100 years ago, Fort Worth celebrated Christmas ‘spirit’ by letting out jail inmates
Some Fort Worth Christmas traditions have endured more than a century — like the city’s downtown tree, and the Star-Telegram’s Goodfellows charity.
There’s one “custom,” though, that didn’t seemed to stick.
On Christmas Eve 1923, a front-page headline in the Star-Telegram proclaimed “Howdy, Santa Claus,” over a story that detailed how “Christmas will be officially opened tonight” with two municipal trees — one in Marine Park on the north side, the other in downtown’s Burnett Park. Church choirs would tour the city to sing at homes with lighted candles in the windows.
OK, nothing unusual about any of that.
The story continued: “The spirit of Christmas will prevail at police headquarters Tuesday,” which was Christmas day. “The iron doors will swing open for all prisoners held on minor charges, such as vagrancy.”
The story doesn’t indicate whether the Christmas clemency was permanent, or if the offenders were expected to return the 26th.
Even the real bad guys got a holiday treat.
“Prisoners held for actual crimes,” the story said, “such as burglary or car theft, will be guests of Police Chief Lee at a regular Christmas dinner, turkey and all, even to the cigars.”
The recently appointed police chief made “it an annual custom to give the men in his jail a good dinner Christmas Day,” the newspaper wrote.
The “custom” was still going strong in 1927, when the Star-Telegram reported how Lee “opened wide the gates of city jail and pointed the way to freedom for 22 jail inmates.” (Two “young women” held on charges of disturbing the peace at a public dance hall were the only ones not freed.)
“I told the prisoners to go home and spend the day with their families,” Lee declared to the reporter.
Not to be outdone, Sheriff Carl Smith dressed up like Santa for 163 county inmates who ate turkey, nuts and candies.
It’s unclear how long the police chief’s tradition lasted of emptying the city jail on Christmas. Lee would be chief until 1933, when he suddenly stepped down after having a “nervous breakdown” and going to El Paso for an extended recovery.
Local ministers cheered when they learned of Lee’s departure. They had been vigorously pressuring police to do more about gambling, liquor and other vices. When one pastor suggested the ministerial council extend sympathies to Lee because of his illness, another quipped: “Leave it alone. He’ll get over it.”
