The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, June 11, 1905

"Texas Charley"
The hottest variety theater in the history of pioneer Denison used to be run just above the Muller block.  The door keeper was "Texas Charley," a coward at heart but always thirsting for notoriety as a bad man.  "Texas Charley always wore a large sombrero with hair a la Buffalo Bill.  When strangers were around, Charley posed as an Indian fighter and slayer.  He was a cow-puncher and worked for a number of years for L.G. Carnes who made his headquarters here. 
"Texas Charley" went up against a tender foot named French and got the worst whipping of his life.  French was a college athlete and in less than 3 minutes had Charley down and out.  Charley was drunk and attempted a pistol play.  French disarmed him and then kicked him around like a football.  French was the guest of Charley Schmucker, of the old Alamo.  He strolled up town and was attracted to the variety theater by the cries of "Texas Charles" who was mounted on a dry goods box telling of the attractions within.  French stopped when Charley told him to move on and let people pass in.   French remarked that he supposed the sidewalk was a sort of mutual ground and turned and started to go. Charley, who was a great bluffer, pulled his white ivory handle pistol and struck at French.  He was whipped into insensibility within 3 minutes.  Charley was so mortified that he cut loose from the variety hall and went on the road.
Charley always stood in with the newspaper gang and they wrote many a lie about his prowess as a  bold bad man.  The climax was reached when a St. Louis paper, we believe the Globe-Democrat, gave to the world his picture describing him as "a famous scout of the Plains." The article made such a fool of Charley that it got him into trouble at Fort Worth where
he made a wild west play and was shot by a gambler.  Charley was a good hearted fellow who would divide his last dollar with a stranger, but he was craven at heart and excited contempt among the game men who were plentiful in those days.   If we mistake not he died with his boots on in St. Louis.

Editor's Note: The Muller block was at 204–206 West Main Street. This structure was originally Hirsch’s Texas Barrel House (a saloon).