Black Sheep Sunday - Part 8 (1947) of From small town Georgia boy to notorious Texas (and beyond!) con man

 This post is the 8th in a series of posts about the life of my cousin and con man Elridge Solomon Price, Sr.  You can find the other installments here:  Part 1,  Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,  Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7.

The newspapers were quiet about ole Elridge the first half of 1947.  The first peep we read about him is in July.  There's no easy way to tell you this so I'm going to just rip that bandaid off. On July 24, 1947 in the Corpus Christi, Texas newspaper is a tiny blurb: Marriage license issued to "Elridge S. Price and Edith Wynn Price."  Yes, they remarried for the third time.  

On September 20, Elridge and Edith were robbed again.  This time, they had guests from Florida who were also robbed by the masked gunmen.  

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Tuesday, September 30, 1947, Pages 1 & 2

There are two interesting facts mentioned in this article that were unknown to us readers:

    - Price's previous arrests over the last 15-20 years were "misunderstandings." 

    - The charges he faced in Wichita last year had not just gone away. Elridge fought very hard not to be extradited to Wichita, and it appeared that he had won the fight since Texas ruled not to extradite him and removed his $10,000 bond. However, we find out here - 9 months later - that the case was actually transferred to Fort Worth; he is on a $5,000 bond for those charges; and everyone was just waiting for a trial date to be set.

Another interesting thing - in a sea of interesting things about Elridge and how he moved through life - is that this robbery took place on September 20, but I could not locate a single mention of it until September 29. As a matter of fact, even on the 29th, I could not find an explanation of the details of the robbery until the above article on September 30.  

So I'm going to step back a day and share some of the articles from the 29th.

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Monday, September 29, 1947, Page 1

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Monday, September 29, 1947, Page 1

It's interesting and almost laughable how as soon as Elridge found out a woman was arrested for participating in the robbery, he immediately stated that one of the masked robbers could have been a woman because "The rings were taken off my hands with a feminine touch." 

Also note that the story keeps changing ever so slightly.  First it was three men, then it was two men, then three again.  In this article he states that the jewelry loss was confined to just him and Edith, but other articles have already established that jewelry was stolen from Mrs. Haller.  Just two paragraphs before Elridge said this, it says "Pliers were used to cut one ring off Mrs. Haller's finger."  So is the newspaper making all these errors or is Elridge Price changing the story to fit his narrative of the moment?  

Newspapers.com, The Odessa American, Odessa, Texas,
Monday, September 29 1947, Page 10

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Tuesday, September 30, 1947, Page 1

So much for that "feminine touch" Elridge spoke of.  The prosecutors were convinced by the two suspects that the woman had nothing to do with the robbery, even though she was found to be clutching two of the stolen rings in her hand.  

[Photo Caption]

"CHARGED IN ROBBERY—Buryl E. Walker, 39-year-old ex-convict of Pampa was charged Monday in Ballinger with robbery with firearms in the jewelry robbery of Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Price Sept. 20. Also charged is Henry J. West, 33, a Mineral Wells jeweler, who adamantly avoided photographers."

"Ex-Convict And Jeweler Charged In $17,000 Theft At Ballinger

Most Of Gems Recovered; Woman Held In Brown

BY BILL NOBLE AND DORSEY READ
(Standard-Times Staff)

BALLINGER, Sept. 29. — Charges of robbery with firearms were filed with Justice of the Peace J. N. Key in Ballinger Monday afternoon against two men in the $17,000 sub-machinegun robbery of Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Price and their two guests near Ballinger Sept. 20.

Facing charges are Buryl E. Walker, 39, an ex-convict of Pampa, and Henry J. West, 33, of Mineral Wells. They are being held in jail pending the setting of bond.

CONFESSIONS SIGNED

Meanwhile, Ranger Captain Gully Cowsert, who, with Ranger Clarence Nordyke, figured in the capture of the two men and recovered most of the loot, said both had signed statements admitting taking part in the robbery.

The statements were made late in the afternoon before Dist. Atty. O'Neal Dendy, who will prosecute the case, and were witnessed by Highway Patrolman F. E. Boyd and Ranger Nordyke.

According to Dendy, the Runnels County grand jury will meet in Ballinger Monday, Oct. 6, and will consider the charges.

West, a jeweler in Mineral Wells and Jacksboro, was arrested in Mineral Wells Wednesday, but was released Saturday. He was apprehended again Sunday at Brownwood where a woman companion of Walker is now being held in jail.

MOST OF LOOT FOUND

The Rangers have recovered all the loot except one peal with a diamond setting, valued at $2,000, and the cash, estimated to be about $250.

Walker and the woman were apprehended Sunday by city police at a Fort Worth tourist court as they were attempting to drive away. Officers making the arrest saw a car answering the description of the vehicle used in the robbery and called other officers to help.

As police closed in, the woman, who was standing by the car, got into the auto and the man ran from the office of the court, jumped in the car, and was driving out when surrounded.

GUN IN RIBS

He got out of the car only after an officer's gun was cocked and thrust into his side. On the seat of the car officers found an unloaded .38 calibre revolver.

At the jail, the woman companion immediately asked the matron if she could go to the rest room where the matron saw that she kept her hands tightly closed. The matron demanded that she open her fists, found chewing gum in one hand, two diamond rings in the other.

The woman said she found them on the carnival grounds at Mineral Wells, and Walker said he had never seen the diamonds before, did not know to whom they belonged, and did not know the woman had them.

The two were taken to Ballinger Sunday by Cowsert and Nordyke to face the robbery charge. Mr. and Mrs. Price and their guests, Mr. and Mrs. O. P. Haller of Hollywood, Fla.

MEN IN BALLINGER

The two men are being held in Ballinger and the woman is in Brownwood.

Rangers recovering the stolen jewelry found a sub-machine gun and an automatic pistol at Jacksboro. Cowsert said the shotgun that was taken from Price was found at Crews, a community about 10 miles north of Ballinger, after the officers made a thorough search along the roadway.

With the shotgun was a crude drawing of the Price home and torn bits of an automobile club membership card with Price's signature on it.

Ranger Nordyke also disclosed that a pair of pliers used to cut a ring off Mrs. Price's finger was found in brush near Mineral Wells.

(See ROBBERY, Page 2)"

Transcription by Google Gemini included due to being unable to enlarge the text to the point it would be readable.

Newspapers.com, Standard-Times, San Angelo, Texas,
Tuesday, September 30, 1947, Pages 1 & 2

Articles about this robbery were in newspapers all over the country.  Most of them said the exact same thing over and over.  It spread as far east as Atlanta, in Elridge's old home state:

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Tuesday, September 30, 1947, Page 6

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Wednesday, October 01, 1947, Page 10

It seems that the Fort Worth newspaper is bringing up Elridge's pending trial on violation of the Securities and Exchange Act, along with his status as a former Leavenworth inmate in almost every article about the robbery.  

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Friday, October 03, 1947, Page 2

At this point in 1947, things start to get real complicated for Elridge.  He already has a federal case hanging over his head, the robbery to deal with, and then he was indicted by a Runnels County grand jury alleging violation of the Texas securities act.

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Wednesday, October 08, 1947, Page 1

A little over a week later, there is news about his Securities and Exchange Commission charge originally filed in Wichita.

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Friday, October 17, 1947, Page 8

Then Elridge catches three more new charges.

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Thursday, October 23, 1947, Page 2

Oh wait!  Just kidding...

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Monday, November 17, 1947, Page 2

Now hold on, we have to switch back to the robbery case.

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Monday, November 24, 1947, Page 4

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Tuesday, November 25, 1947, Page 2

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Tuesday, November 25, 1947, Page 14

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Tuesday, November 25, 1947, Page 16

I realize both of these articles say much of the same thing, but the second one provides some extra details and advised that Buryl Walker's trial was set over until December 15. This next article also adds some details, while also repeating a lot of the last one.

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Tuesday, November 25, 1947, Page 24

Now is when it gets good...

Newspapers.com, San Angelo Evening Standard, San Angelo, Texas,
Wednesday, November 26, 1947, Pages 1 & 13

Newspapers.com, Standard-Times, San Angelo, Texas,
Wednesday, November 26, 1947, Pages 1 & 11

Newspapers.com, The Longview Daily News, Longview, Texas,
Wednesday, November 26, 1947, Page 1

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Wednesday, November 26, 1947, Pages 1 & 2

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Wednesday, November 26, 1947, Page 1

My favorite article and quote of this entire Elridge Price series, stated so well by Prosecuting Attorney O'Neal Dendy:  "I wouldn't believe him on oath at his own funeral."

So of course Elridge was outraged.  He tried to strike back at Dendy but failed.

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Tuesday, December 02, 1947, Page 14

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, For Worth, Texas,
Tuesday, December 02, 1947, Page 6

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Wednesday, December 03, 1947, Page 2

Another charge pops up...

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Wednesday, December 03, 1947, Pages 1 & 6

Newspapers.com, Standard-Times, San Angelo, Texas,
Wednesday, December 03, 1947, Pages 1 & 15

Newspapers.com, Standard-Times, San Angelo, Texas,
Thursday, December 04, 1947, Page 1

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Friday, December 05, 1947, Page 8

Newspapers.com, The San Angelo Weekly Standard, San Angelo, Texas,
Friday, December 05, 1947, Page 5

Newspapers.com, Standard-Times, San Angelo, Texas,
Saturday, December 06, 1947, Page 1

And now back to the original programming... the robbery at the Price Home in September.

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Tuesday, December 30, 1947, Page 8

All in all, 1947 was not a good year for Elridge Price.  Next time, I'll try to get us to the 1950's, but his life is so eventful - no promises here!  

Black Sheep Sunday - Part 5 (1940) of From small town Georgia boy to notorious Texas (and beyond!) con man

 This post is the 5th in a series of posts about the life of Elridge Solomon Price, Sr.  You can find the other installments here:  Part 1,  Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

Yes, you read that correctly.  I will be covering only one year in this post.  That is because a huge thing took place in 1940.  Elridge filed for custody of his and Edith's youngest child - a daughter born in Alaska while he was on the run.  In 1940, she would have been 4-5 years old.  What I find interesting is that she was not the only minor child.  They had 2 sons who were 16 and 12 years old in 1940, but Elridge did not pursue custody of them.  Only the little girl.  

However, before the custody case, another newsworthy event happened to the Prices.  In May, Elridge and Edith were living in  Ballinger, Runnels County, Texas.  On a Sunday night, while they were asleep, a thief came into their home and robbed them. About $2,000 worth of jewelry was taken, among other items.  The crime did not make the news until Tuesday.

Newspapers.com, San Angelo Evening Standard, San Angelo, Texas,
Tuesday, May 07, 1940, Page 8

Newspapers.com, Standard-Times, San Angelo, Texas,
Wednesday, May 08, 1940

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Wednesday, May 08, 1940, Page 18.

It sounds to me like law enforcement was suspicious of the robbery story.  I am too since there is no more mention of it after this.

On to the custody case:  It all started June 26 when a listing in the newspaper showed that Edith had once again filed for divorce from Elridge, this time in Olathe, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, which is where they were living at the time.  Immediately, Elridge sued for custody of their daughter. 

Perhaps the boys were with their father because when Edith left Elridge this time, she and the youngest daughter went and stayed at the home of Miss Lutie Davis, a Kansas city "woman lawyer" as the newspaper called her.  There was no mention of any of the other children living with her.  Elridge sued for custody saying that Edith was "unfit" to rear the daughter, and he used Edith's  friendship with Miss Davis as the reason for this. Meanwhile, the child was eventually taken from Edith and placed in the custody of a probation officer pending the outcome of the case.  

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star,  Kansas City, Missouri,
Friday, July 12, 1940, Page 11

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Missouri,
Saturday, July 13, 1940

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Saturday, July 13, 1940

It only gets confusing from here.  A witness for the prosecution (Elridge) was brought in to testify about an assault she supposedly received from Miss Davis about 7 months earlier.  The following article outlines the testimony.  Just remember the names Lutie Davis (woman lawyer) and Miss Elinor Leonhardt (hotel manicurist).

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Monday, July 15, 1940

So now in addition to the custody case, Miss Davis was arrested on a morals charge and placed in jail pending a $7,500 bond.

To say Elridge went on the offensive in this custody case would be an understatement.  In addition to calling Edith "unfit," he also brought an insanity charge against her.  She was taken into custody of the Johnson County (Missouri) court pending a hearing on this charge.  Even the newspaper called  this "the many sided lurid child custody case."

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Tuesday, July 16, 1940, Page 3

The probate judge hearing the case spent part of July 16th interviewing the Price sons in private.

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Missouri,
Thursday, July 18, 1940, Page 8

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,
Thursday, July 18, 1940, Page 7

A verdict is reached on the insanity charge against Edith on July 23.

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,
Tuesday, July 23, 1940, Page 4

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Tuesday, July 23, 1940

The custody case continues with the Prices' former nursemaid testifying on behalf of the defendant (Edith). 

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Friday, July 26, 1940, Page 6

According to this article, the case has taken another strange turn.  Now Eldridge Jr. (age 18) has gotten drawn into the mess and has taken a morals charge out against Miss Davis. She was again held in jail.

And it continues to get stranger...

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Sunday, August 04, 1940, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,
Sunday, August 11, 1940, Page 4

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Missouri,
Tuesday, August 13, 1940, Page 7

Newspapers.com, Kansas 
City Journal, Kansas
City, Missouri, Thursday,
August 15, 1940, page 9

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Times,
Kansas City, Missouri,
Thursday, August 15, 1940, Page 7

                 

I was beyond shocked that they printed the child's photo, name, and her sister's address in the newspaper! This would be unheard of today. I would think that with Elridge's notoriety, protecting the child's privacy and keeping her safe would have been a priority.  I am sure he had a lot of enemies that would not think twice about going after his family.

So why did I publish it? Well, Jeamiesean "Jeep" has passed away now, and this all happened over 80 years ago.  

Then it was time for tit for tat: 

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,
Friday, August 16, 1940, Page 3

Feel like you're at a tennis match yet?  Neck hurting from turning back and forth from a custody case to perjury cases?

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,
Wednesday, August 28, 1940, Page 15

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Missouri,
Thursday, September 05, 1940, Page 18

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Missouri,
Tuesday, September 10, 1940

For those of us who are not attorneys, I asked Google Gemini to explain this article in layman's terms.  First of all, what is a Writ of Mandamus?

"Alternative Writ of Mandamus: An emergency order issued by a higher court (the supreme court) directing a lower-court judge to either perform a mandatory duty (in this case, certify/transfer the transcript to the district court) or "show cause" why they refuse to do so.

The Legal Maneuver Sequence

1. The Custody Order: The probate court granted custody of 4-year-old Jeamsiean Edith Price to her older married sister, Mrs. Lorraine Johnson, who then took the child to Texas after posting a return-guarantee bond.

2. The Blocked Appeal: Mrs. Price wanted to challenge this decision and filed a timely notice of appeal. However, Judge Jones refused to send the case records to the district court, arguing that his custody order was "not appealable" under the law.

3. The High Court Intervention: Trapped by the judge's refusal to pass along the paperwork, Mrs. Price's attorney (Thomas E. Joyce) bypassed the lower courts and went straight to the state's supreme court.

4. The Supreme Court Response: The supreme court sided with Mrs. Price's application by issuing the alternative writ of mandamus. This forced Judge Jones to either forward the transcript or explain his refusal in court by the designated answer day of September 25."

An excellent explanation in my opinion.

Now it's back to the morals and perjury charges:

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Missouri,
Wednesday, September 04, 1940, Page 6

Then another bomb drops! While the following doesn't pertain to the child custody case, per se, I do think the timing is questionable.  

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Monday, September 30, 1940, Page 1

In October, the probate court judge finally conceded to the Kansas state supreme court and filed a copy of the transcript of the proceedings with the district court.

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Missouri,
Tuesday, October 15, 1940, Page 6

Finally a little relief for Edith.

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Saturday, October 19, 1940, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,
Saturday, October 26, 1940

On November 4... nothing.  Elridge was up to something.

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Missouri,
Tuesday, November 05, 1940, Page 8

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,
Sunday, November 17, 1940, Page 4

This is when we have to turn back to the perjury issues:

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Friday, November 22, 1940

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Saturday, November 23, 1940

Things begin to snowball at this point.

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Wednesday, November 27, 1940, Page 8

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,

Thursday, December 19, 1940, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Missouri,
Saturday, December 21, 1940

At the end of 1940, the Price custody case was still dragging on.  Elridge has a warrant for perjury and no one knows where his daughter is.  Elridge is about to do what he always does... run.  Unfortunately, you will have to wait until the next installment to find out what 1941 brings in this saga.