End of Watch September 4, 1955
Available on Amazon
By Mike Simmons
It seldom happens, but when it does, Life is good. Fictionally, it happened with Andy Griffith and Matt Dillon. When you have a good lawman who is well-respected and loves his town – like Mayberry or Dodge – and is trusted by everyone.
It began in real-life in Escambia County, Florida in 1923 when William Clint Rigby was appointed Justice of the Peace in northern Escambia County, Florida. He was 25 years old, and had grown up in that same area. Three years later, he became a deputy sheriff and continued to serve the same people. He loved it!
From the time that County Commissioners were first elected in Florida until the 1960s, the position of constable existed. A constable was an elected position and existed in every district. Some people thought of a constable as the commissioner’s private policeman. But not Clint Rigby. Commissioners came and went, but Clint was the undisputed lawman for 20 years. He wielded a tremendous amount of power, but he never used his influence for personal gain. If he had, he wouldn’t have been Clint Rigby. In 1950, Clint was elected president of the “Justice of the Peace and Constable’s Association of Florida.”
Clint was a good man…a fair man. It was a good thing, too, because his word was law. When he stepped into a situation or a problem, everyone waited for him to speak and, like a judge’s sentence, that was the end of the argument.
But Clint Rigby was not only a lawman. He was a husband and a daddy. He and his wife, Aggie had five children, Hayette, Maleze, Wanda, Verdelia, and Jean.
He was serving as constable at 11:15 on the night of September 3, 1955[1].
Byrneville, Florida is a small community in Escambia County, in the northwest corner of Florida. At 11:15 on the night of September 3, 1955, he was patrolling in Byrneville, west of Century on Highway 4 when a car driven by 27-year-old Clarence Odom of Uriah, Alabama swerved over into his lane and headed straight for the constable. Rigby tried to swerve to miss him, but the car, travelling at a high rate of speed, slammed into him head-on! It then skidded 189 feet to a stop. Rigby’s car skidded 114 feet and ejected the constable onto the highway. The collision killed Odom at the scene. Constable Rigby was rushed to nearby Century Hospital with severe internal chest injuries. He died the next day[2].
He left behind his wife, Aggie, and five children, Hayette, Maleze, Wanda, Verdelia, and Jean. Aggie later became one of the first matrons at the Escambia County Jail.
They don’t come along often, but when they do, we should remember.
[1] Northescambia.com. http://www.northescambia.com/2022/12/ecsos-new-k-9-rigby-named-for-constable-killed-in-byrneville
[2] Officer Down Memorial Page. https://www.odmp.org/officer/18776-constable-william-clinton-rigby