The recent message " Law enforcement heroes ", made me think of the following booklet and some of the stories in it. I hope of some interest. Pieces and parts of short stories from the booklet " The Manns From Tennesse To Texas ". xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx William (Bill) Mann born March 8, 1854. In 1884 Mr. Mann was chosen by his fellow citizens to be their sheriff. For two terms he gave his county his best ability.The County in all of her list of good sheriffs has not has one, so old timers say, that did more for county than W. J. Mann, the sheriff who knew no quailing before men who had commited murder, and theatened to shoot his eyes out if ever freed. A criminail was a criminal in his dictionary and no one beter than the other. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Just last week his son, who is now sheriff, had raided the dive of bootleggers, some friends came to Bill Mann and said, "Lee is beating himself for a second term", Bill answered, I had rather my son would do his duty two years than be sheriff a life time and not do his duty". xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx One day after "tanking up" in a saloon they fell asleep under a cottonwood tree up above Henrietta. The Texas Rangers and Bill Mann snuck up on the sleepoing brouthers and caught them. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx In the fall of 1886 a man and his wife with three children drove up on the public square in Decatur in a covered wagon. They were out of food and the man asked the merchant to sell him a sack f flour and as soon as he found work he would pay for it. The merchant refused to sell him a sack of flour so the man deliberatly picked up the sack of flour and walked out of the store, put it in his wagon and drove off telling the merchent he would pay for it as soon as he found work. The merchent made a complaint to the sheriff (Bill Mann) so father got on his horse and followed the man and overtook him. He had struck camp and the woman was preparing bread out of the flour and the little children were so hungry they would not wait for the bread to cook and were eating the dough. So father told the man that he would pay for the flour and when he found work he wold pay him. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The exodus to Texas began with the Woodys. Jane (Woody) Farmer was the earliest arrival in Texas and met her brother William Woody when he arrived in Fannin Co., Texas. William Woody married Elizabeth Farmer in January 1846 and six weeks after thier first son was born in November they started out for Texas, walking! They left with homemade hightop shoes, a gun, a quilt and a skillet and were in Fannin Co., Texas six months later! (My comment "tough people, man and woman) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The Manns and the Woodys moved to Ft. Worth. In the fall of 1853 Sam Woody Jr. James Mann and Ben Crew explored up the west fork of the Trinity river into Wise County. At the same time Samual Woody and others explored into what is now Parker County. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Mary "Pop" Mann Married Thomas Newton McCright in 1850. In the floor of the log cabin was a hole (a celler idea) under the floor where the children were put when they feared the indians were near and grandmother would stand guard at the door with her gun. Granpa was captured by the Nortern solders and taken to Chicago and died of pneumonia. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Bringing our history and people alive. Take Care. Michael Woody ____________________________________________________________ Click for online loan, fast & no lender fee, approval today http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2241/fc/BLSrjpYVxwh8nFQOl7Vs9M8NIuVSbHIcwCtTYpFHzuuSK4JsPXkE1Kq0yA4/