The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-05-22
THE ELGIN MURDER.
Letter From the Fugitive to His Father
"A Full Account of the Causes
of the Killing.


Mr. WIN. L. Miles, Elgin, Texas:
My DEAR FATHER-Lately my at
Lentio1 has been called to several
articles published in different newspa-
pers, relating to my recent trouble at
Elgin, which resulted in the killing of
Harry Tay Tor One of these publica-
tions L desire to notice, especially the
one written to the Bastrop Advertiser,
and published over the name of John
Taylor and family. / write you this
in order that my family and friends,
at least, may know the facts of that
difficulty; the causes of it, and what
provocation had, that they may see
for themselves whether / am the cold
blooded murderer l have been de-
nounced as being.
First, it is perhaps necessary to re-
mind you of the difficulty Taylor and
/ had almost a year ago, and that in
that first trouble he was the aggressor,
and interfered in a matter that did not
concern him. Since that time Taylor
has been the bitterest of enemies to
me, and l had been the victim OF the
vilest threats he could offer, as well as
the subject of his contemptuous
treatment whenever and wherever ne
met me. AS to the manner that ne
saw fit to treat me after that first dit
ficulty, will give you few indlVid-
.ual occurrences. You know that we
| only lived few hundred yards apart,
and, of necessity, met frequently upon
the public roads. on the prairie
after stock, and at other places.
Wherever met Taylor would always
| whether agreeable or not to me, give
way to him; If CHANGED to meet him
on the road i lwould always give II.
But all this did not seem to satisfy
him, for he invariably seemed to me
to construe my disposition to avoid
difficulty with him, into fear on my
part and of triumph on his. Dozens
of times Within the past year he APP
peared not to be content with my CIV
ing the road to him, but would come
as close as possible to me and stare
me with the most fiendiSh looks that
one man could another. On several
occasions he and l have been going
the same direction and whenever he
was in the rear he would come up in
) run and pass close enough to me to
q strike my horse and frighten him out
| of the road. There are several who
l witnessed his conduct to me not many
D months ago, and as fair sample OF
what have had to bear l will relate
IL. On this occasion left my house
for flgln, and Taylor was coming oil
3 the prairie about four hundred yards
o behind me and about five or six hun
n dred wards to his house. No sooner
than he saw me he started in run on
- his horse and passed close enough TO
me to brush my leg, and would GER
tainly have struck my horse with his
3 if mine had not jumped aside. EVl-
J. IDENTIFY his design was, to say the least
70 of il, to renew the old difficulty, or to
n infuse me. l would not have thought
:. so seriously or been maddened by the
IL above treatment so much II he had
kept on to his house in the gait he was
going, but he galloped short distance
II further and checked his horse and ap-
o. preached his house in walk the bal
At lance of the way. What else could
- such treatment be interpreted to
- mean, save, to keep alive hatred?
What could be meant by suchEtanta-
lizing, annoyance and contempt except
le to bring out difficulty.
c. Now as to the immediate cause of
~ the killing, have this to say, that the
.. Sunday evening on which it happened
40 | had been out to my pasture on bust
ness connected with my stock, and
was returning home, it being almost
Sy dark, was riding along not thinking
is of Taylor or any one else, but of the
az state of my own private business. l
!, had got to within about fifty yards
of my own house and front gate
when Taylor came up behind me as
90 unexpectedly to me as a beast of pray
~ on its victim. To say that l was star
IN tied would be putting it mild indeed.
s, Taylor came almost against me before
was aware of it, and the horse 1
was riding-being very foolish started
IN to run, with Taylor right at my side.
ed 1 was unnerved and alarmed, and
m reached for my pistol before | hardly
realized who it was. Taylor was the
first to speak and said, 81 see you
n Walter Miles, don't you draw that
=. pistol on me, l will kill you," and
q. dropped on the side of his horse as if
Ill he intended to perform his threat. 1
thought at the time he had pistol,
think so yet, and shall always
III think so. He had been in the habit
a of Carrying one and from what he said
a and done 1 am sure he had
one that night. The first disinterested
person who got to him l am sure
t. found weapons upon him, unless some
v designing person had removed them.
AS Taylor bent on his horse, and said
J. what he did, fired TIVE shots, and
both horses continued down the road
In full speed. 1 caught my bride
IN reigns with both hands, and my pistol
". fired the third time right in my face,
:, and powder burning me, / could not
~ ri Q * my horse until he had run some
distance on the Rockdale road. John
Taylor says in his article that i shot
rs at his brothers horse as he ran off.
OF This is falSa in every particular; such
he a thing never thought OF. Just in
this connection, let me ask: Why did
Harry Taylor say on his death-bed
m that Walter Miles would never be
:. harmed on his account? Was he fear
aI full that the courts of the country
ny would be powerless to punish, or was
he thinking about his own conduct,
I. and the fact that he had brought him.
IT. self to the condition he was IMP
On Now, as to my attempting to shoot
or young Brooks, and being present by
my wife and negro begging me not
to do SO, have this to say: That it
no is another false statement, and /
don't think that Jim Brooks would
III be tool for others and say anything
of the kind. When Brooks came up
to me had my gun In my hand, and
i'd had started to Elgin to surrender to
lie Esp Poe. Brooks came very close to
me and asked If he could go and help
Taylor. / said certainly, do what
=. you can for him. Brooks then came
rlgnC 10 ward me, In 1r0nC Oh
10 me, and 1 said to him: slim, don't
come too close" and raised my gun
.. and set it on my thigh. Brooks said:
% "Don't shoot me, Walter" / replied:
L am not going to, but don't act 80
suspiciously." Brooks theE declared
that he was as good friend to me as
le to Taylor, and L told him he had no
AZ right to be otherwise, and that /
would not harm a hair of his head.
l don't believe that Jim Brooks or any
~ of my friends could be made to be-
lieve that would have hurt him.
le Now, as to numbering man in cold
blood, and wanting to murder another,
/ just simply leave you and the public
$ to judge. Again ask if there was
" not provocation, and If / was not
goaded and driven to do what l did?
There may be few of the fear and
d praise us, bare bones, Sort" who
v believe me to be capable of most any
thing, but l venture If the natures of
all could be known, such are m9aner
,. than ever / could be. After rehee-
ton. would be less thln human not
!. to have regrets, but the killing of Tay-
l0r il not 0na 0f Them In conclusion