Texas, executions recorded in county histories, 1936-1995, Undated

PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS 121

‘Ross was discovered and word spread that he had been ~
murdered. The girl and boy who had stopped for gasoline

heard about the killing and the next day they proceeded
to the office of District Attorney Sam Cleveland, and told

the latter about seeing the boy about the time Crocket Ross Ree

was murdered, and this girl gave a detailed description,
although she did not know the name of the killer. It must
have been good, as Sam Cleveland related this description
to various Peace Officers, including Frank Granberry, Chief
of Police, in Mineral Wells, Texas. Granberry mulled this
over in his mind for a few days, and telephoned Sam Cleve-
land,.and said he had seen a boy fitting this description
with Dan White, who was a common thief, and if he would
come up they would talk to the boy and White, and Sam
Cleveland drove up there as soon as he could get there,
and they drove out where Dan White lived and found he
and the boy gone. The officers knew the old car owned ee
by Dan White, and they set out to hunt for the car, on.
the theory Dan White would be close by, and they found

‘it up at Vernon, Texas. Sam Cleveland, District Attorney,
R. E. George, Sheriff of Erath County, Texas, and Frank ©

Granberry, Chief of Police of Mineral Wells, Texas, all

drove up to Vernon, Texas, and arrested Dan White and 3%

Robert Bagwill, and they had the boy and girl who bought

~ the gasoline the night Crocket Ross was murdered to drive . 2

up and look them over. They took one look at Robert Bag-
will and said that is the man. Charges were filed against

both and they were brought back and lodged in jail in

Stephenville, Texas. Both were indicted for murder with.
malice. Robert Bagwill was placed on trial first in the ©
District Court of Erath County, Texas, with Ernest Bel-.
cher, Judge, Sam Cleveland, District Attorney, and Sam M.
Russell, as Special Prosecutor, and Billy Meyers and Jaa
Elwood Winters appointed by the court as attorneys for.


PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH County, TEXAS” 123. ;

W. J. Oxford, Special Prosecutor, prosecuting the case, :
McCain & Daniels, Attorneys, defending the case.

~ Tom Wright at 5:00 o’clock P. M. on December 18, 1897,

on Black Jack Street in broad daylight and in the presence ==
of witnesses shot and killed John Adams, Constable in _ Fed
Dublin, Texas. Wright waited in a stairway until the back ’
of John Adams was toward him, and shot him at close

range in the back of the head. After Adams fell, mortally
wounded in the street, he stepped up and stood over him

and shot him once more in the head, and while he lay there
writhing in the street in the throes of death, he jumped

upon his dying body, waived his arms and crowed like a
rooster. 5

Tom Wright for sometime before had been accused of
selling and handling whiskey in violation of the law in
Dublin, Texas, and he was considered by many to be the

town bully and many people were afraid of him. However,
John Adams had arrested him several times before and
caused him to pay fines. Wright always carried a gun

concealed on his person.

Not long before this killing, Judge W. J. Oxford, Sr., =
was County Attorney of Erath County, Texas, and went
over to Dublin, Texas, to try a few cases pending in the
Justice Court. Tom Wright was one of those up for trial,
and he and his friends pulled guns and stopped the pro-
ceedings, but the next day Judge W. J. Oxford, Sr., was
back armed and had a few friends with him armed, and
court was held in an orderly manner and Tom Wright was
tried, found guilty and paid a fine.

Tom Wright sought bail in a preliminary hearing before ~
Justice of the Peace, W. E. Lowe, Dublin, Texas, which ©
was denied; he then filed a writ of habeas corpus before

~ Judge J. S. Straughan seeking bail and again bail was


120  PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH County, TEXAS

Dan White was a wanderer from Mineral Wells, Texas,
and had a nephew, Robert Bagwill, about 18 years of age,

__ who lived with him and his common law wife. It was said.

their principal business was breaking and entering homes,
where they usually took silverware, fur coats and other
things of value. L/P

i

On January 28, 1949, about sundown, Dan White ‘and
Robert Bagwill, decided to come to Stephenville, Texas,
and rob the Ross Service Station which was across the
street from the Southeast corner of Tarleton State College
jn Stephenville, Texas. They had heard that Crocket Rosa
carried large sums of money, and they knew he owned.
and operated the service station. It was a terrible night,
as it was raining and snowing. They arrived in Stephen-
ville, Texas, about 9:00 P. M. and drove by and looked the
service station over and saw Ross inside working, and
‘drove on and parked across the street from the College
Tailor Shop, 1149 West Tarleton Street, and Dan White
remained in the car, while Robert Bagwill with a 38 caliber
pistol got out and walked South about two hundred yards
to the Ross Service Station. He went inside to a fire and.
watched Crocket Ross wait on two or three cars out, in
front, and while standing in front of the fire a boy and
girl drove in the station: to fill up with gasoline, and the
girl came inside to wait and warm by the fire, and Bagwill
did not move over for her, and she looked him over good.
After the car was serviced this boy and girl went on their
way and Crocket Ross came back inside his station to warm
by the fire, and Robert Bagwill shot six times and killed
Crocket Ross, rifled his cash register, and lifted his wallet
from his person. He took more than three hundred dollars
altogether and went back to the waiting car and told Dan
“White he had to kill the man, and they drove back to
Mineral Wells, Texas. In a short time the body of Crocket


Pap eer z+ es : : Woreee be PE Vote Sar 1 ane 5 tae
Reh ao Ae ia Ste RN ag Ce 9 GU Dig A ee O Men Sed SMELL Seem PA Sgpr ik A le BF

\
\

122 PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS ~

the defendant. These defense lawyers did an excellent job,
as they saved Robert Bagwill from the electric chair _as
a benevolent jury gave him life in the State penitentiary,
and he accepted the sentence without an appeal, and waa
out of the penitentiary in about five years.

Dan White, with the aid of his Attorney Charles Nope
dyke, filed a written motion with the District Court ym
questing a change of venue, and forthwith Sam Cleveland
and Sam M. Russell joined in this request, as they/ krwewy

‘if a jury would give the trigger man life, another pity

might be reluctant to electrocute Dan White, and they he
lieved both should be electrocuted, and J udge Ernest Rel.
cher transferred the case to Palo Pinto County, T exak,

: which was in his district and would ‘still permit him. te

try the case. In a short time the case was called for trial
in Palo Pinto, Texas, and all parties announced ready fr
trial, and a jury was selected and found Dan White guilty
of murder on the theory he was a principal in the case
and assessed his punishment at death in the electric chair,
His case was appealed and affirmed by the Court of C rimi-
nal Appeals in Austin, Texas, and he was electrocuted and
his body sold to the medical school in Galveston, Texas,
for the sum of $300.00 and this money paid to his common
law wife. Many good defense lawyers believed this a little
far fetched, as White was never closer than two hundred.
yards and only agreed to the robbery in the first place, but_
technically and legally the law was followed, and the highest
court in criminal matters had spoken.
| (c) - |
The State of Texas V. Tom Wright, 50 S. W. 940, in the
District Court of Erath County, Texas, with J. Ss.
Straughe ‘n, Judge, oe W. GS District, pool Dey saag


Sd

Funeral Home, and stood in line for a while and viewed
the head, and was astounded that the boy looked so natural,
and he remained quiet and passed unnoticed. Knowing in
his mind someone would identify_the boy, he lingered
around the funeral home for a few hours and watched
people view the head, and now and then when he was in
a crowd, he would move quietly and listen to what people

PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS 135 | “ as

were saying and at one time, he was listening to three or . ~

four people talk, and one said if he knew who murdered
that young boy, he would lead a neck tie party and string
him up to the highest tree, and F. M. Snow raised his head
and said he would like to join that kind of a party.

Sam M. Russell, District Attorney, was young, alert and.
energetic and he worked tirelessly to find someone who
could identify the head. He knew this involved a bad
murder case and it was his duty to prosecute the killer.
He kept after the Peace Officers day and night to follow
every lead regardless of how small it might be in the case,
and he and the Peace Officers called other officers in neigh-
boring counties and actually all over the State, trying to
find out who they might have missing in their community,
and requesting that any relative of any missing person,
or any one else who could identify the missing person, come
to Stephenville, Texas, and see if the head belonged to
such person.

Actually in a couple or three days perhaps a thousand,
or even more had viewed the head, and Ned Gristy, who
lived out in the Indian Creek Community, passed by the
casket to take a look, and he backed up and took a second
look, and fully believed the head belonged to Bernie Con- ©
nally and he told District Attorney Sam M. Russell, but

said he would like for his wife to take a look and then he :

would be completely satisfied. Sam Russell immediately
dispatched someone to bring Mrs. Ida Gristy into town,

+h


134 ‘ PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS

was a favorite place for them, and these boys were old °
timers and were well aware that they might get rattle- :
snake bit if they went into this cellar. However, after
a few feeble attempts in the dark, Ben Aycock felt his
way down the’side of the cellar wall, and picked up the
toe sack with the head, and backed out of the cellar and
dumped the head on the ground. The dog whimpered and
ran off to one side, and they struck a match and saw the
head was from a human body and in excellent shape, prob- _ :
ably because of the cool damp air in the cellar. One went |
to call the Sheriff and the other stayed with the head, and _

after some delay, District Attorney Sam M. Russell, Sher iff ye

D. M. Hassler, Deputy Sheriff Ross Pearcy and Undertaker
Brinkley Trewitt,_all arrived and looked at the head and |
none of them knew the boy, or thought they had ever seen.
him, but they all knew he had been butchered and murdered. |“
Brinkley Trewitt picked up the head and wrapped it in a :

sheet and took the same to his funeral home in Stephen- vet
ville, Texas, and there he embalmed the head, and placed
the same in a casket in a waiting room in his funeral home,

and covered up the jagged neck and used padding to create _ ss
the appearance of a body in the casket. The peace officers -

and the press invited the public to take a look and identity s
the head. ee

F. M. Snow by this time had completed the GUrhine “of Ss
the two women, and he rode into town horseback feeling
he had committed a perfect crime. He had killed’one down

near San Saba, Texas, and another up near Mineral W ells, ie

Texas, and eliminated all evidence and knew these two.

were behind him. He arrived in Stephenville, Texas, was:

around noon and heard about the finding of the head, but

he was not very shook up, as he was sure in his mind the sae:

head had turned dark and deteriorated and never could be.
identified, and to be sure he went down to the Trey j


y 132 POOP VENTS AND ERATH oun, ‘TEXAS

midnight at the spot he had in mind, ae on the dead

body out of the wagon on this lonely mountain road, and
there on the ground chopped the boy’s head off with his
ax, dropped the severed head in a toe sack and threw it
in the back end of the wagon, and stripped the headless
body of all clothing except the underwear and threw him
over the fence behind some cedar bushes, and then climbed
up in the spring seat of his wagon and turned around there
in the road and headed back in the general direction of
Stephenville, Texas. He was looking for an abandoned

well intending to throw the head in it, and after several

hours of driving and his failure to find such well, he threw -
the head in an abandoned cellar near an old deserted farm
house: this was near seven miles from where he left the.

headless body, and about eight miles Southeast of Stephen- fe:

ville, He then headed for his home in the Indian Creek
Community and arrived there ‘about daylight, unhooked the _ |
team and fed them in the lot where he shot the boy the ~~

- day before, and went in the house where he left his wife = —_
and mother-in-law under the floor, and cooked and ate

breakfast, and then took a bucket of water and his lye

soap and finished cleaning up all the blood splattered a
around. He was haunted with the thought that someone cae
might come by and stop before he got all the telltale evi-

dence removed.

About dark on November 28, 1925, he carried in a good. =

supply of firewood, as it was a cold night, and built. am
roaring fire in the fireplace, and raised up the loose boards i

of the floor in front of the fireplace, and reaching over to fe :
pick up his trusted ax nearby, sat down in a cane bottom
- chair in front of the fireplace and chopped off a piece of ——

one of the bodies and tossed it in the fireplace and sat there
and watched it disappear. Ile repeated this chopping and .
burning pieces of the body all night long, and after sunrise


PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS 133

he found he had disposed of less than half of one of the
bodies, but he was not one to give up easy, although this
was tiresome work. He continued from time to time until
he completely burned both bodies.

The next night before he could commence his chopping
and burning of pieces of the body, Buck Hill who lived
there in the community, came by going hunting and stopped
and visited with F. M. Snow. The weather was real bad,
and Snow declined to go along with him, and he decided
to just visit and spend the night, and he and Snow talked,
with Hill doing most of the talking, and after while they
went to bed, and after they were in bed, Snow asked Hill
-if he could smell anything dead in the house, and Hill
replied that he could not, and Snow told him he had a dead
rat somewhere in the house. We can surely guess what
would have happened if Hill had said I smell something
dead, but he did not and we need not ‘speculate on matters
- that did not come to pass. \

The following night F. M. Snow brought in a good supply
of wood and with a good fire in the fireplace, he began his
chore of chopping pieces from the bodies and tossing them
into the fireplace, and worked all night long. It was neces-
sary to carry out the ashes from the fireplace every day,
and by this time in life the eyesight of F. M. Snow had

started to dim, and actually in the ashes every day, he was.

carrying out small pieces of flesh and fragments of bones |
and later these were found by the peace officers.

About the time he fully completed the burning of his
victims, Ben Aycock and Elvis Riggs were out hunting
one night with a hound dog, and this dog bayed in front
of the cellar door. The dog would not enter with all their
coaxing, and he would not leave. This was rattlesnake
country and an old abandoned cellar this time of the year


LIST OF HANGINGS BY SHERIFF IN FALLS COUNTY, TEXAS

pe of Lived Cr wij a Lace a fy
1/" william M, Hinton; of beet > hgnged March 25, 1860 of fe v

: ~ Wp S§6/ 2
6, CAee Le ef ws ad)
2. Dennis Nelson: tae - hange Kabdse* +3; 1869 <0’ Daifra 7

a. Clark Jotews// furder, two counts - hanged August 13, 1869

- Convich Silas Wood: Murder ~ hanged November 10, 1876
if. /
brrpo- Mee CAT EEE <—yl POS
HI - Westley C. Williams - Murder) hanged September 2 VIO av SI
j S: V f
| ; : e - hanged April as 1902 [lo S
pan wcnine: RE Titled imac 446A 1b] SW/ P77
i . Dan McCline: Murder | d dixel
if
| - Jose Flores: Murder -— hanged July 21, 1921
10. Jordon Isreal: Murder - hanged July 21, 1921

4
: lA. Wash Washington: Murder - hanged March 31, 1886 —_
6
7
: 8
9
After having made a» diligent search of the court records of
the District Court of Falls County from earlist records of 1851
to the mid-nineteen twenties, when executions were carried out at
the state prison, the above ten names were men that I can certify
were hanged by the Falls County Sheriff of Falls County, Texas in
legal executions after being tried and convicted and sentenced to

be hanged by the District Court of Falls County, Texas.

From the office of : Larry R. Hoelscher
District Clerk
82nd Judicial District Court

— "yy


The Martin Public Library

Winter Street
MARLIN, TEXAS 76661
wamuery 15, 1875

Mr. Watt Espy, Jr.
P. O. Box 247
Headland, Alabama 36345

Dear Mr. Espys:

In answer to your letter asking for information abou
executions of Falls County citizens, I must say that I have
been able to learn Very little,

The Marlin Daily Democrat - the only Marlin newspaper -

has a file going back only six or seven years, which would
not help you. The Marlin Public Library does not file news-
papers or clippings.

A search of two histories, The Marlin Compound by Frank

Oltorf and History of Falls County by Roy Eddins, gives no

information.

Records in the District Clerk’s office show that Harle
Humphrey was electrocuted for murder on May ga, 1824. . mo
other information about him. There is a record of Wesley
Williams being sentenced to death by hanging on January 17,
1888 for the crime of murder but no record of the sentence
being carried out.

Pedro Sanchez was the last man hanged in Falls County.
He was condemned to death in 1920. Again there is no record
of the execution, but Mr. Garland Barton, District Clerk,
distinctly remembers that the execution took place and that
Sanchez was Hanged twice and possibly three times before he
was finally pronounced dead. Mr. Barton can’t pinpoint the
exact date.

I’m sure you are familiar with the book The Death

Penalty in America, edited by H. A. Bedau.

I have contacted several local historians without

results. Sorry I can’t provide the information you need.

"Fo ab ur ;. ah.
Clix oe ir

atrick, Librarian


etait
Memo Fapm: WALT. ES PY
C/O LAW LIBRARY —:— P. O. BOX 6205 —:— UNIVERSITY, AL. 35486

Puone (205) 348-5925
3=9@1979

The Clerk of the Falls County District or Circuit Ct.,
Falls County Court House,
Marlin, Texas 76661,

Dear Sir or Madam:

In October, 1977, I wrote to you relative to my re~
search on capital punishment in the United States
and you very kindly provided me with the date of
execution of Jesse Coleman there in Falls Countys

While I hate to trouble you again, I have now found
where a man named Dave Anderson was convicted there
and sentenced to be hanged, The conviction was
affirmed on appeal on April 22, 1908 (110 Southwestern
Sh). I would certainly appreciate it if you would
check your records to see if Mr, mderson waS, in
fact, hanged and, if so, provide me with the actual
date of his execution as a basis for further research,
If he was hanged, it would probably have been within
three of four months after April 22, 1908, If he

was not hanged due to a comgutation of sente@mce of
for some other reason, please advise me,

Enclosed is a prepaid addressed envelope for your
reply and I shall lock forward to hearing from you
at your conveniences

Thanking you, I am,

Wy. bang | Respectfully yours,
J Sig done allies

rao ae, Me tirig 2 poten


FANN. Ceon TY. Te

FANNIN CO, HISTORICAK GOM.

DRAWER 338
BONHAM, TEXAS 75418

ae

Do Vase Cen tall 4 oes ; er ¢

FANNIN CO. HISTORICAE COM.
DRAWER 338
BONHAM, TEXAS 78416


ia lia lla ii

2 imme Mt 0, eee hmm .

WILL BLACKWELL

From Criminal Docket District Court "B" - July 15, 1890.
State of Texas vs. Will Blackwell for murder lst. degree July 15,
1890. Sentenced to be hung on Fri., March 6, 1891. Death warrant is-
sued:Feb. 23, 1891. Death warrant executed Mar. 6, 1891 in Gonzales
County jail by hanging Will Blackwell until he was dead. Sheriff was
R. M. Glover.

From Gonzales Daily Inquirer - July 17, 1890. | :
| Lump and John Rainey lived alone after the death of their parents

_ Qnd sister'a year ago. Lump was 16 yrs. old and John 14 yrs. old.

They lived alone with a negro boy, Will Blackwell, who did their cook-
‘ing on Peach Creek. While the Rainey boys were working in the field,

- Blackwell broke in the house and robbed and burned it. With a bundle
of clothes he set out to run away, but Lump returning to the house en-
countered him. The negro shot Lump in the head and killed him, and left
on a stolen horse. He was caught in the woods and jailed. He was due
to be tried July 23, 1890. The hanging took place in the jail, March 6,
1891. The scaffold was built in the second story, the south corridor
was two stories high. Only five or six steps were necessary to mount the
platform from the third story. Blackwell told Rev. Wadkins he believed
he was forgiven and prayed. At 1:45 P.M. the black cap was placed over
his head and the trap was sprung. In 73 min. he was dead. He refused to
give any reason for the crime.
Note: Mrs. Willie Hammond of Waelder now a 101 yr. old negro resident of
the Cartwheel Lodge Nursing home recalled as a child working in the fields,
when @ negro boy named Willie who'd stolen a horse was being pursued in the
woods. He was seen in the woods and Mr. Sandy Hill's wife motioned her to
come to the house. This Willie ran with white boys, he was caught and
hanged. White folks were crawling through the woods after him. (I be-
lieve this to have been Willie Blackwell although Mrs. Hammond's story
was sort of rambling.)


JIM BARBER

From Criminal Docket District Court "B" - July 8, 1897.

From

State of Texas vs. Jim Barber for murder, July 8, 1897. Verdict
of guilty of murder in the lst. degree and punishment assessed at death.
Death sentence passed on defendant to be executed on Oct. 7, 1898. Death
warrant executed by hanging Jim Barber by the neck until he was dead Oct.
7, 1898 by Sheriff R. M. Glover of Gonzales Co., Tx.

Gonzales Daily Inquirer - Oct. 7, 1898. _

Barber was hung Oct. 7, 1898 when Jim Andrews alias Jim Barber, a
negro, was hung at 2:30 P.M. for the murder of his wife, Patsy on Mar. 20,
1897, when she was shot in the back of the arm and leg, and- her head split
and crushed in several places with a hatchet and her throat cut with a
butcher knife. Sheriff Glover sprung the trap at 2:23 P.M. The condemned
man was pronounced dead in 7 min. and was cut down in 17 min. As Sheriff
Fly was adjusting the cap, the prisoner sang “Somebody's Going To Miss Me
When I'm Gone."

Barber was jealous of his wife who went to live with another mn. He
said he worried so’ he became temporarily insane. He came to Gonzales from
Va. in about 1886 with G. C. Barber. He was well liked by the lawmen.
Sheriff Glover said hanging Barber was a pitiful duty. Gov. Culberson re-
fused to commute sentence so Barber was hung on the scaffold built in the

jail to hang Will Blackwell atia private hanging. With Barber on the plat-

form were five preachers and two doctors. He was @ yellow negro of medium
size. He worked for Mr. .Scheske at the market.

ALBERT HOWARD

From Gonzales Daily Inquirer - March 18, 1921.
The crime for which Howard was convicted and paid the extreme penalty

was committed on the night of Wednesday, Oct. 27, 1920, when following his

and his companions’ escape from the county jail where they were prisoners

on charges of theft and carrying a pistol they made their way to Harwood
and brutally attacked an elderly white woman, Mrs. Theresa Kuntscick who
lived alone on her farm. After assaulting and robbing her she was left
gagged and bound to the bed post. Howard and Nations were captured Nov.

1 near Hondo, located at a road camp. The death warrant was read Jan. 15,

ee (1921 in District Court. They were convicted of rape as charged in indict-

ment. Sentence was pronounced Jan. 21, 1921 to be hung March 18, 1921 any
time after 11:00 A.M. His last words were, "Gentlemen, this is caused by
running in bad company. I am not a Joe Nation is the guilty one,
-but the law has to take its course." (Joe Nations was sentenced to 99

a

Ai

yrs. in the pen.). Howard was not a local negro. He came here with the
Gentry Brothers Show. The black cap was placed over his head at 3:45

by Constable Joe Boothe of Dreyer and at 3:20 P.M. Sheriff Neighbors sprung
the trap. He was baptized in the jail in a tub by Rev. Johnson of Providence
Baptist Church. Flowers were brought to him before he was hung by the wife
of Albert Matthews.


HARRIS COUNTY SENDS MORE PEQPLE TO DEATH
ROW THAN ANY OTHER COUNTY IN THE UNITED
STATES. THAT FACT MAY APPALL OPPONENTS OF
THE DEATH PENALTY AND AT THE SAME TIME
MAKE THE HEARTS OF EXECUTION ADVOCATES
SWELL WITH PRIDE. EITHER WAY, HARRIS COUNTY
IS THE CAPITAL PUNISHMENT CAPITAL OF AMERICA.

EVENTEEN YEARS AGO
last week, the U.S.
Supreme Court reaffirmed
the constitutionality of the
death penalty. Since that
decision, local prosecutors
have been noticeably
industrious. Harris Coun-
ty has produced 103 of
the 369 convicted mur-
derers currently on death
row at the Ellis-[ Unit
outside of Huntsville,
Texas. Twenty-five others
from Harris County have
been exccuted, along with
35 killers from other parts
of the state. No other
county in Texas or indeed
the rest of the country
comes close to the num-
bers compiled by Harris
County.

For example, there are currently: 32
death row inmates from Dallas County which,
since executions resumed in Texas in 1982,
has had only three convicts put to death.
Likewise, there are only 25 current death row
inmates from Tarrant County, which has also
had three inmates put to death since 1982.
The Dallas and Tarrant death-penalty statistics
combined pale in comparison to those of Har-
ris County, even though according to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the Dallas/Fort Worth
metroplex has a larger population than Harris
County — 2,992,913 to 2,818,199. While
there is more violent crime in Harris County
than in the two north Texas counties, the
numbers are still disproportionate. During the
last owo calendar years the city of Dallas has
recorded 887 homicides, compared with
1,177 in Houston. Yet Harris County has
three times as many people on death row.

When it comes to arranging dates
between the executioner and convicted killers,
noc even California’s huge Los Angeles Coun-
ty, with a population of almost nine million,
can compete with Harris County. At last
count (and the numbers change with grim
regularity), 107 inmates from the County of
Angels were waiting to mect the Angel of
Death. That’s a mere four, more than have
originated in Harris County — which has a
population one-third the size of Los Angeles’.

As the saying goes, there are lics, damn
lies and statistics. But when it comes to send-
ing criminals to death row, Harris Counry is
certainly number one. According to the

experts interviewed by the Press, there are four

basic reasons for the county’s extraordinary
record: aggressive prosecution, abundance of

violence, lack of adequate counsel for capital-
case defendants and a public that is extremely
frustrated and fed up with violent crinic.

The Holmes Factor

TT HE REASON THAT HARRIS COUN-
ty has more people on death row than
any other jurisdiction of its size in the
world,” says law professor Robert McGlasson,
“is because Johnny Holmes, the Harris Coun-
ty (district attorney], has decided to prosecute
as many murders as he can as capital murders.
{Holmes} prosecutes an overwhelming num-
ber of murders that in [other] states with the
death penalty would never be viewed as capi-
tal murders. You’ve got to understand, John-
ny Holmes alone is responsible tor putting
more people on death row in Texas than most
of the other states that have the death penalty,
combined. And he’s just one county.”

McGlasson is an adjunct protessor at the
University of Texas law school and a specialist
in death-penalty litigation. He is also affiliated
with the Texas Resource Center, a federally
funded group that helps provide counsel for
condemned killers. No fan of the tough-talk-
ing Harris County district attorney, McGlas-
son accuses Holmes of using capital punish-
ment to maintain his popularity.

“Pve scen him come out in the newspa-
pers and the press repeatedly using the death
penalty as, in my view, a false display of his
commitment to being tough on crime,” says
McGlasson. “If he was really tough on crime,
he’d do something about the problem instead
of just putting people on death row, which we
all know doesn’t do anything to solve the
problem of violent crime in society. We've
been executing people now by the dozens for
years and it’s done nothing to solve the issuc.
I think he uses the death penalty as a purport-
ed display of his toughness on crime when,
really, all.it is is a political tool.”

Holmes declined to be interviewed for
this article [sce News and Comment, page 9}.
However, Holmes did discuss capital punish-
ment last ycar, with the Los Angeles Times. In
a story published July 2, 1992, Holmes offers
no apology for his office’s prosecution record,
claiming, “The biggest complaint 1 hear from
the public is why does it takes so long? Why
are we [fiddling] around?”

If Holmes was talking to the Press,
which he ain’t, he might well dismiss McGlas-
son’s criticism out of hand as some sort of
Commie bull-(hockey]. However, Holmes
might also be surprised by some not-so-flat-
tering comments from one of his up-state

QHN RYUTKOWSKI

Aree

oy t33!

ans

BE HOUSTON PROUD?

prosecutorial brethren.

“(Harris County prosecutors] certainly
have capital murder cases that would never be
indicted as capital murder cases [in Dallas
County],” says Dallas County Assistant Dis-
trict Attorney Jeff Keck, who heads that
office’s appellate division. “(Some Harris
County capital murder cases] just really don’t
mect our paramccters. What I mean is, we
want some pretty solid evidence, not the cir-
cumstantial stutf. I mean, you want to sce a
lengthy criminal history on the part of the
defendant. Somebody who’s not super-young.
You probably want to sce a past bad, bad sect
of facts. I mean, when the gun just happens to

go off in the course of a robbery, that’s not
going to get you there.”

However, Keck also admits that the
number of death row inmates from Dallas
County may be artificially low because appel-
late court rulings in qwo recent capital cases
(Estelle vs. Smith and Adams vs. Texas)
caused up to 20 Dallas County capital convic-
tions to be overturned.

“We've taken some cases, frankly, that
we've learned the hard way on the thing,”
says Keck.

But Bob Walt, an assistant state attorncy
general, disagrees with Keck.

Walt heads the Texas attorney general’s

JULY 8, 1993 * HOUSTON PRESS 17

ela it

=

stele Ses

4
5
3
;

‘JOHNSON COUNTY,

Five Legal Hanging
hie legal hongive have tsken

Splice onthe: cedlow. i leburne

The first legal execution io the hi

fors of the lawn occurred on Mareh
10, 1880, when Sam Myers, son of
an oearty Alvarady settler, was
hanced

The noose @o, tihtened around
Myer’s neck in the old jatl yard at
the corner of Anglin aod Cham
hers Streets Myers, in) company
with James HH. Rowden, was con
vieted of murdering Mrs. Mary A
Hester on Fels 21, 1877) She was
shot through the window of) her
home as she sat at the supper tab
le.

Affer several trials and one es
capo, Mvers was hanged before a
crowd oof six oor eteht thousand
people Bowden escaped a simalat
fate but attempted suicide — by
drinking: ao oquart af whiskey ‘al
one draft.”

John Wilkins was the next person
fo be strung up in Cleburne. He
Was hanged on June 26, 1896 for
the murder of Grinee Taylor, who
lived. near Grandview, The execu
fton tank place on the north side of
Harrell Street just west of the Buf
talo Creek bridge. Ten thousans!
persons from the county and othe:
near-by areas gathered to witness

pnnabenain shpat smc, Bites ht tae on 5 enn te can

the executian

M.M. Willams, prominent yan
farmer, was shot five times in rap
lid suecession af the south door. of
the courthouse in Cleburne in 1899
fohn Wo Renfio surrendered to of
icials on the spot

The killing grew on of a case in
the county court. Renfro had been
thorged with slandering Willams
daughter. Both parties were on
their way to attend the trial when
the shooting occurred, A lynching
vas feared, but prevented, Renfro
was hanged for the murder.

John Stokes Shaw was to have
heen hanged in 1898 for the murder
ff Tom Crane, hut he escaped Jail
in the night before his scheduled
loom. He was fater recaptured and
Yanged in 1809

t

Sentenced to Die

Shaw was smutenced to death on
| un. 14, (898 for the first degree
'yurder of Crane. Lee Wilson, Ne-
ro aecomplice, was also found
‘uilty and senteneed to life im.
srisonmert, Shaw's escape came
n August when Tom Morgan, on
he death watch, fell asleep leav-
ing his clothes near the cell door
‘Shaw used a case knife or file,
inshackled himself, twisted news
yaper into a long roll and. ‘astened
vo small hook in thyperd from a
dece of wire in the mattress. He
then drew the guard's pant: into
he cell, secured the leew and tefl
he following note to B. F. Good-
il:

“Dear Emmett-1 am going to
hanuze boarding houses as [T can-
not stay here longer. Stewart will
‘ot have the plersire of hanging
one next Friday.”

He was later recaptured, but his
half-sister further delayed — the
Hangtng by ‘declaring thot he waa
insane. Afftey the insanity: hearing
proved he way sane, he was finally
sent to the allows.

hanged for a butcher-knutfe slaving

lime have taken place In Hunta-
ville, The execution of Myers was
performed by Sheriff J. C, Brown,

ed Renfro, Shaw. and Wilkins. Fugit
was hanged by Sheriff Frank Long.

TEXAS,

In 1991, Henry Fugit, Negro, was:

of his wife. ‘Executions since that |

while Sheriff W. A. Stewart execul: !

4 Y
Pee rs |
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| y LN f e
(4 u xy } } { {
Yo ee D ach ar
a Peer | f |
4 4 hs il ! A‘
y Pa |
A fb Dt, ; i}
" Y {
}
bh”

Provided by:

Mildred Padon, Curator
Layland Museum

201 N, Caddo Ste
Cleburne, TX 76031


a Sin <M fag cee tacky St a
EU AQ 8 EE a SR? OOS,

sasha tec

pA Sse AS oo Bee
rs ag WE Bae: ote

i
i

| JASPER COUNTY, TEXAS.

JASPER PuBLic LIBRARY

WOMAN'S CIVIC CLUB BUILDING

JASPER, TEXAS

Dear Sir:

We have found information on Clayton
Rushing, who was electrocuted on March 28,
1948, The crime he committed wes the kile
lings of his father, stepmother, snd step-
brother. He beat then to-death with « fist
iron. After he killed them, he rothed them
and took about $600 anc hid it ir en ol@
stump. He wes put in the Huntsville Prison
anc electrocuted. He and his femily lived
on the Spring Hill Road, near Jasper, across
from the Adems Memorial Church. This is
also where he killed them.

Another crime that was committed close
to Jasper wes by a Negro called Old Golden,
called this tecause of his voice. He kil-’
leé a little girl in Eeaum iont, Texas and
was brought to Jasper to forestel? a lynch-
ing. He was hanged in 1909 at high noon,
which was the last hanging in Jasper, Texes.

We hope we have teen of some help to

you.

Sincerely yours,

Jasper Public Library


lhe, Caen t7

Mrs. Laura Peacock, Chairman FROM:
IlO-—the-Jack-County-Historical—Commissio | ; M. W. “Watty” ESPY, JR.

Box 72
: : 76056 - es, P. O. BOX 67
eee Seer ote | ont
Capital Punishment in Jack County “DATE. 5-17-'77
SUBJECT: ee

Mrs, Peacock: I am very appreciative of your prompt reply to 1 my - inguiry of Nay 13 Sareenresy

Capital Punishment in and from Jack County. You state that ‘there were meveral ante thieves

or rustlers haned in Jack County during the early days. Please advise if these hangings took

place following trials before Courts of Law in which instance they would be included in my

work or if they were the result of extra-legal actions, ie. lynchings, in which case they
__would not, If the latter,—then I think-probably-that—you-have-had—no—legal exeoutions—in————

__Jack County_and_this information would-enable-me—to—list—Jack-among-the-Counties-with-no-legal

| Pe” L)

ERT > —
(tried -and-convicted by a jury.)

On August 7, 1874 , closed the first and only legal hanging in the history

of Jack County . ( Ely Bly ) a negro who was convicted of killing a white man.

The first and only Anti -Horse Theif Association was organized for the

purpose of curbing horse theives in . This was the only organization chartered in

the state of Texas . As the saying went, " they hung them where they found them.

Not waiting for court conviction .

Sincerely,

pyY_Mrs. Laura Peacock
Box 472, Jacksboro, Texas 76056

RETURN PART 1 TO SENDER WITH REPLY

RM-89

Thanking you for your kindness and cooperation, I remain,
Respectfully yours,

Mere AAAAAL- deusrall ee Wiz: indy ic /
4 (

Vik Ws an oak, of
ha ae ne, vol WATT ESPY, JR.

hs dy, Af diwt | |
Ps eld SL an we ae —

/
v- tt»


MANUEL M. PEREZ MRS. HELEN DRAPER

CLERK. DISTRICT COURT CHIEF DEPUTY
P. O. DRAWER 2219 MRS. ROSAENA GARZA
(312) 664-2196 ‘ Sentemba 22 92 DEPUTY, CHILD SUPPORT DIVISION
YEDTE erie ; ] ee 1 MRS. CONNIE MANDEL
DEPUTY

Mr. Watt Espv

Capital Punishment Research Project
Law Library

Box 6205

University, Al. 35486

Re: Canital Punishment

ei Phis Dear Mr. Espy:

» In reply to your letter of Sentamber 13, 298), please: be
wee advised that I have searched the records of the District
Clerk's office and did not find anv cases of defendants
being sentenced to death penalty. J searched our records
from 1912 when the county was oraanized, through 1924
when you indicated that the State took over that function.

I contacted Mr. Chilton Cook, who has alwavs been active

in thinas of a historical nature in this araa. Hea advised

me that he was named Chairman of the Jim Wells County
Historical Commission; however at this time this is an
inactive orqanization. “Mr. Cook's address is 1325 Southwood,
Alice, Texas 78332.

I nope this information will be of some benefit to vou.
Yours very truly,

Manuel ™, Perez, District Clerk

Ry The) kK hiv 7a

Helen Sraner,


CONCLUSSION

I have found many interesting facts about these three men,as well

as, the period of time in which they lived.

The first, Ewell Morris was’ a negro, who killed a white man. Whether

or not he killed him I do not know, or can not tell from the evidence
I have found on him. I do not know from the facts given in the

“newspaper whether Ewell Morris was killed, found guilty, or not guilty.

The second, Jesse Charles, also a negro, was electrocuted for the

murder of a white man. There was evidence against him, ahd a trial
hearing. The jury found him guilty. His lawyer tried to appeal
the case, but the final question of execution was in the hands of

the Govenor, who gave the "go ahead". He was electrocuted the
’

following morning.

The third, Jack Jackson, also a negro, was arrested for the murder of

a white man. He was widely known throughout the state, and had

already been in the jail once before on a burgulory charge. Many
people gathered around to watch him being brought into the jail.
Many people hated Jack. He confessed to be guilty, and was also

electrocuted in the Huntsville State Prison.


ILAAe COT

Llano, TX 78643. =
D5 2G 7-4 L3

a CRErLAY.
On J€56, aL he MO a


EL PASO COUNTY,

TEXAS ¢

é \ ‘
i ye 49
: . : ;
> i ¥ °
: < Ny . . ; : ‘y
. ee oe Ts lt — —_r = c,
a SWUF — HAW EINES
Soe . _ ee eee
eo a " a 7 6 PT owe vs vy - /
on : « if: F er
aan See teh Ea GAY bo oY + Boone ) James H.
oo ad gg egy PEREMG Bets
pun eye Fé we _.* yi i >)
Sod. 5 a —_ : Duphi Care wv
fee ‘Fl Paso Horald Post Jan 7,1936 ple ce Tp ee Lu
COUN’ LY HAD ‘] WO HANGINGS IN 1898 (90
z is by ued F
Ed Bryant “Present Sherif fs Depa, "Hel ned Sites Trap
seine Aoiror's NOTE: This ts the jtsth fold, pulled a dagger made of wire
Ea of articles on early BI Paso and tried to stab Deputy Bryant.
2)... . The dagger slid off Mr. Bryant’s;’
wees By MARSUALL WAIL belt and hit the officiating priest, | pews
sean Sheriff J. H. Boone’s term of ofe slightly wounding his hand.. ae
ae 1898, was ccle- Same Rope Used :
weuw fice, beginning a ‘asd “Flores weighed about 180 pounds}
° prated for a double hanging. and Parra about 125,” Mr. Bryant} | ' z
ae There have been only three hang- recalled. “The same length of rope
~~ “Sings in the’ history of El Paso was used for both men. ,
rot a 1883 and “The heavy fellow's -neck was :
st County aaa at 05 all on broken in the regular way. but the| ee ‘
=¢atwo behind the old s little fellow’s head was torn almost :
=~ Campbell St. in 1900. ! off.” ra ee
: Since hanging .was abolished only Sheriff Boone yee born In Raleigh, . ,
j has been exe- N. C, He was a policeman, customs oot! ;
sone E 2 inspector, and deputy in El Paso Piatra ad
cuted in the electric chair, ° County. ah nie ; oe
o Sheriff Boone. sprung. the trap at Won Applause f - Meta ut ae —
e sthe double hanging in 1900, and Ed While sheriff he won popular Par rn Se ee
: t, present deputy, was an &s- plause by rounding up a gang Off; wget) pte ar
: Se ona dapat * a goat thieves, “as desperate a Bang | fee , wet
ame puty, as ever operated in Webster County.”[) [07 9 “2
: Large Crowd. He was granted a franchise to}. "eStore HS
Sieg ie “The two hangecs: were Antonio build a street railway from El Paso}; « . eae
:. res, who was charged with stab- ; wd eS aa to Ysleta, He resigned his ‘job as |, ree H \. ’
“ph g his mistress to death, and Ge-;* saccire J. H. Boone’s term of |sheriff to take over developmenth © °vi..0%. i ad
Amo Parra, & cattle rustler who]. office in El: Paso County in 1898 | of Washington Park, The: park ene}, Ce EO
ikilled a.. Texas Ranger. -. | was celebrated for a double hang- terprise did not turn out aera ae wa a cena ences
"large ‘crowd’ jammed the en-|: ing. There have been only. three, torily.: rete eS says fF
ti . te back of the jail. Flores,| hangings in the history of El Paso . Mr. Boone died’ in California July ere our one a
ig" from’ the. = to the scafe |. County. bt ie gk ei ey a 26, 1906, of ptomaine poisoning. ists. Zicy Sag
i : Wie ss ; : ; je go ‘ yO lege aac. ea a a8 tin et ak
5 ee sg Oe ery i, bes “y r Hod ' ; i “ ‘ : ps ag a : es “, “i us oe
- 3) ote! oy a ws oh ‘ ts ; “Ae noe * ‘ A, ‘ » . . ‘.!
‘ by yee” .


tor Gounty Historical Gommission

YO
“ Odessa, Texas Please Address Reply To:

March 5, 1982 1517 Englewood Lane
Odessa, Texas 79761

Mr. Watt Espy

Law Library

Box 6205

University, Alabama 35486

Dear Mr. Espys

A member of our commission who in the past had occasion to do a comprehensive
examination of all pertinent court records from their beginning in this
county through 1927 found no indications or evidence that any executions

have ever occurred during that period in Ector County, Texas.

Sincerely,

ge

ae

re

Dr. J. Tillapaugh, Chairman

CG = oA Ly |

watt Espy, Jre
Pe Oc Box 67
Headland, Alabama 3635

May lst, 1977

The Clerk of the Edwards County Circuit Court,
The Edwards Jounty Court House,
Rocksprings, Texas 78880.

Dear sir or madam:

I am currently engaged in research on Capital Punishment in our Country which I hope to culminate
with the publication of a work which will contain a brief biographical sketch of each person to
have been legally executed in the United States as well as a brief account of the crimes of eafh.

According to the records that I have received, no person sentenced from Edwards County has been

electrocuted since the State of Texas began putting its condemned felons to death by that means

in 192). However, prior to then, those sentenced to die in your State were hanged locally bythe
Sheriffs in the Counties of their convidtions,.

As no State departments or agencies maintain a list of those earlier, localexecutions, I am en-
deavoring to obtain that information from the respective Counties, If your office has any record
of any legal hangings in Rocksprings or in Edwards County, then I would appreciate it very much
if you would very kindly provide me with the names and the dates of executions to be used as a
basis for further research.

If there has never been a legal hanging in Edwards County, and this is possible, and you can
confirm this fact for me, please do so, A notation to this effect on the bottom of this letter,
returned to me, will be sufficient notification,

If you cannot help me, please provide me with the names and addresses of your local Historical
Society or Museum, a local Historian or someone else well-versed and knowledgeable on local
History, your County's newspapers, or some other organizations or individuals who might be of
assistances

ee mj +
Enclosed is a prepaid and addressed envelope for your convenienre in replying and you will, of
course, be given credit in the work itself for any assistance rendered.

Thanking you for your cooperation, I am,

Respectfully yours,

tO ombidaee
es Lees

128 PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS

He kept these two hounds tied on the front porch when
he was at home, and it is said they were trained to bark
on the slightest noise or movement around the house, and
when he left home he usually carried the dogs with him
wherever he went. He was seen only a time or two out
hunting with the dogs and his rifle. He kept a coal oil
lamp burning at night, indicating he was afraid of some-
thing or the dark. tes? <r ray

It is interesting that everything about F. M. Snow and
his surrounding pointed to stark poverty. He would cut.
wood when he needed groceries and haul it into Stephen-
ville, Texas, with his two hounds tied under the wagon, if
and his double blade ax and rifle in the spring seat of the saa)
wagon by his side. He always parked on the Jokey yard,
or on one of the streets near by, and he would unhook his
horses and tie them to the side of the wagon, and just sit gees
there waiting for- someone to buy his wood. If he ever See
had lunch no one now living can remember it; he just_ ste:
stayed close to his wagon and in reach of his rifle and ax ;
most of the time, and never had anything to Say, except...
tell someone what he wanted for his load of wood. If he
sold the wood he would go straight to the grocery store
and get a can of coal oil and a few groceries and start on
the way home, and if he did not sell the wood, along some-
time in the late afternoon he would head back home with Pe
the wood, his rifle was always on the wagon and his ax :
near by, he now and then took a chew of tobacco, which .
he kept wrapped in a rag in his hip pocket. © eae

F. M. Snow perhaps had several peculiarities, but ‘his.
neighbors only remember about three. He was never seen
out anywhere without his rifle, and usually his double blad
ax was close and within reach most of the time, and whe
he became bored or frustrated about anything, he would
saddle his old horse and get on him with his rifle in one

Paes


PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS 131,

_

beat his wife over the head with a scantling, believed to
have been part of a paling fence, or a two by four board,
and after he saw he had beaten her brains out and killed
her, he picked up his double blade ax and slipped in behind

-- Mrs. S.A. Olds, who was nearly deaf and almost blind,

and swung on her from the rear almost severing her head
with one blow, he then dragged both bodies and placed
them under the floor in front of the fireplace, and arranged

the boards of the floor back in place. He took a bucket of

water and some lye soap and cleaned up the blood as best
he could at the time, and then he thought of Bernie Con-
nally who had gone into town with a, bottom bed wagon
load of stove wood. He saddled up his old horse and placed

his rifle in the ring of the saddle and headed for Stephen- 4

ville, Texas, to look for and locate the boy. He found him
without any trouble and ready to go home, and told him his
mother was sick and he came into town to tell him about
the matter. They both started South for home, with F. M.

Snow at first riding the horse behind the wagon, and after * =

they traveled about half way, he got down from the horse
and took his rifle from the saddle and rode in the back end

of the wagon and led the horse the rest of the way. © When “ oe.

they reached home and the boy drove the team through the

horse lot gate, he took dead aim from behind with his rifle
—and shot the boy in the back of. his head, and to be

sure he shot him one more time while he was falling back
and hit him below the neck and between the shoulders and
by the time he hit the wagon bed he was dead. Snow then.

gathered up some toe sacks and covered the dead boy there — a

in the wagon, and waited for it to get dark, and during
this time he cooked and ate supper, and then changed teams
to his wagon, and started for Cedar Point Mountain, where ~
he had hunted and knew was completely isolated and about

twelve. miles away. He arrived at the mountain around


\

130  \PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS

gether which both brought to the field in a bucket, and
they usually came to work together and left together when
the days work was finished. About this time F.-M. Snow
told some of the other cotton pickers, he was sparking the
widow Poston, and hoped to get a good fire going soon,
and beyond any question he fully succeeded.

On October 6, 1925, F. M. Snow and Maggie Poston,
accompanied by the Rev. Edd J. B. Driver, walked into
the office of County Clerk, Coleman D. Nichols in Stephen-

ville, Texas, and purchased a marriage license. ' He gave

his age as sixty-six and said she was fifty-one years
of age. When the license was issued the Reverent Driver
proceeded to marry them right there in the courthouse.

This was the fifth marriage known for Mrs: Maggie Poston, ’ Ma

-and who on earth would know about F. M. Snow? She .
_ moved into the house with F. M. Snow and left her mother
and son to live alone in the covered wagon.

If the weather was bad and they could not pick cotton,
Bernie Connally about 19 years of age, and F. M. Snow
would cut wood, and once in a while the boy did outside

work for the neighbors. This was not true of Snow; he a

never worked out except to pick cotton for someone.

On the 15th day of November A. D. 1925, Bernie Connally | ‘ ie
and Grand Ma Olds moved into the house with the newly pte

weds. This living arrangement lasted only twelve days _
and F, M. Snow murdered.all three of them.

' Based on the testimony of the trial, the statements and .
confessions of F. M. Snow, and the physical facts, the
following is accurate. F. M. Snow on November yg pes RAS
came home around mid-morning and saw a cow in the

field and quarreled with his wife for not chasing her out, * oO

and Grand Ma Olds was sitting in a cane bottom chair in
front of the fireplace knitting. Snow became enraged and —


PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS 129 |
ring of the saddle and his double blade ax in the other
~ ring of the saddle, and ride in a run quirting the horse
until he rode him down, then he would take the saddle
_ from the horse and turn him loose and go on back in the
- house.

In the early fall of 1925, Mrs. Maggie Poston, her mother,
Mrs. S. A. Olds, and her son, Bernie Connally, showed up
in the community picking cotton and living in a covered
wagon. They had not been around long, until Snow was
picking cotton with them, and began to show some interest
in Mrs. Maggie Poston. He would carry her cotton sack
to the scales, weigh it for her and empty it in the wagon

or cotton pile. They both used snuff and at times borrowed a

from each other. ~

Mrs. Maggie Poston had a most unusual background.
She was from down near Waco, Texas, and had been mar-

ried for many years to S. L. Connally, who was the father .  ~

of Bernie Connally, and S. L. Connally was said to have

been robbed in 1921 and beaten to death by a colored man =
... near where he lived, and from that time until she arrived

=< in Erath County, Texas, she had married three other men, —

* and the last one had met an unusual death. He was said

to have been stoking a fire in a fireplace with a poker,

: _ when a brick had fallen from somewhere above and struck —

him in the back of the head resulting in sudden death. He
left a little real property to Mrs. Maggie Poston, which
she put in the name of Bernie Connally, and said this was

to prevent her next husband from taking it away from her. = ages S

It was established that when Mrs. Maggie Poston ar-_
rived in Erath County, Texas, she was a widow, and had |
a background both skimpy and vague. In a short time —
she was showing interest in F. M. Snow, they picked cotton
all day long side by side, they usually ate their lunch to-


STATE OF TEXAS i
COUNTY OF FALLS X BE IT REMEMBERED that in the

District Court of Falls County, Texas, certain felons were
tried and sentenced to Death by Hanging. The Presiding
District Judge would thereupon order the Clerk of the Court
to issue a Death Warrant to the Sheriff ordering him to take

the condemned felon to a safe place and keep him until a

certain day and time whereupon he was to execute him by

| a

hanging by the neck until DEAD, DEAD, DEAD:

1. #177 CV-B 54 WILLIAM M. HINTON: Murder
Tried April 8, 1859 for murder of Pleasant C. Witaker.
Supreme Court affairmed Judgment of Conviction and
Sentence of Death. Confined in Freestone County Jail
until May 25, 1860 when he was hanged by Sheriff.

#489 CV-C 209 DENNIS NELSON: Murder

Tried and found guilty of first degree murder at Spring

Term, 1869, as principal in the murder of Franklin Wallix.
Verdict affirmed by Supreme Court May 21, 1869, and on July
13, 1869 sentenced to be hanged. Confined in McLennan

County Jail until day of hanging as there was "no safe place"
in Falls County. Hanged by the Sheriff on August 13, 1869.
His accomplice, Joseph Young was found guilty of "murder

jn the second degree", and got 10 years in the State Pen-
itentary at hard labor.

#497 & #498 CV-C 208 CLARK JONES: Murder

Convicted of murders of Jepe Howard & Sam Howard. Sentenced
on July 13, 1869 to Death by Hanging. He was ordered con=-
fined in McLennan County Jail as there was "no safe jaaii or
other place of confinement in Falls County". Hanged on
August 13, 1869 by the Sheriff.

#670 2-329 CONVICH SILAS WOOD: Murder

Convicted of killing his wife, Kessia Wood, on August 17,
1876, by beating and cutting her. Tried Sept. 16, 1876. ~
"Executed November 10, 1876 at 2 0 Clock P M by hanging by
the neck until dead the within named Convich Silas Wood
within the walls of the Falls County Jail in the presents
of the following named persons -~-~ etc..." by W.S. Conoly,
Sheriff of Falls County. (Sheriff's Return on Death Warrant)

#1663 CV G 595 WASH WASHINGTON: Murder

Convicted of shooting one Willie Durden ten times and con=-
victed on 1-17-1885. He was hanged on March 31, 1886 by
Cyrus Whitaker, Sheriff of Falls County.

#1985 CV-H 562 WESTLEY C, WILLIAMS: Murder

Murdered his wife, Eliza Williams, by making an assault

upon her with a piece of iron called a steely and pea and
weights and striking her in the head giving her two mortal
wounds on March 5, 1887. She died two days later on March

7, 1887 from said wounds. She had been a cook for a week for
Mr. A. E. Watson of Marlin. She was killed by her husband in
the kitchen after supper during an argument. Sheriff's return
on Death Warrant reads" and executed on the 29th day of Sept.
1888. Hanging the within named deft-Westley C. Williams about
12 o'clock on said day until he was pronounced dead by the
attending physicians”. /s/ Cyrus Whitaker, Shff Falls County
Shff cost $30.00.


HANGINGS:

1
2
3
4
i
6
7
8
9

10,

william M. Hinton: Murder - hanged March 25, 1860

Dennis Nelson: Murder - hanged August 13, 1869 .
Wash Washington: Murder - 2 asahte - hanged August 13, 1869
Convich Silas Wood: Murder — hanged November 10, 1876

Wash Washington: Murder - ey March 31, 1886.

Westley C. Williams - Murder—hanged September 29, 1888

John Roan: Rape - hanged April 19, 1902

Dan McCline: Murder - hanged March 29, 1912

Jose Flores: Murder - hanged July 21, 1921

Jordon Isreal: Murder - hanged July 21, 1921

DEATH SENTENCE -— NOT HANGED:

1.

6. Jesse Coleman: #3456 — Murder A-441

Louis Hawkins: #2005, Murder - CV 1 81

Charged with murder of Addison Washington on Sept 26, 1888. He
shot him 15 times in back & shoulders. He died instantly.
Many citizens called on the Governor to say that Hawkins had
done a good deed by getting rid of a evil man. The governor,
L.S. Ross, commuted death penalty to life imprisonment in the

State Penetentiary on 10-1-89.

Dave Anderson: #4779, Murder - D 153; C 94,96
Died of natural causes while in jail waiting to be hanged.

B. B. Myatt: #5074, Murder - D 354 ©

Convicted of killing his wife Lou, by beating, kicking, & wounding
her. He was a prominent business man in Robertson County. He
believed that if he could convince the law that he killed his wife
in a rage because she was unfaithful to him that he would go free.
He killed her on July 22, 1910 in Robertson County. It was trans-
ferred to Falls County because the citizens of Robertson County
were enraged by the brutal murder. He was convicted after a long
jury trial. This was probably the most sensational trial in Falls
County history. People from all over the state came to it. It
was written up in all the newspapers in the state. Threats on
Myatt's life made it even more sensational. Myatt was convicted
and sentenced to death but there is no evidence of his hanging.

Bus Wyers: #5274 - Murder D192 June 6, 1913
Sentenced to death. Commuted to life imprisonment

Pedro Sanchez: #229 -— Murder E-52

While attempting to escape from the county jail on Nov. 4, 1920
with Jose Flores and Jordon Isreal. All three were convicted of
of the shooting death of Deputy Sheriff Oscar B. Sharp. Flores

& Isreal were hanged on July 21, 1921. Sanchez's appeal was
affirmed by the Criminal Appeals Court and a death warrant was
issued by the Clerk for execution by hanging on Feb. 28, 1922, but
no sheriff's return is on the death warrant. No record of Sanchez

ever being hanged is on record,

ed for Murder on JulyS 1898. Tried by jury on August 9, 1898
eet round "we the Jury find the Defendant Jesse Coleman guilty of
Murder in the First degree and assess his punishment at Death.

/3/ J A Budgood - Foreman."' Notice of appeal given on 8/25/1898.
Judgment affirmed 1/25/1899. Sentenced on 2/25/1899 to be hanged
by the neck until dead on April 28, 1899. The papers having been
lost there is no Death Warrant with Return thereon to prove his

actually hanging.

#3941 B 83, 563, 565 JOHN ROAN: Rape

A young male Negro raped a 14 year old girl, Maud Smith of
Blue Ridge, on December 18, 1900. She was caring for her

6 year old brother for her widowed mother who was in the
field picking cotton at the time. She had started toward
the barn to milk the cow when she saw the man ride up on a
pony. He came to her and dragged her into the barn and into
the crib and raped her. He told her he would come back and
kill her if she told anyone. She did tell her mother later
that night. Quite a few black men were brought to the farm
over the next two weeks. She identified John Roan as soon as.
he was shown to her. He was indicted Feb. 3, 1901. On April
8, 1902, Governor Joseph D. Sayers reprieved for 10 days to
consider application for commutation. John Roan was executed
by hanging at the southeast corner of the Courthouse yard on
Saturday, 19th day of April, 1902 by Sheriff CP. Carlton.

#5076 D 172 DAN McCLINE: Murder * .

On Feb. 2, 1911 found guilty of murder in first degree and
punishment of Death by Hanging. He killed Rosa Tubbs by
shooting her with pistol. Dan McCline went to the field of
Mr. Case for the purpose of persuading Rosa Tubbs to go home
with him, and that on her stating to him that she would rather
die than marry him, he became enraged and shot and killed her.
Sentenced on Feb. 24, 1911. He was hung by the neck until
dead on March 29, 1912 by M.J. Poole, Sheriff of Falls County,
about 4 feet south of county jail. Sheriff's fees $50.00.

#227 E 50, 51 JOSE FLORES: Murder

Found guilty of murder and punishment assessed at death by
hanging. He killed Deputy Sheriff 0. B. Sharp by shooting

him with a pistol while trying to escape from.the county jail
with two others, Jordan Isreal and Pedro Sanchez. Isreal

held his arms and wrestled with him and Sanchez was stooping
over holding the deputy's legs. Flores, only 16 years old, held
his arm straight out and shot the deputy after giving him a
shove away from himself. Tried Nov. Term, 1920. Jury returned
verdict of "We the jury find the defendant guilty as charged
and assess the penalty at death by hanging until dead. /s/ J.E.
Courville, foreman" on Nov. 12, 1920. On the 21st day of July,
1921, he was hanged by the neck until dead by the sheriff, C.O.
Moore. Flores was 17 when he was hanged.

#228 E 51 JORDON ISREAL: Murder

Found guilty of murder and his punishment assessed at hanging
by the neck until dead. Partners with Jose Flores and Pedro
Sanchez in an attempt to escape from the county jail on Nov.4,
1920. Deputy O. B. Sharp was taking breakfast to the prisoners
about 8:30 A.M. Jose Flores was helping him take the food off
the elevator and put it on the inside of the cells. When he
put down the last pan of food Joe Flores grabbed Deputy Sharp
around the waist and Jordon Isreal grabbed him by the throat
with one hand and held a white rag over the deputy's face and
mouth with the other. Pedro Sanchez was stooped over with his
arms around the deputy's legs holding him. They all wrestled
around awhile and then Jose Flores shoved the deputy away from
himself and with the deputys gun shot the deputy several times.
The sheriff, C.O. Moore heard the shots and came upstairs. The
three did not escape. Deputy Oscar B. Sharp died of his wounds.
All three mem were tried and sentenced to Death by Hanging.
Both Flores and Israel's hangings were on July 21, 1921, in the
Falls County Jail. They were hung by Sheriff C. O. Moore.
There is no evidence that Pedro Sanchez was ever hung.

The above ten men are the only hangings of which there is recorded
proof in the District Court Records. Many others were sentenced to
be hanged but there is no proof they were ever hanged. Some had
their sentences commuted to life, one, Dave Anderson, died in jail of
natural causes while waiting to be hanged, and it cannot be proved
what happened to the others.

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Freestone County Museum

The museum is housed in the old Freestone
County Jail, constructed in 1857. In 1857, the
Commissioners’ Court was composed of Wm. S.
Grayson, chief justice, John Waldrom, Wm.
Chandler, Thomas A. Gaston and Hopson Bur-
leson. The court gave a contract to J. C. Wallace
and D. H. Love, a veteran of the Texas Revolu-
tion and donor of the land for the townsite of
Fairfield, for the construction of the jail build-
ing. The stipulated price of the building was
$5,992 and the building was to be completed by
the May term of court in 1858.

The Commissioners’ Court appointed a commit-
tee composed of Dunbar Bragg, Wm. Peck, John
Karner and C. Yarbro to supervise the building
of the jail and to submit written reports to the
court on the progress of the building.

Specifications for the jail provided that it
would be a two-story building with thirty-inch
outer walls and eighteen-inch inner walls, made of
hand-made brick. The upper room was to be the
dungeon or main prison. The lower floor was to
be the living quarters for the sheriff. E. Steele
was the first sheriff to live in the jail.

In 1913, Freestone County constructed a new
jail on the courthouse square, and the old one
was sold and used as a private residence until
1966. In May of 1966, the people of Freestone
County, through contributions from residents and
former residents, bought the building from Mr.
and Mrs. Tommie Willard for $5,000. The prop-
erty was then deeded to Freestone County for
the sole purpose of a County Museum. The Free-
stone County Historical Museum Association was
then organized for the purpose of restoring the
building and operating a museum in cooperation
with the Commissioners’ Court.

The one hundred ten-year old jail building,
housing historic items depicting the history of
Freestone County, was awarded a Texas State
Historical Marker. The marker was officially
unveiled and the museum formally dedicated and
opened to the public on Sunday afternoon, May
7, 1967.

afternoons from 1:30 to 5:00 P. M.

In 1968, the Carter and Potter-Watson log
cabins were moved to the museum grounds and
restored to become a part of the Freestone
County Museum.

The museum contains hundreds of historica]
items donated to or on loan from residents and
former residents of Freestone County. The mu-
seum is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays
from 9:30 A. M. to 5:00 P. M. and on Sunday

“¥ i Sr
"9. ;

POTTER-WATSON LOG CABIN

(Originally located 5 miles Northwest
of Fairfield)

The Potter-Watson cabin was built by Daniel
Potter, a farmer who tamed wild horses. The
building has a cedar floor, walls of hewn logs
interlocked securely, and board roofing joined
by pegs.

The cabin became the family room in a house
erected later by W. A. Potter. He sold the house
to A. T. Watson of Stewards Mill in 1901. His
son, Edward M. Watson, rancher and merchant,
brought his bride here in 1904. Edward Watson,
Jr., son of Edward M. Watson, was born in the
cabin and gave the building to the Freestone
County Historical Museum in 1967.

The building was restored in 1968 and received
an official Texas Historical Marker, which was
dedicated June 22, 1969. The cabin houses tools
used by men and women during the early history
of Freestone County.

f CARTER LOG HOUSE
(Originally located 3 miles East of Kirvin)

The Carter log house, built by David L. Car-
ter of Alabama in 1845, was a typical pioneer
dwelling of early Texas. Mr. Carter later served
in the Confederate Army and helped to start
Woodland Boys’ College. ,

The tongue-and-groove logs were joined with
wooden pins. Square nails were used on the raf-
ters. Materials for the floor and ceiling were
hauled 70 miles by ox wagon from near Rusk.
A huge fireplace stood in each room, two down-
stairs, and one upstairs.

The house was donated to the Freestone Coun-
ty Historical Museum by David Carter, grandson
of David L. Carter, in 1967. Restoration of the
building was completed in 1969 and an official
Texas Historical Marker was placed on the cabin
and dedicated on June 22, 1969.

The house contains a number of the original
pieces of furniture as well as others typical of
that period of history.

Members of the Board of Trustees of the Free-
stone County Historical Museum are H. D. Whit-
aker, president, Fairfield; Uel Davis, vice-presi-
dent, Wortham; Mrs. A. H. Bass, Fairfield;
L. S. Winter, Butler; Joe Bates, Wortham; L.
Notley, Teague; C. N. Williford, Fairfield; Mrs.
Grace Grayson, Teague; Judge Travis Evans, ex
officio member, Lanely.

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48

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God save my soul from the eternal fires!”

Again on July 1, 1937, Sweeten out ma-
neuvered a mob. Seventy-five sweating, cursing
oilfield roughnecks pushed against the front
door of Sweeten’s jail, ready to lynch a 16-
year-old rapist.

Sweeten shouldered the door open from in-
side and stood before the screaming mob. His
fists were clenched, his back bowed. He looked
the biggest mobster in the eye and said:

“It’s going to be mighty rough on somebody
if you lay a hand on that boy.”

The leader looked the sheriff up and down,

‘then looked past him, trying not to meet the

big man’s gaze. The mob fell back, the shouts
ceased and they disbanded and went home.

Badman On ve

In 1943, Sheriff Sweeten provided a fire-
works demonstration for the townspeople of
Athens a day early, on July 3.

At that time 34-year-old Gerald Johnson
was the No. 1 badman of Texas. He’d been
sentenced to 430 years for a hundred hijack-
ings and other crimes, and he’d stabbed his
way out of the state penitentiary. Johnson
kidnaped an auto dealer, took him to the
woods and tied him to a tree, then backed up
and aimed a machine gun at him.

“Wait—why are you going to shoot me?”
the car dealer cried. _

“Two reasons,” Jobnson snarled. “First,
you’d run off and tell if I Jet you live. Second,
you didn’t have enough gas ration stamps to
suit me.”

“But I’ve cooperated with you,” the trem-
bling auto dealer stuttered. “If you let ‘me
live I know where some more ration stamps
are, and another $100!”

Johnson kept him covered while the dealer
went to the car and pulled more ration stamps
from the glove compartment, and $100 from
a side pocket. Johnson let him live. Texas po-
lice knew ‘the next victim might not be so
lucky. On July 3,. Dallas Police Chief Bill
Fritz heard that Badman Johnson was head-
ing down Highway 175 into Sweeten’s county.

He telephoned the big sheriff to warn him
“He will shoot on sight,” Fritz warned.
Sweeten belted on two .45 automatics and
took along two snubnosed Smith and Wessons,’
He drove to the Y west of Athens and hadn't
even turned off his ignition when the Johnson.
car thundered over the pavement towards him.
He gave chase, pumping slug after slug into
the rear end of Johnson’s car. ‘Johnson fired
back. Sweeten’s bullets popped off a specially’
built steel plate in the rear of the Johnson car,
Sweeten’s siren was going full blast when
they reached the Athens city limits. They
roared through main street firing at each other
at 90 miles per hour. One of Johnson’s bullets
struck a lady bystander in the hip. Another
smashed Sweeten’s windshield and spattered
glass all over his face, but he kept tailing the'
badman.
He checked his ammunition. He had only ©
one bullet left. The single bullet would do no...
good bouncing against the rear end of the =
bandit car. Sweeten decided to save it. John-
son slid on two wheels into a dirt ‘road.
Sweeten’s car screeched into the lane behind
him. Johnson shot out about 100 yards ahead.
Sweeten glanced at his speedometer. It read
105. He turned on all the speed he had left.

‘He rammed into the rear end of the other

car and veered right. Johnson’s car bounced
but kept upright. He fired a few more shots.
Sweeten bumped him again. Johnson’s car
hurtled off the road into a ploughed field.
Sweeten pulled his emergency brake and
yanked open his door. He climbed out. There
was a cloud of dust and the smell of burned
rubber. Johnson climbed out of his car and
fired two shots at the sheriff. Sweeten leveled
at the badman, and it had to be good. This
was his last chance and he knew it. He fired.
The bullet hit just above Johnson’s heart.
But he didn’t drop. He kept walking straight
at Sweeten, aiming at him. Sweeten just stood
there. He’d used his last bullet. There was
nothing more he could do. If Johnson had
the strength to pull his trigger again, he had
him. Sweeten watched, sweating. Johnson
moved toward him until they stood face ‘to -

“How do you plead?”


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He lived alone and seldom went to town. The
big sheriff developed a habit of going out to
visit the old man. On hot days they’d squat in
the sand in the shade of Patton’s rickety barn
and talk about crops.

Patton’s balding head was always lowered
a little. His chin was drawn in and his ears
stuck out as though he were an angry billy-
goat forever listening, waiting. At first the
conversations were cautious.

“Mighty dry weather,” Patton said, spitting
between his knees into the red sand.

It was dry all right, so dry in East Texas
in the mid-30s that the land was dying
of thirst and blowing away. The sand blew
into your eyes and burned them and you could
taste it in your mouth. But Sweeten and old
Patton chose their words carefully and spar-
ingly, Patton knowing Sweeten suspected him
of murder, and Sweeten knowing Patton knew.

“Yep,” the big sheriff said. “Mighty dry.”

A Yeor Of Squat

They squatted together in the shade maybe
twice a week for more than a year. Some-
times Patton stared with his watery eyes
across his cotton patch, saying nothing, just
watching the young cotton stalks dry up and
die.

Once Sweeten walked across the cotton
patch to meet his friend and between the
rows he found: what he had been looking for.
A bone, bleached by the sun. He put it in his
pocket and took it back to the office and had
it analyzed.

* When the report came back from the state
laboratories his hopes fell. His clue was noth-
ing but an old coyote bone. In February, 1936,
three and one-half yearg after the disappear-
ance of the McGehee family, Sweeten still had
no clue, but he kept up his visits, dropping
around to see Patton. every time he had a
chance.

Patton married a 16-year-old girl, and
Sweeten still went to visit him. They’d sit
on the front steps of the unpainted house. The
men smoked and talked politics and the girl
would sit in the doorway listening. One day
Sweeten came to visit and nobody was home.
He went inside and found a bullet embedded
in the wall behind the bed. He dug it out and
left before his host came home. He had the
bullet analyzed. It was stained with blood.

For sixteen straight days he visited Patton

and questioned him about the McGehees.
They were sitting in the shade by the barn
when Sweeten said:

“You’d better tell me all about it now, and
dig those bodies up.” The old man’s eyes were
swimming and he looked like a trapped animal.
He spat, his jaw sagged and he said:

“T will if you'll stick by me.”

“No mob will get you,” Sweeten said.

Patton told this story. He and McGehee
had fought because McGehee owed $20 to
Patton for groceries and medicine and Pat-
ton wanted him to shuck 40 bushels of corn
so he could pay him back. McGehee refused.

During the fight, Patton said, one of the
kids was shot by McGehee’s wild bullets.
They fought in the house, then out at the
barn. Mrs. McGehee with the baby in her arms
rushed between the fighting men. She and the
baby got in the way, and they died, too.
The murder weapon was a piece of iron pipe.

Patton said he boiled the bodies in a vat to
get some of the fat off.

“When I went to bury them,” he said,
“her and the little baby were lying there close

togethcr. I went out and got a shovel and
tried to dig a‘hole in the lot. I tried to pull
him out there and I couldn’t pull him by
hand. I tied a rope around his neck and drug
him little by little. Then I got her and drug
her in there and the other two little folks.
Then I covered them up.”

Patton said he was always careful to drive
his team and wagon around the spot where
he buried them, and wondered if things would
grow in the soil on the grave.

Next morning, March 14, 1936, Sweeten and
his red shirted deputies watched and puffed
cigarets while Patton sweated, stogped, dug in
the soft sand by one of his farm sheds. His
pregnant 16-year-old wife stood in the door-

way watching, not knowing what the digging
was for. A deputy handed up_ blackened
bones out of the three-foot grave, and
Sweeten placed them carefully in a newspaptr.
When the work was done Sweeten turned to
Patton’s wife.

“You'd better get your brother or father to
stay with you and take care of the stock.
George may be away quite awhile.” Sweeteu
stuck to his promise and whisked Patton away
to the Dallas jail before an angry mob in
Athens could get to him.

As they adjusted the chair before his elec-
trocution for killing the sharecroppers, Patton
said:

““Vourre a good man, Jess Sweeten. And may

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BALL. AMAL EA BAL AUPE Ue HE Pere se seed,

The sheriff has killed three men. He shot
nine others. In Henderson County, the Sweeten
fists are the main weapons of law enforce-
ment. In 1944 a wave of burglaries hit
Athens. Rupert Craig, editor of the Athens
Review, printed a statement on the front
page, in large type, capital letters, from
Sweeten:

“T am going to catch the cheap sneak
thieves who are doing the stealing around
town, and when I get them I am going to
give them a personal whipping. (Signed) Jess
Sweeten.”

No More Thefts

Within 24 hours three-fourths of the stolen
property had been returned. No further thefts
occurred.

Sweeten’s record showed 15 mystery mur-
ders solved, 95 per cent of the burglaries
and 100 per cent of the hijackings. Henderson
County was one of the most law abiding in
Texas. After the war, when crime was mount-
ing everywhere, that county remained quiet.
The citizens elected Sweeten term after term.

In his seven two-year terms Sweeten had

‘stepped on many toes. Texas counties have

local option, and several juries balked at mak-
ing the selling of liquor a crime in Henderson
County when it was legal in Dallas and ad-
joining counties. Some churchmen charged
Sweeten with protecting bootleggers, and a
war veteran defeated him in the election.

On January 1, 1947, Sweeten at the age of
40 hung up his guns and declared that he would
now make a living the easy way—by working.
He turned down a Texas Ranger post on the
Rio Grande for a job with Magnolia Oil as
traveling right-of-way agent in eight states.
Sweeten left town, and in May, 1947, Athens
woke up to find the Piggly-Wiggly Grocery
safe blown and $2,000 missing.

Several months later a grand jury in Dallas
heard strange testimony from a hoodlum ask-
ing clemency on another charge, who confessed
taking part in the Piggly Wiggly safe poeUs,
The hoodlum told this story:

His gang held a meeting in Dallas to plan
the job. They called for the services of a prison
hardened ex-convict who was an expert at
knocking knobs off safes.

“No, I don’t want to go down there—Jess
Sweeten might kill us, or when he catches us
beat us half to death.”

“But Jess ain’t there no more.”

The knob knocker made a special trip to
Athens to make sure the big sheriff was not
there. Then he took part in the job. The story
made front pages all over Texas. Dr. R. E.
Henderson, real estate man Millard Wood
and businessman Arch Williams down in
Henderson County said they would announce
Sweeten for sheriff at the next election.

His friends made up a campaign pot. A
Dallas banker sent down $50. Former County
Judge Frank Davis asked Magnolia Oil if it
would give Sweeten a leave to run for elec-

‘tion. The company does not allow its employes

to enter politics, but this was an exception.
Sweeten promised to run out the boBtleggers
and make the best sheriff Henderson: County
ever had. They pinned his badge back on, on
January 1, 1949.

He presses his thumb against his moustache,
thinking, then chooses his words slowly and
drawls:

“Since I came back into office last time
things have been mighty peaceable.”

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49


The Law Is 7 Feet Tall

continued from page 39

bandits Sam and Belle Star. He shook his
head no.
“T’ve been offered $16 a day in St. Louis.”
“There'll be money in it here,” King said.
“The merchants will pay $125 a month, free

-board and room and you'll get $4 commis-

sion on each arrest.”

“Tl take it,” Sweeten said.

Constable Albert Leopard came over from
the town of Malakoff and deputized him and
Sweeten borrowed a rusty gun. That was
Thursday. The town was as ominously calm as
the prairie just before a cyclone hits.

Saturday noon 1500 paid-off construction
men roared in hunting moonshine and trouble.

A few minutes after noon a mudsoaked worker °

with blackened eyes and a bloody gash across
his cheek dragged himself up to the new police
officer. He’d been robbed and beaten by three

red haired brothers. Sweeten had his first case.

He found the redheads shooting craps on a
muddy Street corner.

“Give back this‘man’s money and get out of
town!” Sweeten said.

The biggest brother, a barechested, sun-
blackened 190-pounder, glanced up from his
game and laughed.

“You only put that gun on three days ago.
Take it off and one of us’ll whip you.”

The dice quit rolling. The crowd got quiet,
everyone looking at the new constable. Sweeten
weighed only 185 then, and he’d never had a

fight in his life. He was born May 7, 1906, in

Stigler, Oklahoma Indian Territory. Like Will
Rogers, he was of Irish and Cherokee Indian
descent. Until he was 16, he’d lived on a ranch
with five sisters. He’d wrestled steers and
structural steel, but no men.

He wondered what an officer was supposed
to do when challenged to a fist fight. The
crowd waited, all quiet except the big red-
head who swaggered up to Sweeten and
laughed in his facé. Slowly Sweeten unbuckled
his belt and handed the rusty borrowed gun
to the man who’d been robbed. The biggest
redhead charged. It was the beginning of the
Battle of Trinidad.

Hits The Puddle

Sweeten’s fist plowed into the fréckled face,
and the redhead fell backward, splashing into
a red mud puddle. The crowd was surprised
and so was Sweeten. The redhead jumped up.
Sweeten hit him and the mud splashed again.
He knocked him down twice more. Then the
two other brothers, 185 and 165 pounders,
jumped into the fight. It was three against one,
with the crowd yelling for the redheads.
Sweeten ducked and swung, and mud splashed.
Finally two bloody redheads lay still at his
feet. The smallest one bobbed up again like
a ball, and Sweeten flattened him. He made
them return the stolen money, collected a
$14.50 fine from each for disturbing the peace
and escorted them out of town. .

The battle was just beginning. Sweeten
changed shirts and went back to town. An-
other fight was going. He waded in and
whipped both. A drunk challenged him. He
whipped and fined him, and: fought all after-
noon and all night.

: The opening strains of The Old Time Re-
ligion boomed from the church next to the
railroad depot, and Sweeten’s fists were bloody

Tei as ee
BO

Bad Man Sordid daha finally fell.

lumps when he whipped and fined his last
man on Sunday morning. He ate a panful of
hot biscuits and eight fried eggs for break-
fast, changed shirts, put mud chains on his

_ car and headed for Malakoff where he could

turn over his fines to Peace Justice Bob
McClain.

“Any luck, son?” the skinny, 80-year-old
justice said.

Sweeten pulled bills and change from every
pocket. The old justice adjusted his glasses
and blinked at the money. His hands trembled
and he had a hard time keeping his lower
jaw from dropping open. They counted $1400.
Sweeten had won 20 fights, arrested 100 and
his commissions were $400. He hadn’t known
enough about being a police officer to give his
prisoners receipts for their fines and he didn’t
know officers don’t usually clean up towns
with their fists. But he’d won the Battle of
Trinidad and that Sunday the righteous re-
joiced,

In two weeks Sweeten had tamed the blus-

tering boom town into a model city. Soon 4
afterwards he was appointed deputy sheriff. %

He had a way of making more news than

the sheriff so the sheriff fired him. Next elec-
tion he defeated his former boss and became
the youngest sheriff in the state.

That was in 1934, They called him “the
boy sheriff’ but the title was never used
derisively. They smiled when they called
Sweeten “boy.” He developed policies unusual
even for Texas, where everything is unusual.
Dallas and Fort Worth sprawl over the plains
65 miles northwest of Henderson County. The
couftty had been a favorite hangout for thugs
from the big cities. Now they began to
avoid it. When Sweeten found a hoodlum
nosing around his county, he fought him.
Sometimes he put them in jail, pulled his guns
off and went into the cells after them bare-
handed. After bashing them, he released them
and reminded them that they were not wanted
in his county. ~

Raymond Hamilton, Texas’ No. 2 badman
in 1934, told Sweeten from his jail cell in
Dallas:

“IT always dodge Athens. T'm | not going to
give you a chance to beat my brains out.”
Frequently Sweeten fractured his fists, had
them mended and used them again. .

He learned to use a pistol. He liked to go
to picnics and barbecues and shoot out the
fire from cigarets his friends held between
their lips. In 1935 he won the state pistol
championship at the Texas Sheriffs’ Association
meeting. Life magazine called him the best
draw and shoot man in the U. S. Back in
his county, he shot a ruffian six times in “non-
fatal” places as an “object lesson.”

Those who know him best say Jess Sweeten «

is a gentle man. He has blue eyes and high
Indian cheekbones, looks that have given
him the newspaper photo caption, “movie
sheriff.” When he’s thinking he strokes his
mustache with this thumb. He talks slowly,
never raising his voice, and beats hoodlums
with the calm and deliberate air of a stern

father spanking a spoiled child.

He prefers to sit and fish with his wife and
daughter on the edge of a clear lake 100 yards
from his farmhouse near Athens, or hunt with
his four-year-old pointer, Dan. Vicious, hump-
necked Brahma cattle and gentle: saddle horses
graze together in his pasture.

Sweeten does not always administer jus-
tice fist first. When he took office he in-
herited a file cabinet full of unsolved murders.
He began to work on them with persistence
and patience. A whole family had disappeared
from Henderson County on Thanksgiving,
1932. It was as though Don McGehee, 25, his
21-year-old wife and two sons, Doyle, 4, and
Bobbie, 2, had vanished from the earth. They’d
lived in his two-room shack with Farmer
George Patton, a work-gnarled 50-year-old
man with eyes that seemed to float in their
sockets. Patton said some of the McGehee
relatives had come in a car and had taken
away his sharecropper guests, to California,
he thought. Patton was charged with quad-
ruple murder, but you can’t convict a man of
that charge unless you find a body. The
sheriff’s men found nothing, and Patton was
dismissed for lack of evidence before Sweeten
became sheriff.

Sweeten had a hunch that a man will tell
you anything if you know him long enough
and he trusts you. In the Henderson County
backwoods, it took longer than usual.

If old man Patton ever had a friend before
Sweeten came along. nobody knew about it

lide ldkiaentie Te


-

The City OF Cleburne

302 West Henderson StreeteP.O. Box 657*Cleburne, Texas 76031¢81 7-641-3321

Watt Espy June 21st, 1982
Law Library

Box 6205

University

Alabama 35486

Dear Mr Espy

We regret the delay in answering your inquiry requesting information concerning
capital punishment in Johnson County prior to 1924, Unfortunately we have not

been very sucessful in our search for records that might help you. Johnson County
courthouse burnt in 1912 and many records were consumed in the flames. Our histories
give information about all of the men mentioned by you but we did not find further
evidence of any other executions on our county for this time period. We were able

to find a date for the hanging of John Renfro. He was hanged Friday, July 27th, 1900
at 12.12 noon. There had been many delays before the hanging took place.

Mrs Mildred Padon
Layland Museum
S Caddo st
Cleburne y
76031 we

We hope this information will be a ‘ou.s—-Again, our regrets for the delay.

Yours sincerely

D gree FEES

Doreen Stevens
Interlibrary Loans.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER if


‘

LAYLAND MUSEUM

é bit ZO Coe “f Ly

201 N. Caddo St.
Cleburne, Texas 76031
641-3321 ext. 375

29 June 1982

Mr. Watt Espy

Law Library

Box 6205

University, Ala. 35486

Dear Mr. Espy:

Johnson County had 5 legal hangings before we started
sending them down to Huntsville, Texas. Enclosed is a summary of
those.We have in our possession a picture of the hanging of John
Wilkins , actually 4 different scenes that were sold as picture
post cards to the 10,000 people who came to watch the hanging
that June of 1896.

We also have in our research library a printed confession
written by Shaw while he was in prison waiting his hanging.

We have a record of another hanging of a horse thief who
was mentioned in the 1860 Johnson County Census, but because he was
hanged as a horse thief, it was requested his name not be counted
in the census.

Should you wish further information, we would be glad
to supply it if possible.

Yours very truly,

ll ne

MILDRED PADON
Curator


Headland, Ala. 363u5 fo ee ates

a i am sorry that I cannot supply any more information regarding the fi)
4 hangings in Johnson county than was ‘contained in m a? ‘letter to old
"Hosstail", of the True West magazine. You see I wa

up to the events of the Johns executions, byt, Like most boys 3 yround , |
Joos Twas interested only in the immediate events, the hangings, (JAS. to 74
wiet-the. crimes for which the men were hung, | the “only. thing Ti rember, ‘aris A
“that. John Wilkerson was working on a. farm ‘for, an old man, ‘and i urdered
“>> ¢him for his money, which he. never got. “The clue leading to, his” ‘arfest _
48.8 was wool found on: the ‘sleeves of. the hired man after. the mirder, The. i

Stl of the house, or the hired man had thought so. “And "in, serching’ the |

him and gone back to her mother's home. He was a negro. The judge ey.

‘and did not meet a single person other than herself. phat. i had known ao aie
“the old days. © ae a

JOHNSON COUNTY, TEXAS,
ISON COUNT Y, AK LEON (BUCK) DIAL
Pa 250 Smith Ave,

Bene! 78. 3 EE

Mr Watt Espyy Jre
Box 21:7

4,
% 237
‘yy

‘Dear Sir: ities ee | Mat : Bac
‘Your's of August doth. eecsived™ tt in voiy ff have ‘to say that:

only 9 years. old °
at. the | ‘time. 9/1: must have. heard a-lot.of talk about the events leading

old fellow had hidden his money in a sack of wool hanging’ on the» side |

lace had’ felt around in the wool without finding ‘the. hidden. money. | Sua

he name of the murdered man I must have heard, but 77 years later 1:

cannot recall any more details, as is the case with the other two Jonnst
As to Henry Fuget, I remember that they said his wife had left

es acto’

asked him upon his conviction, why he killed his wife ?- He had gone Ra nk ype
to the mother's home and called the wife out to the front gate, and 9) ff
carved her up with.a butcher kmife. His reply to the judge was " I Boe yi BY aati
loved her and wanted her back but she wouldn't come." The. ygudge replied Chae
that he"had a strange way of expressing his love." ea! DEEAG

My suggestion would be, concerning the hangings I Pave mene icred: SSG area
if you would contact the County Clerk at Cleburne Texas, or perhaps the ‘CeO
present sheriff,(The names I do not know) you might get a lead as to . A Seem gy pe
the dates, and other circumstances, as these must be of record in the - ee
Court house. There is not a single person living in ‘that ‘town that I know
now. Since my aunt died Bherersn 1948, I had visited her the year before,

I had written a letter cddrassed to the hearty Peter eecard ink

another case of interest to myself, I had recalled that when I was ly ree
». years of age there had been an account of the finding of an old rusty.
“revolver in a field with the name of "Pat Cleburne" engraved on it. Ee

and in 1955 or thereqbouts I was interested in learning something about
who Pat Cleburne, for whom the town had been named, was, and what he ~
had done to become noted. J think that the name of the paper that had °°.
the story of the finding of the old revolver was the "Cleburne Enterprise."
This paper might be published yet. If so probably they would have in *') =
their files all the information you seek. I got no reply from my. letter

addressed to the county clerk, and did not seek further at the . time as
the matter was not vital to my peace oF. mind. ; sas

Sincerely

Learns - Bilaus]

Watt Espy
Box 4205
Law ‘Library
University, AL 35186

duly 1, 1982.

Mrs, Mildred Padon, ‘Curator,:
The Layland Museum _.

201 North Caddo St,
Cleburne, Texas 76031

RE: Jphnson County executions,
Dear Mrs. Padons

Thank you so much for your kind letter of June 29th and the article concerning
the five legal hangings that took place in Cleburne prior to 192) when the State
of Texas began putting all of its condemned felons to death at the Huntstille
State Prison by electrocution, According to our records, only twe persons sene
tenced from Johnson County have beeh electrocuted: Rogers Lee King on March 22,
192, and Donald Ray Wilson on March 20, 1962, and we have enough information
for our purposes on both of these cases,

Regarding the hangings, we have all on the information peedéUlen the Wilkins case,
but we dg need to know Mr, Shaw's age as well as anything available on the cases
of Messrs, Myers, Renfro and Fugett (information on their backgrounds with such
data as races, ages, Occupations, prior criminal records, ects; the crimes and the
actual executions.) We would sap like very much to have copies of any articles
from newspapers, ebc,, concerning Bowden's confession of the crime for which Myers

washanged,

Would it be possible to. con capy of Shaw's confession and also the photographs of
the Wilkins execution and, if so, what would be the cost?

If you do not have information the King and Wilson cases which resulted in death
by electrocution, we will, of course, be glad to send you copies of what we have
as well as what we have on the the Shaw case if you so desire,

‘Enclosed is a prepaid addressed envelope for your reply and we will look forward

to hearing from you at bite conveniences
Thanking you, once again, for your kindness and soupantdon: *am,

fully yours,


Mp on LD” Fax

Mr. Espy,

Marion County did not have any legal executions prior to
1924, and none since 1924. Below are the names and addresses
of two people that serve on the Historical Commission for
Marion County.

Mrs. Katherine Wise
312 Houston St.
Jefferson ,Tx 75657

Mrs. Lucille Bullard

Dr. G
Jefferson, Texas 75657

Very truly yours,

(Mrs.) Syble Blackbu

Sa Te Wi iaeont
s er W nage apres

rn.

a,

sb/s

John Columbus. The History of Matagorda County. Thesis:
University of Texas, Austin, 1928. LGD

—“\. Ory Cz s. Ly ‘i ern ~ 4; “i aos . . . J 4-4 ; . -t A SHE
My 1075 the nesrovs were findin: out their power
Qo

SZ ee ee | “Wh, — See Aas t
to control the polities of bt

birvers thit came into the county after the wor von the

+ wy te 4} ’ eae {oe rn ae -y yew 4 c yor ; ye . is 1.7 ria 4 5
tate the hends of these unprincinpled mon and the illite
erate necroes. In order to cope with the sifveation a

5c Dale aa wy anal wor : TAI n weer mae
Mulux Ylen was oreanized, and J. C. Meleill was made

s an * : Lk arte an : Oy. , < Bd pres a hn . 2 f ’

captain. Sixty rifles were issued to him. 4 wer
4
ae weds sae hea * oA . - 45 In . 2 P - ee eae aL pent tin "Ts
distrybuted amon the nembers of tne Organinavion. ALS
hn 9 CS os 7" 9 . wit C4 “ Aa a TY en oy ue

home on the San Bernard River at VMeNeill's Merry was
“aap hana “n4Ae YT Sd & ee oP R Wide? . Vegans me 4
made headquarters. lis wife and children, during his

absence, issued annunition to the acne The children of
TT ATT Sf } AoA . ani) < 4. ~ oo Ps F S pet 2 7 4o
Meleill became so much a part of the organizetion that

they all carried sticks for suns and charged “>on every

nesro that came by their house. It was nov lov: nagtil

. : 20x
, 7° 3 We “pry tt ms ;
the “NuXlux Hlan had the negroes under control "y5in.
—
nA ae
Mant on ft peta wenn dae ae in + o ay has
This information was obtained from ifr. 7. Ce
Tratto: Mer ow ; "444 wt oe Sosy eT . ' a>
MeNeill. To all anquiries concerning one munserv of new
ore Lye 1 ‘ ee | em Atr/ 1 24 er ade rats 5 as
Groes tnatd they Web, Mo WOU Hit ence 026
" ron oi H ry |e he Leryn oft PN a. Fs sn 4 a by de Py wwe
head, and say, “ IT uo not know. Qnae of his i Meera,
S'sp 4 ry re re a 5 tee 4 <1 4- “4 F 7
v0 ig living with him, stated thet she saw several
* ~ 2 . a .  . Fay de
hanging from the limbs of trees.

The Negroes, however, outanmbered the whites - by

ich ereat odds, that they were not lone fo renacia under


este erent et MARR tn

A og

the dominntion of the white man. In the onw: * of LE87
the climnx between tne two races emia. Ae cn vine
bhe nosrots nad nm neo resresentative, Geoorjge Sllis,
in the State Leciale rre. The County Commissioner
from precinet mumber three was Ovance Doss, & nNerros

They hod two Justices of the Peace; Beachicoy Piehardaon

on Live Oak Greek, and A. Be. Brown of Caney Cooex. They

. t iy whey 4 ate

also head one consteble, Jerry Matthews.
Wyo teapnh lea aprnyc: rhc Tal nn Ta pirc ai Tye Ww
The trouble avose when John Tueckols and Dan ien-

nedy, who were white men living in the Garsect neighnoor--
hood, refused to works the roads with @ ¢roun of negroes
and undex the supervision of the negro commissioner.
Jerry Matthews, the consvable, was ordered to snmmon
them before the Justice of the Peace, A. B. Brown.
Matthews borrowed a pistol and made several threats bee
fore leaving what he would do to the two white men. He
was wernead that he had better not carry the pistol, but
he remarked that he might need it. Matthews arrived

at Nnekols' home and found him away. A mana ia Nuckols'!
employ , a desperido, by tne nome of Stafford, met Mate
thews at the door. After a few words with Stafford,
Matthews departed. Stafford 50% on his horse and over-

tool: Matthews and shot him. He drug the body off and

hid it in a Swmp.


nd

INET BE hl Ch saps ap

ssteeaegewie

ee ee

eg: SEO die Re cts

ph pe

hd

The negroes sot uneasy when Matthews did sot re-
turn. About seventy- ive procurcd wns aad weab to
Nuckols' house. They used abusive lanruese in the pre-
Seneé of airs. ihickols, and would have killed Nuekols if
there had not been © number of white men presant. Mualke
ols, under a heavy svard, left at ones for Rainey, now
Yan Vieck, on Caney Creek, to get a summons for the
arrest of the nesroes.

Tne news of thea nerro uprising spread to the ad-
goinins connties, ond on the following dsy shout eighty~
five heavily arned mon from Mateacsorda, Brazoria, Fort
Bend, end “harton Connties had colleectied at Muckols!

home. In the meantime Ned Wadsworth, the sheriff of

=

4

Matagorda Younty, had arrived ond warned the necroes
to stay out of the Sargent community. The negroes
heeded the warnins of the sheriff and stayed away, but
the whites meant to kill a few nezroes before they dis-
banded and end once for all the supremacy of the "binets."
The following day they attacked the negro leader,
Oliver Sheppard, a half-breed, who was barricaded in &
os house at African or what is now ecalled Van Sattle-~
ment, on Live Oak Cxeck. In the ficht which followed

two idison nesroes were killed while runnins from one


*

a a és
Re wsecac tre MNES E RR Teeth,

arate age

‘Genetika APR eS

9 : ~~
late YY

Seiefesjeleieeeictieicesyercicicieeicereeiearerreiererrmeiee

O47 & = ~~ %* rt AP get 8 7 Vs : 2 . ae Vay >
tifles issued to ‘a. J. %. “icleill, Captain of the |

i : ‘-
Ke “. He organization in Vataszorda Tountye

These ritl » sbill in 714 .98cecsion of Ur. 7. 7.
weneLl1l>: who lives’ oa 4A Dan ff the Sam Bernenwde Ai vox
near the town o- Brazoria.

—\F 8


SS ERR ra SB ARN IN SSS RR RU TSE ta REC a Bias fA BC aie cl

“7.

168

house to another. Oliver Sheppard, however, made his

escape. Ne was befriended by the District Judve, Wells

ee

Thompson, who resided in the town of Mategorda. The
negro was secretly conducted out of the county dveused
in woman's clothes.

The Wharton County party met a negro while on their
way to iuckols' home and killed hin. The fact that the
ro Was carryins @ gun was excuse enough for them to

his body with bullets.

K
a
por)
us
La
©

A group of Brazoria boys thought they might at
least heve a few new experiences, and they started for
Caney Creek to join the men who had already left their
county. While on the way they met fifteen cotton wagons
driven by as many nesroes. This was good enon:h for
then, so they bezan to shoot at the ends of the long
whips the negroes were carrying. After the first volley,
the negroes all broke and ran into the surrouniing timber.
About that time three snards, who had béen ridings at the
rear of the wasons, appeared and asked why @1ll the shoot-
ing at the convicts who were hauling the cotter to market
froin the state farm. After listening to a severe tonzue
lashing, the boys were glad to retrace their steps home.
My. Je GC. Vaughn, one of the boys who participated in

this incident, recalls it today with a great deal of

anusemente |


Se

ELE EAD

BPR EM RIPEN RISD Be RIES LEIA AES IN, i as

SRO,

&
i
|

He hreceae pepe

2 REN RTS OR RO,

169

The negroes were convinced this time thet they
were to remain in the back-szround, and leave the governe=
ment of the county to the whites. For several years
afterward the nesroecs would always take off their hats
when they met a white man, and keep them off until the
white man had passed.

This nesro uprisins resulted in the. formation of
the White Man's Union in the county. The pvetition was
circulated in the spring of 1894, and all but foxy or
five white men in the county signed it. The unicyn was
one of the first organized in the state. Since that

time the nesroes have never voted in the primaries or
949
Cred &

elected a county official.

° )
C40) 6
This material was secured from the following

Matazorda County men: J. C. Vaughn, Jessie Matthews,
and Je C. MeNeil.. :


Austin, Texas: The Pemberton Press, 1965.

es? Junann. . Bay City and Matagorda County:. &

216 Appendices

1869 District Judge J. C. Borden; District Clerk H. P. Gove: Sheriff
John M. Barbour

1870 Daestrict Judge J. ©. Borden and W. H. Burkhart; District Clers
H. P. Gove and John M. Barbour; Sheriff John M. Barbour

1871 istrict Judge W. H. Burkhart; District Clerb John M. Barbour:

District Attorney §. C. Patton; Sheriff John M. Barbour

1872 District Judge W. H. Burkhact; District Clerh John M. Barbour:
District Attorney S. C. Patton; Sheriff Conrad Franz

1873 District Judge W. H. Burkhart; District Clerk John L. Croom;
District Attorney 8. C. Patton; Sheriff Conrad Franz

1874 District Judge W. H. Burkhart; District Clerk John L. Croom: Dis-
trict Aitorney 8. C. Patton; Sheriff Frank Rugeley

1875 District fudge W. H. Burkhart: District Clerh John L. Croom;
Sheriff Frank Rugeley

1876-1877 Same officials elected as in 1875

1878 District Judge W. H. Burkhart; District Clerk Wm. C. Braman;
Sheriff Frank Rugeley

1879 District Judge W. H. Burkhart; District Clerk Wm. E. Austin:
District Attorney J. E. Pearson and Wm. A. Carter; Sheriff J. W.
Matthews

1880 District Judge W. H. Burkhart; Distric

Phe
qy
oO
=
Gund
q
3
bed
Se
G
te
a
r

District Attorney W.L. Davidson; Sheriff J. W. Matthews

1881 District Judge W. H. Burkhart; District Clerk Wm. E. Austin; Dis-
trict Attorney R. E. Hanney; Sheriff J. W. Matthews

1882 Same officials elected as in 1881

1883 District Judse W. H. Burkhart; District Clerk Wo. E. Austin;
District Attorney R. E. Hanney; Sheriff Edward Wadsworth

a

1884-1889 Same officials as in 1883
1890 Dazstrict Judge W. H. Burkhart;
Attorney John M. Pinckney; Sher?
1891-1892 Same officials elected as in
1893 Drstrict Judge G. S. Reese; Dis
Attorney Jahn M. Pinckney; Sher:/j

stin; District

1894 Same officials elected as in 1893 ; -

1895 Daéstrict Judge G. §. Reese; District Clerk Geo. Austin; District
Attorney John M. Pinckney; Sheriff A. I. Rugeley

1896-1897 Same officials as in 1895

Austin; District Attorney J. L. Ladd; Sheriff A. I. Rugeley
1899 District Judge Wells Thompson; District Clerk Geo. Austin; District
Attorney John M. Pinckney; Sheriff S. S. Moore
1900 District Judge Wells Thompson; District Clerk Geo. A Di
Attorney John M. Pinckney and S. J. Styles; Sheriff S. S. Moore;

a &

Appendices 217

County judge T. J. Hamilton and Jesse Matthews

1901 Disivict Judge Wells Thompson; District Clerk Geo. Austit ; District
Attorney S. J. Styles; Sheriff J. M. Sims

1902-1906 Same officials as in 1901

1907 District Judge Wells Thompson; District Clerk Geo. Austin; District
Attorney S. J. Styles; Sheriff Amos Lee

1908-1910 Same officials as in 1907

1911 District Judge R. M. Franklin; District Clerk Geo, Austin; Déstrict
Attorney 8. J. Styles; Sheriff Frank Rugeley

1912 District Judge Wells Thompson; District Clerk Geo. Austin; District
Attorney S. J. Styles; Sheriff Frank Rugeley

1913 District Judge S. J. Styles; District Clerk Joha F. Perry; District
Attorney W. M. Holland; Sheriff Frank Rugeley

1914 Same officials as in 1913

1915 District Judge S. J. Styles; District Clerk John F. Perry; District
Attorney W. M. Holland

1916- District Judge S. J. Styles; District Attorney W. M. Holland; District

1917 Clerk John F. Perry; County Judge R. R. Lewis; County Attorney
G. B. Robertson; County Clerk J. T. Bond; Sheriff Bert Carr; Tax
Collector T. H. Castleton; Tax Assessor W. C. Lloyd; Treasurer Geo.

E. Serrill; Surveyor J. C. Carrington; School Superintendent W. F.

Pack; Commissioners Louis Huebner, J. B. Hawkins, H. M. Sanders,
C. V. Cabaniss

1918- District Judge S. J. Styles: District Attorney J. W. Conger; District

1919 Clerk Wm. C. Foulks; County judge John F. Perry; County Attorney
W. E. Davant; County Clerk J. T. Bond; Sheriff Bert Carr; Tax
Collector T. H. Castleton; Tax Assessor W. C. Lloyd; Treasurer Geo.
E. Serrill; Surveyor J. C. Carrington: School Superintendent W. F.
Pack; Commissioners W. R. Horn, J. B. Hawkins, H. M. Sanders,
C. V. Cabaniss

1920- District Judge M. S. Munson: District Horney C. C. Parker; District
1921 Clerk Wm. C. Foulks; County Judge John F. Perry; County Aitorney
WV. E. Davant; County Clerk 1. M. Fitzmaurice: Sheriff Frank Carr:

Lax Collector Geo. E. Serrill: Tax Assessor Otis Montgomery;
Treasurer W. 'T. Pack; Surveyor EN. Gustafson; School Superinten-
dent Miss Malre Kennedy; Commissioners J. H. Pyle, W. E. McNabb,
G. A. Sulsburg, C. V. Cabaniss

1922- District Judge M. S. Munson; District Attorney R. A. Bassett; Dis-

1923 trict Clerk A. D. Hensley; Couzty Judge W. E. McNabb; County
Attorney Thos H. Lewis; County Clerk Mrs. Ruby Hawkins;; Sheriff
Frank Carr; Tax Collector Geo. E. Serrill; Tax Assessor Otis
Montgomery; Treasurer W. T. Pack: Surveyor E. N. Gustafson;

; MEDINA COUNTY, TEXAS, EXECUTIONS.
° WELCOME

:
00S.COUN

Sy
ger

HONDO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

For the Growth and Welfare of Hondo - County Seat and Trading Center, Medina County, Texas

PHONE Area Code 512-426-2015 * MUNICIPAL BUILDING * HONDO, TEXAS 78861
Several people gave me the following information from memory.
Henry Turner killed Henry Butts with a high powered rifle outside a dance hall in
(this part is from court minuetes
D'Hanis, Texas./ He was condemed to death in District Court, April 27, 1908.) While
in jail he jumped the jailer, August Hornung and jailer shot Turner at 9 p.m. and

he died early the next morning. The court records just.say dismissed because of

defendent's death. All local newspaper says May 1. case against Henry Turner was ordered
to be dropped from the docket.

Henry Brown, age ?2, a colored man was hung in the Medina County Jail. He was the

only one executed in the county jail. (from memory) He was convict on a RR or Road gang
west of D'Hanis, Tex. He hit another convict, Albert Taylor, age 27 on the head with

a shovel and the man died 20 minutes later. (Court records say) He was Originally
sentenced for murder in Robertson Co. for life. This last murder was on or about

Aug 15, 1902--grand gury met in April 1903. Minutes in Dist. Ct. file say already
sentenced for life - no actual record of his having been hung just State VS Henry
Brown - Murder - Docket # 2316 - May 10, 190) Dismissed for reasons. Discharged and

go hense without day. Many people remember he was hung by Jim Galbraph or Galbrath the

then Deputy Sheriff in the County Jail - Joe Nye was then the Sheriff.

Lus Arcos/on other sheets) shot Barrientes in a grocery store over a quart of milk
which he had purchased and it was sour. (Others say there had been hard feelings
between the men beéfre and that Lus killed the father and two sons) - this verified by
several people who said he no doubt would have been on trial for the other two if

he hadn't gotten the death sentence.


NM ECULLOUGC-Y nf, TX

Mr, Spiller: The Clerk of your Court has very kindly provided me with your name and
add-ress and suggested that you might, perhaps, be of assistance with this project.

Our research into the history of capital punishment in our country is the
first time that a serious effort has been made to chronicle all of the legal
executions to have occurred in the United States from the earliest Colonial
days down to and including the present. At this time, we have confirmed,
with various degrees of documentation, approximately 12,750 legal executions
and, in the not too distant future, we hope to have the manuscript for the
first volume, containing listings of the executions in the Southern States,
with certain background and data, as available, concerning those executed
and their crimes, ready for publication.

The appropriate state department or agency in your state has provided us with
a list of those executions which have occurred since 192) 7 when the state
took over the function of executing condemned felons at the state prison.
Prior to that year, persons executed there were put to. death locally, in the
county of their conviction, generally with the sheriff acting as executioner.

At this time, the following executions prior to 192), have been confirmed
in McCulloch County: | NONE, ,
DT have wea krnawledge of a Court ta Nc Calloc4

ever Conder arr? a erp rainasl 4o Dre for Arts

a

or Ath raasdeeds. LF Severe L woulg Kaon, +
Naogw oF -? 0 O7e wr7G b&4 tr crt Lor raat e 7,

~ A) Ary 2 2
If your organization has any record of any other legal “executions (we are not
interested in lynchings for the purpose of this work) that might have occurred
in your county prior to 192), ., we would certainly appreciate it if you would
provide us with the names, dates of executions and crimes. Additional information
such as the races of those executed, their ages, occupations and any other
pertinent data would also be appreciated.

We are enclosing a prepaid, addressed envelope for your convenience in replying
and you will, of course, be given credit in the work for your assistance.

If you cannot be of assistance to us, we would appreciate it if you could
provide us with the names and addresses of any local historians, officials
or other organizations or individuals who might be of assistance.

.Naturally, we hope to provide as complete, comprehensive and accurate a listing
as is possible. Even though crime and executions are a somewhat sordid part

of our history, they are, nonetheless, an ingredient, and we feel that as much
data as possible should be collected and preserved for the benefit of future
historians of the social structure of our society and country.

Thanking you for your cooperation and kindness, I am,

Respectfully urs,

Watt Espy

Capital Punishment Research Project
Law Library - Box 6205
University, AL 35486

! ae iLt $ a July 23, 1981

Our research into the history of capital punishment in our country is the
first time that a serious effort has been made to chronicle all of the legal
executions to have occurred in the United States from the earliest Colonial
days down to and including the present. At this time, we have confirmed,

, with various degrees of documentation, approximately 12,750 legal executions
and, in the not too distant future, we hope to have the manuscript for the
first volume, containing listings of the executions in the Southern States,
with certain background and data, as available, concerning those executed
and their crimes, ready for publication.

The apprOnriote efate department or agency in your state has provided us with
a list of those executions which have occurred since 192), » when the state
took over the function of executing condemned felons at the state prison.
Prior to that year, persons executed there were put to death locally, in the
county of their conviction, generally with the sheriff acting as executioner.

At this time, the following executions prior to 192) have been confirmed
in Mills County: None,

If your organization has any record of any other legal executions (we are not
interested in lynchings for the purpose of this work) that might have occurred

in your county prior to 192) , we would certainly appreciate it if you would
provide us with the names, dates of executions and crimes. Additional information
such as the races of those executed, their ages, occupations and any other
pertinent data would also be appreciated.

We are enclosing a prepaid, addressed envelope for your convenience in replying
and you will, of course, be given credit in the work for your assistance.

If you cannot be of assistance to us, we would appreciate it if you could
provide us with the names and addresses of any local historians, officials
or other organizations or individuals who might be of assistance.

‘ Naturally, we hope to provide as complete, comprehensive and accurate a listing
as is possible. Even though crime and executions are a somewhat sordid part |
of our history, they are, nonetheless, an ingredient, and we feel that as much
data as possible should be collected and preserved for the benefit of future
historians of the social structure of our society and country.

Bs) Thanking you for your cooperation and kindness, I am,

hese Lane heen ma
| hoon OA me Ac

‘ : Project
Law Library - Box 6205
Mate é dé Grae BRYANT | University, AL 35486 |
Lee: COUNTY — DISTRICT CLERK

“MILLS COUNTY
GOLDTHWAITE, TEXAS 76844

~~

SLE. Cae

Our research into the history of capital punishment in our country is the
first time that a serious effort has been made to chronicle all of the legal
executions to have occurred in the United States from the earliest Colonial
days down to and including the present. At this time, we have confirmed,
with various degrees of documentation, approximately 12,750 legal executions
and, in the not too distant future, we hope to have the manuscript. for the
first volume, containing listings of the executions in the Southern States,
with certain background and data, as available, concerning those executed
and their crimes, ready for publication.

The appropriate state department or agency in your state has provided us with
a list of those executions which have occurred since 192) , when the state
took over the function of executing condemned felons at the state prison.
Prior to that year, persons executed there were put to death locally, in the
county of their conviction, generally with the sheriff acting as executioner.

At this time, the following executions prior to 192) have been confirmed
in McMullen County: None

No record of capital punishment in NeclMullen County, Texas

If your organization has any record of any other legal executions (we are not
interested in lynchings for the purpose of this work) that might have occurred

in your county prior to 192) , we would certainly appreciate it if you would
provide us with the names, dates of executions and crimes. Additional information
such as the races of those executed, their ages, occupations and any ‘other
pertinent data would also be appreciated.

We are enclosing a prepaid, addressed envelope for your convenience in replying
and you will, of course, be given credit in the work for your assistance.

If you cannot be of assistance to us, we would appreciate it if you could
provide us with the names and addresses of any local historians, officials
or other organizations or individuals who might be of assistance.

Naturally, we hope to provide as complete, comprehensive and accurate a listing
as is possible. Even though crime and executions are a somewhat sordid part
‘of our history, they are, nonetheless, an ingredient, and we feel that as much
data as possible should be collected and preserved for the benefit of future
historians of the social structure of our society and country.

Thanking you for your cooperation and kindness, I am,

PS: Please advise us as to whether or not ,
you have a local historical society or
commission and, if’ SO, its name and

“tess. Thanks again,

* , Watt Espy

: Capital Punishment Research Project
Law Library - Box 6205

University, AL 35486

espectfully yours,


Since your research covers the United States, perhaps you would be
interested in publications about hangings in other East Texas counties.
Hangings in Shelby County by J. B. Sanders, 409 Nacogdoches Street, Center,
Texas 75935, (privately published, 1966) reports in the introduction:

| f Most of the people of Shelby County usually state
that we have had only one "legal" execution in the
County. Actually we have had two legal (more of less)

| hangings and four hangings done by mob violence, of
which I have been able to get authenticated proof.
You may be familiar with The Great Hanging at Gainesville by Thomas
Barrett (Texas State Historical Association, Austin, 1961) and George
Washington Diamond's Account of the Great Hanging at Gainesville, 1862,

edited by Sam Acheson and Julia Ann Hudson O'Connell (Texas State Historical
Association, Austin, 1963.)

There is likely more information on hangings and executions in our
collection, but time does not permit us to do extensive research for patrons.
We would be happy to have you visit our library. Special Collections is open
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding University holidays.

Your research sounds most interesting and we will want a copy of the
finished work. Let us know about the copies of the microfilm and if we can
be of further help.

Thank you for your patronage.
Sincerely, ,

Praneea Herguaer

Frances Ferguson
Special Collections Assistant


— Source materials ~ NACOGDOCHES COUNTY, TEXAS.

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS 75961

LIBRARY August 4, 1975

Mr. Watt Espy, Jr.
P. O. Box 247
Headland, Alabama 36345

Dear Mr. Espy:

Mrs. Lee Cage, librarian at the Nacogdoches Public Library, forwarded
your letter of July 14 requesting information on Tom Ross to the Special
Collections Department of the Stephen F. Austin State University library.
We have microfilm copies of the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel and other
materials which might be of help to you.

There was a great deal of coverage of the trial of Tom Ross. It seems
aa the murder took place August 11, 1927, when Dave Patterson was killed
instantly near Etoile (Nacogdoches County) in an ambush as he was delivering
* LZ a $1300 payroll for Frost Lumber Company. A young boy named Williams was
wounded. Ross was not immediately arrested but several days later "confessed!
7 was put in jail and trial set. He later claimed innocence, even near the day
of execution when his request for a commuted sentence was denied. August
and September, 1927, contain almost daily accounts of the investigation,
arrest and trial. Then in May, July, August and September, 1928, there are
more articles.

We can send you copies of the microfilm of these articles at $.15 per
page. It figures to be 48 copies which would be $7.20. We would need a
check for the exact amount made payable to Stephen F. Austin State University.

We also have one book and one thesis regarding legal hangings, lynchings,
and "trials." A Texas Sheriff, the story of A. J. Spradley, sheriff of
|__ Nacogdoches County, 1882-1918, by Henry C. Fuller (Baker Printing Company,
4 ¥ Nacogdoches, 1913), might be available to buy or could, of course, be out of

print. The thesis by James L. McGee was written in 1950 on A. J. Spradley
Vv and contains much of the same information as the book.

Also, in one of the articles re: Tom Ross execution, the newspaper reports:

In 1908, George Blackburn, sheriff, was ordered
to hang Dock Bailey, Negro.

Dates were not available but A. J. Spradley,
Sheriff, was ordered to hang Jim Buchanan, Negro;
Bill Campbell, Sheriff, was ordered to hang Smith,
white; and Buckner, Sheriff, was ordered to hang
Simon Spencer, Negro.

Seeyene

MicuaEL D. MerepITH

COUNTY ATTORNEY
MOORE COUNTY, TEXAS

P. O. BOX 634
DUMAS, TEXAS 79029

AREA CODE 806
935-2407

October 26, 1977

Mr. Watt Espy

Law Library

Box 6205

University, Alabama 35486

Dear Mr. Espy:

Please excuse my tardiness in not answering your letter
of October 14, 1977, sooner, however with the present
business, I have just been able to get to your letter
today. We have not had any legal executions in Moore
County prior to 1924. I hope that this information will

be of help to you in your project and I wish you well
in it.

Yours truly,
Micha 2 Q a gS QRH.
Michael D. Meredith

County Attorney Ve,
Moore County, Texas

MDM/mgd

Dwit TREE Ce

© Watt Espy
Law Library
P. O, Box 6205
University, Ala, 351,86

December 12, 1977

The Clerk of the Ochiltree County District or Circuit Court,
The Ochiltree County Court House,
Perryton, Texas 79070

Dear sir or madam:

Currently I am engaged in research on Capital Punishment in our country which hopefully will
culminate with publication of a work which will contain a brief biographical sketch of each
person to have been legally executed in the United States as well as a brief account of the
crimes for which each was put to death, As this is the first time that a serious effort has
been made to chronicle all of the legal executions in the United States from Colonial Days

down to and including the present, I am particularly anxious that it be as complete, accurate
and comprehensive as is humanly possible,

According to records that I have received, no person sentenced from Ochiltree County has been

ut to death since Texas began electrocuting all of its condemned felons at the State Prisons

| 1924, However, my problem is that prior to that year those sentenced to die there were all
Nanged locally in the Counties of their convictions and, as no State Department or Agency
maintains a listing of those earlier, local executions, I am endeavoring to solicit this in-
formation from the respective Counties, |

If your office has any record of any legal hangings that might have occurred in Perryton or

Ochiltree County prior to 192h, then I shall appreciate it very much if you would provide me

with the names and the dates of executions as a basis for further research,
|
|

If you cannot help me, please provide me with the names and the addresses of your local His-
torical Society or Museum, a local Historian or someone well-versed and knowledgeable in lo-

cal History, your County's newspapers or some other officials, organizaitaons on individuals
who might be of assistance,

Enclosed is a prepaid addressed envelope for your convenience in replying and you will, of
course, be given credit in the work itsblf for any assistance rendered,

Thanking you for your kindness and cooperation, I amy

Resp ect #4 —youts,

“Y

al
oe at

@rx's NOTE: After inquiring of many residents, I find no account of a
hanging in Ochiltree County. The records do not reflect |
there ever was a hanging, in fact, there are a lot Of
people who say that "if you want to get away with murder"

Ochiltree County is the place to go. The records do reflect

that the punishment has been very mild in that catagory;
Pra ae 4


Pliers

BS oa

“i iis oe ea é i
88. HISTORY, OF PARKER. COUNTY

ate

ee,
”

at this time, but they were followed and overtaken.when Allen
and Belle, the two youngest of the Hill children, were driven
back, while Mrs. Dusky Hill and her daughters, Adeline and
Eliza, were taken to a point near the present site of Agnes,
Parker County, Texas, where they were shot and killed. The
entire Hill family was thus: wiped out with the exception of the |
two youngest children, Belle and Allen. These two remaining |
children of this ill-fated family were cared for for a time by eee
friendly disposed people in the Springtown community and a
were finally taken over by one Wes Hedrick, who, at the time, ; eo: 7
was Sheriff of Parker County, Texas. Mrs. Dusky Hill was

never married after the death of her husband, Allen C. Hill.
Signed: G. W. TACKITT. ee
Signed: A. L. THOMAS. . Ey

Sworn to and subscribed before me, on this Ist day of Nov. /

Fs

A. D. 1919. i ee |

(SEAL) A Goa = ¥ Hill, a Notary Public in and for Parker |
county, Texas. i eat |
This affidavit was given in clearing title to lands that had been ons as ee ,

the property of the unfortunate Hill family. The author -has visited
this place many times, and once heard a witness describe the terrible
scene of the murder and. the gruesome details of its sequel at the
Springtown cemetery. - ae

After Mrs. Hill and her two daughters were killed, citizens were . ie
intimidated until they were afraid to bury the decaying bodies. But. . |
may it be said to the credit of Al Thompson, at one time captain in ae | |
the Ranger service, and Dock Maupin, one of the men who worked
under him, that they boldly defied any members of the mob who might 3 ar
want to interfere, and gathered the remaining bones and putrid flesh . eee |

. of the unfortunate women and buried them in a single dry goods box * si] |
in the cemetery at Springtown.

‘The brutal destruction of the McKinney and Briscoe families,
already chronicled in the chapter of Indian depredations, occurred in |
the same lonely and desolate vicinity where Mrs. Hill and her daughters Go
met death, and where the vultures picked their bones, and with the |
help of the wind, hung their hair on bushes and shrubs thereabouts.

The author has stood there in quiet meditation on the terrible past. b 29: |
The only history ever obtained was that revealed by the mutilated ss {
bodies. The scene is marked by a small spring trickling from, the foot |
of a little mountain. Not one thing is left to show that here was once ~ : |
a happy home—not a rustling leaf nor a chirping bird—deadly silence |
prevails. Down the slope’is the hazy valley of Salt Creek where the
Rangers encountered Sam Bass and his desperadoes, and killed Arkan-
caw Johnson, one of ‘the worst bad men, whose remains were crudely
buried nearby. We do not believe in ghosts, phantoms nor hob-gobblins
but for lack of a better name, we call the place Spooky Hollow.

Another instance of mob violence was the case of James Luckett,

a


ne a

as a ye AND THE DOUBLE LOG CABIN 89
a ‘prominent man and property owner in Weatherford, who was hanged
by unknown men during the Civil War because of political prejudice.

The hanging of four: negroes was another heartless. case, which
cecurred during the. Civil War, just after Lincoln’s proclamation giving
them freedom. The report is that a negro was found in some you
ro ladies’ room—perhaps trying to steal something. The feeling agajnst
the negro was fervent. A mob took him and three others and hanged
them to the cross beam over the public well in the court yard; then
oo dropped them one after .another from the beam into the well, ‘so
a reported W. R. Turner, for many years a prominent citizen of Weather-
ford. The well, being public, many citizens of the town got water there.
It was soon found that there was an obstruction in the well and people
cculd not get drinking water. The negroes’ bodies could have been
removed but some of the most fastidious would not have relished ue
water, so the well was filled up and another dug nearby. —

Some 35 years ago, people with fine taste discovered that the
public well had “mineral water” in it, thought to be of healing quali-
ties, and because thereof used it freely. Later it was discovered that
the sewer pipe leading from the jail to Town Creek across the court
yard had sprung a leak. After a thorough examination by expert tast-
ers, the health officers pronounced it unsanitary and not good for
drinking purposes. The Commissioners’ Court took the matter under
advisement and after much deliberation decided that cleaning out the
well would not remedy the matter as the earth was so saturated that
it could not be gotten rid of, so they filled up the second well and had
Peg another dug, the water of which was pronounced wholesome. It, too,
has been abandoned, and our water supply now comes from cased-off
wells, 400 feet. deep mas to the Trinity sands.

FIRST LEGAL EXECUTION IN COUNT >
&

aie The first legal execution in the county was in the spring of veal
je fee eS _ A negro, Joe Williams, was hanged for murdering a peddler about one
mile southeast of Weatherford. For lack of better conveyance, a farm
ee wagon was pressed into service, to which was hitched a mule and gray
oie horse. The negro was,placed atop his own coffin beside the sheriff,
ie i ‘and they drove cne mile west to the place of execution, followed by a
Bik be _ long procession of curious men and boys of town and county. The
eh improvised scaffold consisted of two green forks set firmly into the
bes ' ground with a pole acress between them, such as farmers use in the
| es present day in butchering hogs. The farm wagon was driven under
the pole, the hangman’s knot was adjusted about the negro’s neck, the
rope drawn over the beam, and at the command of the sheriff, “Get
up, Gray,” the negro was suspended in the breeze. The boys not only
saw the negro as he dangled there then, but saw him in their dreams
oe at night for many months later. T. U. Taylor, now of the bk caballo

of Texas, was an ll-year-old boy witness to the scene.
William Burton was given a death sentence in the early part of


Ww
é/

is ene
-,

agen

Pankin COUNTY, TEXAS. :
AND THE DOUBLE LOG CABIN 87

Mob Violence and Executions.

:

‘ nf
Be
3

CHAPTER V.

Parker County has had some mob executions that are a shame‘
and reflection on its good:name. Perhaps the most dastardly deeds ‘in
its history, almost equal to the savage cruelty already reported, .were
the killing of Allen Hill, near Springtown, supposedly because he was
a Union sympathizer, and the later murder of his widow and five
daughters. This was a terrible crime and passed without investigation
by the authorities of the county.’ A full account is given below, as
made and sworn to many years afterward gd G. W.Tackitt and A. L--
Thomas, good and reliable men:

Before me, the undersigned authority, personally appeared
G. W. Tackitt and A. L. Thomas, both of whom are well-known
to me to be credible citizens of Parker County, Texas, and each
of whom deposes and says that he has resided in Parker
County, Texas, since 1854, and that he was well acquainted with
Allen C. Hill and wife, Dusky Hill, and that the said Allen C.
Hill were the parents of only the following named children,
Nance, Jack, Katherine (known as Kate), Martha, Adeline,
Eliza, Belle, and Allen Hill, and neither Nance, Jack, Katherine,
Adeline, Martha, or Eliza ever married, and neither left any
heirs of their bodies, Allen C. Hill was killed during the winter _
of 1863, in Parker County, over what was supposed to be, at
that time, prejudices growing out of the Civil War, he being a
Union sympathizer. Jack Hill, the elder of the only two sons,
was killed in Palo Pinto County, Texas, in a difficulty with
Aaron Bloomer, in either 1869 or 1870. Nance Hill, the oldest
of the daughters was supposed to have a bad character, a dis-
turbing element in the community, and having gotten wind of
the fact that she was to be waited upon by a posse of citizens
of the Springtown community, endeavored to make her escape,
but was followed, captured, and hanged by the enraged mob
seeking her. This capture and hanging took place in 1872,
near the line between Wichita and Clay counties, Texas. A few
days after the death of Nance Hill and the return of those to
the Springtown community who had hanged her, the mob spirit
still prevailing, Martha and Katherine Hill were taken from
their home and hanged at a spot about three miles Southwest
of Springtown, in Parker County, Texas. Only a day or so
after Martha and Katherine were hung; the spirit of the mob
not having changed and its vengeance not being complete, the
farmhouse of the Hills was burned, Mrs. Dusky Hill, with her
daughters, Adeline, Eliza, and Belle and son, Allen, escaping


pitts
Sa

Dear Sir, Ol

To my knowledge there were no executions, nor do we have a
museum. Thanks and sorry to be of no help.

Sincerely

_126 , PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS

Empire Tribune is now located, and they saw Tut Hume
trip the trigger which dropped Tom Wright into eternity.-
They said many women screamed and fainted along with
a few men, and as they climbed down from the building
with many others who were on the roof, the top of the
building fell. to the ground. No one was hurt so far as
they knew, and everyone just faded out into the crowds,
and they mounted their horses which were tied about three
blocks North, and started for home by the way of the depot,
which was located then where Tarleton Avenue now crosses
the railroad tracks, and they said horses, mules, buggies
and wagons were parked and the animals tied all the way |
from downtown to the depot. The Dallas News had a

reporter that covered the hanging and he said nine thou-, Z

sand people were present. One of the Dublin papers said

eleven thousand people saw the hanging. The Stephenville : : ;

Empire who had no-one present estimated about four thou- re

| sand people saw the hanging.

. This was the first public hanging, if it could sah be

called a public hanging. The scaffold had sides which were _
partially raised before Tom Wright was dropped, and the
public part of the hanging law was repealed about this
time, which may have accounted for this semi-public hang-
ing. At the time the public hanging law was passed,\it ~

was contended this would deter others from like crimes,

and that many criminals feared nothing but death, and = ;
they should be able to see their fate in advance. The hang- _
ing part of this law remained in effect for years after the eo.

public part was repealed.

The rope that hung Tom Wright remained in the office
of the District Clerk until around 1917, at which time it ~
‘disappeared. Some say it was loaned out for some special ee
occasion and never returned to the office. © si


PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS, ~ (125

A. D. 1899, R. T. (Tut) Hume led Tom Wright out Ae ae 3
scaffold, and told the crowd that he had the scaffold ar- ~~

ranged so both sides could be let down and Tom Wright
could make a speech, and introduced him, and he began
speaking and talked for about seventeen minutes. He made
derogatory statements about his jury, and contended he
was not guilty and he was framed, and ended by saying

liquor was his down fall, and except for liquor John Adams (35492

would still be alive. He admitted that he was violating —

the local option liquor laws and drinking too much, and fe “s se
< pleaded with the girls and boys to hold up their hands and .
promise him they would let liquor alone. At 1:39 P.M. te

he closed his remarks, and around 1:45 Tut Hume placed

bandages around his neck and the rope oyer these and f

pulled a mask down over his eyes an

d asked him to step_ -

back, and when he did this sprung the trigger that dropped ites a

Tom Wright into eternity. His wife and children visited

with him most of the morning, and actually listened to. —
his public speech until he finished, then they were escorted eae a
- back into the jail until after he was hung. His body was ae,
released to D. C. Deaton, a cousin, at the request of his - ee
wife, placed in a casket and taken by wagon for burial ~
to Dublin, Texas. gn. PS Re

The people who saw Tom Wright hung, say this was the oH
largest crowd ever to come to Stephenville, Texas. The
streets were clogged with horses, buggies and wagons for -—_

blocks around. Hart Favors and Henry Favors were in
Stephenville for this occasion, along with most of the people
in the Corinth community at the time, and they stood for
a good while where the Stephenville Bank & Trust Co. ©

Building is now located, on the corner of West Washington

and South Columbia, and they could not hear or get any

closer, so they crossed the street West and climbed upon a |

vacant building. This was about where the Stephenville :

AB,
$


PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS

(a) ae

The State of Texas V. F. M. Snow, 291 S. W. 558, in the

‘District Court of Erath County, Texas, with J. B. Keith, vee

Judge, District Attorney Sam Russell, prosecuting the case,

and M. L. Munday and Wallace Scott were appointed by Re i ue

the court to represent the defendant.

F. M. Snow still called the bloody butcher of Erath : :
County, Texas, was married less than two months when
he murdered his threesome family.

F. M. Snow meandered into Erath County from Palo

Pinto County, Texas, where he must have dropped from rs

the clouds, as he succeeded in leaving his entire past behind. ° 4

He never talked much and was a loner in life. He was a i

wood chopper and cedar post cutter in Palo Pinto County, .
and showed up in the Indian Creek Community in the latter ~
part of 1924, with an old wagon pulled by two poor horses

and what he called his things, which included a rifle, a aS
- double blade ax, a chuck wagon box, some worn ‘out furni-~

ture and two old hounds. Behind the wagon he was leading ©

s . another old poor horse with a worn out saddle on his back.

He had rented a small farm with an old house and fireplace .
about eight miles Southeast of Stephenville, Texas. He ©
_ told some of the people in the community he was going to ©

“make a crop and cut a little wood the next year. — a

"He did most of his cooking winter and summer on the —
fireplace, although he had a coal oil stove. He owned two

~““eane bottom chairs, a home made table, which he called . is
his eating table, a hammock which he suspended from the — ~~

rafters of the house, an old iron bedstead and very few

“= bed clothes. In cool weather he sat in front of the fireplace eee

~* $n one of these cane bottom chairs, and when the weather —

was warm he sat out on the front porch in the other cane ;
bottom chair. ae nag


124 PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS

denied, he then appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeals
for bond which was denied.

~ He was indicted by @ Grand Jury on May 5, 1898 in :
Erath County, Texas, and charged with murder in the first |
degree, and his trial followed in this same term of court.

It was contended he was defended by young and inex-
perienced lawyers. It is true that R. H. McCain and Taylor
Daniels were inexperienced in the criminal law, although -
the higher court found nothing wrong with the way Ahey

handled the case. A jury was selected and W. J. Oxfore eal

Sr. conducted the prosecution, with the help of J. W. Park

- er, District Attorney, and Eli Oxford, and at times Martit. : sat
| & George advised in the prosecution, as they were employe! Sate
by citizens of Dublin, Texas. The local newspaper quotes |

Judge W. J. Oxford, as saying he turned down a five hun- oe

dred dollar cash fee to represent Tom Wright, because he +
thought the killing was wrong, and John Adams a capable . i
Peace Officer trying to do his duty. In about one week Of 9m
‘trial a jury found Tom Wright guilty as charged and as- =
sessed his penalty at death by public hanging. His lawyer" :
appealed his case which was affirmed. 24 ee

There is an interesting sidelight to this case, as J- Wi3 oe
Parker, District Attorney, joined by J. B. Keith, Thomas Be se

King, William Pannill and many others petitioned Governor
Joseph D. Sayers of Texas, to commute his sentence to life,
‘put Judge W. J. Oxford, Sr., never joined in this request.

The Governor denied this request and wired R. T. Hume. spre

Sheriff, the following “I decline to interfere with the execu- -
tion of Tom Wright”. R. T. (Tut) Hume hired carpenters
and erected a scaffold and hangman’s trap something like
“twenty feet Northwest of the present Masonic Lodge Hall
in Stephenville, Texas, which stands on the corner of South

: Columbia and East College Street, and on November 10th


MARLIN, TEXAS
July 23, 1980 ; 76661

Mr. Watt Espy

Law Library

Box 6205

University, Ala 35486

Dear Mr. ESpy:

Enclosed please find research paper I did on hangings in Falls

County, Texas. Also an article our local newspaper did on the

research. I was prompted to do this after your inquiry of Oct-+
ober 12, 1977.

I hope this will help you in your research,

Yours truly,

ra}

Dorothy Harrington
Deputy

District Clerk's Office
Falls County, Texas


PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS 1408

os
tee

that death close at hand, Snow might reveal other murders ee

and surely clear up the one in Palo Pinto County, Texas,
but he sulked and this did not materialize. His only com-
ment was made to one of the guards strapping him in the
_ electric chair, when he said ‘There has never been a better
man sit in this thing”. ;

There were hundreds of people who viewed the fireplace
crematory, and believed they saw the faces of two women
etched in the back. Stories were written in newspapers
about the imprints of the two women in the fireplace. These
people probably saw these faces, as many Tarlton State
College students from the art classes were down there and
stayed over night on several occasions, and these students
were capable of accomplishing this feat. \

F. M. Snow, when electrocuted, was buried in a potters
field in Huntsville, Texas.

Bernie Connally with the help of undertaker Brinkley
Trewitt, had his head attached back to his body, and the
jagged neck covered with plastic flesh, and was given a
decent burial in about the middle of the West End Ceme-
tery in Stephenville, Texas. Mrs. Mattie Aycock, by public
subscription, raised money and erected a small marker at
his grave.

Dublin In Western Part Of Erath County

Dublin, Texas, in about 1860 started a town with the
Dobkins Stage Coach Inn, later called the Dobkins Inn or
Dobkins Hotel, which was built and operated at the time
by A. C. Dobkins. George O’Neal, father of C. M. O’Neal
named the town after the capitol of Ireland, and named
many of the streets after the streets in Dublin, Ireland.
He was born and reared in Dublin, Ireland and came to.

Dublin, Texas, after middleage. » The town was almost lo-.. gh >

:


pee ss

COUNTY OF ERATH

29th District Court
Phone 965-3618
P. O. BOX 413

STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS 76401

THOMAS E. PACK é JOSEPHINE CARPENT)
DISTRICT CLERK February 21 ’ 1975 CHIEF DEPUTY

Watt Espy, Jr.

Box 247

Headland, Alabama 36345
Dear Mr. Espy:

This will acknowledge receipt of your letter of inquiry for
information.

According to our files Robert (Bob) Johnson was hung on
July 20, 1906.

If we can be of further assistance please let us know.
Sincerely,
tome Cageentey

“Josephine Carpenter
Chief Deputy

140 PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS. ~~ ; st

Sam M. Russell knew of the finding of a headless ‘man

in Palo Pinto County, Texas, a few years before and that

the body was never identified and the head was never ae

located, and he also knew F. M. Snow was in the com...

munity at the time cutting cedar posts. However, by this

_ time he had prosecuted F. M. Snow, and a jury had given  —
“him death. Snow was peeved and never would talk or

_ reveal the details.

F. M. Snow while in jail in Fort Worth, Texas, and _
while talking to a local minister visiting in jail, said he ©"

killed a man in San Saba County, Texas, and another in
Palo Pinto County, Texas, without revealing any names.
He said he killed his wife, mother-in-law and_ step-son

Bernie Connally. ;

Dr. A. E. Lankford, local County Health officer and an
medical doctor, with the help of a chemist and other medi- “a5;
cal experts, testified the samples of blood taken from the

‘dirt under the floor and from the wooden ‘floors of the

house were human blood, and that the teeth, bones and *

fragments of flesh taken from the ashes of the fireplace
were that of two female human beings. ce

Expert witnesses testified the imprints in the ground
under the floor, definitely revealed two bodies had lain in

the dirt, and that human blood had soaked down about ~

six inches in the dirt, and that the odor under the house E

and from the ground nearby, was from human dead bodies
and different from everything else which ever lived.

The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his death pen- a
alty, and F. M. Snow was forthwith transferred to the

State penitentiary for electrocution, and on the day set -

for this ordeal, Deputy Sheriff Ross Pearcy, Justice of the

Peace J. S. Watson and Leslie Hancock all went down to |

the State Penitentiary to talk with F. M. Snow feelin


FREESTONE COUNTY, TEXAS.

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2023 LUCAS ORIVE © DALLAS, TEXAS 75210 ° 214.622.7260
BROTH KRRS, INOORPORAT ED

W i 1- -442- 5
2023 LUCAS DRIVE e DALLAS, TEXAS 75219 id 214-522-7280 - T s L N E 8 0 0 a 2 3 355

WATS LINE 1-800-442-3355 P\ ewe NY\ 0+ AW

EG u STOR ON O °
BANK * COMMERCIAL © COLOR LITH OGRAPHERS © COUNTY RECORD BOOKS
. PRINTING ¢ ENGRAVING © SNAP OUT AND CONTINUOUS FORMS © OFFICE SUPPLIES
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él OF LA GRANGE COUNCILMEN:

George H. Giesber

155 E. Colorado St. Frank McElroy, Jr.
P. O. Box 187 Milton J. Pechal
713-968-4810 Chas. W. Priebe
LA GRANGE, TEXAS 78945 Leroy W. Riehs
Chas. H. Ripper
A. H. Spacek
L. W. STOLZ, JR.
Mayor

K. A. MOELLENBERNDT
Mayor pro tem

ATLAN M. CITZLER

City Engineer-Manager
MARGARET S. MASON
City Secretary

February 18, 1975

Mr. Watt Espy, Jr.
Box 247
Headland, Ala. 36345

Dear Mr. Espy:

In answer to your letter of February 6, 1975, I
regret that our Library does not have the information
you desire.

I spoke to a local historian concerning your letter.
He informed me that while he had the information which
you are looking for, he did not have the time for search-
ing his records. He told me that there had been three
hangings in Fayette County--1 in 1873, 1 in 1876, and
the third about 1911.

Our local newspapers are the Fayette County Record
and the La Grange Journal.

I hope that you will be successful in obtaining
the needed information. av

eo Very truly yours,

Diab tlalheie arinr
a 3

(Mrs.) Frieda Flathmann
la Grange City Library

a \ 159 East Fannin
ae La Grange, Texas 78945
i,


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HENDERSON COUNTY, TEXAS

The Law is 7 Feet ‘Tal

i i ? riff M@ SHERIFF JESS SWEETEN drawls softly and wields two
= His neue oe Jess Sweeten and he’s she big fists. He’s a 250-pound, seven foot tall giant in his

Texas boots and hat—the best draw and shoot man in the

in Henderson Count Texas, and the best U.S., but hoodlums avoid his county because they fear his
Y> 4 fists. His first Saturday as an officer he had 25 fights and

arrested 100. To a criminal, invading his county. is like

draw-and-shoot man in the whole country. being caged with a rattlesnake. In a running gunfight with
Texas’ No. 1 badman, he ran low on ammunition and

— 4 : rammed his car into the bandit vehicle at 105 miles an

But it’s his fists men fear, and have ever hour. He got the badman.
His career started in 1930 at Trinidad, then the wildest

P ° ae town in Texas. It was raining, and 1500 construction
since his first day in office when he had workers, penned up by mud lanes, stampeded through

' town like a herd of bulls through a dollhouse.
They played dice under the streetlights, drank a river

25 hand-to-hand fights, made 100 arrests of white lightning, insulted decent women and brawled

: over the girls in four dancehalls. There were three, gangs
& in town, one building the Texas Power & Light plant,
which someday would generate electric power for a quarter
by Paul McClung of the state, another ee the first concrete road and the
: third bridging the Trinity River.

They. ran two deputy constables out of town, and there
was no law officer left. This night, just for amusement,
they used a helpless old nightwatchman for a punching
bag. Three bullies took turns knocking him down.

“Here, lemme show you how to drop him.”

One knocked him down, another jerked him to his
kneeS, tore his gun out of his hands and threw it down in
the mud. The third bashed him in the face. and the old
man went down again, bleeding. A crowd ringed up close
and laughed at the sport. A giant 23-year-old structural
steel worker named Jess Sweeten slogged across the muddy
street and waded through the crowd.

He saw one of the bullies hit the nightwatchman. The
old man’s nose cracked, blood spurted and he lay in the
mud, crying like a whipped dog. Sweeten helped the old
man up and glared down at the bullies.

“Cut that out,” he said. “It’s a shame to beat an old
man like that.” . é

The bullies were so-amazed that someone had dared to |
interrupt their sport they stopped hitting the old man. |

t

“I’m no law,” Sweeten drawled. “But if I was it would
be too-bad for you fellows.”

That remark changed Sweeten’s life and Texas police
history. A week later he finished his steel job, packed his
bag and stopped at Bob King’s store for a package of
cigarets. ee

ee don’t you stay and be our police officer?” King
. asked.
: : ' hoa The big boy pushed his hat back and scratched his head.

Ra ES ACES 8 Pash, a His father had been a deputy federal marshal, his grand-
eeten made a friend of a killer, visited him for three father a U.S. marshal. Both his grandfather and grand- | lj
ars, talked him into digging up bodies of four victims. mother had been murdered by (Continued on page 46) 1

- C:


epee stages:

'
f

Houston
area leads

death row |

- HOUSTON (AP)
— Houston and sur-
rounding Harris
County have sent
more criminals to
death row than has
any other metropol-
itan region i in the country, statistics
show.

In fact, more criminals have re-
ceived death sentences in Harris
County than in 32 of the 37 states
with the death penalty, according
to NAACP legal defense fund statis-
tics, considered by the Justice De-
partment as the most accurate fig-
ures available.

. The county has condemned more

Criminals largely because District

Attorney John B. Holmes Jr. pur-
sues capital cases vigorously and

‘with one purpose:

“If I have them indicted for capi-
tal murder, I want to kill them,”
Holmes told the Houston Post.

Seventy-three of the 204 inmates

on Texas’ death row are from Har-

ris County, almost six times as
many as Dallas County’s 13, re-
cords from the Texas Deparatment
of Corrections show.

According to the defense fund
Statistics, Los Angeles County
comes the closest to Harris County,
sending 60 of the 168 inmates on
California’s death row.

Florida has the nation’s largest

death row population with 229 in-

mates. Miami and surrounding
Dade County have 31 condemned
inmates awaiting execution.

Off-duty officer
shot by accident

An off-dtity San Awinio police
officer accidentally shot himself in
the right hip in the parking lot ofa
Northwest Side nightclub.

Patrolman Wayne Ramey, 23,

; “4 was treated at Medical Center Hos-

pital following the incident at 9:45
p.m. yesterday and released. ;

Ramey told investigators he was
in a car outside the club in the 8200
block of Mockingbird Road when
his .45-caliber handgun accidental-
ly discharged as he attempted to
place the weapon in the waistband
of his trousers.

i wiAamavewkan @ Te ot. ana anne


exter: ee

habeas corpus division, which deals with the
lengthy and costly appeals process in death
penalty cases. (In Keck’s words, “It usually takes
about a million dollars to get somebody dead.”)
He believes that because there are so many
potential death penalty cases in Harris Coun-
ty, Holmes and his prosecutors pick only
those with the best chances for conviction.

“Basically there’s just a surplus of [capi-
tal] cases in Harris County,” says Walt. “Ir is
my feeling that they are very choosy, and they
have so many to choose from. They’re basical-
ly choosing [between] the bad and baddest of
the bad — people who have extensive records
and things like that, which make a death sen-
tence more likely.” Walt also contends that
the cases he receives from Holmes’ office are
more error-free, and are therefore less likely to
be overturned on appeal. “Harris County has
a writs and appeals section that is just wonder-
ful. They do excellent work on appellate mat-
ters. So their cases are much easier, quite
frankly, from the attorncy gencral’s stand-
point, to litigate, once they finally get into
tederal court.”

Qualified support for the Harris County
District Attorncy’s Office’s handling of capital
murder cases also comes from an unlikely
source. Houston defense attorney Robert
Morrow says that in secking capital murder
indictments, local prosecutors are aggressive,
but nor overzealous.

“I don’t agree with them a lot of times,”
says Morrow, “but I see a reasoning process
that goes on. | would argue against them a lot,
but I don’t fault their basic process, I mean,
reasonable minds can differ. My experience is
that I’ve pled a lot of capital cases, obviously
for less than death, so that means they’re let-
ting me work them out sometimes.”

The Color of Money

OWEVER, MORROW DOES BE-
lieve that, in Harris County and else-
where, the race of the person killed
has a lot to do with whether the killer receives
the death penalty. David Bires, president of
the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Associa-
tion, says it also has to do with economics.
There aren’t a lot of rich white folks sitting on
death row who have killed a person of color.
“I have personally kind of come full cir-
cle on the idea of what system would provide:
the best representation for indigents,” says
Bires. “I used to very strongly believe in the
court-appointed lawyer system — that you
really, on the whole, got a better group of
lawyers and better representation with the
court-appointed lawyer system, in general,
particularly in serious cases. But I’ve been at
this for 22 years now. My position now is, as
much as I hate to see any area of law become
institutionalized, and as much as I think pub-
lic defender offices tend to turn into plea

Fit.

8 JULY 8, 1993 * HOUSTON P

on '4 ° rrr Stet ies

mills, | think that our present method of
appointing counsel leaves much to be desired,
and that the quality of representation is gener-
ally lacking. I think they ought to start giving
serious consideration to a [public] defender
system.” Under the current systcm for capital
murder cases, says Bires, court-appointed
defense attorneys are scriously outgunned by
the prosecutorial resources. :

“The problem with the court-appointed
systems is that there is a lot of chance involved
it,” Bires contends. “There are some damn
good court-appointed lawyers. There are
some horrible court-appointed lawyers. When

prison in Texas come trom Harris County,
but of the inmates who are released-on parole,
27 percent go to Harris County. Part of the
reason the county receives more than it sends
is that it has 40 percent of the state's halfway
houses. Also, “it’s a great place to get lost in
the shuffle,” says Andy Kahan, crime victims’
liaison for Mayor Bob Lanier. Parolees know
they won’t stand out in the urban sprawl of
Space City.

That heavy felon flow will change on
September 1, 1994, when a law takes cffect to
force parolees to return to the county in
which they were convicted. Until then, Harris
County will be a home away from home for

you leave it to the individual judge to make
44

IT USUALLY TAKES ABOUT Al MILLION

DOLLARS 10 GET SOMEBODY DEAD. ==

the selection of who is going to represent
somebody in serious cascs — unfortunately, |
think, too often the judge appoints his
cronies, who are not highly motivated and
who don’t perform that well.”

Bires says that is especially important at a
time when the public ty fed up with violent
crime and jurors are often more than ready to
hand our sentences of death. “By and large
I'd say that the juries in (Harris County] have
proven a propensity: for inflicting the death
penalty,” says Bires. “Harris County jurors are
real frustrated with the violent crime in this
city. When they get an opportunity to strike
back, they’re generally ready, willing and able
to do it. Unless you have a really tough-mind-
ed, aggressive, well-prepared defense lawyer
who’s ready to go to the mat and bring every
shred of evidence that is necessary to af least
save his client’s life, you're behind the cight-
ball on a capital murder case. If anybody
thinks there’s a presumption of innocence in
that circumstance, they’re a fool. I think most
jurors are outraged at violent crime and, given
the opportunity, will inflict the most severe
punishment they can. It takes a very persua-
sive, aggressive lawyer who understands
human nature and knows how to get through
the initial prejudice of the jurors and touch
their humanity, to bring them around to sce-
ing that here's an individual who, although he
may be guilty of the crime, doesn’t deserve to
die for it.”

Death Wish

N ADDITIONAL FACTOR MAY
be the disproportionate “criminality”
of Harris County's population.
Twenty-one percent of those who go to

gr BS vas

many ex-cons.
* “Considering the number of felons coming
from and going to Harris County, attorney and
victims’ rights activist Randy Burton is not sur-
prised the county leads the state and nation in
producing residents of death row. “Given the
number of heinous crimes committed in Har-
ris County, it’s really amazing to me that
more of them aren’t indicted and convicted as
capitals,” Burton said. “A decent argument
could be made that 104 is a low number.”
Burton believes that people are fed up,
and that they support the death penalty as a
societal response to violent crime. “This dis-
plays the depth of frustration that the commu-
nity has with the criminal justice system. It
doesn’t seem we are protected anymore by that
system, whether it be the police or the courts
or the prosecutors or whatnot,” Burton said.
“The primary purpose of the death
penalty is punishment. There’s no question.
It’s socicty’s sense of retribution,” Burton
said. “In cases that are this horrible, socicty
says these people have forfeited their right to
exist. We want to make a statement about
people who do things like that — they don’t
belong. We want to eliminate them. People
really have reached the end of their rope on
these kind of cases. As more and more people
are victimized, it’s more and more likely
they're going to join the camp that we need
to mete out harsh punishment for people who
commit very harsh crimes.”

Maintaining the Lead

EXAS AND HARRIS COUNTY MAY
be number one with a bullet — or a
syringe — but observers know that
California is geared up for a challenge.
Although it has executed only one inmate
en ye). Nae ‘ ~ ae << ~

Executions by State
(June, 1976-May, 1993)

(_] 0 Executions

1-5 Executions
8-15 Exections
90-31 Executions 4

59 Executions

ca aman ee ak ent Lemans teats ete eee BS | 4 5}

since 1967, the Golden State currently has
361 inmates on death row. That one exccu-
tion, of Robert Alton Harris, may be just the
beginning. California's Supreme Court
upholds 94 percent of its capital convictions
— the country’s highest rate, and above the
Lone Star figure of 79 percent.

“California is virtually a Texas waiting to
happen. Its death row is almost as big. It’s not
far behind us,” says Rick Halperin, a Southern
Methodist University history professor and
chairman of the board of Amnesty Interna-
tional-USA. Concerning the death penalty,
Halperin is an avowed abolitionist.

“Those numbers in California, I regret to
say, will begin to increase dramatically. Then
California will go through the same agony
that this state does. They will execute inno-
cent people. They will execute juveniles. They
will execute the mentally ill, che mentally
retarded and yes, they will execute guilty peo-
ple. That's not the point.” The point, as
Halperin sees it, is that the state’s executing
convicts will not diminish violent crime or the
fear of violent crime. “They will sce it will do
absolutely nothing. Nothing.”

Texas is special, death-penalty abolition-
ists charge, because of violence spawned by
lax handgun laws, racism, poverty and a judi-
cial-political agenda set by aggressive prosccu-
tors and cowardly politicians. The governor
and legislators are atraid that if they do any-
thing but promote more and quicker execu-
tions, they will appear weak on crime.

“This state is still ac the bottom of the
barrel — let’s not make any bones about
where we are,” Halperin says. “I’ve seen great
progress in other states, but this state is get-
ting worse. No progress will be made in this
state until someone has the political clout to”
stand up and call the death penalty what it is:
a human-rights violation and a crime against
humanity. It is an outrage. You need someone
with the political and moral courage to stand

_up and criticize the death penalty for what it

is: a racist, ineffectual, arbitrary pathetic lot-
tery in which the finger of fate is arbitrarily
and unfairly pointed at certain individuals who
are condemned to extermination.”

Trumping
the Alternative

OOKING FOR SUCH COURAGE,

University of Texas law professor

Robert McGlasson does not find it in
Harris County D.A. Holmes.

“In fact, Johnny Holmes is responsible
for another quirk that enables him and other
prosecutors in Texas to get death sentences
much more readily than other states,” says the
professor. McGlasson points to a recent Texas
A&M poll concerning Texans’ attitudes
towards capital punishment that showed that
although most people in this state favor the
death penalty, they would also support an
alternative — such as life without any possibil-
ity of parole,

“Every (state legislative session], some:
one tries to get to get the Legislature to
change its life sentence in capital cases to
mean life without parole [instead of the cur-
rent 40 years],” McGlasson contends. “And
every time this bill is considered, Johnny’
Holmes comes out in the press saying the
Legislature better not pass this life-without-
parole bill because, if they do, we're not
going to be able to get the death penalty any
more. So, there’s a problem with democracy’
in Texas. The citizens of this state do not
favor the death penalty. They want safety.
They want truce criminal justice. And they
don’t want, necessarily, just blind, blood
thirsty vengeance. But the Legislature is
unwilling to adopt the will of the majority in
this state because people like Johnny Holmes
are threatening them. So, sort of in an indi-
rect way, Johnny Holmes is responsible for!
why all these jurics vote for death instead of


Five Legal Hangins

five legal hangings Wave taken
place on the gallows in Cleburne
The first legal execution in the his-
tory of the town occurred on March
'19, 1880, when Sam Myers, son of
an early Alvarado. settler, was
hanged.

The noose #as tightened around
Myer’s neck in the old jail yard at
the corner of Anglin and Cham-
bers Streets. Myers, in company
with James H. Bowden, was con-
vieted of murdering Mrs. Mary A.
_ Hester on Feb. 21, 1877. She was
jshot through the window of her
— as she sat at the supper tab-
8,
| After several trials and one es-
cape, Myers was hanged béfore a
crowd of six or eight) thousand
_people. Bowden escaped a similar
fate but attempted suicide by
drinking a quart of whiskey ‘‘at
‘one draft.”

John Wilkins was the next person
to be strung up in Cleburne. He
was hanged on June 26, 1896 for
‘ihe murder of Grince Taylor, who

lived near Grandview. The execu. ,

fion took place on the north side of
Harrell Street just west of the Buf.

falo Creek bridge. T d
of ) thousan

from the nd other

newr-by areas gathere to witness

oon ste

the execution.

M..M. Williams, prominent Egan
farmer, was shot five times in rap-
id succession at the south door of
the courthouse in Cleburne in 1899.
fohn W. Renfro surrendered to of-
icials on the spot.

The killing grew out of a case in
the county court. Renfro had been
‘harged with slandering Williams
daughter. Both parties were on
their way to attend the trial when
the shooting occurred. A lynching
vas feared, but prevented. Renfro
was hanged for the murder.

John Stokes Shaw was to have
been hanged in 1898 for the murder
of Tom Crane, but he escaped jail
yn the night before his scheduled
loom. He was Sater recaptured and
hanged in 1899,

Sentenced to Die
Shaw was sentenced to death on
an. 14, 1898 for the first degree

' murder of Crane. Lee Wilson, Ne-

ro accomplice, was also found
wilty and sentenced to life im-.

srisonment, Shaw's escape came

n August when Tom Morgan, on

he death watch, fell asleep leav-.
‘ing his clothes near the cell door. .

Shaw used a case knife or file,
anshackled himself, twisted news-
raper into a long roll and ° astened
1 small hook in the erd from a
iece of wire in the mattress. He
then drew the guard’s pants into
he cell, secured the key and left
a following note to BE. F. Good-

“Dear Emmett--I am going to
thange boarding houses as T can-
not stay here longer. Stewart will
‘ot have the pleasure of hanging
one next Friday.”

He was later recaptured, but his
half-sister further delayed the
‘hanging by “declaring that he was
msane. After the insanity hearing
proved he was sane, he was finally
sent to the gallows.

In 1901, Henry Fugit, Negro, was
hanged for a buteher-knife slaving
of his wife. Executions since that
time have taken place in Hunts-
ville, The execution of Myers was
eee Sheriff J. C. Brown,
while Sheriff W. A. Stewart execut-
ed Renfro, Shaw and Wil Fugit
was hanged by Sheriff Frank Long.

|

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i er

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‘

PARES A REISE:

cae

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2. aA,

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Py P

4,

article in the Fort Worth
gust of 1912 states that
operation in July of that
fire that destroyed much
juipment. The plant and
aased by a Kansas City
uipment was transferred

06, the city got a brand

em. A story in the Cle-

view in May, 1906, an-

» New Switchboard For

lelegraph and Telephone

article made much of the
ry system which replaced
“crank” telephones in use
izens later were invited to
y’s new quarters, then
ie and Caddo Streets.

ly years, the Cleburne
t three local switchboard
long distance positions -
15-22 feet. In addition to
the room also contained
zer, bookkeeper, and chief
rd, and frame and battery
2 early days, personnel
perators, a chief operator,
iboard man, two linemen,
wo collectors, and a mes-

th in Cleburne during the.
ntury was slow. From 1900
Jephones were added here.
ears, 307 telephones were
ween 1910 and 1915, the
i by 730 stations. Two
telephones were added by
years later, another 201
f telephones in service here

industry hit its stride in
War II, In 1951, the 5000th
stalled in Cleburne. This
a new switching center
icted at 111 North Robin-
yleted in 1953. Also, in this
ne telephone system was
, dial operation. Customers
local calls conveniently.
il residents were extended
vice in 1954. To accommo-
susiness, Bell added anoth-
er in 1971.
thwestern Bell is the dom-
company in Texas. Because
.advanced equipment, rates
d on long distance calls and
a vastly improved. Some
re computerized and several
- for phones with a television
lers can see each other.
yphone and Telegraph, one
slephone companies in the
ral subsidiaries. One of its
Southwestern Bell. But, in
, A T and T was forced to
3tern Bell is now a separate
ver, along with the separa-
ed a “rate hike.” The Texas
‘ommission, which assumed
relationship with the tele-
yn September 1, 1976, has to
hikes.
computerized equipment it
ep the system up to date, it
Possibly one day, the tele-
in Cleburne, Texas and
world will be completely

HisteXy of

efficient and inexpensive. Today, however,
we still face the cost of case and excitement.

by Clyde Head and Cherry Duke

LAW AND
GOVERNMENT ;

173

Law and order in the first few years after
the establishment of the town, in 1867, was
maintained by the sheriff's department and
other Johnson County officers, or by the
individual citizen’s interpretation of the
natural law of self preservation.

The first expressions for the organization
of a municipal government in the town came
about as a result of the natural ills arising
from group habitation. The interim between
the founding of the town and its incorpora-
tion and the establishment of its own consti-
tuted law and order, was a little over four
years, from March 13, 1867, to May 3, 1871.

The act of the legislature establishing the

corporation of the town of Cleburne was
approved May 3, 1871, with Jesse Cunning-
ham as Mayor. The city government, the
mayor, and the aldermen went about the
business, typical of the towns of that period,
providing hitching posts about the square,
closing saloons and billiard halls on Sundays,
modifying an ordinance to exempt livery
stables from additional city tax, and provid-
ing for the payment of expenses incurred in
operating the government.

This city government, on October 12, 1875,
approved an act of the legislature of the State
of Texas of March 13, 1875, in lieu of a charter
of their own.

That some of the city ordinances, or some
of the actions of the officials of the city
government, had run afoul of public opinion
cannot be denied, for in 1874, many prom-
inent men signed a long petition, stating,
among other things, that “municipal govern-
ment had outlived its usefulness.” As a result
of this petition, the government was dis-

established. Conditions in the town, however,
soon convinced some of the citizens that a
mistake had been made and that the corpora-
tion should be revived on a modest scale,
“more for the repression of rip-roaring
human beings than for anything else.” This
subject of rehabilitation of municipal govern-
ment was a lively subject in the spring of
1876. Cleburne was “agitated from center to
circumference, but with no casualties worth
mentioning.” In July, 1876, the voters re-
established municipal government and J.M.
Odell was elected mayor and W.J. George,
secretary.

This government continued under the
provisions of an act of the State Legislature
of March 13, 1875, with ordinances added by
the mayor and the six aldermen (two from
each of the three wards) provided for by the
act. These officials were paid a salary of two
dollars per meeting. Officials appointed by
the council formed the Board of Appraisem-
ent and filled the office of health physician.
Elected officials included an assessor and
collector, a city attorney, an engineer, a
marshal, a city secretary, and a treasurer.

The ordinances of the city government
were thoroughly revised, during 1890, by
W.D. McKoy, city attorney at that time.

f-\ 2

Té HS oO) CooslY |
A toy otly Iozdt

These ordinances regulated all subjects from
the wearing apparc! of the citizens to the
speed of horses and trains within the city.

Government under the above described
provisions continued until 1906, when the
city’s population passed the ten thousand
mark; and a charter was drawn up and
presented to the legislature for approval.
This charter, which was accepted, called for
an Aldermanic form of government.

by Ernest Guinn

HANGINGS

(See photos next page)

C174

The first legal execution in the history of
Cleburne occurred on March 19, 1880, when
Sam Myers, son of an early Alvarado settler,
was hanged ‘in the old jail yard at the corner
of Anglin and Chambers Streets, which later
became the site of the Woolworth building.
Myers, in company with James H. Bowden,
had murdered Mrs. Mary A. Hester on
February 21, 1877. She was shot through the
window of her home as she sat at the supper
table. After several trials and one escape,
Sam Myers was hanged before a crowd of
from six thousand to eight thousand people.
Bowden escaped a similar fate but attempted
suicide by drinking a quart of whisky “at one
draft.”

Cleburne has witnessed five legal hangings
including that of Sam Myers. John Wilkins
was hanged on June 26, 1896, for the murder
of Grince Taylor, who lived near Grandview.
The execution took place on the north side
of Harrell Street just west of the West Buffalo
Creek bridge. Ten thousand persons from all
over the county and from the adjoining
counties gathered to witness the execution.

During the same decade John Renfro was ~

executed for the murder of a Mr. Williams.
In 1899, Stokes Shaw was hanged for the
murder of Tom Crane. This murder had been
committed in the jungle pasture of the Clem
Pierce ranch (now the Ormsby Ranch). Shaw
was to have been executed in 1898, but
escaped from the jail by confiscating the
sleeping jailor’s keys from his trousers with
a long wire hook made from the springs of the
prisoner’s bed. In 1901, Henry Fugit, Negro,
was hanged for a butcher-knife slaying of his
wife. Executions since that of Fugit have
taken place in Huntsville. The execution of
Myers was performed by Sheriff J.C. Brown,
while Sheriff W.A. Stewart executed three,
Renfro, Shaw, and Wilkins, and the last,
Fugit, was hanged by Sheriff Frank Long.

by Ernest Guinn

MAYOR-CITY
COUNCIL
GOVERNMENT

C175

The charter of 1906 served until 1914, when
the mayor, C.W. Breech, appointed a charter
commission of representative citizens to
draft a new charter that would put into effect
the provisions of the Home Rule amendment

Kae


| LAYLAND MUSEUM

201 N. Caddo St.
Cleburne, Texas 76081
641-3321 ext. 375

29 June 1982

Mr. Watt Espy

Law Library

Box 6205

University, Ala. 35486

Dear Mr. Espy:

Johnson County had 5 legal hangings before we started
sending them down to Huntsville, Texas. Enclosed is a summary of
those.We have in our possession a picture of the hanging of John
Wilkins , actually 4 different scenes that were sold as picture
post cards to the 10,000 people who came to watch the hanging
that June of 1896.

We also have in our research library a printed confession
written by Shaw while he was in prison waiting his hanging.

We have a record of another hanging of a horse thief who
was mentioned in the 1860 Johnson County Census, but because he was
hanged as a horse thief, it was requested his name not be counted
in the census.

Should you wish further information, we would be glad
to supply it if possible.

Yours very truly,

MILDRED PADON
Curator

a

The Crty OF Cleburne

302 West Henderson StreeteP.O. Box 657eCleburne, Texas 76031°81 7-641-3321

Watt Espy June 21st, 1982
Law Library
Box 6205

University
Alabama 35486

Dear Mr Espy

We regret the delay in answering your inquiry requesting information concerning
capital punishment in Johnson County prior to 1924. Unfortunately we have not

been very sucessful in our search for records that might help you. Johnson County
courthouse burnt in 1912 and many records were consumed in the flames. Our histories
give information about all of the men mentioned by you but we did not find further
evidence of any other executions on our county for this time period. We were able

to find a date for the hanging of John Renfro. He was hanged Friday, July 27th, 1900
at 12.12 noon, There had been many delays before the hanging took place.

We do have a local historical society. Mrs Mildred Paden, Curator of the local
Museum is a memper of the Johnson county historical society. Her address is below.

) 1 {vy
Lo “a a ‘ \ \
x WV

7

We hope this information will be a

_)

Mrs Mildred Padon \
Layland Museum
S Caddo st )
Cleburne
76031 v4

ain, our regrets for the delay.
Yours sincerely

/ bt-€_€
&

Doreen Stevens
Interlibrary Loans.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER


arriving at 12:45 they were greeted with yells of "There they are, lets
get them." The crowd of about 30 men rushed the car yelled for the
negro. (sec.) Martin and Gilmore went inside the jail to tell Mrs.
Hightower the whereabouts of her husband and to let. her know that

as soon as the crowd left the negro would be delivered to the jail.

It was 3:15 A.M. and all of the people making up the mob had gone to
their homes, when Sheriff Hightower, Bob Martin and Joe Gilmore
brought Dallas White to Liberty and placed him behind the bars in

the Liberty Jail.

He is now awaiting his trail which will be held Tuesday morning.
In the jail here Tuesday his throat was dressed for a cut that

he said he received when :going under a house. A razor blade was
reported found on him at his arrest, and it is: thought that he cut
his own throat. A written statement of confession is reported,

in the possession of officers. He has admitted tearing off the
screen of the Andress house: he has identified a picture of the

home and a picture of the gun used in the slaying.

¢


JACK JACKSON

The Liberty Vindicator---October 11, 1934 Volume XLVIII
No. 5

SLAYER OF JESSE ANDRESS
LODGED IN COUNTY JAIL

pall

Dallas White, "Alias Jack Jackson, Jack Johnson, T Coo, and
Rockafellow" sought since September 17th for the slaying of Jesse
Andress is now lodged in the Liberty County Jail, being brought
into Liberty, Tuesday night and held in safe keeping on the out-
skirts of the city until the mob of about 500 who gathered at the

jail at 10:30 P.M. had dispersed. It was 3:15 P.M. Wednesday mornihg

when Sherif L.V. Hightower placed Dallas White in the Liberty jail-

some 5 hours after leaving Beaumont with him. The negro was captured
Tuesday evening at 7:15 by Sheriff Richerdson of Beaumont and turned

over to local officers at 10:00 O'clock.

Sheriff Hightower hand cuffed himself’'to the negro and with Bob Martin,
Deputy Sheriff and Joe Gilmore, Texas Ranger, stdrted toward Liberty
with him. A short distance out of Beaumont Sheriff Hightower and
.the negro were transfered into an "A" Model Ford driven by Mr MoGraw
of identification Bureaw of the Beaumont department; this was done to
fool the cars following. Bob Martin and Joe Gilmore led the crowd

to the jail house while Sheriff Hightower and McGraw took their time
on the road in and when arriving at the Log Cabin filling station
turned on the Old Beaumont road and waited for a report on the
situation at the jail. Sheriff Richardson and a number of deputies
from Beaumont went directly to the jail and with several other
deputies placed themselves in a conspicious downstairs room of the
jail. The crowd outside waited for the arrival of the negro, but

Bob Martin and Gilmore sensed the atmosphere and slipped away to warn
Sheriff Hightower of the condition at the jail. The negro was
hurriedly transfered to Martins car and taken to the road toward

Ames the officers traveled to Daisetta and Hull carrying the negro

to Mr Vah Deventers home on the Hardin road. Hightower remained

with the negro while Martin and Gilmore returned to the jail and upon


EWELL MORRIS

Huntsville, Texas ---February 8, 1924

In a brightly lighted room of the state prison at Huntsville, with prison
and state officials, dactors and newspaper men present, the lives of
five negroes, sentenced to pay the extreme penalty for their crimes,

were snuffed out in the new electric chair of the state of Texas

‘Thursday or early Friday morning.

The executionof the 5 marks the inaugration of a new legal method for
the state to exact the death penalty of the criminel, taking the
place of hanging in sounty jails in the state ,whith-method had been

used since Texas joined the Union.

All the negroes were convicted on murder charges. Ewell Morris having

slain a white man in Red River County.

Morris was the second to be placed in the chair.

Walter Monroe Miller former sheriff of Johnson County, newely installed
warden at the penitentiary, threw the electric switch that sent the charge

into the bodies of the five.

JESSE CHARLES

Liberty Vindicator---June 28, 1929

Jesse Charles, negro, was carried to Huntsville Tuesday by Sheriff L.
V. Hightower where he will await electrocution before sunrise on the
morning of August 23rd for the murder of Winnfred Knipple, white man,

who was instantly killed last August at Devers.

After a short deliberation a jury during the October term of district
court found Charles guilty of the first degree murder. Since then

he has been held in the jail while his attorneys did everthing
possible in an effort to save his life. The Court of Criminel-appeals
affirmed the trial decision and now his fate lies in the hand of

Governor Dan Moody who alone has the power to save his life.

Judge Thomas B. Coe passed sentence on Charles Monday morning. When —
asled if he anything to say, Charkes replied " Well the fellow
who killed him is dead so I just as well take the punishment.”

He was setenced to die before sunrise on the morning of August 23.

Distrist court was adjourned at noon Monday for the week. The
grand jury also adjourned for the week at the same time after having
returned 13 felony indictments in session during the preceding

week. C.A”’..Chambers is fobrman of the grand jury.

118 PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH CounTY, TEXAS

en

“About onethird of the Pridents in . Tarleton State College
are from the farms and ranches in the trade territory, .
-and work on these farms and ranches while going to col-
~ lege, and these are earning while they are Fe ent and
do not have much time for idleness.

Four Death Penalty Cases From ‘Erath County _

_ The records: show only four crimes “committed in rath &
County, Texas, which legal juries believed merited the
- death penalty. The defendants in these were first, Robert .
(Bob) Johnson, “Dublin, Texas; second, Dan White, Mineral —
| Wells, Texas; third, Tom Wright, Dublin, “Texas: and
~ fourth, F. M. Snow, Stephenville, Texas. We will discuss.
__ these who, pay the supreme ee in onis. order. “ea

(a)

“The State of Texas Vs. Bob Rornaon 88 Ss. Ww. 228, Dis
© erict Court of Erath. County, Texas, W.. a Oxford, Sr.,
~ Judge, Fred H. Chandler, District Attorney, and William
= Pannill, County Attorney, prosecuting the case, and Ben -

Palmer, D. F. Mc Adare, and B. E. Cook, attorneys for thes
" defendant. oie ciate cL ea RRS ae A)

In the latter prea of 1904, ‘Robert (Bob) Johnson, a
‘colored man, killed Alfred Berry, a white man, by beating ©
him to death with a hoe handle or some such object. These |
- two men were working for a contractor who was building
‘cisterns around over the country.--The two were paid each --

week end and Alfred Berry had accumulated about $150.00,
‘and Bob Johnson in cold blooded murder killed him for
the purpose of robbery, and buried his body in the cotton
seed in the Dublin Oil Mill and fled the country. The —
- cotton: seed in about ten days began to settle from around ©
- the body of Alfred Berry and a foot was seen ‘sticking out
= by. a workman. The body was identified by Dr. R AL


Stephenville Public Library

174 North Columbia
Stephenville, Texas 76401

2/11/75

Mrs. Louise Purvis, Librarian

ee Mr. Espy: A Le *
i> ie : 3 This material was taken from " PEOPLE, EVENTS AND Ree |
ale: ERATH COUNTY TEXAS" written and publiched by Arden Se
i, Jean Schuetz and Wilma Jean Schuetz. Copyright ee 4
Be permission should be obtained from Ennis Favors, hee
i 2 : Attorney, 2050 Crestridge Street, Stephenville, Texas 76401 ad
ee
=
fl

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¢

hs

Sgt eV SU Lae a yi eg NON
PRA eae tre

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t

_ PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH Counry, ‘Texas ae ak Be

Miller and others as being that of ‘Alfred Berry. and a Perite = i

man, although it was almost black from deterioration.
- The colored man was missing along with the money and
personal items of Alfred Berry. Robert (Bob) Johnson

was located by jaw enforcement officers down around Waco, ©

Texas, and signed a written confession admitting the crime,

and waa brought back and lodged in rth in BEDS : q

Texas.

He was indteted and tried far mitt Soren etn ai guilty, dees

and sentenced to be hung by the neck until dead/ His case ‘
was appealed to the Coart of Criminal Appeals, and the —

age old question of rage diacrimination was alleged by
the defense in selecting the Jary Commissioners and in the
jury that convieted Jotrmon but this wax passed over by

the court, and the cast seversed on ‘the: refusal to admit | as

in evidence certain testissamy, He wan triat a perce time —

¥

in the same court. with Fudge W. J. faford, Se. Judge,

and the same lawyers. foand guilty and sentenced to be Be

hung by the neck until dead.

The old Red Brick Jail adjacent and immediately Routh a
of the present Masonic Lodge Building, had a hangman's

scaffold and trap built inside the jail, and Mack Creswell —

was Sheriff of Erath County, Texas, and sprang the trap .
‘inside this jail that dropped Bob Johnson into eternity. —
The rope used for this hanging is still in the custody of.
the District Clerk of Erath County, Texas, and occasionally: Bi 4

ee

displayed or loaned to the Museum in Stephenville, Texas.

| Mb) i
The State of Texas V. Dan White, 228 S. W. 2d 165, in
the District Court of Palo Pinto County, Texas, with Ernest
Belcher. Judge, and Sam Cleveland, District Attorney, and

Special Prosecutor Sam M. Russell prosecuting the. case, ee

and Charles Nordyke for the defendant.


f | a “IT v4 / (, ~
{{ fU ff A f
. CV ——+ / A CC

c continued

Saul, wife of an Illinois steel

Court to be committed to the
Jetective John J. Merrill of the
sect reportedly was arrested on
ition.

t to disagree that the hand is

*etail and skilled pen of a

8 hours to apprehend the

ne bus. An amateur artist,

A check of police files turned

sn into custody on the strength
ketch.

lives of two murderers on January 5, 1900,
and since has been unused. One ‘of those
executed was the killer of a Texas Ranger;
the other had slain his sweetheart. The two
condemned men attacked the hangman
with daggers when brought out to face the’
rope, but were subdued and strung up.

SPEEDING TO JAIL
m In St. Louis, a judge sentenced a 19-
year-old youth to 100 days in the work-
house and fined him $1400 for ten traffic
violations that occurred during a bullet
punctuated 100-mile-per-hour chase through
the ‘city. The culprit was fined $500 for
‘speeding ‘and $100 each on the other
counts, which included running six traffic
lights. Police fired two bullets into the
rear of the youth’s sports car as they
~ pursued it, but failed to catch the desperate
violator until one of his tires blew out.

POOR TIMING

M@ Two boys arrested in Chattanooga, Tenn.,
on purse-snatching charges really picked
the wrong time and place for their deed.
The pair, both 15, reportedly grabbed a
handbag..from a woman walking only a
block from the police. station. Her male

a
*

Ae

of the chief of police; a chief inspector, two
detectives and a patrolman, all standing: in
front of the station house. They saw: the
youths running and gave chase—the-chief, and
_the inspector and a detective in a car, and
the others. on foot. After a lengthy pursuit
through city streets, the officers in the
car apprehended the purse snatchers.

THE END OF THE ROPE
m@ Last. traces of this execution spot have
been removed from the El Paso, Tex., jail,
built about 1880. The gallows took the

MODERN JUNGLE BOY
@ Accused of killing the brother of movie
1 star Sabu, who won fame for his portrayals
companion’s shouts attracted the attention of youthful jungle lords such as Elephant
Boy, a tousle-haired teenager was booked
at the Van Nuys, Cal., police station.
While he discussed the slaying with officers
18-year-old Jim Shields
rested on a desk his bandaged arm, hurt
when he was captured. Police said he
admitted shooting wealthy furniture store
owner Saik Dastagir, 40, during a holdup.

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136 PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS

and she was brought into Stephenville, Texas, and told to
view the head without any emotion, or evidence of recog-
nition in the event she recognized the head, and told if
she did recognize the head to come to the back of the Tre-

~ witt Funeral Home and talk to Sam M. Russell and D. M.

Hassler, and they watched her pass and view the head and ©
start straight for them. She said she was certain he was
Bernie Connally. This was the first good break in the case,
and by this time Captain Tom Hickman with the Texas
Rangers, had become interested and assigned Ranger
Stewart Stanley to the case.

Sam M. Russell, District Attorney, requested Ranger ;

Stewart Stanley and Sheriff D. M. Hassler to go down
and talk to F. M. Snow, and look the place over carefully.

He requested other Peace Officers on the case to comb the _ x

countryside and look for the body of Bernie Connally.
Sheriff Hassler and Ranger Stanley did go down to the
F. M. Snow place, and found him drying dishes after a _
meal, and very friendly and he told the officers he had
carried his wife, the boy and the mother-in-law down to
Tredell, Texas, the night before and they had caught the

train and were going down to visit some of their folks ~~

near Waco, Texas. The officers looked around and stepped

outside, and decided they would check this story and keep a

F. M. Snow under surveillance during the time. They were
fairly certain Bernie Connally had not gone to Waco, Texas, —
as by this time Mrs. Lou Hill, mother of Buck Hill, had
looked at the head and said he was Bernie Connally, but
at the time nothing pointed to F. M. Snow as a a
except pure suspicion. any

The officers did drive down to Iredell, Texas, the eet

morning and talked to the depot agent; who said the train ~

had«not even stopped on the night the Snow family was
supposed to board the train. So these officers started back See


6

PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS 137

to the F. M. Snow place knowing he had lied to them, and
to see just what he had done in the meantime, and with
much suspicion by now that he had killed the boy, but
suspicion was about all they had to go on in the matter.
They were not much alarmed about the two women, as
they were not sure any ne had happened to them.

F. M. Snow was far Ror eine a fool, he knew the
officers would check his story, and he also knew he had to
have time and that he had to tell them something. He
was convinced he had to move and get out of the country,
and the minute the officers left his place, he began to pack
and load his household goods and other possessions into
his wagon for traveling, and when he was fully loaded, he
hooked up his team to the wagon, put his rifle and double
blade ax in the spring seat beside him, tied a couple of
hound dogs under the wagon, and a cow and two horses
behind the wagon, then checked his burning chores and
to be sure he had left no telltale evidence behind and after
he was sure he had done an excellent job, he mounted the
wagon and drove off in a Southerly direction and toward
Hico, Texas. He had not gone very far until Sheriff Hassler
and Ranger Stewart Stanley over took him tying a cow
behind the wagon who apparently had pulled her rope
loose. They rushed up and arrested him on the spot, and

: he made no resistance whatever, and this was about where

the Selden Road runs into the Stephenville and Hico Road.
He did protest that he had to leave his things with a neigh-
bor, and they were left in possession of one of his neighbors.

He was brought into Stephenville, Texas, hand cuffed and | Se

without his rifle and ax and taken to the office of District
Attorney Sam Russell in the courthouse, and he began to

ask him various questions pertaining to the boy, and looked
-- out and Saw angry crowds of people gathering around over:

town, and F. M. Snow was close to a window and could
~y oe


¢ mer PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH CouNTY, TEXAS £139 “25

nearby and never did take a look at the body himself, and

he sulked and refused to do any more talking at the time,

——hbut with this important fact out of the way, and clearly

-—~ a murder case to be prosecuted, the wheels of justice were
in motion.

7PM. Sani was indicted by the Grand Jury of Erath
County, Texas, for the murder .of Bernie Connally, and on —
January 18, 1926, in the District Court of Erath County,
Texas, with J. B. Keith, Judge, and Sam M. Russell, Dis-
trict Attorney prosecuting and M. L. Munday and Wallace
Scott representing the defendant. The case proceeded to
trial, with F. M. Snow by this time haggard, thin and pale
a ~ coe and without friends or money, and with very little to offer
—. on his side, some attempt was made to show Snow insane,
3 es but Sam M. Russell quickly countered with evidence which
- yefuted the effort, and this feeble defense fizzled. After
about ten days the case was submitted to the jury, who
deliberated a very short time and found F. M. Snow guilty
of murder and assessed his punishment at death in the
electric chair.

He was then lodged in jail in Stephenville, Texas, to
await his appeal to the Court of Crinimal Appeals in Aus-
tin, Texas. During this delay, Gene Graves, a colored man,
was arrested and lodged in a cell close to the one occupied -
by F. M. Snow, and Gene Graves liked to tease and tantalize _~
F. M. Snow, and late at night he would yell out. “It is
cold in here, throw another leg on the fire’, and this seemed
to cause F. M. Snow to talk more than usual and he told
Gene Graves, that he killed a man in San Saba County,
Texas, and another up in Palo Pinto County, Texas, and.
he chopped the head off of the last with an ax, and threw
it in an old well and he was never caught, and if he could
have found an old well for the head of Bernie Connally,
he never would. have been caught.

ae ah 7


138 PEOPLE-EVENTS AND ERATH COUNTY, TEXAS |

see these people, and the officers felt trouble was brewing

for F. M. Snow, and they needed to move him quick, so it
<was decided to take him by car to the Tarrant County jail
-in Fort Worth, Texas, and he was immediately loaded into |
a car full of Peace Officers and driven into Fort Worth,
-and Sam M. Russell learned very little from him as he
‘simply did not have enough time to cover much of the

. matter.

After F. M. Snow was securely in the Fort Worth jail,
almost every morning Sam M. Russell would call Ranger.
Tom Hickman, who lived in Fort Worth, Texas, and ask
him to go down and talk to F. M. Snow and see if he could
find out what he did with the body of Bernie Connally,
and to question him about his wife and. Mrs. S. A. Olds.
The peace officers by this time, had found the small frag-
ments of flesh and bones in the ashes from the fireplace,

and they were fairly well satisfied what had happened, but :
‘proving this in court was a horse of a different color, and =.

they were interested in building a good court case against
F. M. Snow, and the finding of the body of the boy, and

his co-operation and version of the matter would simplify — a

the whole riddle. In a few days Ranger Captain Tom .
Hickman telephoned Sam M. Russell and told him that —
F. M. Snow had promised to take them to the body of.
Bernie Connally, and said he would meet him in Bluff ~
Dale, Texas, about dark and they would drive on down to.
~ the mountains where he said the body could be found. Sos

Sam M. Russell, District Attorney, Sheriff D. M. Hassler ~

and Deputy Sheriff Ross Pearcy, all met the ranger in
Bluff Dale, Texas, and he had F. M. Snow in the car, and
they drove down to Cedar Point Mountain in the dark of -
the night. They walked about a quarter of a mile up.

mountain road, and F. M. Snow pointed out the body over.
the fence behind a cedar bush; he sat down on a rock -

“
+
é


jean (Continned trom Pope 1) men in American history to be
Jose Flores ans Pere Sanchez. hanged twice! Sources say that

- aprisoner names Jorsan Israel after being sentenced to die. He
attacked Short while he was was light enough that his neck

serving them doeartast. was not broken on the first

his own gun by Flores. records — explained.

show. According to several ac- Flores was re-hanged after :

counts of the hangings’ which Israe! was executed.

were condecied in the old A mystery shrouds the third
county jail. a es did mot die man convicted of the deputy’s

when he was hanged. - murder, Mrs. Harrington says.
Flores became one of a few Although Fenre ensues Si

Children Survive °
‘Troubled Waters’

SAN ANTONIO. Texas \AP) During the downpour, 12-
— A dramatic battie for sur- year- -old Daniel Hughes slipped
vival was won Tuesdzy night” into an open drainage ditch at
2 by two San Antozio brothers Babcock Road and Wilson
‘6 who traveled 2imost a mile in Boulevard a_ short’ distance
« turbulent. rein-swcllen waters from the families home.

. of a storm érdin before His brother, Leonard, 16,
+ literally hanging on for dear tried to reach him and followed

, life toa ladder leecng up toa Daniel as the swirling waters

* manhole to waiting police « and carried him downstream.

‘firemen. “IT tried to throw tree
branches in for him to grab,

The drama began about 8 put Icouldn’treach him. It was
p.m. when violent thun-~ funny at first, then I got scared
derstorms lashed San Antonio, and wanted to get him out,”
dumping up to two inches of Leonard said.
rain in some pers of the city as Leonard then said he fell in,
winds whipped ciose to 69 mph —_pyt was surprised by the depth
in some places. and swiftness of the ‘current.

~ 3 Tear Sisete eS ee ee i ene 3 > 3
<. . . apes g- . i sida aes ivaiemeel

Jperator: cee eat

cattle prices have been de- °
ed with moving cattle that are
ushould consider a feeding

conviction was upheld by the - there were many other hang-- the ves eset ; “ ae 23 St ; 3 vinagas
: Texas Court of Criminal Appea- —_ ings, but because of legalerrors, eae vee a ee ar eee fel ae ee aie tg ee
both Menican naiOT aS. and Flores went onastarvationdiet. Isandadeath warrant issued for - the hangings are not considered atthe h : fe ote
Feb. 22, 1922. there is no record “official” executions. Also, Was bel ied st @ ' I eC

of his death. Mrs. Harrington, many of those sentenced to die Bay by iV

to death by hanging in Falls tegraata on each case. We're
County was Dave Anderson who going to keep them on file in the
died of natural causes while in — clerk’ s office for historical pur- was ak :

jail. poses." She says the informa- time, c

Capt.

says the sheriff's ‘return here had their sentences com- pilot.

Short was shot to death with hanging attempt, Harrington document” confirming the ex- muted to life by the governor. Liu tk : -«) > g a)
Commenting onher next pro- quiry 1 ee /

ecution has never been found.

The only other mansentenced —_ ject, she says, “I plan to write a — 4
the ve

verse a

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Mrs. Harrington explained tion is public record.

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BOOKWCRIM? — 82nd District Court Deputy Clerk Dorothy Harring- BULK FER ae ce ee es ecg 9 Sn :

ton poges through an old court record during port of her research 4,4 oe vas KR

work of Falls County hangings. (Staff photo by Rudy Purificato) : yy 6. 81. So, ny My
. als Hey,
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228 tome

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Those who witness the last hanging have told many different
versions of that day. It was a double hanging of Jose Flores
and Jordon Isreal on July 21, 1921, They told how Flores, only
17 years old, was so light that the first hanging was not fatal
‘and the sheriff had to hang him again, -The Death Warrant, made
out by the District Clerk on orders of the District Judge,
reads "to be hanged by the neck until dead, dead, dead". * So
the Sheriff, C.O. Moore, had sandbags .tied to the feet of Flores
so he would be heavy enough for his neck to break on the second
attempt. He was. Jordan Isreal, a Negro, was asked if he had
anything to say before he was hanged. He did. He confessed to
the murder of one Harry Stuart on August 22, 1918. Harry Stuart
was a farmer in Falls County found shotgunned to-death in his
home. A man named Moses Newton was indicted and tried by a jury
for the murder according to court records. Cause No. 93, Vol. E-
412. He was found not guilty. Harry Stuart had threatened Moses
Newton on Main St., in Marlin, in front of Holloway Brothers, on
Saturday next preceding the shooting on Thursday,” by saying to
Moses Newton "that he would have the children of Ernest Newton or
blood would be spilled". Newton claimed he took this to be a
threat to take his life or do him serious bodily injury. Dispite
the not guilty verdict people still thought Moses Newton, who had
a bad reputation and a bad criminal record, had committed the
murder until the confession of Jordon Isreal. . However, Moses
Newton was never to know this because he was shot down on the streets
of Marlin by the sheriff before the confession and hanging of
Jordon Isreal. .

Jordan Israel and his partner Jose Flores were hanged one after
another on the gallows in the Falls County Jail built in 1915..

The gallows were on the third floor where they were the only

ones ever to be hanged. After 1924 felons sentenced to Death

were executed at the State Prison in Huntsville, Texas by Electro-
cution. Prior to this all executions were carried out in each
county by hangings with the sheriff as executioner. Tite county
jail built in 1915 (approximately) had three floors and a basement
and was built of brick. The basement was for storage. The first
floor contained the office and sheriff's living quarters, where
several sheriffs raised their familes. The second floor contained
the prisoners' cells. The third floor had a padded cell and two
ladies' cells besides the gallows. The old jail was the first

real jail Falls County ever had. Prior to this small buildings,
some made of logs, were built on the Courthouse yard for use as a
jail. Almost all men sentenced to Death had to be housed at out of
county jails for safe keeping until their day of execution and then
were brought back to Falls County for hanging by the Sheriff. The
old jail was torn down in 1978, and a new one built beside it on
the northwest side of the Courthouse yard. The gallows were removed
intack and will be mounted in brick from the old jail on the
courthouse yard.

This research was begun in October, 1977, by Dorothy Harrington,
Deputy Clerk for the District Clerk's Office. Garland Barton, the
District Clerk, received a requést from Watt Espy, Law Librarian,
University of Alabama, for a list of legal hangingsin Falls County.
No list existed prior to this so a search of the records was begun.
Mr. Garland Barton retiredafter 32 years on Dec. 31, 1978, and
Larry R. Hoelscher, newly elected Clerk began his term of office

on January 1, 1979. This report has been done under their approval,
encouragement and tolerance.

I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS RECORD IS A TRUE AND ACCURATE RECORD
OF THE OFFICIAL AND LEGAL HANGINGS IN FALLS COUNTY, TEXAS, VERIFIED
AND SUBSTANTIATED BY THE DISTRICT COURT RECORDS on this the 18th

Mach ctge

Dorothy L. Harrington
Chief Deputy

District Clerk's Office
Falls County, Texas


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Postal Regula-
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one’s name from
iterature mailing
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ily” request you
name frém your

but J'm guing to |

76661:

ance contract.

The commissioners, during
this week's session, also ap-
proved a proposal for publiciz-
ing and improving the park at
the Falls on the Brazos.

The newly named park man.’

ager, James Moore, presented
a brochure on the park and said _

‘he would ask the Marlin

Chamber of Commerce to in-
clude it as a part of their public-

J udge Roy Bean Rivaled By Falls Sheriffs’ Hangings

By Rudy Purificato

Texas history as “the law west
of the Pecos” is not unfounded.

‘But the “hanging judge” was

not alone in having convicted
criminals executed, says a Mar-
lin researcher. ;

Sifting through old docu-
ments and court records for two
and a half years, Dorothy Har-
rington, a deputy clerk of the
82nd District Court, has un-
earthed a wealth of informa-
tion about official hangings, by
Falls County sheriffs.

Her research work was
prompted by a ‘request from
Watt Espy, a law librarian at

_the University of Alabama, who

is chronicling the history of cap-
ital punishment in the United
States from colonial times to the
present. ;

The information is scheduled
to be published within the next
few years.

.Espy wrote letters to Har-
rington and other Texas district
clerks in October, 1977 asking
for brief biographical sketches

. of county hangings.

Mrs. Harrington says the
Alabama researcher had al-
ready compiled a comprehen-
Sive list of condemned felons
executed at the state prison in

‘sheriff's department so that the

park will bea safe place for vis-
itors.

Following a lengthy discus-
sion ona request from
Rosebud-Lott School Superin-
tendent Doug Reed, the court
agreed to distribute $150,000 of
the Falls County Permanent
School Fund money on October
13. The money will be prorated
on a per-pupil basis to all

, Huntsville since 1924.
Judge Roy Bean's notoriety in , ”

“Prior ta 1924, those sen-

tenced to die were hanged loc- ©
ally by sheriffs in the counties of °

their convictions,"’ she said. She
explained that no state depart-
ments or agencies maintained
records of local county execu-
tions. Sg

Sparked by an interest in
local history, Mrs. Harrington
volunteered her spare time to
research dusty trial records
and cumbersome documents
stored in the grand jury room.
None of the records were on
microfilm she explained, say-
ing the difficulty of the task was
compounded by reading anti-
quated handwriting.

Encouraged by the late Gar-
land Barton, former 82nd Dis-
trictclerk, and Larry Hoelscher
her present boss, Mrs.
Harrington uncovered re-
vealing facts about county
hangings.

The ten men who were offi-
cially hanged here were exe-
cuted either within a few feet of
the county jail located on the
Falls County Courthouse
Square or within several blocks
of downtown Marlin.

None of the men who were
executed were convicted of
such frontier crimes as cattle

fice statt would eventually re-
quire an estimated 1,500 to 2,000
square feet of floor space.

The court will consider the
matter as well asestablish a re-
ntal rate, according to Falls
County Judge Burke Kirkpat-
rick.

Following an ‘executive ses-
‘sion where each of the bidders
were called in for a discussion,
the commissioners awarded the

rustling or horse stealing.

Nine were convicted of mur-
der and one for rape.

Another surprising fact in-
volved the confinement of the
condemned. In several cases
prior to 1900, felons were held in
the McLennan County jail be-
fore being executed by the Falls
County sheriff. The reason
stated in official court orders:
“there was no Safe jail or other

‘place of confinement in Falls

County.”’

William M. Hinton was the
first man to be hanged by a
Falls County sheriff. Tried on
April 8, 1859 for the murder of
Pleasant C. Whitaker, the Texas
Supreme Court upheld his con-
viction. He was hanged on May
25, 1860. ;

Post Civil War executions in-
cluded the first double hanging
in county history on August 13,
1869.

Dennis Nelson, convicted of
first degree murder of Franklin
Wallix, was hanged along with

- Clark Jones, who was convicted

of a double murder involving
Jepe and Sam Howard.
Another convicted murderer,
Wash Washington, was hanged
on March 31, 1886 for the shoot-
ing death of Willie Durden.
Falls County women were

Copying Machine tor use in the
Sheriff's office. The lone bid
fame froiu A.B. Dick Co.,
Waco, for $3,475.,.

The court-set June 9 as the
date for opening bids on the sale
of equipment considered surp-
lus to the Road and Bridge De-
partment. .

The session ended with a dis-

cussion on the budget to be pre-
pared for next year. Judge

also the victims of crimes for
which men were hanged, Mrs.
Harrington says.

Convich Silas Wood was con-
vited of beating his wife, Kes-
sia Wood, to death. He was
hanged on Nov. 10, 1876.

One of the more grizzly mur-
ders involved a woman who was
a cook for A.E. Watson of Mar-
lin. :

Her head was bashed in by a
piece of iron called a “steely
peas and weights” in a kitchen
argument with her husband
Westley C. Williams. Williams
was hanged on March 5, 1887.

Perhaps the most sensational
crime in Falls County history
involved the rape of a
14-year-old girl named Maud
‘Smith of Blue Ridge.

While
widowed mother’s younger
children on Dec. 18, 1900, she
was dragged into a barn and
raped by a 28-year-old man
named John Roan.

Then Texas Governor Joseph.

D. Sayer stayed Roan’'s execu- °
- tion for ten days to consider/an

application for commutation of _

his sentence to life.
Roan was hanged at the
southeast corner of the Falls

County courthouse yard on:

Saturday, April 19, 1902.

babysitting her

vr wy"

cent of the fair market value,
taxable at the rate of $1.30 per
$100 valuation.

He suggested that the com-
missioners consider changing
the ratio to 100 percent and at
the same time decrease the tax
rate to 65c. ‘‘That way,” Kirk-
patrick said, ‘‘each taxpayers
total tax bill would the same as
last year.”

Dan McCline was the last
man convicted and hanged for
the murder of a Falls County
woman. He was executed by
Sheriff M.J. Poole on March 29,

-1912 for the shooting death of

eT =a
4

BS Scout
repel . .

sft

a aaa

present tax structure is ou per: .

dioriter THaGs ee Ue

your
skate! gards

. economizing in fuels.

bed Soul.

— sU ve asi
every manner of conveyance. Miss La Barsera said. Last
“ws said, people arzivec on everything {fom horses to

Mp ae

+ ASsls ‘ses

Priz-* «ll be awardex <t the high school to the student who
travels the farthest distance and to the one using the most
unusual mode of transportation.

The student council hopes to generate enthusiasm through-
out the community in support of “Gas Fast Daz" she said
Carpooling to work, riding mopeds, bicycles, horses or simply
walking to activities would be an ideal way to focus on

Rosa Tubbs.

Perhaps the most fascinating

remember, Mrs. Harr
added, was the last offic

ington
jal ex- .

ecution by a county sheriff.

Se)
AS
=<

~ Sha a, Se i 4 e
Toone at >

Pees

OTRAS IE LE
ete <0 Sy

Tite. oe
ae
om at a8

Sasatsisa

.. ae ey ; -

tg Se os 1G SRR fie a. Uy: rg RS
6 eS I eae Rie nl he ,
~ FALLS COUNTY GALLOWS — This hangman's plattorm, equipped with trap door, was removed from whe:
Falls County jail when it was recently demolished. The device is being preserved by the Falls County Histeri,

‘4

w

Three men were convicted

murdering Falls

Coun
hanging that many people here ~ Sheriff's Deputy Oscar B. Sh
during an abortive jail break

At 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 4, 193

(Conticsed on Page 8)

*

Society for future use in a museum display. (Staff photo by Rudy Purificato)

“SET:

th ee

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ws

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Re ARS eg Mere e .
bats . a ES —<—F ; ae
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Pal

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i}


A history
that hangs
in balance

Tee It’s criminal
as] that we haven’t
##| talked about legal
hangings in Tex-

as

Their history’s
endangered. I'll
explain.

More than 70
years ago, Texas
lawmakers _ re-
placed the hang-
man’s noose at the county seat with the
hot seat at Huntsville.

Prior to 1924, capital offenders were
executed in the county where they were
convicted under supervision of the sher-
iff.

As often as not, the hangings turned
out to be public shows that drew crowds
of all classes — rich, poor, high-minded,
hopeless.

The Rope, the Chair, and the Needle
(UT Press, 1994) calls the public hanging
“one of the most enduring stereotypes of
Texas.”

Along with murder and rape, capital
crimes at various times were robbery,
burglary, treason, piracy, kidnapping
slaves, selling free persons as slaves,
counterfeiting and arson.

Switch of heart

By 1920 Texans were sensitive to the
carnival-like spectacle that county execu-
tions had become. The 1923 measure re-
quiring the state to throw the switch was
introduced by state Sen. J.W. Thomas of
Bell County. His proposal was generally
welcomed as progressive and humane.

But opposition in the House by an un-
named South Texas rep was recalled in
Backwoods to Border, a 1943 volume of
the Texas Folklore Society.

Closing a speech to House members in
1923, the old fuddy-duddy said:

“One of the few attractions now left in
the country is for the people to gather
together at their own county seat and
witness an occasional hanging, and now
you want to take even that away from
them.

“Mr. Speaker, I don’t know what you
think about it, but as for me, hanging was
good enough for my father, and it’s good
enough for me.”

In 1995, it’s hard to gauge the orator’s
seriousness, if any. As he sat down, a
colleague began singing, “Gimme that
old-time religion.”

BIFFLE’S
TEXANA

Che Dallas Morning News

2.
Whatever, the bill sailed through with
few dissenting votes, putting the time-

honored gallows out of business in the
county seats of Texas.

Passed into history

The gallows passed into history, but
not into well-recorded history.

In contrast, the state of Texas, since
assuming the dirty job, has kept close tabs
on those executed — when, for what and

other details. ;

A phone call to Huntsville will
verify 361 electrocutions and 98 le-
thai injections between 1924 and
last week.

But no one in Texas has tracked
Statewide legal hangings. There’s
no official source of data on county
executions,

In some counties, officials and
local historians cared enough about
their past to gather records. But in
others, a significant chunk of Texas
history is going away or is already
gone.

Few events inaTexascommuni- ,»
ty rivaled a legal hanging for high
drama, local color and excitement.
Texans commonly pegged passing
months and years to a sensational
hanging, a sort of cultural land-

mark like a major flood or fire.

Most hangings sprang from truly
squalid crimes. Less often, a hang-
ing was a poetic coda to a tale that
engendered songs or folklore. In
any case, they were grim tribal ritu-
als, worth preserving.

That’s why Dorothy Harrington
deserves a medal.

I learned about her the other day
from Larry Hoelscher of Marlin,
district clerk of Falls County. She
was his deputy and before that the
deputy of longtime District Clerk
Garland Barton.

Mr. Hoelscher sent me her S0-
page research file on legal hang-
ings in Falls County. Lawyerly, she
reported:

“Be it remembered that in the
district court of Falls County, Tex-
as, certain felons were tried and
sentenced to death by hanging. The
presiding district judge would
thereupon order the clerk of the
court to issue a death warrant to the

sheriff ordering him to take the
condemned felon to a safe place and
keep him until a certain day and
time whereupon he was to execute
him by hanging by the neck until
dead, dead, dead... .”

She detailed 10 hangings, 1860 to
1921:

Sunday, August 20, 1995

ne ae

“Many others were sentenced to
be hanged, but there is no proof
they were ever hanged. Some had
their sentences commuted to life;
one, Dave Anderson, died in jail of
natural causes while waiting to be
hanged, and it cannot be proved
what happened to the others.”

Ms. Harrington, who now works
in adult probation, told me she did

most of the work during lunch
hours at the district clerk’s office.

“I lived too far away to go home
for lunch. And I got tired of just
walking around, visiting,” she said.

The district clerk’s office in Falls
County has yet to be provided with
a single computer by the county
commissioners, said Mr. Hoelscher,
describing the conditions under
which Mrs. Harrington did her re-
search.

Mr. Hoelscher, whose family ar-
rived at the falls of the Brazos in
1842, is keen on history. He liked
her study so much that he sent cop-
ies to the Marlin Public Library and
to the Falls County Historical Muse-
um (where the old county jail’s gal-
lows will become an exhibit).

Another time, I'll tell about the
tragic stories she uncovered. One

killer was hanged twice.

Right now, for the first time in a
decade or so, I want to ask a favor of
the historians — amateur or pro —
among our readers:

Inventory your county’s hang-
ings.

The official documents are pub-
lic records in the district clerk’s
office of each Texas county.

A duty of the district clerk was to
keep felony trial records. Another
was to lace a death warrant with
black ribbon and, after a hanging,
record the sheriff’s formal report.

We're running late. Records get
lost. Many Texas courthouses have
burned down, some more than
once. Early records can turn to
dust. Or maybe the dog ate them.

But other sources exist — “the
cracker-barrel chronicles,” as the

late book man John Jenkins called
memoirs and grass-roots histories.
Others are old newspaper files and
clippings — stashed away by law-
yers, lawmen, kinfolks and pack
rats.

Valuable, too, are libraries, mu-
seums and the experience of ap-
pointed historical commissioners
in each of the state’s 254 counties
(the county judge’s secretary has
their names and phone numbers).

When your sources or good in-
tentions are exhausted, please send
your findings to: :

“Kent Biffle’s Texana,” State
Desk, The Dallas Morning News,
‘Communications Center, Dallas,
Texas 7526S. .

Anyone who helps will become
famous for five minutes.

oe a

#,

ES AIT PUNT CRIES TOUR Nl A CR ATi UD WT GTS SRS ca RET ATO, CET TT

1:
GONZALES COUNTY, TEXA S EXECUTIONS,

‘BROWN BOWEN

Pree fsck House Register “ Oct. 18, 1877 = Guest List.

-

' Deputy Sheriff Lee Collins and eight witnesses in case-of ‘State of
-Texas vs. Brown Bowen for the murder of Thoms gt seplaae d Verdict of

“ Guilty of Murder in lst. degree.

_ From Keyser House Register ~ Apr. 10, 1878.

~

Brown Bowen sentenced to be hanged on Fri., May 17, 1878. Criminal
Court Docket taken up 2nd. week of District Court, as 10, 1878.

_ From Keyser dase Register « May 17, 1878.

Brown Bowen hung this day. _

dare Court met April l, 1878.

+ 3
~~
aor 3

— Sudge Everett Lewis presiding.
Clerk was B. R. Abernathy. ;
Sheriff was Alonzo Bass.

From Gonzales Daily Inquirer (Condensed) - May 18, 1878.

It was estimated 4,000 people arrived as to a feast to witness the
human suffering and shedding of human blood for the hanging of Brown
Bowen. The gallows were erected between the jail and the jailer's house
so that the prisoner stepped from the head ef the stairs pnto the plate
form. The gallows was 17 ft. 6 in. from the top beam to the ground. The
platform was 10 ft. 6 in. from the ground. The "fall" was 7 ft. The trap
door was sprung vy touching & lever whereupon the door fell to the ground.
About 2:00 P.M. Mr. Bowen was led to the scaffold. .Rev. E. Y.Scales read
his final statement "blaming his troubles on keeping bad company and pro-
claiming his innocense of the murder of Thomas Holderman." He claimed that
J. W. Hardin, with whom he went to town, killed Holdermn because he thought
he was a spy for J. Tomlinson, J. Helms and W. W. Davis. Bowen clained
Hardin and Gip Clements went in the store and started drinking. Hardin told
me he was going to show me how to kill a mn. I begged him not to as he

((Holderman) was harmless and my friend. Hardin went to Mr. Holderman and

told him I killed his son.

Bowen prayed with Rev. Seale, the noose around his neck. While Mr.
Bass was preparing the spring door, Bowen muttered, "O Lord receive my
spirit." The door was sprung and Bowen fell a full 7 ft. In about 6 min.
he was dead. Bowen was a native of Florida.

ISAIAH WALKER

; From Criminal Docket District Court "B" - 1873.
/ ae State of Texas vs. Isaiah Walker - Jury verdict of guilty and pen-
-/ _ alty fixed at death,

eo From Keyser House Register - March 18, 1881. |
The appelate court affirmed the death sentence on the negro Isaiah
Walker for murdering his wife.

From Keyser House Register - July 28, 1881. oo =
Isaiah Walker, negro, hung at 3 o'clock P.M., July 28, 1881 for
murder of his wife (strumpet), died without a struggle. Neck broken.

‘District Court met Mar. 18, 1881.
‘ Judge Everett Lewis presiding.
== Clerk was B. R. Abernathy.

—

az Sheriff was Alonzo Bass.

_s
From Gonzales Daily Inquirer (Condensed) - July 30, 1881.
Last Monday the case of Isaiah Walker, freedman, for murder of his
wife in Feb. 1873 was tried. He ran away and eluded officers for 7 yrs.
Walker assaulted Rena Walker with a gun, did shoot and kill her. He
shot her just below the heart Tues. night. Wednesday she was dead. She
was deaf and within 3 months of child birth. He had whipped her pre-
viously. |
The gallows were constructed adjoining the platform at the head of .
the stairs and one step leads from platform to the trap door, not more
than 2 yds. from his cell. This was first gallows constructed inside
By Jail. Walker was baptized in jail by Rev. Greggory. Deputy Sheriff
Anderson adjusted the rope around his neck, tied his hands and feet and
drew a black cap over his head. The trap was sprung. Fourteen minutes
later he was taken down and placed in a coffin. The jailer was D. Boyd.

AN a eh SB ine INN bd NN AN SMG MONA iA A NAC COMP WAT OL Se feet oe SS eiaitcicanentat

FR < a v“<

Tom Gilliam gt
P, O. Box 354
PEARSALL, TEXAS 7806]

ohne od
DAS 12. Sie O begat A C5

nwo ald age
Sloe 5S = ILE A SON —- ft ee

Tern. Cl (mae

Lion Nas eC
Vres. © RliDd (Cre Na £r f

(V\useum m Assoc


(G44 ss co — Ss Cm i SG

@ Watt Espy, JYre
Box 67
Headland, Ala, 3635

March 25, 1977

The Clerk of the Glasscock County Court
The Glasscock County Court House
Garden City, Texas 79739

Dear sir or madam:

I am currently engaged in research on Capital Punisrment in our Country which I hope to
culminate with the publication of aowork which will contain a brief biobraphical sketch
of each person to have been legally executed in the United States as well as a brief
account of the crimes for which each was put to death,

According to records that I have received, no person sentenced from Glasscock County has
been executed since Texas began putting its condemned felons to death at the State Prison
in 192), However, prior to that year, those sentenced to die in your S tate were hanged
locally by the Sheriffs in the Counties of their convictions and no State Depar}fment or
Agency maintains a list of those earlier, local executions,

Consequently, it is necessary for me to solicit this information from the respective Coun-
ties. If your office has any record of any legal nangings in Garden City or in Glasscock
@: then I shall appreciate it very much if you will profide me with the names and the

Setes of executions as a basis fok further research,

It is possible that there has never been a legal hanging in Glasscock County. If there has
not and you can confirm this fact for me, please do so. A notation to this effect on the
bottom of this letter, resturned to me, would be sufficient notification,

cal S-ociety or Museum, a local Historian, your County's newspapers or some other organiza~

If you cannot help me, p&ease provide me with the names and addresses of your local Histori-)
tions or individuals who might be cof assistance, 7

Enclosed is a prepaid addressed envelope for your reply and you will, of course, be given
credit in the work itself for your assistance,

Thanking you for your cooperation, I am,

Ke spectfully yours,

WATT ESPY,

@ We find nothing to indicate that anyone was ever hung in Glasscock
Bounty. We have no Historical Society etc. in our county.

Vene Lawson, County Clerk

By: Betty Pate, Deputy


~JOUS Son Coont ¥ (EXAS

2

Street just weet of the vert Suffalo Creek bridre. Ten

| thouesni pereone from all over the county ani from the ade
112

: joining counties gathered to witneer the executicn,

‘3 11?

. = Johnson County Review, July 3, 1896.
2 Buring the same decade John Renfro was executed for
i the murder of a Mr. Williams. In 1899, Btoker Shaw war
. hanged for the murder of Tom Crane. Thir murder had been
. committed in the jungle pasture of the Clem Pierce ranch.
ad Shaw wae to heve been executed in 1898, but escaped from
4 the jail by confiecating the sleeping jailor's keys from
B

his trousers vith a long wire hook made from the epringe of
the prisoner's bed. In 1901, Henry Fupit, Negro, was
hanged for a butcher-knife slaying of his wife. Executions
since that of Fugit have taken place in Hunteville. The
execution of Myers was performed by Sheriff J, C. Brown,
while Sheriff W, A. Stewart exeouted three, Renfro, Shay,
ani Wilkine, and the last, Fugit, wae hanged by Sheriff
ee Long. 223 zs ) : | saa | inlet

113 syenea statement of John A. James, Sr., June. 26,
1950, in Archives, Univereity of Texae Library.

A more recent crime wae the hammer slaying of Janes

A. Norwood at the West Wilson Street footbridge in the fall

i OSS RE 3 ots ey Sete Wr yes 2 ng 2 cab ee 0 Pe RE tee on 0k
hes BS aaa gee eg eee as Saeed obec


article in the Fort Worth
gust of 1912 states that
operation in July of that
fire that destroyed much
juipment. The plant and
aased by a Kansas City
uipment was transferred

06, the city got a brand
em. A story in the Cle-
view in May, 1906, an-
2 New Switchboard For
Telegraph and Telephone
article made much of the
ry system which replaced
“crank” telephones in use
izens later were invited to
y’s new quarters, then
ie and Caddo Streets.
ly years, the Cleburne
tt three local switchboard
long distance positions -
15-22 feet. In addition to
the room also contained
zer, bookkeeper, and chief
rd, and frame and battery
e early days, personnel
perators, a chief operator,
iboard man, two linemen,
wo collectors, and a mes-

th in Cleburne during the,

ntury was slow. From 1900
lephones were added here.
ears, 307 telephones were
ween 1910 and 1915, the
1 by 730 stations. Two
telephones were added by
years later, another 201
f telephones in service here

industry hit its stride in
War II. In 1951, the 5000th
stalled in Cleburne. This
a new switching center
icted at 111 North Robin-
vleted in 1953. Also, in this
ne telephone system was
dial operation. Customers
local calls conveniently.
il residents were extended
vice in 1954. To accommo-
jusiness, Bell added anoth-
er in 1971.
thwestern Bell is the dom-
sompany in Texas. Because
:advanced equipment, rates
don long distance calls and
a vastly improved. Some
re computerized and several
: for phones with a television
lers can see each other.
yphone and Telegraph, one
alephone companies in the
‘ral subsidiaries. One of its
Southwestern Bell. But, in
, A T and T was forced to
3tern Bell is now a separate
ver, along with the separa-
ed a “rate hike.” The Texas
‘ommission, which assumed
relationship with the tele-
on September 1, 1976, has to
hikes.
computerized equipment it
ep the system up to date, it
Possibly one day, the tele-
in Cleburne, Texas and
world will be completely

HistekNy . oF

efficient and inexpensive. Today, however,
we still face the cost of case and excitement.

by Clyde Head and Cherry Duke

LAW AND
GOVERNMENT 7

173

Law and order in the first few years after
the establishment of the town, in 1867, was
maintained by the sheriff's department and
other Johnson County officers, or by the
individual citizen’s interpretation of the
natural law of self preservation.

The first expressions for the organization
of a municipal government in the town came
about as a result of the natural ills arising
from group habitation. The interim between
the founding of the town and its incorpora-
tion and the establishment of its own consti-
tuted law and order, was a little over four
years, from March 13, 1867, to May 3, 1871.

The act of the legislature establishing the
corporation of the town of Cleburne was
approved May 3, 1871, with Jesse Cunning-
ham as Mayor. The city government, the
mayor, and the aldermen went about the
business, typical of the towns of that period,
providing hitching posts about the square,
closing saloons and billiard halls on Sundays,
modifying an ordinance to exempt livery
stables from additional city tax, and provid-
ing for the payment of expenses incurred in
operating the government.

This city government, on October 12, 1875,
approved an act of the legislature of the State
of Texas of March 13, 1875, in lieu of a charter
of their own.

That some of the city ordinances, or some
of the actions of the officials of the city
government, had run afoul of public opinion
cannot be denied, for in 1874, many prom-
inent men signed a long petition, stating,
among other things, that “municipal govern-
ment had outlived its usefulness.” As a result
of this petition, the government was dis-
established. Conditions in the town, however,
goon convinced some of the citizens that a
mistake had been made and that the corpora-
tion should be revived on a modest scale,
“more for the repression of rip-roaring
human beings than for anything else.” This
subject of rehabilitation of municipal govern-
ment was a lively subject in the spring of
1876. Cleburne was “agitated from center to
circumference, but with no casualties worth
mentioning.” In July, 1876, the voters re-
established municipal government and J.M.
Odell was elected mayor and W.J. George,
secretary.

This government continued under the
provisions of an act of the State Legislature
of March 13, 1875, with ordinances added by
the mayor and the six aldermen (two from
each of the three wards) provided for by the
act. These officials were paid a salary of two
dollars per meeting. Officials appointed by
the council formed the Board of Appraisem-
ent and filled the office of health physician.
Elected officials included an assessor and

collector, a city attorney, an engineer, a

marshal, a city secretary, and a treasurer.
The ordinances of the city government

were thoroughly revised, during 1890, by

W.D. McKoy, city attorney at that time.

Plo Loy FV] ot he

Teurssera) CoorlY |

These ordinances regulated all subjects from
the wearing apparcl! of the citizens to the
speed of horses and trains within the city.

Government under the above described
provisions continued until 1906, when the
city’s population passed the ten thousand
mark; and a charter was drawn up and
presented to the legislature for approval.
This charter, which was accepted, called for
an Aldermanic form of government.

by Ernest Guinn

HANGINGS

(See photos next page)

C174

The first legal execution in the history of
Cleburne occurred on March 19, 1880, when
Sam Myers, son of an early Alvarado settler,
was hanged‘in the old jail yard at the corner
of Anglin and Chambers Streets, which later
became the site of the Woolworth building.
Myers, in company with James H. Bowden,
had murdered Mrs. Mary A. Hester on
February 21, 1877. She was shot through the
window of her home as she sat at the supper
table. After several trials and one escape,
Sam Myers was hanged before a crowd of
from six thousand to eight thousand people.
Bowden escaped a similar fate but attempted
suicide by drinking a quart of whisky “at one
draft.”

Cleburne has witnessed five legal hangings
including that of Sam Myers. John Wilkins
was hanged on June 26, 1896, for the murder
of Grince Taylor, who lived near Grandview.
The execution took place on the north side
of Harrell Street just west of the West Buffalo
Creek bridge. Ten thousand persons from all
over the county and from the adjoining
counties gathered to witness the execution.

During the same decade John Renfro was °

executed for the murder of a Mr. Williams.
In 1899, Stokes Shaw was hanged for the
murder of Tom Crane. This murder had been
committed in the jungle pasture of the Clem
Pierce ranch (now the Ormsby Ranch). Shaw
was to have been executed in 1898, but
escaped from the jail by confiscating the
sleeping jailor’s keys from his trousers with
a long wire hook made from the springs of the
prisoner’s bed. In 1901, Henry Fugit, Negro,
was hanged for a butcher-knife slaying of his
wife. Executions since that of Fugit have
taken place in Huntsville. The execution of
Myers was performed by Sheriff J.C. Brown,
while Sheriff W.A. Stewart executed three,
Renfro, Shaw, and Wilkins, and the last,
Fugit, was hanged by Sheriff Frank Long.

by Ernest Guinn

MAYOR-CITY
COUNCIL
GOVERNMENT

C175

The charter of 1906 served until 1914, when
the mayor, C.W. Breech, appointed a charter
commission of representative citizens to
draft a new charter that would put into effect
the provisions of the Home Rule amendment

“li


from Elgin, Texas, granite from Burnet county, marble from
Georgia, and white stone from Indiana.

The jail was moved from Buchanan. It was a double log
building with the space between the logs filled with stone. It
was placed back of the first courthouse on Chambers Street.
In 1871 J. W. Anderson constructed a new jail 16’ x 16’ with
double walls. The inside wall was. made of logs 8” square and
the outside wall was stone blocks. It was east of the old jail,
where Dickson’s later built. The upper room had a trap door
“through which prisoners went in and out when they didn’t
go through the stone wall.”

A new jail of brick and stone was erected in 1874-75. It
was two-story, 24’ x 32’ x 23’ high. The first story was 13’ high,
the second 10’ high.

A red brick jail was erected in 1884 at 116 S. Mill St. It
served 53 years. It also had jail breaks, by prisoners tunneling
through the walls. A new jail was erected in 1937

James W. Brown and H. H. Hemphill were the first lawyers
to move to Cleburne. Brown had practiced law in Buchanan.
Other lawyers were: Amzi Bradshaw, Lewis E. Trezevant, M. M.
Clark, around 1874, once Mayor of Cleburne. Capt. W. Shrop-
shire, between 1870-1880, possibly about 1874; he was crippled
in the left shaulder at Sharpsburg.

Others were: A. V. Shropshire, George F. Wooten, Jack
Davis in 1870’s. (Davis was considered a real colorful charac-
ter). F. C. Beckett, D. T. Bledsoe (prominent in 1870’s); R. H.
Beall, A. W. De Berry, 1876, father-in-law of Ex-Gov. Wheeler;
Tillmon Smith, 1876; Frank A. Fisher, Thomas J. Wyatt, Hend-
ricks & Hendricks, J. C. Rushing, James Hiner—county judge
and preacher in the Methodist church.

Cleburne had three hangings of men named John. On June
26, 1896 on the north side of Harrell St. just west of the Buffalo
Creek bridge a man named John Wilkins was hanged for the
supposed killing of Grince Taylor, who lived near Grandview.
This hanging drew a crowd of 10,000 people. John W. Renfro
was hanged for the murder of M. M. Williams, prominent Egan
farmer. Williams was shot five times in rapid succession at the
south door of the courthouse in Cleburne in 1899. The killing
grew out of a case in the county court. Renfro had been
charged with slandering Williams’ daughter. Both parties were
on their way to attend the trial when the shooting occurred. A

10

Ppa oe sis Gi a MeN aes eee Beles CH et sate 9

REE
ie oP Be

lynching was feared, but prevented. John Shaw was hanged for
the murder of Tom Crane in 1898. A Negro accomplice, Lee
Wilson, _was sentenced to life imprisonment. Shaw esdanen
from prisan once, but was recaptured and hanged.
on The site of Joseph Shaw’s log cabin was later Compton’s
_ store. ike Shaw also operated the Cleburne House, estab-
ished by Mrs. Wren, which had a livery stable behind it, run
by Fowler & Lister. The Cleburne Hlouse had many proprietors
From a log cabin it became a three-stary brick. T. Loweenied:
Cleburne jeweler, was a long time resident of the Cleburne
House, moving here in 1875. Rev. Joshua Cook (Boone), fam-
ous hunter and writer, moved into the Cleburne House in 1889

The Hamilton House, another two-dollar a-day hotel se.
cording to Garner’s 1892 history, was a neat two-story brick
a few rods south of the southeast corner of the square, and

was erected about 1874 by B. J. Chambers. It h
ae Fi ‘ ad 25
besides sample roams and offices. mri

Morris and Henry Levi, Hebrews, had a dry-goods store in
the new town, and there were several saloons and ten-pin alleys
in addition to Shaw’s. Jo Clark and Col. John Shaffer (called
the god-father of Cleburne) operated a grist and saw mill, be-
ginning in 1867. The post office was at 112 N. Main, with B. S.

Greenshaw as postmaster. It moved i
: around until 1912 be
a permanent location was established. oe

The first mail came by stage from Wac i j

o and continued in
this manner until 1878. At this time Fort Worth obtained its
first rail connection and then Cleburne mail was brought from

Fort Worth by stage until the Santa Fe rai
burne in 1881. e railroad reached Cle-

John Austin Willingham was another early merchant in
Cleburne, operating a mercantile business. A brewery was estab-
lished on North Main, northwest of the site of the old Metho-
dist church, by Mike Dickson and A. M. Guffey. During an
argument in 1878 Dickson was killed. Several Chinese laundries
operated in Cleburne in the 70’s.

The earliest Cleburne doctors of note were Dr. Andrew
Young, who came to the county in 1867, and Dr. T. D. Lorance
who came in 1868. Other early county doctors were Dr L H.
Gebhard and Dr. John Duke. and Dr. J.D. Osborn.”

Doctors J. R. Keating and T. G. Osborn of Cl
the first doctors in Johnson county to establish ed ate thoes

11


NeneDY Co

— |FROM:
; “Ki Ourh ed
TO: _ ‘The Clerk of the’ Kenedy County Court M. W. “Watty” ESPY, JR.
The Kenedy County Court House _ a P. O. BOX 67
HEADLAND, ALABAMA 36345
Sarita, Texas 78385
SUBJECT: Capital Punishment in Kenedy County prior to 192), . DATE April 95-1977

Dear sir or madam:

I am engaged in research on Capital Punishment in our. Country which hopefully will_culminate-with
publication of a work which will contain a bricf biographical sketch of each person to have been
legally put to death in the United States as well as a brief account of the crimesof—each,———Accor-
ding to records I have recaived, no person sentenced from Kenedy County has been axecuted since Tex-
as began electrocuting its condemned felons at the State Prison in192),, However, prior-te-192l:,
persons sentenced to die there were hanged locallpxby the Sheriffs in the Counties of their con-~
Victions and no State Departments or * sencies maintain a list of those earl ier_executions, If.
you have any record of any legal hangings in Sarita or Kenedy Couty, I shall appreciates it if you
will provide me with the names and dates of executions as a basis for further research, If there
has wever been a legal hanging there and you can confirm this, please do so.e A notation to this
effect on the bottom of this letter, r eturned to me, would be sufficient notification, If ou

cannot help me, please provide me with the names and addresses of your local Historical Society or
Museum, a local i

sht be of assistance, Enclosed is a prepaid,

aduressed envelope for your reply and you will, of course, be given credit in the work. itself for
Ring you for your cooperation, I am, Respectfully your
DATE BY.

REPLY To «

No Lye cutrers 42 Moncet, Busty

Locfl vv Otfhernyev

BY... a - nee _

RM-89

LIBERTY COUNTY, TEXAS, EXECUTIONS.

LIBERTY COUNTY
HISTORICAL SURVEY COMMITTEE

PO Box 23
Liberty, Tex*s 77575
June 3, 1975

Mr. Watt Espy, Jr.
PO Box 247
Headland, Alabama 36345

Dear Mr. Espy:

I am happy to be forwarding to you at last these reports on capital
punishments cases originating in Liberty County. Perhaps a few side
comments may be of some interest to you as a way fo further amplica-
tion to my students! reports.

The sources used for the reports included the local newspaper, The
Liberty Vindicator, (which is on microfilm) District Courthouse records,

and personal interviews. As you will notice in one of the reports
Ewell Morris was not convicted in Liberty County but in Red River
County. I suggest that you make contact with that conhty for further
information, His executiion evidently occurred at the same place

and date (Huntsville February 8 1924) as Melvin Johnson whose case
was handled by the District Court in Liberty. I have no further
information on Melvin Johnson at this time--the court records his
name but little else. I have no explanation for this,

As I mehtioned to you in a previous letter Preacher Abe Johnson
should be added to your original list. (See enclosed story). Many
oldtimes around here remember his hanging. I believe that this was
probably the last hanging in Liberty County. There is a picture, so
Tf am told, but I cant find anyone with a copy.

Kit Robertson should also be added to your list. Kit was tried for
murder in the first degree on August 21 1895, and hanged Oct. 11, 1895
in Liberty. This is certified by a death warrant and shefiffts return,
There are also some articles in the newspaper describing the case. One
of mgy students worked up sogje information on this case but I seemed to
have mislaid it--if and when I find it I will forward a copy to you.

I have hear several additional repprts from various people of other
hangings and convictions leading to capital punihsment, but memories
are hazy at best and they can give me no definite names or dates.

My students wre very interested in making these reports and were quite
hapffil in researching t terial. Best of luck and progress with
your work, )

Wade “id Man

Sincerely, andra Pickett, Chairman

COUNTY AGENCY FOR HISTORICAL RECORDATION, APPRECIATION, MARKING, PRESERVATION AND SURVEYS (RAMPS)


LIBERTY COUNTY
HISTORICAL COMMITTEE
PO Box 23

Liberty, Texas 77575
August 12, 1975

Mr. Watt Espy

Box 247

Headland, Alabama 36345
Dear Mr. Espy:

I found another "Hanging" in Libetty County. It was referred to
in a 1956 Bicentennial Issue of our community.

The following is all I have right now: George Walker hanged on

April 5, 1889 in Liberty for the murder of J.C. La Cour. A crowd

of 1500 was kept orderly by Sheriff Morris and a number of depptized
- Gitizens,

I'll keep in touch with any new information.

Sincerely,

Sandra Pickett, Chairman

oe

COUNTY AGENCY FOR HISTORICAL RECORDATION, APPRECIATION, MARKING, PRESERVATION AND SURVFYS (RAMPS)


- SP,

LIBERTY COUNTY, TEXAS, EXECUTIONS.

A SPECIAL REPORT
ON
EWELL MORRIS
JESSE CHARLES
JACK JACKSON

BY

DEBORAH CAROL ODUM.

HENRIETTA AT FOURTH KINGSVILLE TEXAS

January 27, 1977

Mr. Watt Espy, Jr.
Box 67
Heartland, Ala. 36345

Dear sir:

We are unable to provide any concrete information regarding your research into
legal executions in Kleberg County. As far as we can determine, there have been
no executions during the time period you mentioned.

I have personally contacted our local museum, the Sheriff's office, the District
Attorney's office, our local Historical Society, plus several long-time residents
of Kingsville. None of these sources recall any executions in Kleberg County.

®. have been hampered somewhat by the effécts of a local disaster.’ County records
plus newspaper files for the years in question were stored together in the county
courthouse. A fire destroyed part of those records and thus complete verification
on your request is impossible,

If you should desire to personally contact our local newspaper their address is
as follows:

Kingsville Record and Bishop News
P.O, Box 951
Kingsville, Texas 78363

Another possible source is Mr. Bill Walraven, a newspaper reporter specializing
in local history. You can reach him at the following address:

Corpus Christi Caller-Times
P. 0, Box 9136
Corpus Christi, Texas 78406

We can also provide you’the names and addresses of the local residents we have
contacted if you should so desire. We are sorry we cannot provide anything more
substantial.

Sincerely,

@ WO. Maxt;

Antonio Martinéz

o>. Lil< (0 AEROS

(ots MURPHY MEMORIAL LIBRARY
~~. 601 WEST CHURCH STREET
MRS: CITT IAN Siewert. LIVINGSTON, TEXAS 77351
Librarian January 24,1975 AREA 718-697-4908
Mr. Wett Espy,Jr.
P.O.Box 247
Headland, Ala, 36345
My dear Sir:

Listed below is the only information I have been’
absé to uncover for you. This meager finding was
obtained from the “istrict Clerk's office.

Electrocuted
Ed. Henderson-case no. 5542- Crime-rape
convicted. Yentenced to deeth- May 9,1924
ELactredechebh. &/ 7 1/72
aa. L.C, Newman- crime-murder Judgement Sept. 28,1944
A Death penalty- 4xecuted July 19,1946
yours truly,
\ Jie Ee te. ||
Lillian Sewell
Librarian
Newspaper : The Folk County “nterprise
506 North Tyler Street
P.O.Box 832
Livingston, Texas, 77351
Mrs. J.J. Hollenburger: Pres. Polk Co. Historical Society
Livingston, Texas,77351
29/78
. VA bigs

PGT eae?


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“99 ~~. HISTORY OF PARKER COUNTY « Hy eh ei S
; Rae oe, Se : i Neatly. Se bee ‘ : “a pice bee ;
ahah He bre» sey j ca ey

1880 for murdering Jack Rush, growing out of a dispute over the city

\

election. Two days prior to the date set for his hanging, his sentence
was commuted to life imprisonment. After serving seven years, he was
pardoned. — ‘ ? |
The next legal execution was that of J: B. Cason for killing and.
robbing L. F. McLemore, about six miles southeast of .Weatherford.
He was hanged May 22, 1908. |

Bob Stephens was given a death sentence for murdering George
Steelman. A scaffold was erected, but his sentence was.commute to
life imprisonment, later he. was pardoned. The date fixed for his

execution was June 20, 1893.
Wayne Todd was also assessed the death penalty for killing

Jimmie McNeal. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

~ “(Date for execution was fixed June 21, 1923. Commuted June 19, 1923).

He was paroled, later violated the parole and was returned to the
penitentiary. '

wrt

ie!


Salt auee | 1/27/1982 as
i

me feo, TeX.
~~ "Our research into the history of capital punishment in our country is the |
first time that a serious effort has been made to chronicle all of the legal
* oe “executions to have occurred in ‘the United States from the earliest Colonial
fy ._, days down to and including the present. At this time, we have confirmed,

: with various degrees of documentation, approximately 12,750 legal executions
‘and, in the not too distant future, we hope to have the manuscript for the
first volume, containing listings of the executions in the Southern States,

‘ . . a . .
aS: with certain background. and data, as available, concerning those executed
and their crimes, ready. for publication.

a

The appropriate state. department or agency in your state has provided us with
a list of those executions which have occurred since 192); , when the state
took over the function of executing condemned: felons at the state prison.
Prior. to that year, persons executed there were put. to death. locally, in the
county of their conviction, generally with the sheriff acting as executioner.

At this.time, the following executions prior to 192) - have been confirmed
in Bf) &®* REAL County: NONE, AT THIS TIME,

sp aiek
a

:

é Sine it wa: pei ;
Couuwly ov ganized {4 £9/3  - No fegal executions have
- Be been: fre ld /a the coc n%y
e her —

a If your. organization has any record of any other legal executions (we are not
interested in lynchings for the purpose of this work) that might have occurred

in your county prior to 192) , we would certainly appreciate it if you would
provide us with the names, dates of executions and crimes. Additional information
such as the races of those executed, their ages, occupations and any other
pertinent data would also be appreciated.

é..

We are enclosing a prepaid, addressed envelope for your convenience in replying
and you will, of course, be given credit in the work for your assistance.

7 a“ ‘ * t : ; aS
If you cannot be of assistance to us, we would appreciate it if you could
provide us with the names and addresses of any local historians, officia
or other organizations or individuals who might be of assistance.

Naturally, we hope to provide as complete, comprehensive and accurate a listing
as is possible. Even though crime and executions are a somewhat sordid part

- of our history, they are, nonetheless, an ingredient, and we feel. that as much
data as possible should be collected and preserved for the benefit of future
historians of the social structure of our society and country.

Thanking you for your cooperation and kindness, I am,

3

Respectfully yours,

Watt Espy :
Capital Punishment Research Project

Law Library - Box. 6205
University, AL 35486

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