  Robert L. May killed 26 May 1889 Sheriff of Grayson Co., Texas  Dallas (TX) Morning News Monday, May 27, 1889 p. 1 Sheriff May Killed. The Only Charge Against the Sheriff's Slayer Was for Carrying a Pistol -- Three Cousins with Him When He does the Killing, Who surrender -- He is Captured. Sherman, Tex., May 27. -- One of the most start tragedies ever known in Grayson county took place eight miles from the city this morning, and a little over a mile west of the village of Howe, on the Houston and Texas Central Railway, in which Bob May, sheriff of Grayson county, a valued and efficient officer, lost his life under unexpected circumstances. Leading up to the bloody deed the facts are in substance as follows: Just a week ago to-day two young men arrived in Howe from Elliott county, Kentucky, near the county site, Martinsburg in the eastern section of the state. They were the distant relatives of D. H. Hanna, John Hanna and John Eades, who live at Howe, and have been stopping with these people since their arrival. The young men were first cousins and had come out to Texas on a prospecting tour and had given it out that they intended to visit both Oklahoma and Arkansas before returning home to Kentucky. Mandrew Isom was the son of Mart Isom and aged 24 years. Benjamin Isom was the son of Isom and aged 21 years. They were young men of fairly passing appearance and had been knocking about town a great deal during which time they had been drinking more or less. Friday last, preparatory to the trip they were to take through Oklahoma and Arkansas, the two Isoms came to Sherman and purchased a full supply of fire arms, including winchester rifles, pistols, ammunition, etc. these they brought back and left at the house of John Eads in the eastern part of the town of Howe, and at which house they were stopping for the last day or two. Friday evening the Isoms got into a game of marking for the treats, in which they got a little huffy, to use slang parlance. Yesterday afternoon Ben Isom and J. M. Culver were marking for the cigars in Simpson's saloon. Isom accused Culver of having swindled him. Culver remonstrated with him, but Isom became more and more abusive and finally drew his pistol with the evident intention of using it on Culver, it is said. He was seized by Mr. Simpson and another gentleman and disarmed. As soon as the pistol was taken away from him he left with his cousin Mandrew Isom, going directly toward the residence of John Eads. At this place they secured their weapons and went east to a dense thicket on the Capt. Marshall farm east of Howe a mile or two. Town Marshall Campbell of Howe summoned a posse and went in pursuit but they could not be found and the crowd returned to Howe without their men. It is stated, however, that they returned to Howe after night and ate supper at the home of John Hanna; this; however, could not be definitely verified by a News reporter who was on the scene as soon as possible after the killing of the sheriff. At any rate a messenger came to Sherman this morning at an early hour and this morning at an early hour and filed a complaint before State's Attorney C. H. Smith charging Ben Isom with carrying a deadly weapon, to wit: a pistol. The warrant, issued by virtue of the complaint, was placed in the hands of Sheriff May, who left for the scene at an early hour this morning with Deputies Scott Creager and James May, brother of the sheriff. They reached Howe about 8 o'clock this morning and went at once to work gathering up data relative to the occurrence yesterday. After learning all considered necessary, they rode over to the residence of Capt. Tom Burke, a half mile east of town and on a prominence overlooking the thicket in the lowland, into which the Isoms had gone when pursued by the posse under the town marshal of Howe. About 9 o'clock two men were seen cutting across the fields in the direction of the thicket where they surprised the two Isoms in conversation with young Hanna and John Eads. Before reaching the men, however, Sheriff May and his deputies had in a measure scattered. Deputy James May was at some distance from the sheriff, while Deputy Creager was behind him, perhaps twenty five steps. Sheriff May commanded them to throw up their hands but this they did not do, rising firing as they came, both discharging their Winchesters. Sheriff May fired one shot with a pistol and sank down in the small path and the two Isoms dashed off into the thick undergrowth and brush and were lost to view. Deputy Creager fired one shot, but it was ineffectual. Hearing the shots, James May dashed through the brush to find Deputy Creager bending over the dead body of the murdered sheriff. The great call of the moment as to, if possible, render him some medical assistance and Jas. May went post haste to the town and secured the services of a doctor who examined the body which had been carried to the residence of Capt. Burke, but life was extinct. Deputy Creager states that he heard the shots and as he ran by Sheriff May he was standing by a little tree, leaning against it and that when he, Creager, fired he turned around and the sheriff had sunk down to the ground. He hastened to his side and raised his head asking him if he was hurt very badly. The wounded man tried to speak, gave his deputy just one look, then the chin dropped and with a sigh the spirit of one of the bravest and truest men and officers Grayson county or the State of Texas has ever known had winged its flight to the reward which such manhood and steadfastness merits. The announcement of the affair in Sherman was like the bursting of a bomb. The streets was crowded with people going to and from the churches and all was bright and pleasant, but like a pall of gloom the news settled down on the entire community. From mouth to mouth went the exclamation, "The sheriff has been killed!" Hundreds of men volunteered, hundreds of willing hands grasped Winchesters, shotguns and pistols and begged for the privilege of assisting in the capture of the slayers. Deputy Sheriff Cam Whitesides and Policeman Gene Andrews left at once for Howe, reaching there in thirty-five minutes from the time the telephone message announcing the killing reached Sherman. Chief of Police Blain, with Officers, Wallace and Ritenour, also went, while Deputy Sheriffs Middleton and McKinney and Constable Spencer went as soon as possible. At 10 o'clock Mandrew Isom came up to the depot at Howe and surrendered to Deputy Sheriff Creager, who at once searched him, but found nothing. A subsequent search in the thicket, where the tragedy occurred developed the fact that Isom had left his winchester and pistol there. John Eads was arrested at the home of D. H. Hanna by offers Spencer and McKinney. Eads is a young man about 24 years of age, who came to Howe from Bell county about the 1st of March. He has been working at intervals, having been in bad health for most of the time. About the same time David Hanna, son of John Hanna, was arrested at the residence of his brother, Ed Hanna, by J. m. Culver. John Hanna and his family all came to Texas and located near Howe some time before last. D.H. Hanna, who is an uncle of both David Hanna and John Eads, the latter by marriage, has lived in Texas for many years, and he tried to prevent the Isoms from violating the laws, and it is said had taken Ben Isoms' pistol away from him two or three days ago. Eads and Hanna said when they were arrested that they had gone out to tell the Isoms to either leave the country or to come in and surrender and settle the matter. Another report has it that they had gone out to carry the concealed Isoms their breakfast. Mandrew Isom, who came in and surrendered to Creager, said: "We had made arrangements, I and Ben to shoot up in the air if were surprised, and then if the officers did not weaken we were to run off through the woods. I shot in the air as I had agreed, but Ben fired at the sheriff, and I suppose that is the which killed him." At 12 o'clock orders were received at the armory of the Grayson rifles to hold themselves in readiness to leave at once for the scene, and Capt. J. F. Mahoney was appointed by the county judge as sheriff pro tem, with instructions to appoint all necessary forces to maintain order. At about 1 o'clock Capt. Mahoney, with the rifles left on a special train, accompanied by Assistant States Attorney Zol Woods. The News reporter, who went on the special at this point, taken direction to return thanks to Mr. Woods and Capt. Mahoney, acting sheriff, for favors extended. The body of Sheriff May was removed to the waiting-room of the depot where it was viewed by a constant stream of people pouring in and gazing for a moment. The body was placed on the north-bound passenger train which arrived at the Union depot at 2 o'clock. A hearse was in readiness at the depot, and the dead sheriff was lifted in. The three prisoners were taken off the train by a detachment of policemen and deputies and placed in an omnibus and hurried to the Houston street prison before the crowd had time to realize just what was taking place. The hearse containing the dead sheriff moved slowly up the streets, which were literally jammed full of people, and policemen were forced to keep them from crowding up about the hearse. When the sad procession rounded into Houston street, on which the county jail is situated, and in a portion of which Sheriff May lived, the crowd at time impeded progress. When the body was carried into the laboratory of the jail, and Mrs. May entered with her fatherless children, the scene was too sad and affecting for pen to describe, and The News reporter draws the veil and leaves the sorrowing ones with their woe. In answer to a telegram Sheriff Cheney of Fannin county arrived in Sherman at 1:37 p.m. with a pack of trained dogs (hounds). A special train was dispatched out of the Central yards and arrived with the Fannin officers and dogs about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. About 11 o'clock Ben Isom, or a man supposed to be him, was seen crossing corn and wheat fields north of Howe and going in the direction of a thicket on the Widow Mills' farm, about a mile from town. As soon as the dogs arrived, a picked posse, under the charge of Tuck Hill of McKinney, consisting about equally of parties from Sherman, McKinney and Howe started out. The dogs struck the trail directly, and he deep baying echoed and resounded through the low lands. A party of three, consisting of J. W. Simpson, William Holt and J. M. Tackett were standing at the head of the thicket watching for him to come out of a ravine, the dogs being on the opposite side of the thicket, when a man was seen to creep out of the brush and go in the direction of a corn-field. The three above mentioned rode up toward him, and when they reached a point about 200 yards from him he rose up and surrendered. the party took him in charge. He was perfectly cool, and aid, while Tackett was searching him: "I thought I would give up, as I didn't care to die." He was turned over to Capt. Mahoney and placed on a special train and brought in at 5 o'clock and placed in jail, no trouble being encountered. The city is quiet to-night, after the terrible tragedy of this morning. The dead body of the sheriff is lying in the reception room of the Houston street prison, which is heavily guarded by a detachment of militia under Sergt. Whitmarsh. Just when the burial will take place is not yet settled, as it is desired to allow as many relatives to be present as possible. Capt. Mahoney is not exactly sheriff pro tem. He was specially deputized by Judge Cunningham to take charge of this case and is under a bond of $2500, with all the powers of a civil officer. None of the four prisoners have anything to say to reporters. It is not unmerited to all the attention of the public to the readiness with which the Houston and Texas Central railway responded to the wants and requirements in this emergency. Agent Barksdale and his efficient force deserve especial praise for the placing of a special train to ply between this city and Howe for the purpose of transporting the militia, officers, and the trained hounds from Bonham, all at no expense whatever to the county. The single wound which cost Sheriff May his life entered near the waistband of his pants, on the left side, and passed entirely through the body, coming out near the spine. Dallas (TX) Morning News Sunday, June 2, 1889 p. 3 Sherman, Tex., June 1. - A paper has been received from Bell county, Texas, the former home of John Eads, certifying that from the time Eads came to Bell county in 1883 to the time he left in 1889, he as a quiet peaceable citizen. Eads is one of the men who are charged with complicity in the murder of Sheriff May at Howe, last Sunday... 
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