Lawmen Who Called the Rotary Jail Home

As jails go, rotary jails today are considered antique relics. Here the sheriff ’s residence is attached to the octagon brick jail which housed 8 pie-shaped cells spinning around a single center axis. Since originally a 1-tier rotary jail spun within a circle of stationary security bars, this rotary jail became commonly known as the “Squirrel Cage Jail.” For the men elected to serve as sheriff while the Squirrel Cage Jail was used to incarcerate inmates, this place was home.

Only 18 rotary jails were ever built in the United States, according to patent records. Daviess County’s rotary jail differed from others in that a modest sheriff ’s residence was constructed simultaneously with the jail – for good reason. The sheriff ’s family was expected to assist in prisoner care, including wives cooking meals for inmates. Providing a residence was an important part of the pay 17 Served as County Sheriff package offered to candidates by the county (less cash, happier taxpayers).

While This Jail Was in Use:

The rotary jail, with its sewage flush trough design, was quite likely Gallatin’s first indoor toilet. Not so in the sheriff ’s residence; outhouses were still the norm. In 1920 Gallatin put in a new sewer service; the jail’s toilet facilities were updated. In 1888 when this facility was built, the large foundation limestones for the basement came from the previous jail near the courthouse. Sandstone windowsills were quarried from the west side of the county. The rotary jail, shipped by rail, arrived like a kit ...ready for assembly. Local contractors built the brick building around the Squirrel Cage. Use of the sheriff ’s residence was as you might expect. Three bedrooms are upstairs. The two main floor parlor rooms provided space for guests and family living. Interior entry to the jail was through the kitchen. The rotating ironworks were scrapped in 1964. Some cage parts were reconfigured to provide two large stationary cells. By decree of the State Fire Marshal, the county discontinued use of the jail to house inmates by 1975. The residence was offered to radio dispatchers for the sheriff ’s department for another three years. Then the entire facility stood vacant, abandoned and neglected for nearly two decades before volunteer efforts and donations reaped results, an effort which continues to this day.

• 1888 Gabe W. Cox • 1890 O.P. Walters • 1892 E.S. Lankford • 1896 William A. Johnson • 1900 R.D. McCray • 1904 William T. Hutchison • 1908 J.A. Blair • 1920 J. Frank Gildow • 1926 Ben B. Houghton • 1930 Frank Sweany • 1934 W.T. Hutchison • 1938 Frank Sweany • 1942 Harry Reeder • 1946 Frank Sweany • 1954 A.F. “Buster” Clements, Jr. • 1958 Leland Houghton • 1970 Harold Appley • 1974 Leland Houghton

SOURCE: Daviess County Clerk’s Office

Grub ...at $2 per day

The wives of the men elected sheriff were expected to feed the prisoners. Food was sent to the prisoners through a "grub hole” to assure inmates were always behind bars. Early records show the room for prisoner admittance had a wood cook stove; thus, this room is called the jail kitchen while the adjoining room in the sheriff’s living quarters was called the residence kitchen. By the time that Mary Louise Appley (wife of Sheriff Harold Appley 1970-74) arrived, the jail was but a shell of its original operational design. But providing food for prisoners was just like always. In a newspaper account, Mrs. Appley recalled feeding prisoners the same things she fed her family. "I cooked like I did for my family," she said. "There were almost no facilities for separate meals, so it was either one or the other. I made roasts, soups, stews -- good food. And we didn't get anything for it. They allowed you $2 per day to feed your prisoners. That was supposed to be for three meals." SOURCE: Rural Missouri (magazine), by Jim McCarty,1987

Shot While on Duty

Like most local law officers, Daviess County Sheriff Leland Houghton worked to develop good relationships with the youth. But on Sept. 11, 1977, Sheriff Houghton was shot to death after towing a 16-year-old's car following a traffic violation.

After Sheriff Houghton handled the traffic stop late one night, he took the youth and also his mother to their home located about 5 miles northwest of Gallatin. As Houghton started to leave, the youth flashed the porch light, and approached the patrol car, opening the passenger door. He pointed a pistol at Houghton, shooting twice, then he reloaded the handgun and fired a third time.

Sheriff Houghton was found still conscious when other officers arrived at about 3 a.m., but the sheriff was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital in nearby Cameron, MO.

S.L. “Leland” Houghton previously served as county sheriff for three terms, then worked as a lieutenant for the Buchanan County Sheriff's Department and then as a security guard in Daviess County. His father, Ben Houghton, was also a Daviess County Sheriff (note: his son, Tom, later would also serve as county sheriff). When shot, Leland Houghton, 65, was old enough to retire but he continued to serve, encouraged by many who still wanted him as sheriff. He had never been injured before while serving in the line of duty. SOURCE: Gallatin North Missourian, Sept. 14, 1977