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Town of Cut
'n Shoot,
Montgomery County Texas
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Excerpts from “A History of Montgomery County, Texas” Chapter V, Cities,
Towns, and Communities,
by William Harley Gandy”: For Sources, see
Endnotes: |
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The community of
Cut 'n Shoot,
Texas is
located in the northeastern-central part of Montgomery County. It had its
usual beginning and acquired its peculiar name in July, 1912. Prior to 1912
the Missionary Baptist, Hardshell Baptist, and Methodist citizens of the
Cut ‘n Shoot community went together and built a combination church and
school house. They erected the structure with the understanding that all
denominations were privileged to preach there except the Mormons and
Apostolics.91 This building was called the Community House,
because it was the place where all the people of the community met for their
church and social activities. |
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In
July 1912, it happened that a Preacher Stamps of the Apostolic belief
appeared in the community, and some of the local brethren invited him to
hold a meeting at the Community House, Preacher Stamps seemed not to have
been a very reputable person, since it was claimed by some of the citizens
that he occasionally visited saloons and went dancing. When the people heard
of Preacher Stamps' intention the community immediately paired off into two
sides, those who thought the Community House should be used for all
denominations, and those who thought it should be closed to the Apostolics.
The ones who thought the house should be open to all and who wanted to have
Preacher Stamps hold his meeting were the families of George A. King, L. J.
Powell, Joe Thompson, Malcome Foster, and W. A. Gandy, The ones who were
opposed to the meeting were the families of R. B. Mann, R. C. Mann, and A.
J. Walker. Each side declared their intentions; one claimed that it was
going to have the meeting and the other claimed that the meeting would not
be held. 92 |
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On
July 20, 1912, the day before the meeting was to take place R. B. Mann sent
his son, Clark Mann, to the home of Archie Vick, who was one of the school
trustees, to get the keys, so that the doors of the building could be
locked. When the Apostolic element heard of this move they quickly informed
the opposite side that they would break the doors down if necessary, to gain
entrance to the building; whereupon R. B. Mann saddled his horse and rode
through the community and notified the people to bring their guns to the
Community House the next day. The opposite side heard of this gesture and
Joe Thompson saddled up and rode through the community to tell the people
who were sympathetic toward his side to do the same. 93
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On
the morning of July 21 the group who wanted to hear Preacher Stamp gathered
at the Community House. They had come in their wagons and buggies and had
brought their lunches with the intention of staying and having an all day
preaching and a dinner on the ground. Under their wagon and buggy seats they
had their guns and knives rolled up in quilts. On their arrival they found
the door of the building locked, and soon after the anti-Apostolic group
arrived with their weapons. This faction immediately inspected the door and
declared that the lock had been jammed, whereupon all grabbed their guns and
a hot argument pursued between the Kings and Manns. While the accusations of
both sides flew back and forth, Jack King, an eight year old son of George
King, became frightened at the disturbance and said, "I'm scared!" "I'm
going to cut around the corner and shoot through the bushes in a minute!"
94 Thus the name of Cut 'n Shoot was coined. |
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Actually no cutting or shooting occurred that day. The arguments continued,
however, and finally to avoid a shooting scrape the followers of King
withdrew to some shade trees and Preacher Stamps delivered his sermon
standing on the ground while the citizens sat in their buggies and wagons.
After that a brush arbor was built near Joe Thompson's house and Preacher
Stamps held a protracted meeting there for the rest of the summer.
Thompson's house was hear the Mann's residence, and it has been stated that
the preaching was loud enough so that the Manns could |
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hear. 95 |
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The
next day after the threatened outbreak of violence at the meeting house, on
July 22, both sides appeared in Conroe and indicted each other at the
Justice of the Peace Court for disturbing the peace, assault, and the use of
obscene language. Both R. C. Mann and George King were tried and fined. 96
The dispute was carried on between the Kings and Manns for over a year, each
indicting the other on the smallest pretense. 97 |
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In
one of the trials Archie Vick was a witness, and upon being asked by Judge
C. T. Darby where the fuss had taken place, Mr. Vick, who had not been at
the scrape and not knowing what to call the community, since it did not have
a name, replied, "I suppose you would call it the place where they had the
cutting and shooting scrape." 98 This was the first indication
that the new community might be called Cut 'n Shoot. At any rate, the name
Cut 'n Shoot stuck to the community, partly through the jests of C. P.
Thomas, who always enjoyed telling his friends about the incident that had
occurred there. 99
Cut and Shoot:
From a Traveler's Guide to Historic
Montgomery County
1836-1986, Texas Sesquicentennial Edition:
Cut and Shoot began as a
rural farm community, gaining the unique name in 1912 when two factions
squabbled over rights to hold religious services in the combination church
and school house. Guns and knives were carried, but no actual violence
resulted except for court cases which continued over a year.
Two stories may have
resulted in naming the community. A young witness to the conflict is said to
have shouted "I'm scared! I'm going to cut around the corner and shoot
through the bushes."
The other story resulted
when, in a court case, the judge asked where the squabble took place. Not
knowing what to call the community, the witness answered, "out where they
had the cutting and shooting scrape."
Fame came to the community
in 1959 as the home of Roy Harris, contender for the World's Heavyweight
Championship, and again in 1963, when Debra Sue Maffett, whose parents live
in Cut and Shoot, became Miss America.
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