Murder of Sheriff Ragsdale

Murder of Sheriff Ragsdale. . Even twenty years after the close of the Civil War, a certain lawlessness reminiscent of frontier days still prevailed in areas of Texas. This was the age of the western gunfighter and numerous Texas feuds. This nation seemed to be in a state of restlessness. Criminal activity seemed to provide what seemed to be missing from the lives of those who had been disaffected by the war. Some of this criminal activity was to lead to one of the most horrifying crimes in the history of Fannin County., In the autumn of 1884, a popular young Fannin County constable was elected to the county's highest law enforcement position. Tom Ragsdale had won the office in the general election on the first Tuesday in November and on the 14th, was officially sworn in as the 20th sheriff of Fannin County., Six months after assuming his office, Sheriff Ragsdale received a communication concerning a shoot-out in Indian Territory just north of Gainesville, Texas. The notorious Lee Gang had ambushed a posse, headed by Deputy U.S. Marshal, Jim Guy. Guy and two others were killed and members of the gang fled the scene. Communication to Ragsdale indicated that the two suspected members of the gang, brothers Sam and Eli Dyer, were headed to their home south of Bonham., Eleven days after the shootings, Ragsdale was informed that the Dyer brothers had been seen at their parents home. The sheriff set about raising a posse of some thirty men. With such a large group, it seems probable that Ragsdale was acting on orders from the U.S. government to apprehend the Dyers., When the group arrived in the vicinity of the Dyer farm, Ragsdale had the largest portion of the party remain out of sight at some distance from the farmhouse. Deputy Joe Buchanan, who was also a near neighbor to the Dyer farm, and the sheriff cautiously approached the house. They were met at the door by several women who denied having Sam and Eli., Without the cooperation of the family, the two men were forced into the dangerous situation of searching several out buildings which surrounded the farmhouse. One old structure had its door fastened from the inside. As Ragsdale attempted to force the door, Eli Dyer fired one shot through the opening which entered Ragsdale's head in front of his ear. As he fell, the brothers bolted through the door. Ragsdale was able to get off one shot which hit Eli who turned and fired again at the hapless man laying on the ground. By this time, Buchanan had come around one of the other buildings and was shot dead by Eli., Eli was captured by the posse; Sam managed to escape, but was captured two or three days later hiding in an old building near his home. Sam was taken to the Fannin County jail and placed in the same cell where his brother was recovering from his wounds. At a preliminary hearing the case was continued because of Eli's wounds. , By this time, sentiment against the two brothers was growing stronger among local citizens. The acting sheriff, James Evans, failed to recognize this and accordingly did not post any extra guards. At 2:30 a.m., June 12, 1885, a group of about 100 men entered the jail, forcibly removed the brothers, took them to a spot some 400 yards from the jail and hung them from the branches of a bois d'arc tree. The perpetrators were never identified. To many, justice had been served.