___ Lee Clayton, for Waylon Jennings
Career criminal James "Mad Dog" Sherbondy reads a newspaper in his prison cell at the State Penitentiary in Canon City. First convicted in 1937 of murdering a Sheriff, Sherbondy died in a shootout on the sidewalk in front of the Denver Post in 1969. His head is half shaved, bars and galvanized steel line the interior walls behind him. Photographed by Karol Smith, 1950. William K. Patterson, Mss. Collection, Western History / Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library.
In fact, Meyer was unarmed on Nov. 2 when he answered a law enforcement call on Tennessee Pass. As he lay bleeding to death on the road, Meyer told a passing motorist who had shot him: 17-year-old Red Cliff resident Jim Sherbondy.
Described by newspapers as a "slight, good-looking boy," Sherbondy was a troubled young man. Wayne Trujillo of Denver, a great-great nephew of Oscar Meyer, says it is possible that Sherbondy and Meyer had a sort of running feud. Once captured, Sherbondy reportedly told officers that his dislike for Meyer dated back to his school days, when Meyer was the truant officer and forced his parents to send him to school. Sherbondy also accused Meyer of being a "tough cop" who subdued drunken men by beating them over the head with a gun. Meyer did have a reputation for being tough.
"Regardless of which picture of Meyer is accurate, there is no doubt that "boy bandit" was already in trouble on the day Meyer died. Sherbondy, the son of Shirl Sherbondy, who worked for the New Jersey Zinc Mine at Gilman, was a suspect in an armed robbery in Chicago. Eagle County law officers had
been alerted, and were on the lookout for the boy," wrote Kathy Heicher Vail Daily Trail staff.
"Indeed, Sherbondy was hiding out with his family in Red Cliff. On Tuesday, Nov. 2, his mother, Nannie, loaded up her three sons and the family's belongings in a Ford Pickup, and drove out of town, headed for Arkansas. However, as they pulled out of town, a high school girl saw Jim Sherbondy, and told Oscar Meyer," says Kathy Heicher in her Vail Daily Trail report.
At Sherbondy's trial, Meyer's wife, Ollie Graham Meyer, a music teacher, testified that her husband hurriedly left the house in his "laboring clothes," without a coat, and left both of his guns at home in a dresser drawer, Heicher wrote.
OSCAR MEYERS MURDERER TAKEN EASILY—WAS UNARMED WHEN ARRESTED—HE IS NOW ON HIS WAY BACK TO COLORADO IN SHERIFF WILSONS CUSTODY.
"A phone message was received from Mr. Wilson, who had arrived at Hastings, Thursday morning which relieved all doubt of the prisoner being Jim Sherbondy. According to the story lie told the sheriff, he worked his way west from Tennessee Pass instead of east, keeping to the hills along the railroad tracks. It took him seven or eight days to reach Wolcott, having little or nothing to eat In the meantime. From Wollcot he worked his way across the Piney divide to State Bridge, where he said he had something to eat. From there ho hiked to the Moffat tunnel where he caught a train into Denver. According to this, he could not have been in Pueblo the morning following the killing of Oscar Meyer," said the Eagle Valley Enterprise.
"James Sherbondy has been caught. Tuesday afternoon Sheriff Wilson received a telephone call from Chief of Police John A. James of Hastings, Nebr., which was the moat welcome message the sheriff has had in a long time . James told Wilson that he had just taken into custody Jim Sherbondy, 19, who on November 2, shot and killed Oscar W. Meyer near Tennessee Pass, and who has been the object of a nation wide search since Sargent F . E . Sullivan of the Hastings police force said that Sherbondy had come to tne police station Monday evening and asked for nights lodging, which was given him in the jail. He was permitted to leave about 8 o'clock the next morning. An hour or so later, Chief James received a copy of the police bulletin sent broadcast by the Sheriff last week, which contained Sherbondy's picture and description and offering a reward of $500 for his arrest and conviction. The police noticed the resemblance of the picture to the man they had just released. Sergt . Sullivan took another officer and went to the railroad yards and kept watch on outgoing trains. About 2:30 o clock on Tuesday afternoon Sherbondy was ar rested as he was boarding a west bound train . Apparently he was doubling back on his trail, as the train he was boarding was Denver bound. On being questioned by the police, Sherbondy finally admitted his identy, and expressed his willingness to return without extradition. He described the gun used in the killing, which tallies with that now in the possesion of Sheriff Wilson, found in a Denver pawn shop last week. Sherbondy was unarmed when taken by police. Hc is reported to have told the Hastings police that he didn't want to kill the Colorado officer but that he had to do it. Sheriff Wilson and Undersheriff Eldon Wilson left Wednesday morning for Nebraska to return Sherbondy to Colorado for trial for Meyer's murder Mr . Wilson has worked night and day on Sherbondy's capture since the day he committed the crime and then completely disappeared. He had uncovered his record and obtained the information concerning him which led to his arrest in Pennsylvania, on August 4, 1937 ; he was arrested at Carnegie for riding a train and served ten days in jail. He used the alias of Robert R. Roberts (his mother's maiden name) at that time, He has also gone under the names of Jim Arnold and Stanley J . Kanowichy during the short period of his career of crime. Sherbondy joined the U . S . army at Fort Logan, July 11 , 1936, and deserted there from at Fort Warren, Wyo ., July 31, 1936 . He is wanted in Denver, Colo ., and Chicago , Ill , on charges of aggravated robbery. The federal government was also looking for him on a charge of stealing an automobile in Pueblo last June and driving it into Nebraska, where he abandoned it. The relief in this community at the capture of Sherbondy is immense, and that he was taken without the loss of another life is also a relief, as it was firmly believed that he would resist capture to the very last. He had killed unarmed Oscar Meyer in order to keep from being taken into custody on a minor charge, and that he would go the limit in order to avoid trial for that murder seemed a logical conclusion," according to the Eagle Valley Enterprise report.
Career criminal James "Mad Dog" Sherbondy reads a newspaper in his prison cell at the State Penitentiary in Canon City. First convicted in 1937 of murdering a Sheriff, Sherbondy died in a shootout on the sidewalk in front of the Denver Post in 1969. His head is half shaved, bars and galvanized steel line the interior walls behind him. Photographed by Karol Smith, 1950. William K. Patterson, Mss. Collection, Western History / Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library.
Boy Bandit Escapes
After Shooting Down Oscar Meyer on Tennessee Pass
__ from headline in Eagle Valley Enterprise on Nov. 5, 1937.By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com
Jim Sherbondy was accustomed to being in trouble, even as early as 17.
Oscar Meyer, 49, of Red Cliff, was a licensed mortician, and a deputy sheriff. "Oscar Meyer was a fearless law officer. He had kept the peace at Red Cliff for many years where others failed. He was rarely armed, never carried a gun, but would wade into a pack of drunken fighting men armed with knives and clubs barehanded and straighten out the trouble," reported the Enterprise.
In fact, Meyer was unarmed on Nov. 2 when he answered a law enforcement call on Tennessee Pass. As he lay bleeding to death on the road, Meyer told a passing motorist who had shot him: 17-year-old Red Cliff resident Jim Sherbondy.
Described by newspapers as a "slight, good-looking boy," Sherbondy was a troubled young man. Wayne Trujillo of Denver, a great-great nephew of Oscar Meyer, says it is possible that Sherbondy and Meyer had a sort of running feud. Once captured, Sherbondy reportedly told officers that his dislike for Meyer dated back to his school days, when Meyer was the truant officer and forced his parents to send him to school. Sherbondy also accused Meyer of being a "tough cop" who subdued drunken men by beating them over the head with a gun. Meyer did have a reputation for being tough.
"Regardless of which picture of Meyer is accurate, there is no doubt that "boy bandit" was already in trouble on the day Meyer died. Sherbondy, the son of Shirl Sherbondy, who worked for the New Jersey Zinc Mine at Gilman, was a suspect in an armed robbery in Chicago. Eagle County law officers had
been alerted, and were on the lookout for the boy," wrote Kathy Heicher Vail Daily Trail staff.
"Indeed, Sherbondy was hiding out with his family in Red Cliff. On Tuesday, Nov. 2, his mother, Nannie, loaded up her three sons and the family's belongings in a Ford Pickup, and drove out of town, headed for Arkansas. However, as they pulled out of town, a high school girl saw Jim Sherbondy, and told Oscar Meyer," says Kathy Heicher in her Vail Daily Trail report.
At Sherbondy's trial, Meyer's wife, Ollie Graham Meyer, a music teacher, testified that her husband hurriedly left the house in his "laboring clothes," without a coat, and left both of his guns at home in a dresser drawer, Heicher wrote.
According to newspaper reports, Meyer quickly overtook the Sherbondy vehicle a mile and a half west of the Tennessee Pass summit, crowded the truck over to the side of the road, and stopped it. Stepping out of his car, Meyer informed Sherbondy that he was under arrest, and ordered him to surrender. Jim Sherbondy stepped out with a gun and fired, hitting Meyer twice in the chest.
Sherbondy then jumped in Meyer's car, and fled the scene, leaving Meyer and his family behind. A few minutes later, a passing motorist stopped. The dying Meyer named Sherbondy as his killer, says Heicher.
"The town reacted to news of Meyer's death with seething anger. Posses were organized, and hills along Tennessee Pass were searched. The Enterprise reported that "had he (Sherbondy) been found that night, his treatment would have been anything but gentle."
Newspaper reports said Oscar Meyer was buried in the Red Cliff Cemetery in the midst of a blizzard. An estimated 600 people attended the services. The casket was surrounded by 135 bouquets of flowers. Judge Luby, an army buddy of Meyer, was one of the pall bearers.
Sherbondy remained at large for three weeks, apparently spending nearly a week walking from Tennessee Pass to Wolcott, where he hid in a haystack, then jumped a train at State Bridge. He was eventually arrested in Hastings, Neb. when officers recognized his face from a wanted poster. Eagle County Sheriff Murray Wilson brought Sherbondy back to jail, says Heicher.
Meanwhile, officers learned that Sherbondy was wanted in Denver and Chicago on charges of aggravated robbery; and wanted in Pueblo for car theft. Wilson later described Sherbondy to the newspaper as a "cold-blooded, heartless" young man, who boasted of his crimes, and showed no remorse. Sherbondy reportedly had a "sardonic grin" on his face when he pleaded guilty to Oscar Meyer's murder in early December.
Testifying at his own sentencing hearing, Sherbondy denied any intent in the murder. Rather, the boy said he was so "scared and excited" that he did not know what he was doing. He said he thought Meyer was reaching for a gun when he shot him.
Calling Sherbondy a "depraved and wicked killer, like a wild and vicious animal," a visiting District Judge sentenced him to life in prison. It was two days before Sherbondy's 18th birthday.
Escapes
Much of Sherbondy's prison years were spent in solitary confinement. In prison, he earned the nickname "Mad Dog." On New Year's Eve, 1947, Sherbondy was one of a dozen inmates who escaped the State Prison in Canon City. He made his way to a nearby farm, where he held a family hostage.
However, when the one of the hostages, a seven-year-old boy, developed appendicitis, Sherbondy surrendered quietly so the boy could be treated. Hollywood eventually made a movie called "Canon City", based on the incident.
Sherbondy's second attempt at escape in 1952 failed. He later attempted suicide, then, for the next decade, was a model prisoner, who tutored kids at the state reformatory in Buena Vista.
In 1962, he was paroled to Eagle County, at age 43. That freedom, was short lived, lasting only 10 months, when a parole violation (armed robbery and possession of explosives), saw him back in prison.
Again, Sherbondy became a model prisoner. Late in October, 1969, he walked away from a prison honor camp at Buckley Air National Guard Center in Denver.
Nov. 28, Denver police officers spotted Sherbondy driving in downtown Denver. After a car chase, Sherbondy jumped out in front of the Denver Post newspaper offices, between California and Welton Streets, at the time.
When Sherbondy pulled out a pistol and fired it, the police fired back. Sherbondy died on the sidewalk. Afterwards, police found two homemade pipe bombs in the bag that Sherbondy carried.
Sherbondy then jumped in Meyer's car, and fled the scene, leaving Meyer and his family behind. A few minutes later, a passing motorist stopped. The dying Meyer named Sherbondy as his killer, says Heicher.
"The town reacted to news of Meyer's death with seething anger. Posses were organized, and hills along Tennessee Pass were searched. The Enterprise reported that "had he (Sherbondy) been found that night, his treatment would have been anything but gentle."
Newspaper reports said Oscar Meyer was buried in the Red Cliff Cemetery in the midst of a blizzard. An estimated 600 people attended the services. The casket was surrounded by 135 bouquets of flowers. Judge Luby, an army buddy of Meyer, was one of the pall bearers.
Sherbondy remained at large for three weeks, apparently spending nearly a week walking from Tennessee Pass to Wolcott, where he hid in a haystack, then jumped a train at State Bridge. He was eventually arrested in Hastings, Neb. when officers recognized his face from a wanted poster. Eagle County Sheriff Murray Wilson brought Sherbondy back to jail, says Heicher.
Meanwhile, officers learned that Sherbondy was wanted in Denver and Chicago on charges of aggravated robbery; and wanted in Pueblo for car theft. Wilson later described Sherbondy to the newspaper as a "cold-blooded, heartless" young man, who boasted of his crimes, and showed no remorse. Sherbondy reportedly had a "sardonic grin" on his face when he pleaded guilty to Oscar Meyer's murder in early December.
Testifying at his own sentencing hearing, Sherbondy denied any intent in the murder. Rather, the boy said he was so "scared and excited" that he did not know what he was doing. He said he thought Meyer was reaching for a gun when he shot him.
Calling Sherbondy a "depraved and wicked killer, like a wild and vicious animal," a visiting District Judge sentenced him to life in prison. It was two days before Sherbondy's 18th birthday.
Escapes
Much of Sherbondy's prison years were spent in solitary confinement. In prison, he earned the nickname "Mad Dog." On New Year's Eve, 1947, Sherbondy was one of a dozen inmates who escaped the State Prison in Canon City. He made his way to a nearby farm, where he held a family hostage.
However, when the one of the hostages, a seven-year-old boy, developed appendicitis, Sherbondy surrendered quietly so the boy could be treated. Hollywood eventually made a movie called "Canon City", based on the incident.
Sherbondy's second attempt at escape in 1952 failed. He later attempted suicide, then, for the next decade, was a model prisoner, who tutored kids at the state reformatory in Buena Vista.
In 1962, he was paroled to Eagle County, at age 43. That freedom, was short lived, lasting only 10 months, when a parole violation (armed robbery and possession of explosives), saw him back in prison.
Again, Sherbondy became a model prisoner. Late in October, 1969, he walked away from a prison honor camp at Buckley Air National Guard Center in Denver.
Nov. 28, Denver police officers spotted Sherbondy driving in downtown Denver. After a car chase, Sherbondy jumped out in front of the Denver Post newspaper offices, between California and Welton Streets, at the time.
When Sherbondy pulled out a pistol and fired it, the police fired back. Sherbondy died on the sidewalk. Afterwards, police found two homemade pipe bombs in the bag that Sherbondy carried.
Eighty years ago — Nov. 2, 1937 —
One of Eagle County’s most infamous murders happened on Tennessee Pass
Red Cliff resident Jim Sherbondy was only 17 years old when he shot and killed Eagle County Undersheriff Oscar Meyer. The murder touched off a nationwide manhunt, a highly publicized arrest and a closely followed trial.
Sherbondy was convicted of second-degree murder, and he celebrated his 18th birthday by reporting to the state penitentiary to begin serving a life sentence.
Jim Sherbondy Arrested in Nebraska Tuesday
___ The Eagle Valley Enterprise, November 26, 1937
OSCAR MEYERS MURDERER TAKEN EASILY—WAS UNARMED WHEN ARRESTED—HE IS NOW ON HIS WAY BACK TO COLORADO IN SHERIFF WILSONS CUSTODY.
"A phone message was received from Mr. Wilson, who had arrived at Hastings, Thursday morning which relieved all doubt of the prisoner being Jim Sherbondy. According to the story lie told the sheriff, he worked his way west from Tennessee Pass instead of east, keeping to the hills along the railroad tracks. It took him seven or eight days to reach Wolcott, having little or nothing to eat In the meantime. From Wollcot he worked his way across the Piney divide to State Bridge, where he said he had something to eat. From there ho hiked to the Moffat tunnel where he caught a train into Denver. According to this, he could not have been in Pueblo the morning following the killing of Oscar Meyer," said the Eagle Valley Enterprise.
"James Sherbondy has been caught. Tuesday afternoon Sheriff Wilson received a telephone call from Chief of Police John A. James of Hastings, Nebr., which was the moat welcome message the sheriff has had in a long time . James told Wilson that he had just taken into custody Jim Sherbondy, 19, who on November 2, shot and killed Oscar W. Meyer near Tennessee Pass, and who has been the object of a nation wide search since Sargent F . E . Sullivan of the Hastings police force said that Sherbondy had come to tne police station Monday evening and asked for nights lodging, which was given him in the jail. He was permitted to leave about 8 o'clock the next morning. An hour or so later, Chief James received a copy of the police bulletin sent broadcast by the Sheriff last week, which contained Sherbondy's picture and description and offering a reward of $500 for his arrest and conviction. The police noticed the resemblance of the picture to the man they had just released. Sergt . Sullivan took another officer and went to the railroad yards and kept watch on outgoing trains. About 2:30 o clock on Tuesday afternoon Sherbondy was ar rested as he was boarding a west bound train . Apparently he was doubling back on his trail, as the train he was boarding was Denver bound. On being questioned by the police, Sherbondy finally admitted his identy, and expressed his willingness to return without extradition. He described the gun used in the killing, which tallies with that now in the possesion of Sheriff Wilson, found in a Denver pawn shop last week. Sherbondy was unarmed when taken by police. Hc is reported to have told the Hastings police that he didn't want to kill the Colorado officer but that he had to do it. Sheriff Wilson and Undersheriff Eldon Wilson left Wednesday morning for Nebraska to return Sherbondy to Colorado for trial for Meyer's murder Mr . Wilson has worked night and day on Sherbondy's capture since the day he committed the crime and then completely disappeared. He had uncovered his record and obtained the information concerning him which led to his arrest in Pennsylvania, on August 4, 1937 ; he was arrested at Carnegie for riding a train and served ten days in jail. He used the alias of Robert R. Roberts (his mother's maiden name) at that time, He has also gone under the names of Jim Arnold and Stanley J . Kanowichy during the short period of his career of crime. Sherbondy joined the U . S . army at Fort Logan, July 11 , 1936, and deserted there from at Fort Warren, Wyo ., July 31, 1936 . He is wanted in Denver, Colo ., and Chicago , Ill , on charges of aggravated robbery. The federal government was also looking for him on a charge of stealing an automobile in Pueblo last June and driving it into Nebraska, where he abandoned it. The relief in this community at the capture of Sherbondy is immense, and that he was taken without the loss of another life is also a relief, as it was firmly believed that he would resist capture to the very last. He had killed unarmed Oscar Meyer in order to keep from being taken into custody on a minor charge, and that he would go the limit in order to avoid trial for that murder seemed a logical conclusion," according to the Eagle Valley Enterprise report.
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