ROUND  UP  THE  POSSE

                                       NORMAN  V.  KELLY

 

When we were kids and were old enough to go downtown to the movies, we would run from theater to theater hoping to hear some sheriff utter that famous phrase.  First the Columbia Theater then the Princess and finally the Apollo with a fast lunch break for a hot dog.  For us lucky kids it was the day of the cowboy, the white hats battling the black hats, and we always won.

 

Early on all our heroes rode a horse, and as the Western genre grew great cowboys like Johnny Mack Brown, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and dozens of others came on the big white screen appearing much bigger than life itself. We expected our cowboy heroes to save the day, but we loved the thrill of the posse and the thundering hoofs of a couple dozen horses racing out after the bad guys.

 

Peoria was a great horse town and until the noisy automobile came into existence the horse was king. We had an international reputation here and numerous horse owners engaged in breeding and racing not only here in Peoria County but all over America as well.

 

Way back in 1850, just five years after we became a city the local sheriff sent out the call to “Round up The Posse.”  We had a population of around 6,200 souls within our small city confines but thanks to booze and beer we grew with leaps and bounds. It was November 1, 1850 when three men attacked and brutally beat Harvey Hewitt, a local cattle buyer.  He died nine days later but was able to give the Peoria County Sheriff a good description of his killers.  The sheriff rounded up a local posse and rode with them towards Springfield, Illinois.  They were in pursuit of Thomas Brown, George Williams and Tom Jordon, for murder.  Folks in town assumed that once the posse rounded up these three killers the culprits would end up at the end of a rope. Much to everyone’s surprise the law-abiding posse brought Williams and Brown back to Peoria for trial.  Sadly Tom Jordan escaped to New Orleans.

 

                           A  HANGING  ON  THE PRARIE

 

After a proper trial the two men were convicted and sentenced by Judge Kellogg to hang. Deputies and a few members of the posse escorted the two condemned men out to the prairie for their date with the hangman. On that frigid January 15^th, 1851, the deputies were stunned to see at least 15,000 people amassed in the area that we call First and Fischer Streets.  The huge crowd made way for the wagon carrying the prisoners and then regrouped with a massive roar. It must have been a terrifying sight for those two condemned men.  After the double hanging the two men were unceremoniously dumped into two pine boxes and carted off to Peoria’s pauper field for burial.  Throughout Peoria’s history our local sheriffs called upon the local citizens to join a posse whenever they were needed.  That custom prevails here in Peoria County to this very day.

 

                     HORSEEMEN  TO  AID  IN  POLICE  WORK

 

That was the small headline that the local newspaper used to report that Sheriff  Harry P. Backes was calling upon local men to become members of the Peoria County Sheriff’s Posse.  “We need volunteers throughout the county in beating the bushes for hide-out criminals, escapees, lost children and civil defense work.”

 

The day was July 13, 1960, when the sheriff made his plans known to citizens of Peoria County. He expressed his desire to give the men extensive training in proper handling of the horses, firearms, and searching techniques.

Backes said that he wanted a posse of at least thirty men, well equipped, trained and eager to help their fellow citizens. The sheriff stated he needed help because the county police staff was undermanned.

 

Sheriff Backes told reporters and interested citizens that he would divide the county into five sections with a captain, and have six men of the posse assigned to each section.  The plan stated that the horses would be transported by horse trailer and that the posse would be about one hour apart.

 

In outlining the type man the sheriff was interested in he stated that the person would have to be twenty-one years old or older, have no felony convictions, own his own horse, and be willing to participate in all the training exercises.

 

In short order twenty-three members were signed up with seven more volunteering before the week was over.  The Peoria County Sheriff’s Posse was born.  It has been in continuous service since that date and is a viable, active unit to this day.  During those early years the men would have to pay for their own light blue denim shirt and trousers, horse and equipment.  The horse trailers were brightly painted with a large ‘P’ on the top for identification by airplanes during searches.

 

                            THE  POSSE  OVER  THE  YEARS

 

Peoria’ current Sheriff, Mike McCoy, is an eager proponent of the county posse. “When I took over from Sheriff Chuck Scofield, I was asked what the difference in him and I was. Well, I told the reporters that I loved golf, hated horses,”  The sheriff laughs, “That was a mistake. I got a lot of flack over that statement and what I was saying was I liked golf, Chuck loved horses.”  In 2002 the sheriff was saddled up and took the required course to become a member of the Peoria County Sheriff’s Posse.  He has never regretted that commitment.

 

Mike and I had some stories to tell each other about horses, and most of them ended with the horse prevailing.  Today, Mike’s injured hip prevents his riding, but his enthusiasm for the posse has never waned.

 

“They are a big deal to the sheriff’s department. I don’t just mean ceremoniously, but in so many events that require citizen protection.”

Editor’s note:  Norm is a Peoria Historian and author of 8 books and hundreds of short stories, many on line.   norman.kelly@sbcglobal.net