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August 1, 2024
Today in Texas History
On this day in 1949, Fannie Pearl Surratt was appointed sheriff of Montgomery County.
Her husband, Hershel, who had been sheriff, died of a heart attack on July 22.
She wore a cowboy hat, ankle-length skirt, and western-style collared shirt with a men’s tie. She carried a small pistol in a hip holster and a large pearl-handled chrome revolver in her waistband, but was best known for the ax handle she used to smash pinball machines, then considered illegal gambling equipment.
She served as sheriff for 17 months.
Her husband, Hershel, who had been sheriff, died of a heart attack on July 22.
She wore a cowboy hat, ankle-length skirt, and western-style collared shirt with a men’s tie. She carried a small pistol in a hip holster and a large pearl-handled chrome revolver in her waistband, but was best known for the ax handle she used to smash pinball machines, then considered illegal gambling equipment.
She served as sheriff for 17 months.