Freestone County, Texas
Reflections


Freestone Past/Present
J.R. “Sonny” Sessions

1960’s Cattle Thefts

  A few years after becoming Freestone Co. Sheriff nearly 40 years ago 
cattle thefts started occurring on a regular basis of about once a week. This 
went on week after week for quite sometime. Nearly all the actual thefts 
occurred near the Freestone Co. line in Navarro Co. with many of the 
victim’s personal friends living in Freestone Co. in Wortham and Streetman. 
They occurred many times in different areas the same way indicating it the 
same person or persons. 
  At this time Navarro Co. Sheriff Rufus Pevehouse had few deputies, the 
two I remember were Dude Blackmon and Harold Pitts, both good officers.
I had one field deputy and one office deputy who was dispatcher, jailer, civil 
deputy or whatever needed Sue Gregory, her husband James Gregory the 
field deputy, The hours were 7 days a week from could to couldn’t if 
needed, there was no 40 hour week or overtime. We all lost lots of sleep on 
patrol with no results.
  As it continued neighbors began suspecting neighbors and even family 
members. Cattle owners never knew when they went to the pasture what to 
expect. Some owners pent night in their pastures, a sort of vigilante groups 
were formed to try and bring this to an end. Friend Donald Calame of 
Wortham on watch at the high tower on Pisgah Ridge late one night 
observed a suspicious vehicle, he pursued with the driver jumping out and 
leaving the vehicle and escaped in the darkness. A search of the vehicle 
showed the driver a crook but not a cattle thief as left sophisticated burglar 
tools. Donald may not have prevented a cattle theft but feel sure did a 
burglary.
  During the weeks of thefts Sheriff Pevehouse and myself were approached 
by one victim with a list he thought possibly involved. He and I both had to 
evade the truth when asked the names on it to possible prevent a killing or 
two
  Finally a Highway Patrolman near Houston took the license number from a 
disabled livestock trailer loaded with cattle in the middle of the night. This 
led to the arrest of man with the given name of George Washington but 
called Rex by all that knew him long. The given name not appropriate as 
would tell a lie anytime. Indicted on several cattle thefts in different counties 
he was first tried in Navarro Co. for theft of cattle from Streetman cattleman 
Pat Cooper. Rex was defended by a big city shyster lawyer whom I learned 
subpoenaed all that came into the Courtroom that might be friendly to the 
prosecution, even just spectators. This was a time consuming and costly 
trial.
Rex released on bond and before he tried again was killed in Houston by I 
think the police during an armed burglary
  Where each of these thefts occurred it was learned that as a child Rex had 
lived on them with his family and sharecropper father. He was well familiar 
with each place and the area. I don’t think there was anywhere that was hit 
more than once. There were hard feelings for some years by innocents that 
accused or suspected by others.

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