Dallas Morning News
May 3,
1903
STRANGE MURDER NEAR BURNS CITY
Rev. John Powers Is
Instantly Killed by an Unknown Mexican Near Gainesville.
WAS NON-COMBATANT
GAINESVILLE, Tex :
May 9 - News has just reached here of a strange and brutal murder which was
committed at Burns City Friday about noon. Burns City is about fifteen of here.
It is an inland village with a population of less than a hundred. Without
provocation or apparent reason, an unknown Mexican split open the head of Rev.
John Powers, a Baptist Minister, killing him instantly. The Mexican attacked
Powers with an axe as the latter started to go inside the door of the home of
Mr. Miller, a neighbor. The Mexican was afterwardly killed by a posse which
surrounded the house and failed in its efforts to capture him alive.
DIFFICULTY
About 10 oclock the the Mexican came
to the field of Mr. Miller, a neighbor of the preacher. While there the Mexican
struck Miller's hired man in the head with a piece of iron, knocking him down.
Miller at once ran to the hired man's aid, but in the tussle which followed the
Mexican got away.
Becoming alarmed, Miller then hurried to his house, removed
his family to his neighbor's home and then asked Rev. Powers help, as he feared
the Mexican would prove troublesome.
MEXICAN IN THE HOUSE
When they
got to Miller's house, they found that the Mexican had gone inside. Rev. Powers
walked to the door, opened it
and was just starting to walk inside when the
Mexican struck him on the head with an axe, killing him instantly.
Miller ran
at once to the nearest telephone and summoned the officers. Sheriff Pat Ware
happened to be the vicinity and he soon had Miller's house surrounded with a
posse.
After a hard fight the Mexican was killed at 4:30 o'clock, having been
shot four times.
None of the members of the posse was hurt by the Mexican's
shots. The body of the Mexican was brought to Gainesville
last
night.
POWERS PROMINENT
The murdered minister was an influential
man in his community and the people are greatly wrought up over his death. His
funeral was held today from his late home.
Newspaper Clipping furnished by Cynthia
Broyles
Rev. John D. Powers
Shiner Gazette
May 13, 1903
Minister Was Murdered.
The Mexican Who Did The Deed Was Shot To Death.
Gainesville,
Texas, May 9. – Rev. Jno. Powers, a Baptist minister at
Burns City, this county, was killed by a
Mexican about
11 o’clock
yesterday morning. The Mexican having a
grudge against Mr. Miller, a neighbor of the preacher, came over to the field
and had a fight with Miller, trying to knock him in the head with a piece of
iron. The Mexican ran away and Miller, taking his family over to his neighbor’s
asked the preacher’s aid. On returning, they found the Mexican in possession of
Miller’s house. As the preacher broke open the door, the Mexican hit him with
an ax, almost severing his head from his body. Miller then phoned to Gainesville for officers.
Sheriff Ware with a posse soon had the house surrounded, and after a hard fight
the Mexican was killed. After an inquest, the body of the Mexican was brought
to Gainesville.
Rev. John Powers was a prominent man of his community, and much feeling was
wrought up over the dastardly murder.
The
Democrat
McKinney, Tex.
May 14, 1903
Baptist Devine Dead.
He is Hacked To Pieces By A Mexican Desperado.
Violent Death Of Mexican. Is Slain In A
Desperate Battle
With A Sheriff Posse
– Was Fugitive From Justice.
Gainesville,
Tex., May 8. – An unknown Mexican
entered a farm house while the family was absent, ten miles south of this city
today near Burns city, and a near by neighbor, Rev. J.W. Powers, seeing the intruder go into the house and knowing
the family was away from home, took his shot-gun and went to the house for the
purpose of driving the Mexican away.
Upon opening the door the Mexican, who was standing at the inside of the
door, dealt Powers a heavy blow on the head with an ax, knocking him to the
floor. He then continued the assault with the ax until he beat the man’s head
nearly off, never closing his deadly work until Powers was dead. A man named Miller,
who accompanied Powers, retreated and gave the alarm. In the meantime the
Mexican barricaded himself in the house, and, armed with Powers’ gun, he stood
at bay all the farmers who gathered about the house for the purpose of
capturing him. Sheriff Pat Ware of this city was notified, and he and a posse
at once went to the scene. Upon reaching the house where the Mexican was
concealed the latter opened fire on them, firing several shots, but none of the
posse was hit. The Sheriff and his posse returned the fire, and after several
shots had been fired into the house from Winchester
rifles the battle ceased, and a rush was made on the building. The door was
broken in and the Mexican was found dead on the floor with five bullet wounds
on his body. A letter was found on the body of the Mexican addressed to Antonio
Ramos. Deceased is supposed to be the Mexican who killed a man and his wife in
the western part of Texas
some days ago, an account of which appeared in last week. The body of the
Mexican was brought to this city late this evening. Rev. J.W. Powers was about
50 years of age, and lived in this county many years, and was quite an able and
a very popular Baptist minister.
The Southern Mercury
Dallas, Tex.
May 14, 1903
An unknown Mexican killed Rev. J.W. Powers at Burns
City, near Gainesville and was shot
to death while resisting arrest. The Mexican had gone into a house with the
evident purpose of committing robbery and upon being interfered with by Rev.
Powers, struck him down with an axe as he entered the door.
John D. Powers was born in Missouri on
Oct. 19, 1843 to Moses Powers and Lucy Ann Cason Powers. John married first to
Isabella M. Hutchison about 1868. They had two children: Pete Powers and
Elizabeth Powers. Pete was born in Kansas in 1869 and Elizabeth was born in
Texas in 1872.
John's first wife died before 1878 - have never found her
gravesite.
John married second to Almedia Clements on May 2, 1878 in Cooke
County, Texas. They had no children.
John was a well-known Baptist
preacher, in fact, he was the first pastor of Mt. Zion when it was organized in
1887. Family stories indicate that John also had two brothers that were
preachers.
John Powers was killed in 1903 and is buried in the New Hope
Cemetery near Burns City.
John's son, Peter Elsworth Powers, born July 26,
1869 in Kansas. Pete Powers married Mattie Florence Umsted on April 3, 1892 in
Cooke County, Texas. They had 12 children, one of whom was Arch Powers.
Arch Powers married Aylene Lemons on Oct. 8, 1941 in Marietta, Okla. They had
two sons, Troy Powers and Harold Wayne (Sam) Powers. Troy is deceased and Sam
lives in Tioga with his wife Valta.
FELONY
Susan Hawkins
© 2024
If
you find any of Grayson
CountyTXGenWeb links inoperable, please
send me a message.
|