Sheriff Crockett
Cochran County, Texas
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John Sharp Crockett
Entered office: January 01, 1935
Left office: December 31, 1936
Birth: April 25, 1895
Death: March 18, 1961 in Morton, TX
Burial: Morton Memorial Cemetery, Morton, Texas
Sheriff John Sharp Crockett was born
April 25, 1895. He and his wife, Ethel, and
their children moved to Cochran County in
1931 to a 160 acre farm northwest of
Morton; with them they brought horses,
mules, chickens, pigs and geese. When
the family arrived there wasn’t a paved
street in Morton and the town consisted of
Cox's Mercantile Store, two gas stations,
one feed store and a place to bring your
cream and eggs.
Crockett farmed from 1931-1935. In 1934,
in spite of his wife's disapproval, Crockett ran for Cochran County Sheriff and was
elected, taking office on January 01, 1935.
In late October 1936 Sheriff Crockett would
be called to investigate the murder of
Juanita Kelly, a local woman who had been
reported missing. Her mutilated body was found buried in a field southwest of Morton.
The gruesome murder and the
investigation made headlines across the
nation for nearly a week, and was a
featured case in two detective magazines in
1937.
When his term expired he ran for re-election, his wife, Ethel, was so opposed to her husband running once again for sheriff that she voted against him in the election.
After losing the election Crockett and his family moved to Weed, New Mexico but returned to Morton a short time later in 1938. The following year the family moved to Roswell, New Mexico to help build an Army base. Later that same year they moved to Trinidad, Colorado. There Crockett helped build a prison camp used to hold Japanese people during the war with Japan.
The Crockett family returned to Morton in 1942 and opened the The Busy Bee Tavern, which he ran until the county was voted dry. Later in 1942 Crockett bought the City Cafe on the north side of the square where they became known for the best steak in West Texas. Crockett drove to Clovis, New Mexico once a week to pick up half of a beef for the cafe.
Sheriff J. S. Crockett died on March 18, 1961 from a heart attack at the age of 65.
Another view of the Busy Bee Tavern (from Ronnie Warton)
Source: Texas Sesquicentennial Texas' Last Frontier Cochran County 1836-1986 Volume 1. Copyright Cochran County Historical Commission; written by Mildred Jackson circa 1985. Adapted by Mary Helen McKnight 2016
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