo! Retardation Center AUSTIN (AP) The High-i way Commission was asked fori its help Friday in renaming U.S. 75 as Interstate 45 from Dallas to the Red River near Representatives from Collin (McKinney) and Grayson (Sherman-Denison) counties AUSTIN Speak- made the request. They said er Gus F.

Mutscher Friday this would bring more traffic named a lame duck representa- their cities. The commis- live, Joe Shannon Jr. of Fort 1 the Department of Transporta -1 Worth, as an administrative as- an(j about 51 sistant on his staff. million for highway signs. Shannon, a member of the Interstate 45 would them House since 1964, made an un- stretch from Galveston to Okla- successful race for a senate homa.

seat last year. Sherman Mayor S. E. Gilles- Mutscher said Shannon will jpie said he thought that U.S. 75 provide legal assistance and in- meets the standards of an information to members of the terstate highway, which is all House and the office, the federal government An Ellis County group sought! from the commission in; completing several projects.

One is a 40-mile stretch of I U. S. 287 from Interstate 45; of Ennis west to the1 Ellis-Johnson County line. Right-J of-way would cost $1,930,000, with $435,000 of that 'Construction would cost 000 with only $7.762.000 of that now under contract. CONTINUING OUR 1971 FABRIC BLAST! BIO, NEW SHIPMENT! SPORT PRINTS Cotton Wide SLIGHTLY IRREGULAR WIDE WALE CORDUROY Catton 45" Machine Washable Wide FABRIFIC DOORBU8TER DOUBLE KNIT New Shipment of Designer Cuts from A Famous Mill Polyester 60" Wide Solids and Fancies YARD Wacoan Jailed On Check Charge U.S.

Commissioner Rutland ordered Henderson 32, of 1102 North; Eleventh held for federal grand jury action this morning on a Secret Service complaint which I involved a stolen U.S. Treasury check. Minor was arrested Wednesday and charged pass- a $47.15 treasury at Snappy's Drive-In. Kenneth J. jWeisman of the U.S.

Secret Service singed the complaint Rutland set bail bond at $5.000. Minor was in couty jail Friday afternoon. TOMBSTONE OF THREE-CENTURY MAN Born in 1787, Died in 1909 Finest Quality On Bolts BONDED ACRYLICS Acrylic Knit Acetate Bond te wide Clearance of Dark Color 99 Yord Gorgeous Spring Colors) JERSEY KNITS Heavyweight. Double Knits Beautiful Spring Solids Acetate 1971 SUPER SAVINGS BONDED KNITS Orion Knit Face Acettite Bond 60" Wide Designer Lengths Solids and Fancies 59 YARD OPEN DAILY 9 TO 6 Mmler harge fabrific FABRIC CENTERS PECAN TREES MOHAWK-CHOCTAW-DESIRABLE-BURKETT MAHON-STUART-SUCCESS 3-4 FT. 3.95 4-5 FT.

4.95 5-6 6-7 FT. 8.95 8-10 FT .......................12.95 NEW SHIPMENT SWISS GIANT PANSY PUNTS 25 for 75c BULBS ALL VARIETIES REDUCED IN PRICE FOR CLEARANCE CRAPE MYRTLES 79c EACH 3 for 2.00 NEW SHIPMENT BEAUTIFUL LARGE BOXED SHADE TREES 39.95 to 59.95 YOU MUST SEE THESE I FRUITLESS MULBERRY EXTRA FINE TREES 2.95 to 12.95 WAXLEAF Reg. 1.79... 1.49 OPEN WEEKDAYS 8-5 SUNDAYS Hills Center 141S N. 34th Street Town West iimrnm Center H12 Volley Milis Drive JAP BOXWOOD 98c POPULAR DWARF ftHRI BS GARDENIA 98c Purple Flowering WISTERIA 1.79 FRUIT TREES PEACH 2.49 PLUM EXTRA FINE TREES ......4 5 ft.

and he never went to school a day in his life. Somehow, he always had enough to feed his family, though, Mrs. Ballard said. One of the most unique traits about him is that he is one of few people who could ever say they lived in three different centuries, the 18th, 19th and 20th. HE WAS BORN in the North Carolina mountains in 1787, Ihe year the constitutional convention was assembled to lay the ground floor for the United States of America.

He was two years old when George Washington became the first president oi the United States. In the Caroiinas he learned coal mining and became a mighty hunter, bringing to mind Mrs. story oi how Brock once provided deer and other wild meat for an entire Tar Heel community of 14 families. He hunted with a flintoek musket, carried a large powder horn on his shoulder and used a lantern as a to blind the game. Joblessness In Nation Jumps to WASHINGTON (AP) The nationwide unemployment rate surged up to 6 per cent in December, approaching recession levels despite the return of General Motors strikers to their jobs.

The rate was the highest in nine years. The Labor Department announced that 4.6 million Americans were out of work and seeking it last month. Retailers hired fewer Christmas workers than normal, industry laid off more white collar employes, and some plants apparently did not rehire all the workers laid off as a secondary result of the automobile strike. The nose-count of unemployment was the same as in November, but the rate increased from 5.8 per cent to 6 per cent of the civilian labor force, after allowing for seasonal factors, because the normal December pickup did not occur. Asked whether there are any indications of improvement ahead, Harold Goldstein, assistant commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, replied: am going to stick with the figures we have and not try to Many economists expect the DENNIS THE MENACE HANK KETCHAM AN' IF H6 WE BABIES, M'u, make hi MMCJ! Okay?" Alcohol Safety the funds for the 3-year jproject.

Project in Bexar a 15010 and extensive AUSTIN (UPD-Gov. Preston nw tify, control and rehabilitate Smith Friday announced thati. ie drivers with drinking problems, from North Carolina he unemployment rate to rise fur- San Antonio and Bexar County Smith said made way to Texas in ther before turning down. Presi- have been selected by the U.S.--------------------------------------“?• p. dent Nixon tmcWy ecknowl- Dopartment at Transportation a bachelor, a time lb years in hie before the Texas Revolution.

possibility ra (or a Texas alcoho! safety ac. 2.49 The department of Transpor- What part he played in that tion program demonstration pro- revolution, if any. is not He said that in 1971 unemploy- luynvn jment, which is presently too Eventually he made it to wil1 come under ation National Tyler, married and had four and begin to recede Highway Safety Bureau will children before his wife died. The last month in which the Hlgnway Safety Bureau, will national unemployment stood at 6 per cent was December 1961. I'ne Your Privilege REQUEST BUCK'S WRECKER SERVICE FOR WRECKS.

BREAKDOWNS AND MUD CALLS 1 By 1851 he was in Central Texas and married Miss Sarah Sparks, an 18-year-old girl from Alabama. He was 64 at the time and in the next 16 years he fathered 12 children, all of whom are now dead. AFTER HIS MARRIAGE Brock made his home on the old Bill Davis farm at China Spring, a farm located on the south side of the Bosque River and across the river from China Spring. Brock and his family tried the city life in Waco for a while, then moved to Hood County and up into the Indian territory for a few years before resuming to McLennan County. He died in this county and he died rather swiftly, being active right up to the end.

Exactly what caused his death known, except that it In that month the country was jemerging from the 1960-61 recession; unemployment aver-; aged 6.8 per cent that year and 7.1 per cent in the worst month. May. Over the past 12 months the month-by-month increase in 3 5 per cent 6 per amounted to 70 per cent. Meantime inflation has workers of the benefit of an estimated 3 4 per cent increase in weekly earnings for the year through November. Because of the approximate 6 cent increase in consumer prices, weekly earnings were down by 2.1 per cent in terms of real buying power.

Total payroll employment Irose by 290,000 In December, after seasonal adjustment; an estimated 300.000 strikers w-ent from any lingering ill- hack on the factory payrolls. Some other workers laid off as a result of the GM strike were recalled to their jobs, but total manufacturing employment in December was still 370.000 the pre-strike level of September. Total employment was at 78.516 000 in December, about 225,000 below the November total. The seasonally adjusted rate was somewhat lower The unemployment rate for workers remained level for the month at 5 5 per cent the rate for Negroes, which declined slightly in November. returned to its October One of the officers reported level of 9 3 per cent aboard the B-52 training plane Long-torm unemployment which crashed into Lake continued to rise Michigan Thursday was Major ness.

Near the end, Brock even sure of his own birthday, so Mrs. Ballard wrote to North Carolina to find out. The reply was March 1, 1787. He was buried in the China Spring Cemetery, his tombstone a tall gray marker bearing the inscription; died as he lived, a But MacArthur would have said the old soldier die. He just faded away.

Kin In Crash of BARRON NURSERY AND GARDEN CENTER 603 S. Valley Mills Waco Phone 753-8361 The number of people W'ho have been for at least 15 weeks topped one Jerry Black, son-in-law of Mr. mijjjon reaching the highest and Mrs. Charles Musgrove of Wp, the of 19fi4 5404 Lake Charles. Musgrove figures on insured compen- manager of Montgomery Ward indirated that a numher the said worfr! have exh.utted their and Mrs.

Mu.grove S' i notified about 10:30 p.m. Both and day that Major Black was on lar to the plane. They left immediately unemployment. The rate for to be with their daughter, white-collar workers rose to 3 7 Shirley. per cent, the highest ever since Maj, Black was a navigator records were begun in 1958.

The on the B-52 and was stationed rate of unemployment among at Westover Air Force Base, professional and technical work- Mass. The Blacks lived on theirs climbed from 2.4 per cent to base. They have two children 3 per cent as a result of layoffs and have been married about in the defense, aircraft and ae- eight years. rospace industries. Ft.

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