Potosi Cemetery, Abilene, TX

Taking Comfort in a Father's Words by Donna Bean

They say history repeats itself. On July 13, 2011 it did for my mom and I. We found ourselves spending the night in the same 7th floor ICU waiting room of United Regional Hospital in Wichita Falls that we had spent the night in on July 13, 2007. The results were different, as my Dad didn't pull through this time. They say time heals all wounds. Right now, I'm not sure of that. I'm a scrapbooker, but have never considered myself much of a writer. But my Dad was. He wrote police & army reports & manuals, a book about horses back in the 60's, short stories & poems AND he blogged. Right now, I find great comfort in his blogs, all 3 of them! He will live on in the hearts of his family and friends as we continue to read and update them. As one of my friends put it, Dad was an entertainer. He sang, played guitar & told stories. Most of the stories on his blogs seem like tall tales, but all are very true! He lived a colorful life and the blogs prove that. Thanks Daddy for sharing your stories with the world! I love you!
To read some of his stories, go to:
www.wassonslookingback.blogspot.com, www.bowietexasareamusic.blogspot.com or www.talesapd.blogspot.com


Donna Bean
Classified Department
Wise County Messenger

(This was published in the Wise County Messenger newspaper in July 2011.)

End of Watch 7/14/11

The family of Jessie Bryan Wasson regrets to inform you of his death on July 14, 2011. We hope to continue his 3 blogs, Wasson's Looking Back, Bowie Texas Area Music, and Tales of the Abilene Police Department. He loved writing his stories and there are many he had not posted. The posts may not come as often, but we hope to honor his memory by posting them to his blog.

Please comment on this post if you have additional stories or tales of past events with him.

Thank you for your continued support of our family.

Under Construction

The Rocket Launch

Looking Back – The Rocket Launch

By J. Bryan Wasson

To set this story up, I must bring out the fact that I can not swim. In fact I am very much afraid of water. I believe that water is for drinking. If it is not too deep, it is OK for taking a bath. I also believe that there is something seriously wrong with the wiring in folks who ride in boats.

Another factor in this story is a deep curiosity that makes cowboys and motorcycle riders always want to know what is just over the next hill or around the next curve in the road. It is a wonderful to ride through unknown territory on horseback or mounted on a motorcycle.

Another factor in this story is my strong dislike of land development and the urban sprawl that such development brings about. I strongly believe that mankind is a very poor steward of the land that God created. Long ago, I learned that when you see fences come down that once enclosed agricultural lands adjacent to city limits, you know that bulldozers, trucks and builders will soon follow. Somehow, we call this progress.

I was a Motor Officer on the Abilene, Texas Police Department. It was the end of my shift and I was headed for home. I was riding north on the westernmost street north of the rail road tracks. I observed that the fence that had enclosed a mesquite pasture had been torn down. I knew what that meant.  This land that had been a pasture for cattle a few days earlier would soon be a housing development.

I observed a cattle trail winding westward through the mesquite. I could not resist. I jumped the curb and started down that trail.  When I was a mile or more away from the paved street, I found myself on a gentle upward slope. Shortly the slope became steeper. At the time I did not know it, but I was riding up the backside of a dam to a stock tank. Some folks outside Texas call these bodies of water, ponds, but in Texas, they are stock tanks or just plain “tanks.”

Before I knew it, I was over the crest of the dam. On the other side, it was nearly straight down. Behold, below was a great body of water. I knew immediately that I had a serious problem. I can not swim. Even if I dismounted and climbed up the embankment, the motorcycle would go in the water, which appeared to be quite deep.  How in the cat hair could I explain the loss of a police motorcycle? I put my left foot on the ground. I had my other foot on the brake peddle and was squeezing the handle of the front brake. Even so, I felt myself and the machine slowly inching down the steep embankment toward the water.

I knew that I needed help and fast. I grabbed my microphone and called for any Motor unit that was still on duty. I got no answer. All the Motor Officers except myself were probably already at home. In this case, I was not too proud to accept help from a patrol car. I could not reach any car or Headquarters by radio. It was probably because of my antenna being below the crest of this dam.

In those days motorcycles did not have electric starters. I knew that if the engine died or it I shut it off, it would be impossible to kick start the motorcycle on this steep slope. I also knew that the engine was getting hot. I was all alone and had to work this out on my own. Well, I was not completely alone, because I did some serious talking to The Lord along about then. I think it went something like this, “Lord, I got myself into this mess, now will you help me figure a way to get out?”

I dismounted and laid the motorcycle down on its side. I pivoted it around until the front was headed up hill.  I then picked the motorcycle back up and mounted again. I could feel it inching backward with both the front and rear brakes locked. I put the motorcycle into first gear and twisted the throttle wide open. I released both brakes and the clutch at the same time. The big Harley Davidson 74 Cubic inch FLH went up and over the crest of that dam like it was rocket powered.

This was one time when I was glad to see civilization and the paved streets that took me home. I decided it would be a good time to have another little talk with The Lord.

Tales of the Abilene Police Department ( APD)
Abilene, Texas
J. Bryan Wasson
Looking Back

Posted Feb.14, 2011, JBW

Go Jump In The Lake

Looking Back – Go Jump in the Lake

By J. Bryan Wasson

In mid size to large Police Departments, the Chief of Police is an administrator, not a street cop. With the exception of a current Television show called, “The District”, the Chief does not personally get involved in the investigation of crimes and/or the arrest of criminals. The Chief leaves these tasks for underlings.

Within our society, we have created a pecking order of the social structure. In most cities, regardless of size, there is nearly always someone high enough up on the food chain, to cause the Chief of Police to take a personal interest in the investigation of a specific crime or to arrest a specific criminal. In Abilene, Texas during the 1960s, the publisher of The Abilene Reporter News was such a person. He was high enough on the food chain to lay upon the heart of the Chief of Police a desire to take a personal interest in a crime in which the publisher of said newspaper might be the victim.

I was the Lieutenant on duty on the day shift. I was in the Shift Commander’s office in the basement of the Police Station where I supervised patrol activities as well as the operation of the jail. The Office of the Chief of Police was on the ground floor. The phone rang and the intercom button lighted up. This indicated the call was coming from within the Police Department. I answered the phone, “Lieutenant Wasson speaking.” The voice on the other end of the line was that of Warren Dodson, the Chief of Police.  Chief Dodson said, “Meet me upstairs as soon as you can get here.”

I took the stairs two at a time. I found the Chief standing by the front door. He handed me the keys to a car, the unmarked car assigned to

Chief Dodson. This was unusual as no one drove this car except the Chief.  I got behind the wheel and Chief Dodson said, “Let’s go to Fort Phantom as fast as we can safely get there.”

I must digress for a moment to explain that statement. Abilene is the County Seat of Taylor County, Texas. Fort Phantom Hill was located in Jones County, the next county north. Fort Phantom Hill was the site of a frontier Fort that had been established as part of a line of forts designed to protect the settlers from Indians.

Fort Phantom Hill had long since been abandoned, but in past times it had been home to United States Cavalry troops, Confederate troops, and Texas Rangers.  In the 1930’s, I believe it was about 1936 or 37, a lake had been constructed near the old Fort to be the source of water supply for the City of Abilene. The lake was named Lake Fort Phantom.

Most folks referred to the lake as, Fort Phantom, or simply, “the lake.”

At the time the lake was being constructed and water lines laid, the City fathers in their infinite wisdom, put all property surrounding the lake into the city limits of Abilene. This property was connected to Abilene by the width of the right of way for the water pipes, which was also placed within the city limits of Abilene. It should be noted that other towns in Texas that own lakes in an adjoining county have done the same thing. The Abilene Police Department had full jurisdiction on all land surrounding the lake. In addition, the Water Department of the City of Abilene employed a Lake Patrolman. He lived at the lake in a house owned by the City. He had a Patrol boat and a city owned Pickup for patrol on land and with which to move his boat to various launching sites around the lake. He was commissioned both as an Abilene Police Officer and a Jones County Deputy sheriff.

The City owned most property around the lake. Lots were leased to people who could construct houses or cabins on the lots. These were long term leases, but the individual did not retain actual ownership of any buildings placed on these lots. Many people lived at the lake. Many others, who lived in town, had Cabins at the lake. One of these lake cabins was “owned” by the publisher of The Abilene Reporter News. This cabin was located within a cluster of cabins “owned” by a number of people high upon the food chain of the social structure of Abilene, Texas.

As I drove the Chief’s car toward the lake, the Chief informed me that a burglar had been reported breaking in to this cluster of cabins on the west side of the lake that were “owned” by the social elite of Abilene.

I now understood the Chief’s personal interest in this affair which would normally have been handled at a level lower within the organizational structure of the Abilene Police Department.

I must inject at this point that I can not swim and am extremely afraid of water. The proper term for this condition is hydrophobia.

As we approached this cluster of cabins, a man was seen emerging from one of the cabins, He saw us and started running toward a mesquite pasture. The Chief had me to stop long enough for him to get out of the car. He said he would peruse the man on foot and for me to pursue the man in the car. I was driving the Chief’s unmarked car through and over mesquite brush and prickly pear cactus as the man ran, ducked and dogged between the brush. The Chief was close behind on foot.  It was a long chase. I observed that the man was working his way closer and closer to the water.  I am sure that the man was exhausted by this time. When the man reached the water’s edge, he jumped in and started swimming. I had no idea where he thought he was going to swim to because it was a very big lake.

I parked the car near the water’s edge and got out. I just stood there watching the swimming man getting farther and farther away.  The Chief arrived and stood next to me. At about that time, the man went under. He came up waiving his arms and screaming, “Help, Help!” The Chief looked at me as if asking, “What are you going to do?” I raised my right hand high over my head and started waving as I said, “by, by.”

Seeing that this was my only response to the drowning man’s problem, the Chief pulled off his shoes, removed his revolver from its holster and put it in a shoe. He then took off his suite jacket and laid it on top of his shoes. He jumped in the lake and swam out and rescued the drowning burglar.

Our very wet prisoner was extremely docile during our ride back to Abilene. I felt sure that the equally extremely wet Chief of Police would have some words for me based upon my actions or lack thereof to the plight of the drowning burglar. To my amazement, the Chief never said a word during the ride back to Abilene with our wet prisoner. I was never again asked to drive the Chief’s car. 

01-03-03, JBW

Tales of the Abilene Police Department ( APD)
Abilene, Texas
Looking Back
J. Bryan Wasson

Flying News Papers

Flying Newspapers

Cartoon by former Abilene Police Officer Makc Sterling:
Carton depicts an open elivator in the Alexander Building located
at N. 2nd and Pine Street, Abilene, Texas

Elevators in buildings today are self – serve. You just get in and punch the button representing the floor you wish to go to. It was not always this way. During the 1930s and 40s there was an Elevator Operator. This person usually sat on a tall stool and operated the controls. The controls were most often a round wheel looking device with a handle on it. The Operator used this device to stop at the desired floor and to open the doors. The method of operation was by cranking the wheel to a specific location that made the elevator go up, stop or go down and to open the doors. Most often there was no (inside) doors mounted on the elevator car. The doors were mounted to the walls of the building. The passengers could see the walls of the building as they went up and down. The floor numbers were often painted on the wall as the only means to tell what floor had been reached.

In office buildings many offices subscribed for one or more copies of the local newspaper. A newspaper delivery person would make the rounds of office buildings before daylight and place a stack of newspapers inside an open elevator. When the elevator operator came on duty, the first order of business was to go to each floor and deliver the appropriate number of newspapers to each office on that floor. This process was repeated until every office in a building received its newspaper or newspapers.

By the time I was in the second grade, I was very familiar with every square inch of one office building, including it’s’ elevator. My mother worked as a Dental Assistant on the 3rd floor of a building known as the Alexander Building in downtown Abilene, Texas. I rode the elevator frequently as I visited the office where my mother worked. Our family physician, Dr. Prichard also had his offices in that same building. I often roamed the halls of all seven floors of the building. By today’s standards, a seven story building is not very tall, but in the early 40s to a child seven stories was very high up in the air.

I watched many parades through downtown Abilene from an office window or from the fire escape of that building. Throughout World War II troops from nearby Camp Barkley paraded through the streets of downtown Abilene. There was also the annual parade for the West Texas Fair. It was always led by the world famous six white horses of Hardin Simmons University.

Now I will fast forward to 1954. I had served a hitch in the U.S. Air Force and had become a member of the Abilene Police Department. The Abilene Police Department no longer uses foot patrolmen, but when I went to work, a downtown walking beat on the mid night shift was considered to be a good starting place for a rookie. In those days, shifts were not rotated. All rookies started on the 11:00PM to 7:00AM midnight shift.

It was a very cold night with a cold Texas north wind blowing. On that night I was assigned to the Pine Street Beat. The Pine Street Beat ran from North 1st Street to North 6th Street. The East/West boundaries were from the alley east of Walnut to the alley between Pine and Cypress. I had been walking sidewalks and alleys checking doors and windows on places of business since 11:00PM. It was about 4:30AM. I needed a break to rest my feet and warm my body for a while. Officers in patrol cars could stop at an all night cafe and drink hot coffee. There was no such luxury for downtown beat walking officers. But, I knew a place I could rest my feet and warm up.

I was aware that the doors into the lobby of the Alexander building were never locked at night. I also knew that the two elevator cars were parked on the first floor with the doors open. I also knew of that tall stool used by the elevator operator.

I walked into the lobby and entered one of the elevators where I proceeded to get comfortable on that tall stool. This was nice. I was warm and cozy and my feet got a much needed rest. I had sat there in the dark elevator long enough that my eyes became adjusted to the light. At about 5:00AM, I heard the front door to the lobby open. Then a delivery person walked into the elevator with a tall stack of newspapers. Just coming in from outside, he did not see me sitting there in the dark. I said, “Good morning.” He screamed, threw up his arms and newspapers went flying everywhere. He must have been in a hurry to deliver the rest of his papers because his exit from the building was extremely rapid. I decided that this would be a good time for me to return to my beat.


Posted Feb. 14, 2011, JBW
Tales of the Abilene Police Department (APD)
Abilen, Texas



Bonnie and Clyde come to Abilene

Bonnie and Clyde Come To Abilene

By J. Bryan Wasson

During the period of 1932 to 1934, Clyde Champion Barrow was considered to be Number One Bandit in the State of Texas. With his female partner, Bonnie Elisabeth Parker they became infamous throughout the central part of the United States. Clyde Champion Barrow was born March 24, 1909 in Ellis County, Texas. Bonnie Elizabeth Parker was born October 1, 1910 in Rowena, Texas.

During their crime spree they traveled throughout the central United States robbing small stores for the most part, but robbed an occasional bank. Part of the time they had a male traveling companion. Their first male companion in crime was Raymond Hamilton. Later in 1932, William Daniel Jones became their traveling partner.

“The Barrow Gang” as this duo/ trio were often known was justly considered to be armed and dangerous. They killed nine law enforcement officers including two Texas Highway Patrolmen plus and undocumented number of civilians.

On October 13, 1932, the robbery of the Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Abilene, Texas was believed to be the work of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker according to a Bulletin to all Peace Officers in the United States of America issued by Abilene Chief of Police, Ruck Sibley (my 2^nd Cousin).

Clyde Barrow and Bonnie were killed in an ambush by law enforcement officers led by former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer in the early morning hours of May 23 1934 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Hamer was employed by the Texas Department of Corrections at the time. Officers had set up the ambush the night before.

The car that was occupied by the dangerous duo was riddled by gunfire from numerous law enforcement officers. Frank Hamer and the other officers involved were hailed as heroes. At that point in time the public as well as many law enforcement officers  greatly feared "the Barrow Gang." The public outcry to stop Bonnie and Clyde was loud. To the public and to law enforcement, any means was justified. It was reported that Clyde and Bonnie fired first, however it is my opinion that such an ambush and such overkill would be tolerated today. I feel that the Department of Justice would file Civil Rights Violation charges against all the officers and the FBI would launch an investigation. In addition there would be civil law suites filed by the families of the two. Regardless of the fact that most likely the ambush would not be tolerated today, my personal opinion sides with the officers who stopped Bonnie and Clyde from furtherance of their crime spree.

Clyde Champion Barrow
(FBI File Photo)

Clyde Barrow & Bonnie Parker

U.S. Department of Justice, Division of Investigation Wanted Poster

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
(FBI File Photo)

Bonnie Parker
(FBI File Photo)

Wanted Bulletin for Clyde Champion Barrow to all law Enforcement Officers in the United States of America,
issued by W.R. (Ruck) Sibley, Chief of Police, Abilene, Texas

02-01-11, JBW

Clyde Champion Barrow,

Bonnie Elane Parker,

Bonnie and ClydeAbilene Police Department,

Abilene, Texas

Pink

Everyone just called him, "Pink." Pink was his last name. I feel sure that I once knew his given name, but it has long since faded deep into the recesses of my ever failing memory. Pink was a black man, a good dedicated, hard working part of the Abilene Police Department. He was the janitor, city jail cook, and all around handy man at the Abilene Police Department. There were no kitchen facilities at the Police Department. Pink cooked the food at his home and brought it to the jail. Prisoners were fed twice per day. Pink also raised and lowered the Flag each day on the flagpole in front of the City Hall. At the time I joined the Department in 1954, he had already been there for a number of years.

When jail trustees were assigned to perform work in and around the City Hall, Pink was their Supervisor. Other than supervising jail trustees, pink did not work in the City Hall. His duties were otherwise limited to the Police Department. A janitorial staff was assigned to the City Hall.

Pink wanted to be and was recognized as part of the Abilene Police Department. At some point in time someone had given him a navy blue APD uniform cap to wear. He wore it with pride without insignia. Every time Police Officers received new uniforms, Pink received a new cap. In cold weather, he often wore a wool navy blue uniform shirt without badge or insignia.

As best as I can remember, Pink retired about the time we moved to the new City Hall facilities on Walnut Street. I do not remember him ever working in the new facilities. I also do not remember the janitorial situation in the new facilities. Pink was an important part of the Abilene Police Department.

.