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Sheriff Fay F. Brown’s Badge: I Killed Him

July 22, 2020 by Jim Potter 7 Comments

https://jimpotterauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Sheriff-Fay-F.-Browns-Badge-Episode-35..mp3

· Sheriff Fay F. Brown’s Badge:

“I Killed Him”·

On September 21, 1927, in Hutchinson, Kansas, while attempting to serve divorce papers to Harvey E. Albrecht at his home, Reno County Deputy Sheriff Martin Jolliffe found a man’s body inside on the floor. Mary Adella Albrecht, Harvey’s wife, was waiting outside before picking up some of her personal belongings, unaware of the deputy’s discovery.

*

Cora Brown’s unofficial communication network was impeccable. Uninvited, she arrived at the death scene prior to the first city police officer.

Her personal contacts at the Bell Telephone System’s central switching office were highly efficient. Cora had worked as an operator for a decade until the November 1926 election. Then, Fay, her husband, was elected to be the new Reno County Sheriff.

Whenever a male sheriff took office—and only men had held the job—it was expected that his wife would become the new matron and cook of the county jail. Cora had willingly agreed to the new full-time position. She supported her husband and was a vital part of the team.

Because Hutchinson had not yet modernized its telephone system to dial phones, Cora was able to learn of the found body at Mary Albrecht’s house on Avenue A, west, due to an overheard, not-so-private, telephone conversation. Immediately after Deputy Sheriff Jolliffe called the police department to request a city officer respond to investigate the death, Cora’s phone rang with the breaking news.

*

Cora had to reach Mary, fast, but she took the time to call Fay’s office at the temporary courthouse. He was out, not available. She considered calling Mary’s minister, Reverend Luckett. Finally, Cora called her sister, Occie Phares Hamilton, who was her back-up cook, instead of putting all the responsibility on Jailer Jess Blanpied and some jail trustees.

When Cora arrived at the Harvey and Mary Albrecht house, she saw Mary standing in the shade, holding a red rose from a nearby bush. Cora prepared herself. She knew that a man was dead in Mary’s house, and like Martin, she figured the odds were pretty good it was Harvey.

“Cora, what’s wrong? Has anything happened to the girls?” asked Mary, walking towards Cora.

“They’re fine,” said Cora, “but, I’m not sure about Harvey.”

“Have you found him?” asked Mary. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know for sure, yet,” said Cora. “Let me speak to Deputy Jolliffe first.”

“But he’s inside the house . . .” said Mary.

“Let me talk to him first,” said Cora, as she walked towards the door. “Have a seat on the porch. I’ll be right back.”

Mary wasn’t being allowed into her own house and she wasn’t being told what was transpiring. She moved to her porch and sat down on the swing chair. Worried, she stood up, paced, and looked in the window, but the curtains were closed.

In quick succession, two automobiles arrived on the street near the house. A city detective with Chief of Police George Duckworth, and Sheriff Fay Brown in the county’s new Studebaker. In the last week, Fay had become Mary’s friend. She and her two girls, Pearl, 15, and Jewel, 18, were staying at the sheriff’s residence for their own safety while they waited on a decision about the divorce Mary had filed.

Mary was confused about the police response and her anxiety was increasing. She feared the worst, and she didn’t like being excluded from her own house, especially having information about her husband, withheld.

“Fay,” said Mary, as she walked toward the sheriff.

“I’m sorry,” said Fay.

“Sorry about what?” asked Mary, looking for clues about Harvey’s well-being or fate.

“Oh . . .” said Fay.

Without speaking, Chief Duckworth opened the front door, and bumped into Cora Brown on her way out. Then, he disappeared into the house.

“Cora,” said Fay, “what are you doing here? Who’s at the jail?”

“I’m here for Mary,” she answered. “Occie’s covering for me.”

“Is Harvey dead?” asked Mary, not sure whether to look at Cora or Fay.

“They think it’s him,” said Cora, as she walked to Mary and held out her hands.

“They think it’s him?” said Mary. “Let me go inside and I’ll tell them. I have a right to see my own husband.”

Fay said, “If it’s Harvey, I’m sorry for your loss. But let’s be sure first. I’ll go check on the status of the investigation, and be right back.”

“Tell them I want to see my husband,” said Mary. “I want to see Harvey.”

“I’ll be back in a minute,” said Fay.

As Fay vanished, Mary turned to Cora and said, “Why can’t I see him?”

“They think the man is Harvey, but they want to be sure,” said Cora. “Harvey left a note. He said he was killing himself.”

“Are they sure he’s dead?” asked Mary. “Have you seen him?”

“Yes, the man’s dead,” said Cora.

“Did he shoot himself?” asked Mary. “With his shotgun?”

“Poison,” said Cora. “I’m sorry.”

“I want to see him,” repeated Mary.

*

Fay read the suicide note:

“Good bye. I will not spend the rest of my life in the penitentiary. I am going home. Here is the deed, fire insurance policy and my money. The pass book, you have.

Bury me in my black clothes. The home is yours, goodbye.

Your loving husband,

Harvey Brown.

Took strychnine.”

*

Mary and Cora heard a car door close. They looked towards the street, and saw a man walking towards them.

Mary finally began sobbing. As the man got closer, Mary said, “Reverend Luckett, they think Harvey’s dead.”

“Yes, they asked me to identify him,” replied the minister, “but I’m here for you.”

“I killed him,” said Mary.

“No, my dear, he left a suicide note,” said the minister.

“I killed my husband,” said Mary.

“Mary,” added Cora, “Harvey made the decision to kill himself. You made the decision to protect yourself and your girls. This is not your fault.”

“Did he say why he did it?” asked Mary. “Was it because of the divorce? I want to see him now, and I want to read the note.”

Mary Adella Albrecht stood up and walked to the door. As she grabbed the door knob and turned it, she said, “I’ll identify my own husband. No one knows him better than me.”

*

Until next time, happy writing and reading.

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Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: Bell Telephone System, Deputy Martin Jolliffe, Fay Brown, Harvey Albrecht, Hutchinson Kansas, Jailer Jess Blanpied, Jewel Albrecht, Jim Potter, Kansas Authors Club, Mary Adella Albrecht, Mary Adella Phillips Albrecht, Occie Phares Hamilton, Pearl Albrecht, Police Chief George Duckworth, Reno County, Reno County Sheriff, Reverend Luckett, Sheriff Fay Brown, Sheriff Fay Brown's Badge

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alex says

    July 22, 2020 at 9:58 am

    Oooooooooo
    Excellent!

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      July 22, 2020 at 1:23 pm

      Thank you, Alex.

      Reply
  2. Nancy Julien Kopp says

    July 22, 2020 at 10:26 am

    Jim, I love the names you have chosen for your characters. They fit the period you’re writing about perfectly. So many little things to consider when writing a book or short story, but those little things make for a good story.

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      July 22, 2020 at 1:23 pm

      Thank you, Nancy. Occie Phares Brown Hamilton is a real name!

      Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      July 22, 2020 at 1:26 pm

      Thank you, Nancy. Occie Phares Hamilton is a real name. Lately, I haven’t heard of anyone named Pearl.

      Reply
  3. Marilyn Bolton says

    July 22, 2020 at 12:43 pm

    Thank you, Jim. I continue to look forward to the next chapter/installment!

    Marilyb

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      July 22, 2020 at 1:27 pm

      Thank you, Marilyn. Right now, I’m thinking it’s time for a funeral. We’ll see.

      Reply

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What People Are Saying

Denise Low, author of Jackalope (Red Mountain Press)

Jim Potter is a cop, retired, but he brings deep understanding of this job to his novel Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery. This layered novel has literary dimensions as characters explore crisis situations. Congratulations to this fine writer for his debut novel.

Rebecca from Proud Police Wife

Taking Back the Bullet is an emotional, yet captivating novel. Jim Potter does a superb job of intertwining each character and putting their individual identities on display. All law enforcement storylines are a true reflection of Potter’s years as a police officer because they are realistic and relatable. This is a book I highly recommend.

Dennis Perrin, educator

Masterful storytelling, exquisite character development, so real as to HURT and HOPE, a real page turner. Begs for stage, screenwriters, and visual episodic development a.k.a. TV series . . . Thanks Jim Potter for telling it like it is AND providing us visions of how it could be. Well done!

Rebecca Schillaci

As a former law enforcement officer, I found the story very relatable as it details the life of a law enforcement officer and the struggles some face throughout their careers. . . Taking Back the Bullet is a journey of understanding, respect, and forgiveness . . .

Sheryl Remar

I enjoyed the different stories of this book because Tom, James, and Suanna, the three main characters, represent in their own way the different struggles with themselves and society’s idea of what is normal.

John & Cindy Morrill, 20 years Air Force retired, 17 years law enforcement

I enjoyed your book. When I am looking for a new read, I always read the first page, last page and choose a random page somewhere in the middle before I decide to buy it. You had me on all three pages. I also like reading a book where you can relate to the characters and the settings in which they live and work. It makes a story more realistic if you can say, I am familiar with the area; I know where that town is or I have traveled that street. It was easy to relate to the characters. In one way or another, I have met them all somewhere in my journeys.

Judy Hawk

. . . I was impressed with the Native American information as well as the depth of character development . . . .

Wynona Winn, PhD, retired school superintendent

Three main characters walk different paths but with the same destination – each coping with his or her self-discovery, self-identity, and self-realization. Much like their earlier counterparts – Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield – their journeys are often joyous, often tedious and often tragic.

Diana Dester

Good story line, building the characters along the way. Great job!

Deb Theis, LSCSW, clinical therapist/hypnotherapist

Jim Potter has done it again! After his book, Cop in the Classroom: Lessons I’ve Learned, Tales I’ve Told, Jim has written another great work. In Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery, Jim Potter takes us on an insightful journey into the lives and relationships of numerous characters. Jim is such a talented storyteller that the reader quickly becomes immersed and has a ‘bonding experience’ with each of the characters, feeling their joy, fear, passion and pain. Jim’s novel speaks to the empowerment of persistence with the characters as they work through their trials. As a therapist, I appreciated the heartfelt struggles from each of the characters and their diversity. I also found value in the novel’s understanding of society’s misunderstanding of both mental health and other conditions in which people struggle. The novel contains rich exposure to various realities that many of us do not know about . . . but should. When I finished this captivating novel, I was wanting to read the sequel! It was an honor and a wonderful, mesmerizing experience reading this book. Congratulations, Jim!

Jane Holzrichter

I finished it last night around midnight. What a great piece of work. It kept me intrigued all the way to the end.

Sean McArdle, Winchester, England

Retired police officer Potter’s novel centres on very disparate characters and through the tried and tested means of gradually introducing each one, builds a sense of anticipation about what is going to happen to them. This often used methodology is not easy to do well but is superbly handled by Potter who knows how to give enough detail to bring the characters to life, yet not too much so as to slow down the pace of the developing story. A climactic event affects the main characters and it is at this point Potter’s deep knowledge of people and police procedures really hits home; page by page we read how a seemingly simple, though terrible occurrence, can have huge consequences. To Potter’s credit the story does not have a completely conclusive or simplistic ending. Instead it leaves the reader thinking about how the events of a single minute can affect lives forever. I would whole heartedly recommend this book not as a crime novel or even as a novel about crime but as a beautiful and positive affirmation about what it is to be human and how ultimately it is relationships which matter more than events.

Morgan Penner

Taking Back the Bullet is a novel that provides the reader with a window into the world of law enforcement. As the novel unfolds, the reader is able to see how split-second decisions alter the lives of the main characters in the story. Taking Back the Bullet also explores how humanity is impacted by mental illness. One of my favorite quotes from Taking Back the Bullet is “We’re all just a critical moment from being disabled or mentally ill, and we don’t want to think about it.” The novel also provides the reader an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how mental illness impacts the individuals, their family, friends, and society. Taking Back the Bullet is a story of forgiveness and overcoming life’s struggles and tragedies.

Steve Becker

I’m impressed. It was an excellent read. . . . I hope you continue with more projects in the future.

Larry Kruckman, anthropologist

Jim Potter displays ethnographic skills in Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery, creating vivid scenes and fascinating characters. The Greeks had a word for subcultures and people’s behavior: ‘ethos,’ or ‘ways of being.’ In colorful, sometimes marvelous detail, this novel captures various people and settings . . . the ethos of rural Kansas: a jail, art fair, powwow, rehab center, courtroom, albinos, and even someone in the throes of postpartum depression. So detailed are the descriptions that they must be drawn from the author’s personal experience. Besides the artfully created characters such as the struggling jailer and husband Tom Jennings, local artist Jesse Thomas, and Native American Joe Morningcloud, there is a tight story line that grabs your attention and won’t let go. Human tensions, love, conflict, joys and sorrows are all there. Magically, all the many pieces come together in a final crescendo, giving hope that even when we find ourselves in big trouble we can survive. This is a novel I highly recommend!

Larry Kruckman
Anthropologist
Karleen Wilson-Moon

Terrific story relevant to today’s social issues . . . well written . . . likable characters . . . insightful perspective from an insider in law enforcement.

Karleen Wilson-Moon

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