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MY GREAT UNCLE HOMER
WAS THE WILDMAN OF THE BIG THICKET
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MOM AND I WERE ENJOYING OUR COFFEE AND TALKING ABOUT TIMES GONE BY. I MENTIONED UNCLE HOMER AND HIS STAY IN "THE BIG THICKET", MOM PRESENTED THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE:
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WILLIAM HOMER PENCE
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THE ARTICLE BELOW IS A COPY I MADE OF AN ARTICLE THAT WAS PRINTED IN THE ENTERPRISE OCT.24, 1954 PAGE 2 VOLUME:LXXIII NO.354-10-24-54(PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A COPY OF AN ARTICLE NOT THE ORIGINAL; HOWEVER, IT IS DIRECTLY COPIED AS IT APPEARED)
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I THOUGHT IT QUITE ODD AFTER EXAMINING THIS ARTICLE DATED OCT. 24. THAT IT WOULD BE PRESENTED TO ME ON THE SAME DAY FORTY YEARS LATER
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MAN LIVING IN WOODS NINE YEARS ON ARMADILLO AND BERRY DIET IS CAPTURED SOUTH OF HEMPHILL
HEMPHILL, TEXAS, OCT.24,(SPL) HEMPHILL HAS BEEN BUZZING WITH EXCITEMENT SINCE NOON SUNDAY WHEN A PERSON KNOWN AS THE "WILD MAN" WAS CAPTURED BY DAN WILLIAMS,SUPERINTENDENT OF THE ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT OF THE CITY, AND PAUL STEWART, WHO WERE HUNTING. THE MAN, WILLIAM HOMER PINCE,WAS SEEN AND CAPTURED ABOUT 10:00 A.M.SUNDAY NEAR THE OLD T.G.PIPELINE ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTH OF HEMPHILL. WHEN FIRST SEEN THE MAN WAS WALKING THROUGH THE WOODS WITH A PACK AND SEVERAL SACKS ON HIS BACK. HE WAS RELUCTANT TO COME WITH MR. WILLIAMS AND MR. STEWART, BUT DID NOT RESIST. HE LEFT HIS HOME IN TYE, TEXAS, NINE YEARS AGO AND HAS BEEN LIVING IN THE WOODS EVER SINCE. HE SAID HE HAD NOT EATEN ANYTHING EXCEPT ARMADILLO AND HUCKLEBERRIES FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. HIS CONDITION SEEMED TO BE FAIRLY GOOD EXCEPT, HE WAS VERY WEAK. THE MAN HAS BEEN SEEN IN THE WOODS SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE PAST FOUR YEARS BUT HAD ESCAPED WOULD-BE CAPTORS EACH TIME. OFFICERS OF THE SABINE COUNTY AND SEVERAL OTHER COUNTIES HAVE SEARCHED THE WOODS AND MADE EVERY EFFORT TO LOCATE HIM. THE MAN WAS TURNED OVER TO SHERIFF EVERETT SMITH AT NOON SUNDAY AND WAS PUT IN THE HEMPHILL JAIL. THE SHERIFF SAID HE WILL BE HELD SEVERAL DAYS FOR INVESTIGAION. HE IS THE SON OF W. O. PINCE WHO LIVES NEAR BROOKELAND.
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AFTER READING THE ARTICLE, I ASKED MOM "WHY DID UNCLE HOMER WANT TO PURSUE A LIFE OF HERMITAGE?" SHE BEGAN TO TELL WHAT ACTUALLLY OCCURRED .... AND I DECIDED TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT FOR MY GREAT UNCLE HOMER PENCE WHO IS REFERRED TO AS THE "WILD-MAN" ( SOME FOLKS CALLED HIM "THE WILD MAN OF THE BIG THICKET") HE WAS NOT AND COULD HAVE NEVER BEEN A WILD MAN. HE WAS A GENTLE, PRECIOUS, LOVING SOUL WHO TRUSTED EVERYONE. HIS TRUST IN OTHERS IS WHAT LED HIM INTO A LIFE OF RECLUSE.
UNCLE HOMER MARRIED A BEAUTIFUL LADY NAMED MARGIE, WHOM HE LOVED AND ADORED. MARGIE LEFT HIM WHILE HE WAS IN THE NAVY WWII. (SHE LEFT HIM FOR ANOTHER MAN) UNCLE HOMER NEVER GOT OVER HIS DEEP ADORATION OF AUNT MARGIE. THIS KILLED HIS SOUL AND HE, IN ORDER TO ESCAPE, WENT TO THE FOREST (1ST.TIME) SOME MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY (I CHOOSE NOT TO NAME OTHER THAN IT WAS NOT HIS BROTHER'S OR SISTER'S FAMILIES) HAD UNCLE HOMER COMMITTED TO AN INSANE ASYLUM (THEY DREW MONIES WHILE HE WAS INCARCERATED).
WHEN UNCLE HOMER WAS RELEASED, HE WENT TO LIVE WITH MY MAWMAW AND PAWPAW (JENNIE AND JOHNNIE PENCE) WHO LIVED OFF THE OLD SAN ANTONIO ROAD NEAR NORMANGEE, TEXAS. THE YEAR WAS 1944.
NORMANGEE, TEXAS IS WHERE HE WAS LIVING WHEN HE MADE HIS SECOND HERMITAGE. MAMMA SAID PAWPAW RECEIVED A LETTER FROM A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY STATING: "THEY WERE COMING TO SEE UNCLE HOMER TO TAKE HIM TO THE DOCTOR" (UNCLE HOMER WAS PHYSICALLY ILL AT THIS TIME, THEY WERE TAKING HIM TO THE DOCTOR FOR MEDICINE FOR HIS ILLNESS) UNCLE HOMER SAW THIS LETTER AND THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO INCARCERATE HIM AGAIN.
HE WAS LIVING WITH PAWPAW WHEN HE LEFT NOT AT TYE, TEXAS. MAWMAW WAS HANGING CLOTHES ON THE LINE AND UNCLE HOMER ASKED IF SHE WOULD MAKE HIM SOME FRIED PIES; WHICH SHE DID. AFTER MAKING THE PIES SHE CALLED: "HOMER, YOUR PIES ARE READY"...... UNCLE HOMER COULD NOT BE FOUND HE WAS GONE NINE YEARS. PAWPAW PASSED AWAY IN 1953, HE NEVER SAW HIS PRECIOUS BROTHER AGAIN AFTER THAT DAY IN 1945.
MAWMAW ALWAYS SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH UNCLE HOMER'S MENTALITY, FOR HE WAS VERY TALENTED. PAWPAW AND UNCLE HOMER WERE VERY CLOSE. THEY LOST THEIR MOTHER (MINNIE LEE WRIGHT PENCE) IN 1914. PAWPAW WAS 11 YRS. OLD AND UNCLE HOMER WAS 3YRS. OLD. THEIR MOM PASSED AWAY 3 DAYS AFTER THEIR BABY BROTHER, OSCAR LEE, WAS BORN. SHE SUCCUMBED TO CHILD-BED FEVER.
UNCLE OSCAR LEE WAS REARED BY GRANDMA'S SISTER, MARY (WRIGHT) NICHOLAS, WHO RESIDED IN LAWTON OKLAHOMA. JOHNNIE (11YR.) , MAYMIE (FRANCES MARRIETTA, 9 YRS.), JEWELL (5 YR.), AND HOMER (3 YR.) WERE LEFT WITHOUT A MOTHER UNTIL GRANDPA PENCE MARRIED GREAT-GRANDMA'S COUSIN ELVIRA TABITHA WRIGHT (EITHER 1915 OR 16).
UNCLE HOMER WAS VERY SOFT SPOKEN AND LOVING IN HIS EVERY WORD AND DEED. HE LOVED ANIMALS AND THEY LOVED HIM. HE TOLD MAWMAW HE HAD LOTS OF ANIMAL FRIENDS WHEN HE LIVED IN THE FOREST. IN THE WINTER TIME, HE SLEPT WITH THE WILD HOGS TO KEEP WARM.
HE LOVED JESUS VERY MUCH. HE TOOK ONE BOOK WITH HIM WHEN HE LEFT; THAT BEING "GOD'S WORD". HE READ IT THROUGH AND THROUGH. I THINK THE ONLY REASON HE WAS CAPTURED WAS BECAUSE HE HAD LOST HIS BIBLE. MAWMAW SAID HE TOLD HER THE REASON HE WAS CAPTURED: "I WAS WALKING ALONG THE RAIL'ROAD TRACKS ONE DAY AND HAPPENED UPON SOME YOUNG BOYS, WHOM I THINK I FRIGHTENED, FOR MY BEARD WAS QUITE LONG AND MY CLOTHING DIRTY. I ASKED THEM TO BRING A BIBLE, SOME ARTICLES OF CLOTHING AND FOOD. I TOLD THEM TO PLACE THE ITEMS ON A STUMP I HAD MARKED IN THE FOREST. WHEN I WENT TO GET THESE ARTICLES, I WAS CAPTURED."
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