August 21, 2010

When Everts came to Chamal from his home and ranch to help anyone who could use his talents and abilities, we felt honored to have him stay at our home for as long as he wished. Since the Britt's general store seemed in the center of Chamal and people came there regularly, that seemed the best home to stay in to see everyone. Yes, he did stay at times in other homes, like the Ingram's and Ashley Taylor's, because all the people loved having him as a special guest, but it seemed more convenient at the Britt's home.

Since he didn't have a car and had no interest in getting one, he often went by bus, train, or horseback, and that seemed to suit him fine. When he came by horseback, he took a short cut from his home in "Calavasas" (Spanish for pumpkins) on an old trail used years before by the first settlers to reach to Chamal.

When he stayed at the Britt home, he put his horse in the small grass pasture used to keep small calves whose mothers were the milk cows. Like the cows the horse drank water that was drawn up by rope and bucket from the Britt's well near the fence. Everts let children ride his gentle mare around the yard.

Everts was given a large room as a bedroom and office joining the store. His visits lasted for many days as was needed to help everyone that might need his knowledge of English or Spanish and in understanding the laws of Mexico so well he could do much in legal work and was able to travel with people to a place if needed.

Everts in front of Britt's store.

Since Robert Britt had a general store he was able to supply Everts with almost any supplies needed, including the use of a manual typewriter, made for typing Spanish. Never was a word heard of paying Everts for his time and work. He worked at the time most suited for people.

He loved to sit on a bench on the front porch of the store and talk with people in spare time. The porch was the width of the store with a tin roof and barbed wire fence to keep out animals, day or night, and river rocks were placed near together for a floor. That was fine for people to tie their horses out on the edge of the street to a hitching post. It was a friendly and happy place any time Everts was there. He was interested in everyone and was a good listener, even with small children. He loved to tell jokes and to tease in a kindly way. As an avid reader, he read both English and Mexican newspapers, so he was keeping up with world news and shared his learning with everyone. Everyone loved him for his wonderful talks.

He loved to travel, both short and long trips, in Mexico and in the United States. He told of his trips to visit his two brothers and their families.

Walter & Everts Storms

Everts visited Walter and his wife who lived in New Orleans, almost once a year at the time of the week long celebration , Mardi Gras. He also visited his brother Fred, his wife and children, who lived in Panico , Vera Cruz. These relatives also enjoyed going to visit him at his ranch.

Everts never owned a gun, or any kind of weapon. He truly was a peaceful man, and he did so much with pen and paper.

As the time went by, in the 1930's, the United States was enduring a time of financial depression. Some of Everts friends who still owned land in Chamal decided to move their families back to Chamal and farm or raise cattle. So here were more people to be friends, and that seemed good except for a few good things not available in Chamal.

Everts advised parents to find a way to send their children to the United States for a better education. Many of those never returned to Chamal to live. But Everts was a faithful friend even to those who lived in the United States, going to visit them whenever he could. He was most welcome everywhere he went. Besides taking his suitcase he would take an empty Mexican "morral." That was unusual for some people, but Everts loved the multicolor bag made of the same material as ropes and very durable. It was about the size of bags that were made in the States and called shopping bags. Everts often received gifts to take home, so he explained smiling, it was in case he received a gift, and he would have something to carry it home in! That didn't stop the gifts at all!

Be it easy or hard, Everts never slowed in helping people. It was during one of his visits to Robert and Delaine Britt's home in Chamal, that he was of great help in a different way that must have been very hard for him. Delaine was going to have a baby in their home, and would need the skills of a medical doctor, but none lived in Chamal. There was one in (Villa Juarrez) El Monte and one in Ocampo that would come. The Britts preferred the one in Ocampo, about twelve miles away, to the west and on a poor highway over a steep mountain.

Robert owned a good car, the only one in Chamal (That was in 1930). Now, Robert drove a car for many years, but did not want to leave Delaine for however long it might take to bring a doctor, so he asked Everts to drive the car and bring back the help needed to deliver this baby. Everts had learned to drive years earlier but avoided it altogether, so he had no skill to do the job needed. How he must have felt! But away he went in the dark of the night, over the steep high mountain. Then as soon as possible brought back the doctor, and the Britts had a fine healthy son, Robert M. (Bob) Britt, Jr. Everyone was so happy and grateful to Everts! When Everts drove over the mountain the car brakes were worn out. We were sorry about the car but proud of Everts. We never heard of Everts driving a car again.

Everts Storms & Child

The photo of Everts on the right was taken at his ranch. It appears to be one hot summer day, but Everts is without a hat to shade his head and face from the sun rays. But notice a large and wide brimmed hat on a little Mexican boy in front of him wearing what appears to be Everts sun protection, as Everts presents the child to the cameraman.

On one occasion we went to visit for a few days, without giving him any kind of advance notice. We were a group of two families with three small boys. As Everts invited us into his two bedroom sleeping house, he told us of a friend in the United States that had a son staying in one of the bedrooms for an undetermined period of time, because his son had many bad habits, and knowing no one to help better than Everts Storms. He asked the teenage young man to go and stay in El Mante until we had our visit. The teenager was happy to comply with Everts' request.

After one of Everts trips to the United States in the early 1930's, he told of one of his long cross county train trips. He said that it was in winter, one of coldest in years, but even so, how wonderful it was for him. He rode on a passenger train in one of the "Pullman" coaches, where everything was for the wealthy people and he met and became acquainted with some of them as they speed along over a country side covered in a blanket of snow and ice looking through the big windows. To him who lived in Mexico a warm climate for so long, it was hard to believe a person could sit in the great and comfortable coaches and be so warm. In the dinning coach, everything was cooked to perfection and served at the best temperature to be enjoyed on white linen table cloths and napkins, pure china dishes, crystal ware glasses and sterling silverware. Even ice cream was made and served to the travelers in the middle of winter. Hearing that story told to us brought a big laugh, to Everts pleasure! Remember, we lived in a hot weather climate, and there had never been ice at Everts' house.

Everts Storms, Ansle Bateman, Mexican General Monfin, & Walter Storms

Everyone loved going to visit Everts at his home. Whether the visitors were American or Mexican; people of all religions, of social status, heads of state, governors, high ranking military, even generals.

Never blessed with a family of his own, even so he loved being with people who had families, and he was thrilled to be invited to many good times and he enjoyed every moment, especially weddings. He made every effort to attend.

Everts Storms guest at another wedding

The photo at right shows a beautiful young lady in a wedding gown of white flowing to her feet, and sitting with her on a bench is our smiling Everts! He loved to tell us about big and beautiful weddings he had attended.

He told us of three very special weddings, of three generations of men of the same family. At the time of his telling us, all these couples were still living in Chamal and they have reared large and good families. Perhaps his being there to help celebrate brought good luck. He was an honored guest.

Since he owned a sugarcane field on the Sabinas River near his home, he had everything needed to make "piloncillo". The mill was primitive, powered by a mule. The cane would be cut and brought from the field then pushed by men into the waiting press. The juice poured into a waiting vat would be cooked by a very slow wood fire. The still liquid syrup would be poured into clay molds to cool and harden by evaporation of the moisture. In this way the brown colored and hard sugar would be made. Later the sugar was removed from the drinking glass size molds and wrapped in sugarcane leaves and shipped any place. It was used by cooks to make delicious foods.

What a treat, when Everts or a worker filled a clay mold with a few drops of fresh lime juice. Everyone loved the drink, so fresh and all we could drink. Sugar cane stalks fresh from the field were given to all people, one could peel the stalk with a knife and chew the pulp. Going into small towns there were venders selling the local grown products.

A happy man, yet Everts knew great sorrow and personal grief. It was during the time after the revolution. New laws brought much change; one was the Agrarian Land Reform that confiscated a part of his land. Over that loss, no one ever heard him complain. A young Mexican man was shot and killed as he was on a mountain trail alone and on his return to his home. Later it was learned he was killed by mistake as the gunman thought he was killing Everts. Everts keep a photo of the young man in a frame in his bedroom and would tell everyone of the sad story.

Being a wise man, Everts must have thought of things that might be at the end of his life time. He must have trusted the Mexican people to do as much as they could for him. For an example, he bought Mexican cedar wood and stored it in the space between the roof rafters. He told us he bought the material for them to make his casket for him when he died. And of course they did that, with all humility and respect that was possible.

Everts seamed in good health to us, but he told us he had a seizure or a stroke of some kind, and he was under a medical doctor's care in Victoria, but he tried to keep on with his routine.

After the Britts moved to San Antonio, Everts continued to go to Chamal. We did not see him so often, and missed his smiling face, but the Britts did visit him at his ranch, whenever we went back to Chamal.

It was with deep sorrow that we learned of his sudden death. As was his custom, each morning he went to bathe in the river and somehow he must have slipped and fell into deeper water, became over powered and was swept downstream and drowned.

Later that day the Mexicans missed seeing him and went to search where he might be and they found his clothing, shoes, and other items on the bank. Alarmed they began a search that was continued late into the darkness of the night and started again at first light of the next day.

With broken hearts, they carried his body up and back to his home and to El Monte to notify the proper people in the police department to go and verify the death by drowning. They also sent the sad report to his relatives and friends in Chamal and elsewhere.

Since he lived in a remote place and they could not keep his body for a length of time, they buried him as soon as possible on his property and near his home. Very few people were there. But everyone who knew him was overcome by the sad news. In due time his nephew, a son of his brother Fred, moved his family onto the property and into Everts home. We were sure his nephew would take care of everything there which Everts had loved.

Everts William Storms led a full and adventuresome life, helping others with legal issues, assisting scientists, and being a friend to both the American and the Mexican people that he touched.