JACKSBORO, Texas ---
Come celebrate the 142nd anniversary of the
existence of Texas' northern-most U.S. Army fort
during Fort Richardson Days on April 17 and 18,
and see what frontier life was like in the 1870s.
More than 3,000 visitors typically show up
during the weekend for the annual living history event,
including 1,100 school children who are
invited to the fort on Friday, April 17.
The celebration takes place
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days at the
Fort Richardson State Park &
Historic Site one-half mile south of
town on U.S. Highway 281.
Entry fees are $3 per person for individuals between
13 and 64 yearsof age, and $2 for persons 65 and older.
On Saturday, Fort Richardson visitors can see
Wild West gunfights; cavalry, infantry and artillery drills;
flintnapping, spinning, blacksmithing and weaving
demonstrations; and equipment displays.
Lipan Apache tribal elders will be sharing their
heritage from their encampment, which includes a period tipi.
In addition, the event will include a 1 p.m. melodrama presented
by Weatherford College students and a 7 p.m. dance featuring
old-time music and dance instruction. There will be food and
souvenirs for sale, with proceeds supporting the
Friends of Fort Richardson.
More than 100 re-enactors in period attire bring the frontier days
to life in what was the most heavily garrisoned military
installation in the U.S. during the Indian War of 1870-74.
Fort Richardson, built in 1867, also served as the regimental
headquarters for the Sixth U.S. Cavalry from 1871 to 1873.
Seven original structures, six built of rock, and two reproduction
barracks will be open for tours during the special event. The most
impressive of the original buildings is the two-story rock hospital
built for $140,000 that dominates the fort's parade grounds that
once spanned the length of four football fields.
Visitors also can step inside a two-story, frame home that remains
as the only commander's quarters of its kind left standing in the
U.S. It was but one of more than 50 buildings that existed
during the fort's heyday when more than 700 troops occupied
the fort established to protect westbound settlers from hostile
Indian tribes that dominated much of West Texas in the
1860s and 1870s.
Though the weekend focus will be on the Fort Richardson Days
event, visitors also can enjoy a variety of outdoor recreational
options, including camping and traversing the nine-mile
Lost Creek Reservoir Trail way.
For more information, call the fort at (940) 567-3506.
Postpartum mental disorder could be used as a legal defense for women who kill their children under a bill introduced in the Legislature.
The bill was filed this month by Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, and it applies to women who commit the crime within a year of giving birth, The Dallas Morning News reported in Sunday editions. If jurors find a mother guilty of murder, they could take testimony about postpartum issues into consideration during the trial's punishment phase.
If jurors find that the woman's judgment was impaired because of childbirth or lactation, they could judge her guilty of infanticide, a state jail felony that would carry a maximum punishment of two years in jail.
If lawmakers approve the measure, Texas would become the first state to have an infanticide law, said George Parnham, the Houston attorney who defended Andrea Yates.
"It's something every civilized country has on its books," said Parnham, who supports the legislation. "The only thing that will change public attitude is education about postpartum issues."
McKinney attorney David Haynes, who defended Dena Schlosser, said Farrar's bill "recognizes the great stress that some mothers are under when they suffer from postpartum depression."
Yates drowned her five children -- ranging in age from 7 years to 6 months -- in June 2001 at her family's home in Houston. She was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2002.
An appeals court in 2005 overturned her conviction because of some erroneous testimony. Yates was found innocent by reason of insanity in July 2006 and sent to a state mental hospital.
Schlosser, who killed her 10-month-old daughter in 2004 by cutting off her arms with a kitchen knife, was recently released from the state mental hospital where she'd been sent after being found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Schlosser was released into outpatient treatment because her doctors believe she's mentally stable, a Collin County prosecutor has said. She is required to see a psychiatrist once a week, take medication, be on a physician-approved birth control and not have any unsupervised contact with children.
Shannon Edmonds, legislative liaison for the Texas District & County Attorneys Association, said the legislative proposal would have to be thoroughly reviewed.
"Anytime something novel like this is proposed," he said, "it needs to be fully vetted so that legislators can make informed decisions and be sure there are no unintended consequences."
Postpartum depression is recognized as a legal defense in at least 29 nations, including Britain, which has had an infanticide law since 1922.
"These countries have accepted the reality of postpartum mood disorders," said Susan Dowd Stone, chair of the President's Advisory Council for Postpartum Support International, a California-based advocacy group.
Postpartum psychosis is a rare condition that generally affects women with extreme sensitivity to hormonal fluctuations and a history of mental illness, Stone said.
"We do not want women who abuse children to use this defense," Stone said. "There are very clear guidelines for postpartum psychosis."
Even though Stone believes that women who suffer from postpartum disorder need treatment, not imprisonment, she recognizes that "infanticide with no jail time would not fly. Our country is not ready for that."
Copyright Associated Press