A look back when nearly the entire police force quit

I collect historical tidbits that interest me from area newspapers. Here are a few from Januarys past:

• Jan. 7, 1941: “Bales and bales of hay” had been moved into Clovis’ Armory for members of two National Guard units staying there.

“The hay isn’t for horses, either — for there are no more since the old 111th Cavalry unit here was converted into an anti-aircraft unit of the 200th Coast Artillery,” the Clovis News-Journal reported.

The hay was to “stuff the soldiers’ bed packs with,” CN-J reported.

• Jan. 11, 1955: Seven graves, exactly seven feet apart, had been discovered in Tucumcari along U.S. 66. Bones believed to be human and animal were discovered about two feet underground as workers prepared to build a cafe.

Officials said there were no “legal burials” at the location.

No additional information was reported over the next several months.

• Jan. 15, 1945: Eleven Clovis police officers, nearly the entire force, had resigned in protest of the anticipated removal of Chief Leonard Pinnix.

Capt. Nelson Worley was one of the 11 who quit.

City officials announced the next day that J.W. Manning would be the new police chief. Before year’s end, commissioners had ousted Manning and his successor, Roy Ansley.

Worley was appointed the new chief on Nov. 22, 1945.

Allegations of prisoner abuse and a stolen car plagued the brief administrations of Manning and Ansley. Pinnix, who came to Clovis from Albuquerque, had been on the job barely a year, making major organizational changes, according to newspaper reports.

Worley became a mainstay in local law enforcement, serving five terms as Curry County sheriff and two stints as Clovis police chief.

Clovis police offices today are in the Nelson Worley Law Enforcement Center.

• Jan. 22, 1953: Snow, wind and rain took down 30 telephone poles between Clovis and Texico.

Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Co. brought in workers from Santa Rosa to help with emergency repairs.

• Jan. 28, 1973: Anyone wanting to know what was going on at Eastern New Mexico University could dial 505-562-2000 “any time day or night,” officials said.

“Dial-an-Activity” worked by way of an automatic answering service device hooked up to a tape recording of upcoming activities, said Bill Martin of the Campus Union staff.

Movies, plays, athletic events, even the dining hall menu were included in the list of things to do.

David Stevens writes about regional history. Contact him at:

[email protected]

For more regional history, check out:

pagespast.net