The Feud Gets Ugly

I mean it was ugly already but not bloody. This is a really down, dirty and nasty type of ugly.

Meanwhile, Frank's out on the range chasin cattle rustlers.

source

Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!

We're in a series about one of the best Texas Rangers to ever wear the badge, the great Frank Hamer, who was brought out of retirement to take down Bonnie and Clyde.

(And who temporarily went out of his mind in his choice of a wife)

Recap

In the last post the Johnson-Sims feud became even more intense when Gladys's ex, Ed Sims, confronted and pulled a gun on her father Billy along with insulting and humiliating him in public.

This was the night before Gladys was to deliver the two girls to Ed in town for their court ordered visitation.

Today's story

Gladys's father Billy was rather alarmed at the vicious verbal attack by Ed so he asked the Sheriff to be there for the exchange of the kids the next day.

Normally Frank's brother Harrison would be guarding Billy but he and the Sheriff didn't like each other, there was bad blood for some reason and I think that's why Harrison didn't accompany Billy that morning.

Billy's son Sid came along instead, armed with his shotgun. The Sheriff asked him to go wait in the bank so Sid waited in the bank, with his shotgun.(lol. My, have times changed!)

Domestic disputes are always the most explosive

The Sheriff also had the town Marshall with him and they both waited with Ed Sims for Gladys to show up with the girls. Gladys drives up with the girls in the back seat.

Ed and the Sheriff walk over to her car and Ed greets the girls but Gladys starts complaining about having to bring them there and that she couldn't force them to go with him.

The girls started crying and saying to their father that they wouldn't go with him.

Well, it was obvious that Gladys had told them what to say and was trying to stop the visitation. I hate that kind of thing!

Ed reached in and got their suitcases while they kept crying and saying they wouldn't go. When Ed reached in for one of the girls and tried to pull her out Gladys snapped.

Gladys went crazy

As unbelievable as it sounds, she drew her pistol and fired off three shots at Ed, at point blank range! One bullet harmlessly went through his hat, but one hit the side of his chest and another hit his leg.

Ed shouted, "God damn you!" And tried to grab the gun and the Sheriff also lunged in to grab it. She got one more shot off, which didn't hit anyone, and the gun was knocked out of her hand and fell behind the seat.

As the Sheriff pulled him out of the way Ed yelled, "You see what you have done? I am unarmed!" He wasn't seriously wounded. I mean his wounds were serious but not life threatening as long as he got treatment. He staggered away from the car.

Sid defends his family's "honor"

At that moment Gladys's brother Sid, who was in the bank, came rushing out with his shotgun and blasted Ed with a shot to Ed's side, slamming him to the ground.

The Sheriff wrestled the shotgun away from him as Sid shouted, "No man can curse my sister and her children!"

Gladys's father ran out of the bank and scooped up the girls and got them into the bank.

No more forced visitations

The area was full of people shopping and going about their business when all this went down and a group of them carried the mortally wounded Ed into the drugstore where he died shortly after.

Gladys and Sid were arrested, charged with murder, and released on bail.

The story continues tomorrow, thanks for reading!
-jonboy
Texas

ps- I don't actually have a ps today, power was out all night and morning due to rain storms and tornados, just got back online.