Sheriff W.T. Bill Jones

This is a reprint from the Ringneck Chatter 02-20-1975

Sheriff W.T. "Bill" Jones

Sometimes a master of disguise, Sheriff Jones solved four killings during his stay in office and utilized the latest police techniques in his work.

One of the best know law officers in Graham County history, Bill Jones

was sheriff for 11 years beginning his term of office in 1913, and serving

various times until 1934. Mr. Jones also was city marshal in Hill City for

a time and a guard at the state penitentiary in 1937, though he had to giveup the state job due to illness.

Jones is best known for his work in leading to the arrest of Chester Morris, the killer of local farmer George Hocker. Morris, an escaped convict from the Kansas State Penitentiary at Lansing, reportedly attempted to rob George Hocker, who lived alone, and had the reputation of keeping large sums of money in his house. Morris on January 27, 1933 entered Hocker's house, threatened Hocker and finally demanded his money. Hocker made an attempt to get a gun he kept in a bureau drawer. Morris jumped toward Hocker and drove the butt of his gun into the back of Hocker's head, knocking him to the floor. Morris then fired two shots into Hocker's head, and one into his back. Then, just for fun, Morris tied a hangman's noose around the victim's leg with a rope he had found.

The authorities could not find a suspect until Sheriff Jones figured that the noose must have been the work of a former convict. Morris, who had been seen near Hill City at the time of the shooting, was made the number one suspect. Sheriff Jones sent out descriptions of Morris, and the sheriff in Laramie, Wyoming, recognized Morris as a man working on a ranch in the area. Morris was arrested and brought back to Hill City to stand trial.

Morris who was sentenced to life imprisonment, was paroled in 1957, jumped probation and is now at large.

There were four murders in Graham County during Mr. Jones' term of office, and in every case, the murderer was caught and punished.

Sheriff Jones, at one time was involved in an accidental shoot-out with a group of townspeople. One night a boy came into Sheriff Jones' office with a story that he had been "held up" a mile east of town by a man who claimed he had robbed a bank in Colorado. Jones took a small posse out to the location of the bandit's camp. In the meantime, a man named Carl Peterson decided to take a bunch of men and assist Sheriff Jones. The alleged robber had left, and the two parties were milling around until they quite unexpectedly encountered each other. Sheriff Jones reportedly ordered Robinson, one of Peterson's party, to halt and put his hands up in the air - which he didn't do - nor did he seem to recognize the sheriff's voice. Robinson continued toward the sheriff, who "cut loose" at Robinson with a shotgun. The main part of the charge missed Robinson and struck Peterson in the arm. A general firing then started until one of the Peterson bunch managed to tell the sheriff that the lawman had shot Peterson in the arm. Peterson was then rushed to the Norton hospital, where his wounds were determined not to be serious.

Sheriff Jones was probably justified in shooting Robinson, when Robinson failed to stick up his hands. Robinson, who thought he was being ordered by the bandit, was justified in not obeying the order.

Sheriff Bill Jones died at the age of 80 on February 25, 1959, in St. Anthony Hospital in Hays, a few minutes after he was entered as an emergency patient. Jones had been in poor health and crippled with arthritis since 1951.

This information was supplied by Hazel Chalfant, who is one of four daughters of W.T. Jones. Jones also had three sons, and all of Jones children are living except one one who died in 1954.

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