NEWTON COUNTY — Newton County officials dedicated a memorial for three fallen officers killed between 1920 and 1940.
The new memorial is at the main door of the Sheriff's Office. The stories of each officer who was killed in the line of duty were retold at the ceremony.
Joseph Obie Talley was a deputy sheriff in Newton County when he was shot on July 23, 1927 while on duty. Deputy Talley had questioned a suspect who was creating a disturbance of the peace at a local bar. He instructed the man to stop stirring up trouble and go home. The suspect watched as Deputy Talley began to walk away, then pulled a gun and shot the deputy in the back. The bullet lodged in his back next to his spine, paralyzing him from waist down.
Deputy Talley died two years later on Saturday, August 24, 1929 from his injuries.
Charlie Gibson was a night watchman for the city of Newton. His night job began as local businesses were closing down for the night. His job was to check the locks of each business and keep lookout around the courthouse square.
On October 18, 1940, he approached Sam Collin's Service Station and noticed a window which looked to have been left open. Gibson called for the young man who normally worked for Mr. Collins, but no one answered. He called a second time and was shot by an intruder in the station, an escaped convict from Oklahoma.
Gibson died and the thief, Lois Carl Cobb, escaped but was later caught, tried and convicted. Cobb was sentenced to life in prison.
Sheriff Dave C. Humphreys was shot to death Monday, Feb. 15, 1932 while trying to stop a jail break. He had been the sheriff for 10 years.
Caesar Powell, of the Huff Creek Community had been jailed the night before for brutally murdering his wife with a knife murder. In the second-floor cells with him were two other men, one from Girbyville and another who hijacked a bootlegger. The sheriff had arrested the hijacker and recovered a keg of whiskey, which was locked in a single cell near the inmates along with portions of several stills.
The three inmates found a copper pipe and rolled the keg over to the side of the cell, knocked the barrel open and began scooping up the moonshine by handfuls. Constable Hamilton heard the noise and went to investigate. The inmates attacked him, and one of the prisoners grabbed his gun.
Sheriff Humphreys heard the noise from his front porch across the street and ran to the jail. He was joined by his jailor, long-time friend B. A. Meadows and Bob Collins as they all ran up the stairs toward the cells. Sheriff Humphreys rounded the top flight and stepped into the doorway to be faced by blazing pistol. He died instantly.
The memorial was donated by Joe Dan Talley, nephew of Joseph Talley. Since two of the officers were Masons, the Masons spoke at the ceremony invocation. Sheriff Billy Rowles was the master of ceremonies at the event.
Families of each officer had representatives who spoke at the ceremony.