In the early 1900s, Walter Turnbow (1877—1947), one ofthe colorful characters perched on my family tree, drew acclaim as one of theswiftest runners in the Lone Star State.

With $1,000 at stake, he won a race against JamesGoldforth in Dublin, Texas, on October 16, 1905. That prompted G. H. Burrell ofCleburne to stake $500 that he could defeat Walter in a race. Yet, the plan wasthwarted by the arrival of Officer Kirk from Hamilton County who came to arrestWalter for escaping from the county farm where he had been sent to pay off a gamblingfine. The officer, refusing to accept Walter’s offer to pay the fine, boardedhim on a Hico-bound train from Dublin. En route, the prisoner jumped through awindow near Alexander and used his racing prowess to escape.

Officer Kirk could find no trace of Walter Turnbow. On October19, Kirk traveled to Brownwood where he learned that some foot racers were intown to run in a competition the next afternoon. On the morning of the race, theofficer scouted around town until he found and arrested Walter.

Eight years earlier, Walter—with a brother and a cousin—donneddisguises in a failed train-robbing attempt. The trio were caught, leading toWalter’s two-year prison stint. More about the daredevil’s exploits are told inthe pages of my book, Sins of the Pioneers: Crimes & Scandals in a SmallTexas Town.