The Lawless Horrell Boys of Lampasas, Texas
Lampasas, Texas, a town etched into the annals of the Wild West, holds within its history a tale of familial bonds, escalating tensions, and ultimately, deadly conflict. The story of the Lawless Horrell Boys of Lampasas, Texas is a compelling narrative of a family caught in the throes of frontier violence, their names forever linked to a period of lawlessness and retribution. This is the story of the Lawless Horrell Boys of Lampasas, Texas.
The seeds of this saga were sown in the mid-19th century, with the arrival of two families seeking to carve out a life in the burgeoning Texas landscape. The Higgins family, hailing from Georgia, established themselves in Lampasas County in 1848. Among them was a young John Calhoun Pinkney "Pink" Higgins, destined to become a central figure in the events that would unfold. Nine years later, in 1857, the Horrell family migrated from Arkansas, settling near the Higgins’ property. Initially, relations between the two families were amicable, marked by the neighborly interactions typical of rural communities.
However, the tranquility was not to last. As the Horrell sons – Mart, Tom, Merritt, Ben, and Sam – matured, their behavior became increasingly disruptive. By the early 1870s, the Horrell boys were known for their rowdy conduct, frequently engaging in activities that tested the patience of the local populace and the limits of the law.
Lampasas in this era was a quintessential frontier town, characterized by its rough-and-tumble atmosphere and a legal system often struggling to maintain order. Saloons thrived, and the ready availability of firearms contributed to a volatile environment. The Lawless Horrell Boys of Lampasas, Texas quickly became prominent figures in this milieu. While some viewed them as simply "fun-loving cowboys," their penchant for "shooting up the town" and instigating trouble made them a source of growing concern for many residents.
The simmering tensions erupted into open violence in January 1873. When Lampasas County Sheriff Shadrick T. Denson attempted to arrest two men named Wash and Mark Short, the Horrell brothers intervened, confronting the sheriff and his posse. The ensuing altercation resulted in Sheriff Denson being shot, a wound that would later prove fatal. This brazen act of defiance against law enforcement underscored the escalating lawlessness in Lampasas and the Horrells’ disregard for authority.
The death of Sheriff Denson sent shockwaves through the community. Faced with a rapidly deteriorating situation, the county judge appealed to Texas Governor Edmund J. Davis for assistance. Governor Davis responded swiftly, issuing a proclamation on February 10, 1873, prohibiting the carrying of sidearms in Lampasas. To enforce this decree, seven members of the Texas State Police were dispatched to the town in March.
The arrival of the State Police further inflamed the already tense situation. On March 19, they arrested Bill Bowen, the Horrells’ brother-in-law, for violating the governor’s proclamation. The officers then made a fateful decision to enter Jerry Scott’s Saloon with Bowen in custody. Inside, they encountered the Horrell brothers and their associates. Seeing their brother-in-law under arrest, the Horrells immediately confronted the officers. The confrontation quickly spiraled out of control, culminating in a deadly shootout within the saloon. When the smoke cleared, four officers, including Captain Thomas Williams, lay dead.
The "Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon" marked a turning point in the saga of the Lawless Horrell Boys of Lampasas, Texas. The incident elevated the Horrells from local troublemakers to fugitives wanted for the murder of law enforcement officers. A massive manhunt ensued, involving the Texas State Police, the Lampasas Sheriff, and the Burnet County Minute Men.
Mart Horrell and three other men were eventually apprehended and imprisoned in the Georgetown, Texas, jail. However, their incarceration was short-lived. On May 2, 1873, Mart’s brothers, accompanied by a posse of approximately 30 cowboys, stormed the jail and freed Mart and his companions. This audacious act of defiance further solidified the Horrells’ reputation as outlaws who operated outside the bounds of the law.
Following their escape from jail, the Horrell brothers remained in Texas for a brief period, during which they gathered and sold their cattle. They then decided to leave Texas altogether, seeking refuge in the lawless territory of Lincoln County, New Mexico. They landed near the present-day village of Hondo on the Rio Ruidoso.
Unfortunately, the Horrells’ penchant for trouble followed them to New Mexico. On December 1, 1873, Ben Horrell, along with former Lincoln County Sheriff Jack Gylam and a man named Dave Warner, rode into Lincoln. After indulging in alcohol and revelry in several saloons and brothels, the drunken men began firing their guns indiscriminately.
Constable Juan Martinez demanded that they surrender their weapons, to which they initially complied. However, they soon acquired more weapons and resumed their disruptive behavior, this time targeting another brothel. When Constable Martinez and four other officers confronted them again, Dave Warner, who harbored a long-standing grudge against Martinez, shot and killed the constable. The lawmen returned fire, killing Warner, but Ben Horrell and Jack Gylam managed to escape. The lawmen pursued the fleeing pair, eventually catching up with them and fatally wounding both men, shooting Horrell nine times and Gylam thirteen times.
The remaining Horrells retaliated swiftly, killing two prominent Hispanic citizens in Lincoln County. Sheriff Alexander Hamilton Mills assembled a posse to arrest them, but they retreated after a tense standoff at the Horrell ranch. On December 20, the Horrells returned to Lincoln, where they stormed a Hispanic celebration, killing four men and wounding a woman. Despite repeated attempts, law enforcement was unable to apprehend the Horrells, and warrants were issued for their arrest as clashes between the Horrells and Hispanic citizens continued.
In early 1874, the Horrell brothers and some of their associates began their journey back to Texas, continuing to harass Hispanics along the way. One Horrell associate, Edward "Little" Hart, murdered Deputy Sheriff Joseph Haskins at Picacho, New Mexico, because he was married to a Hispanic woman. About 15 miles west of Roswell, when the Texans encountered five Hispanic freighters, they killed every man. In total, the Horrells and their friends were responsible for the deaths of at least 13 Hispanic citizens.
Upon their return to Lampasas, the Horrells found that their reception had changed drastically. No longer were they seen as merely "fun-loving cowboys." Instead, they were treated as pariahs, with some citizens even taking potshots at them, although no one was killed during these incidents.
In 1876, the surviving Horrell brothers stood trial for the murder of Captain Thomas Williams, but they were acquitted. That same year, tensions between the Horrells and John Calhoun Pinkney "Pink" Higgins reached a boiling point. Higgins accused the Horrells of stealing his cattle, further fueling the animosity between the two families.
Pink filed an official complaint in May, accusing Merritt Horrell of stealing one of his calves. Although the case went to trial, Merritt was found not guilty. However, Higgins vowed to settle the matter later with his gun, a threat that was not taken lightly.
On January 22, 1877, Pink Higgins made good on his promise, shooting and killing Merritt Horrell in Wiley and Toland’s Gem Saloon in Lampasas. The remaining Horrell brothers vowed revenge on Pink Higgins, his brother-in-law, Bob Mitchell, and Bill Wren.
On March 26, Tom and Mart Horrell were ambushed four miles east of Lampasas by the Higgins party. Although both brothers were injured, they survived the attack.
Warrants were issued for the arrests of Pink Higgins and Bob Mitchell for their involvement in the murder of Merritt Horrell. The pair surrendered to Captain John Sparks of the Texas Rangers and were released after posting a $10,000 bond each. However, on June 4, the Lampasas courthouse was burglarized, and district court records disappeared, including the bonds of Higgins and Mitchell.
On June 14, 1877, Pink Higgins, Bob Mitchell, Bill Wren, and Pink’s brother-in-law, Ben Terry, rode into Lampasas. The Horrell brothers and some friends were already gathered in the square.
The ensuing events remain shrouded in some uncertainty. Although it is unknown who fired the first shot, an all-out gun battle erupted in the middle of town. Before the citizens could persuade the clans to stop firing, Bill Wren was wounded, and Frank Mitchell, Bob’s brother and cousin of Pink Higgins’ wife, was killed. Buck Waldrup, a newcomer to the Horrell Gang, and a man named Carson Graham were also killed. When the smoke cleared, both factions retreated from the town.
The Texas Rangers were called in to restore order and prevent further bloodshed. A detachment of Rangers surprised the Horrells in their beds and persuaded them to submit to arrest. Major John B. Jones negotiated with the two sides, ultimately securing an agreement to end the feud. In early August, each side signed documents to formally end the conflict.
Despite the official truce, the violence continued. In the following year, Tom and Mart Horrell were suspected in the robbery and murder of a country storekeeper in Bosque County. While confined in the Meridian, Texas, jail, a vigilante mob stormed the jail and shot them to death. Although this was officially attributed to vigilante justice, many suspected that the Higgins faction had orchestrated the event.
With his brothers gone, Sam Horrell, the only surviving brother, moved his family to Oregon in 1882. He died in California in 1936. Pink Higgins moved his family to the Spur area in the 1890s, where he worked as a range detective for the Spur Ranch. He died of a heart attack at his home in 1914.
The story of the Lawless Horrell Boys of Lampasas, Texas serves as a stark reminder of the violence and lawlessness that characterized the American West. The tale of the Lawless Horrell Boys of Lampasas, Texas is one of escalating tensions, deadly confrontations, and ultimately, the tragic consequences of a family consumed by violence. It is a story that continues to resonate in the history of Lampasas and the broader narrative of the Wild West.