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2008 Reunion -- Date set for Sunday, October 12th

The 2008 Reunion will be held on Sunday, October 12th, 2008, once again at the Hall at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Hostyn.

The High Sheriffs Of The Old Fayette Jail

The Fayette County Record
Friday, September 7, 2007
by Marie Wattes

THE HIGH SHERIFFS OF THE OLD FAYETTE JAIL

Seven Sheriffs presided over the old Fayette County jail from 1883 until 1985. As the principal law enforcement officer of the county, these sheriffs protected lives and property, kept public order, prevented crime, and arrested lawbreakers.

Another job sheriffs performed was administration of the county jail. They held those awaiting trial as well as those convicted of state crimes until they could be transferred to the state prison system and housed persons sentenced to short jail terms by the county courts.

Additionally, the sheriff was responsible for being the executive officer for the district county courts; serving all their writs, subpoenas, summonses, and processes.

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These sheriffs, known as High Sheriffs, had an uncommon amount of authority with which to perform their duties. Until 1961 for instance, the sheriff did not even have to report to the district attorney or any other county official who he was holding in the jail.

It was common for the High Sheriffs of Texas to use their knowledge of the community and informants to come up with suspects and then to interrogate the suspect until a confession was made. Texas jails were entirely unregulated until 1957 and after that only loosely supervised by a division of the Texas State Health Department.

For most of the time the old jail and its sheriffs toiled to protect Fayette County citizens, there were no legal requirements or training in order to be a deputy or sheriff.

With the unprecedented power came danger and rugged living conditions. From 1840 to 1910 was a particularly dangerous time in Texas to be a sheriff. Political conflicts, family feuds, and vigilantism put the sheriff’s life at risk.

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In 1905, Sheriff Deputy Will Loessin (Mr. Will) had to sneak accused rapist John Boyd past an angry mob in Schulenburg—intent on hanging him without a trial, according to Ruth Loessin Giesber in The Hanging Rope. Before the days of the automobile it was not uncommon for the sheriff to ride his horse double in order to transport the accused to the old jail.

Legend has it the Sheriff August Loessin was called to a domestic disturbance and entered the home to arrest the man. As he entered the room where the man was holed up, the man pulled a pistol and threatened to shoot Sheriff August if he came any closer.

The sheriff just walked up and took the gun away. Then, the sheriff had a long conversation with the man, who soon asked for forgiveness for what he had done.

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For many sheriffs the job was a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week affair. Sheriff August Loessin and his family lived in the front of the old jail and his wife cooked for the prisoners. Having to listen to the insane or the drunk cry out into the night was not uncommon.

While Mr. Will did not live at the jail, he lived close enough to see the jail from his front porch.

Because the office of High Sheriff was an elected position, the sheriff had to take on what Thad Sitton describes in his book, The Texas Sheriff: Lord of the County Line, as a Jekyll and Hyde personality—he had to be mean to the bad guys so they wouldn’t settle in the county and approachable to the law abiding citizens so he could be reelected.

The necessity of winning the public vote forced these sheriffs and their deputies to be the county’s ‘fix-it’ men. They were called out to referee squabbles among neighbors, get squirrels out of the attic, or deal with wandering livestock.

In June, 1954, Sheriff T. J. Flournoy (Big Jim) was called upon to help area doctors who did not have the proper tools for removing an object stuck in a child’s throat. The sheriff drove the child to Houston’s Herman Hospital at speeds of over 100 miles an hour.

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Having to depend on the vot4e to stay in office put these sheriffs in a difficult position when it came to enforcing the law. Many voters expected the sheriff to support local traditions even if they were illegal.

Looking the other way or enforcing local rules that were not on the books was a common occurrence for the rural Texas sheriff.

Prohibition, for instance, was very unpopular with the population of Fayette County, so Mr. Will enforced the law in a way the citizens could tolerate.

He looked the other way when citizens produced alcohol for personal consumption, but, if they made it to sell, he would give them a warning. They had a week to dismantle the still.

If he found they had not complied as requester, he would return, bust up their still, and possible arrest them.

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This political reality helps explain why Edna’s Fashionable Ranch Boarding House (aka the Chicken Ranch) remained open until 1973. As Sheriff Jim Flournoy put it, “It’s been here all my life and never caused anybody any trouble. Every large city in Texas has things a thousand times worse.”

The unprecedented power of the High Sheriff began to wane in the 1970’s with advent of federal and state laws enforcing the rights of prisoners and setting standards of behavior for law enforcement officials.

A series of Supreme Court decisions from 1957 to 1966 halted the High Sheriff’s ability to solve cases through lengthy and unrestricted interrogations.

By 1970, Texas law through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards set mandatory training requirements for sheriff’s deputies.

The Texas Jail Standards Commission, in 1977, set strict physical and operation standards for the jails intended to protect the civil rights of inmat4es. By the mid 1980’s, sheriffs themselves were required to become TCLOS-certified officers within two years of taking office.

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In 1985, Fayette County’s old jail made way for a modern facility that conformed to state law. And, as it closed, so did an era in Texas law enforcement.

The Men With the Badge

1883-1886 John T. Rankin

1887-1894 B. L. Zapp

1895-1920 August Loessin

1921-1924 C. E. Girndt

1925-1946 William Loessin

1947-1981 T. J. Flournoy

1981-1992 Vastine Koopman

In September of each year, the Old Jail Cultural Council will sponsor “Men Who Cook”, an event to raise funds to preserve and maintain the Old Fayette County Jail, which actually belongs to the county. Tickets were $35.00 per person in 2007. To donate auction items or purchase tickets, call the La Grange Area Chamber of Commerce at 979-968-5756.

The Old Jail building is home to the Chamber of Commerce and also features a good museum of the “High Sheriff” era at no charge. It is open regular business hours.