Sutton–Taylor feud facts for kids
The Sutton–Taylor feud was a long and violent conflict in DeWitt County, Texas. It started in March 1868 and lasted until December 1876. This feud involved two main families, the Suttons and the Taylors, and even included a famous outlaw named John Wesley Hardin. At least 35 people lost their lives during this time. The fighting finally ended when the Texas Rangers stepped in.
Contents
How the Feud Started
The Sutton–Taylor feud began because of growing bad feelings between the Taylor family and a local lawman named William E. Sutton. Sutton had moved to DeWitt County when his mother remarried. He became a deputy sheriff in Clinton, Texas, before the feud really took off. The Taylor family was led by Pitkin Taylor, whose brother Creed Taylor was a Texas Ranger. This conflict lasted for almost ten years and is known as one of the longest and bloodiest feuds in Texas history.
Key Events in the Feud
The violence started with several shootings. On April 23, 1866, William P. "Buck" Taylor shot a soldier. In November 1867, two U.S. Cavalry soldiers were killed by members of the Taylor family.
The feud got much worse on March 25, 1868. Deputy Sutton shot and killed Charley Taylor, a relative of the Taylors, while trying to arrest him for stealing horses. Then, on Christmas Eve that same year, Deputy Sutton killed William P. "Buck" Taylor and his friend Richard Chisholm in a saloon. This happened after an argument about selling horses.
In June 1869, another lawman, Jack Helm, tried to arrest Taylor family members. The Goliad County Sheriff, Andrew Jackson Jacobs, who was an ally of the Taylors, was killed by the Peaces brothers. Later that summer, on August 23, 1869, the Sutton group was said to have shot John Hays to death.
In July 1870, William Sutton joined the Texas State Police. This police force was created to enforce government policies after the Civil War. They often dealt with wanted suspects, sometimes resulting in their deaths. On August 26, 1870, the Suttons were reportedly sent to arrest Henry and William Kelly, who were related to the Taylors. The Kelly brothers were killed during the attempted arrest.
John Wesley Hardin Joins the Fight
In early 1872, a famous outlaw named John Wesley Hardin came to live with his cousin, Mannen Clements. Clements and his brothers were involved in the cattle business, often stealing cattle, and were close allies of the Taylor family.
On May 15, 1873, two allies of the Sutton family, Captain Jim Cox and Jake Christman, were killed by the Taylor group. Some reports said Hardin led the fight, but he never confirmed it.
Deaths of Lawmen
Hardin became very well known in the feud on July 18, 1873. He killed J.B. Morgan, a deputy sheriff, in Cuero, Texas. Later that same day, Hardin also played a part in the death of Sheriff Jack Helm, Morgan's boss, in Albuquerque, Texas. Helm was unarmed. James Creed "Jim" Taylor tried to shoot Helm, but his gun misfired. As Helm turned, Taylor shot him in the chest. Hardin then shot Helm's arm with a shotgun. Helm tried to run, but Taylor chased him and shot him five more times. Hardin and Taylor then rode away, boasting about what they had done.
The next night, Hardin and other Taylor supporters surrounded the ranch house of Joe Tumlinson, a Sutton supporter. Eventually, they agreed to a truce. Both sides signed a peace treaty in Clinton, Texas. However, this peace did not last long.
The Feuding Continues
On December 30, 1873, a Taylor supporter named Wiley Washington Pridgen was killed. This led to more revenge killings. The feud reached its peak when James Creed "Jim" Taylor and William Riley "Billy" Taylor shot and killed William E. Sutton and his friend Gabriel Slaughter on March 11, 1874. Sutton was planning to leave the area for good when he was killed at a steamboat platform in Indianola, Texas. Sutton and Slaughter are buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Victoria, Texas.
In return, the Sutton group caught and killed three members of the Taylor group on June 22, 1874, in Clinton, Texas. These men were Rufus P. "Scrap" Taylor, John Alfred "Kute" Tuggle, and James White. John Wesley Hardin later wrote that he and his brother, Joseph, were involved in Sutton's killing.
On June 1, 1874, two of Hardin's relatives, Alexander "Ham" Anderson and Alexander Henry Barekman, were killed by Texas Rangers. This was in revenge for Hardin killing a former Texas Ranger and Deputy Sheriff, Charles Webb, a few days earlier. Another Taylor group member, George Culver Tennille, was killed on July 8, 1874.
After these events, the fighting continued but happened less often. James Creed "Jim" Taylor and two other men were killed by the Suttons on January 1, 1875. On November 18, 1875, Reuben Brown, a leader of the Suttons and a former town marshal, was shot and killed in Cuero.
End of the Fighting
After another burst of violence in October 1876, Texas Ranger Captain Jesse Lee Hall led a group into Cuero, Texas. Their goal was to stop the feud for good. By January 1877, Captain Hall and his team had successfully brought an end to the long and bloody conflict.
