Members of the Townsen family introduced Almonte Huling to a handsome young blade named Robert S. Randolph. Against her mother’s best judgement, they were married. Her mother had him investigated and found he was part of a San Saba gang who robbed and murdered in surrounding counties. He began to demand that Almonte receive a large portion of her inheritance. When her mother, Elizabeth, refused, he encouraged his friends to intimidate her by crawling under the house at night and beating on the floor. They even went so far as to threaten harm to Almonte’s three younger brothers.
In the middle of the night, Elizabeth and Morgan Jordan, a freed Negro man who had been overseer of her property for years, harnessed up the buggy and drove her young sons to Salado. In Salado she entered them in Salado Academy. Elizabeth and Morgan hurried home so that no one would know they had gone.
At home, Dick Huling, then twenty, had become head of the household and was doing his best to protect the family. One night he was coming down the hall and looked through the door into his mother’s bedroom, where he saw Mr. Randolph holding a knife at his mother’s throat. He was demanding that she sign a land deed over to him. Almonte was locked in an upstairs bedroom, so it was left to Dick to protect his mother. He pulled out his gun and shot Mr. Randolph to death. Almonte, her mother, and brother decided that they would report that Randolph accidentally shot himself while cleaning his gun.
Fearing revenge from the “San Saba Gang”, the family staged an elaborate funeral complete with grieving widow, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law. He was buried in November 1870 in the Huling family cemetery plot, and a tombstone was erected.
Several years later, when Almonte consented to become the bride of J.C. Bartlett, a local lawyer, she took Morgan Jordan out to the family cemetery where they rolled Mr. Randolph’s tombstone over the side of the hill and flattened the grave even with the ground.
Mr. Bartlett died in 1891, and was buried in the Huling cemetery. Almonte then married Dr. James A. Abney, and they lived in Brownwood. – Written by Charlene Nash and Evelyn Smith. Contributed by Peggy Smith Wolfe, Technology Chair of Lampasas County Historical Commission. Several other members of the Huling family and some of their former slaves also have stories well worth reading in this book, Lampasas County Texas, Its History and Its People, Vol. I.
In the middle of the night, Elizabeth and Morgan Jordan, a freed Negro man who had been overseer of her property for years, harnessed up the buggy and drove her young sons to Salado. In Salado she entered them in Salado Academy. Elizabeth and Morgan hurried home so that no one would know they had gone.
At home, Dick Huling, then twenty, had become head of the household and was doing his best to protect the family. One night he was coming down the hall and looked through the door into his mother’s bedroom, where he saw Mr. Randolph holding a knife at his mother’s throat. He was demanding that she sign a land deed over to him. Almonte was locked in an upstairs bedroom, so it was left to Dick to protect his mother. He pulled out his gun and shot Mr. Randolph to death. Almonte, her mother, and brother decided that they would report that Randolph accidentally shot himself while cleaning his gun.
Fearing revenge from the “San Saba Gang”, the family staged an elaborate funeral complete with grieving widow, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law. He was buried in November 1870 in the Huling family cemetery plot, and a tombstone was erected.
Several years later, when Almonte consented to become the bride of J.C. Bartlett, a local lawyer, she took Morgan Jordan out to the family cemetery where they rolled Mr. Randolph’s tombstone over the side of the hill and flattened the grave even with the ground.
Mr. Bartlett died in 1891, and was buried in the Huling cemetery. Almonte then married Dr. James A. Abney, and they lived in Brownwood. – Written by Charlene Nash and Evelyn Smith. Contributed by Peggy Smith Wolfe, Technology Chair of Lampasas County Historical Commission. Several other members of the Huling family and some of their former slaves also have stories well worth reading in this book, Lampasas County Texas, Its History and Its People, Vol. I.
Members of the Townsen family introduced Almonte Huling to a handsome young blade named Robert S. Randolph. Against her mother’s best judgement, they were married. Her mother had him investigated and found he was part of a San Saba gang who robbed and murdered in surrounding counties. He began to demand that Almonte receive a large portion of her inheritance. When her mother, Elizabeth, refused, he encouraged his friends to intimidate her by crawling under the house at night and beating on the floor. They even went so far as to threaten harm to Almonte’s three younger brothers.
In the middle of the night, Elizabeth and Morgan Jordan, a freed Negro man who had been overseer of her property for years, harnessed up the buggy and drove her young sons to Salado. In Salado she entered them in Salado Academy. Elizabeth and Morgan hurried home so that no one would know they had gone.
At home, Dick Huling, then twenty, had become head of the household and was doing his best to protect the family. One night he was coming down the hall and looked through the door into his mother’s bedroom, where he saw Mr. Randolph holding a knife at his mother’s throat. He was demanding that she sign a land deed over to him. Almonte was locked in an upstairs bedroom, so it was left to Dick to protect his mother. He pulled out his gun and shot Mr. Randolph to death. Almonte, her mother, and brother decided that they would report that Randolph accidentally shot himself while cleaning his gun.
Fearing revenge from the “San Saba Gang”, the family staged an elaborate funeral complete with grieving widow, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law. He was buried in November 1870 in the Huling family cemetery plot, and a tombstone was erected.
Several years later, when Almonte consented to become the bride of J.C. Bartlett, a local lawyer, she took Morgan Jordan out to the family cemetery where they rolled Mr. Randolph’s tombstone over the side of the hill and flattened the grave even with the ground.
Mr. Bartlett died in 1891, and was buried in the Huling cemetery. Almonte then married Dr. James A. Abney, and they lived in Brownwood. – Written by Charlene Nash and Evelyn Smith. Contributed by Peggy Smith Wolfe, Technology Chair of Lampasas County Historical Commission. Several other members of the Huling family and some of their former slaves also have stories well worth reading in this book, Lampasas County Texas, Its History and Its People, Vol. I.
In the middle of the night, Elizabeth and Morgan Jordan, a freed Negro man who had been overseer of her property for years, harnessed up the buggy and drove her young sons to Salado. In Salado she entered them in Salado Academy. Elizabeth and Morgan hurried home so that no one would know they had gone.
At home, Dick Huling, then twenty, had become head of the household and was doing his best to protect the family. One night he was coming down the hall and looked through the door into his mother’s bedroom, where he saw Mr. Randolph holding a knife at his mother’s throat. He was demanding that she sign a land deed over to him. Almonte was locked in an upstairs bedroom, so it was left to Dick to protect his mother. He pulled out his gun and shot Mr. Randolph to death. Almonte, her mother, and brother decided that they would report that Randolph accidentally shot himself while cleaning his gun.
Fearing revenge from the “San Saba Gang”, the family staged an elaborate funeral complete with grieving widow, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law. He was buried in November 1870 in the Huling family cemetery plot, and a tombstone was erected.
Several years later, when Almonte consented to become the bride of J.C. Bartlett, a local lawyer, she took Morgan Jordan out to the family cemetery where they rolled Mr. Randolph’s tombstone over the side of the hill and flattened the grave even with the ground.
Mr. Bartlett died in 1891, and was buried in the Huling cemetery. Almonte then married Dr. James A. Abney, and they lived in Brownwood. – Written by Charlene Nash and Evelyn Smith. Contributed by Peggy Smith Wolfe, Technology Chair of Lampasas County Historical Commission. Several other members of the Huling family and some of their former slaves also have stories well worth reading in this book, Lampasas County Texas, Its History and Its People, Vol. I.
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