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On this day in 1980, Jess Sweeten, colorful county sheriff and mayor of Athens, Texas, died. He was born in Stigler, Indian Territory, in 1905. He moved to Dallas in 1926 and worked there for several years before becoming a deputy sheriff.
The six-foot-four, 225-pound Sweeten gained a reputation as a hard-nosed investigator and a crack shot. During his tenure he shot nine men, killing three, including Gerald Johnson, the so-called "Dallas Kid" whom Sweeten gunned down after a high-speed car chase through Athens.
Apr 24, 2023 · Sweeten moved to Dallas at age 21 and worked for several years before becoming a deputy sheriff. He was elected sheriff of Henderson County in 1932 — the youngest in the state — and served 22 years. The colorful lawman became known as a crack shot and a tough investigator.
In fact, Sweeten did shoot nine men, three fatally, during his tenure of office, including Gerald Johnson, a.k.a. The Dallas Kid, following a high-speed chase through the streets of Athens. Likely Sweeten's tough reputation made more violence unnecessary.
Jan 4, 2020 · Murchison druggist Ollie Wells told Sweeten that his adult ward, Jess Whiteley, a large strong man known to be mentally slow, had suddenly turned violent and beat his elderly mother. Leaving Deputy Homer Williams in charge at Athens, Sweeten was on his way.
When a crime was committed in Henderson County, Jess took it personally. And when Mrs. Florence Everett pleaded with the young Sheriff to find her missing family, Sweeten was true to his word. It took four years of relentless determination but Jess Sweeten got his man.
