New Mexico’s Old Times & Old Timers

NEW MEXICO’S OLD TIMES & OLD TIMERS

by Don Bullis, New Mexico Author DonBullis.biz

Union County Deputy Murdered at Grenville Dance –Suspect Arrested

The Union County Leader reported the sad story:

“T he quiet little village of Grenville was startled Saturday night [October 23, 1937] when Raymond Baum, a young ranch hand, walked into the community dance hall about 1 o’clock in the morning and threw down on the dance floor his own bloody revolver and then another one that he said belonged to Deputy Sheriff J. V. Cogdill. In a braggardt [sic] and dramatic manner he commanded “Some of you S of Bs take me to the county jail at Clayton for I have just killed old man Cogdill.” The dance broke up and the dance manager and a friend hustled Baum into a car and started for the county seat. Immediately a search for the officer was started and in a short while his dead body was found near Baum’s flivver car on a side street at the rear of the Central Hotel…. At first it was presumed Baum had shot and killed the officer but the nearness to the hotel caused… (some) doubt…. Later investigations disclosed that Cogdill had been stomped to death. The head and face were terribly mutilated.

“It is believed Baum took an hour or so to decide his course after he realized what he had done. The victim’s body was cold and the blood on his face had dried when he was found. As only a few minutes elapsed from the time Baum made his announcement at the dance hall until the body was found it is believed Baum took the time to decide whether to flee or give himself up.

“There is also conjecture as to how it came that the officer was at the car owned by Baum. As Baum had shown a disposition to make trouble at the dance it seemed reasonable to suppose the officer took Baum in charge and led him to his car and ordered him to go home. This Baum resented and made his attack…. Fearing

ANIMAL & RANGE animal & range SCIENCES sCienCes

The Department of Animal & Range Sciences is part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences The Department of Animal & Range Sciences is part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences Four on-campus animal facilities house: beeF CaTTle/horses/swine/sheep Students can major in Animal or Rangeland Resources and are provided with the very best of “hands on” academic instruction by our faculty. Fully equipped labs allow students access to cutting-edge research in:

LIVESTOCKNUTRITION / GENETICS / PHYSIOLOGY / ENDOCRINOLOGY / MEAT SCIENCE / WOOL / TOXICOLOGY / WATERSHED & RANGELANDECOLOGY / WEED & BRUSHCONTROL / PLANTSYSTEMATICS / GRAZINGMANAGEMENT

The Department also offers pre-veterinary studies –our graduates have a high acceptance rate into veterinary medicine programs. We offer graduate degrees at the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy levels. The M.S. or Ph.D. in Animal Science can emphasize nutrition or physiology, and offers a Ph.D. in Range Science to study range management, range ecology and watershed management. THE DEPARTMENT ALSO OPERATES

• The Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland

Research Center (The College Ranch) – 64,000 acre ranch just outside of

Las Cruces • The Corona Range & Livestock Research

Center – 28,000 acre ranch & facilities in

Corona, NM • Student organizations, including a

Block & Bridle Club, Pre-Vet Club,

Range Club, Horsemen’s Association,

Therapeutic Riding Club, &

Judging Teams • Clayton Research Center hosts research on shipping protocols, particularly evaluating the health and performance of newly received cattle, and nutrition and management from feedlot to slaughter

Dr. Shanna Ivey – 575-646-2515 • Dr. John Campbell – 575-646-6180 Dr. John Campbell –575/646-6180 / Dr. Dennis hallford –575-646-2515 http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/anrs http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/anrs/ the officer might be able to reach for and use his gun there in the darkness his fear knew no bounds until he had committed one of the most brutal murders in the annals of crime…. The balance of the story will be written by the grim officers of the law and then the curtain for Raymond Baum.”

District Attorney V. A. Doggett charged Raymond “Pard” Baum, 20 years old, with first degree murder on the following Monday. Baum entered a plea of not guilty claiming that he’d been drunk at the time and had no recollection of anything that had happened. He was ordered held without bond.

Baum’s trial in March of the following year was a contentious affair and a jury pool of 108 was required over two days before a panel of twelve was seated. District Attorney Doggett sought the death penalty claiming that Baum had given some thought to killing the deputy, thus indicating premeditation. Baum’s motive was that Cogdill previously ejected him from the dance on the night of the murder. Defense attorneys opposed that assertion claiming that Baum was very drunk at the time Deputy Cogdill was killed and was thus unable to form specific intent to commit the crime. Other witnesses testified in support of that claim, although one of the witnesses asserted that Baum had a tendency to be aggressive when he was drinking.

The jury convicted Baum of second-degree murder and Judge Livingston N. Taylor immediately sentenced him to 90 to 99 years in prison. He was paroled from prison to Kingman, Arizona, in November 1946 after serving nine years. He was pardoned and restored to citizenship in December 1952 by New Mexico Governor Ed Mechem.

Two other men, Dale Cherry and Charles Oldham, were tried in September, 1938 for aiding and abetting in the murder of Deputy Cogdill. No news story of the day was clear in describing just how these men participated in the crime. Juries seem to have been likewise unclear; Cherry was acquitted and the jury could not reach agreement regarding Oldham.

Born in North Carolina in 1869, J. V. Cogdill moved to Texas at a young age and then to New Mexico in 1910. He became a Union County deputy sheriff in 1915. His wife, Mamie, and children Elbert, Myrtle and J. V. Jr. survived him. He was interred at Grenville.

J. V. Gogdill was the first Union County, New Mexico, peace officer to be killed in the line of duty. ▫