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Mrs. Elder & Mrs. Scoggins file suit
Daniel & William Pullin~never returned home
Author's Opinion
H. R. Ammon's Will
Sources
Author, Archie Ammons
Email ~ Archie
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Epilogue
F. R. Graves gave tentative and cautious testimony. He was not going to
offend a powerful family that settled its affairs by violent means: “I then noticed Fate with his
pistol raised rush toward the front of the hack and someone running after him pointing a pistol at the back
of his head. Fate seemed to be trying to shoot someone that was on the southeast side of the hack.
Just as Fate
walked about half way between the two traces in front of the hack I saw this man that was running
after him put his pistol to the right back part of
Fate’s head and fire and the shot made Fate’s hat bounce up into the air and Fate fell forward. I
distinctly noticed how it was done but as I never expected that there would be any mystery as to who did it,
I did not notice particularly who ~ but I was strangely impressed that it was Newt or Sykes
Butler. But I think that is because I knew they were there.
So I do not know who the party was. But the person came from toward the hack or near the hack on the
west side. I thought at least he
was coming from that direction and I saw him with a pistol in his hand and his hand pointed out toward Fate’s
head and I saw him fire the pistol
when it did not look like the muzzle of it was more than 4 inches from Fate’s head.”
Mrs.
Elizabeth Jennie Robuck Elder and Mrs.
Purdy D. Scoggins Elder filed a lawsuit against the whole Butler clan and cowhands, but later
dismissed Daniel Butler and Epitacio Garza from responsibility.
Mrs. M. E. (Jack)
Bailey et al filed a lawsuit against W. G. Butler et al. Later she also dismissed
the charges against Daniel Butler and Epitacio Garza.
Andrew M. Nichols became a prominent rancher and an officer of the biggest bank in
Kenedy.
Sykes Butler became president of the biggest bank in Karnes City.
Thomas Nolan Pullin, son of the ill-fated Hiram Pullin,
was in Daileyville that day, and is the great-great-grandfather of a certain baseball pitcher named
Nolan Ryan. Tom’s brother Jack Pullin
borrowed the hack to go get their mother, Candace Butler Pullin.
Brothers Daniel and William Pullin,
sons of Hiram Pullin, went away in search of their father’s killers. They must
have been looking for Juan Coy and Epitacio Garza. Had they suspected a Butler, a ranch hand, or
Bud Elder, they would have remained in Karnes County.
They
never returned home.
A close study of
the 17 pages of testimony given at the Justice of the Peace inquest could lead one to a certain
theory, which is only the speculation of the author
~~~ Newton Butler and his eight ranch-hands rode to a motte of trees on the ranch, just as they testified. They
all put their pistols and guns on the ground there, just as they testified. Seven of them rode off toward
Daileyville, just as they testified. Newton Butler and Eli Harrell stayed behind, just as they testified.
Andy Nichols drove his hack to the motte, which has never been said before.
The three men loaded
all the arms into the hack. Newton and Eli took a swig of whiskey from a hidden bottle, then galloped off
to catch up with the others, just as they testified. Andy Nichols made his way to Daileyville alone, with
an arsenal of weapons hidden under three meal sacks. ~~~ End of paragraph of speculation.
When
Hamilton R. Ammons was sick and wrote his will in August 1885, he showed an immense trust in his 37-year-old son-in-law
Pleas B. Butler. "I
hereby select, choose, and appoint Pleasant B. Butler as my wife's advisor in all business of buying and selling or
disposing of property. My wife and William are to advise with Pleasant B. Butler in all business matters of importance.”
"At the death of my wife, I make, choose, and request Pleasant B. Butler and William H. Ammons Executors of the
Will.” Notice that he was choosing his wife’s Executors in His will.
William H. Ammons was only 18 at the time.
1San Antonio Express Magazine, March 15, 1953,
“Vengeance Kills a Killer Town,” John Ruckman.
2San Antonio Express-News Magazine, “Ghost Town,”
January 24, 1993.
3San Antonio Express-News Magazine, “Letter from
Bereaved,” March 28, 1993.
4Newspaper article by John Ruckman.
53-page typed report by Judge Ted Butler, 1960.
6The Kenedy Times, December 2, 1981, “Seems Just
Like Yesterday,” Pg 1.
7The Beeville Picayune, September 9, 1886.
817 pages, transcript of the inquest into the
shootings at Daileyville.
9Official Centennial Program, “Karnes County
Centennial,” May 5 ~ 9, 1954: The Karnes County Story, Helmuth H. Schuenemann.
10The Karnes County Story, Helmuth H. Schuenemann,
Sr., 1979.
11Two articles titled “Historical Review of Kenedy
Post Office,” Henry W. Dailey, The Kenedy Advance, two issues, April 15 and 22, 1937.
12“Some Interesting Historical Facts of Early Days
in Karnes County,” The Kenedy Advance of April 4, 1963, Pg 1, article
prepared by Mrs. E. D. Holchak for the Twentieth Century Study Club,
November 9, 1927, published in the Kenedy Advance, November 17, 1927.
13A History of Karnes County and Old
Helena, Hedwig Krell Didear, San Felipe Press, Austin, Texas, 1969, Jenkins Publishing Company.
14The author’s opinion.
15“Wofford Crossing Road,” Maxine Yeater Linder,
1994, Kenedy City Library.
16San Antonio Daily Express,
December 31, 1884, quoted in both2
and 3.
17District Court Minutes, Bk D, Old Helena
Courthouse, now in Karnes City, Pgs 194~287.
18San Antonio Daily Express, September 7 and September 16, 1886.
19San Antonio Light, September 7, 1886.
Note: Archie Ammons and I met on the Web. He has a keen sense
of humor and an interest in history. Please contact him with any questions on the
Ammons family or the article he has written and shared with me. Thank you, Archie!
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