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The Times-Picayune (News
Orleans, Louisiana) 5 Aug 1886
A Texas Tragedy
A Former Feud, Ending in Assassination, is Revived by Another
Murder.
The Shreveport Times of the 3d
contains the following from Timpson, Texas:
Acting on instructions from the Times, your correspondent came out
to Timpson last Tuesday and has since been engaged in getting the
true peculiars of the deplorable Truitt assassination. What is
recorded below may be relied upon, as most of the information is
derived from Mr. Truitt's family and relatives.
On the night of Tuesday, the 20th ult., Rev. Jas. M. Truitt, a
Methodist minister, and editor of the Timpson Times was sitting in
his room reading aloud to his wife, when a man opened the door and,
without speaking, took two or three rapid steps, placed the revolver
at Mr. Truitt's head and fired, killing him almost instantly. The
lamp was extinguished by the explosion, leaving the room in total
darkness. The murderer made his exit as rapidly and silently as he
came, and Mrs. Truitt followed him into the yard. He turned,
presented his pistol as if about to fire, and advanced several steps
toward her, but turned and walked to where his horse was secured in
a thicket of pines nearby, mounted and rode away. It was learned
that he procured his supper and feed for his horse at the house of a
colored man in the suburbs of town, and employed a little colored
boy to pilot him to the residence of Truitt.
This much in connection with the affair has already been published,
but as there are many false rumors current in regard to the probable
provocation of the murder. I think it would be best to go back to
twelve years ago and recount the history of a terrible tragedy in
Hood county, this State, the details of which come from a
trustworthy source.
It appears that Rev. J. M. Truitt and two of his brothers were
witnesses in a land suit to which one Mitchell was a party. Their
testimony was unfavorable to Mitchell's cause, and he determined to
murder them. One day the three Truitt brothers were returning for
Acton, the then county seat, where they had been to testify in the
Mitchell suit. Mitchell, his son, a son-in-law named Bill Owen and a
hired assassin named Graves were riding a short distance in the rear
of the Truitt boys, and they galloped up to their victims and opened
fire with deadly effect.
Two of the Truitt brother fell from their horses, one dead, and the
other, a lad of 14 years of age, mortally wounded.
Rev. J.M.Truitt was desperately wounded, but managed to retain his
seat in the saddle, and urged his horse to his utmost speed, sought
to escape his would-be slayers.
Mitchell crowd gave hot pursuit, and for a while it seemed as though
their cowardly work was to be finished by the murder of Mr. Truitt.
But he was riding a splendid horse, to which fact alone he was
indebted for the preservation of his life. He passed under a tree
and bowed his head to avoid a limb. At that instant, the Mitchells
fired, perforating the limb with bullets. Two miles and a half from
the scene of the murder was a dwelling, and upon approaching that
the murderers gave up the chase and turned back.
The occupants of the house were absent, and Mr. Truitt was compelled
to ride more than a mile further before reaching aid. The loss of
blood was so great that for weeks his life was in danger, but he
finally recovered.
The Mitchell crowd was arrested and on Mr. Truitt's testimony old
man Mitchell was hanged and one of his sons and his son-in-law,
Owen, were sentenced to the penitentiary for life. In 1890, through
the instrumentality of a number of citizens of Hood county, Owen was
pardoned, though upon what ground the petition was based has not
been made very clear to me. Owen, you will remember, was the man who
killed the little boy after he had been shot from his horse and was
utterly helpless.
Two nights before old man Mitchell's execution his son Jeff conveyed
to him through the bars of the jail a note and a vial of poison. The
note informed the old man that the night preceding the execution he
(Jeff Mitchell) would endeavor to effect an entrance to the jail
enclosure and kill the sheriff and guards and secure his father's
release, failing in which, the old man was to swallow the poison,
and thus cheat the gallows of it very legitimate prey. The prisoners
being apprised of the scheme informed the sheriff of what was going
on. At the appointed time Jeff Mitchell made his appearance, but the
sheriff was on the alert and Mr. Jeff was greeted with a charge of
buckshot, which took off the top of his head.
One of the younger Mitchell boys swore to be revenged and announced
his intention to kill J. M. Truitt, whom he seemed to hold
responsible for the trouble his family had brought upon themselves.
It is supposed he is the man who committed the recent cowardly
murder in this place. To no one else can it be reasonably
attributed. He was traced to where he crossed the Trinity River, the
horse he rode serving as a clue. It is earnestly hoped he will be
captured and brought to justice, for no fouler crime blots the page
of Texas history than the cold-blooded, unprovoked and heartless
assassination of Rev. J. M. Truitt.
Owen, the pardoned convict, resides in Erath county, Texas, together
with part of the Mitchell family. Graves, the hired assassin, is
keeping a store in the city of Chihuahua, Mexico, and is said to be
prosperous.
This is the story of the Truitt murder and the causes which led to
it. There are other facts connected with the lamented affair which I
will furnish you for publication as soon as the murderer is
apprehended.
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