Albert Beauregard "Babe" Laurence and his older brother Will Laurence (sometimes spelled Lawrence)were part Cherokee Indians (from their mother's side) who went on a crime spree in the early 1920's. Will had already served time in the Oklahoma State Prison for theft. He was a mechanic by trade (Albert also was said to have been a good mechanic)and tried to go straight. Albert looked up to his older brother and began to engage in criminal activities with him.
Will (also known as "Bill")and Babe stole a Muskogee County "Speed Car" assigned to Deputy Joe Morgan. They picked up an underage girl and drove to Texas, heading for Mexico. They were stopped and arrested in El Paso. The girl was sent home but the boys were held for the Muskogee County Sheriff's Office to pick them up. Deputy Morgan and another deputy were sent to bring them back to trial in Muskogee. While driving through Ft. Worth, Texas, one of the boys got a gun from one of the deputies and shot Morgan in the back of the head, killing him instantly. They handcuffed the other deputy to a tree and took off in the car - the same car they had originally stolen from Muskogee. While on the run they hooked back up with the girl and drove to several states. In Livingston, Montana, they were involved in some burglaries and an Officer (some sources say Constable) Charles Wilson found them in a railway yard and approached to question them. One of the brothers shot and killed the officer. They were identified as the shooters as they left behind items that had belonged to Deputy Morgan. After a period of time they dumped the girl in Colorado due to her constant complaining and drove to Phoenix, Arizona. There, they were seen stealing gasoline from a car by Phoenix Police Officer Haze Burch. Officer Burch attempted to arrest the brothers when Will pulled a revolver and shot him. Several shots by both parties were fired but only Officer Burch had been hit. He would later die that night from his wounds, being the first Phoenix city police officer killed in the line of duty. His wife and children were at home not far from the scene and heard the shots being fired, not knowing that their husband/father was being killed. Two days later the brothers were captured. Their trial was a media event in that they had killed three police officers in three states within a years time.
Will Laurence was found guilty and in January 1926, he was hung in the state prison yard at Florence for the murder of Officer Burch. The museum at the prison still has the rope he was hung with on display along with his prison mugshot photo.
Albert was extradited back to Texas to stand trial for the murder of Muskogee County, Oklahoma Deputy Joe Morgan. He was found guilty and for some odd reason, was not executed but given life in prison. However, after having served only 10 years, he was released when then Texas governor Miriam "Ma" Ferguson signed a release for him. During her first administration she averaged over 100 pardons a month, and accusations by Republicans and Democrats argued about bribes and kickbacks going on and that these pardons were being bought. This led to her defeat in the primaries of both 1926 and 1930.
Albert stayed in the Houston, Texas area after his release and married the wife of a reporter who had been covering his trial, Mrs. Johnnie Gray Anderson (see Find-A-Grave memorial # 31605971). They were married for only a few years before they were divorced due to some bad behavior on Albert's part. At some point, Albert's surviving brother, George Laurence and his family as well as their mother Lucy also moved to Harris County to be near Albert. Lucy was living with Albert when she died in 1954 and Albert is recorded as being the person who filled out her personal information on her death certificate.
Albert died in Coldspring, Texas. At the time of his death he was a Shriner and a member of the Blue Lodge.
Will (also known as "Bill")and Babe stole a Muskogee County "Speed Car" assigned to Deputy Joe Morgan. They picked up an underage girl and drove to Texas, heading for Mexico. They were stopped and arrested in El Paso. The girl was sent home but the boys were held for the Muskogee County Sheriff's Office to pick them up. Deputy Morgan and another deputy were sent to bring them back to trial in Muskogee. While driving through Ft. Worth, Texas, one of the boys got a gun from one of the deputies and shot Morgan in the back of the head, killing him instantly. They handcuffed the other deputy to a tree and took off in the car - the same car they had originally stolen from Muskogee. While on the run they hooked back up with the girl and drove to several states. In Livingston, Montana, they were involved in some burglaries and an Officer (some sources say Constable) Charles Wilson found them in a railway yard and approached to question them. One of the brothers shot and killed the officer. They were identified as the shooters as they left behind items that had belonged to Deputy Morgan. After a period of time they dumped the girl in Colorado due to her constant complaining and drove to Phoenix, Arizona. There, they were seen stealing gasoline from a car by Phoenix Police Officer Haze Burch. Officer Burch attempted to arrest the brothers when Will pulled a revolver and shot him. Several shots by both parties were fired but only Officer Burch had been hit. He would later die that night from his wounds, being the first Phoenix city police officer killed in the line of duty. His wife and children were at home not far from the scene and heard the shots being fired, not knowing that their husband/father was being killed. Two days later the brothers were captured. Their trial was a media event in that they had killed three police officers in three states within a years time.
Will Laurence was found guilty and in January 1926, he was hung in the state prison yard at Florence for the murder of Officer Burch. The museum at the prison still has the rope he was hung with on display along with his prison mugshot photo.
Albert was extradited back to Texas to stand trial for the murder of Muskogee County, Oklahoma Deputy Joe Morgan. He was found guilty and for some odd reason, was not executed but given life in prison. However, after having served only 10 years, he was released when then Texas governor Miriam "Ma" Ferguson signed a release for him. During her first administration she averaged over 100 pardons a month, and accusations by Republicans and Democrats argued about bribes and kickbacks going on and that these pardons were being bought. This led to her defeat in the primaries of both 1926 and 1930.
Albert stayed in the Houston, Texas area after his release and married the wife of a reporter who had been covering his trial, Mrs. Johnnie Gray Anderson (see Find-A-Grave memorial # 31605971). They were married for only a few years before they were divorced due to some bad behavior on Albert's part. At some point, Albert's surviving brother, George Laurence and his family as well as their mother Lucy also moved to Harris County to be near Albert. Lucy was living with Albert when she died in 1954 and Albert is recorded as being the person who filled out her personal information on her death certificate.
Albert died in Coldspring, Texas. At the time of his death he was a Shriner and a member of the Blue Lodge.
Albert Beauregard "Babe" Laurence and his older brother Will Laurence (sometimes spelled Lawrence)were part Cherokee Indians (from their mother's side) who went on a crime spree in the early 1920's. Will had already served time in the Oklahoma State Prison for theft. He was a mechanic by trade (Albert also was said to have been a good mechanic)and tried to go straight. Albert looked up to his older brother and began to engage in criminal activities with him.
Will (also known as "Bill")and Babe stole a Muskogee County "Speed Car" assigned to Deputy Joe Morgan. They picked up an underage girl and drove to Texas, heading for Mexico. They were stopped and arrested in El Paso. The girl was sent home but the boys were held for the Muskogee County Sheriff's Office to pick them up. Deputy Morgan and another deputy were sent to bring them back to trial in Muskogee. While driving through Ft. Worth, Texas, one of the boys got a gun from one of the deputies and shot Morgan in the back of the head, killing him instantly. They handcuffed the other deputy to a tree and took off in the car - the same car they had originally stolen from Muskogee. While on the run they hooked back up with the girl and drove to several states. In Livingston, Montana, they were involved in some burglaries and an Officer (some sources say Constable) Charles Wilson found them in a railway yard and approached to question them. One of the brothers shot and killed the officer. They were identified as the shooters as they left behind items that had belonged to Deputy Morgan. After a period of time they dumped the girl in Colorado due to her constant complaining and drove to Phoenix, Arizona. There, they were seen stealing gasoline from a car by Phoenix Police Officer Haze Burch. Officer Burch attempted to arrest the brothers when Will pulled a revolver and shot him. Several shots by both parties were fired but only Officer Burch had been hit. He would later die that night from his wounds, being the first Phoenix city police officer killed in the line of duty. His wife and children were at home not far from the scene and heard the shots being fired, not knowing that their husband/father was being killed. Two days later the brothers were captured. Their trial was a media event in that they had killed three police officers in three states within a years time.
Will Laurence was found guilty and in January 1926, he was hung in the state prison yard at Florence for the murder of Officer Burch. The museum at the prison still has the rope he was hung with on display along with his prison mugshot photo.
Albert was extradited back to Texas to stand trial for the murder of Muskogee County, Oklahoma Deputy Joe Morgan. He was found guilty and for some odd reason, was not executed but given life in prison. However, after having served only 10 years, he was released when then Texas governor Miriam "Ma" Ferguson signed a release for him. During her first administration she averaged over 100 pardons a month, and accusations by Republicans and Democrats argued about bribes and kickbacks going on and that these pardons were being bought. This led to her defeat in the primaries of both 1926 and 1930.
Albert stayed in the Houston, Texas area after his release and married the wife of a reporter who had been covering his trial, Mrs. Johnnie Gray Anderson (see Find-A-Grave memorial # 31605971). They were married for only a few years before they were divorced due to some bad behavior on Albert's part. At some point, Albert's surviving brother, George Laurence and his family as well as their mother Lucy also moved to Harris County to be near Albert. Lucy was living with Albert when she died in 1954 and Albert is recorded as being the person who filled out her personal information on her death certificate.
Albert died in Coldspring, Texas. At the time of his death he was a Shriner and a member of the Blue Lodge.
Will (also known as "Bill")and Babe stole a Muskogee County "Speed Car" assigned to Deputy Joe Morgan. They picked up an underage girl and drove to Texas, heading for Mexico. They were stopped and arrested in El Paso. The girl was sent home but the boys were held for the Muskogee County Sheriff's Office to pick them up. Deputy Morgan and another deputy were sent to bring them back to trial in Muskogee. While driving through Ft. Worth, Texas, one of the boys got a gun from one of the deputies and shot Morgan in the back of the head, killing him instantly. They handcuffed the other deputy to a tree and took off in the car - the same car they had originally stolen from Muskogee. While on the run they hooked back up with the girl and drove to several states. In Livingston, Montana, they were involved in some burglaries and an Officer (some sources say Constable) Charles Wilson found them in a railway yard and approached to question them. One of the brothers shot and killed the officer. They were identified as the shooters as they left behind items that had belonged to Deputy Morgan. After a period of time they dumped the girl in Colorado due to her constant complaining and drove to Phoenix, Arizona. There, they were seen stealing gasoline from a car by Phoenix Police Officer Haze Burch. Officer Burch attempted to arrest the brothers when Will pulled a revolver and shot him. Several shots by both parties were fired but only Officer Burch had been hit. He would later die that night from his wounds, being the first Phoenix city police officer killed in the line of duty. His wife and children were at home not far from the scene and heard the shots being fired, not knowing that their husband/father was being killed. Two days later the brothers were captured. Their trial was a media event in that they had killed three police officers in three states within a years time.
Will Laurence was found guilty and in January 1926, he was hung in the state prison yard at Florence for the murder of Officer Burch. The museum at the prison still has the rope he was hung with on display along with his prison mugshot photo.
Albert was extradited back to Texas to stand trial for the murder of Muskogee County, Oklahoma Deputy Joe Morgan. He was found guilty and for some odd reason, was not executed but given life in prison. However, after having served only 10 years, he was released when then Texas governor Miriam "Ma" Ferguson signed a release for him. During her first administration she averaged over 100 pardons a month, and accusations by Republicans and Democrats argued about bribes and kickbacks going on and that these pardons were being bought. This led to her defeat in the primaries of both 1926 and 1930.
Albert stayed in the Houston, Texas area after his release and married the wife of a reporter who had been covering his trial, Mrs. Johnnie Gray Anderson (see Find-A-Grave memorial # 31605971). They were married for only a few years before they were divorced due to some bad behavior on Albert's part. At some point, Albert's surviving brother, George Laurence and his family as well as their mother Lucy also moved to Harris County to be near Albert. Lucy was living with Albert when she died in 1954 and Albert is recorded as being the person who filled out her personal information on her death certificate.
Albert died in Coldspring, Texas. At the time of his death he was a Shriner and a member of the Blue Lodge.
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