Lampasas in Lampasas County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon

Photographed By James Hulse, June 14, 2021

1. Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

In the early 1870s Lampasas was a wild frontier town. In January 1873 Sheriff S.T. Denson was shot while arresting brothers Wash and Mark Short. The district judge sent men to apprehend the Short brothers, but the posse was stopped by Ben, Tom and Mart Horrell and several others. Sheriff Denson and the Justices of the Peace of Lampasas County appealed to governor Edmund J. Davis for the assistance of the state police. On February 10, Governor Davis issued a proclamation prohibiting the carrying of sidearms in Lampasas. On March 14, Captain Thomas Williams and seven state policemen entered Lampasas to enforce the proclamation.

The state police immediately arrested Bill Bowen for carrying a gun in town. Bowen persuaded Captain Williams and two of his men to enter Jerry Scott's Lampasas Saloon. This led to a gunfight between the state police and the Horrell brothers and their associates. Three officers were killed in the saloon and a fourth was fatally wounded while trying to escape. The policemen were buried in Lampasas, but Captain Williams was reinterred in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.

More state police

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came to Lampasas and joined forces with the sheriff and Lampasas and Burnet County Minute Men companies to search for the Horrell gang. They arrested four men connected with the incident. In early May the Horrell gang attacked the Georgetown Jail and released Mart Horrell and Jerry Scott from custody. The Horrell gang remained in the Lampasas area until September when they left for New Mexico. In 1874 they returned to Lampasas. In 1876 the Horrell brothers stood trial for the murder of the state police, but were found not guilty.

Erected 2000 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 12015.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Law Enforcement. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1873.

Location. 31° 3.935′ N, 98° 10.68′ W. Marker is in Lampasas, Texas, in Lampasas County. Marker is at the intersection of South Live Oak Street and East 3rd Street, on the right when traveling north on South Live Oak Street. The marker is located on the west side of the Lampasas County Courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 501 Fourth Street, Lampasas TX 76550, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Horrell-Higgins Feud (a few steps from this marker); Lampasas County Veterans Memorial (a few steps from this marker); First State Meeting of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas

The view of the Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, June 14, 2021

2. The view of the Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); Near Site of Organization of Texas Bankers Association (within shouting distance of this marker); Reynolds Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Lampasas County Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Hanna Springs (within shouting distance of this marker); Lampasas County, C.S.A. (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lampasas.

Also see . . . Horrell Brothers.

The Horrell brothers, sometimes referred to as the lawless Horrell boys (circa 1873–1878), were five brothers from the Horrell family of Lampasas County, Texas, who were outlaws of the Old West, and who committed numerous murders over a five-year period before four of the brothers were killed in different incidents. The brothers are probably best known for the Horrell-Higgins feud, although it resulted in relatively few deaths compared to other feuds. However, starting in 1873, the brothers went on an ethnically motivated killing spree during which they killed a Hispanic lawman and a white lawman in New Mexico, killed 11 other Hispanic men,
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and wounded one Hispanic woman. The brothers had previously killed five lawmen in Texas. Source: Wikipedia

(Submitted on June 19, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 19, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 252 times since then and 71 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 18, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.