Over half of the registered voters in Mansfield turned out to change Mayors. Police Jury member Thomas Jones polled 60% of the votes to upset Mayor John Mayweather, Sr.
Here is the unofficial vote tally:
Thomas Jones with 60% of votes cast or 920 votes.
John Mayweather, Sr. with 40% of votes cast or 625 votes.
Turnout was 51.3%.
Shreveport TV Station KTBS reported early this week that Dr. Jeffrey Evans, the DeSoto Parish Coroner and longtime physician is under federal investigation. Here is their report.
Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration met with Dr. Jeffrey Evans last Thursday. Sources tell KTBS the investigation centers on the amount of controlled substances being dispensed through prescriptions. Other hospital employees also have been questioned.
DEA public information officer Debbie Webber confirmed in an email to KTBS that Evans is the subject of an “ongoing federal investigation;” however, she said no details could be released until the case had been adjudicated.
Likewise, Evans, in a brief telephone interview, confirmed the DEA investigation but said he could not comment beyond that, other than to say he still has his medical license.
His status with DeSoto Regional Health System and DeSoto Regional Family Medicine, where he has been on staff for decades, is unclear. Neither CEO Todd Eppler nor Evans would comment on whether he’s still employed.
Dr. Evans is in his third term as Coroner of DeSoto Parish.
Photo and report from KTBS 3 News.
By Van Reech
The regularly scheduled meeting Of the Mansfield Rotary Club on 4/27/22 at the Mansfield Female College Museum admitted two new members. Rotary President Dudley Glenn inducted Assistant District Attorney Lisa LaBrono Burson and District Judge Nick Gaspar.
Guests attending were Ms. Kelli Fisher, the new Director at the NWLTCC. Ms. Fisher told the Club that the Technical College is now SACOS accredited which means that graduates can further their education by transferring their credits to a traditional college or university. This is a Big Deal which moves them out of the “Trade School” classification! You can contact her at the Mansfield Campus 318-872-2243.
Another guest at the meeting was Mr. John Barr, an Associate in U.S. Senator Kennedy’s Shreveport Office. Barr told the club that he was available to the public for help them with problems they might have with the Veterans Administration, Social Security or other government agencies.
The Mansfield Club meets every other Wednesday at the Mansfield Female College Museum. Instead of catering the Rotarians have a “Sandwich Bar” where they make their own sandwiches. They offer the traditional favorites and sometimes feature exotic makings such as this week’s specialty, Hog’s Head Cheese.
The Mansfield branch of the National Association of University Women is recognizing two local ladies for their service. The Mansfield branch said, “We like to recognize two ladies of NAUW for serving our community as outstanding presenters.
A huge shoutout goes to President Veronica Philips for her presentation entitled “My Side of the Story: Ethical Delmas” at the 2022 CHEN Spring Healthcare Symposium. Also, a shoutout for Worlita Jackson for her presentation on self-care to senior citizens at Shady Grove United Methodist Church. Job well done, ladies!
By Royal Alexander
I’m sometimes amazed at the tone deafness of CEOs who follow their “woke” staffers off a cliff in the cultural battles occurring in America. I think they must all be hearing only each other, and Leftist news and opinion, creating an isolating and reinforcing echo chamber.
Whatever the case, Disney stock has plummeted more than 30% of late and Florida state government has also now stripped Disney of its corporate “carve out” which benefited the company to the tune of tens of millions of dollars a year and essentially allowed the company to function as its own government within the state of Florida.
What’s all the commotion? There are really two separate but related issues here.
One, according to a leaked video of Disney executive Latoya Ravaneau, the company intends to “add queerness” content to all of Disney’s media product in the coming months and years, promoting, she says, her “not-at-all-secret gay agenda.” Disney Corporate President Karey Burke also announced plans to add “many, many, many LGBTQ characters” to its shows and movies, stating that a large percentage (50%) of its characters will be LGBTQ in the near future, according to the New York Post. (3-30-22).
Second, these videos come amid Disney declaring war on the state of Florida over its Parental Rights Law—what radical LGBTQ activists have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill—which simply bans teachers from giving prepubescent grooming lessons on gender identity, sexuality, and sexual orientation in kindergarten through the third grade. I note that Florida parents could be equally livid that Florida law still incredibly ALLOWS sexual grooming of children in 4th through 8th grade.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio succinctly stated in a Tweet that “the @WaltDisneyCo filmed Mulan near #Uighur genocide camps & then thanked the people who run those camps in the credits—projects through which Disney takes in millions in blood money annually, including $5.5 billion invested in its Shanghai theme park—but they are outraged that Florida schools will no longer be indoctrinating 5-year olds on “gender identity.” The stench of hypocrisy is sickening.
As a result of the discovery of Disney’s trafficking in the innocence of children to increase corporate profit, Disney stocks are tanking, and approval of Governor Desantis’ actions is rising to over 60 percent in opinion polls all in response to the roar of millions of Florida and American parents who demand in unison that “we don’t want and won’t tolerate our children being taught about or exposed to sexuality, sexual orientation or gender identity in our schools.
As Gerard Baker of the Wall Street Journal has observed “is opposition to parents’ rights really the hill for a children’s entertainment company to die on?” He continues “ … when a company whose products entertained, enlivened and enriched the lives of millions of children and their parents decides it must take a stand against the Parental Rights in Education Bill—allowing them to determine whether their children as young as 5 are taught sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom—what does it expect” other than this backlash?
If the China Virus pandemic can be said to have a silver lining it must be that, during the times children were required to do online schooling their parents were exposed to what they are actually being taught in schools—whether gender identity or other sexual perversions or Critical Race Theory—and they have risen up against it.
May this parental vigilance in defense of childhood innocence long endure.
The Village of Grand Cane is putting on a murder mystery to benefit the village. Performances are next Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6:00 pm.
We need your help! There’s been a murder, and there are a LOT of suspects! Help catch the murderer at Camp Belle Bayou before the sheriff arrives to spoil all the fun. Your ticket includes dinner, drinks, dessert, and the chance to play detective for an evening. Don’t miss out!
Julia most recently performed in Fools and The Rented Christmas on the Back Alley stage. She lives in Shreveport and is homeschooled. She is a regular performer in the Dramaniacs, starring in such productions as Peter and the Star Catcher, Peter Pan, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Julia also serves as the Dramaniacs’ Lighting Director.
Cecilia Flanders most recently performed in Charlotte’s Web at North DeSoto High School. She performed in Back Alley’s The Rented Christmas. She attends eighth grade in North DeSoto Parish. She is a member of Back Alley’s youth program The Dramaniacs, and has performed in Peter and the Star Catcher, Miguel and the Monkey, and as Elf #14 in her elementary Christmas play. This is her first performance with Back Alley Community Theatre’s regular season.
Mackenzie Frazier most recently performed in The Rented Christmas on Back Alley stage and is a student of Back Alley’s youth program, the Dramaniacs. Her first performance with them was this past summer’s production of Peter and the Star Catcher. Mackenzie attends school in North DeSoto Parish and lives in Stonewall.
Heath Lemme was recently seen in Fools, Southern Fried Funeral and The Outsider. Although relatively new to our stage, Heath has been in eight films, seven shorts, and one feature, Magnificent 7, starring Denzel Washington. Heath lived in New Orleans for two years and recently returned to his hometown of Grand Cane but currently lives in Stonewall. Heath has just completed a movie titled Promises of Snow, a film about human trafficking. He has also recently launched a podcast called Host of Horror.
Also performing are: Lance Ray, Loni Young, Donna Griffith, James Griffith, Stacy Radicchi., Amy Hall, Dawson Weileder, Dillan Weileder, Devon Weileder.
Murder at Camp Belle Bayou is sponsored by The Village of Grand Cane. Call 903-343-9917 for tickets and more information. Must have advance reservations.
The next production at the Back Alley Theatre in Grand Cane is “Double Trouble.” Performances begin Friday May 13th.
Most people hear the words “Double Trouble” and run the other way. We encourage you to run towards the trouble! If you enjoy great music, great fun, and a night out of the house, then come join us!
Terry Sparks has performed in many productions at BAT, most recently Southern Fried Funeral. Most fans remember her as Patsy Cline and enjoy hearing her sing. Terry sings with her band The Classics, and also with the Rose Park Baptist Church choir. She is a retired registered nurse and has recently moved to Grand Cane. Terry serves as Board of Directors at BAT. She enjoys being with her children, grandchildren, and extended family.
Rocky Maddox has performed in Patsy Cline and Friends but grew up in the church singing and playing the piano. He is the Music Director at Rose Park Baptist Church and has been a long time member of the Shreveport-Bossier Theater community. Rocky serves as vice president of Litton Mortgage and lives in Shreveport with his wife Tiffani and “the most wonderful child in the world” aka Lily. His entire family is involved in musical theater, and they love going to movies.
Other performers are Greg Taylor, Donny Smith, Hunter Tuck, Darrell Elliott, and Dennis Bell.
For show times and dates and ticket information call (318) 461-0202. The show will run May 14th through 21st.
The celebration of Balloons Over DeSoto will be back this year! June 26th 2022 at the airport. There will be food, music, bouncy houses for the kids, and they will also get a chance to ride in a hot air balloon if the weather permits.
Attention all classic car owners. Bring your car to the Balloons over DeSoto classic car show contest! Trophies are award for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.
Sign up to be a Vendor at Balloons Over DeSoto. Contact email is jmckinney@desotoppj.com. Call Jackie McKinney airport manager 318-871-8900 for information.
By Steve Graf
I have been bass fishing since I was 10 years old. I basically taught myself how to fish while growing up on our ranch in East Texas. I watched fishing shows on TV like “John Fox Outdoors,” “Fishing with Virgil Ward” and my favorite show of all time, “The Bassmasters.” I also learned a lot through a subscription to Bassmaster Magazine that I received on my 10th birthday. This just might have been the best birthday gift I ever received. The magazine had great detailed descriptions and drawings on techniques and information that could make anyone a better angler.
I started my bass tournament career in 1990 with a buddy of mine who introduced me to team tournaments. Now I had no idea how “hooked” I would be to competitive bass fishing. It’s literally an addiction that requires many hours of practice and preparation in order to compete at a high level. It’s similar to gambling in that you’re putting money up to enter the event, and betting on yourself. But as one of my former coaches once told me, “Success is a learning process that comes from failure. How you handle failure will determine how successful you’ll be.”
Now back to the question at hand…Why has bass fishing gotten so hard? This can probably be summed up with two words…. overcrowded waterways. Gone are the days of catching a hundred bass a day. There was a time that an angler could go out on his favorite lake and catch bass on a regular basis. But as bass fishing has evolved and become so popular, our waterways have become congested. This has led to bass becoming over “educated” to the many ways anglers are trying to catch them. It’s been proven through research that bass have the ability to learn despite their tiny brain. But the good news is that they have a short memory and don’t retain much over time. The more they see a bait or get caught, the more they learn what lures not to bite, which can even be passed on to their offspring. All our lakes and rivers are over-crowded now with a combination of high school fishing, College Series, Pro-Am circuits and team trails like American Bass, Bass Champs, Texas Team Trail, and the Bob Sealy Big Bass Splash Series. Each of these tournament trails caters to a wide array of anglers all across America.
What I’ve learned over the last few years is that today’s angler must think outside the box of old conventional ways of catching fish. You can’t be afraid to experiment with new baits and techniques. Don’t get me wrong, you can still catch fish on spinnerbaits, jigs and crankbaits, but you may have to tweak a bait and show the bass something a little different than they’ve seen before. But one bait that continues to pass the test of time is the plastic worm. I don’t care what body of water you like to fish; they will bite a plastic worm anywhere in the country. A lot of anglers like to dip the tail of their worms in what’s called a chartreuse (bright green) dye. But there are many colors of dipping dyes on the market, so try a different color like maybe orange, blue or red. I’ve even used a black dye and had great results. Again, it’s just something different that the fish are not seeing as much.
Bass fishing has gotten more difficult, but if you’re willing to think outside the box, you can still catch fish. As humans, our biggest fault is that we are creatures of habit. But if you’re willing to change things up a little, you just might figure out the secret code to catching bass. If you want to learn what the bass are biting, tune into Tackle Talk Live every Tuesday at 11:30 on Facebook live, podcast or our YouTube Channel. Till next time, good luck, good fishing and don’t forget to set the hook!
Congratulations from Mansfield High to their track teams. The boys and girls teams are both winners.
Boys: 2022 District 1-3A Champs
Girls: 2022 District 1-3A Runner-Ups
Baseball:
North DeSoto Griffin baseball team will play a best of three series this weekend at Home. They host Breaux Bridge Friday at 6:00 pm. They play a double-header Saturday at 12:00 Noon and again at 2:30. They have to win two games to advance to the quarterfinals.
Logansport is hosting Merryville for one game in the regional playoffs. They will play at home Friday at 5:00 pm.
And Stanley ended their playoff series on Wednesday with a 7-5 loss to Holden. Mansfield was eliminated earlier in the week at their first game.
Softball:
The North DeSoto Lady Griffins have made their way to the state semi-finals and will play Friday afternoon. Friday at 4:00 pm they play a semi-final game against #5 Eunice. The game will be on field #14 at the Frasch Park in Sulphur. The school posted on social media that tickets must be purchased online. Go to gofan.co/app/school/LHSAA
The DeSoto Parish Extension Office has Soil Sample Test Kits available. They said if you need a kit come by and get one.
They can be picked up at any of four locations in the parish. In addition to the DeSoto Parish Extension Office on US 171 in Grand Cane, get your test kit at Mainstreet Feed and Supply in Logansport, DeSoto Town and Country in Stonewall, and Tractor Supply in Mansfield.
Rosie Neal
May 5, 1950 to April 25, 2022
Sunday Gravesite May 1, 2022 at 2:00 pm in St. Joseph Cemetery Pelician, La.
Doris Colean Boykins
August 26, 1936 to April 23, 2022
Saturday Services April 30, 2022 at 11:00 am at Logansport Elementary Gym in Logansport, La.
Helen Johnson
April 22, 1931 to April 22, 2022
Friday Services April 29, 2022 at 2:00 pm at Jenkins Funeral Home Chapel.
Charlie Douglas Hudson
November 19, 1946 to April 21, 2022
Saturday Service April 30, 2022 at 1:00 pm at Friendship B.C. Grand Cane, La.
Barbara Williams
October 19, 1956 to April 20, 2022
Saturday Service April 30, 2022 at 1:00 pm at Greater Zion Mission B.C. in Shreveport, La. Interment: Springville Cemetery Coushatta, La.
A reminder that Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day is tomorrow from 9:00 am until 12:00 Noon. Collection sites will be at the Logansport Compactor Site, Stonewall Compactor Site (Hwy 3276), and at the DeSoto Parish Road Dept. in Grand Cane. Here is the full story:
https://desotoparishjournal.com/2022/04/19/collection-day-for-household-hazardous-waste/
Northwestern State University will hold Spring 2022 commencement exercises with four ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 11 and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday, May 12, according to University Registrar Barbara Prescott. Commencement will take place in Prather Coliseum.
First games were on Tuesday as all of the public schools in the parish have earned a berth in the state baseball playoffs. One school finished high enough in the ranking to draw a bye for the first round.
In Class B, Stanley will travel to Holden for their first game. Stanley finished the regular season ranked #21. They play on Wednesday, April 27th at 4:00 pm at #12 Holden.
In Class 1A, Logansport finished the regular season ranked #3 in the state. Logansport drew a bye through to the regionals. Their game will be played between April 28 and May 3. Their opponent will be #13 Merryville. They defeated # 20 Arcadia 14-0 and will travel to Logansport for their regional game.
In Class 3A, Mansfield traveled to Iota Tuesday. Iota shut out the Wolverines 14 to 0, and ended Mansfield’s season.
And in Class 4A, North DeSoto defeated #28 ranked George Washington Carver 18-0. The Griffins are ranked #5 this season. North DeSoto moves to the regionals for a best of 3 series with #12 Breaux Bridge. North DeSoto will host and be the home team for games 1 and 3.
The North DeSoto Lady Griffins have made their way to the state semi-finals in softball. They play Friday afternoon.
It was a tremendous season for the Lady Griffins piling up 29 victories while suffering only 5 losses. That earned them the #1 ranking in 4A softball.
In the playoffs, again impressive performances yielded a 15-0 victory in bi-district against Tara. In the regionals North DeSoto outscored Rayne 16 to 1. In the quarterfinals, Cecilia fell to the Lady Griffins 11 to 1.
Friday at 4:00 pm they play the semi-final game against #5 Eunice. The game will be on field #14 at the Frasch Park in Sulphur. The school posted on social media that tickets must be purchased online. Go to gofan.co/app/school/LHSAA
Last Friday afternoon the Lady Tigers softball season came to an end at Delhi. The ladies turned in a great season and finished 5th in 1A during the regular season.
First round, they drew a bye and advanced to regional play. Logansport destroyed Delhi 17-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately, Oak Grove was too much for the Lady Tigers last Friday. The final score was Oak Grove 8 and Logansport 5.
A total of 1,062 people voted in DeSoto Parish during the early voting period which wrapped up last Saturday. The election is this coming Saturday, April 30th.
The only thing on the ballot in the parish is a runoff in the Mansfield Mayor’s race. Police Jury member Thomas Jones is challenging incumbent Mayor John Mayweather, Sr. Four years ago, Mayweather defeated Jones for that seat.
Of the total vote, in person voting accounted for 929 ballots and there were 133 absentee ballots.
Here is the demographic breakdown of those voting in person:
Democrats – 879. Republicans – 50. Other – 133.
Male – 402. Female – 660.
White – 90. Black – 959. Other – 13.
By Teddy Allen
His mind is cracker-jack sharp but the frame of our favorite orthopedic surgeon is failing him now, a casualty of hard work and 80-plus years, roughly a half century of that used to heal the wear and tear on his patients, including thousands of student athletes at Louisiana Tech when he was its team doctor from 1973-2013.
The University’s most recent recognition of Dr. Billy Bundrick was Saturday when a life-sized statue of “Dr. B” was unveiled and dedicated by the softball field named in his honor — Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
The players affectionately call the field “The Billy,” a playful nickname its honoree heartedly approves of since Dr. B has always been about competition and winning and spreading the joy.
The University could dedicate 10 statues and probably still fall short of recognizing all Dr. B has done for the school. A three-time football letter winner and the team’s captain in 1959, Dr. B made a career of taking one for the team. Dr. B, his remarkable and imminently likeable assistant Spanky McCoy, and longtime Tech athletic trainer Sam Wilkinson formed a mortal but formidable holy trinity to combat frayed nerves, hurt feelings, busted ligaments, and broken bones for three decades.
“It’s unbelievable how good Dr. Bundrick was to Louisiana Tech and how much he’s meant to us,” Wilkinson said.
Former athletic director Jim Oakes, who, as Tech’s lead football manager in the mid-’70s had a front row seat to Dr. Bundrick’s influence, called his friend “the greatest sports medicine doctor to ever serve a university athletic program.”
Dr. B is a Tech Athletics Hall of Famer, a former Alumnus of the Year, and everything in between.
“The numerous honors he’s earned only scratch the surface of his significance to us,” University President Dr. Les Guice said. “His greatest contribution has been in the service of others.”
He did it one knee and one back and one foot at the time, each stitch a soft-spoken encouragement.
Dr. B’s biggest fan, physically and figuratively, is likely Karl Malone, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer; his family’s donation made the statue a reality. Bundrick has been an advisor to Malone, a quiet encourager and his most trusted confidant, since before Malone was the famous “Mailman.” In the flamboyant NBA, Karl always had a posse of one: Dr. B.
If that’s hard to understand, or if you’ve never seen a 6-foot-9 teardrop, you could have seen one Saturday as Malone’s emotion for his friend was evident.
“You,” Malone said to a smiling Dr. B, “are my hero.” He spoke for many in the crowd.
Walking to the soccer pitch next door or to The Billy, Tech’s student athletes would be wise to consider the statue and copy what it represents, a monument to caring and leaving it all on the field, the definition in bronze of a selfless and smooth operator.
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu
If you were going to hire a guide to scale a particularly high summit what would be your number one goal? Reaching the apex? What about a safe a secure descent? Real life shows us that most climbers are injured coming down the mountain. Either from lack of food and water or injury.
Financial and retirement planning is much the same. We tend to spend significant time planning and saving without really thinking of the best method to “take” these funds. While working and saving we have co-workers, friends, and financial professionals to assist with decision making. Without sound advice and planning location and timing of pulling funds can have a direct impact on deteriorating the amount of Social Security taxation and cost of Medicare Part B premiums.
Have you heard the term “sequence of returns”? If not let’s set up a time to review and discuss your exposure to this pitfall. Having retirement dollars exposed to market risk while pulling income could be a very costly mistake in later years. Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are especially risky since the individual has little discretion in taking these funds. These issues and others could significantly reduce the longevity of your funds. Thereby causing you harm as you descend the retirement mountain. Let’s visit about trip planning!
Contact Reinette today! rfoster@reinettefoster.com, 318-481-6539, or ReinetteFoster.com
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault are some of the most difficult topics to discuss. It takes extreme courage for anyone to come forth, and it is the first step in the healing process. We encourage any person that may be suffering in silence to come forward and be heard, believed, and reassured that help is available. You are never alone. Not only does the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office care, but our investigators can also put you in touch with some of the best people and organizations to help you through whatever it is you are going through so that you are never walking alone. At the very least, your story may prevent a perpetrator from victimizing someone else.
The month of April is Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Awareness month. Over the last few weeks, our local leaders have teamed up with our office to discuss what has been done in the recent past, and how to properly address those reports going forward. A special event, hosted by our local CASA leaders, was held on Friday, April 22 on the steps of the Courthouse where many leaders in our community took the podium to discuss their efforts and goals to address those situations of domestic abuse and sexual assault. The DeSoto Sheriff’s Office took part in this event to have discussions with our local District Judges, District Attorney, Mansfield Police, Pastors, Business Owners and many others who share a common passion to help those victims. In recent days a new “Soft Interview Room” was also established at the Stonewall Government Plaza thanks to Project Beloved, the Molly Jane Mission. This serves to facilitate a space of comfort for survivors in their time of trauma, at no extra cost to law enforcement or taxpayers.
Sheriff Richardson and Detectives would like to thank each and every person in attendance for their dedication to care for sexual assault victims. We look forward to working in unison to recognize signs, bring justice to perpetrators, seek preventative measures, and respond to each case with the grace and compassion every person deserves.
By Brad Dison
Shortly after 8:00 p.m. on October 14, 1912, the Colonel walked through a crowd of well-wishers at the Gilpatrick Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and stepped into the back seat of an open-topped car. He was expected to arrive within minutes at the Milwaukee Auditorium, four blocks away, to deliver a speech. Still standing, he waved to the crowd. One of his two secretaries, Albert H. Martin, stood with him. A man later identified as John Flammang Schrank pushed his way through the crowd, pulled a .38 caliber pistol, and fired from a distance of about 7 feet. The Colonel barely moved. He showed no sign of panic or pain. At almost the same instant that Schrank fired the shot, Albert jumped from the back seat and Captain A.O. Girard, another member of the Colonel’s party, jumped from the front seat onto the man with the pistol. They quickly overpowered Schrank and disarmed him. The Colonel told the men to bring the shooter closer so he could get a good look at him. The colonel gazed into the shooters face and said, “the poor creature.”
The crowd turned hostile toward the would-be assassin. “Lynch him!” they cried, “Kill him!” “Stop, stop!” the Colonel yelled. “Stand back; don’t hurt him!” Only at the insistence of the Colonel did the crowd refrain from tearing the man apart and allow escorts to take Schrank inside the hotel to await the arrival of police. Multiple people asked, “Are you hurt, Colonel?” The Colonel responded with a smile, “Oh, no. Missed me that time. I’m not hurt a bit.” He turned to the remaining members of his party and said, “I think we’d better be going, or we will be late.”
They had hardly driven one block when John McGrath, the Colonel’s other secretary, exclaimed, “Look, Colonel. There is a hole in your overcoat.” The Colonel looked at the hole, unbuttoned the coat and felt of his chest. When he removed his hand, his fingers were stained with blood. Speaking to no one in particular, the Colonel said, “It looks as though I had been hit, but I don’t think it is anything serious.”
When they reached the auditorium, the Colonel went into a dressing room. Several physicians made a superficial examination of the wound and suggested that the Colonel leave for the hospital immediately. The Colonel calmly responded, “I will deliver this speech or die, one or the other.” The physicians’ protested, but the Colonel walked out of the dressing room and onto the stage. The crowd cheered loudly as the Colonel took his seat and waited for the program to begin.
Henry F. Cochems, a Wisconsin political leader, stepped to the front of the platform and held up his hand. The crowd sensed something was wrong and immediately fell silent. “I have something to tell you,” he said with a trembling voice, “and I hope you will received the news with calmness.” The crowd was deathly silent. “Colonel Roosevelt has been shot. He is wounded.” At this, Mr. Cochems turned and looked at the Colonel.
The crowd’s reaction was anything but calm. People yelled and screamed out of shock. Some of the patrons rushed toward the platform to get a better look at the Colonel. The Colonel stood and calmly walked to the edge of the platform. “It’s true,” the Colonel told the crowd as he unbuttoned his coat and showed them the blood-stained shirt. “I’m going to ask you to be very quiet,” he said, “and please excuse me for making you a very long speech. I’ll do the best I can, but you see there’s a bullet in my body. But it’s nothing. I’m not hurt badly.” The Colonel’s words were met with an outburst of cheering.
The Colonel pulled out his 50-page speech and began his oration. The crowd listened intently to every word the Colonel said. His speech was somewhat quieter than normal and his gestures were more subdued. He spoke for a while and suddenly his voice sank. He seemed to stagger. One of the doctors and another in the Colonel’s party approached him and quietly insisted that he leave immediately for a hospital. The Colonel seemed to regain all of his strength and told them, “I’m going to finish this speech. I’m all right; let me alone.” The Colonel struggled at times as he spoke for well over an hour. At the conclusion of the Colonel’s speech, he looked briefly at the cheering crowd and calmly walked off the platform and into a waiting car.
The Colonel’s driver sped through the streets of Milwaukee to the hospital where a team of doctors were waiting. They whisked him to an operating room and quickly removed his clothing. He insisted that he was not hurt badly and told the doctors that they were taking it too seriously. The doctors continued their work. The entrance wound was easy enough to find, but they were unable to determine the location of the bullet. While they waited for a staff member to retrieve an x-ray machine, the Colonel sat up on the operating table and entertained the doctors with political stories and jokes.
By using x-rays and probes, the doctors learned that the bullet had lodged in the Colonel’s chest muscle. It struck no major arteries or organs. The doctors concluded that it would be riskier to remove the bullet than to leave it in place. They were curious to learn, however, what had kept the .38 caliber bullet from penetrating deeper into the Colonel’s chest. As they examined his clothing the answer became clear. The bullet had passed through the Colonel’s thick overcoat, through his 50-page speech which he had folded in half so that it would fit into his pocket which made it 100 pages thick, through both sides of his metal eyeglasses case, through his waistcoat, shirt and undershirt, and finally, into his chest. Had the Colonel written a shorter speech, had he not doubled the speech over and placed in his chest pocket, had he placed his eyeglasses case in another pocket, the Colonel could have been the first former president of the United States to be assassinated. The Colonel’s speech was part of his campaign for a third non-consecutive term as president, which he ultimately lost. The Colonel was… Theodore Roosevelt.
Sources:
The Pleasant Hill branch of the parish library last week hosted a group of friends who visited us from the PreK and Kindergarten classes from Pleasant Hill Elementary.
A post from the library said, “They enjoyed a tour of the library, story time and we watched Encanto. We hope to see you guys again. Be on the lookout for summer reading.”
Another library branch hosted Ms. Shelly from the NWLA Food Bank. She shared tips for making healthy mini pizzas. The children enjoyed making their personal pizza using four different food groups. Thank you Ms. Shelly for sharing ways to make our snacks nutritional, fun, and tasty. See photo below.
The Mansfield State Historic Site presents Riverboats in the Red River campaign. The event will be at 2:00 pm on Saturday, May 21.
Using slides and images, this presentation will highlight the naval warships that were employed during the Red River Campaign, the Union’s failed attempt to capture Shreveport, Louisiana, in the spring of 1864. Learn about the capabilities and specifications of these 19th century vessels and compare them with naval ships of today. How these warships were used during the campaign and their fate afterward will also be discussed. (Photo: City-Class gunboat USS Mound City on Red River, spring 1864.)
Mansfield State Historic Site is located on LA Highway 175, three miles south of the town of Mansfield, Louisiana. Admission is $4 per person ages 4-61; seniors 62 and over and children 3 and under are admitted free. For more information call 318.872.1474 locally, toll-free 888.677.6267.
The following arrests were made in DeSoto Parish between April 17 – April 23, 2022, over a one week period.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
