Crime & Justice
These two fellows could be found at many crime scenes in Greene County, particularly if a death was involved. At left is Ralph Theme, the Coroner, talking with Sheriff Glen Hendrix. Hendrix was a hands-on sheriff. Below he's investigating an armed robbery.
You wouldn't want to meet the trio at left in the courtroom. At left is John Hosmer, "the best one-eyed lawyer in Webster County". He's chatting with two other well-known defense lawyers: Jean Paul Bradshaw, seated, and his son Paul.
By the 1960's moonshine making was replaced with the production of another illegal substance: marijuana. Sheriffs throughout Southwest Missouri made public displays of burning off the illegal crop.
Back in the "good old days" before increased emphasis was placed by the courts on individual rights, local law enforcement officers where more cooperative in displaying their catches. I don't even remember what these young people were in jail for. I know that today they would not be trotted out for the media to take photos of.
One of the events that turned the national spotlight on the Ozarks during the 1960's was the Fourth of July riot in Rockaway Beach. Hundred of college students who flocked to the small community for a summer break, got drunk and out of hand. Law enforcement agencies from throughout the area rounded up students by the truckload and took them to the jail in Forsyth.
Maintained by
Updated May 1, 2001
