LETTER FROM HENRY ATOR

to

POCAHONTAS NEWSPAPER

RANDOLPH COUNTY, ARKANSAS

Page 1 – Published May 11, 1906

Contributed by Virginia Hale

From Research at the Arkansas State Archives

IS STILL A SOCIALIST.

INTERESTING LETTER FROM

FORMER RANDOLPH CO. MAN, NOW IN TEXAS.

We get your weekly paper and read it…I am 52 years old and have 3 grandchildren.  All my family are well and at home, except the 3 oldest boys, 1 of them is in the mercantile business, 1 at Tarlton college where he will graduate in June, and 1 is at Weatherford, Texas, studying law.  This part of Texas is very much like Randolph co., for there is not less than 1,000 people who are descendants from Randolph co. or from cos. adjoining Randolph.  Ex-Governor Drew of Randolph co. died at Lipan, Texas, and is buried here; but there is no tombstone to mark his resting place…Still I think it is the duty of the State of Arkansas to put up a monument at the grave of Ex-Governor Drew.  And Randolph co. being his home, it is the duty of your representative to see that your legislator appropriates at least $1,000 and send it here to pay for the monument…Newt Gresham, who was once a partner of mine in the newspaper business at Lipan and Granbury Texas was the founder of the Farmers’ Union, and as you will see from this slip in print he is now dead.  I am still a Populist, or rather a Socialist now.  I will mention some of the names of Randolph co. people living here: Lon Woodburn, Jarret Cook, Bill Wilson, Luther Hurn, Wright Hale, John Beaver, Joe Vandergriff, Arch McElvoy [should be McElroy] and 1,000 other men, women and children…Dittie Ann Mock, my same wife…I think I will visit Randolph co. July 4.

Henry Ator

Lipan, Texas

April 28, 1906

Henry Ator was born August 29, 1854 and passed away January 26, 1913.Perdittie Ann Mock Ator was born April 3, 1857 and passed away June 8, 1941.  They were buried next to each other in Evergreen Cemetery near Lipan in Hood County, Texas.