Early Days of the Historic
Motley County Jail

Shortly after the official establishment of the county in 1891, the Matador Land and Cattle Company reported the first fatal gun battle. The shooting occurred at the ranch when a Mr. McCloud shot Jeff Varner, the first man to be buried in the local cemetery. It is reported that this incident resulted in the speedy construction of the jail. The brown limestone that was used for the edifice was hauled in wagons from Salt Creek, five miles west of Matador. The early-day pioneer county officials hired two local contractors, and the new building was erected in record time to harbor criminals. The small structure was built on the banks of Ballard Creek, an old Indian Encampment.

The two-story structure had an office and living quarters for the jailer on first floor and two 4-men cells on the second floor; a private cell used to house the criminally insane until they could be removed to the state hospital; and the hanging gallows. The gallows were never used, but they provide an interesting anecdote to the history of the jail.

Historic Motley County Jail in Matador, Texas.

Historic jail in (background) photo of Indian camp.

Historians report that Digger Danby narrowly escaped his date with the gallows by pure chance and opportunity, and the fact that he was the best well “diviner” and digger in the county. While awaiting his fate at the gallows, he was allowed to leave the jail periodically to help the settlers dig their wells. Rumor has it that he disappeared one day while on such a mission and “deprived the jail of the only opportunity they had to boast of a hanging.” Later, the trap-door was sealed when the state prohibited hanging by local authorities.

The jail also had a “run-around” that opened onto the street. According to legend, the cowboys who had been thrown in jail for getting drunk and shooting up the town would call out “hello out there” to passersby in the hopes of getting a cigarette. A former resident related this tale to William Saroyan, an American author (1908-1981) who wrote a short one-act play in 1942 entitled: “Hello Out There.” In 2005 a screenplay based on this work entitled, The Lonesome Matador was presented at the Sundance Film Festival.