Postcard from Oakwood Cemetery

Waco's Oakwood cemetery was established in 1878 and is the final resting place for numerous senators, state governors, city mayors, civil war veterans, Texas Rangers and many other notable individuals. One of those notable individuals is Felix Huston Robertson. At the time of his death on April 20, 1928, he was the last surviving general of the Confederacy.

Oakwood is also the home of Charles George Smith (1891 - 1967) and the unusual abstract sculpture that serves as his tombstone. His epitaph says a lot about the man - "Strange cosmic curve integrated arc of space. Unrolling rhythm swinging out from time into eternity." Obviously, Charles G. Smith was not just an average thinker.

There is an interesting story behind the damaged headstone of William Cowper Brann (1855 - 1898). Born in Coles County, Illinois, his mother died when he was just 2-years-old and his father gave him to a nearby farming neighbor to raise and help with chores. On William's 13th birthday, he packed his bags, struck out on his own and never returned. In spite of only being formally educated through the 3rd grade, he became a gifted writer and brilliant thinker. 

Epitaph of C. G. Smith

When he was 18, he began writing for various newspapers, eventually making his way to Texas where he wrote for the Galveston Evening  and then to Austin writing for the Austin Statesman. He started his own newspaper, the Iconoclast, proclaiming it to be a "journal of personal protest." When his paper proved to be unsuccessful, he moved to Waco and brought the Iconoclast with him. Here, the paper proved to be a success, eventually having a circulation of over 100,000.

Brann seemed to thoroughly enjoy taking pot shots at many of the city and state officials. This didn't earn him any friends among the power brokers, but then he focused his ire and withering comments on the Baptist religion, the Baptist faithful and Baylor University. He got people so riled up that on October 2, 1897, a group of students kidnapped him, took him to the Baylor campus and demanded he retract his statements about the university or leave town. Four days later, having done neither of the student's demands, he was again kidnapped and soundly beaten by 3 men.

Several months later, having finally recovered from the beating, Brann focused on Baylor president Rufus Burleson (who coincidentally, is also buried in Oakwood) and began a series of particularly vitriolic statements against him. Brann unwisely ignored numerous warnings to "leave town or else" and on April 1, 1898, in broad daylight in the middle of a busy downtown Waco street, an angry Baylor University supporter, Tom E. Davis, shot him in the back. As he was falling to the pavement, Brann somehow managed to pull his own gun, turn and fire a shot at Tom. His aim was true and both men died within seconds just a few feet from each other.

Brann's headstone is adorned with his full profile. Not long after the stone was erected, an angry gunman came to his grave and shot his likeness in the temple. Nobody liked him enough to have it repaired and so the bullet impression remains to this day. Evidently, for some people, there are  individuals who just cannot be dead enough.