A new Montgomery County Historical Marker in Magnolia honors the memory and service of a local constable killed in the line of duty in 1931.
Thomas J. Beyette, 46, was transporting two prisoners to jail on Aug. 6, 1931, when he was shot and killed by a 19-year-old prisoner.
The new historical marker is a project of the Montgomery County Historical Commission with sponsorship from five county precinct constables including Philip Cash, David Eason, Ryan Gable, Rowdy Hayden and Christopher Jones. Magnolia Historical Society also supported the project.
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Story of community service
“Our county marker serves to memorialize his story of love of family and community service,” said Larry Foerster, chairman of the historical commission.
Beyette is buried in the Magnolia Cemetery on Sixth Street in the city and a dedication ceremony took place there Saturday afternoon.
Special guests attending included Magnolia Mayor Matthew “Doc” Dantzer, retired Precinct 5 Constable David Hill, descendant Mike Beyette and other relatives of Thomas Beyette.
Beyette grew up in Collin County, Texas, in the Dallas area working on the family farm alongside his father, according to a historical narrative by Andy Rapoza, commission member.
Beyette married Janie Bradford around 1909 and by 1918, the Beyettes had brought their three little boys down to Magnolia and he became a Montgomery County constable.
A tragic summer
On the fateful date of Aug. 6, 1931, Beyette and a local judge arrested two teenage boys for stealing an automobile tire from a garage, according to the narrative.
They put the teens in the back seat for jail transport and the 19-year-old was able to grab Beyette’s weapon and shoot him in the head. The judge was also injured but survived. The suspects fled but were later captured and charged with Beyette’s murder.
According to the FindaGrave.com narrative for Beyette’s grave, the suspect who killed Beyette was later shot and killed by a deputy in December 1931 in Chambers County. The other suspect was sentenced to 99 years in prison.
Beyette was survived by his wife and two sons. The Beyette family’s tale is filled with sadness as they lost two members that summer. In June 1931, their oldest son, Thomas M., died after a pool diving accident in Conroe.
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His legacy
“Newspapers focused on the terrible crime and the prisoners’ escape, but history gives the good, valiant, and brave the last say,” according to the marker text. “Constable Thomas Beyette never tried to be a hero or a martyr, but to his dying moment he focused his life on being a good man doing his best to take care of his family and to serve his community.”
This marker was a longtime project of the late Magnolia historian Celeste Graves. Graves died at 103 in 2023.
“This project also honors her passion for preserving the history of Magnolia and honoring our law enforcement community,” Foerster said. “Our marker chair Annette Kerr pushed this project across the finish line.”
The historical commission has more than a dozen county historical markers across Montgomery County.
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