Interment: September 4, 1934
Marriage to Miss Elizabeth Willoughby
June 27, 1907 in Sarcoxie, Jasper county, Missouri
Known children:
Phillip Warner Borger 1909–1968
Helen Betty Borger (Thompson) 1910–1949
Jack B Borger 1912–1948
Missouri National Guard,
the Mexican Border, 1916
Asa P. Borger
Rank: Supply Sergeant
Company: Company E
Regiment: Second Infantry
Organized at Sarcoxie
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CARTHAGE EVENING PRESS
Carthage, Missouri
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1926 - PAGE THREE
A BUILDER OF TOWNS
A. P. BORGER LEAVES MARK IN BOOM DISTRICTS
Carthage Man Amasses Fortune in Townsite Projects in Texas and Oklahoma
A. P. Borger, Carthage, Mo., resident, who founded the town of Borger, Texas and three other Texas and Oklahoma cities, and his activities are the subject of a 2 column feature store in yesterday's Kansas City Journal. The article is accompanied by a photograph of Mr. Borger and present street scenes in the Texas oil town compared with photographs of the same locality last May 24.
Mr. Borger, who resides at 807 South McGregor street, has been at his home here the last two or three weeks. He will leave tonight to return to Borger. The Journal-Post article follows:
With actual establishment of two thriving oil towns and the "putting over" of two others now entered to his credit and with his pockets jangling with the six or seven-figure fortune he has amassed, a native Missourian, 37 years old, today is dreaming of the time in the near future when he plans to retire and settle down to enjoy life in his old home town.
A. P. Borger, town builder, his shingle might read if he chooses to hang one out, once he steps aside from the hustle and bustle of the boom districts in the Texas and Oklahoma oil fields.
For Mr. Borger - or A. P., as he is called affectionately by hundreds of oil men - may claim the distinction of handling successively and virtually unaided the town sites of Picher and Cromwell, Okla., and Borger and Stinnett, Texas.
In additional, Mr. Borger, a native of Carthage, Mo., was associated with Tom Slick and J. A. Frates, former general manager of the Frisco at Springfield and later president of several short line railroads in establishing Slick, Oklahoma.
Borger, Hutchinson county, Texas named of course for its founder, perhaps is A. P.'s crowning achievement to date. In eight months it has grown to be an incorporated town of 15,000 persons, its main street three miles long and already fringed with buildings of permanent construction.
But in Stinnett, also in Hutchinson county, Mr. Borger sees even greater possibilities than existed in Borger, for this newest of Mr. Borger's towns is on the main line of the Rock Island between Amarillo, Tex., and Liberal, Kans., and stands a good chance, it is believed, of becoming a Rock Island terminal.
Picher, Okla., First Town
It was not until after he had left his mark in the Oklahoma field in the form of two towns, however, that Mr. Borger journeyed into the Texas panhandle.
Picher, Ottawa county, OK., was the point where the Missourian received his first baptism by fire, for it was here that he handled individually his first town sites. Picher, established seven years ago, seemed to lack the guiding genius of such a town builder as Mr. Borger. Once he took hold it boomed and today is a thriving community of 8,000 persons.
The situation was much the same in Cromwell, Seminole county, Okla., established about four years ago, and Mr. Borger shifted the seat of his operations to this town. Now, Cromwell is a bustling community of 2,500 persons.
The growth and development of Picher and Cromwell are more or less oil field history, but Borger and Stinnett, Texas, are such new towns that comparatively little is know of them, other than that Borger two months after it was established and for a short time thereafter was reported "the wickedest oil town in the United States."
It is only within the last ten days that the last of the Texas rangers were withdrawn from Borger, after it had been demonstrated conclusively that the town had shaken virtually all of its frontier day habits and customs.
Land Sales, $1,000,000
About eight months ago the Holmes-Huey well come in in the heart of what now are the Texas panhandle oil fields, in Hutchinson county.
Mr. Borger scented the boom that seemed certain to follow. He bought 320 acres of land at a point about three miles south of the Holmes-Huey well, subdivided it into lots, erected a tent, hung out his sign, "Borger Town sites," and immediately began to enjoy a flourishing business. Workers at the Holmes-Huey well and others which came in soon afterward sought home sites as near the scene of operations as possible and the next nearest town was Panhandle, Carson county, thirty-two miles south.
Within six months Mr. Borger was sold out completely, his gross sales aggregating over $1,000,000, whereas surface rights of the same land could have been purchased a year ago for $3,000, this despite the fact that the nearest railroad to Borger was in Panhandle, thirty-two miles south, and the next nearest sizable town as Amarillo, sixty-two miles southwest.
Rough wood shacks and even canvas covered structures sprang up in Borger, the name being adopted generally from the "Borger Town sites" sign the Missourian had placed on his tent office.
Railroad Into Borger
The usual bad element following a boom flocked to Borger and entrenched itself. Rumors flew far and wide, of alleged frontier day conditions existing in Borger, of 500 open saloons, 1,000 professional women and between 200 and 300 women under arrest and locked to a log chain in a crude jail.
Investigation proved most of the rumors grossly exaggerated, however, and Borger soon was acknowledged to be considerably above the average boom town in morals.
Brick buildings soon began to replace the temporary wooden structures. There was a permanent note, virtually was unheard of in boom oil towns. Borger apparently was building for the future as well as the present.
In eight months time the town has grown to have a population, mostly permanent of 15,000 persons and more still are arriving. The main street is three miles long and, although quite wide, already is being taxed to accommodate the hundreds of motor cars driven there by residents and transients.
October 16 - four weeks ago yesterday - the Santa Fe opened a branch line from Panhandle to Borger. long hauls of supplies and commodities by truck to Borger no longer are necessary.
Borger Incorporated
A chamber of commerce was established, with Asa E. Ramsay, former federal reserve bank agent here in Kansas City and chairman of the federal reserve bank board of the Tenth district, and now owner and proprietor of the Perfection Bakery of Borger, as president.
October 26 - three weeks ago Tuesday - the town of Borger was incorporated and John Miller, an attorney and superintendent of schools in Borger, formerly of Bristow, Okla., was elected mayor, after Mr. Ramsay had declined the office.
A curious feature of the election was the fact that on 101 votes were cast in the election, there being only that number of persons qualified according to the length of time they have lived in the town.
Schools in Borger, although the buildings largely have been temporary structures, are well equipped and have an enrollment of more than 1,000 students. A comprehensive school system is being worked out at the present time.
Meanwhile, on all sides of Borger wells are being drilled and black gold is spouting from the ground. Communities are springing up almost overnight although none, of course, are being built on the permanent plan of Borger.
Hutchinson county last year had a population of 892 persons, while this year's estimated census for the country is in excess of 35,000.
Moves to Stinnett
His work virtually at an end in Borger, Mrs. Borger looked for one more field to conquer. He hit upon Stinnett, the establishment of which had been the dream for 20 years of A. S. Stinnett of Amarillo, for whom the town was named.
For two decades Mr. Stinnett fought for a Rock Island connection between Liberal, Kans., and Amarillo, through Stinnett. Finally, he was successful.
The next move was bringing the county seat from Plemons, an almost adjacent town in the center of Hutchinson county, to Stinnett, itself 11 miles north of Borger and destined to be the halfway point between Liberal and Amarillo.
And as Stinnett booms, Mr. Borger sits back and watches, insisting this is his swan song, if not his masterpiece, or indeed both. When his last lot in Stinnett is sold and when he sees the town, like Borger, on the way to becoming one of the most important points in the Texas Panhandle, says Mr. Borger, he will go back to Carthage, Mo., and enjoy a well earned rest.
Mr. Borger is a quiet man, a thinker and does not stop with thinking.
A dreamer as well as a doer, past experience has shown him to be about 50 jumps ahead of the other fellow in anticipating boom areas.
He quickly visualizes opportunities where activity seems in a fair way of setting in, then jumps in with both feet, perhaps risks most or all of his personal fortune in buying up acreages for town site lots and then -most important of all- "puts over" his town to the other fellow.
Ambition May Call Again
He is public spirited and generous in his contributions. Much of his earnings in Borger were poured back into public improvement prior to incorporation of the tow, when streets were paved and other improvements put in merely by private donation.
Whenever subscriptions were solicited for one public cause or another, Mr. Borger's name almost invariably headed the list. Not once did he give the slightest indication, but that he had the utmost faith and confidence in the future of the town he had established or boosted.
And now, at the age of 37, Mr. Borger plans to retire and return to his home town, his fame and fortune made.
Just how long Mr. Borger will be content to remain inactive or how soon his desire to be a doer again will assert itself and draw him away from a quiet life of retirement in Carthage is a matter of conjecture among his friends who, incidentally, include virtually all those acquainted with this Missouri town builder. (bio by NJBrewer)
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Carthage (Missouri) Evening Press,
September 1, 1934, page one
ASA P. BORGER IS SLAIN IN TOWN HE ESTABLISHED
Former Carthage Man Shot by Arthur Huey, County Tax Collector at Borger, Texas
He Had Made and Lost Millions
By Associated Press
Borger, Texas, Sept. 1. -- Bullets, once frequent messengers of death in this mushroom oil town, have taken the life of its founder -- A. P. Borger. Borger was shot to death yesterday as he was getting his mail at the city post office. Less than a minute later, Arthur Huey, county tax collector, stepped from the building, carrying two pistols and asked bystanders to call the sheriff. He was arrested and charged with murder. Authorities said Huey had sought to prosecute Borger in connection with the failure of the latter's Borger State Bank. Playing a "hunch," Borger laid out the town site in 1926.
A crime wave followed the boom and in three years more than 30 murders were committed. A witness to the shooting said Borger entered the post office first, with Huey almost directly behind him. The witness said Huey walked up behind him. The witness said Huey walked up behind Borger and something was said. Borger, according to witness, made some sort of move and Huey seized him from behind. "Borger got out his pistol and they scuffled," the witness said. "Several shots were fired. I don't know who shot first, but I think they started shooting at the same time. Borger fell over by the north boxes and when he fell he fired one shot at Huey and Huey shot him twice." Huey, officials said, had persisted in efforts to have Borger prosecuted in connection with the bank failure. "They kept on until they made a criminal out of me, " Huey muttered, according to officers, as he was taken to jail.
Borger was shot four times, once through the heart.
An Oil Main Is Wounded
A bystander, Lloyd Duncan, superintendent for a petroleum company here, was wounded in the right hip. Miss Katherine Haidy, a witness to the shooting, said she heard someone say: "You ------: get your gun." It was the first I knew anything was wrong, Miss Haidy, told officers. "Mr. Borger was standing a his box getting his mail and I was in a line at the window when I heard Arthur Huey's command. "Mr. Borger, dropped the mail on the floor and started backing away. Almost simultaneously two shots rang out; then four more in quick succession. Then two more.
Quotes the Assailant
"Mr. Borger fell to the floor near the table, Huey then went over to him, partly raised him from the floor, said, 'Well I got you this time'." At the door of the post office, Huey met Carl Maddox, wrestling promoter, who quoted him as saying: "Call the sheriff; Ace Borger has made a criminal out of me."
Asa P. Borger, slain yesterday afternoon in the post office of the Texas town to which he gave his name, was a native of Sarcoxie, this county [Jasper County, Missouri], and widely known in this district. He was born on a farm west of Sarcoxie, grew up there and for some years engaged in the general business of a trader. He and his family lived in Carthage [Missouri] in 1929 and 1930, coming here from Borger in order that his children might attend the Carthage schools.
Entered "Mining Game"
When the Oklahoma lead and zinc field boom got under way, Mr. Borger [continued from page 1] went to Picher, Okla., made a stake in mining and trading there, later going to Slick, Okla., and finally to Cromwell, where he became interested in oil properties and added to his wealth. It was from there that he went to Texas, bought land and established the town of Borger on March 6, 1926.
He later established towns all along the Rock Island railroad from Amarillo, Texas, to Liberal, Kans. His wealth climbed with the boom until he was estimated to be worth three million dollars. He established a bank in Borger and was head of many other enterprises there. Wheat growing on an ambitious scale was one of his undertakings. At the time of his death he still held title to 33 [hard to read, may be higher number ? 88] sections of Texas wheat land and had other properties. He is reported to still own two farms west of Sarcoxie in this county.
A plunger by nature, Borger lost his money as fast as he made it, after the tide of business turned. The bank failure at Borger, with the resultant heavy loses to many citizens, was one of the final blows contributing to Borger's loss of popularity. He had many enemies and friends here say he almost always went armed.
Here Two Weeks Ago
Mr. Borger visited Carthage two weeks ago on a business business trip. He has a sister, Mrs. Lorena Howard, who lives southeast of Carthage, seven or eight miles. Another sister, Mrs. Clyde Horton of Borger, Texas, had just arrived here this week for a visit at the Howard home, and left this morning to return to Borger after receiving news of the tragic death. Friends here did not know whether Mrs. Howard accompanied them. Mr. Borger's wife, who was a Sarcoxie girl, died about a year ago and was buried at Borger. It is believed he will buried there also. Surviving are two sons, Phillip and Jack Borger, of Gruver, Texas, and a daughter, Helen, now married, at Borger, also one other brother, Lester Borger of Stinnett, Texas, and a half-sister, who lives in Joplin. The Borger home, when the family lived in Carthage, was on McGregor Street, just south of Chestnut."
Marriage to Miss Elizabeth Willoughby
June 27, 1907 in Sarcoxie, Jasper county, Missouri
Known children:
Phillip Warner Borger 1909–1968
Helen Betty Borger (Thompson) 1910–1949
Jack B Borger 1912–1948
Missouri National Guard,
the Mexican Border, 1916
Asa P. Borger
Rank: Supply Sergeant
Company: Company E
Regiment: Second Infantry
Organized at Sarcoxie
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CARTHAGE EVENING PRESS
Carthage, Missouri
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1926 - PAGE THREE
A BUILDER OF TOWNS
A. P. BORGER LEAVES MARK IN BOOM DISTRICTS
Carthage Man Amasses Fortune in Townsite Projects in Texas and Oklahoma
A. P. Borger, Carthage, Mo., resident, who founded the town of Borger, Texas and three other Texas and Oklahoma cities, and his activities are the subject of a 2 column feature store in yesterday's Kansas City Journal. The article is accompanied by a photograph of Mr. Borger and present street scenes in the Texas oil town compared with photographs of the same locality last May 24.
Mr. Borger, who resides at 807 South McGregor street, has been at his home here the last two or three weeks. He will leave tonight to return to Borger. The Journal-Post article follows:
With actual establishment of two thriving oil towns and the "putting over" of two others now entered to his credit and with his pockets jangling with the six or seven-figure fortune he has amassed, a native Missourian, 37 years old, today is dreaming of the time in the near future when he plans to retire and settle down to enjoy life in his old home town.
A. P. Borger, town builder, his shingle might read if he chooses to hang one out, once he steps aside from the hustle and bustle of the boom districts in the Texas and Oklahoma oil fields.
For Mr. Borger - or A. P., as he is called affectionately by hundreds of oil men - may claim the distinction of handling successively and virtually unaided the town sites of Picher and Cromwell, Okla., and Borger and Stinnett, Texas.
In additional, Mr. Borger, a native of Carthage, Mo., was associated with Tom Slick and J. A. Frates, former general manager of the Frisco at Springfield and later president of several short line railroads in establishing Slick, Oklahoma.
Borger, Hutchinson county, Texas named of course for its founder, perhaps is A. P.'s crowning achievement to date. In eight months it has grown to be an incorporated town of 15,000 persons, its main street three miles long and already fringed with buildings of permanent construction.
But in Stinnett, also in Hutchinson county, Mr. Borger sees even greater possibilities than existed in Borger, for this newest of Mr. Borger's towns is on the main line of the Rock Island between Amarillo, Tex., and Liberal, Kans., and stands a good chance, it is believed, of becoming a Rock Island terminal.
Picher, Okla., First Town
It was not until after he had left his mark in the Oklahoma field in the form of two towns, however, that Mr. Borger journeyed into the Texas panhandle.
Picher, Ottawa county, OK., was the point where the Missourian received his first baptism by fire, for it was here that he handled individually his first town sites. Picher, established seven years ago, seemed to lack the guiding genius of such a town builder as Mr. Borger. Once he took hold it boomed and today is a thriving community of 8,000 persons.
The situation was much the same in Cromwell, Seminole county, Okla., established about four years ago, and Mr. Borger shifted the seat of his operations to this town. Now, Cromwell is a bustling community of 2,500 persons.
The growth and development of Picher and Cromwell are more or less oil field history, but Borger and Stinnett, Texas, are such new towns that comparatively little is know of them, other than that Borger two months after it was established and for a short time thereafter was reported "the wickedest oil town in the United States."
It is only within the last ten days that the last of the Texas rangers were withdrawn from Borger, after it had been demonstrated conclusively that the town had shaken virtually all of its frontier day habits and customs.
Land Sales, $1,000,000
About eight months ago the Holmes-Huey well come in in the heart of what now are the Texas panhandle oil fields, in Hutchinson county.
Mr. Borger scented the boom that seemed certain to follow. He bought 320 acres of land at a point about three miles south of the Holmes-Huey well, subdivided it into lots, erected a tent, hung out his sign, "Borger Town sites," and immediately began to enjoy a flourishing business. Workers at the Holmes-Huey well and others which came in soon afterward sought home sites as near the scene of operations as possible and the next nearest town was Panhandle, Carson county, thirty-two miles south.
Within six months Mr. Borger was sold out completely, his gross sales aggregating over $1,000,000, whereas surface rights of the same land could have been purchased a year ago for $3,000, this despite the fact that the nearest railroad to Borger was in Panhandle, thirty-two miles south, and the next nearest sizable town as Amarillo, sixty-two miles southwest.
Rough wood shacks and even canvas covered structures sprang up in Borger, the name being adopted generally from the "Borger Town sites" sign the Missourian had placed on his tent office.
Railroad Into Borger
The usual bad element following a boom flocked to Borger and entrenched itself. Rumors flew far and wide, of alleged frontier day conditions existing in Borger, of 500 open saloons, 1,000 professional women and between 200 and 300 women under arrest and locked to a log chain in a crude jail.
Investigation proved most of the rumors grossly exaggerated, however, and Borger soon was acknowledged to be considerably above the average boom town in morals.
Brick buildings soon began to replace the temporary wooden structures. There was a permanent note, virtually was unheard of in boom oil towns. Borger apparently was building for the future as well as the present.
In eight months time the town has grown to have a population, mostly permanent of 15,000 persons and more still are arriving. The main street is three miles long and, although quite wide, already is being taxed to accommodate the hundreds of motor cars driven there by residents and transients.
October 16 - four weeks ago yesterday - the Santa Fe opened a branch line from Panhandle to Borger. long hauls of supplies and commodities by truck to Borger no longer are necessary.
Borger Incorporated
A chamber of commerce was established, with Asa E. Ramsay, former federal reserve bank agent here in Kansas City and chairman of the federal reserve bank board of the Tenth district, and now owner and proprietor of the Perfection Bakery of Borger, as president.
October 26 - three weeks ago Tuesday - the town of Borger was incorporated and John Miller, an attorney and superintendent of schools in Borger, formerly of Bristow, Okla., was elected mayor, after Mr. Ramsay had declined the office.
A curious feature of the election was the fact that on 101 votes were cast in the election, there being only that number of persons qualified according to the length of time they have lived in the town.
Schools in Borger, although the buildings largely have been temporary structures, are well equipped and have an enrollment of more than 1,000 students. A comprehensive school system is being worked out at the present time.
Meanwhile, on all sides of Borger wells are being drilled and black gold is spouting from the ground. Communities are springing up almost overnight although none, of course, are being built on the permanent plan of Borger.
Hutchinson county last year had a population of 892 persons, while this year's estimated census for the country is in excess of 35,000.
Moves to Stinnett
His work virtually at an end in Borger, Mrs. Borger looked for one more field to conquer. He hit upon Stinnett, the establishment of which had been the dream for 20 years of A. S. Stinnett of Amarillo, for whom the town was named.
For two decades Mr. Stinnett fought for a Rock Island connection between Liberal, Kans., and Amarillo, through Stinnett. Finally, he was successful.
The next move was bringing the county seat from Plemons, an almost adjacent town in the center of Hutchinson county, to Stinnett, itself 11 miles north of Borger and destined to be the halfway point between Liberal and Amarillo.
And as Stinnett booms, Mr. Borger sits back and watches, insisting this is his swan song, if not his masterpiece, or indeed both. When his last lot in Stinnett is sold and when he sees the town, like Borger, on the way to becoming one of the most important points in the Texas Panhandle, says Mr. Borger, he will go back to Carthage, Mo., and enjoy a well earned rest.
Mr. Borger is a quiet man, a thinker and does not stop with thinking.
A dreamer as well as a doer, past experience has shown him to be about 50 jumps ahead of the other fellow in anticipating boom areas.
He quickly visualizes opportunities where activity seems in a fair way of setting in, then jumps in with both feet, perhaps risks most or all of his personal fortune in buying up acreages for town site lots and then -most important of all- "puts over" his town to the other fellow.
Ambition May Call Again
He is public spirited and generous in his contributions. Much of his earnings in Borger were poured back into public improvement prior to incorporation of the tow, when streets were paved and other improvements put in merely by private donation.
Whenever subscriptions were solicited for one public cause or another, Mr. Borger's name almost invariably headed the list. Not once did he give the slightest indication, but that he had the utmost faith and confidence in the future of the town he had established or boosted.
And now, at the age of 37, Mr. Borger plans to retire and return to his home town, his fame and fortune made.
Just how long Mr. Borger will be content to remain inactive or how soon his desire to be a doer again will assert itself and draw him away from a quiet life of retirement in Carthage is a matter of conjecture among his friends who, incidentally, include virtually all those acquainted with this Missouri town builder. (bio by NJBrewer)
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Carthage (Missouri) Evening Press,
September 1, 1934, page one
ASA P. BORGER IS SLAIN IN TOWN HE ESTABLISHED
Former Carthage Man Shot by Arthur Huey, County Tax Collector at Borger, Texas
He Had Made and Lost Millions
By Associated Press
Borger, Texas, Sept. 1. -- Bullets, once frequent messengers of death in this mushroom oil town, have taken the life of its founder -- A. P. Borger. Borger was shot to death yesterday as he was getting his mail at the city post office. Less than a minute later, Arthur Huey, county tax collector, stepped from the building, carrying two pistols and asked bystanders to call the sheriff. He was arrested and charged with murder. Authorities said Huey had sought to prosecute Borger in connection with the failure of the latter's Borger State Bank. Playing a "hunch," Borger laid out the town site in 1926.
A crime wave followed the boom and in three years more than 30 murders were committed. A witness to the shooting said Borger entered the post office first, with Huey almost directly behind him. The witness said Huey walked up behind him. The witness said Huey walked up behind Borger and something was said. Borger, according to witness, made some sort of move and Huey seized him from behind. "Borger got out his pistol and they scuffled," the witness said. "Several shots were fired. I don't know who shot first, but I think they started shooting at the same time. Borger fell over by the north boxes and when he fell he fired one shot at Huey and Huey shot him twice." Huey, officials said, had persisted in efforts to have Borger prosecuted in connection with the bank failure. "They kept on until they made a criminal out of me, " Huey muttered, according to officers, as he was taken to jail.
Borger was shot four times, once through the heart.
An Oil Main Is Wounded
A bystander, Lloyd Duncan, superintendent for a petroleum company here, was wounded in the right hip. Miss Katherine Haidy, a witness to the shooting, said she heard someone say: "You ------: get your gun." It was the first I knew anything was wrong, Miss Haidy, told officers. "Mr. Borger was standing a his box getting his mail and I was in a line at the window when I heard Arthur Huey's command. "Mr. Borger, dropped the mail on the floor and started backing away. Almost simultaneously two shots rang out; then four more in quick succession. Then two more.
Quotes the Assailant
"Mr. Borger fell to the floor near the table, Huey then went over to him, partly raised him from the floor, said, 'Well I got you this time'." At the door of the post office, Huey met Carl Maddox, wrestling promoter, who quoted him as saying: "Call the sheriff; Ace Borger has made a criminal out of me."
Asa P. Borger, slain yesterday afternoon in the post office of the Texas town to which he gave his name, was a native of Sarcoxie, this county [Jasper County, Missouri], and widely known in this district. He was born on a farm west of Sarcoxie, grew up there and for some years engaged in the general business of a trader. He and his family lived in Carthage [Missouri] in 1929 and 1930, coming here from Borger in order that his children might attend the Carthage schools.
Entered "Mining Game"
When the Oklahoma lead and zinc field boom got under way, Mr. Borger [continued from page 1] went to Picher, Okla., made a stake in mining and trading there, later going to Slick, Okla., and finally to Cromwell, where he became interested in oil properties and added to his wealth. It was from there that he went to Texas, bought land and established the town of Borger on March 6, 1926.
He later established towns all along the Rock Island railroad from Amarillo, Texas, to Liberal, Kans. His wealth climbed with the boom until he was estimated to be worth three million dollars. He established a bank in Borger and was head of many other enterprises there. Wheat growing on an ambitious scale was one of his undertakings. At the time of his death he still held title to 33 [hard to read, may be higher number ? 88] sections of Texas wheat land and had other properties. He is reported to still own two farms west of Sarcoxie in this county.
A plunger by nature, Borger lost his money as fast as he made it, after the tide of business turned. The bank failure at Borger, with the resultant heavy loses to many citizens, was one of the final blows contributing to Borger's loss of popularity. He had many enemies and friends here say he almost always went armed.
Here Two Weeks Ago
Mr. Borger visited Carthage two weeks ago on a business business trip. He has a sister, Mrs. Lorena Howard, who lives southeast of Carthage, seven or eight miles. Another sister, Mrs. Clyde Horton of Borger, Texas, had just arrived here this week for a visit at the Howard home, and left this morning to return to Borger after receiving news of the tragic death. Friends here did not know whether Mrs. Howard accompanied them. Mr. Borger's wife, who was a Sarcoxie girl, died about a year ago and was buried at Borger. It is believed he will buried there also. Surviving are two sons, Phillip and Jack Borger, of Gruver, Texas, and a daughter, Helen, now married, at Borger, also one other brother, Lester Borger of Stinnett, Texas, and a half-sister, who lives in Joplin. The Borger home, when the family lived in Carthage, was on McGregor Street, just south of Chestnut."
Interment: September 4, 1934
Marriage to Miss Elizabeth Willoughby
June 27, 1907 in Sarcoxie, Jasper county, Missouri
Known children:
Phillip Warner Borger 1909–1968
Helen Betty Borger (Thompson) 1910–1949
Jack B Borger 1912–1948
Missouri National Guard,
the Mexican Border, 1916
Asa P. Borger
Rank: Supply Sergeant
Company: Company E
Regiment: Second Infantry
Organized at Sarcoxie
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
CARTHAGE EVENING PRESS
Carthage, Missouri
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1926 - PAGE THREE
A BUILDER OF TOWNS
A. P. BORGER LEAVES MARK IN BOOM DISTRICTS
Carthage Man Amasses Fortune in Townsite Projects in Texas and Oklahoma
A. P. Borger, Carthage, Mo., resident, who founded the town of Borger, Texas and three other Texas and Oklahoma cities, and his activities are the subject of a 2 column feature store in yesterday's Kansas City Journal. The article is accompanied by a photograph of Mr. Borger and present street scenes in the Texas oil town compared with photographs of the same locality last May 24.
Mr. Borger, who resides at 807 South McGregor street, has been at his home here the last two or three weeks. He will leave tonight to return to Borger. The Journal-Post article follows:
With actual establishment of two thriving oil towns and the "putting over" of two others now entered to his credit and with his pockets jangling with the six or seven-figure fortune he has amassed, a native Missourian, 37 years old, today is dreaming of the time in the near future when he plans to retire and settle down to enjoy life in his old home town.
A. P. Borger, town builder, his shingle might read if he chooses to hang one out, once he steps aside from the hustle and bustle of the boom districts in the Texas and Oklahoma oil fields.
For Mr. Borger - or A. P., as he is called affectionately by hundreds of oil men - may claim the distinction of handling successively and virtually unaided the town sites of Picher and Cromwell, Okla., and Borger and Stinnett, Texas.
In additional, Mr. Borger, a native of Carthage, Mo., was associated with Tom Slick and J. A. Frates, former general manager of the Frisco at Springfield and later president of several short line railroads in establishing Slick, Oklahoma.
Borger, Hutchinson county, Texas named of course for its founder, perhaps is A. P.'s crowning achievement to date. In eight months it has grown to be an incorporated town of 15,000 persons, its main street three miles long and already fringed with buildings of permanent construction.
But in Stinnett, also in Hutchinson county, Mr. Borger sees even greater possibilities than existed in Borger, for this newest of Mr. Borger's towns is on the main line of the Rock Island between Amarillo, Tex., and Liberal, Kans., and stands a good chance, it is believed, of becoming a Rock Island terminal.
Picher, Okla., First Town
It was not until after he had left his mark in the Oklahoma field in the form of two towns, however, that Mr. Borger journeyed into the Texas panhandle.
Picher, Ottawa county, OK., was the point where the Missourian received his first baptism by fire, for it was here that he handled individually his first town sites. Picher, established seven years ago, seemed to lack the guiding genius of such a town builder as Mr. Borger. Once he took hold it boomed and today is a thriving community of 8,000 persons.
The situation was much the same in Cromwell, Seminole county, Okla., established about four years ago, and Mr. Borger shifted the seat of his operations to this town. Now, Cromwell is a bustling community of 2,500 persons.
The growth and development of Picher and Cromwell are more or less oil field history, but Borger and Stinnett, Texas, are such new towns that comparatively little is know of them, other than that Borger two months after it was established and for a short time thereafter was reported "the wickedest oil town in the United States."
It is only within the last ten days that the last of the Texas rangers were withdrawn from Borger, after it had been demonstrated conclusively that the town had shaken virtually all of its frontier day habits and customs.
Land Sales, $1,000,000
About eight months ago the Holmes-Huey well come in in the heart of what now are the Texas panhandle oil fields, in Hutchinson county.
Mr. Borger scented the boom that seemed certain to follow. He bought 320 acres of land at a point about three miles south of the Holmes-Huey well, subdivided it into lots, erected a tent, hung out his sign, "Borger Town sites," and immediately began to enjoy a flourishing business. Workers at the Holmes-Huey well and others which came in soon afterward sought home sites as near the scene of operations as possible and the next nearest town was Panhandle, Carson county, thirty-two miles south.
Within six months Mr. Borger was sold out completely, his gross sales aggregating over $1,000,000, whereas surface rights of the same land could have been purchased a year ago for $3,000, this despite the fact that the nearest railroad to Borger was in Panhandle, thirty-two miles south, and the next nearest sizable town as Amarillo, sixty-two miles southwest.
Rough wood shacks and even canvas covered structures sprang up in Borger, the name being adopted generally from the "Borger Town sites" sign the Missourian had placed on his tent office.
Railroad Into Borger
The usual bad element following a boom flocked to Borger and entrenched itself. Rumors flew far and wide, of alleged frontier day conditions existing in Borger, of 500 open saloons, 1,000 professional women and between 200 and 300 women under arrest and locked to a log chain in a crude jail.
Investigation proved most of the rumors grossly exaggerated, however, and Borger soon was acknowledged to be considerably above the average boom town in morals.
Brick buildings soon began to replace the temporary wooden structures. There was a permanent note, virtually was unheard of in boom oil towns. Borger apparently was building for the future as well as the present.
In eight months time the town has grown to have a population, mostly permanent of 15,000 persons and more still are arriving. The main street is three miles long and, although quite wide, already is being taxed to accommodate the hundreds of motor cars driven there by residents and transients.
October 16 - four weeks ago yesterday - the Santa Fe opened a branch line from Panhandle to Borger. long hauls of supplies and commodities by truck to Borger no longer are necessary.
Borger Incorporated
A chamber of commerce was established, with Asa E. Ramsay, former federal reserve bank agent here in Kansas City and chairman of the federal reserve bank board of the Tenth district, and now owner and proprietor of the Perfection Bakery of Borger, as president.
October 26 - three weeks ago Tuesday - the town of Borger was incorporated and John Miller, an attorney and superintendent of schools in Borger, formerly of Bristow, Okla., was elected mayor, after Mr. Ramsay had declined the office.
A curious feature of the election was the fact that on 101 votes were cast in the election, there being only that number of persons qualified according to the length of time they have lived in the town.
Schools in Borger, although the buildings largely have been temporary structures, are well equipped and have an enrollment of more than 1,000 students. A comprehensive school system is being worked out at the present time.
Meanwhile, on all sides of Borger wells are being drilled and black gold is spouting from the ground. Communities are springing up almost overnight although none, of course, are being built on the permanent plan of Borger.
Hutchinson county last year had a population of 892 persons, while this year's estimated census for the country is in excess of 35,000.
Moves to Stinnett
His work virtually at an end in Borger, Mrs. Borger looked for one more field to conquer. He hit upon Stinnett, the establishment of which had been the dream for 20 years of A. S. Stinnett of Amarillo, for whom the town was named.
For two decades Mr. Stinnett fought for a Rock Island connection between Liberal, Kans., and Amarillo, through Stinnett. Finally, he was successful.
The next move was bringing the county seat from Plemons, an almost adjacent town in the center of Hutchinson county, to Stinnett, itself 11 miles north of Borger and destined to be the halfway point between Liberal and Amarillo.
And as Stinnett booms, Mr. Borger sits back and watches, insisting this is his swan song, if not his masterpiece, or indeed both. When his last lot in Stinnett is sold and when he sees the town, like Borger, on the way to becoming one of the most important points in the Texas Panhandle, says Mr. Borger, he will go back to Carthage, Mo., and enjoy a well earned rest.
Mr. Borger is a quiet man, a thinker and does not stop with thinking.
A dreamer as well as a doer, past experience has shown him to be about 50 jumps ahead of the other fellow in anticipating boom areas.
He quickly visualizes opportunities where activity seems in a fair way of setting in, then jumps in with both feet, perhaps risks most or all of his personal fortune in buying up acreages for town site lots and then -most important of all- "puts over" his town to the other fellow.
Ambition May Call Again
He is public spirited and generous in his contributions. Much of his earnings in Borger were poured back into public improvement prior to incorporation of the tow, when streets were paved and other improvements put in merely by private donation.
Whenever subscriptions were solicited for one public cause or another, Mr. Borger's name almost invariably headed the list. Not once did he give the slightest indication, but that he had the utmost faith and confidence in the future of the town he had established or boosted.
And now, at the age of 37, Mr. Borger plans to retire and return to his home town, his fame and fortune made.
Just how long Mr. Borger will be content to remain inactive or how soon his desire to be a doer again will assert itself and draw him away from a quiet life of retirement in Carthage is a matter of conjecture among his friends who, incidentally, include virtually all those acquainted with this Missouri town builder. (bio by NJBrewer)
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Carthage (Missouri) Evening Press,
September 1, 1934, page one
ASA P. BORGER IS SLAIN IN TOWN HE ESTABLISHED
Former Carthage Man Shot by Arthur Huey, County Tax Collector at Borger, Texas
He Had Made and Lost Millions
By Associated Press
Borger, Texas, Sept. 1. -- Bullets, once frequent messengers of death in this mushroom oil town, have taken the life of its founder -- A. P. Borger. Borger was shot to death yesterday as he was getting his mail at the city post office. Less than a minute later, Arthur Huey, county tax collector, stepped from the building, carrying two pistols and asked bystanders to call the sheriff. He was arrested and charged with murder. Authorities said Huey had sought to prosecute Borger in connection with the failure of the latter's Borger State Bank. Playing a "hunch," Borger laid out the town site in 1926.
A crime wave followed the boom and in three years more than 30 murders were committed. A witness to the shooting said Borger entered the post office first, with Huey almost directly behind him. The witness said Huey walked up behind him. The witness said Huey walked up behind Borger and something was said. Borger, according to witness, made some sort of move and Huey seized him from behind. "Borger got out his pistol and they scuffled," the witness said. "Several shots were fired. I don't know who shot first, but I think they started shooting at the same time. Borger fell over by the north boxes and when he fell he fired one shot at Huey and Huey shot him twice." Huey, officials said, had persisted in efforts to have Borger prosecuted in connection with the bank failure. "They kept on until they made a criminal out of me, " Huey muttered, according to officers, as he was taken to jail.
Borger was shot four times, once through the heart.
An Oil Main Is Wounded
A bystander, Lloyd Duncan, superintendent for a petroleum company here, was wounded in the right hip. Miss Katherine Haidy, a witness to the shooting, said she heard someone say: "You ------: get your gun." It was the first I knew anything was wrong, Miss Haidy, told officers. "Mr. Borger was standing a his box getting his mail and I was in a line at the window when I heard Arthur Huey's command. "Mr. Borger, dropped the mail on the floor and started backing away. Almost simultaneously two shots rang out; then four more in quick succession. Then two more.
Quotes the Assailant
"Mr. Borger fell to the floor near the table, Huey then went over to him, partly raised him from the floor, said, 'Well I got you this time'." At the door of the post office, Huey met Carl Maddox, wrestling promoter, who quoted him as saying: "Call the sheriff; Ace Borger has made a criminal out of me."
Asa P. Borger, slain yesterday afternoon in the post office of the Texas town to which he gave his name, was a native of Sarcoxie, this county [Jasper County, Missouri], and widely known in this district. He was born on a farm west of Sarcoxie, grew up there and for some years engaged in the general business of a trader. He and his family lived in Carthage [Missouri] in 1929 and 1930, coming here from Borger in order that his children might attend the Carthage schools.
Entered "Mining Game"
When the Oklahoma lead and zinc field boom got under way, Mr. Borger [continued from page 1] went to Picher, Okla., made a stake in mining and trading there, later going to Slick, Okla., and finally to Cromwell, where he became interested in oil properties and added to his wealth. It was from there that he went to Texas, bought land and established the town of Borger on March 6, 1926.
He later established towns all along the Rock Island railroad from Amarillo, Texas, to Liberal, Kans. His wealth climbed with the boom until he was estimated to be worth three million dollars. He established a bank in Borger and was head of many other enterprises there. Wheat growing on an ambitious scale was one of his undertakings. At the time of his death he still held title to 33 [hard to read, may be higher number ? 88] sections of Texas wheat land and had other properties. He is reported to still own two farms west of Sarcoxie in this county.
A plunger by nature, Borger lost his money as fast as he made it, after the tide of business turned. The bank failure at Borger, with the resultant heavy loses to many citizens, was one of the final blows contributing to Borger's loss of popularity. He had many enemies and friends here say he almost always went armed.
Here Two Weeks Ago
Mr. Borger visited Carthage two weeks ago on a business business trip. He has a sister, Mrs. Lorena Howard, who lives southeast of Carthage, seven or eight miles. Another sister, Mrs. Clyde Horton of Borger, Texas, had just arrived here this week for a visit at the Howard home, and left this morning to return to Borger after receiving news of the tragic death. Friends here did not know whether Mrs. Howard accompanied them. Mr. Borger's wife, who was a Sarcoxie girl, died about a year ago and was buried at Borger. It is believed he will buried there also. Surviving are two sons, Phillip and Jack Borger, of Gruver, Texas, and a daughter, Helen, now married, at Borger, also one other brother, Lester Borger of Stinnett, Texas, and a half-sister, who lives in Joplin. The Borger home, when the family lived in Carthage, was on McGregor Street, just south of Chestnut."
Marriage to Miss Elizabeth Willoughby
June 27, 1907 in Sarcoxie, Jasper county, Missouri
Known children:
Phillip Warner Borger 1909–1968
Helen Betty Borger (Thompson) 1910–1949
Jack B Borger 1912–1948
Missouri National Guard,
the Mexican Border, 1916
Asa P. Borger
Rank: Supply Sergeant
Company: Company E
Regiment: Second Infantry
Organized at Sarcoxie
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CARTHAGE EVENING PRESS
Carthage, Missouri
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1926 - PAGE THREE
A BUILDER OF TOWNS
A. P. BORGER LEAVES MARK IN BOOM DISTRICTS
Carthage Man Amasses Fortune in Townsite Projects in Texas and Oklahoma
A. P. Borger, Carthage, Mo., resident, who founded the town of Borger, Texas and three other Texas and Oklahoma cities, and his activities are the subject of a 2 column feature store in yesterday's Kansas City Journal. The article is accompanied by a photograph of Mr. Borger and present street scenes in the Texas oil town compared with photographs of the same locality last May 24.
Mr. Borger, who resides at 807 South McGregor street, has been at his home here the last two or three weeks. He will leave tonight to return to Borger. The Journal-Post article follows:
With actual establishment of two thriving oil towns and the "putting over" of two others now entered to his credit and with his pockets jangling with the six or seven-figure fortune he has amassed, a native Missourian, 37 years old, today is dreaming of the time in the near future when he plans to retire and settle down to enjoy life in his old home town.
A. P. Borger, town builder, his shingle might read if he chooses to hang one out, once he steps aside from the hustle and bustle of the boom districts in the Texas and Oklahoma oil fields.
For Mr. Borger - or A. P., as he is called affectionately by hundreds of oil men - may claim the distinction of handling successively and virtually unaided the town sites of Picher and Cromwell, Okla., and Borger and Stinnett, Texas.
In additional, Mr. Borger, a native of Carthage, Mo., was associated with Tom Slick and J. A. Frates, former general manager of the Frisco at Springfield and later president of several short line railroads in establishing Slick, Oklahoma.
Borger, Hutchinson county, Texas named of course for its founder, perhaps is A. P.'s crowning achievement to date. In eight months it has grown to be an incorporated town of 15,000 persons, its main street three miles long and already fringed with buildings of permanent construction.
But in Stinnett, also in Hutchinson county, Mr. Borger sees even greater possibilities than existed in Borger, for this newest of Mr. Borger's towns is on the main line of the Rock Island between Amarillo, Tex., and Liberal, Kans., and stands a good chance, it is believed, of becoming a Rock Island terminal.
Picher, Okla., First Town
It was not until after he had left his mark in the Oklahoma field in the form of two towns, however, that Mr. Borger journeyed into the Texas panhandle.
Picher, Ottawa county, OK., was the point where the Missourian received his first baptism by fire, for it was here that he handled individually his first town sites. Picher, established seven years ago, seemed to lack the guiding genius of such a town builder as Mr. Borger. Once he took hold it boomed and today is a thriving community of 8,000 persons.
The situation was much the same in Cromwell, Seminole county, Okla., established about four years ago, and Mr. Borger shifted the seat of his operations to this town. Now, Cromwell is a bustling community of 2,500 persons.
The growth and development of Picher and Cromwell are more or less oil field history, but Borger and Stinnett, Texas, are such new towns that comparatively little is know of them, other than that Borger two months after it was established and for a short time thereafter was reported "the wickedest oil town in the United States."
It is only within the last ten days that the last of the Texas rangers were withdrawn from Borger, after it had been demonstrated conclusively that the town had shaken virtually all of its frontier day habits and customs.
Land Sales, $1,000,000
About eight months ago the Holmes-Huey well come in in the heart of what now are the Texas panhandle oil fields, in Hutchinson county.
Mr. Borger scented the boom that seemed certain to follow. He bought 320 acres of land at a point about three miles south of the Holmes-Huey well, subdivided it into lots, erected a tent, hung out his sign, "Borger Town sites," and immediately began to enjoy a flourishing business. Workers at the Holmes-Huey well and others which came in soon afterward sought home sites as near the scene of operations as possible and the next nearest town was Panhandle, Carson county, thirty-two miles south.
Within six months Mr. Borger was sold out completely, his gross sales aggregating over $1,000,000, whereas surface rights of the same land could have been purchased a year ago for $3,000, this despite the fact that the nearest railroad to Borger was in Panhandle, thirty-two miles south, and the next nearest sizable town as Amarillo, sixty-two miles southwest.
Rough wood shacks and even canvas covered structures sprang up in Borger, the name being adopted generally from the "Borger Town sites" sign the Missourian had placed on his tent office.
Railroad Into Borger
The usual bad element following a boom flocked to Borger and entrenched itself. Rumors flew far and wide, of alleged frontier day conditions existing in Borger, of 500 open saloons, 1,000 professional women and between 200 and 300 women under arrest and locked to a log chain in a crude jail.
Investigation proved most of the rumors grossly exaggerated, however, and Borger soon was acknowledged to be considerably above the average boom town in morals.
Brick buildings soon began to replace the temporary wooden structures. There was a permanent note, virtually was unheard of in boom oil towns. Borger apparently was building for the future as well as the present.
In eight months time the town has grown to have a population, mostly permanent of 15,000 persons and more still are arriving. The main street is three miles long and, although quite wide, already is being taxed to accommodate the hundreds of motor cars driven there by residents and transients.
October 16 - four weeks ago yesterday - the Santa Fe opened a branch line from Panhandle to Borger. long hauls of supplies and commodities by truck to Borger no longer are necessary.
Borger Incorporated
A chamber of commerce was established, with Asa E. Ramsay, former federal reserve bank agent here in Kansas City and chairman of the federal reserve bank board of the Tenth district, and now owner and proprietor of the Perfection Bakery of Borger, as president.
October 26 - three weeks ago Tuesday - the town of Borger was incorporated and John Miller, an attorney and superintendent of schools in Borger, formerly of Bristow, Okla., was elected mayor, after Mr. Ramsay had declined the office.
A curious feature of the election was the fact that on 101 votes were cast in the election, there being only that number of persons qualified according to the length of time they have lived in the town.
Schools in Borger, although the buildings largely have been temporary structures, are well equipped and have an enrollment of more than 1,000 students. A comprehensive school system is being worked out at the present time.
Meanwhile, on all sides of Borger wells are being drilled and black gold is spouting from the ground. Communities are springing up almost overnight although none, of course, are being built on the permanent plan of Borger.
Hutchinson county last year had a population of 892 persons, while this year's estimated census for the country is in excess of 35,000.
Moves to Stinnett
His work virtually at an end in Borger, Mrs. Borger looked for one more field to conquer. He hit upon Stinnett, the establishment of which had been the dream for 20 years of A. S. Stinnett of Amarillo, for whom the town was named.
For two decades Mr. Stinnett fought for a Rock Island connection between Liberal, Kans., and Amarillo, through Stinnett. Finally, he was successful.
The next move was bringing the county seat from Plemons, an almost adjacent town in the center of Hutchinson county, to Stinnett, itself 11 miles north of Borger and destined to be the halfway point between Liberal and Amarillo.
And as Stinnett booms, Mr. Borger sits back and watches, insisting this is his swan song, if not his masterpiece, or indeed both. When his last lot in Stinnett is sold and when he sees the town, like Borger, on the way to becoming one of the most important points in the Texas Panhandle, says Mr. Borger, he will go back to Carthage, Mo., and enjoy a well earned rest.
Mr. Borger is a quiet man, a thinker and does not stop with thinking.
A dreamer as well as a doer, past experience has shown him to be about 50 jumps ahead of the other fellow in anticipating boom areas.
He quickly visualizes opportunities where activity seems in a fair way of setting in, then jumps in with both feet, perhaps risks most or all of his personal fortune in buying up acreages for town site lots and then -most important of all- "puts over" his town to the other fellow.
Ambition May Call Again
He is public spirited and generous in his contributions. Much of his earnings in Borger were poured back into public improvement prior to incorporation of the tow, when streets were paved and other improvements put in merely by private donation.
Whenever subscriptions were solicited for one public cause or another, Mr. Borger's name almost invariably headed the list. Not once did he give the slightest indication, but that he had the utmost faith and confidence in the future of the town he had established or boosted.
And now, at the age of 37, Mr. Borger plans to retire and return to his home town, his fame and fortune made.
Just how long Mr. Borger will be content to remain inactive or how soon his desire to be a doer again will assert itself and draw him away from a quiet life of retirement in Carthage is a matter of conjecture among his friends who, incidentally, include virtually all those acquainted with this Missouri town builder. (bio by NJBrewer)
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Carthage (Missouri) Evening Press,
September 1, 1934, page one
ASA P. BORGER IS SLAIN IN TOWN HE ESTABLISHED
Former Carthage Man Shot by Arthur Huey, County Tax Collector at Borger, Texas
He Had Made and Lost Millions
By Associated Press
Borger, Texas, Sept. 1. -- Bullets, once frequent messengers of death in this mushroom oil town, have taken the life of its founder -- A. P. Borger. Borger was shot to death yesterday as he was getting his mail at the city post office. Less than a minute later, Arthur Huey, county tax collector, stepped from the building, carrying two pistols and asked bystanders to call the sheriff. He was arrested and charged with murder. Authorities said Huey had sought to prosecute Borger in connection with the failure of the latter's Borger State Bank. Playing a "hunch," Borger laid out the town site in 1926.
A crime wave followed the boom and in three years more than 30 murders were committed. A witness to the shooting said Borger entered the post office first, with Huey almost directly behind him. The witness said Huey walked up behind him. The witness said Huey walked up behind Borger and something was said. Borger, according to witness, made some sort of move and Huey seized him from behind. "Borger got out his pistol and they scuffled," the witness said. "Several shots were fired. I don't know who shot first, but I think they started shooting at the same time. Borger fell over by the north boxes and when he fell he fired one shot at Huey and Huey shot him twice." Huey, officials said, had persisted in efforts to have Borger prosecuted in connection with the bank failure. "They kept on until they made a criminal out of me, " Huey muttered, according to officers, as he was taken to jail.
Borger was shot four times, once through the heart.
An Oil Main Is Wounded
A bystander, Lloyd Duncan, superintendent for a petroleum company here, was wounded in the right hip. Miss Katherine Haidy, a witness to the shooting, said she heard someone say: "You ------: get your gun." It was the first I knew anything was wrong, Miss Haidy, told officers. "Mr. Borger was standing a his box getting his mail and I was in a line at the window when I heard Arthur Huey's command. "Mr. Borger, dropped the mail on the floor and started backing away. Almost simultaneously two shots rang out; then four more in quick succession. Then two more.
Quotes the Assailant
"Mr. Borger fell to the floor near the table, Huey then went over to him, partly raised him from the floor, said, 'Well I got you this time'." At the door of the post office, Huey met Carl Maddox, wrestling promoter, who quoted him as saying: "Call the sheriff; Ace Borger has made a criminal out of me."
Asa P. Borger, slain yesterday afternoon in the post office of the Texas town to which he gave his name, was a native of Sarcoxie, this county [Jasper County, Missouri], and widely known in this district. He was born on a farm west of Sarcoxie, grew up there and for some years engaged in the general business of a trader. He and his family lived in Carthage [Missouri] in 1929 and 1930, coming here from Borger in order that his children might attend the Carthage schools.
Entered "Mining Game"
When the Oklahoma lead and zinc field boom got under way, Mr. Borger [continued from page 1] went to Picher, Okla., made a stake in mining and trading there, later going to Slick, Okla., and finally to Cromwell, where he became interested in oil properties and added to his wealth. It was from there that he went to Texas, bought land and established the town of Borger on March 6, 1926.
He later established towns all along the Rock Island railroad from Amarillo, Texas, to Liberal, Kans. His wealth climbed with the boom until he was estimated to be worth three million dollars. He established a bank in Borger and was head of many other enterprises there. Wheat growing on an ambitious scale was one of his undertakings. At the time of his death he still held title to 33 [hard to read, may be higher number ? 88] sections of Texas wheat land and had other properties. He is reported to still own two farms west of Sarcoxie in this county.
A plunger by nature, Borger lost his money as fast as he made it, after the tide of business turned. The bank failure at Borger, with the resultant heavy loses to many citizens, was one of the final blows contributing to Borger's loss of popularity. He had many enemies and friends here say he almost always went armed.
Here Two Weeks Ago
Mr. Borger visited Carthage two weeks ago on a business business trip. He has a sister, Mrs. Lorena Howard, who lives southeast of Carthage, seven or eight miles. Another sister, Mrs. Clyde Horton of Borger, Texas, had just arrived here this week for a visit at the Howard home, and left this morning to return to Borger after receiving news of the tragic death. Friends here did not know whether Mrs. Howard accompanied them. Mr. Borger's wife, who was a Sarcoxie girl, died about a year ago and was buried at Borger. It is believed he will buried there also. Surviving are two sons, Phillip and Jack Borger, of Gruver, Texas, and a daughter, Helen, now married, at Borger, also one other brother, Lester Borger of Stinnett, Texas, and a half-sister, who lives in Joplin. The Borger home, when the family lived in Carthage, was on McGregor Street, just south of Chestnut."
