Anderson County, Texas

Anderson County Courthouse in Palestine, Texas

Anderson County, Texas

Anderson County is the 52nd largest of the 254 counties in Texas; with a 2000 census population of 55,109. Significant cities in Anderson County include Palestine, the county seat, Elkhart, and Frankston. Anderson County falls within the 11th Texas congressional districts and the 3rd Texas senatorial district. The county consists of 1,077 square miles. .

Its county seat is Palestine. Anderson county was organized in 1846 and is named in honor of Kenneth L. Anderson, who had been Vice President of the Republic of Texas.

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN ANDERSON COUNTY

POLICE DEPARTMENTS

Frankston, Palestine, Palestine Marshall's Office

SHERIFF'S OFFICE IN PALESTINE

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE IN PALESTINE

ANDERSON COUNTY CONSTABLES, PRECINCTS 1-4

Goodvin Darrell Honea

Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Texas

End of Watch Friday, October 11, 1985

Lieutenant Honea succumbed to injuries sustained in an automobile accident two days earlier. He was on patrol when a vehicle failed to yield right of way and turned left in front of his patrol car.

Bio

Age: 62

Tour Not available

Badge Not available

Incident Details

Cause Automobile crash

Incident Date Wednesday, October 9, 1985d left in front of his patrol car.

Alvy Pharris
Anderson County Constable's Office - Precinct 2, Texas
End of Watch Saturday, October 20, 1945

Constable Alvy Pharris was shot and killed while investigating a disturbance call. When he arrived at the scene he was confronted by an armed male subject inside of the home. The suspect refused to surrender and opened fire on Constable Pharris, striking him seven times. Despite being mortally wounded, Constable Pharris was able to return fire and killed the suspect. Further investigation revealed that the suspect had murdered the female owner of the house. Constable Pharris is survived by his wife and three children.

Bio

Age 51

Tour Not available

Badge Not available

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Shot and killed

James Glover Long

Anderson County Constable's Office - Precinct 2, Texas

End of Watch Thursday, September 12, 1935

Constable James Long was killed in an automobile accident when his vehicle collided head-on with a grocery truck on Highway 19, near Elkhart.

Constable Long was survived by his wife and four children.

Bio

Age 50

Incident Details

Cause Automobile crash

Floyd Carl Cox

Anderson County Constable's Office - Precinct 1, TX

EOW: Friday, February 14, 1930

Deputy Cox was shot and killed by the 16 year-old brother of a man he had arrested the day before. Deputy Cox was eating lunch in a restaurant when the boy approached and shot him several times.

The suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison on April 18, 1930.

Deputy Cox was survived by his wife and child.

Bio

Age 27

Tour Not available

Badge Not available

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire

Weapon Rifle

Offender Sentenced to 50 years

Charles Ledwith

Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Texas

End of Watch Wednesday, October 15, 1913

Around noon, John T. Groves was in Opperman's Saloon in Palestine, where for no apparent reason, Groves severely cut a Mr. McCullough. Groves then left the saloon. Policeman W. M. Micheaux notified Deputy Sheriff Charles Ledwith of the assault. Deputy Ledwith went to Groves' residence to make the arrest. Groves shot and killed the deputy on the front porch. The medical report stated the deputy was shot in the back. Groves was arrested and charged with murder of Ledwith and assault to murder of McCullough. On January 10, 1914, Groves was found not guilty of murder and the assault to murder charge was dismissed two weeks later.

Deputy Ledwith was survived by his mother, father and a brother. He was buried in the Jasper City Cemetery in Jasper County.

Bio

Age 34

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

Offender acquitted

Dave Pierce

Anderson County Constable's Office - Precinct 4, Texas

End of Watch Thursday, January 30, 1908

Precinct 4 Constable Dave Pierce, along with Mr. D. W. Hart, went to the residence of Sam Tubbs, aka: Sam Tubb. Mr. Hart had sold Sam Tubbs a gas engine and sawmill equipment, which Tubbs had failed to pay for. Constable Pierce had civil papers to serve on Sam Tubbs, and a writ of sequestration for the equipment. Sam Tubbs was not in the house when Constable Pierce and Mr. Hart arrived, but Pierce and Hart were allowed in the house by Tubbs' son. When Sam Tubbs came into the house he was carrying a shotgun, and became angry at the two men. Tubbs then shot and killed Constable Dave Pierce. Pierce died within minutes after he was shot. In June of 1908, Sam Tubbs was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Constable

Dave Pierce is buried in the Olive Branch Cemetery, in the community of Brushy Creek, in Anderson County, Texas. One newspaper reported...."a very large number of relatives and friends were present to pay their respects to the memory of the dead man....."

Bio

Age 31

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire

Weapon Shotgun

Offender sentenced to life in prison

James Monroe Stafford

Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Texas

End of Watch Thursday, June 15, 1899

Deputy Stafford was shot and killed by a disgruntled city marshal. Deputy Stafford was at the county jail with an attorney discussing the previous night's gambling raid.

The city marshal called Deputy Stafford out of the jail and began arguing with him and told him "stay out of my business." When Deputy Stafford responded by saying he was just doing his job the marshal pulled his pistol and shot him.

The marshal was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Deputy Stafford was survived by his wife and eight children

Bio

Age 42

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire

Weapon Handgun

Offender Sentenced to 25 years

John Rogers

Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Texas

End of Watch Saturday, September 29, 1883

Deputy Rogers was shot and killed while he and two other deputies were attempting to arrest an escaped convict. The three deputies had gone to a small house on the edge of the county where the man was reported to be. When the other two deputies went around back the man ran out the front door. As he fled, he fired at Deputy Rogers, striking him in the lungs. The suspect was shot and killed two weeks later

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Shot and killed

James Robert Godley

Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Texas

End of Watch Sunday, December 13, 1874

Sheriff Ed Davis deputized and ordered James Robert Godley, a doctor by trade, and J. F. Henderson to arrest Bob Smith. Smith was wanted on a charge of bigamy. When the two deputies attempted to make the arrest, Smith using a shotgun, shot and mortally wounded Godley. Godley died the next day.

Bob Smith escaped in a hail of gunfire. He was arrested several weeks later. A poem, The Ballad of Bob Smith, by Lucius Dow Henderson, written in the middle 1950s, states that Bob Smith was lynched in his jail cell at Fosterville.

Dr. Godley was survived by his wife, Georgia, and four children. He is believed to be buried in an unmarked grave in the area of the former town of Fosterville, in northeastern Anderson County, Texas.

Bio

Age 31

Tour 1 day

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire

Incident Date Saturday, December 12, 1874

Weapon Shotgun

Offender Lynched