The Sutton-Taylor Feud of DeWitt County, Texas
The vast and untamed landscape of 19th-century Texas, a land brimming with both opportunity and peril, witnessed numerous conflicts born of land disputes, cattle rustling, and simmering post-Civil War tensions. Among these turbulent episodes, the Sutton-Taylor Feud of DeWitt County stands out as one of the longest and bloodiest, a dark chapter etched in the history of the American West. This protracted and vicious conflict, fueled by a complex interplay of personal animosity, political upheaval, and economic hardship, transformed DeWitt County into a battleground, leaving a trail of death and destruction that spanned nearly a decade.
To understand the Sutton-Taylor Feud, one must delve into the socio-political climate of Texas during the Reconstruction era. Following the devastating Civil War, the South lay in ruins, grappling with the immense challenges of rebuilding its economy and redefining its social order. Texas, like other Confederate states, was subjected to federal oversight as it underwent Reconstruction, a process intended to integrate the formerly rebellious states back into the Union and ensure the rights of newly freed slaves. However, this period was marked by deep divisions and resentment, with many white Texans resisting the imposition of federal authority and clinging to their traditional ways of life.
DeWitt County, situated in southeastern Texas, found itself caught in the crosscurrents of this tumultuous era. The region was plagued by a confluence of problems: disputes over land boundaries and water rights were commonplace, cattle rustling was rampant, and a general sense of lawlessness prevailed. The economic situation was dire, with a severe depression, persistent drought, and poor crop yields exacerbating the existing tensions. Meanwhile, the price of cattle soared, tempting many young men to become cowboys, while others resorted to cattle rustling to make a living. In this environment of chaos and uncertainty, DeWitt County became fertile ground for the eruption of the Sutton-Taylor Feud.
The seeds of the Sutton-Taylor Feud were sown in the aftermath of the Civil War, although some accounts suggest earlier origins in South Carolina, a claim that lacks concrete evidence. Regardless of its precise genesis, the conflict in DeWitt County pitted two prominent families against each other: the Taylors and the Suttons. The Taylor family, led by Pitkin Taylor, included his brother Creed Taylor, a respected Texas Ranger. On the opposing side stood William E. "Billy" Sutton, a former Confederate soldier who had relocated to DeWitt County. Sutton established himself as a rancher and later became a deputy sheriff in Clinton, a decision that would have fateful consequences.
The initial spark that ignited the Sutton-Taylor Feud can be traced to an incident on March 25, 1868, when William Sutton shot and killed Charley Taylor, a kinsman of the Taylor family, while attempting to arrest him for horse theft. This act of violence escalated the existing tensions between the two families. Later that year, on Christmas Eve, Sutton further fueled the conflict by killing Buck Taylor and Dick Chisholm in a Clinton saloon following a heated argument over the sale of horses.
The situation worsened for the Taylor faction when William Sutton was appointed to the State Police Force, under the command of Captain Jack Helm. This law enforcement body, composed of both state police officers and Union soldiers, was tasked with enforcing Reconstruction policies, a mission that was deeply resented by many Southern sympathizers in DeWitt County. The Taylor family and their allies viewed the State Police as an oppressive force, further exacerbating their animosity towards Sutton and his associates.
The Sutton-Taylor Feud transformed into a wider struggle between the Taylors and their supporters, a group that included prominent figures such as Mannen Clements and his brothers, and the notorious outlaw John Wesley Hardin, against the State Police, often referred to as the Sutton-Helm Faction. Each side managed to recruit approximately 200 members, turning DeWitt County into a veritable war zone.
Under the guise of pursuing horse and cattle thieves, the State Police engaged in acts of terror throughout Southeast Texas. On August 23, 1869, they ambushed and killed Jack Hays Taylor, further intensifying the cycle of violence. Almost exactly a year later, on August 26, 1870, Sutton-Helm men arrested Henry and William Kelly, sons-in-law of Pitkin Taylor, on a minor charge. Instead of taking them into custody, they summarily executed them, demonstrating the brutal and lawless nature of the feud.
Jack Helm’s misconduct eventually led to his dismissal from the State Police Force; however, he continued to serve as DeWitt County Sheriff. With Helm out of the picture, William "Billy" Sutton assumed the undisputed leadership of the Sutton faction. The Sutton-Taylor Feud was now fully engaged, with each side seeking revenge for past grievances and determined to eliminate their enemies.
In the summer of 1872, Pitkin Taylor was lured from his home by a group of Sutton sympathizers and shot down. Although he survived the initial attack, he succumbed to his wounds six months later. His son, Jim Taylor, vowed to avenge his father’s death, and on April 1, 1873, he fired shots through the door of a Cuero saloon, wounding William Sutton. Though Sutton survived this attack, Jim Taylor continued his pursuit, attempting to kill him again in June, but Sutton managed to escape.
The violence continued to escalate throughout the summer of 1873, with the Taylor faction killing a man named Jim Cox and another member of the Sutton group. In May, Jim Taylor and John Wesley Hardin ambushed and killed Jack Helm, a significant victory for the Taylor faction.
Following Helm’s death, the Taylor faction targeted Joe Tumlinson’s stronghold, a prominent member of the Sutton group, near Yorktown. However, a posse managed to persuade both sides to sign a truce, temporarily halting the bloodshed. This fragile peace, however, was short-lived. In December 1873, the killings resumed, plunging DeWitt County back into the depths of the Sutton-Taylor Feud.
Desperate to escape the violence, William Sutton decided to relocate his family out of DeWitt County permanently. On March 11, 1874, as Sutton, his wife, and their friends Gabriel Slaughter and his wife boarded a steamer at Indianola, Texas, Jim and Billy Taylor ambushed and fatally shot Sutton and Slaughter in front of their wives, a shocking act of violence that underscored the ruthlessness of the feud.
In retaliation for the murders of Sutton and Slaughter, the Sutton faction lynched three members of the Taylor group, including Kute Tuggle, Jim White, and Scrap Taylor, who were driving a herd up a cattle trail. The cycle of violence seemed endless, with each act of revenge fueling further bloodshed.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the Texas Rangers, under the command of Captain Leander H. McNelly, were called in to restore order to DeWitt County. For several months, the Rangers worked diligently to break up the feud, but their efforts met with limited success. The deep-seated animosity between the two factions proved difficult to overcome.
Meanwhile, Billy Taylor, who had been arrested for the murders of Sutton and Slaughter, was being held in jail at Indianola, awaiting his murder trial, which was scheduled for September 16, 1875. Word of the Sutton-Taylor Feud had spread throughout the state, attracting a large influx of visitors and journalists eager to witness the trial. However, the trial never took place.
On the evening before the trial, Indianola, a town highly vulnerable to tropical storms, was struck by a devastating hurricane with winds reaching 110 miles per hour. The town was flooded, including the jail. During the night, city officers, fearing for the prisoners’ lives, opened the water-filled cells and released them from certain death. The hurricane raged throughout the night and into the morning of September 17th. When the storm finally subsided, Indianola lay in ruins, with an estimated 300 people dead, and the prisoners who had been freed, including Billy Taylor, had vanished.
On November 17th, Reuben H. Brown, the new leader of the Suttons and marshal of Cuero, was shot down in the Exchange Saloon by John Wesley Hardin. The following month, a gunfight in Clinton resulted in the deaths of Jim Taylor and two of his friends.
With Jim Taylor’s death, the intensity of the Sutton-Taylor Feud began to diminish, but the violence was not yet over. On September 19, 1876, a group of masked men forced Dr. Philip Brassell and his three sons out of their home. Although Dr. Brassell’s oldest son, George, was a known outlaw with a price on his head, Dr. Brassell was a peace-loving man who was well-respected in the community. The masked men marched the four men down the road and coldly executed Dr. Brassell and George Brassell. The two younger sons managed to escape.
These killings once again brought in the Texas Rangers, and eventually, eight men were charged with murder and held for trial. However, no one was willing to testify, and a series of legal maneuvers resulted in all but one being released. Only one man was convicted, and he was eventually pardoned.
The Sutton-Taylor Feud finally came to an end, with neither side achieving a clear victory. During the years of bloodshed, the Taylor faction suffered approximately 22 fatalities, while the Sutton faction lost around 13 members. The feud left a legacy of bitterness and violence that scarred DeWitt County for generations. The Sutton-Taylor Feud serves as a stark reminder of the lawlessness and brutality that characterized the Old West and the devastating consequences of unchecked personal animosity and societal unrest.