James Miller – Hired Killer of the Old West
The era of the Old West, a period romanticized in countless tales of cowboys, gunfights, and frontier justice, also harbored a darker side. Among the many figures who walked this violent landscape, James "Jim" Brown Miller stands out as a particularly chilling example of a man who embraced violence and murder as a profession. This is the story of James Miller, a complex individual who wore many hats – lawman, Texas Ranger, outlaw, and, most notably, a hired killer.
Born into a world teetering between civilization and lawlessness, James Miller navigated the turbulent waters of the American West with a cold efficiency that earned him both notoriety and fear. His story is a stark reminder that the legends of the Old West are often intertwined with the grim realities of human nature.
Born on October 25, 1861 (some sources cite October 24, 1866), in Van Buren, Arkansas, to Jacob and Cynthia Basham Miller, his early life was marked by upheaval. The family relocated to Texas in 1862, where Jacob, a stonemason, contributed to the construction of the first capitol building in Austin. However, tragedy struck early, with Jacob’s untimely death leaving Cynthia a widow. While some accounts claim that James Miller committed patricide at the tender age of eight, these allegations remain unverified, shrouded in the mists of time and unsubstantiated rumors.
By 1880, young Jim was living with his widowed mother and siblings in Coryell County, Texas. Four years later, a familial dispute would set the stage for his violent future. His sister, Georgia, married John Coop, a man James Miller reportedly loathed. On July 30, 1884, Coop met a violent end, felled by a shotgun blast while in bed at his home. Suspicion immediately fell on Miller, given his well-known animosity towards his brother-in-law. He was arrested, tried, and convicted for the murder, receiving a life sentence. However, a legal technicality offered Miller a reprieve. His attorneys successfully appealed the conviction to the Texas Court of Appeals, which overturned the verdict, freeing him from prison.
Following his release, Miller gravitated towards the fringes of society, joining an outlaw gang operating in San Saba County, Texas. This marked a turning point in his life, as he embraced a life of crime, participating in train and stagecoach robberies, often resorting to violence. He also invested in a saloon, acquiring a one-half interest in a San Saba establishment. It was during this period that James Miller embarked on his career as an assassin, openly advertising his services as a hired killer, willing to murder anyone for a price, with varying accounts placing the cost between $150 and $2,000. He quickly gained a reputation for efficiency and discretion, preferring the anonymity of nighttime ambushes with a shotgun as his weapon of choice.
Despite his brutal profession, Miller cultivated a carefully constructed public persona. He was known for his impeccable attire, often sporting a white shirt with a stiff collar, a stick pin on his lapel, and a diamond ring. He always wore a heavy frock coat, regardless of the weather. He abstained from smoking and drinking, and remarkably, regularly attended church and read the Bible, earning him the ironic nickname "Deacon Miller." He wasn’t a quick-draw artist, but he was quick to use a gun when he needed to. He was also known to have killed several men in saloons when arguments erupted over poker games.
In about 1882, Miller was disarmed and arrested by Deputy Sheriff Dee Harkey, who would later become a famous lawman. Soon after, Miller moved to McCulloch County, where he worked for Emmanuel "Mannen" Clements, Sr., a violent man who was the older cousin of the infamous John Wesley Hardin. While there, Miller befriended Emmanuel’s son, Emmanuel "Mannie" Clements, Jr., and Mannen’s daughter, Sallie. Jim and Sallie married in McCulloch County on February 15, 1888, and they eventually had four children.
His wanderings then led him through southeast New Mexico and West Texas, along the Mexican border. The details of his activities during this period remain scarce, but he would later boast of his exploits, claiming to have "lost my notch stick on Mexicans that I killed out on the border."
In 1891, Miller found himself in Pecos, Texas, where Reeves County Sheriff George A. "Bud" Frazer hired him as a deputy. Frazer, relatively new to the job, needed a reliable deputy and, perhaps unwisely, did not probe too deeply into Miller’s past. In those days, asking too many questions about one’s past was considered rude. This decision would prove to be a fatal error.
Miller brought his family, including his brother-in-law Mannie Clements, to Pecos. They presented themselves as a respectable, church-going family. However, a surge in cattle rustling and horse theft plagued the Pecos Valley, and Miller, as a deputy, was tasked with apprehending the culprits. His consistent failure to capture any thieves aroused suspicion, particularly in the mind of local gunfighter Barney Riggs, Frazer’s brother-in-law. Riggs pointed out the suspicious timing of the increase in thefts and Miller’s appointment as deputy, suggesting that Miller himself might be involved. When Frazer confronted Miller with the accusations, Miller dismissed them with a laugh.
Despite the allegations, Miller, supported by his church community and lacking concrete evidence, remained on the force. However, the situation escalated when Miller killed a Mexican prisoner under the guise of an "escape attempt." Frazer launched an investigation, spurred by Riggs’ claim that Miller had murdered the man to conceal the location of stolen mules. When Frazer discovered the stolen mules based on Riggs’ information, he promptly fired Miller. This marked the beginning of a deadly feud between Frazer and Miller that would span several years.
In the 1892 Pecos Sheriff’s election, James Miller ran against Bud Frazer but was unsuccessful. Despite this setback, he managed to secure the position of Pecos City Marshal, appointing his brother-in-law, Mannie Clements, as his deputy. He surrounded himself with a band of gunmen, including Bill Earhart and John Denson, further solidifying his control over the town.
In May 1893, with Sheriff Frazer away on business, Miller’s criminal allies effectively seized control of Pecos. Meanwhile, Miller and his henchmen plotted to assassinate Frazer upon his return. The plan involved staging a shootout at the railroad station, with a third man positioned to deliver the fatal shot, making it appear as a stray bullet. However, Con Gibson overheard the plan and alerted Frazer, who, in turn, contacted the Texas Rangers. Upon his arrival, Frazer was accompanied by Texas Rangers, who arrested Miller, Clements, and Martin Hardin. They were indicted on September 7, 1893, for conspiring to kill Frazer. The case was transferred to El Paso for trial, but the prosecution suffered a devastating blow when Con Gibson, the key witness, fled to Eddy (now Carlsbad), New Mexico, where he was shot and killed by Miller’s henchman John Denson. Without their primary witness, the state was forced to release the prisoners.
Though Miller had once again evaded the law, he lost his position as marshal and purchased a hotel in Pecos. He outwardly appeared to be living as an honest citizen, and the town experienced a period of relative calm. However, whispers began to circulate that Frazer was incapable of handling Miller, fueling resentment in the young sheriff.
On April 18, 1894, when Bud Frazer encountered Miller on the street, he confronted him, accusing him of cattle rustling and murder, and opened fire, striking Miller in the right arm. Miller returned fire, grazing a local storekeeper. Frazer emptied his pistol into Miller’s chest, and he collapsed. Bud then walked away only to find out later that Miller wasn’t dead.
Miller’s survival was attributed to a metal breastplate he wore beneath his coat, a secret that remained hidden from Frazer. Although Miller survived the encounter, he spent months recovering.
In November 1894, Frazer lost the sheriff election and moved to Carlsbad, New Mexico, where he opened a livery stable. Upon returning to Pecos the following month to settle his affairs, Frazer encountered James Miller in front of a blacksmith shop. Aware of Miller’s continued threats against him, Frazer drew his gun and fired, wounding Miller in the right arm and left leg. Miller returned fire left-handed, but Frazer managed to land two more shots into Miller’s chest. Frazer fled, confused by Miller’s resilience, later learning about the protective breastplate.
In March 1895, John Wesley Hardin, now an attorney, arrived in Pecos and filed charges of attempted murder against Bud Frazer. Frazer’s trial was scheduled to take place in El Paso, but Hardin was killed before the trial could commence. Frazer was acquitted in May 1896.
Bud Frazer was not Miller’s only target. Barney Riggs, Bud’s brother-in-law, hard-case gunfighter, and the man who had exposed Miller’s thievery while he was a deputy, was also in Jim’s crosshairs. Riggs is also said to have been the only man Killer Jim Miller ever truly feared. In typical fashion, Miller decided that Riggs should also die. In early 1896, two of Miller’s henchmen – John Denson and Bill Earhart, were overhead in Fort Stockton, Texas, muttering threats against Barney Riggs. However, on the morning of March 3, he was alone as Riggs was substituting for a friend as a bartender in R.S. Johnson’s Saloon. Denson and Earhart burst into the room. A shot from Earhart grazed Barney, who instantly fired back, killing the other man. He then grappled with Denson before the would-be assassin was able to flee. Riggs followed, and as Denson was running down the street, Riggs shot him in the back of his head, killing him on the spot. After the shooting, Riggs surrendered himself. He was later tried for murder and acquitted.
Later that year, Frazer visited family in Toyah, Texas, in September 1896. On the morning of the 14th, Bud played cards with friends in a saloon when Miller pushed open the door and fired with both barrels, practically blowing Frazer’s head from his body.
Again, James Miller was acquitted of Frazer’s murder, claiming self-defense. Soon after, Joe Earp, who testified in the trial, was shot down, reportedly by Miller himself, before galloping 100 miles in one night to establish an alibi.
In 1904, Miller ambushed and killed Lubbock lawyer James Jarrott, who had successfully represented several farmers against the big cattle interests. He received $500 for ambushing the attorney. That same year, he also killed a man he did real estate business within Fort Worth. T.D. “Frank” Fore was an honest businessman who threatened to tell a grand jury that Miller was selling lots submerged in the Gulf of Mexico. On March 10, 1904, Miller cornered Fore in the washroom of the Delaware Hote and shot him to death. Amazingly, Miller was acquitted again.
In 1906, Miller took a job in Indian Territory in the small town of Orr, Oklahoma, in the Chickasaw Nation. There lived a U.S. Deputy Marshal, Ben Collins, who also served as an Indian policeman. On August 1, 1906, Collins was killed by a shotgun blast, pointing at Killer Miller. Once again arrested, Miller spent a short time in jail but was soon released on bail. Before Miller could be tried, any witnesses were soon killed, and once again, the prosecution died from a lack of witnesses and evidence.
Next, Miller was accused of killing Pat Garret on February 28, 1908, because of a land dispute.
On December 29, 1908, Emmanuel “Mannie” Clements, Jr., Miller’s longtime friend and cohort, was killed in a saloon fight in El Paso, Texas. Miller swore revenge and had been offered $1,700 to kill former U.S. Marshal Allen Augustus “Gus” Bobbitt in Ada, Oklahoma.
On February 27, 1909, Bobbitt was shot as he drove his wagon home from Ada. He lived for about an hour, but before he died, he instructed his wife on how to dispose of his property, which included $1,000 as a reward for the man who had killed him.
The posse tracked down the killer and found that Bobbit’s paid assassin was, indeed, James Miller, the result of a conspiracy among several individuals. In April, Miller, along with Jesse West, Joe Allen, and Berry B. Burrell, were arrested for the killing of Gus Bobbitt.
On April 19, a lynch mob of about 50 men stormed the jail. In an abandoned livery stable behind the jail, the prisoners were bound with baling wire and ropes tossed over the rafters. Miller’s cohorts were hanged first, after which the vigilantes asked him to admit his crimes. Miller then allegedly responded: “Let the record show that I’ve killed 51 men.” Before he died, he also asked for his black broadcloth coat to be draped around his shoulders. He then said, “Let her rip!”
Miller’s body was returned to Texas, where he is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Fort Worth.