Hullen Howard Watkins, Sr.

Livingston High School FFA Unit Holds Initiation
'Twenty Nine Boys Are Given Greenhand Degree At Ceremony'

LIVINGSTON, Oct. 21---Twenty nine boys were initiated as greenhands in the Livingston Chapter, Future Farmers of America, in the Livingston High School Tuesday evening.

The new members are: Hullen Watkins

The Modesto Bee, October 21, 1940

Livingston Highschool 1941

Portrait

TURLOCK, May 24,---Staging of the filth annual boxing and wrestling show last night in the high school gymnasium under the auspices of the physical education department climaxed the season's activities of the Turlock High School Future Farmers.

Boxing results: Albert de Sailes of Hilmar won from Butch Watkins of Livingston.

The Modesto Bee, May 24, 1941

Tracy Hi Beats Livingston, 34-0

LIVINGSTON, Nov, 9,---The Livingston High School football team was defeated, 34 to 0, by Tracy preps here Friday afternoon. Tracy scored in every except one of the third and converted all except one of their touchdowns with passes.

Butch Watkins, quarterback, and Arnold Maldonado, left end, did not play.

The Modesto Bee, November 9, 1942

Livingston Highschool 1942

Portrait

Farming

Football

Track & Field

Basketball

MERCED, Nov, 5,---Booth Nash, chairman of Local Draft Board No. 115, today announced a list of 25 delinquents from the selective agency,

The delinquents are: Hullen H. Watkins

The Modesto Bee, Friday, November 5, 1943

Livingston Highschool 1943

Football

The Modesto Bee, Saturday, October 30, 1954

Judge Ponders What to Do With Forger Who Cut Off Finger to Show Sincerity

SAN JOSE, Calif. (UP)--Superior Judge William J. James tried to make up his mind today what to do about a 31- year old confessed forger and father of seven children who chopped off his check writing finger with a butcher knife to convince the judge he would go straight.

The repentant criminal, Hullen Howard Watkins, a self-employed painter and part-time appliance salesman, previously admitted that he wrote $1,600 worth of bad checks to support His family.

Watkins was scheduled to appear for probation report and sentencing Friday--but he was unable to appear. Thursday he went into the Santa Clara county Jail and slashed off his right index finger with a heavy knife.

WROTE INTENTIONS

He did so after writing a letter to Judge James stating, "I realized you can't take the word of a thief, so the finger I used to write checks with I'm going to cut off." Judge James continued the case for a week "to make up my mind on the strangest case i've ever heard of presiding I'm criminal court."

The letter presented to the judge by a probation officer, read in part as follows: "Judge James, your honor, I'm writing this because I don't know if I will be able to talk tomorrow. I wrote you a letter of two days ago and promised you I'd never write another check again if you would't send me the the pen."

"I realize you can't take the word of thief, so the finger I used to write the checks with I'm going to cut off. It says in the Bible 'if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee for it is better to enter the kingdom of heaven with but one hand than to be cast into the lake of everlasting fire."

"If a man cuts off his hand to save his soul, I thought the least I could do is this to save my children from the disgrace of having an ex-convict father and I won't be able to write any checks even if you still send me to the pen."

TEST OF SINCERITY

"I won't ever be back again. Please try to see that I am sincere when I promise not to commit any more crimes. If I died and went to hell, it will hurt no one but me, but if I am sent to San Quentin it will hurt everyone I love and all who love me. So I would rather go to hell then to the pen...When you read this my finger will be off."

Watkins has been married three times with three children by his first wife, two by his second and two by the third. He has a record of prior convictions for minor crimes.

 The Ventura (Calif.) County Star-Free Press  Saturday, March 3, 1956

Clipped Finger Was A Stub -- By George Ross

Hullen Howard Watkins, part-time appliance salesman awaiting sentence in San Jose for $1,200 worth of forgery, won a delay of judicial process last week when he announced he'd lopped off the end of his "writinfg finger" to impress Judge William F. James with his resolved to go straight.

Judge James was impressed. He postponed sentencing for a week, giving Hullen time to heal his fickle finger and giving himself time to ponder the strange case and re-read Hullen's impassioned letter pleading for leniency.

Hullen had written that took his cue from the Biblical injunction: "If thy right arm offend thee," and made small start while employing a large butcher knife in the jail kitchen. He displayed a bloody bandage over a stumped finger as proof.

This he felt, would support his pledged intent to reform, because " I don't expect you to take the word of a thief."

Today the Police Identification Bureau took another look at Hullen's booking record sheet for Jan. 22, when he was jailed, mugged and finger printed-all NINE fingers.

Watkins isn't being quoted today. He'll have a chance to talk up tomorrow, when his postponed session with Judge James is rescheduled.

Oakland Tribune, Wednesday, March, 7 1956

House Explodes; 2 badly burned

By Daryl Farnsworth 

A Modesto man and his wife were seriously burned Friday when their home exploded in flames while they were spray lacquering kitchen cabinets, fire officials reported.
John Watkins, 57, and his wife, 26, of 609 Placid St., were admitted to the burn unit at Scenic General Hospital shortly after the 3:15 p.m. explosion. They were later transferred to the burn center at Damron Hospital in Stockton where they were listed in serious condition.
Fire Marshal Thurman Norton said the explosion apparently occurred when something ignited lacquer fumes. He said the source of the spark had not been determined. "The fire could have been ignited by an electrical appliance in the house." he said.
Norton said most of the home was gutted by the flash fire. He said only two bedrooms were not burned.
Rollie Webb, 34, told fire inspectors he was helping the Watkinses lacquer the cabinets when he began feeling nauseated because of the strong lacquer fumes.
Webb said he walked out of the back door of the home into the backyard to get some fresh air and when he started to walk back inside there was a flash of fire, according to Lt. Earl Brown.
Webb said the Watkinses were inside the house shouting for him to stay outside. He said he saw Watkins push his wife out the door and then he followed her.
The Watkinses ran across the street to where Wayne Carraway, 70, was standing in his yard and Carraway began squirting water from his garden hose on the burned couple.
Carraway told The Bee he was sitting in a lawn chair in his driveway when he heard a "loud poof."
"I looked up and saw the roof of the Watkins' house lift up and then it went down. The house was totally in flames immediately and I could see the fire inside the house through the windows." Carraway said.
"I didn't know what had happened and then I saw Mrs. Watkins running across the street and then her husband appeared out of some bushes to the side of the house and he took came over and I sprayed water on both of them." Carraway said.
Carraway said that about an hour before the explosion he had smelled a heavy odor of lacquer but he didn't know where the odor was coming from.
Two cars parked in the driveway and carport in front of the Watkin home were damaged by the fire. A small house trailer in the back yard also was damaged by the flames. Brown said that when the first team of firefighters arrived at the scene the house was engulfed in flames. The fire was quickly knocked down and no firefighters were injured.
Residents for several blocks in all directions felt the explosion, and the smoke from the blaze could be seen from downtown Modesto.
Doug Hudson, 17, who lives two blocks from the Watkins home, said he heard the explosion and then saw heavy black smoke rising into the sky.
Ryan Dunscomb, 14, who lives several blocks from the fire, said he could see black smoke filling the sky and he rode his bicycle over to see what was burning.

The Modesto Bee, 1981

Blast victim dies
A Modesto man whose house was engulfed in flames on August 21 after an explosion possibly caused when lacquer fumes ignited died Friday at Damron Hospital in Stockton. John Watkins of 613 Placid St. suffered second and third degree burns on 97 percent of his body, the San Joaquin County Coroner's Office reported. His wife Janice Watkins remains in critical condition in the burn ward at Damron.

The Modesto Bee, Sunday, August 30, 1981

HULLEN H. WATKINS -- A gravestone service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Turlock Memorial Park for Hullen H. Watkins, 56, of Modesto, who died in a Stockton hospital Friday, a week after he suffered severe burns in an explosion.

A memorial service is scheduled at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 3237 Carver Road. Visitation will be until noon Wednesday at the Norton Mortuary, Turlock. A native of Oklahoma, he had lived in Modesto-Turlock area since childhood. He was a painting contractor.

His wife Janice, who was also injured when lacquer fumes explode in the Watkins home, remains in critical condition in Cameron Hospital, Stockton.

Besides his wife, Mr. Watkins is survived by sons Andy And Mike of Hayward, Cliff of Modesto, Brandy of Stockton and Howard Watkins of Ceres; daughters Karen Hodges and Sharon Galgano of Hayward, Cindy Burney of Stockton and Wanda Ford and Carolyn Rainey of Modesto one brother, four sisters and 17 grandchildren.

The Modesto Bee Tuesday, September 01, 1981 

Gravesite Details: akaJohn Watkins; bOK; dStocktonCA; f/o Howard, CeresCA

Alternate Names

• Hullen Watkins
• Hullen H. Watkins
• H.H. Watkins
• Hulen Howard Watkins
• John Howard Watkins
• Butch Watkins