Mr. Crothers came to this country on Nov. 15, 1882, from Evansville, Indiana.
    In those days, Cisco, Texas, was the nearest point with railroad connections, so from Cisco, Mr. Crothers traveled by the old fashioned stage coach, to Brownwood, and from Brownwood to Brady on horseback.
    Mr. Crothers remained in the West two years but his heart was really in Indiana, so in the year 1884, he returned to Evansville and claimed his bride on March 25th, a very young and very lovely bride to bring to this frontier country.  Mr. Crothers likes to recall the days of fast horses.  At that time he had in his possession two far-famed young animals, named "Tide" and "Time."  They were always eager to start and when the signal "Go!" was given, were off at a fast run, the time for them to travel from here to Brownwood being four and one-half hours, which was almost unheard of in the days of the pioneers.
    When Mr. Crothers established the Commercial National Bank he was not thirty years old, which seemed young to plainsmen.  This was April 23, 1894. Old timers remember that in 1893, one year before Mr. Crothers organized the bank, a man by the name of Mike L. Woods, walked off with quite a few thousand of the bank's money.  Woods went to South America at the time.  Later he died after serving five years in the pen.
    Mr. Crothers recalls that Tinker Allen had the first automobile in Brady and I myself remember that Mr. Crothers had the second one.  It wa a magnificent "two lug" affair and had the most beautiful red body and the sputterings would make any modern day Buick positively green with envy.  However, it was so powerful that it took all of the family to change gears, Chase Crothers being especially apt at handling the situation.
    Mr. Crothers has always been closely associated with McCulloch County.  He has watched it grow, has seen old landmarks disappear, old trails vanish, old days - forgotten.

And one other:
    I have before me an old handbill with a picture of W. D. Crothers (with a flowing mustache) gotten out by the Brady Sentinel, sponsored by F. M. Newman nominating the Hon. W. D. Crothers for Governor of Texas.  It read thus:
    The people of McCulloch and Brown counties desire to present the name of Hon. W. D. Crothers of Brady to the next Democratic Convention for governor.  Unlike all of the candidates for the office, we are not certain that our man will be nominated, but we think he is fully well qualified for the position as any candidate now in the field.  West Texas ought to be entitled to name the governor occasionally.  We can do no harm by booming a West Texas man and we have no better man than Crothers.  And we ask that you instruct your delegates for Crothers with the other names second choice.  Crothers is not a candidate but we (the people) are running him.
    Signed:
    F. M. Newman, J. E. Shropshire, R. S. Dod, J. R. Spiller, J. G. Plummer, J. C. Wall,H. F. Mayes, F. M. Miller, J. W. Mattews, committee.

    From his published obituary:
    Death came suddenly and without warning Monday evening at 5:45 o'clock to W. D. Crothers, pioneer Brady citizen and banker, and one of the most widely known and best loved citizens of the section...
    He is survived by his wife and three daughters, Mrs. Marie Brannum, and Mrs. H. B. Ogden of Brady, and Mrs. M. C. Wolfe of Dallas.

Submitted by: Louann Hall