Humble’s first jail
In the latter years of the 19th century, the rounding up of scuff-laws and do-badders was left
up to the citizenry and the mayor.
The need for law enforcement before Humble’s oil boom days was nearly non-existent. Mrs. Jewel Goss Scott reported
that she remembered that in the years before World War I, “There was no serious crime to my knowledge. There was not
much thievery except for watermelons”.i
The first jail in Humble was an 8’ x 10’ shack on the south side of Granberry Street next to the railroad tracks.
It was made from 1”x12” boards all around with 1”x3” stakes covering up the cracks. The door, which faced
Granberry, was chained shut with a railroad chain that encircled the building and was locked with a large
railroad padlock. There was one barred window high up in the building, and the only way that the little boys
could tell if there was anyone inside was to throw rocks through the window to see if anyone would yell out
in protest. Those accused of violating the peace were taken to the mayor by the affected citizens for formal
arrest and would wait for trial in the ramshackle jailhouse until the Harris County Sherriff or the County
Constable could transport them to Houston, the county seat, to stand trial.
Gone But Not Forgotten
Two lawmen that served the Humble area from about 1904 were Herman Imhoff, Harris County
Precinct 4 Constable; and James Harvey “Kid” Fields, Harris County Deputy Sheriff. Of the two, nothing is
recorded on the life of Imhoff.
Fields was born in McGregor, Texas, near Waco on March 6, 1890. When he was younger, he and his brothers, John
and Lonnie, found work in the Humble oilfield as Pipeline men. As a Deputy Sheriff in Humble, Fields was seriously
injured by a man trying to rob the theater in 1928. Fields died on September 13, 1954.
Ed “Danger” Dangerfield Foltz
The first law enforcement official recorded in depth by the DAR’s history book was one hired
after the first wave of oil wildcatters arrived on the Hill. Harris County Deputy Sheriff Ed Dangerfield Foltz was
sworn in to provide for the peace of the area. Foltz did what he could, but it was impossible to patrol all parts
of Moonshine Hill and Humble.
Foltz was a colorful sight. He was never seen without his white Tom Mix-style ten-gallon hat, his blue serge suit
was worn year-round, and he stuffed the pants legs of the suit into his cowboy boots. He kept his peace-keepers
strapped on his hips – two pearl-handled .45 caliber revolvers. The man spawned awe in the eyes of boys and men
alike. Little boys were dared to approach the law man and ask him to “let me snap your pistols.” If they were
successful, a standing 5¢ reward was offered. It is not known by whom the reward was offered, but in those days
when the town was so small, any of the local merchants or founders would have paid the reward. Men would be
respectful and on guard when Foltz was within sight.ii
“Big” George Lacewell – Texas Ranger
In 1915, while “Fatty” Shoust was serving as Constable, Texas Ranger “Big” George Lacewell was
assigned to Humble after a plea from Justice of the Peace F.K. Wise was sent to Austin. When Lacewell arrived
with his family and began to assess the situation, he sent his two daughters to live in Houston. Many of the oil
field men living in tents and lean-to shacks had needs that were not being satisfied, and some of those desperate
enough forced themselves on the young women around the Hill and in Humble. The frequency of attacks became so
numerous that husbands and fathers began to send their women away to nearby towns. Lacewell was no exception. He
sent his daughters to Houston where the girls found work in a department store until it was safe to return to
Humble. Lacewell’s work was clearly cut out for him.
But, it is unclear how Lacewell was received by the Humble citizenry. The town’s crime rate was clearly out of
control, but at the time of Lacewell’s arrival, the Texas Rangers were viewed by the general public as a vicious,
marauding gang that brutalized and murdered people in cold blood. This was due to the reports that came from
places like the Rio Grande Valley, the Panhandle, and Big Bend where they regularly intercepted roaming hostile
Hispanic and Indian bands that raided the settlers in those areas. All of the bad publicity from the Ranger’s
enthusiasm in upholding the law almost brought an end to the agency in 1900, but the state legislature decided
to shrink the agency instead of dissolving it altogether. Because of the scandal and embarrassment brought on by
the Rangers, the force was scaled down in 1901 to eighty men.
In 1914, the year before Lacewell’s arrival, the tension and anticipation of war in Europe was beginning to spill
over to the western hemisphere, and at one point, it was thought the United States might go to war with Mexico.
The Rangers were again at the vanguard of the defense, and it was their zeal in fighting with Mexican nationals
that brought on more bad connotations with the name Texas Rangers. During that year, there was a number of Mexicans
that wanted to escalate a race war with an army that never materialized made up of Mexicans, African-Americans
and Japanese. The plan for this racially-blended army would be to raid and kill Mexican-Americans and Anglo-Americans
at the U.S./Mexico border. The end result hoped for was to reclaim Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California for
Mexico. The name of the guerilla warfare along the border was called the Plan of San Diego.iii This desire to reclaim
the territory Mexico lost during the Mexican-American War never died and was promoted at this time. Later, the same
idea was revived with the Zimmerman Telegraph to Mexico from Germany on January 16, 1917, and it is thought by some
that even today efforts are being made to accomplish the task with gang wars and drug wars along the border.iv
Lacewell was received in Humble, and as a Texas Ranger it was his duty to put an end to any of the lascivious
enterprises that had sprung up on Moonshine Hill including bordellos and gambling halls and to arrest any miscreant
that did not feel like abiding by the law. In those days it was not unusual for a Ranger to fill up the jail house
and then handcuff wrong-doers to hitching posts and telephone poles.
Housing for the lawman was not included in his assignment to Humble. He, his wife and their young son, Edwin,
lived for a time in a tent until he could get some lumber and some screen. With that material, he built a shack
with a boxing-board floor, a screen in the middle and the tent was used for the roof. The screen served to keep the
mosquitoes out of the sleeping area, and this was the way the three lived until he could find a house in Humble.
Knowing that he could not single-handedly accomplish the job he had been sent to do, Lacewell began to organize a
civilian guard. The guard patrolled the town and arrested anyone that had the need to be arrested. With Lacewell’s
training, the guard was formidable enough to bring the town’s crime rate back to the normal watermelon-stealing
days to which Mrs. Scott referred earlier.
Trouble in the Oil Patch
Around 1917, when Humble, Beaumont, Goose Creek and Sour Lake were experiencing boom town status,
oilfield workers began to complain about working conditions, and those complaints turned into immoral actions.
The United States became involved in WWI and the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia occurred during that same year.
The entire world was at war over various things, but the main problem was the way the working class (proletariat)
of the world was being treated by the upper class (bourgeoisie).
In the Humble oil patch, the men were working every day all year long with little time for their family, much less
themselves. In the oil boom days of Humble and the rest of East Texas, it was inopportune for a stretch of bad luck.
The oilfield hand had to decide which was more important; to take a sick child to the doctor or to maintain the job
with which he would pay the doctor’s bill. In many cases, the worker could not do both.
Safety was not a high priority, and it was common for men to lose a finger or more while working on a rig. Personal
protective equipment in the oilfield of Humble’s boom days included Witch-Elk boots, Scotts Brand overalls and
Tuff-Nut gloves.
Plans of sabotage were at least spoken if not carried out. The grumbling about unfair working conditions escalated
all over East and Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana until military troops were dispatched to all oilfields.
In Humble, the United States Army 2nd Company of the 19th Infantry from Ft. Sam Houston was deployed to Moonshine
Hill in 1917. There, the soldiers’ presence squashed any attempts at sabotage. When the soldiers were not patrolling
the oilfields, they were performing training maneuvers by digging in the sandy soil and staging mock battles.
There are some who think that the military at Moonshine Hill was there to train for the Battle of Belleau Wood in
France. This was not true for two reasons: (1). The 2nd Company of the 19th Infantry from Ft. Sam Houston was an
army unit, and the Battle of Belleau Wood was fought by the United States Marines, and (2). The Battle of Belleau
Wood was not a planned battle. It was just the place where the two opposing forces happened to meet.
If these troops in Humble were training for anything, it was more than likely that it would be for any military
action that Mexico might mount against the United States, as there were the skirmishes along the border at that
time; however, it is not totally out of the question that some of the soldiers that were in Humble did go to Europe
and found themselves at Belleau Wood through transfers.
In 1918, when the newly formed Association of Oil Field, Gas Well, and Refinery Workers of America gave the workers
the more humane working conditions that included a six day work week and eight hour shifts, the military was
pulled out of Humble.
“By-Jingoes”
Harris County Constable Marvin Alton “By-Jingoes” Winter served from 1930 until 1937. In 1910,
Winter was a barber in Houston in the Heights district where he met and eventually married a young lady by the
name of Willie St. Clair Hastings, a seamstress originally from the town of Blackjacks near Rockport, Texas.
The couple moved to Humble with their son, Lester, in February of 1913. Of course, Humble was still a wild boom
town at that time with shootings in the streets and other tom-foolery by the rambunctious wildcatters of the time.
He opened a barber shop in the thriving town and along with his scissors and clippers he kept his “.45” within
easy reach.
Later, Winter operated a “jitney” (a taxi) between Humble and Houston offering “one day shopping”. He would have his
fare to Houston’s Old Market Square and back in one day, which was quite an ordeal when the only road to Houston
and back was the Old Humble Road, also called State Highway 35, which was not paved.
After a job with Galena Signal Oil/Sun Oil Company, Winter went back to cutting hair with a new partner, J.P. Smith.
In 1930, Winter was elected as Constable of Precinct 4. His nickname came from his favorite expression – “by jinjoes!”
and that was what most called him, at least to his face. He was also called Handlebar Winter because of his thick
handlebar moustache.
Winter built a house at 400 N. Avenue D where at the time there were no streets. Only trails ran through the woods
to the Winter home. On the way home from Humble, Winter witnessed cattle, pigs and chickens running loose and
wallowing in the mud holes of the streets.
During Winter’s time in office he served as the arresting officer and server of warrants and citations. His method
of arrest was to send word to the offender to come to his office to surrender thus eliminating the embarrassment of
being arrested at home. Winter was killed on December 4, 1937, while working a wreck on U.S. Highway 59.v
The City Incorporates
Humble became an incorporated city on August 28, 1933, and soon after, the City Council began to
pass ordinances even though there was no police department established to enforce the new laws.
Between September of 1933 and February 1941, the council passed six ordinances ranging from “businesses that sell
beer must have a license to do so” to “no dogs will be allowed to run at large on the city streets”. Most of the
laws passed carried a fine from $1.00 to $100.00, but still there was no formal entity in the city to enforce the
orders.
On March 4, 1941, the City Council passed Ordinance #44, which provided for a deputy and peace officer in Humble.
Mr. T.E. Sammons was named the first Constable of the City of Humble effective April 7, 1941, and he was under the
direct authority of the Humble City Council. A nighttime patrolman was not felt to be needed until M.H. Coker was
hired in that position on March 1, 1945. Coker was the official night watchman until his retirement on December 1,
1957. He was followed in that position by Mr. Ashbury who served in that capacity for a number of years.
For ten years, beginning in 1955 through 1965 Harris County Precinct # 4 Constable Clint Eddings and his deputies
worked out of the Harris County Court House located on Main Street in downtown Humble. It was during these years that
Constable Eddings and his deputies would be frequently called upon to fill the gaps in local law enforcement prior to
the creation of the Humble Police Department in September 1965. Constable Eddings continued to serve the Humble area
until 1972, and he will always be remembered for his sixteen years of dedicated and honored service to the Humble
community, and his outstanding work with the area youth.
The Humble Police Department
The City of Humble had no Chief of Police until as late as 1965 when Harvey Lovings of Dayton,
Texas, was accepted by the city council. Lovings took office on July 6th and on July 30th tendered his resignation
because he had been made Chief of Police in Dayton, Texas where he lived. Applications came to the city council,
and they accepted that of Clark J. Mugrage who was sworn in on August 20, 1965.
One month later on September 16, the City Council established an official Humble Police Department with Mugrage as
the first Chief of Police.
He served in that position until November 1, 1966, when he resigned. On December 1, 1966, the City Council named
Clarence Franklin Lee to the position until his resignation on May 31, 1967.
On June 19, 1967, Boyd O. Norris became the Chief of Police and Robert Combs became Humble’s first patrolman
making it a two-man department for the first time.
Under the direction of Police Chief Jack Theis (1972 – 1981), Humble’s police strength grew to a force of one
Sergeant, two patrolmen and one secretary, and by the time of the United States Bi-Centennial, the force consisted
of the Chief, one Lt. Detective, one Sergeant, six full-time Patrolmen, one relief Patrolman, one secretary, and
three dispatchers. The equipment in service in 1976 was four cars and two jeeps.
At the time of the printing of the Humble history book by the DAR (1976), the department had radio equipment, which
would still allow them to communicate with civil defense and other agencies in the event of a power loss from
something such as a hurricane. The department was also able to communicate with other law enforcement agencies
nation-wide by means of a teletype machine, and they were awaiting photography equipment. The original site of the
Humble Police Department in 1965 was at 211 East Main Street where the “tree of knowledge” shades the
“wisdom bench”.
In March of 1974, the police headquarters was moved to the back of Humble Fire Station #1. When the fire department
renovated their shelter, the police station moved again to the place where the Humble Fire Marshall’s office now
stands. This was also the first location of the Humble Police Crime Lab in 1995. The building that formerly housed
the Harris County Precinct #4 Constable’s Office at 305 Bender Avenue was purchased by the city of Humble and was
later renovated and converted into the new Humble Police Department’s Forensic Crime Lab in 2006.
Since 1965 there have been ten (10) men who appointed to the position of Chief of Police and that have served the City of
Humble and its citizens. For more detail information on the former Chiefs of Police located on in the history
section of this web site (see history of the Chiefs of Police).
Since October 2, 2002, Gary Warman serves as Chief of Police and employs over eighty-six employees, and over sixty
officers housed in a multi-million dollar station with state-of-the-art crime fighting equipment at their disposal.
The fleet of Interceptor cruisers used to patrol the City of Humble is equipped with the latest technology of
on-board computers (VMDT) mobile digital video terminals that can be used to directly access many law enforcement
data banks, while providing video documentation of all officer / citizen contacts.
The Humble Police Department's Forensic Crime Lab currently houses a very sophisticated computer with finger and
palm-print image analysis, storage and retrieval database system known as “A.F.I.S.” which is an acronym for
(Automated Fingerprint Identification System). The crime lab is also equipped with the latest in photographic
capability from crime scene photography, to the use of alternate light sources, and photographic image enhancement
capability. The Humble Police “CSI” officers have the ability, skill, training, and expertise to recover and
chemically process all types of material that may contain latent finger prints of suspect(s) gathered from a crime
scene all the way through positive identification of the defendant(s). The lab also gathers and collects DNA
evidence in addition to hair and fiber evidence, tire, shoe, and tool mark impressions, along with many other
forms of crime scene evidence recovery. The Crime Scene Investigator also has a fully equipped mobile crime lab
that will allow for exceptional crime scene processing capability.
The department also utilizes the latest OSSI computer software systems for their computer assisted dispatch (CAD),
and their records management system (RMS), and mobile field reporting (MFR), property and evidence inventory,
along with many additional investigative computer software modules that increase the crime solving capability of
the department. This type of computer technology greatly assists the officers in identifying and charging criminal
suspects, in addition to locating and recovering stolen property. These elements combine to make the city a safer
place in which to live and work.
In late 2009 the department built a new state of the art training facility. In addition to this, the department
fields a full complement of trained and certified professional law enforcement instructors. These instructors and
the Department Training Coordinator make it their mission to provide the latest in both classroom and field training
to all sworn officers, while continually providing pertinent legal updates, and other relative information specific
to the jobs of all officers, dispatchers, and civilian employees alike. The department constantly strives to stay
abreast of the latest advancements in training, equipment, and law enforcement technology.
We readily acknowledge and embrace our law enforcement history because it is our past that has provided us with the
blueprint that has created the capabilities that we as Humble Police Officers possess today. It should suffice to
say that it is because of our historical and often colorful past, that the Humble Police Department now stands
ready, and more capable than ever to meet the City's future, with all of the challenges that will inevitability come
with it.
iScott, Jewel Goss. (1976). A History of the Humble, Texas Area. James Tull Chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution. The Benjamin Goss Family. Bi-centennial Heritage Committee. p 102-103.
iiTheis, Ophelia. (1976). A History of the Humble, Texas Area. James Tull Chapter of the Daughters of the American
Revolution. Remember Our Lawmen. Bi-centennial Heritage Committee. p 207.
iiiTexas Rangers. Mexican Revolution and early twentieth century. (2009). Retrieved June 11, 2009, from New World
Encyclopedia. Web site: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Texas_Rangers#Mexican.E2.80.93American_War
ivHandbook of Texas Online, s.v. ","
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/WW/qdw1.html (accessed September 5, 2009).
vBartlett, Etta Ruth Winter. (1976). A History of the Humble, Texas Area. James Tull Chapter of the Daughters of the
American Revolution. The Winter Family. Bi-centennial Heritage Committee. p 195- 196.
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