Threats
The threats to Pusser started after his election as sheriff, phone threats came over the phone to Pauline that included harm to their children. Buford recognized one call as being Carl “Towhead White”.
White “boasted that he would be the person that put a bullet through the lawman’s brain”. J. Michael Willard, Fiery Death of the “Walking Tall” Sheriff, Inside Detective, December 1974, pp 67
Buford caught White in front on the White Iris and handcuffed him and pushed into his patrol car. Pusser took White to a river bottom to “dirty up his Italian suit”. Depending on the side of the state line your from; Buford either did it at gun point or not the point Buford was making was don’t mess with a man’s family.
After the May arrest of Carl Hathcock the threats increased there was said to be a $10,000 bounty on Pusser’s head. Friend and Deputy made these statements to the press about threats.
“Deputy Sheriff Jim Moffett, who also visited Pusser Sunday, said the most recent threat to the sheriff’s life came four weeks ago. At that time, Moffett said an anonymous caller told Pusser he would ‘be stalked and killed’.” (Jackson Sun 8-14-67) “The Latest Threat apparently came about four weeks ago, Deputy Moffett said Sunday, when Pusser was warned not to make calls alone in the south part of the county. The anonymous call spoke of a possibility of an ambush in the area” (Commercial Appeal 8-14-1967)
Jim Moffet said of Pusser death threats “The threats did not appear to worry Pusser” “I could never see that they had any affect on him while I was working for him”. (Daily Corinthian- Robert Palmer pp2 8-21-1984)
Morning of August 12
Vacation
The Pusser family was planning for a vacation starting August 12, 1967 to Pauline’s family in Virginia. Friday afternoon August 11, Buford got a hair cut from Buster Weaver and talked about the up coming trip. They were planning on going on vacation after Buford came home and took a nap then would leave (Diane Vance).
Early moring call...
(Carl Pusser Jailer) On Weekend nights the force calls it quits at 2 a.m., leaving only a dispatcher-jailer on duty. Any call for action after that time must be answered by an off-duty officer. (Commercial Appeal 8-14-1967)
Apparently knowing this, Sheriff Pusser’s assailants waited until nearly 4 a.m. before calling Jailer Carl Pusser, the sheriff’s father, asking for the sheriff to investigate a ‘disturbance’ at Jourdon’s McNairy County tavern. Carl Pusser refused- ‘I hardly ever call him (the sheriff) after 2 a.m. - and a second try followed, this time to the sheriff’s Adamsville home. (Commercial Appeal 8-14-1967)
Buford answers earily morning call
(Ambush) Early on Saturday morning August 12, 1967: “It started that morning with a phone call to our home in Adamsville. A man said there was trouble down near the state line that he didn’t want to talk about it on the telephone. I agreed to drive down and meet him. (Buford Pusser with Malley Bird, “Buford Pusser Tennessee’s Living Legend Tells It Like It Was”, True Detective, December 1970, pp 60)
He told me to take the New Hope Church Road, that I would see him; I was supposed to go on to Jourdon’s place and meet him there. My wife was apprehensive, partly because of the telephone calls.
She insisted on going along. She got out of bed and pulled on a pair of slacks. (Buford Pusser with Malley Bird, “Buford Pusser Tennessee’s Living Legend Tells It Like It Was”, True Detective, December 1970, pp 60) .
Chapter Ambush
When Mr.(Carl was the jailer) Pusser refused, the caller phoned the sheriff at his home in Adamsville and told him to come on “right away’.” (Commercial Appeal 8-13-1967)
“Kirkpatrick said Pusser told him he got a call about 5 a m to go to “Hollis Jordan’s place” “to investigate disturbance” (Robert Kollar “The Nashville Tennessean” 8/13/67 pp8a)
“There is the name of female who made the call to the Sheriff's Office on 8/12/67, reporting the suspicious vehicle on New Hope Road. MHP lead investitager did not remember her name but she ran to Atlanta after she was paid cash for the setup”. (Mississippi lead investigator interview Mark Hoskins 12/01-2007)