POLICE DEPARTMENT HISTORY - page 3

C.H. Deal is elected Marshal on August 7th, 1894. The following are paid for services as police, J.N. Young, L.R. Allen, A.C. Forney, T.S. Dalton, J.H. Ayers, and J.L. Butler. Joseph Hodge is paid as Assistant Marshal.

R.A. Callahan is elected Marshal on June 5th, 1895 and serves for several years. J.D. Justice is paid for special police service and J.R. Washburn is paid for services as Assistant Marshal.

J.D. Justice files a $100.00 bond as "Constable" on June 14th, 1898. This is the first time that "Constable" is used by itself; but he is referred to as "Town Marshal" when he is later elected Town "Tax Collector" on August 2nd, 1898. J.D. Justice resigns on February 7th, 1899.

W.A. Hampton is elected Marshal on May 15th, 1899. He serves only six months, until the Town holds an election again for Marshal.

J.D. Justice is elected for the second time as Marshal on May 9th, 1900. He turns out to be a most interesting Town Marshal and serves several times in some form of law enforcement. During the first year of his term, R.B Quinn is paid for services as Marshal and M.C Phillips for services as special police.

The very first person named in the Town minutes as "Chief of Police" is J.D. Justice on May 8th, 1901. It states, "It is agreed to hire J.D. Justice as Chief of Police for thirty days with the express understanding that if he fails to faithfully perform his duties he is to be discharged at any time and in any case he is to be reappointed or rejected at expiration of thirty days." The job as "Town Marshal and Chief of Police" had merged to a point where they were the same. The title Marshal would be fazed out from official records and not be used again in association with the police in less than forty years.

NOTE: On February 22nd, 1902 the Mayor and Commissioners held a meeting to "investigate conduct of Marshal J.D. Justice." The Commissioners and Mayor after the investigation of the "conduct" decided to give him another chance as Marshal. J.D. Justice had to sign an agreement or obligation to the Town. The following lines are from the agreement, "I hereby agree to the following condition if the Town Commissioners hire me for thirty days. First I agree on my honor that during this time I will not take a drink of whiskey or beer and if I do then the said Commissioners shall consider this my resignation to take effective immediately."

F.L. Hicks is elected Marshal on April 14th, 1902 and he is paid a salary of $25.00 per month. He serves approximately 10 ½ months as Town Marshal.

W.A. Rucker is unanimously elected as Marshal on February 23rd, 1903 and serves just over two months. The others in nomination for the job are Ed Tanner and R.A. Callahan.