Nueces County Sheriff Mike Wright rarely carried or used a weapon

Transcription

1 Nueces County Sheriff Mike Wright rarely carried or used a weapon By Murphy Givens of the Caller Times Oct. 19, 2011 Michael Bennett Wright, a cousin of Texas Ranger Will Wright, raised livestock at Banquete before he was elected sheriff of Nueces County in One of his first cases was the murder of Eunice Hatch, who lived on a farm just west of Corpus Christi. She was found in her home on April 21, 1902, her head split open with an ax, her baby left crying in a crib nearby. Suspicion focused on Andres Olivares, a hired hand on the nearby McCampbell place. He had been a guest in the house, but Eunice told her husband Jim Hatch not to bring him back because she didn't like the way he looked at her. Wright found splatters of blood on Olivares' clothes and his shoes matched prints at the murder scene. Although Olivares pleaded guilty at the arraignment, the judge ordered a not guilty plea be entered. The trial lasted one morning. The jury deliberated that afternoon, finding him guilty and assessing the death penalty. The judge ordered Olivares to be hanged on June 3, The day of the hanging, Olivares spent the morning with Father Claude Jaillet. Olivares was taken to a scaffold platform. He yelled "Adios amigos!" seconds before Sheriff Wright sprang the trap. The 1/5

2 newspaper commended the sheriff, writing, "Everything was in perfect readiness and the program was carried out to perfection, like clockwork." Two years later, the sheriff was the hangman again when Apolinario Hernandez, who killed his wife, was hanged two days before Christmas When the black cap was placed on Hernandez and the noose adjusted around his neck, the doomed man confessed to killing his wife and said to pardon him if he had offended anyone. Mike Wright was the last sheriff of Nueces County to serve as executioner. As sheriff, Mike Wright arrested a murder suspect 27 years after the crime was committed. The case involved a fatal shootout at a Ranger camp at Banquete. Josh Peters, son of a nearby rancher, rode up to the camp and asked the Rangers who tied a tin can to his horse's tail. It was a prank. Peters' gelding was grazing peacefully when a Ranger, George Talley, took a tomato can with gravel in it and tied it to the colt's tail. It spooked the horse and he just about ran himself to death. Peters said, "Who tied that can to my colt's tail? I'll whip the sorry bastard who did it." Talley said, "I done it." Both men pulled guns. Talley shot Peters in the temple; he was dead before he hit the ground. Talley was indicted on a charge of murder and put in jail by Sheriff Thomas Beynon. After he was released on bond, Talley left Texas, working on ranches in New Mexico and Arizona. In 1905, Talley returned to the area. After he had been tipped off, 2/5

3 Sheriff Wright approached Talley in the street. Talley said his name was Smith. Wright had him lift his pants leg, which showed an identifiable scar. A trial in Corpus Christi ended with a mistrial. In the second trial, a jury found Talley not guilty. Mike Wright was a curious sheriff, almost a pacifist. He rarely carried a gun. A rancher shot and killed a man in the Ben Grande Saloon. Riding away, he yelled: "Tell Mike I'll kill anybody who comes after me." Sheriff Wright rode out to the ranch. The rancher met him with a rifle. "I'll kill you before I let you take me in." Wright told him, "You see, I came, but I'm not wearing a gun." After a little talk, the rancher put down his rifle and rode back with the sheriff. Wright served as sheriff until On June 6, 1917, he was riding his prized horse "Garza" when he slumped over, dead in the saddle. The obituary noted that Wright pulled a gun only twice in his 15 year career as sheriff. "In all truth," said the obituary, "he was a man unafraid yet withal considerate of the rights of others." Frank Gravis Robinson was the second sheriff of Nueces County who got his start as a ranch foreman. Robinson was a foreman on the Driscoll Ranch before he was elected sheriff in Thomas Beynon, elected in 1874, also had been a foreman and trail boss for King Ranch. Robinson's tenure as sheriff ended with his shooting to death of reputed Ku Klux Klan leader Fred Roberts. On Oct. 14, 1922, Roberts was shot to death by Sheriff Robinson and a deputy. On Oct. 14, 1922, Sheriff Robinson and Deputy Joe Acebo entered 3/5

4 a grocery store in Corpus Christi, on Railroad Avenue, owned by G.E. Warren. The sheriff hassled Warren, accusing him of being in the Klan. "You are a Ku Kluxer, aren't you, Warren? By God, you know you are." The sheriff slapped Warren, then the sheriff and deputy left and crossed the street. Warren called Fred Roberts, who came to the store, talked to the Warrens, then went to his car. Sheriff Robinson walked over and fired three shots at Roberts, killing him. Acebo fired one. Robinson and Acebo and two others were indicted on a charge of murder. The sheriff resigned. In the trial, moved to Laredo, the former sheriff said he shot Roberts because he thought he was going for a gun. The jury found all four not guilty. After the trial, Robinson moved to Mexico where he lived for a decade. His daughter was the longtime county clerk, Marion Uehlinger. Robinson died in Laredo, at age 67, on Jan. 22, After Robinson resigned, W.G. Cody was appointed and served about a month, then George Peters was elected sheriff of Nueces County, the first Republican elected to the office since John McClane. Peters' opponent, W.F. "Wildfire" Johnston, was considered the Ku Klux Klan candidate. The election was close, with Peters winning by 60 votes. Johnston challenged the vote count; a recount showed Peters winning by only 40 votes. When Johnston died three years later, a contingent of white robed Klansmen attended his funeral at Rose Hill Cemetery. This is the third of four columns on famous and infamous sheriffs of Nueces County. Next week: Ben Lee, William Shely, and John 4/5

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