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Sheriff Fay F. Brown’s Badge: Blinded by Corn Whiskey

December 4, 2019 by Jim Potter 4 Comments

http://jimpotterauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Sheriff-Fay-F.-Browns-Badge-Episode-2.mp3

· Sheriff Fay F. Brown’s Badge: Blinded by Corn Whiskey ·

Hello readers. I’m Sheriff Fay F. Brown’s Badge and I’m recalling my days in January 1927, after arriving in Hutchinson, Kansas. Don’t ask me what happened this morning because my short term memory is iffy, but I remember my first days in the Salt City. Ninety-three years ago I was in total darkness, inside a package sent though the U. S. mail, when I overheard conversations in the sheriff’s office. Outgoing Reno County Sheriff Jesse Langford was getting ready to free me from my temporary enclosure.

“Finally! It’s about time. In a moment I’m going to get out of this dark place and be able to breathe. To see. To meet Sheriff Fay F. Brown and people in Hutchinson and Reno county. It seems like I’ve been waiting forever. I figure it’s been a week since I was boxed up in Denver.

“It won’t be long now before I’m introduced to Sheriff-Elect Fay F. Brown. I sure wonder what he’ll be like. But first, I’ll be meeting Reno County Sheriff Jesse Langford. I’m fine with that. Jesse’s the outgoing sheriff. He sounds like he’s been faithful to his pledge to work towards law and order.

“Maybe I’ll meet his wife too. Her name is May. She’s been the cook and matron at the jail where she and Jess live. How would you like to live upstairs in a jail house, asleep in the middle of the night, knowing that’s when prisoners like to escape?

“The Langford’s have a son named Harvey. He may not be around here for me to meet, but at least he’s alive. He was nearly murdered by car thieves when he was sixteen years old. I heard all about it.”

*

“This here has got to be Brownie’s badge,” said Sheriff Langford as he started opening my outer package. “Glad it arrived in time,” he continued. “Of course, with or without this special badge, he’ll be taking his oath of office at high noon tomorrow in district court.”

I am a special badge, thought Sheriff Fay F. Brown’s Badge, still a bit dizzy from having been thrown around like an inanimate object.

“Well, look at that!” said Sheriff Langford, as he held the brand new badge up to admire. “I’d forgot a badge could shine that bright. Let’s see, Sheriff Reno County, Fay F. Brown,” he read. “It’s spelled correctly too. Sheriff with two f’s and Brown without a letter e at the tail-end.”

*

“Oh, my stars!” gasped Sheriff Fay F. Brown’s Badge while staring at Sheriff Jesse Langford’s Badge. “You’re beautiful! We’re obviously closely related, part of the same Reno county family. You’ve held up pretty well after four years of wear and tear. I can only imagine the stories you could tell.

“Your Sheriff Langford reminds me of a 47 year-old artisan I met back in Denver,” continued Sheriff Fay F. Brown’s Badge, “because that friendly fellow also smiled with his entire face, especially the same gray eyes. The most notable difference is that your sheriff is clean shaven. I see he’s got a charming dimpled chin, and he’s becoming in his suit and tie. There’s his hat—a brown felt fedora—resting on his knee.

“I don’t need to be a detective to know that your Sheriff Langford is never without his hat. His face and neck are as weathered as a farmer’s yet his upper forehead’s as white as a baby’s behind.

*

“Brownie’s going to like the looks of this sheriff’s badge,” said Langford. “He sure deserves it. Most people know that Fay’s been my undersheriff most of the last four years but they don’t understand his dedicated community service over the last decade. And I’m not just talking about his personal sacrifice of being blinded in one eye.

“When I took office, I relied on him due to his extensive experience as a Reno county deputy sheriff and his years on the Hutchinson police force. In the last decade he’s held about every rank there is in city and county law enforcement, including, for a few months, chief of police. On the other hand, my work experience prior to law enforcement was that of a farmer, clerk, and auctioneer.

“I remember the mild February day back in ‘23, just a month into my first term as sheriff. There were three of us out on liquor raids at farms: Fay was undersheriff, just days before taking office as police chief; Deputy George Duckworth, a former sheriff; and myself.

“The first raid was about seven miles east of town on fourth street at a place called the Twin Houses because in the early days, when they were built by the Bucklin sisters from New York, they were connected by a big hall or covered porch. But during our raid the dwellings were separate, the hallway long gone. I recall we made three arrests after seizing two quarts from one house, and two 15-gallon iron kegs of high test alcohol from the other.”

“From what I’ve heard from my mother,” a shaky voice said, “a married couple, Dan and Mary Bucklin, pioneers from New York, lived in one of the twin houses. Dan’s sister, I believe, lived in the other house.

“The husband must have died years earlier,” said Langford, “because I thought both ladies were spinsters. One of the people we arrested was George Frits. He was a bachelor who rented from Mary and had a reputation as a naturally kind person who cared for her when she was ill.”

“At one time,” said Shaky Voice, “Frits was a member of the Hutchinson fire department. He drove a fire wagon horse team.

“My mother recalls parties where guests would dance down the hall from one house to the other. The story goes that after Dan died, the two women didn’t get along, so they had the connecting hall torn down. I do remember about a year ago when Mother made a point of telling me of Mary’s recent death and that her remains were sent back east.”

Sheriff Langford continued his story. “The second whiskey raid, the one where Fay was injured, was about ten miles northeast of Hutchinson during the late afternoon. The crows were yelling like paid lookouts. Jake Nichols and his wife were leaving their house when we walked up to it. As we approached, Mrs. Nichols—I don’t recall her first name—was carrying something in her apron, and began fleeing across a field. I told Fay to catch her, and in short time he did.

“She crashed together two quart fruit jars she’d been holding, trying to destroy the evidence. I can still hear the shattering glass and see Fay’s head jerking backwards. Only one jar broke, but it sent a spray of fine glass and corn whiskey into Fay’s face that temporarily blinded him. That is, we hoped it was only temporary.

“Later that night, Dr. Stewart removed a dozen particles of glass and a large wood splinter of wood from Fay’s right eye.

“We arrested Jake Nichols and his wife. The next morning, before Justice Cox, they pled guilty to possession of whiskey. Since there was no evidence of Mrs. Nichols purposefully trying to hurt Fay, and they had several small children who needed their care, there were no additional charges on her. Fay’s injury was considered an accident.

“They were both released from jail after paying a total of $250 in fines, plus costs. I can understand why County Attorney Harry Brown decided not to press charges. That’s how attorneys are trained to think. You need to prove intent. However, in light of Fay’s permanent injury, it seems to me that they got off lightly. After all, it was a reckless act committed during a crime.

“Fortunately for the people of Reno county, Fay has never given up his effort to improve himself. He never tires when working a criminal case and he will continue to give our citizens efficient service. He’s honest, fearless, and a square-shooter.

“Tomorrow, Fay will take office with two good eyes.”

The Kansas Authors Club www.kansasauthors.org is a statewide organization that encourages and supports great writing. It’s divided into seven districts. In Hutchinson, Reno County (part of District 6), we have monthly meetings at Hutchinson Community College. http://www.hutchcc.edu You’re invited. Questions? Contact Jim Potter, jim@copintheclassroom.com

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Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: County Attorney Harry Brown, Dan Bucklin, Dr. Stewart, Fay Brown, George Duckworth, George Frits, Harvey Langford, Jake Nichols, Jesse Langford, Jim Potter, Justice Cox, Kansas Authors Club, Mary Bucklin, May Langford, Mrs. Nichols, Reno County Jail, Reno County Sheriff, Reno County Sheriff's Office, Sachs-Lawlor, Sheriff Fay Brown, Sheriff Fay Brown's Badge, Sheriff Jesse Langford

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alex says

    December 4, 2019 at 9:01 am

    Great cliff-hanger!

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      December 4, 2019 at 9:31 am

      Thanks! In the next episode, Sheriff Fay F. Brown’s Badge will meet the new sheriff, I think.

      Reply
  2. Natalee says

    December 5, 2019 at 10:27 am

    Jim, I enjoyed it. Nothing like an inanimate object telling its story. But 12 pieces of glass coming out of a person’s eye has got to be a record! Good voice reading as well ?

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      December 5, 2019 at 12:36 pm

      Natalee, thank you so much for your positive support. Yes, reading it is interesting too. Jim

      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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