History of Hutchinson County, Texas: 104 Years, 1876-1980 Page: 28 of 526
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deputy who had supplied the beverage on which the
offender had besotted himself.
Herwig first came to Borger after being convicted
of murder in Oklahoma. Out on bond, he was named
chief deputy for the city and appointed other deputies
to serve under him. After organizing the beer and
whiskey makers, he next organized the distribution of
these products. This came to be known as the
"lines" and those who refused to purchase from the
"lines" were usually beaten, murdered or persuaded
to leave town in one manner or another.
There were literally thousands of prostitutes in Borger
during this time who also paid a "fee" for the
privilege of plying their trade to various "officials."
The biggest pimp of all of course, was "Two Gun
Dick." Slot machines and other forms of gambling
were also prevalent. The "officials" and the "laws"
got their cut of this also.
All of these activities of course meant money, big
money, and this attracted a violent type of criminal
who seemed to typify the 1920s.
In 1927 two deputy sheriffs were murdered on East
Dixon Street. The killings were never solved but the
sheriff requested the Rangers be sent to restore
order. The Rangers came and issued orders for hundreds
of prostitutes to leave town. These women
were given twelve hours to get out of town. Other
"undesirables" were also ordered to evacuate in the
same time period. This became known as the "Sundown
Order," a procedure which today would be
unthinkable. Needless to say, as soon as the Rangers
departed, so did the law, and back trooped the
ladies and their entourage of pimps, gamblers, conmen,
petty thieves and bootleggers. The crisis for the
lawless was over, for the time being at least.
MARTIAL LAW
In 1929 John A. Holmes was District Attorney in
Hutchinson County. An active prosecutor, he made
many enemies in crime-ridden Borger. He was bad
for business. On Friday, the thirteenth of September,
1929, he was shot from ambush as he walked from
his garage to his home, several yards away. Someone
ran down the alley behind his home, immediately
after the last shot was fired, to a spot across the
street from the West Ward School at Sixth Street,
ejected the empty shells from a gun, stepped into a
car and sped away. The murder was never solved,
but theories abounded. Holmes was to present evidence
before a grand jury in Amarillo on the following
Monday, and one of the individuals he intended
to present evidence against, a doctor, lived but a few
doors from Holmes. The doctor disappeared the
same night and it has been rumored that he commitJohn
A. Holmes former District Attorney of the 84th Judicial District, was shot
by an unknown assasin, September 18,1929ted suicide a few years later when confronted by
police in California on a narcotics charge. The gun
with which he killed himself has been lost, but it
would have been interesting to compare it with ballistics
tests with the bullets taken from Holmes.
The Rangers arrived on Sunday night, just in time
for another killing. A drunken brawl had resulted in
the knifing of an oil field worker. The Rangers could
not be bothered with that however, they had more
important business. Several arrests were made but
none of them stuck. The case is still open.
Now came Clem Calhoun, named by Governor
Moody to replace the slain Holmes as D.A. for the
84th District. Calhoun, a hard-drinking lawyer, was
also noted for his fast temper. Sam Jones was
indicted for the murder of Holmes but never prosecuted.
Jones' lawyer, W.C. Witcher of Borger, called
Calhoun a liar and Calhoun pulled a pistol. All of this
during a court hearing. W.L. Kelley, an impartial deputy
sheriff, threatened Calhoun with bodily injury if
he did not cool off in a hurry. Witcher was also
searched, and a pocket knife was produced. Calhoun
generally made a mess of things.
Calhoun's ex-wife told this writer that when Clem
left Borger he made a statement shortly before
boarding the train that he knew who killed Holmes
and would reveal the information shortly. Calhoun
was drunk at the time, and, needless to say, the revelation
never came.
On September 28, 1929, Governor Dan Moody
issued a proclamation declaring martial law in the
"territory described as Hutchinson County, Texas"
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History of Hutchinson County, Texas: 104 Years, 1876-1980 (Book)
History book describing Hutchinson County, Texas, featuring local history, photographs, illustrations, and biographies.
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Hutchinson County Historical Commission. History of Hutchinson County, Texas: 104 Years, 1876-1980, book, 1980; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth20204/m1/28/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hutchinson County Genealogical Society.