EARL D. SCOTT
Judge Atascosa County JOURDANTON, TEXAS
July 14th, 1953.
i'r Harral Ayres,
Gunter Hotel,
Gan Antonio, Texas.
My dear Mr Ayres:
I have read your letter of the 11th and the folder enclosed with a great deal of interest. It was a pleasure to hear from you and I will be glad to see you any time you come this way.
I fear there is little help I can give you personally in your work of historical research. I have managed to keep so tremendously busy with the duties and responsibilities of the present these hectic times that little time has been left me for thought or study of the early history of our western country. Yet I read Dobie's book v/ith gripping interest; the occasional finding of an old coin, ancient ox bows or parts of the great two-wheeled carts that creaked their v/ay along the old trade routes through this country av/aken in my mind a flood of delightful speculations, contectures - romance.
George Hindes, who died some years ago in Pearsall might have told you a good deal. Ellie Newman, who died in Poteet a few years ago spent a considerable portion of his long life in a study of the history of the old trade routes and in digging expeditions along them,- sometimes in search e# of Spanish Doubloons, sometimes seeking the cache of 250 jackr-loads of silver; alas! he is dead. I wish you might have met him; he was distincly stimulating and to his dying day his faith and enthusiasm never v/avered.
Uncle Bob Lauderdale, 77 and hale and hearty, with a marvelous memory lives at Pleasanton right on Main Street; he could tell you a great deal that would be of interest. Dont fail to look him up when you come this way; it would be a pleasure to him to meet you and tell you of the old days. John Ross, an ancient black man (eighty some odd,
I believe) also lives in Pleasanton. He, too, was quite a "digger", and, while his dream of digging riches from the sands of the old trails was never ^realized, I am sure he could tell you things. Unele Bob Lauderdale can put you in touch with him. Uncle Billy Tom lives on his ranch near Campbellton; he traveled the old trails of this country in the days of his youth and when he starts reminencing the ancient past lives again; he is about 76. Dave Hindes, whit lives at Hindes, is not a spring chicken by any means; his memory of this country reaches a long way back and he has a goodly store of tradition and history from the old timers long antedating his birth. Henry Martin, who lives at Charlotte, was reared in the country West of Hindes. He is an educated gentleman and could put you in touch with many of the old timers "out West",- themselves now old, and descendants of pioneer families of this country carrying in their memories golden nuggets of tradition and history not written down in books.