Charles Askins Jr. stories

[wreckhog]

Picked this up somewhere. What else you got?


When I met Charlie Askins, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he was one of my fans -- so I revised my intense former long-distance dislike of him (based on his writings) and figured This guy can't be all bad.

As I got to know him through later contacts, it turned out that indeed he wasn't all bad.

Just mostly bad. About 90% to 99%, as a rough guess.

His favorite sport was killing people, whether they "had it coming" or not. He hunted on many safaris in Africa, where his favorite professional hunter was a part-time PH whose main occupation as a mercenary usually involved killing black Africans. Charlie gleefully jumped at every opportunity to quit hunting four-footed game and start killing two-footed prey. I'm not sure, but I think it was Charlie or this PH who killed a black baby -- whose parents they'd killed as poachers -- rather than take the baby to a nearby native village where he could be cared-for.

It was "common knowledge" among Charlie's ex-Border Patrol colleagues that he'd gotten another BP officer out from under a murder rap by murdering the only witness.

I liked Charlie but could never admire or respect him. He gave his autobiography the most fittingly descriptive title in all of literature -- Unrepentent Sinner. The man didn't even have the slightest desire to be -- or to be considered -- good.

I'll never forget how one of his editors began the note telling us that Charlie had died: his first line was "Hell just got fuller."

[BBF]

You need a guy/guys like that on your southern border.

[wreckhog]

There are guys like that on the southern border. They are called Zetas.

[BBF]

I thought they were part of the problem

[lakota]

So what exactly is your point here? Are you saying all BP agents are bad because of this one? 

[SHOOTALL]

Picked this up somewhere. What else you got?


When I met Charlie Askins, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he was one of my fans -- so I revised my intense former long-distance dislike of him (based on his writings) and figured This guy can't be all bad.

As I got to know him through later contacts, it turned out that indeed he wasn't all bad.

Just mostly bad. About 90% to 99%, as a rough guess.

His favorite sport was killing people, whether they "had it coming" or not. He hunted on many safaris in Africa, where his favorite professional hunter was a part-time PH whose main occupation as a mercenary usually involved killing black Africans. Charlie gleefully jumped at every opportunity to quit hunting four-footed game and start killing two-footed prey. I'm not sure, but I think it was Charlie or this PH who killed a black baby -- whose parents they'd killed as poachers -- rather than take the baby to a nearby native village where he could be cared-for.

It was "common knowledge" among Charlie's ex-Border Patrol colleagues that he'd gotten another BP officer out from under a murder rap by murdering the only witness.

I liked Charlie but could never admire or respect him. He gave his autobiography the most fittingly descriptive title in all of literature -- Unrepentent Sinner. The man didn't even have the slightest desire to be -- or to be considered -- good.

I'll never forget how one of his editors began the note telling us that Charlie had died: his first line was "Hell just got fuller."

So what is your point ? He came along when times were different. Nothing PC back then. Not much in the way of backup. As far as Africa it is or can be brutial .

[lgm270]

Who is the author of this piece? 

Anybody can say anything about anyone. Is there actually any proof for any of these allegations?

[lgm270]

Who is the author of this piece? 

Anybody can say anything about anyone. Is there actually any proof for any of these allegations?

The purported author is Ken Howell. Here's the link to the web site where this personal recollection is told.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/248260/1

[SHOOTALL]

sounds like sour grapes

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Wreckhog, I have read much about Charlie Jr....never this one though..he was quite a guy, and a bit out of step with this society, but I liked him what I knew from reading...One of  my personal friends, although not a close one, was a writer...he told me or wrote to me that he met charlie several times, and one of the senior members of the writers group ask him how he liked Charlie...my pals reply was he is interesting or something like that, the senior writer told him,  "Charlie is a very dangerous man." From what he wrote in his autobiography, I am quite sure, there is much NOT told...
His father was a great shotgunner, I have a couple of his books..one describes his relationship to a dog he trained..to me it was quite moving...while Charlie sr. was a great shotgunner and rifleman, he was a different cut than his son..Charlie Sr. for a time wrote childrens books...quite different than his son..anyway thanks for sharing..I will check the link out, and if you have more stuff and don't care to post it please pm me..thanks again..

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  WH, I just read the link to Charlie, wow, far different than I thought...still thanks for sharing...

[williamlayton]

HUMMMMMMM.
Who can say. Lots of the boys back then were different.
Death has not always been so feared or dramatic as it is today. I think the shorter life span was one reason it was not feared.
On to Charlie---brings rememberance of Hank Williams Jr's song about carrying on old family traditions. The border, in the day, was more than rough and tumble, it was more akin to no man's land--much like the Sabine border between Louisiana and Texas was for a shorter period.
It was a lawless land Charlie roamed--along with countless Texas Rangers thru history. They were all pretty much this Western unrepentant cowhided man. Attitudes were just plain different.
Heck fire, look at ol Charlie Miller of the Rangers---he slept easy at nights also.
Charlie would have looked right in place with a ranger star and the paperwork would only look different because it would have had "State of Texas" at the top.
Blessings

[billy_56081]

He sounds like a good guy. I think I would have found alot in common with him.