When I was 25 years old I was Sheriff of this county. Hard to believe I know. My grandfather was a lawman, father too. He and I were sheriffs at the same time, him up in Plano and me out here. I think he’s pretty proud of that and so was I. Some of the old time sheriffs never even wore a gun. Lotta folks find it hard to believe Jim Scarborough never carried one, that’s the younger Jim. Gaston Boykins wouldn’t wear one up in Comanche County.
You can’t help but compare yourself against the old-timers. Can’t help but wonder how they’d have operated these times. I always liked to hear about the old-timers. Never miss a chance to do so. There was this boy I sent to the ‘electric chair at Huntsville by my arrest and my testimony. He killed a 14-year-old girl. Papers said it was a crime of passion but there wasn’t any passion to it. That boy told me he’d been plannin’ to kill somebody for as long as he could remember. Said he knew he was going to hell. “Be there in about fifteen minutes” he said. I don’t know what to make of that. I surely don’t.
