"Only fools and newcomers predict the weather in Texas" (1910)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

Maybe someone with ProQuest or America's Historical Newspapers (which has  
both Texas Siftings and the Dallas Morning News) can knock this Americanism out  
of the park. It sucks not having all the databases.
...
A search for "newcomers"+"fools"+"weather"+ "Texas" should bring it  up.
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_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/only_newcomers_and_fools_pred
ict_the_weather_in_texas/_ 
(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/only_newcomers_and_fools_predict_the_weather_in_texas/) 
...
 
“Only newcomers and fools predict the weather in Texas”
 
The old Texas weather saying (dating from at least the early 1900s) is: “Only 
 newcomers and fools predict the weather in Texas.” 

It’s alleged that a  newcomer once responded that that’s because there are 
only two kinds of people  in Texas. 


_Google  Books_ 
(http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1417992204&id=Wxd7J7jOy5EC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&ots=HLcNCII3CK&dq=boyce+house&ie=ISO-8859-1&sig=Uz4Tj4qGJUT
xLR0TjiO81EM-aug#PPA6,M1)  
I Give You Texas: 500 Jokes of the Lone Star State 
by  Boyce House 
San Antonio, TX: The Naylor Co. 
1943 
Kessinger  Publishing 
2004 (reprint) 
Pg. 6: 
“Nobody but fools and newcomers  predict the weather in Texas.” 
... 
Someone—having rashly prophesied the  weather—was reminded of the fools’
-and-newcomers’ saying. Replied he:  

“Come to think of it, they’re the only two classes of people I’ve seen  in 
the State.” 

_Google  Books_ 
(http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1560009845&id=yhAhkYAHuiwC&pg=PA184&lpg=PA184&ots=rNfiIjuVJ0&dq=fools+newcomers+texas+weather&ie=ISO-
8859-1&sig=FYHqOy3ARd2RCdPnGu12qmmDpk0)  
The American People: Stories, Legends, Tales, Traditions and  Songs 
by Benjamin Albert Botkin 
New York Historical Association  
1946 
New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers 
1998 (reprint)  
Pg. 184: 
It has been said that George B. Erath, the famous German  pioneer and Indian 
fighter, was the author of the expression: “Nobody prophesies  about Texas 
weather except newcomers and damn fools.” 

For many years  this has been a favourite gag in Texas social life. It was 
one of the sells in  the old saloon days, and the unfortunate tenderfoot who 
fell for it always had  to set up the drinks to the crowd. 

One dull, slow evening when things  were at an absolute standstill in the 
saloon, a fresh young guy with a derby hat  and store-bought clothes breezed into 
the place, walked up to the bar ,and  ordered a drink. The usual crowd of 
loafers looked on disapprovingly but said  nothing. Leisurely finishing his drink 
and wiping his mouth with a bright silk  handerkerchief, the newcomer said, “
Well, I believe it’s going to rain.”  

The golden opportunity had arrived; the whole crowd was alert and  watchful. 
Then the old nester, the leader in all the local wars of wits, said  very 
fatherly, “My friend, did you know that there were only two kinds of people  who 
prophesy about Texas weather?” 

“Two kinds of people who prophesy on  Texas weather?” mused the stranger. “
That’s very queer. Who are they?”  

Then the old nester, with all the contempt and sarcasm in his power,  
sneered, “Newcomers and damn fools.” 

The crowd rose with a mighty shout  and gathered around the newcomer 
shouting, “Haw, haw, haw.” “He got you that  time.” “You are it.” “He got you good.”
 “Set um up. Set um up.” “You owe drinks  to the house.” “Come on, set em 
up.” 

The young fellow stood smiling at  all their hurrah. He was not the least 
troubled about their demands for the  drinks. When the hubbub had died down and 
they were all properly up against the  bar, he said very calmly and slowly, “
"You say there are only two kinds of  people who prophesy about Texas weather—
newcomers and damn fools. You are right.  Those ar the only two kinds in Texas.” 

20 August 1910, Galveston (TX)  Daily News, pg. 6, col. 3: 
While we do not mean to offend either the  fools or the newcomers, we venture 
to suggest that those who thought Governor  Campbell wouldn’t call another 
session of the legislature are kin to the kinds  of people who predict the 
weather in Texas. 

29 April 1932, Florence (SC)  Morning News, “Texas Hen Turns Weather 
Forecaster,” pg. 5, col. 5:  
CUERO, Tex., April 28 (UP)—A hardworking hen in the barnyard family of Sid  
Smith, farmer near here, laid an egg bearing the words, “No rain.” Raised  
surfaces on the perfectly formed egg made the words easily discernible,  
according to witnesses. 

The axiom that weather prophets in Texas are  either fools or newcomers, has 
become a tradition. But no rain had fallen in the  vicinity of Cuero 22 days 
after the egg was found.  

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org