Crimes, Criminals, and the Cops Who Chase Them
Time 2021-10-26 22:10:09Web Name: Crimes, Criminals, and the Cops Who Chase Them
WebSite: http://larrywattsauthor.blogspot.com
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keywords: description:LARRY WATTS WRITES NOVELS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE HERE.
As a young officer in 1967 I hadheard anecdotal accounts of these events, including stories of an officer beingmurdered at the central police station and the death being ruled a suicide. The stories
were vague, some involved acaptain of police being shot, others of the captain shooting another officer. Asa rookie cop, I didn't ask questions, but I never forgot the stories. The book I found in Galveston years later,prompted Carolyn and me to take a journey of research and writing, the endresult of which is our latest book, Dishonoredand Forgotten.
My previous books have all beenfiction and required little research.This book was much different. WithCarolyn's advice (her writing background includes such research) I spent daysin Houston's library system, reviewing old newspaper articles and searching theinternet where I made contact with a family member of the officer who waskilled.
Our digging eventually led to atreasure trove of information on the case which was housed at Stanford Universityin California. The lead federalinvestigator on the Houston case had archived and retained records related to his work, includingthe Houston scandal. The file contained personalletters from officers involved in the case, documents generated by federal government employees, and even a crime scene photo of Detective Martin Billnitzer, lying deadon the floor of the Houston police station.When that investigator, George White, died, his widow had donated hispapers to the university.
Before my wife and I decided to write the novel, I began posting blog stories of the incident on my website. I interviewed the daughter-in-law of the thenpolice chief, relatives of officers who were involved orwere working at the Houston Police Department at the time, and others. As a result of these blog stories, we wereeventually contacted by a great-niece of the drug dealer and pimp who played amajor role in the downfall of a police chief, sending a police officer and adoctor to prison, and pulling the curtain back on real problems within thepolice department.
This book has been the mostinteresting adventure in writing I have undertaken, in no small part because itis the first time Carolyn and I have worked together on a book. We are scheduled to present and discuss thebook on January 12 at the monthly meeting of the Houston Police RetiredOfficers Association. It is nowavailable here and wherever good books are sold. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as wehave enjoyed making it available.
Buy the paperback - Dishonored and Forgotten
Buy the Kindle book - Dishonored and Forgotten
NOTE: My new novel, Dishonored and Forgotten,about this incident, will be available in January. I am scheduled to speak about the book at the January meeting of the Houston Police Retired Officers Association on January 12th.
Houston Police Detective MartinBillnitzers family never believed he committed suicide at the police stationin 1954. Even the most gullible observerwould have likely questioned the ruling of suicide. He was shot twice in the heart and wasbelieved to have been cooperating with Federal agents in the investigation ofcorruption within the highest echelons of the Houston Police Department.
Today when an officer is killed, thedepartment has a Family Assistance Unit available to guide the family throughthis difficult time. In 1954 no suchunit existed. Some Billnitzer familymembers felt at the time that the Houston Police Department was more a threatthan a band of brother officers. Onerelative described the funeral as scary, saying she believed the killer was apoliceman and that he might be at the funeral. Martin's brother, Harold, was reported ashaving been afraid to go near the casket that day.
But Harold held a life-long hope thatthe report of Martin Billnitzers death would someday be investigated again andproven a murder. He remembered Martintelling him that another officer had suggested if Martin wanted it, he couldlive more luxuriously than most officers did at the time. The implication was that more money could bemade while he worked narcotics cases. Inhis memoir, published in 1976 or later, Harold wrote,I pray that someone will come forward to clear Martins name before Idie. I would like to be able to forgive him (the responsible person) so thatGod can forgive me.
Harolds son, Michael, took up theeffort to clear his uncles name. Heknew it was important to his father. Documents were gathered, including those fromthe Federal Government in which agents referred to the Billnitzer death as amurder. A reporter for an internet newsoutlet wrote about the death, writing that Michael sought out forensics expertsaround the country to review the previous autopsy and other reports. One, forensics psychologist KatherineRamsland, agreed to look at the case. Someof her findings were surprising. According to her review, the reports made atthe time indicated no fingerprints were found on the murder weapon; it washighly unlikely that Billnitzer could have accomplished shooting himself twicein the heart; and thatthedeath-scene investigation appears, at the very least, to have involved tunnelvision: an assumption that Billnitzer had reason to commit suicide, so thedeath event is therefore a suicide.
Finally, believing he had gatheredenough information to warrant another look at his uncles death, MichaelBillnitzer wrote a letter, in January of 2004, to Acting Houston Police ChiefJoe L. Breshears. He requested theinvestigation be re-opened and he forwarded the information he had gatheredwith the request. On March 3, less thantwo months later, he received a response. The letter read, in part,the Homicide Division conductedconsiderable research into the matter and learned that Detective Billnitzersdeath was thoroughly investigated at the time.. Our research in this matteruncovered no information that would contradict this finding or warrantreopening the caseInfairness to the department, maybe Michael Billnitzers request was a difficultone to accommodate. Re-opening afifty-year old case is sometimes impractical.
Approaching the various memorial organizations thatrecognize officers who sacrifice their lives in the line of duty might havebeen more successful. We honor ourofficers who give their lives in the line of duty. We have memorial walls for their names. Families are honored at the state capitol andsurvivors have formed groups to help family members cope with the tragic loss. But in the case of Martin Billnitzer, we mayhave left a comrade behind. Could adefinitive conclusion be reached at this late date, sixty years after the fact?Probably not, but a part of me wants tobelieve thatwhen an officer takes the oath, pins on thebadge and straps on the gun, in a case like this, we should err on the side ofthe deceased officer.
plant. He was a top narcotics cop.Detective Martin Billnitzer lay dying on the floor of anoffice at the Houston Police Department. In the adjoining office, officerGeorge LaRue heard two gunshots and when he tried to open the door, believed itwas locked. He left to get a key.
In the meantime, a secretary, also hearing the shots, raninto the office and opened the door, which was partially blocked byBillnitzers body, but not locked. Soon rumors were circulating that a man wasobserved running from the office. Never substantiated, and dismissed as being ajanitor who ran after hearing the shots, those rumors became nothing more thananecdotal history. Billnitzer had been shot twice in the heart and had aserious gash to the head.
The detective had met the day before with federalauthorities who were investigating missing heroin from the Houston P.D. He wasinvolved with other officers in the initial seizure of the dope. In his firstinterview, Billnitzer's account of how much dope was recovered conflicted withthat of the other officers. He returned later in the day to meet again with theagents and clarify the differing accounts. Some later speculated that he, asmost narcotics detectives of the time did, retained small amounts of narcoticsseizures to give to informants in payment for information. This practice wasnot uncommon as late as the early 1970s.
The day after meeting with the feds, he met with thepolice chief, who was sticking to the story that the amount of heroin seizedwas much less than the other detectives claimed. Detective Billnitzer left thatmeeting and walked to his office. He was dead within minutes.
Federal Agent George WhiteChief Morrison told the news media that Billnitzer wasnot suspected of being involved in the missing heroin. George White, the chiefinvestigator in the federal investigation, confirmed that he was not a subjectof the federal investigation. The chief hinted that the detective might havefailed to properly log some narcotics in the past, but said it was not soserious as to warrant a suicide.
Some officers had been concerned since the night of theseizure, when Captain Melton took the dope and told them not to make a report.Their fear was that rank and file officers would be blamed for themissing heroin. They may have believed those comments by the chief confirmedtheir suspicions that the high-ranking officers would be protected at theirexpense.
Officer W.C. "Bill" PoolThere arediffering accounts and opinions about whether Detective Billnitzer committedsuicide. At the time of his death, Federal Agent George White told the media, I think the man wasmurdered. If he killed himself, he is probably the first man who ever killedhimself twice,referringto the fact that Billnitzer was shot twice in the heart. Years later, Whitesaid,I still think it was murder. It just is not possible for aman to shoot himself in the head or heart, stumble against a cabinet, causing ahead injury, and after falling on the floor shoot himself in the heart. Itcould not be done.Unfortunatelyfor the Billnitzer family, federal authorities had no jurisdiction toinvestigate the death; that responsibility fell to the local police.
Detective W.C. Pool, the officer who reported the missingheroin to federal authorities commented, when referring to Billnitzers death,I dont believe for a second that he committed suicide. There is a lot thathasnt come out. I dont know if it ever will.
The minister who conducted the funeral service said, IfBill committed suicide, it was not the Bill we knew.
But others, not directly involved, although familiar withthe investigation, had a different opinion. A friend of well-respectedLieutenant F.C. Crittenden, who was on the department at the time, told me thatCrittenden expressed to him that, I will go to my grave convincedthat Billnitzers death was suicide. It has also been related to methat an investigator who was assigned to review the case fifty years after thedeath has strong feelings that the case was properly classified asuicide.
Its been just over sixty years since Martin A.Billnitzers death. It is unlikely there will ever be a definitive decisionabout whether he was murdered or committed suicide for those who refuse toaccept the results of the investigation by the police department. The nextepisode will be about information the family learned through open recordsrequests to the federal government. If there is any chance that Billnitzer wasmurdered because he refused to go along with a cover-up by others, it is tragicthat his name is not included on the various memorial walls that honor policeofficers killed in the line of duty.
My book, Dishonored and Forgotten, which details a fictional account of this narcotics scandal, will be released on January 2, 2017. I am scheduled to make a short presentation about the book at the Houston Police Retired Officers Association meeting on January 12, 2017 and will have copies available there.
2 comments: Labels:If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 8 DID WE FORGET A HERO? IF THE WALLS COULD TALK EPISODE 7Detective Billnitzer (2nd from right)In the Forward to the book, Fallen Heroes of the Bayou City, written by Nelson Zoch, retired Police Chief Harry Caldwell wrote Houston Police Officers vow to never forget the ultimate sacrifices made by their fellow men and women in blue in the 166 year history of the mighty law enforcement organization known as the Houston Police Department.
But in the death of Detective Martin A. Billnitzer on June 3, 1954, was a line-of-duty death falsely or mistakenly ruled a suicide? On that June day, Detective Billnitzer had just completed a meeting with Houston Police Chief L.D. Morrison, Sr., regarding his interview by federal agents. The subject of the interview was heroin missing from the H.P.D. As he left the Chief's office, Billnitzer told reporters waiting in the hallway that he would return in a few minutes to answer questions. Moments later, two gunshots rang out in the halls of 61 Riesner Street, the home of the Houston Police Department.
Martin Billnitzer lay dead in his office with two bullet wounds in his heart and a nasty gash to his head, blood oozing onto the floor around him. With whirlwind speed, the death was ruled a suicide by the Police Chief and a Justice of the Peace, acting as coroner.
In this blog story we'll get to know more about Detective Martin Billnitzer. Born in 1909, he was just forty-five years old the day that life abandoned him on the floor of an office in the police station. He had been a police officer for twelve years, having joined the Department in 1942.
Martin MarieBorn in Cave Creek, Texas, a community north of Gatesville in central Texas, his family soon moved to Jourdanton, Texas. There Martin played baseball, enjoying the role of pitcher on his team. As an adult, he married Marie and they moved to Houston. They had no children.
On the 1940 census, Martin was listed as a salesman for Home Electric Refrigerators. Family member say that he managed a business in Houston just prior to joining the police department. Others reported that his wife Marie was a school teacher, though that was not reported on the same census.
Martin at H.P.D
There are three contradictory records of Martin Billnitzer's educational achievements. In an article published in 2005 in the World News Daily, written by H.P. Albarelli, Jr., he is reported to have had a 'college education' at the time he joined the Houston P.D. The article noted that this was unusual for police applicants at the time. Some family members recalled that he had attended Draughon's Business School. But the 1940 census records indicate that he had a seventh grade education. These stories are not necessarily in conflict. After the census, he may have attended the business school and it could have been referred to by those who knew him as a 'college education.'
The Billnitzers were active in their community, particularly the Lutheran Church they attended in Houston. The couple was involved in helping with the Youth Choir. The night of his death, Martin and Marie had scheduled a backyard party at their home for the members of that Choir.
I interviewed W.M. "Bill" Elkin, retired detective and current Executive Director of the Houston Police Retired Officers Association as part of my research on this story. Bill joined HPD shortly after this story broke in 1954 and recalls only vague details. He does remember, however, that his father, Joe. B. Elkin, who was also a Houston officer and retired in 1969, knew Martin Billnitzer. He recalls conversations with his Dad about the narcotics investigation and death of Billnitzer. Joe told his son that he questioned how Billnitzer died. He said that Martin Billnitzer just wasn't the kind of guy who would commit suicide.
In 2004, family members of Detective Billnitzer made a request to the Houston Police Chief that the death of their brother and uncle be re-examined. Through the Federal Freedom of Information Act, they had found documents from the 1950's investigation by Federal investigators that referred to Billnitzer's death as a murder, not a suicide. As you might expect concerning a case that occurred fifty years prior to the request, the Chief declined to re-open the case.
My next blog will explore more about Detective Billnitzer's death, some of the unusual reports about a man running from the office where he was shot, and forensics speculation all these years after his death.
My book, Dishonored and Forgotten, scheduled for publication on October 15th, is a fictional account of the infamous 1953 narcotics scandal and the toll it took on lives and reputations within the Houston Police Department.
1 comment: Labels:IF THE WALLS COULD TALK - Episode 7 COULDNT TELL THE CROOKS FROM THE COPS If The Walls Could Talk Episode 6Captain Foy Melton(June 1954) A month earlier the media and Houston PoliceChief L.D. Morrison learned that the federal government had sent agents toHouston to investigate allegations of missing heroin from the policedepartment. The officers who recovered the dope and the dealer who bought itback told the feds there was about $75,000 worth of heroin, nearly of amillion in todays dollars.
City Attorney
Will SearsBut the Chief, City Attorney Will Sears and Captain Foy Melton said it was not more than $2,000 worth of dope. Morrison admitted that a single detective, acting alone, sold some of the dope back on the streets. But that detective, Sidney Smith, didn't work in the Vice Squad and the Chief never explained how Smith obtained the dope that was reported to be in Assistant Chief George Seber's office. It smelled like a cover-up and it was! Eventually the top cops would turn over more dope to the feds, but not all of it.
On Thursday, June 3rd Detective Martin Billnitzerwas found shot to death in an office at the police station. He had two bulletsin his heart and a nasty gash on his head. Chief Morrison, the City Attorney,and a local justice of the peace declared it to be a suicide. Many others,including the officers who worked with him, the federal investigators, and hisfamily believed that he had been murdered. The following Saturday, Morrisonissued an order to all police officers that they were prohibited from talking toanyone, including federal agents, about the heroin or death of DetectiveBillnitzer. He declared he would answer all questions.
Detective
Sidney SmithDetective Sidney Smith was fired and charged with sellingheroin. He was eventually convicted and sent to prison. When interviewed inprison by federal investigators, he said that Detective Billnitzer was murderedand that the pistol used had been stolen from a store and used to kill thedetective. Houston Police records indicated it was Billnitzer's personal weapon.
Dr. Julius McBrideCaptain Foy Melton and a local doctor, Julius McBride, were indicted on June 25th. The doctor was charged with supplyng Chief Morrison with codeine for purposes other than medical use. He was eventually sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. Morrison was not charged, but testimony at McBride's trial indicated he was addicted to codeine. He resigned as Chief of Police, but remained on the department.
Captain Melton was tried twice on the federal charges. Firstin Brownsville, then in Corpus Christi, juries could not reach a verdict. L.D.Morrison testified on his behalf. Melton appealed his suspension to the civilservice commission and was promptly returned to duty.
Melton was charged a few years later with tampering with awitness and bribery on an unrelated case. He was found innocent of those charges, but his firing wasupheld by the Houston Civil Service Commission. Melton appealed that decision andeventually the Texas Supreme Court reversed the decision and he was authorizedto return to work as a Houston police officer. He opted instead to retire andbegan receiving his $187.42 per month pension. He was soon hired by DistrictAttorney Frank Briscoe as an investigator.
On February 2, 1967, Melton pulled into the parking lot ofthe Harris County Courthouse and shot himself while sitting in his car. He left two notes which were found in hispocket. A .45 caliber automatic pistol lay on the seat beside his body.
On one note was written "Medical Examiner: When you finish, call Heights." This apparently referred to the Heights Funeral Home in Houston. The second note said "Homicide: Let R.O. Biggs have this .45 automatic. God Bless You All. Foy D. Melton."
Melton had succeeded where all others had failed. He had finally been removed from the ranks of law enforcement.
My new book, Dishonored and Forgottenwill be available by late October. It is the story of Houston's first narcotics corruption case which led to the events told above.
1 comment: Labels:If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 6 THE MYTH OF THE BLUE CODE OF SILENCE If the Walls Could Talk Episode 5W.C. Pool(1954)A large haul of heroin had been recovered.The three officers who brought it in were told by Captain Foy Melton that hewas taking possession of the dope because it was part of a much largernarcotics investigation. The officers became suspicious that there was no suchinvestigation and that the heroin seizure was not going to be reported. Theydecided to tell fellow officer W.C. Pool about the case.
Theres a belief among those critical of lawenforcement that aBlue Codeof Silenceexists amongofficers, meaning that there is an unwritten rule that officers will not reporton another officers errors, misconduct, or crimes. While this may be trueregarding errors and minor misconduct, there is abundant evidence that officersoften come forward to report the criminal acts of fellow law enforcementofficers.
Joe ClarkSuch was the case regarding the missing dope. At least twoHouston officers reported their suspicions to the Harris County DistrictAttorney. W.C. Pool was first. The D.A. told him to forget about thedope and if he couldnt forget, heshould look for another job. Soon after, Captain Joe Clark also took the caseto the D.A. Clark reported that dope dealer Earl Voice told him officers wereselling the heroin they had confiscated previously. The D.A. said there was notenough evidence and did nothing. Later, when questioned by reporters as to whyhe went to the D.A. instead of his superiors in the Department, Clark said hethought his superiors might have been involved in the criminal activity, allthe way to the Chief.
George White
But Officer Pool refused to take the advice given himby the D.A. Instead he contacted a federal agent he was acquainted with inHouston. It wasnt long before an investigation began, headed by Federal Bureauof Narcotics supervisor George White. He came with solid credentials. He hadbeen the chief investigator for the Kefaufer Committee on Crime in America.White did not initially inform Houstons police chief of the investigation. Hewas to become a controversial figure in the matter. It wasn't long beforePolice Chief Morrison and City Attorney Will Sears demanded of the Feds that hebe removed from the investigation. In addition to other complaints, theyalleged that he was responsible for Billnitzer's death because he"browbeat" him during questioning. White called the chargesridiculous and stayed on the case, suggesting that the pressure was getting toMorrison.
J.O. BrannonSoon officers were being subpoenaed to testify beforea federal grand jury which was meeting in Galveston. One of the officers whotestified was J.O. Brannon, who had been in the Vice Squad previously. Ivefound little about Brannons involvement, but interestingly, not long aftertestifying, his car was vandalized while he was working. The convertible topwas slashed, a tire was cut, three windows were shattered, and sugar was pouredin the gas tank. When asked by the media about the incident, Brannon would onlysay that he had been workingonsomething special in the Houston underworldand that he believed it was a warningtolay off.
Though I've found no evidence that ties this incidentto Brannon's testimony, the newspaper story about his car being vandalizedgarnered the attention of news outlets throughout Texas and was published as anAP story in several other cities. This might suggest that reporters knew whatwas behind the vandalism, but couldn't get confirmation to put it inprint.
I've interviewed officers who knew J.O. Brannon. Some recall talk of him havingbeen blackballed by fellow officers at one time during his career. His name wason the list of officers subpoenaed to appear at the federal gran jury and it isquite likely that he too gave testimony against the crooked cops.
This string of stories began because of the shootingdeath of Officer M.A. Billnitzer. My next blog story is about SidneySmith, the only officer involved in the scandal to go to jail, and Captain FoyMelton. The Captain was fired, charged with taking the heroin, put on trialtwice, not convicted, and got his job back. Melton was later fired on anothercorruption charge, but remained in law enforcement until his death by suicideseveral years later. I will conclude this series with two or three storiesabout Officer Billnitzer, who may have been killed in the line-of-duty when hedecided to talk to the Feds.
Coming later this year, my fictional account of theevents surrounding Detective Billnitzer's death, in my book,Dishonored and Forgotten.
Chief L.D. Morrison, Sr.
(1954)The Feds were in Houston investigating local police for selling heroin to dopedealers. Detective M.A. Billnitzer, shot twice in the heart at the policestation, was dead. It was ruled a suicide.
The Police Chief, L.D. Morrison, Sr., by his own admission, didnt hear of the seizure of a large amount of heroin that occurredin August of 1953 until June of 1954, although he ordinarily was told of anynarcotics seizure. Illegalnarcotics trade was becoming a major police problem, but Morrison apparentlydidnt learn of the scandal brewing in HPD until the Federal investigation was about tobecome public.
Martin BillnitzerAfter the death of Detective Billnitzer, Morrison relieved Captain Melton of duty and fired Detective Sidney Smith. He seems to have discounted any scandal beyond the actions of Smith. Morrison later testified on behalf of Melton who was tried twice but not convicted. There will be more on Melton in future blogs.
In addition to the corruption that was taking place in his police department, Chief Morrison must have been uneasy when the Feds started snooping around for personal reasons. He had chronic back pain and had found a doctor, Julius McBride, who supplied him with codeine which the doctor recorded as going to a patient who had cancer. When McBride was indicted, the charge was that he supplied the dope to Chief Morrison for 'non-medicinal' purposes. Medical experts from Baylor University testified that Morrison was caught up in the grip of the drug habit and well on his way to becoming an 'addict' from the frequent administration of codeine.
61 Riesner StreetChief Morrison resigned as Chief when the narcotics scandal became public. His reputation with the police department, even with the revelation of his improper use of codeine, seems to have survived the scandal. The current Houston Police Academy building is named in his honor. In the book, Houston Blue, authors Tom Kennedy and Michael P. Roth write that "Morrison is known as the father of HPD academic training..." That honor was for his work prior to becoming police chief when he was a captain who initiated the first formal training in an academy class for Houston police. His son, L.D. Morrison, Jr., also became a Houston officer and retired as a captain.
In the next blog episode of If The Walls Could Talkyou'll learn more about officers W.C. Pool and Federal Agent George White. There'll also be an interesting note about another Houston officer, J.O. Brannon who was subpoened to testify at the federal gran jury.
Coming later this year, my new novel, Dishonored and Forgotten, a fictional account of this scandal that begs the question, why isn't Martin Billnitzer's name on the memorial wall?
2 comments: Labels:If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 4 IF THE WALLS COULD TALK - Episode 3Sidney Smith(1953) Thedope dealer's name was Earl Voice. His girlfriends sister called policewhen she saw someone bury two jars of heroin in her backyard during the darkness ofnight. It was Earls dope.
Eightmonths later, after being arrested, Voice asked to speak to Captain Joe Clark, who was in charge of the Vice Division. Clark said inan interview that he had no idea why the dope dealer asked for him. But thestory Earl Voice told was intriguing.
A Burglary Detective by the name of Sidney Smith approached Voice about a week after the heroin was recovered from the backyard. He proposed selling the dope back to Voice and the two made a deal. Soon, the heroin made its way back onto the streets of Houston. Voice later said, everything I got, I got from the police station. He even alleged that the dope was sold to him originally by Smith and then resold to him after it was confiscated.
SidneySmith and Captain Foy Melton were indicted. Smith was sent to prison, not for his dealings with Earl Voice, but with other dealers he was doingbusiness with. Later, Smith would be interviewed in prison by an investigator fromthe Federal Bureau of Narcotics. He had interesting commentsto make about the death of Detective Martin Billnitzer, but none of his revelations were ever confirmed.
Before the arrests of Melton and Smith, officers Conley and Bennett, who, along with Billnitzer, recovered the dope, began to worry they were being set up to take the fall if it was discovered the heroin was missing from the police department. They heard nothing of the "important investigation" Captain Melton told them about when he took the heroin. In an effort to protect themselves from false allegations, they confided ina fellow officer, William C. Pool, about what had occurred the night they brought the heroin tothe police station.
OfficerPool was concerned when he learned that Captain Melton had taken the heroin and later that Detective Smith was selling it to the dope dealer, Earl Voice. He decided to take his suspicion of missing dope to the district attorney. The reception he receivedwas less than enthusiastic. According to press reports of an interview withPool, he was told It wasnt enough to go before the grand jury. He also reported that Assistant District Attorney Ben Morris told him, Forget aboutthe whole thing. If you cant forget about it, youd better quit the policedepartment.
Officer Pool decided if the localauthorities wouldn't take action, hed seek help from the feds. He turned to aHouston Federal Customs agent by the name of Al Scharff and told him the story.
Chief MorrisonPoolsactions would cause a federal investigation to be initiated. When ChiefMorrison learned of the federal investigation, he may have had concerns beyondthat of the missing heroin. He had a personal issue with the use ofprescription drugs that might be discovered by the inquiry. It would beembarrassing at best and criminal at worst.
Next episode; Chief Morrison's delimna as the investigation by Federal Narcotics began.
My novel based on these events, Dishonored and Forgotten, will be available later this year.2 comments: Labels:If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 3 Episode 2 IF THE WALLS COULD TALK - A Houston Police Scandal
J.T. Conley (left) E.H. BennettMy book, Dishonored and Forgotten,a fictional account of this scandal, will be released later this year.
Thecall came in on the night of August 11, 1953 from Vivian Timms. She lived at 3306 Bacchus in Houston, Texas. Her home was about five miles north ofthe new Houston Police Department building at 61 Riesner Street. Billed as themost modern police facility in the South, it had opened three years earlier.
Officers M. A. Billnitzer, J.T. Conley and E.H. Bennett, who worked in the Vice Squad, made the call. Vivian told the officers she saw two men come into herbackyard, dig a hole, and bury a garbage can. Once they left, she dug it up and found that it contained two jars filled witha white powder. Vivian Timms was no stranger to narcotics. Her sisterwas dating and probably whoring for a man known in Houston as the Kingfishof drug pushers. His name was Earl Voice. He would play a major role inthe police scandal that unfolded.
Billnitzer, Conley and Bennett, after interviewing Ms. Timms, took the narcotics to thepolice station where they inventoried it and opened some of the packets fortesting. Their field test indicated the substance was heroin. They knew the street value of their discovery was many thousands of dollars. The confiscation of such a large amount of dope was likely to have major implications in the drug culture on the streets.
As they inventoried the dope,Captain Foy Junior Melton strolled into the room. Asreported in T. Lindsey Bakers book GangsterTour of Texas, J.T. Conley later recalled, "Melton came in and asked where we got the stuff."
The captainleft for a few minutes, taking the dope with him, after informing the three officers he would securethe drugs. He emphatically told them that only he and the three of them knewabout the haul and said he wanted them to stay quiet about the discovery becauseotherwise it might blow an important investigation.After thirty minutes, the Captain returned, telling Conley that he had put the stuff in the chiefs safe.
Andthats how the intrigue began! It would last nearly a year, but that night,neither Conley, Bennett, nor Billnitzer could have imagined that in just a fewmonths one of them would be dead, the police chief would resign, others wouldbe accused of corruption and federal agents would be investigating. So began the first narcotics scandal in the Houston police department.
In the next episode ofIF THE WALLS COULD TALK A Houston PoliceScandal readerswill be introduced to Earl Voice, the drug dealer and pimp who bought his own dope twice --- from a cop. You'll also meet William Pool, a copwho refused to ignore corruption in the H.P.D.
5 comments: Labels:If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 2 IF THE WALLS COULD TALK A Houston Police ScandalOld Police Headquarters, 61 Riesner StreetIn anticipation of the release later this year of my book, Dishonored and Forgotten, I am re-posting a series of stories relating to the 1953 narcotics scandal in the Houston police department. My book is a fictional account of the events.
In1967, after joining the Houston Police Department, I heard stories of anarcotics scandal that occurred several years earlier. Those who talked aboutit usually related that a Captain had been involved and a detective died ofgunshot wounds on the third floor of the old headquarters at 61 Riesner Street. His death was ruled a suicide, but most seemed to presume,often with a nod and a wink, that he had been shot by someone else. I never learnedthe details and regret that I didnt ask more questions. Most of the officersinvolved were still on the department then. If only those walls could talk at the old police headquarters, I'm sure there are some things many wouldnt want to hear. But might theytell of the murder of a hero who has been judged a suicide victim for morethan fifty years?
Fastforward to a recent trip I took to Galveston with my wife. We strolled along TheStrand shopping and exploring. In one shop, I found a book titled Gangster Tour of Texas written by T.Lindsay Baker. As I thumbed through the book I found a chapter with the headingThe Houston Police Dope Scandal: SellingHeroin Back to the Dealers. I couldnt resist! Sale made! Even at thethirty-four dollar price.
Afterreading that story and completing some initial research I recognized several of the officers involved. Most were old heads when I first met them. I decided to dedicate a few of my blog storiesto events surrounding the scandal.
Thefollowing summarizes some of the details Ill explore here in the weeks to come. Heroin was taken in as evidence, but went missing. A police chief, L.D.Morrison, resigned as an indirect result of the scandal. Assistant Chief GeorgeSeber kept some of the suspected stolen heroin in his office. Officers J.T.Conley and E.H. Bennett were caught up in the scandal simply because theyanswered a call where the dope was recovered. Detective Martin AlbertBillnitzer was not suspected of being involved, but allegedly committed suicideafter talking to federal investigators about the missing heroin. He supposedlyshot himself in the heart...twice! Captain Foy Melton was charged and triedtwice on charges related to the missing heroin, but was not convicted. A fewyears later he too was reported to have committed suicide. Officer William C.Pool learned of the scandal from his two friends, Conley and Bennett. He reported the wrongdoing to the District Attorney and the Feds. Detective SidneySmith was the only officer to go to jail.
Fiftyyears after his death, the family of Officer Billnitzer asked the Houston PoliceDepartment to reopen the investigation. In part, their request was made becauseof documents they had discovered in Federal Government archives through freedom ofinformation requests.
It's a fascinating story. If the family is correct, was DetectiveMartin Albert Billnitzer killed in the line of duty? And, if so, should his name be on the City, State, and National Memorial Walls. Ill explore thepossibility in a future blog.
Feel free to e-mail me with comments or information at Larry@LarryWatts.net.
Don't forget to sign up to receive e-mail notification of my new stories. Look above on the right, just below my photo.3 comments: Labels:If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 1 Longest Serving Sheriff
From 1896 to 1904 A.B. Shackleton worked as a deputy sheriff and a constable. In 1903, he decided to run against his boss and incumbent sheriff of Lunenburg County, Virginia, C.S. Bagley who had hired Shackleton as a deputy when he was first elected. The deputy defeated his former boss in that election and remained sheriff until his retirement at the age of eighty-three in 1955.
I first heard of Sheriff Shackleton when a friend sent me a magazine he found in old family papers. It was The National Sheriff magazine of August-September, 1951. Sheriff Shackleton shared the front page of the magazine with a twenty-two year old sheriff from Scott County, Kansas. The headline was 'The Oldest and the Youngest' and the magazine declared that Shackleton, at 79, was the oldest sheriff in the nation.
A 1946 bulletin of the FBI reported that the Sheriff was one of the most popular men in Lunenburg County and was more familiarly known there as 'Shack'. The bulletin also reported that during his tenure as sheriff from 1904 until the article was written in 1946 there were only two major unsolved crimes in his jurisdiction.
There are several newspaper accounts of the Sheriff's exploits in law enforcement. In 1910 he is reported to have arrested a black man who was accused of attempting to attack the eight year old daughter of a prominent citizen. Under the cover of darkness, Sheriff Shack spirited the inmate from Lunenburg County to a jail in another city to prevent the suspect from being lynched by an angry mob.
In 1937 Sheriff Shack arrested a member of a prominent Virginia family for taking part in a bank robbery. A bank employee was shot during the robbery. The publicity surrounding the crime prompted the Virginia legislature to begin a movement to establish a state police radio and teletype system to aid officers in the battle against such brazen crimes committed in the glare of daylight.
When he retired, he is reported to have said that he'd been in office longer than any other sheriff in the nation. He also said that, "people are not any worse now than they used to be."
Sheriff Shack began his law enforcement career in the horse and buggy era of transportation, when bare knuckles, fast shooting, and a hangman's rope ended many crime sprees. When he retired, police radios, radar, and polygraph (lie detector) machines were in use. There were rumors of atomic wars and still to come was the age of high-tech computers, GPS systems, Tasers, DNA evidence, drones and rubber bullets. If he was still with us, my guess is that Sheriff Shack would accept these new law enforcement tools as just a part of the ever improving science associated with his life-long profession.
Sheriff Shack, a life-long resident of Lunenburg County, married his sweetheart, Mary Belle, just a year after being elected sheriff. Mary Belle was also a native of the county. When asked what he was going to do in retirement at the age of 83, Shack simply said, "I'm going to stay home with my pretty wife." He did just that until his death three years later in 1958.No comments: Sheriff Lawrence Rainey A Law Enforcement EmbarrassmentSheriff Rainey Deputy PriceThis is a re-run of a very popular story I published some time ago.
One of my most popular blog stories was titled A Police Chief during times of change. The story wasabout Houstons Police Chief Herman Short. (still available to read on this blog) Short served as Chief during the1960s, a time in the South when traditional white values were being challengedand law enforcement leaders were measured by their response to the tidesof change. It istempting to comparesuch leaders to those who followed 20 or even 50 years later,but doing so gives no contextto the times during which they served. A more accurate comparison is withother southern law enforcement leaders of the time.As you read aboutNeshoba County, Mississippi Sheriff Lawrence Rainey, consider how each man, Chief Short and Sheriff Rainey, responded to change.
Lawrence Rainey was aone-term sheriff in Neshoba County, Mississippi. He campaigned for the job byresponding to those traditional southern white values of segregation and keepingnegroes in their place. During the campaign he said, Im the man who can cope with thesituations that might arise, a reference to dealing with thecivil rights activism then coming to the south. And cope with the situationhe did!
Rainey completed eight years of formal education before becoming amechanic. But, to the detriment of the profession, he soon found his way intolaw enforcement. In 1959 he was working as a Philadelphia, Mississippi policeofficer. His reputation was that of a brutal enforcer, especially in the blackcommunity. He killed one black man and is reported to have whippedanother with a leather strap after stripping his shirt from his back, exacting his own form of justice on the streetsof this small Mississippi town that became infamous in the movie, Mississippi Burning.
In 1963 he ran for sheriff ofNeshoba County and won. He was known as a tobacco chewing, back-slappingKlansman, whose reputation suggested he supported the status quo in its questto stop the freight train of change coming to the south. Just months into histerm, three civil rights workers, James Chaney, Michael Schwermer,and Andy Goodman went missing after being released from Raineys jail.
A quote from the Sheriff atthe beginning of the investigation is interesting. He said, ...and if any semblance of violence should seem to be in the making just leave it to the law enforcement officers."Was it a slip of the tongue or a veiled reference to what had already occurred?Wright and Rainey
Not longafter that comment, Rainey, his deputy Cecil Wrightand 15 other men were indicted in federal court for the murder of the threemen. Seven, including the deputy, were convicted, but Rainey was not. Their arrogance was amazing. Shown in the photo above, Rainey and his deputy, display a confident smugness upon their indictment.
Maybe the bravest comment made at the time was by theeleven year old son of James Chaney, who, even before the sheriff was indicted,said publicly, andI want us all to stand up here together and say just one more thing. I want thesheriff to hear this good. WE AINT SCARED NO MORE OF SHERIFF RAINEY!
Things didnt go well for the former sheriffafter the trial. He moved to Franklin, Kentucky to work as a policeman. Butwhen the newspapers reported his arrival, civil rights activists sounded thealarm, and the offer of a job was withdrawn. Lawrence Rainey never worked in lawenforcement again!
The FBI set out to breakme... and they did it. Rainey said. They kept me down to colored folksmoney, apparently referring to his job as a security guard at a trailer park. Hedied in 2002 at age 79.Lawrence Rainey didnt accepta changing society, and as a result, lost the only career that apparently evermade him feel important.No comments: Labels:Sheriff Lawrence Rainey Older PostsHomeSubscribe to:Posts (Atom)DISHONORED AND FORGOTTEN
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AuthorsA. Hardy RoperAndy UpchurchArt AnthonyAuthor Tom RizzoCarolyn WattsChristopher CookGloria Hander LyonsJack JenkinsJoseph WambaughMajel Stites RedickMurder With A Touch Of SpiceRene Palmer ArmstrongRon DeLordTroy MasonCopsAnother Deadly Day for Law EnforcementBreck PorterEd Wheeler H.D. MurphyEddie HaskellHerman ShortIf the Walls Could Talk - Episode 1If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 2If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 3If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 4If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 5If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 6IF THE WALLS COULD TALK - Episode 7If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 8J.D. TippitJaime PadronJudge DuncanKarl HettingerPistol PeteRonnie BeckSantos RodriguezSergeant No. 97Sheriff Lawrence RaineySid HatfieldT.J. FlournoyThe Fall of a Police ChiefThree copsCrimes and CriminalsAnother Deadly Day for Law EnforcementBattle of IngallsBillie Sol EstesBilly Joe ShaverCandy BarrCarl Tanzler - The CountCharles ForbesCharles HarrelsonChristmas GrinchCrimes and CriminalsDeadly DatesFred CarrascoGalvestonIf the Walls Could Talk - Episode 1If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 2If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 3If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 4If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 5If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 6IF THE WALLS COULD TALK - Episode 7If the Walls Could Talk - Episode 8Ken AndersonMan Who Stole HalloweenMilo MindbenderMona Lisa StolenMonk EastmanSantos RodriguezThe Fall of a Police ChiefThe Unsolved Murder of Amber HagermanTheresa Browns BordelloTimothy MerkaPagesHomeMY BOOKSAbout the authorLinks to authors
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