Jailer George Taylor Reeves

I appreciate the rememberance of my grandfather George Taylor Reeves. He was killed by the leader of the "Dandy Bandit"gang, Art Hamilton, who was killed the next day down in Winona, Montgomery County, Mississippi.
After 10 years with the Memphis police department's Barksdale mounted station, George Taylor took the job as jailer for the Shelby County Jail. The job provided room and board, he and his family lived on the third floor of the jail and his wife Claudia Bell (memaw) fixed the meals for the prisoners.
Three of the members of the gang had met with their attorney and George Taylor was preparing to escort them back to their cells when Hamilton pulled a gun. My grandfather wrestled the gun away from Hamilton and shot him in the knee as he was running for the front door. Alda Shaw handed Hamilton a second gun with which he shot George Taylor in the stomach. George Taylor died at St. Joseph Hospital.
My grandmother later became matron of the jail and my dad went on to become sheriff of Shelby County and therefore became his mother's boss.
George Taylor Reeves would have be proud of how his wife and children lived their lives.

Ed Reeves, Jr.
Grandson

January 4, 2015