Caught Red-Handed in the Red Light District
The temptations of Waco's red light district -- years before prostitution was temporarily legalized in the city -- proved too much to resist for one out-of-town lawman.
Waco Daily Examiner
November 30, 1881
On The ‘Mash’
Mention was made yesterday morning of the arrest of one Ben Hooker, wanted in Hill County on a charge of seduction. Learning that his man was in the McLennan County jail, Sheriff Cox, of Hill county, dispatched one of his deputies, W.M. Autrey, to get Hooker.
Yesterday afternoon the prisoner was turned over to Autrey, and the matter was aparently settled. About 5 o’clock yesterday evening, however, Stella Hartridge, mistress of a house on North Fourth street, notified the officers that an officer having a prisoner in charge was kicking up a rumpus in her house, and she desired his arrest.
Marshal Moore, Officer Bell and Constable Stovall proceeded to the house, and found Hooker, the prisoner, enjoying himself as he pleased, and comfortably intoxicated, and Autrey in Belle Talley’s room. A young man named Cobbles was also in the house and carrying two revolvers. He claimed to be under bond himself and to be a guard over Hooker. The trio of gay lotharios, seducers and mashers of female hearts were promptly taken in and taken to the calaboose.
While Marshal Moore was unlocking the door Autrey pulled off his coat and handed it to some one standing near and made a wild break for liberty and the nearest alley. Officer Bell wound up his running apparatus and gave chase, the fugitive running out Third street and turning into the alley just across the bridge. The officer’s wind gave out and he whistled for a fresh runner. The marshal soon found what was up and gave chase on horseback. Autrey, just a trifle under the influence of liquor, ran up a blind alley and fell headlong and was again secured and lodged in the jail. Two pistols were taken from him.
Stella and Belle Talley came down to the recorder’s office and filed information against Autrey, charging him with drawing a pistol on Belle and smashing a dressing case mirror, and he will be arraigned on trial this morning. The party remained at Stella’s some two hours and were very boisterous. Autrey was locked in a room with Belle most of the time, and, so she says, they began grumbling, when the deputy pulled out two pistols and threatened to kill her, but compromised by smashing the mirror. He made no bones of letting them know who and what he was, and seemed bent on making a ‘mash’ of some sort, which it is very evident he has succeeded in doing.
Autrey is the same party who was arrested by Officer George Wiliams, on Bridge street last December, for wearing two over-grown pistols for which offense he was fined, and this circumstance may have induced him to avoid the calaboose a econd time. Hooker, his prisoner, who is taking perfectly cool, remained in the calaboose last night, but Cobbles was released.
Autrey certainly deserves punishment and discharge from official service, for he certainly has been guilty of gross carelessness while in discharge of official duty, or, at least supposed to be, though the moment he entered Stella’s house for the purpose of debauchery he ceased to be an officer and became...a private citizen. An officer should have a sufficient amount of self-respect to guard him against the loss of respect of others.
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Justice was swift in 1881, and the next day Autrey received his punishment.
Waco Daily Examiner
December 1, 1881
W.M. Autrey was arraigned before Recorder Brinkerhoff yesterday. He was acquitted on a charge of carrying weapons illegally since there was some doubt since he was an officer, but was found guilty on the charge of obstreperous conduct and fined $15 and costs, which he paid.
After being released, he was re-arrested by Constable Stovall on information charging him with aggravated assault and battery on Belle Talley and was placed under $200 bond. Sheriff Van Hall yesterday took Ben Hooker and put him in the county jail, refusing to turn him over to Autrey a second time. [Hill County] Sheriff Cox must send a reliable deputy or come himself if he desires Hooker.
In a brief article in the December 3 Daily Examiner, it was reported that Hill County Sheriff Cox wished it understood that the lascivious W.M. Autrey was not a regular deputy in his office, but was merely a "beat constable." Meanwhile, one of Cox's deputies came to Waco on December 2 and returned Hooker to Hill County.
Waco Daily Examiner
November 30, 1881
On The ‘Mash’
Mention was made yesterday morning of the arrest of one Ben Hooker, wanted in Hill County on a charge of seduction. Learning that his man was in the McLennan County jail, Sheriff Cox, of Hill county, dispatched one of his deputies, W.M. Autrey, to get Hooker.
Yesterday afternoon the prisoner was turned over to Autrey, and the matter was aparently settled. About 5 o’clock yesterday evening, however, Stella Hartridge, mistress of a house on North Fourth street, notified the officers that an officer having a prisoner in charge was kicking up a rumpus in her house, and she desired his arrest.
Marshal Moore, Officer Bell and Constable Stovall proceeded to the house, and found Hooker, the prisoner, enjoying himself as he pleased, and comfortably intoxicated, and Autrey in Belle Talley’s room. A young man named Cobbles was also in the house and carrying two revolvers. He claimed to be under bond himself and to be a guard over Hooker. The trio of gay lotharios, seducers and mashers of female hearts were promptly taken in and taken to the calaboose.
While Marshal Moore was unlocking the door Autrey pulled off his coat and handed it to some one standing near and made a wild break for liberty and the nearest alley. Officer Bell wound up his running apparatus and gave chase, the fugitive running out Third street and turning into the alley just across the bridge. The officer’s wind gave out and he whistled for a fresh runner. The marshal soon found what was up and gave chase on horseback. Autrey, just a trifle under the influence of liquor, ran up a blind alley and fell headlong and was again secured and lodged in the jail. Two pistols were taken from him.
Stella and Belle Talley came down to the recorder’s office and filed information against Autrey, charging him with drawing a pistol on Belle and smashing a dressing case mirror, and he will be arraigned on trial this morning. The party remained at Stella’s some two hours and were very boisterous. Autrey was locked in a room with Belle most of the time, and, so she says, they began grumbling, when the deputy pulled out two pistols and threatened to kill her, but compromised by smashing the mirror. He made no bones of letting them know who and what he was, and seemed bent on making a ‘mash’ of some sort, which it is very evident he has succeeded in doing.
Autrey is the same party who was arrested by Officer George Wiliams, on Bridge street last December, for wearing two over-grown pistols for which offense he was fined, and this circumstance may have induced him to avoid the calaboose a econd time. Hooker, his prisoner, who is taking perfectly cool, remained in the calaboose last night, but Cobbles was released.
Autrey certainly deserves punishment and discharge from official service, for he certainly has been guilty of gross carelessness while in discharge of official duty, or, at least supposed to be, though the moment he entered Stella’s house for the purpose of debauchery he ceased to be an officer and became...a private citizen. An officer should have a sufficient amount of self-respect to guard him against the loss of respect of others.
-----------------------------------------------------
Justice was swift in 1881, and the next day Autrey received his punishment.
Waco Daily Examiner
December 1, 1881
W.M. Autrey was arraigned before Recorder Brinkerhoff yesterday. He was acquitted on a charge of carrying weapons illegally since there was some doubt since he was an officer, but was found guilty on the charge of obstreperous conduct and fined $15 and costs, which he paid.
After being released, he was re-arrested by Constable Stovall on information charging him with aggravated assault and battery on Belle Talley and was placed under $200 bond. Sheriff Van Hall yesterday took Ben Hooker and put him in the county jail, refusing to turn him over to Autrey a second time. [Hill County] Sheriff Cox must send a reliable deputy or come himself if he desires Hooker.
In a brief article in the December 3 Daily Examiner, it was reported that Hill County Sheriff Cox wished it understood that the lascivious W.M. Autrey was not a regular deputy in his office, but was merely a "beat constable." Meanwhile, one of Cox's deputies came to Waco on December 2 and returned Hooker to Hill County.
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