Deputy Constable Elbert Norton Hanks

Elbert Norton Hanks

Deputy Constable Elbert Hanks was shot and killed by a 14-year-old boy who had escaped from the Navarro County prison farm.

The suspect observed Deputy Constable Hanks approaching along railroad tracks and fled into a nearby restaurant. The restaurant owner told the boy to flee through the back door. As the boy attempted to do so, he grabbed the owner's pistol off the counter. When he discovered the back door locked, he hid behind a door in the cleaning room.

When Deputy Constable Hanks entered the darkened room, he lit a match. The suspect fired a shot at the constable, causing him to drop the match. The suspect then fired a second shot striking him in the chest. The boy fled the scene but was later apprehended and sentenced to life in prison. On June 21, 1927, the Texas governor pardoned the boy, and he was released.

Deputy Constable Hanks had served in law enforcement for at least two years. He had served with the Corsicana Police Department before becoming a deputy constable. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and three sons.