The Skating Rink

According to The Story of Bell County, life in Belton in the 1920’s was “simple.” Entertainment abounded and people came together to have a good time at band concerts, traveling medicine shows, picnics, church socials, tacky parties, patriotic clubs, roller skating, and high school sports games. While most townspeople were enjoying the simple life with plenty of entertainment, feuds among the citizenry were still prevalent. One such feud developed at the local skating rink where the public library sits today.

In January 1925, the Bartlett Tribune reported that Bartlett’s skating rink, owned by Mr. Hollingsworth, was moving to Belton. Hollingsworth sold his equipment to Claude Vandyke and Edwin H. Muehlhause who opened a “large board platform with a tent top” at Penelope and Katy Streets. The Skating Rink opened on February 5, 1925 with a large crowd in attendance and the Belton High School Band playing at frequent intervals. The Belton Journal said, “This form of amusement and exercise will be by far the most popular this year.” Rink hours were from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Various community events and fundraisers were sometimes held at the rink. The Belton Fire Department staged a “Rube Picnic” there to raise funds to defray expenses for the delegates to the State Fireman’s Convention. However, perhaps the most publicized event in newspapers statewide was a murder that occurred on May 16, 1928.

Carlton Fewell, aged twenty years, was shot and killed at the skating rink by H. D. Thompson, a 58-year-old farmer and father of several girls. Several newspapers reported on the events of the tragedy, and the story varies somewhat. The Thompsons and Fewells had been close personal friends for years according to sources. Fewell along with his sister, Madie, ate supper at the home of Thompson’s son-in-law, Eli Skinner. Mabel Thompson, daughter of H.D. Thompson, accompanied them to the skating rink where they were later joined by another Thompson daughter, Mrs. Dollie Mary Thompson Skinner. When the shooting occurred, Carlton, his sister, and one of the Thompson girls were seated on the south side of the skating rink. H.D. Thompson approached the young man, and without saying a word, fired one shot from a .38 calibre pistol into his back just below the right shoulder blade. Fewell sprang up among the skaters and headed for the entrance but fell on the floor. He was taken by car to the local sanitarium but was dead on arrival. A large crowd witnessed the shooting. Meanwhile, Thompson left for home in his vehicle, but was later brought back to Belton. He admitted to the shooting and simply stated, “If a father has not the right to protect his own daughters, I would like to know who has.” The following day, District Attorney Brewster and County Judge Owen P. Carpenter assisted by Deputy Sheriffs McKay and Miller held a court of inquiry. Thompson waived a preliminary hearing on the charge of murder, and in an agreement between his attorney and the district attorney, bond was set at $10,000. Thompson was ordered to report before the grand jury on June 4^th. In August 1928, an assault to murder charge was filed against Will Fewell, father of the murdered boy, after he shot into an automobile in which H.D. Thompson was riding. The shooting occurred on the main business street of Belton.

The case attracted much attention in Bell County over a period of two years. Thompson took the stand, telling jurors that he was “actuated by an indescribable excitement” upon learning that his married daughter, Dollie Skinner, intended to elope with Fewell. Love letters allegedly written by Fewell to Thompson’s daughter were read in court. Thompson was convicted of the murder on February 4, 1929 and given a 30-year sentence. The state called over 90 witnesses while the defense called 289 witnesses. Judge John Watson of Cameron presided.

While his case was on appeal, Thompson remained the Bell County jail for 18 months. The Court of Criminal Appeals reversed and remanded the case. A second trial was held in late 1930 and resulted in a hung jury. A third trial commenced in Milam County in a change of venue and Thompson received a 20-year sentence in March 1931. In 1933, he was granted a furlough from the state penitentiary to attend the funeral of a relative who was killed in a car accident. While walking down north First Street in Temple near the city park, Thompson was gunned down by Will Fewell in a drive-by shooting. Fewell, in a Ford sedan accompanied by a woman and man, fired a shotgun at close range hitting Thompson in the right shoulder, nearly tearing his body apart according to witnesses. Fewell was released on $5000 bond set by the Justice of the Peace in Belton. Thompson’s furlough, extended by governors Sterling and Ferguson, would have expired in one week’s time had he lived.

It is said the skating rink did not last long after the murder. Whether the shocking murder led to its closing is unknown. Or perhaps the untimely death of one of its owners was the final straw. Edwin H. Muehlhause was accidentally shot and killed with his own gun in September 1934, dying at the young age of 33.

“Bond of Belton Farmer, Held in Youth’s Death, Set at $10,000.” Fort Worth Star Telegram, May 18, 1928.

“H.D. (Hy) Thompson Shot to Death in Temple at Early Hour This Morning.” Belton Journal, August 10, 1933.

“Man Charged with Murder Released on Bond.” The Bartlett Tribune and News, May 25, 1928.

“Salado Young Man Killed Here Wednesday Night.” Belton Journal, May 17, 1928.