This disagreement evolved out of acrimonious campaigns for the office of sheriff of Bell County. The main individuals involved included Wiley V. Fisher (city marshal of Temple), Albert W. Bonds and John R. Bigham (at various times, both Bonds and Bigham served as sheriff of Bell County) and Monroe Fisher (Wiley Fisher’s son), all of Bell County.
Albert W. Bonds defeated Hugh Smith, the incumbent, for sheriff in the 1920 primary election. Bigham was also a losing candidate. Bonds went on to be elected in the general election. Bonds was reelected in 1922 by a small margin, once again defeating Bigham. Bonds ran for reelection in 1924. One of the events that became an issue in the election was the execution by hanging of George Hornsby.
Hornsby had been accused of killing J. N. Weatherby of Brownwood back in 1918. His trial took place in Bell County pursuant to a change of venue. Hornsby was tried, convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. Hornsby’s sentencing was reviewed after petitions were presented to the governor requesting that the death sentence be commuted to life in prison. The governor apparently took no action and Hornsby was hanged in 1922. This case led to a move in the legislature to carry out future Texas death sentences by electrocution versus hanging. The movement was said to have been promoted by J. W. Thomas, a Bell County candidate for the state senate, in response to public unrest over Hornsby’s execution by hanging.
It had fallen to Bonds to execute the sentence and Hornsby’s death became a campaign issue in 1924, as many had followed the case and some were upset, having believed in Hornsby’s innocence. The ill feelings toward Bonds were a factor in Bigham’s ability to defeat the sitting sheriff, causing further strains on the candidates’ (and their supporters) relationships. Bigham would go on to serve many terms as sheriff, but his first term was not without problems. A Belton jailbreak (called a “delivery” in a newspaper account) embarrassed Bigham. Seven prisoners escaped in March, 1925. All but one had been recaptured by July of that same year, but at the time, it reflected negatively on Bigham’s leadership. There were also rumors that there had to have been some outside assistance in the jailbreak, though no one was ever officially named in that regard.
The 1926 election was hotly contested with Bonds seeking to be restored to the sheriff’s office once more. Bonds campaigned strongly but lost the primary election by five hundred votes. During the campaign, Wiley V. Fisher, then serving as city marshal of Temple, had entered the picture by strongly supporting Bigham, also releasing a flyer that was evidently critical of Bonds. Following the primary Bonds began to take issue with Fisher over comments that he deemed to be derogatory. It was reported that he filed suit against Fisher alleging the comments rose to the level of defamation. There were said to be warnings given to Fisher over ill feelings on the part of Bonds and Fisher was advised not to come to Belton, only eight miles distant.
After an automobile accident in 1926 (unrelated to any disagreements between Bonds and Fisher) in which a mother was killed, Fisher took her children into his home. Fisher happened to be in Belton on August 20 to attend the funeral of the accident victim. After the funeral, Fisher was standing at the curb waiting to take part in the funeral procession when a vehicle drove slowly by. An occupant brandished a shotgun and fired it at Fisher, killing him almost instantly.
Bonds was sought as a suspect. He was not immediately located but his abandoned vehicle was found in cedar breaks in the southwestern part of Bell County. His vehicle contained a note of some nature addressed to his wife. A few weeks later Bonds, accompanied by friends and a Texas Ranger, sought to turn himself in to a district judge. Accordingly, Bonds was released on bail set by the judge. Bonds continued to appear in public over the next few weeks, pending further legal action on his case until he was injured by a shotgun blast while sitting in his car outside a Belton drug store. Bonds was taken to the hospital. A few weeks later he was discharged, having generally recovered though having lost the sight in one eye.
Monroe Fisher, son of Wiley Fisher and in his mid 30s, was arrested in early December, 1926 on a charge of assault to murder Bonds. Bonds was still under indictment for the murder of Wiley Fisher, Temple Chief of Police. Monroe Fisher was “no billed” by the grand jury, resulting in his release.
Bonds continued to be seen in and around Belton until May 11, 1927. On that day, Bonds was fatally wounded after being shot with a rifle fired from a car as he stood in front of Belton National Bank. Shortly afterward, Sheriff Bigham arrested Monroe Fisher, son of Wiley Fisher. The Bell County grand jury returned an indictment against Monroe Fisher for the killing of Bonds. A change of venue caused the trial to be moved to Milam County.
The violence continued with Monroe Fisher being shot at with a shotgun blast on May 18, 1927. Charged with the shooting was Roy Wiloughby. The shotgun shells were thought to have been loaded with bird shot and Fisher was slightly wounded. Both were said to be employees of the Santa Fe Railroad in Temple. No motive was stated for the attack, but it did not appear to be related to the Bonds murder case. No disposition of the case against Wiloughby can be found. Monroe Fisher was indicted for the murder of Bonds in early June, 1927. The case was tried in Milam County in late October, 1927 resulting in Fisher’s acquittal.
John R. Bigham served as sheriff of Bell County for a total of eighteen years, although they were not consecutive terms, beginning in the 1920s and ending in the 1940s. During his tenure, he made national headlines in 1929 when he traveled to New Zealand to return a former Bell County grain operator, A. B. Crouch, to Texas. At the time, it was the longest trip ever made by a Texas sheriff to return a prisoner. Soon afterward, he was elected President of the Texas Sheriff’s Association at its 53rd Annual Convention in Houston. Bigham declined to run for sheriff in 1947 and retired to his rural property.
Wiley Vick Fisher (1874 – 1926) is buried in Hillcrest Cemetery, Temple, Texas. Albert W. Bonds (1881 – 1927) is buried in North Belton Cemetery, Belton, Texas. Wiley Monroe Fisher (1898 – 1988) is buried in Rosebud, Texas. John Robert Bigham (1877 – 1952) is buried in North Belton Cemetery, Belton, Texas.
Sources:
The Cameron Herald, Cameron, Texas, October 27, 1927
The Waco Times-Herald, Waco, Texas, August 7, 1925
The Waco News-Tribune, Waco, Texas, January 24, 1923
Victoria Advocate, Victoria, Texas, December 3, 1926
The Brownsville Herald, Brownsville, Texas, May 11, 1927
The Marshall Messenger, Marshall, Texas, May 18, 1927
Waco News-Tribune, Waco, Texas, October 31, 1927
Waco News-Tribune, Waco, Texas, March 11, 1952
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