Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1867-04-11
Death of Thos. Z. Miller,

Death of Thos. Z. Miller.
Many of.our citizens remember
Tom. Miller, and will be panied
to learn that he died in Bastrop,
Texas, on the 14th ult., of infam-
nation of the brain, induced by
wounds. The circumstances at
tending his death are shown in
the following extracts from a let
ter written by a former resident
Of this county:
Thomas K. Miller is dead This
painful occurrence transpired at
10 o'clock on the night of the 18th
of March, at the residence of his
wife's father, in the town of Bas-
trop, surrounded by weeping re-
lations and friends. He died of
wounds received whilst nohy de-
tending his life against a band of
murderers and assassins, three in
number. | will narrate the cir
cumstances. They are familiar
to me from having heard the ties.
timony taken before the magis-
4
trate in the preliminary examina.
ton. His murderers had fed,
but his friends demanded that he
should be tried, that the facts
might be known, and they are in
substance these.
The parties were named Glass
cock. On Saturday, the sixteenth
of February, Thos. was informed
that they were purloining goods
from his store. He went to them
and demonstrated with them and
asked them to quit visiting his
house. Some angry words passed,
but nothing to create any thought
| of what followed. On Sunday
they came to the town and blust-
cred a good deal but returned
without seeing Thos., and at night
sent him word that they were
coming in the next day to ''set him
up" The next morning, Mon
day, the 18th of February, they
did come to town armed, and at
tracted the attention of the citizens
by various warlike demonstrations,
and several entreated them to de.
sist, their brother-in-law among
them. Two Of them approached
Thos. at different times with their
pistols in their hands beneath
their cloaks, and commenced to
talk with him on the subject
He told them he had said all he
desired to say, and wanted nc
difficulty, and left them for his
business. They waited and watch.
ed until they saw him enter alone
a building which he was prepar'
ing to move his goods to, when
they followed, the two hindmost
with their pistols in their hands
Seeing this, citizens followed and
soon they heard one of them tell
Thos. he was a damned scoundrel
whereupon Thos. gave him blow
in the mouth which knocked him
down. At this a second one of
them drew a six-shooter, cooked
it and whilst presenting it, was
shot through the head and instant.
lily killed by Thomas, who seeing
what he was at presented a very
small derringer pistol and antici.
pated his shot. The other two
jdur;ng this time fired at Thos.
with pocket derringers, one ball
taking effect in the right shoulder,
the other almost in the centre of
the head behind, not penetrating
the scull, but hattening and glanc-
ing. These balls did not stun him
or cause him to fall, but turning
upon them he fired another der
ringer at them as they ran out of
the door, missing them. He had
still another small pistol, they
fully charged six-shooters, with
which they shot at him several
times more on the street, he once
at them, which terminated the
shooting.
From the Bastrop Advertiser.
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