Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-24


At l:42 Dir. z. w Johns pronounced
Mccoy dead, he having hung nine min
utes from the time the trap was sprung.
Officer Bennett then cut the body down,
which was placed on the floor III the
southeast corner of the room. At y
CLOCK an undertaken appeared and took
the body from where it was lying and
placed il in coffin, leaving it in the cor
ridor of the jail. Later in the afternoon
Mr.. Laxton and other friends of the de-
ceased took the body from the jail and
placed it in wagon, and Will take 1t to
Atascosa county for interment at Nc
Coy IS former home.
Mccoy in personal appearance was
A TYPICAL TEXAN
cowboy. His frame was tall, slender,
and but for the absence of one of his legs
he might have been considered man of
considerable physical power. Though his
face was bleached from long confinement
his appearance otherwise indicated the
good health he has enjoyed since his con-
finement, and which he declares has been
better than ever before. He possessed
strong executive features, animated by
pair of twinkling gray eyes, indicating
dauntless spirit and nerves of iron.
The dead man S full name was
JAMES ELI M'CoY.
He was born in AtascOsa county in 1853,
being the son of Mr.. and Mrs. Simpson
Mccoy, who still survive. He was raised
and has spent all his life in Southwest
Texas, being engaged IN the stock bust
ness, like most of the boys of his day
and section. He says he was once at
tached to Shelly s rangers as sort of de-
tective, but his connection with them
was not generally known. In 1879 in
F'rio county he killed Green Rldgeway at
a dance, where they renewed quarrel
over game of cards. Ridge
way Is said to have fired
first, and upon trial Mccoy
was acquitted After that shortly he
killed Mexican named Jose Mores IN
La Sale county They had had row
and the Mexican coming to McCOy's
house and challenging him to go down
the. road and fight Mccoy accompanied
and killed him For this he was also
tried and acquitted. He was tried for
horse theft once in Laredo but was like
wise acquitted of this charge. During
the election troubles i'm his county in
1880 when he espoused the cause of
Thompkins against Mckinney for sheriff,
he and old man Saxton engaged Marcel
Ius Daugherty and others i'll street
fight in which he was shot with three
wounds. One of these resulted in the
loss of his leg. His friends claim that
he was prosecuted man and his enemies
say he was an outlaw.
Mccoy leaves
YOUNG WIFE
and a bright little boy three years old who
reside at his father in-law s. His wife has
visited him constantly in the Jail here
and saw her husband for the last time
yesterday afternoon. One of the jailors
witnessed the interview in order that
! nothing might pass between them to an
ticipate the execution of the sentence.
After some minutes of low conversation
outside the bars of her husband 8 cell,
which none cared to hear, the grief
stricken wife weepingly departed on the
arm of one of the jaileTs never to see her
husband in life again.
TIE CRIME
| for which Mccoy died to-day on the gal
| lows was his participation IN the killing
of Sheriff Charles b Mckinney of La
! Sale county on December %, 1886. On
| that date Sheriff Mckinney, Deputy
| Marshal S V Edwards, DR.. Bains and
Mexican guide started from TwOhig
| station, in LaSalle county, for the
| White ranch to arrest man
named Dow White, who was
! charged with ravishing the daughter of
widow lady living on the ranch. In
| Twohig the sheriff s party met Mccoy
| and Bud Crenshaw and exchanged greet
| ings with them On starting for the
| White ranch the party took q trail which
| led by the house of Mccoy On nearing
! the house of Mccoy about dusk 1t was
| noticed that he and Crenshaw were
| seated on blanket close by
the trail with Winchesters across
J their laps and six-shoOters lying on the
/ blanket AS McKinney's party neared
] the two, Crenshaw accosted the sheriff
and they went off a short distance to
| talk. Crenshaw carried his rifle and
| after few moments conversation shot
Mckinney, who was sitting
on his horse with his right
leg thrown across the saddle
in front of him and his face resting upon
his right hand. AS Mckinney was fall
ing Crenshaw stuck his rife against his
side and fired a second shot. Meanwhile,
il is alleged, that Mccoy had kept Ed
| wards attention occupied, and DR.. Balm
and the guide had ridden on Just a
! moment before Crenshaw shot, Mccoy
| asked Edwards
FOR SOME TOBACCO,
and as the latter put his right hand in
his pocket and tossed the tobacco to him =,
| Crenshaw shot, and an instant after
| Mccoy is said to have fired on Edwards ,
his bullet SCATTERING Edwards left shoul-
der and frightening his horse so that he
became uncomfortable and ran, thus
! probably saving Edwards from the other
shots fired after him by Mccoy.
Mckinney was instantly killed by
| Crenshaw : shots. This tragedy aroused
all of LaSalIe county :. Mckinney was
a fearless and popular officer, and his
killing produced y
WIDESPREAD INDIGNATION,
which soon gave rise to series of feuds
and homIcides between his friends ana
the sympathizers Of his slayeTs. Mccoy
/ and CrenshaW were considered at dag
gers points with the officers, as the
result of feeling engendered at the
election at 1880 when Mckinney was
chosen sheriff over Tompkins. Mccoy
was one of the supporters of Tompkins,