Southern Lawmen (c. 1930's)

[texan]

I am searching for photos of rural lawmen from 1919-1939 (Deputy Sheriff's, Constable's, City Marshall's) from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana to build a proper, law enforcement impression for our group as well as information on vintage holsters, gun belts, leather accessories.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Mick

 

[RBH]

I hope these help.

 

[texan]

RBH, *excellent*, thanks so much. If its ok, I would like to add these photos to our website.

Regards,
Mick

 

[RBH]

Be fine by me, I ran across them on the net.

 

[RBH]

Bonnie and Clyde lawmen....

 

[jkingrph]

We have an old family friend who retired as a city marshall in a small north Louisiana town, probably back in the late 70's . He usually wore khaki trousers, plaid shirt, roper type boots and an Open Road type hat. He hated wearing a gun so usually laid it on car seat and only put it on when needed.

He actually started in this profession in the latter part of the 1930's, joining the La State Police, then being drafted into the Marines for WWII, transfered to the US Army where he served the entire war as a bodyguard for Gen Eisenhower.

 

[gtdean48]

Bonnie and Clyde lawmen....

Back right in both photos = "natural born killer" looks

 

[texan]

jkingrph,

Great story! And thank you for the information you shared. I will add that to the list of "items."

I am slowly compiling a list of items a rural peace officer, City Marshal, or Constable/Sheriff's Deputy would have worn/carried. Today, off the Gregg County website (which I will have to post, once I learn the intricate art of clicking the right buttons) I discovered plaid shirts, khaki trousers and open road's seem to be the standard look or uniform, if a uniform it could be. I have counted at least six (6) different styles of headgear. No telling on firearms. From .32's to .38's to .45 l/c to .45 semi's seem to be the norm. If there is one thing I discovered from my research is this: there is no "uniform."

Rural officers tended to wear whatever they had, carried what they possessed (if they carried at all), and most did not wear a badge (or had it concealed). Most lived in abject poverty, especially in Texas and Oklahoma during the Depression. This uniform, dress or look said: I am no threat to you. I am just like you. The crossover to an actual uniform seems to have started, at least for the larger cities, in the mid to late 30's, beginning with the state police in most states.

I am also discovering that many officers in Texas eschewed the 'western look'. I remember reading somewhere that Captain Hamer detested the western look and took to a fedora, suit and dress shoes due to the sillyness of the local rodeo's and western shows that had a tendancy to border on the ridiculous. The last time he was dressed 'western' was probably when he served as City Marshal for Navasota, Texas, 1908-11.

When I was police officer the only officers who wore a stetson were Texas Highway Patrol and County Deputy's.

gtdean48, I agree wholeheartedly with your comments!

 

[jkingrph]

Texan

The gentleman I mentioned did not live in poverty. In fact he had one of the nicer houses in this very small town, more a villeage. He supplemented his city marshall income by also doing limited patrol work/coverage for both the parrish sheriffs dept and the state police. He also had a fair amount of property and ran cattle, riding his horse until just a few years ago when it died. Being in his early 90's at the time he did not want to start with a new one.

We went down to visit him a couple of months ago and he showed his place, it had been over 40 years since I had been back there, and he now has it rented out and is planted in soybeans and looked good.

His dress nowdays is exactly like it was back when he was marshall, sans the badge and gun.

My father, having moved away to a larger town, on a few occasions bought handguns for him as it saved his friend a day off work to go get a gun. I was told that on more than one occasion he ruined a handgun by hitting someone over the head with it. This was back in the late 40's , 50's, and 60's.
Dad also sent him a set of goggles for use when he rode a motorcylce in Europe in WWII, as a courier in addition to his bodyguard duties. He wanted to pass the goggles on so he gave them to my sister a couple of years ago when she was visiting.

It's really amazing to visit someone of that generation, they lived through such hard times, endured so much, and so many of them came out as really great people.

I know he's not Texan but hope some of this insight helps.

 

[Kirk H.]

Bonnie and Clyde lawmen....

The Gentleman next to Frank Hammer is Henderson Jordan, the uncle of famed Border Patrol Officer Bill Jordan. On a side note Bill Jordan was instramental in getting the Smith and Wesson Model 19 developed.

 

[Kirk H.]

[/IMG]
Here is a photo of legendary FBI Agent Jelly Bryce with Bill Jordan. Bryce started his career as an Oklahoma City Police Officer back in the 1930's.

 

[texan]

Kirk H: Great photo! Thanks for sharing it!

 

[RBH]

Confiscated moonshine still Cleburn County Arkansas 1930.

 

[RBH]

While only a movie, I have always loved how Arkansas boy Johnny Cash looked in 1983s Murder in Cowetta County.

 

[Atterbury Dodd]

Yeah, Johnny should have been in more movies.

I have some old Arkansas photos that might fit in this category, I'll see if I can find them.

 

[1961MJS]

Here is a photo of legendary FBI Agent Jelly Bryce with Bill Jordan. Bryce started his career as an Oklahoma City Police Officer back in the 1930's.

I just moved into Oklahoma, near OKC. My Uncle Louis E. Mueller used to run a bar and parking lot in downtown OKC on Reno street up until 1957 when he passed away. Liquor wasn't legal in Oklahoma until 1959. The place was supposed to be within 2 blocks of downtown, but I'm not sure where it was yet. If memory serves I have uncle Lou's stetson fedora in navy blue wool.

More later

 

[Kirk H.]

[/IMG]

Here is another photo of Jelly Bryce and other OKC officers dealing with the Wilbur Underhill capture. Bryce is kneeling in the front row with a "Tommy Gun" and brown fedora

Kirk H.

 

[texan]

Very interesting photo of a New Mexico Deputy, July 1932:

http://genealogytrails.com/newmex/lea/images/oldphotos/1930%20Lawman-1%20B-W.jpg

 

[kiwilrdg]

I don't know if this would be helpful to you but the riding pants from What Price Glory are very good for a mounted officer or an early motor officer.

 

[cookie]

I am searching for photos of rural lawmen from 1919-1939 (Deputy Sheriff's, Constable's, City Marshall's) from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana to build a proper, law enforcement impression for our group as well as information on vintage holsters, gun belts, leather accessories.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Mick

Please note that the plural of a noun does not require an apostrophe to indicate it is a plural. I don't know where this nonsense has crept into the written language but you need to stop it.