Notizen zu dieser Person
"Dick attended school for two years at Henderson-Brown, a Methodist College located at Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He was employed for a periodof time as manager of a plantation near Texarkana. Later, he became apolice officer, and as was statedat his funeral, he was regarded as oneof the most popular and efficient members of the force in the Texarkanapolice system. He was killed May 19, 1922 while attempting to arrest asuspect on a criminal charge. One child, Guy Florence, was born to thiscouple."
From cousin Norma Sorsby Belonie of Texarkana 1995: Dick wasSheriff of Texarkana for many years. A black man shot and killed him.They had a terrible riot etc. in Texarkana. The black man's mother was anurse. The crowd burned him, etc. I wasn't born at this time. Eachyear during the memorials, Uncle Dick Choate is listed as a law officerwho lost his life."
Dick is buried in State Line Cemetery, Texarkana, AR.
From cousin Fannon Thompson, May 2000: "When I was six years old welived at Tenth and Pecan streets in Texarkana, about four blocks fromwhere Uncle Dick was shot. I was playing outside when I heard the gunshots and my mother made me come into the house. At the time, we didn'tknow what had happened."
1920 A. J. Lummus, Chief of Police, Texarkana Ark. to 1923
Fri. 19 May 1922 Dick Choate, Texarkana policeman, died shortly after 3o'clock this afternoon from shooting at the hands of Hulen Owens, whenChoate attempted to prevent the black's escape after being arrested on acharge of larceny. The negrowas later captured near Index, eight milesnorth of there. Officer Choate and Chief Lummus were taking Owens in thelatter's automobile to a spot where the Negro had told the officers wheregoods he was charged with stealing could be located, near the 1500 blockof Pecan St. Owens jumped from the car and headed south. At the home ofAndrew Howze he hastily entered a Chandler auto standing at the curb andwas in the act of driving off when Choate approached him and told him toremain quite. As the policeman approached the car Owens drew a revolver and without warning emptied the contents into the officer who was a fewfeet distant. The wounded officer fired at the negro as he sank to
the ground, wounding him in the head. The Negro drove away as Lummus cameto Choate's aid........... in part....
May 1922 The Miller County Circuit court room was filled with a crowd ofcurious spectators in the expectation of a big sensation developing whenthe eight men arrested Sat. and Sun. on murder charges as a result of therecent storming of the county jail and lynching of the negro, HulenOwens, slayer of Police officer Dick Choate, were brought into court forformal arraignment........
Roland
Flickinger
