Typewriters, Mutinies, and Chicken Salad: This Week in Texas History

I don’t have to remind anyone that Texas has a rich and vibrant history filled with the highs a lows that make the Lone Star State shine out from the others. What I will do, however, is shed light on some notable points from our great history that stand out… for better or for worse… during this week in Texas history.

Thanks to the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), we have more info on what happened to make history. Texas history, that is.

Texas Navy Mutiny of 1842

On Feb. 11, just a few years ago in 1842, Texas’ first and only mutiny occurred on the ship San Antonio as it was anchored in New Orleans. Marine sergeant Seymour Oswalt led the sailors in a mutiny after enjoying a little too much of the liquor they had smuggled on board.

Get our free mobile app

One man, Lt. Charles Fuller, was killed in the uprising, and the mutineers were brought to trial in Texas. There were eight in total who were charged with mutiny. Three were flogged, four were hanged in Austin, and the leader of the revolt ended up escaping prison before his sentence.

Texas’ Chicken Salad Case

Fast forward a bit to 1915, and we have the state legislature passing an appropriations bill to pay for expenses from former Texas governor Oscar Colquitt for multiple items, including chicken salad and punch, according to TSHA.

This prompted a legal battle oddly enough called the “Chicken Salad Case” that lasted for nearly a year into 1916. In the end, the courts determined that state appropriations could cover a wide variety of necessities for the governor such as fuel, water, and energy, but groceries are not on the list.

Electric Typewriter Inventor was Born in Texas

Finally, on Feb. 12, 1888, James Field Smathers, the inventor of the electric typewriter, was born in Valley Spring, TX.

As a typist and accountant for a firm in Missouri, Smathers decided there was a need for a faster and more efficient way to type. This drove him to combine the common typing machine with the discovery of electricity in 1752.

So, the next time you complain about chicken salad, rowdy travel companions or sticky keyboards that don’t work, just remember these key events that helped shaped Texas’ proud history.