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| Downtown Center Point, Texas -- some time before 1908. |
I’ve discovered some almost unbelievable stories about the earliest days of Kerr County as I research the life of Charles Schreiner. I’m still working on a book about Schreiner, and it’s been an interesting journey, as I’ve traveled slowly through old letters, newspapers, and magazine articles. The book will be done when it’s done.
Seriously, though: you couldn’t make up some of these stories.
Take, for instance, the story of Le Compte de Keroman, a genuine French nobleman, who was charged, indicted, and tried three times on the charge of stealing about $300 from Charles Schreiner and some of his business partners.
As it became obvious Charles Schreiner was going have success in business, criminal interest in robbing him soon followed.
There was an attempt by a crowd of around 30 ‘cowboys’ to steal the contents of Schreiner’s safe in his Kerrville store in 1873. It was rumored Schreiner had ‘upward of three hundred thousand dollars deposited money belonging to stockraisers in the [Kerr County] vicinity,” though I don’t think it’s possible Schreiner had that much in his safe only four years after opening his store in the tiny town of Kerrsville. But it made good newspaper copy.
The cowboys’ attempt failed, as Schreiner had been warned in advance, giving him time to supply arms and ammunition to most of the law-abiding folks in downtown Kerrville. A shootout occurred on what is now Earl Garrett street, leaving one citizen killed and five of the outlaws dead. The remainder were pursued to a ‘blockhouse’ north of town, where they were surrounded and besieged. It did not end well for many of the would-be robbers, though some escaped to tell the tale.
Later, in 1880, the store of Schreiner & Carmichael, of Junction, was robbed of $1200 by three men, “who rode up to their store, presented cocked pistols, and demanded the safe to be open.”
There was an incident in 1879, where no one attempted to rob Schreiner, attacking with guns blazing, frightening clerks and demanding the safe to be opened. No guns were involved. Whoever stole from Schreiner on this occasion had a key to the safe. The thief was a burglar.
On the morning of October 22, 1879, “Mr. Paul Below, of the firm of Faltin, Schreiner, and Below, of Center Point, found his safe key gone from his usual place of keeping it. Fears were at once entertained that he had been robbed, but hoping that the key might found some place about the store no alarm was given until during the afternoon, when it was decided further search was useless.
“It was known that there were about $1200 in the hands of the firm belonging to the firm and neighboring farmers on deposit. So, of course, the greatest anxiety prevailed until something definite was known.
“There stood the safe, with no indication of anything wrong but the key.”
Paul Below had no choice but to notify Schreiner. This was in October, 1879, so Mr. Below did something we’d now consider quaint. He wrote Charles Schreiner a letter, knowing the next town on the mail route from Center Point was Kerrville.
“As soon as the mail reached Kerrville, Mr. Charles Schreiner immediately went down, but decided not to try and open it until morning, which he then did by blowing the door all to pieces.”
The explosion must have been loud – because the tale was reported only a week later in faraway Galveston, Texas, in the Galveston Daily News.
“The safe drawer containing $301.50 was immediately discovered to be gone, but on looking back of the books [within the safe] the remaining $900 was found all right.”
The next sentence is quite an understatement.
“Of course, there are a thousand and one conjectures as to why it was not all taken, and as yet there is not the slightest clue as to who did the job.”
Suspicions were soon focused on a Frenchman, a genuine count, who had visited the store the day before the key went missing, and was later found, after the robbery, with cash hidden inside his hat. I’ll tell you his story next week.
Until then, all the best.
Joe Herring Jr. is a Kerrville native who enjoys stories of international intrigue, and whodunits of the Hill Country. This column originally appeared in the Kerrville Daily Times October 15, 2022.
I love the stories Joe! Thanks!
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