On this day in 1974, the a Pemiscot County family were named the No. 2 Farm Family of the Year out of all 50 states. Besides their progressive farming practices and growth, husband and wife Hal and Willie have used their success to put eight of their 10 children through college.
100 years ago
June 6, 1924
• The Missouri Supreme Court reversed the murder conviction of a local farmer today, citing “error in the instructions to the jury.”
The case centered around Casper Cole, who was found guilty of second-degree murder in the 1922 death of his neighbor and landlord, J.J. Epley. The killing was the culmination of a land dispute — Epley had given Cole verbal notice to move, but Cole refused to vacate the property until his crops were harvested. Epley arrived at Cole’s farm on the morning of Nov. 24, 1922, with the intention of plowing up the ground when Cole, armed with a shotgun, demanded he leave. According to Cole’s story, Epley refused and reached into his pocket “as if drawing a weapon,” and Cole shot him. No weapon was found on Epley’s body.
Cole was sentenced last year to 20 years in a state penitentiary. Shortly after the conviction he secured a $10,000 appeal bond and returned to farming.
75 years ago
June 6, 1949
• A state engineer assured Poplar Bluff its asphalt woes would end, but didn’t speculate as to when.
The asphalt used to repave Pine Boulevard is currently “mushy” according to the Daily American Republic, after being mixed with naphtha and gasoline before pouring. This was done because the asphalt had partially hardened in transit from Advance. Officials believed the additives would evaporate shortly but the mixture has remained spongy and Pine Boulevard has stayed closed.
M.W. Gwinn, State Highway Department district engineer, plans to visit Poplar Bluff and investigate the situation. The road would eventually harden, he promised reporters, because “the mixture used...has never failed to harden when used other places.”
50 years ago
June 6, 1924
• A family in Pemiscot County is receiving national recognition for their farm’s growth. Hal Walls, his wife Willie and their 10 children have been declared the No. 2 Farm Family of the Year by the Farmers Home Administration.
Hal and Willie Walls moved from Mississippi to Missouri in the 1940s and bought 80 acres of land with an FHA loan in 1954. Their farm is now 220 acres of cotton, soybeans and wheat. The FHA praised Hal Walls for “his readiness to adopt improved farming techniques and good management practices.” He also farms an additional 198 acres of rented land.
Hal and Willie Walls, who are Black, both completed elementary school but lacked further academic opportunities in rural, segregated Mississippi. Despite the demands of farm life, they prioritize their children’s education — two of their 10 children hold masters degrees, three have bachelors, two are attending four-year colleges and another completed a two-year college. Their youngest children are enrolled in elementary school.
The FHA is an office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture offering loans and technical assistance to family farmers who don’t qualify for commercial financing. Candidates in the Farm Family of the Year contest are judged by their farms’ growth during the loan repayment period.
The Walls live near Bragg City. They’ll be guests of honor at an FHA luncheon in Caruthersville on June 7.