officer down – Texas History Notebook

Santa Claus Bank Robbery

Friday, December 23, 1927 in Cisco, Texas began like any other day in the Eastland County town. People were going about their business and finishing their Christmas shopping when around noon, four bandits stepped into the First National Bank of Cisco and announced that there was a robbery. The next day, an eye witness named Marion Olson gave his account as reported in the December 24, 1927 issue of the Fort Worth Record Telegram. Marion was a recent graduate of University of Texas at Austin and was home to visit his family during a Christmas break from a semester of Harvard Law School.

Dawson Murchison, Texas Game Warden

The December 21, 1938 issue of the McAllen Daily Press carried the sensational headline “Game Warden Slain By Hunters,” describing the incident in which Dawson R. Murchison was murdered in a confrontation with a group of poachers that he was investigating.

Bobby Paul Doherty, Texas Ranger

Ranger Bobby Paul Doherty was born July 19, 1936 in Mt. Calm, Hill County, Texas to Paul Edward Doherty (1907 – 1975) and Doris Scruggs Doherty (1914 – 2007). His father listed his job as “teamster” in the 1930 federal census and “oilfield construction” in the 1940 census.

Ranger Dan L. McDuffie

Dan Lafayette McDuffie was born February 16, 1883 to James C. McDuffee (1844 – 1915) and Emily Mahalah Hays McDuffee (1855 – 1911). James was born in Tennessee and Emily was born in Alabama. It is not recorded how they met but they were married in 1877 in Arkansas where many of their children, including Dan, were born. By 1888, they had relocated to North Texas where all three of Dan’s younger siblings were born. Dan married Willie Lemuel “Lemmie” McCright in 1907 in New Boston, Bowie County, Texas in 1907 and a daughter was born to the couple the following year. Both of his parents had passed away by 1920 and in the federal census, Dan was living on the family farm.

Geronimo Parra

Geronimo Parra was the name of a long time criminal who was known around the Texas-New Mexico border area. He was one of the last outlaws executed by hanging in El Paso in early January, 1900. Some ten years earlier, Parra had been accused of killing Texas Ranger Charles H. Fusselman some ten years earlier.