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.
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, September 30, 1947, Pages 1 & 2 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Monday, September 29, 1947, Page 1 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Monday, September 29, 1947, Page 1 |
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| Newspapers.com, The Odessa American, Odessa, Texas, Monday, September 29 1947, Page 10 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, September 30, 1947, Page 1 |
"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
(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.
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| 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:
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| Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia, Tuesday, September 30, 1947, Page 6 |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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...
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| 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.
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Monday, November 24, 1947, Page 4 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, November 25, 1947, Page 2 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, November 25, 1947, Page 14 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, November 25, 1947, Page 16 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, November 25, 1947, Page 24 |
Now is when it gets good...
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| Newspapers.com, San Angelo Evening Standard, San Angelo, Texas, Wednesday, November 26, 1947, Pages 1 & 13 |
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| Newspapers.com, Standard-Times, San Angelo, Texas, Wednesday, November 26, 1947, Pages 1 & 11 |
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| Newspapers.com, The Longview Daily News, Longview, Texas, Wednesday, November 26, 1947, Pages 1 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, November 26, 1947, Pages 1 & 2 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, November 26, 1947, Page 1 |
| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, December 02, 1947, Page 14 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, For Worth, Texas, Tuesday, December 02, 1947, Page 6 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, December 03, 1947, Page 2 |
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| 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 |
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| Newspapers.com, Standard-Times, San Angelo, Texas, Thursday, December 04, 1947, Page 1 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Friday, December 05, 1947, Page 8 |
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| Newspapers.com, The San Angelo Weekly Standard, San Angelo, Texas, Friday, December 05, 1947, Page 5 |
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| Newspapers.com, Standard-Times, San Angelo, Texas, Saturday, December 06, 1947, Page 1 |
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| Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, December 30, 1947, Page 8 |















































