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From H.C. Shelton (my grandfather):
AU REVOIR AND FAREWELL TO DAVID, ET AL
From this source (H.C. Shelton), no more book promotion via curiosity or questioning of established facts. Space and my timetable make it impossible to reply to the countless comments and recent mis-statements, so I'll try to list some of the most glaring and misleading statements.
1. Re comments on PICTURES: the holes in Betty Duke's arguments about Dianah Andruss and Zerelda James being one and the same person are too numerous to count.
2. RE YOUR BIT ABOUT TRAVIS BARRON: Let's try this on for size: I have a letter from a niece of Travis Barron, dated April 12, 1977, in which she says: "I have a picture of Uncle Travis and will enclose in this letter." She did enclose the picture, and I made a photocopy of the original. When Betty Duke visited me in 1996, I gave her a copy and identified same as TRAVIS BARRON. Betty used this copy on the cover of her book, and the same picture was used in the 1997 story by Betty in the 1997 issue of Texas Monthly. Quoting you, "Betty Duke's father had a like copy." The dates here, to me, bring in some questions. Another Barron relative had a like copy, as well as that of an older Travis. What this brings to mind is Betty's use of this picture and claiming it to be J.L. Courtney. Look at the picture of J.L. Courtney in her book (the good oval picture), and, side by side, compare the features with that of Travis Barron. Try comparing the Travis Barron picture with that of the Jesse James picture and you could see a similarity. JUST GIVE THAT A LITTLE THOUGHT.
3. On pg. 6 of your reply to Kathy Reynard, you tell of a letter Max Courtney wrote regarding a letter Irene Short wrote to me in which she said, and I quote: "there was a family secret about Grandpa knowing something about Jesse James..." If you read the entire letter, you will not find anything revealing except Irene's errors concerning JLC's birthplace, his military record, etc.
4. I just must add this quote: "Herschel once had a WANTED POSTER for Jesse James hanging over his art studio door." As a lifetime lover of the old West, I have cowboys, Indians, portraits hanging everywhere. As I recall, quite some time back in a tourist souvenir shop I did pick up some parchment-type wanted posters. What does that spell???
5. Also on pg. 6, I must comment on your statement: "Also as I understand it, J.L. Courtney wrote other diaries of which Betty has no access to the information. If this is true, who has them, and why is this information being withheld?"
First off, NOTHING HAS BEEN WITHHELD. The diary that Betty has, as the diaries other Courtneys have, was transcribed by Max Courtney from the original handwritten diary. The original diary was loaned to me by Irene Short when my wife and I visited her in Belton in the '70's. I had never heard of a diary until then. After Irene loaned me the diary, I took the diary to Houston where I was living at the time. I made copies of this diary and then returned the original to Irene. I then sent a copy to Max Courtney, who was doing the Courtney history. Max then transcibed the handwritten diary into a typewritten form. I will digress for a moment. The finished diary contained a second part that came from JLC's daughter Louisa. Aunt Louisa's son gave this part of the diary to Max, who added this to the part from Irene Short, JLC's granddaughter.
In 1943, following Grandpa's death and the subsequent probation of JLC's will, descendants gathered at his home. I was there at this time on leave from the Merchant Marine. The people there also included the following: Ida Courtney Dorset, Lillie Yarbrough, Louisa Busby, my sister and others. Following the probate hearing, the three sisters and other descendants divided personal items from Grandpa's trunk, including the diaries (which at that time I was not aware of) and correspondence that Grandpa had kept. This is speculation, but it seems plausible that the three daughters divided up the diaries. The diary, as Max transcribed it, included parts from Aunt Ida and Aunt Louisa. If each daughter took a portion of the diary, then we would seem to be missing a portion from Aunt Lillie. As far as I know, NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT THE WHEREABOUTS OF AUNT LILLIE'S CHILDREN. So, if there was another portion, where it might be is anyone's guess. IN ANY EVENT, NOTHING IS COVERED UP.
PAGE 6 OF DAVID'S REPLY TO KATHY:
YOUR REPLY TO KATHY ABOUT THE NAME CHANGE: As far as I know, no one at this point knows the reason, but in light of all the facts and documentation, the reason is meaningless.
6. RE MARCH 21 POST BY HEDGPETH'S REPLY TO LOIS ROSS: David comments: "You state, Mr. Shelton, I believe you do in fact hold some valuable answers to this mystery, that for some reason you have not shared." My answer: You have said previously that I HAVE WITHHELD INFORMATION. LET ME SAY THAT ASIDE FROM SILENCE, THE ONLY THING THAT I HAVE WITHHELD IS MY ANGER AND DISGUST AT THE WAY YOU AND YOUR PARTNER HAVE REFUSED TO FACE THE FACTS AND DOCUMENTED RECORDS. YOU HAVE SIDESTEPPED EVERYTHING NEGATIVE TO YOUR CASE, OR IGNORED SAME. A good example - you say "If Robert James was dead in 1850, then the father of Jesse James could not have signed James L. Courtney into the military. True that the record says that JLC's father gave him permission to serve in the Civil War. Case closed? You say Yes, I say No." End of quote.
Reply to Miscellaneous David Hedgpeth Comments:
David stated the following: "The military record says that James L. Courtney, on Jan. 21, 1864 was 5'10" tall. The James L. was more like 6'4" tall. Seems like we have two separate people." No David, there you go again. No one disputes the military figures, but bear in mind that on Jan. 21, 1864, JLC was just over 17 years old, and had lots of time for adult growth. LOOK AT THE PICTURE TAKEN CIRCA 1916-1917 OF JLC, HIS MOTHER, AND HIS THREE BROTHERS. THE FOUR COURTNEY BROTHERS, CALLED "THE BIG FOUR," WEIGHNED IN AT AROUND 1000 LBS. LOOK AT THIS PHOTO AND DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS. A side note: A James historian describes Jesse James as 5'9" and "wirey."
I think the folloWing was a quote you made about yours truly: "...you are ignoring the inconsistencies and picking only what you want to support your point..." David, you and your partner do just that.
Here are a few parting comments to close out this reply:
ON THE MATTER OF ALL THE "EXPERTS" BETTY DUKE HAS QUOTED, THE TAG "EXPERT" DEPENDS ON WHO IS DOING THE TAGGING.
On the matter of experts on facial features, I want to add the following: Yours truly, HCS, while in Houston, studied art (portrait, landscaping, etc.) for seven years under an internationally recognized artist, Lajos Markos. Markos did COMMISSIONED portraits of famous and prominant people, including John Wayne, Robert Kennedy, Pablo Casals. I might add that his work hangs in the state capitol in Austin, The Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, as well as in private collections. In those years we worked, always, with live models, studying facial features, and when you've been down that road, you have reason to believe you qualify on people features. After some time going over Duke's use of pictures to try to prove her point, I have no hesitation in saying you could find some similarities in the features of Jesse James and those of Travis Barron. For your own satisfaction, compare the oval picture of JLC in Duke's book with the features of Jesse James. You don't have to be an expert or artist to conclude the features don't match. Oh yes, you expected me to say that.
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