The Murder of Louis "Frenchy" Cashat

The Murder of Louis "Frenchy" Cashat. In the early morning hours of Thursday, June 15, 1950, the City of Dayton experienced its first (and only as of 2019) fatality of a law enforcement officer. There was not yet a Dayton Police Department - that came in 1956. The law was handled by a city marshal who was elected by voters every two years and a night watchman. For some time, the night watchman position was held by Louis Cashat, better known as "Frenchy." He was 51 years old. He and wife Adia had seven children with five still living at home south of Dayton on Highway 146., Most of the time, the job of night watchman was routine patrolling - driving down streets and shining lights on homes where families were sleeping or businesses that were shut down for the evening, and checking in with the clerks at all-night stores and service stations. It was rarely dangerous or life-threatening, but it would be on this day. , The events that took Officer Cashat's life began in Houston the night before when two teenagers, 17 year old Johnny Deciga and 15 year old Jimmie Simmons and their girlfriends decided to steal a vehicle which they joy-rode to Dayton. After stopping for cigarettes and candy, they headed down Hwy 146 toward Baytown when the car ran out of gasoline. They walked to the home of John Griffitts who had no gasoline to spare, but offered to drive the boys to town. Suspecting that the boys were trouble, Griffitts drove slowly as if hunting for someone. The boys began to think he was going to turn them over to the law and tried to take his car. Griffitts pulled a gun but Deciga drew out his knife and began cutting him., Hearing the commotion in town, Officer Cashat approached the car and Deciga shot him. Cashat died at the scene, the location of which was approximately the northeast corner of Hwy 90 and Church Street. He was killed instantly by a bullet to his left breast. Another bullet hit him in the face and a third struck him in the shoulder. Lawmen found six empty shells in the parking lot., Griffitts was cut on the face, stabbed twice in the chest, and received a deep gash to the abdomen, but was able to walk from the site to the home of Bob Hillier who called authorities and rushed him to Dayton Memorial Hospital. The boys split up and ran, with Simmons apprehended nearby inside the kitchen of First Baptist Church. A search party formed by Liberty County Sherriff Green McNulty, Constable Red Rose, and members of the Dayton Volunteer Fire Department found Deciga that afternoon in a rice field two miles southwest of Dayton. He signed a confession and provided details of the event., Captions , Middle Left: Only known photo of Frenchy - age 22 - taken in 1921 on his wedding day