Always for the Underdog: Leather Britches Smith and the Grabow War

Chapter 3: No Man’s Land

45 Chapter Three no฀man’s฀Land in front of me, the area’s culture stands as dense, thick, and impenetrable as the underbrush sweeping up and out of the Sabine River bottom. Perhaps I should expect nothing less from a culture of clash, a culture built on isolation, independence, freedom, and confrontation. People migrated to No Man’s Land, for a time a border teeming with new enterprise, in search of all of these qualities. Though it may seem odd that people flocked to a dangerous region for freedom, No Man’s Land stood as a promised land in the minds of some, as a land of few laws and great freedom. It stood as a place for striking out for a new life, starting new jobs, and settling new land. Plenty of people, though, also came in search of something a bit more ordinary—money. Travelers and residents alike searched for routes to New World treasures: lost Spanish silver, prized furs, Lafitte’s gold, tracts of virgin timber, and even a waterway to the Gulf. Others came in search of the treasure of talk, and many came specifically for the legend of Leather Britches Smith. During my own hunt for this treasure, I have heard many varying accounts of the Smith legend. Nowhere is variation more obvious in the Smith legend than in the oppositional beliefs about his basic identity . Negative opinions of him are legion, but some remember Smith in 46฀฀฀|฀฀฀aLways฀For฀the฀underdoG a positive way or at least have some positive comments to make about him, even though a person must listen a bit harder—or at least at the right time or to the right people—to find those stories praising or remembering his warm heart. Depending on the teller, Leather Britches might come off as a noble defender, a man who could be pushed only so far, or even a rather “normal” badman who transformed into his more violent persona only when he drank. Indeed, many tellers blame drink for his wrongdoings, but the outlaw’s heart remains true. One once explained to me, “When he would get drunk he was crazy, and when he wasn’t drunk, when he wasn’t drinking, he was just a fine man, sweet and kind and good.” Another said, “He was supposed to be a pretty good fellow as long as he didn’t drink.” One person added his own account, “Now, some people that lived down in there where he rode said that he was friendly to them.” Most offered a more careful statement. “Some people liked him, but most were glad to see him go” functions as a more typical comment that hints at the rift of opinion. When asked about her perceptions of the figure, one woman lamented Smith’s reputation: “I have mixed emotions. So many people thought he was wonderful because he always took up for the underdog and he always fought for the little man . . . until he got that liquor. Then he was crazy. He was crazy and mean.” Another person remarked, “Many women who cooked for him said that he was kind and considerate. He’d just walk in and throw them a chicken or something and tell them to cook it, and he’d go and come back later and get it.” I think the best example of hearing variation in the Smith legend occurred during a discussion with Shelley Whiddon.1 I met Shelley the semester she was one of my students. We agreed to meet so she could tell me what she knew about Leather Britches. “I can tell you two stories because I have two different sides,” she said in my office the day of the interview. To this day, one side of her family sees Leather Britches as outlaw and the other as hero. Some of Merryville’s early settlers, Shelley’s ancestors still form a prominent group in the town. Shelley takes pride in her family’s toughness, her great-grandfather’s independent spirit, and her grandfather’s skill as a gunsmith. After spending some time telling me that her father’s side of the fam- no฀man’s฀Land฀฀฀|฀฀฀47 ily was poor and had ties with the Industrial Workers of the World, she told me during her interview that her mother’s side bought land here long ago and did not join with the Industrial Workers of the...