William England (1794 Virginia -1876) served during the War of 1812, enlisting November 13, 1814, serving  in Capt. Samuel Carother's Tennessee Militia and being discharged May 16, 1915.  At the age of 22 years he married Chloe Pike (1794 - 1870) on March 2, 1817 in Robertson Co., Tennessee.  To this union four daughters and two sons were born in Robertson Co., Tennessee

On November 12, 1827, William England purchased 80 acres of "public lands" in Morgan Co., Illinois (created in 1823) provided by the Act of Congress, May 6, 1812 as bounty land for partial compensation of volunteer military service during the War of 1812.  He purchased an additional 87.65 acres in Madison Co., Illinois (created in 1812) on March 12, 1834; both records were signed by President John Quincy Adams
On November 1, 1839, he purchased 80 acres in Marion Co., Illinois (created January 1823), signed by President Martin Van Buren.  Another was 55.34 acres was purchased on March 10, 1843, deed signed by President John Tyler.
William and Chloe's youngest child, son William, was born in Illinois May 1827.  Federal census for 1850 and the state census for 1855 list the England family living in Marion Co., Illinois.  William England had the first store in Racoon township and was the first postmaster.
William England and family were living in Whitesboro, Grayson Co., Texas where he registered to vote in 1867, stating that he had lived in the state for 11 years and in Grayson County and Whitesboro precinct for 10 years.  Family history notes that Chloe died at Whitesboro in September 1870.

In the the mid-1850s William and Jane Taylor family moved from Missouri to Texas; in 1856 W.H. Taylor received a grant of 288 acres on the waters of Denton Creek in Cooke Co.; when Montague Co. was created this land was within the new county boundaries.  On June 16, 1857 Eliza Ann, daughter of William & Jane Taylor married Wiley Blount Savage, a widower aged 45 years, at the age of 14.  (W.R. Potter's History of Montague County describes this as the first marriage to occur on Denton Creek.  Eliza Ann Taylor Savage is listed twice in the 1860 Montague Co. census - once in her father's household and, two houses later, in that of her her new husband along with his five children from his first marriage.  Mr. Savage dies in 1864 and Eliza married Benjamin Krebs, a Swiss immigrant,  who was listed as a stage driver in the 1860 census at Ft. Belknap, Young Co., Texas.  Eliza and Benjamin had three children.
On September 24, 1869, Eliza's father, William H. Taylor, obtained a second land grant of 160 acres near the old farm of Wiley Blount Savage.
Eliza's younger brother, William Taylor, Jr., shot and killed their father in the home of Eliza and Benjamin Krebs when his drunk father arrived home and attempted to whip his son (Marvin F. London's Famous Court Trials of Montague Co.)  William Jr. and slipped out the back door of his father's home and went to Eliza's home, where their father chased his son and threatened him, resulting in the tragic shooting.  William Taylor, Jr. was eventually captured, tried and acquitted of his father's murder.

In 1870 Benjamin Krebs, age 36, along with his wife, Eliza, age 26, and their four children were enumerated in Montague Co.  Living in Whitesboro, Grayson Co. at this time were:

1870 Grayson Co., pct 3, Whitesboro, Texas Census (22 November 1870, pg.52)

Family 372/ Household 381
Celina Taylor 50F
Isaiah Taylor 27 m farmer
Joseph 25 m farmer
Isaac M 23M farmer
Harvey 21M farmer
Birch 16M
Susannah 15F

Family 375/ Household 381 
Marion F Tate  21M  farmer ILL
Arilda Tate  21F AR
Wm Tate  1M  TX
Wm England  77M  farmer  VA

On December 7, 1870, William England, aged 77, married Salena Dewitt Taylor, aged 50, in Montague County.  
On the evening of August 26, 1876 events were set in motion that would change the lives of the Taylor and England family forever.  That night Benjamin Krebs, along with James Preston and Eliza's youngest brother, Aaron K. Taylor, were detained, jailed and indicted on suspicions of the murder of Methodist minister William England, his wife, Selena, and two of her children from a prior marriage, Isaiah D. Taylor and Susie Taylor, who was to be married a few days after her murder.
The evening of the murder, Mr. England, his wife, and her children were preparing for the night's sleep in their newly built home when the three men came to the house and slaughtered the family.  
The Krebs-Preston murder case drew considerable attention because of the savage nature of the murders, even being noted in The New York Times edition of September 30, 1876.
Prior to her death, Selena England identified Ben Krebs, face-to-face, as the individual who had mortally wounded her.

The Denison Daily News
Wednesday morning, August 30, 1876
pg. 1

A FIENDISH OUTRAGE
A Family of Seven Murdered Near Montague by a Party of Masked Men.
The Victims are Rev. W.G. England, His Wife, Step-Daughter and Four Step-Sons.
The Family Formerly Resided in Grayson County

Special to the Dallas Herald
Decatur, August 28 - A murder most foul was perpetrated on Denton Creek, just in the edge of Montague county.  Rev. Mr. England, his step son and daughter, were murdered in their house on Saturday night.  The former had his throat cut and the latter two were  shot.  Mrs. England, wife of the murdered minister, who was formerly a Mrs. Taylor, was also shot and will die.  Parties, whose names we could not learn, have been arrested on suspicion.

Special to the Herald
Decatur, August 18 - There were five persons murdered 6 miles south of the town of Montague on Saturday night, by parties in disguise.  The persons murdered are Rev. W.G. England, three step-sons and one step-daughter, all grown.  The mother was shot, but still survives at last accounts.  No cause has as yet been heard for the fiendish outrage. The family once resided in Grayson county.

LATER
Decatur, August 28 - Particulars from the scene of the murder are to the effect that there were seven persons in all killed, the old gentleman, his wife, a step-daughter, and four step-sons.  Mr. England was shot and had his throat slashed; Isaiah and Susie Taylor were shot as well.  Mrs. Taylor was shot but survived through the night.  The opinion prevails that they were murdered for money, as the family was known to be well off, having just completed a fine house.  Mr. England was a Methodist preacher.  The latest information corrobates the above facts but throws no additional light on the cause of the murder.

The Galveston Daily News took up the story in its September 5, 1876 edition, stating that seven people had been killed with knives - Mr. England, his wife, her daughter and four sons.  Public opinion was that the family had been murdered for money since the family was known to be well off.  Public excitement was so high that there was fear of the possibility of Benjamin Krebs being lyned; however, County Attorney Matlock put the suspects behind bars as soon as possible because "This whole assassination exceeds anything ever known in Texas for atrocity, excepting the acts of Indians."
The jury was out only five minutes before returning a verdict of guilty and a sentence of death in the first trial held in November 1876 (The Galveston Daily News, November 23, 1876)  Young Edward Taylor, who was only 17, could not be executed under Texas law, was sentenced to life in prison, where he died Jun 6, 1880 with dropsy and consumption.
In 1880 a change of venue was granted to Cooke County where the Court of Appeals reversed the original convictions of Benjamin Krebs and James Preston.  Both men bitterly denied the charges and never wavered in claiming their innocence of such charges.  The jury in the appeals trial was out only 20 minutes before returning a verdict; Krebs and Preston were again convicted of 1st degree murder and sentenced to death by hanging; the men were held in the Cooke Co. jail at Gainesville until they could be transported to the state penitentiary.  (The Galveston Daily, February 18, 1879)  Edward Taylor was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.  (The Galveston Daily News, February 15, 1880)  On April 30, 1880 a large crowd of people from Montague Co. arrived in Gaineville just shortly after the train left, assumedly to carry out justice at their own hands.  However, an agent of the state penitentiary at Huntsville arrived in Denison fron Gainesville on the 11 o'clock train with Krebs, age 52, and Preston, aged 55, who were housed in the Denison jail while awaiting a later train to continue their journey.  Krebs was a native of Switzgerland and had lived on the Texas frontier for 30 years; Preston was a native of Tennessee and had lived in Texas only a couple of years when the England family was murdered in 1876.  (The Galveston Daily News, April 30, 1880)
About a week before the two men were taken to Huntsville, their sentence of death was commuted by the Texas Governor Roberts to life in prison, stating that there was conflicting evidence in the case.  When asked at the sentencing in the courtroom if they had anything to say, Preston insisted that he was innocent and Krebs chose not to speak because he was not fluent in English enough to make himself correctly understood.  (The Galveston Daily News, May 1, 1880)
In June of 1880, Harvey Isaac who had survived the murder of his step-father, mother & siblings, was living in Grayson County with his remaining siblings.

1880 Grayson County Census, Texas, Pct 7, June 2-3 1880
15/15 
W. Isaac Taylor  31m  laborer ILL
Harvey 29m  ILL
R. Birch  27m TX
Martha F  18f  AR

The inconsistency in the evidence presented at the trial was between the dying declaration of Celina Taylor England of who her family's killer was and that of her son, the only survivor of the horrible affair.
Mrs. England had been mortally wounded but was able to run to the home of John Musick, over half a mile distant, and told them, "Krebs came in and presented his pistol at Isaiah and shot him, and that she and Susie ran but Krebs followed and shot her, and she asked him to shoot her no more."  She also stated that as she and Susie ran from the house that Krebs followed them and Susie exclaimed, " Oh, mother, Ben Krebs has come to kill us all!"  After being shot, Susie cried, "Oh, mother, Ben Krebs has killed me."  The next day, August 27, 1876, Krebs was identified by Mrs. England and she told him to his face that he was her murderer as well as that of her family and that "she knew him by his whiskers, by his Dutch talk and even that old white hat that he was then holding in his hand."  Without the dying declaration of Mrs. England and that of her daughter, undoubtedly Krebs and the other two suspects would probably have been released.

Harvey, Mrs. England's son, testified that he had made his bed on a pallet on the front gallery while the rest of the family had gone to be inside the house.  Soon after he retired, he saw three men coming up to the front gate.  The moon was shining brightly; however, Harvey said the men were bending over as if to hide their faces.  He said that the men entered the gate and that the smallest of the three "came up to me and presented a bright pistol," and said, "G--d--m, you, get in the house!  Harvey stated that he obeyed the orders by running into the house upon which the man followed him and shot his brother, Isaiah.  Harvey then related how he had escaped by running out of the house, all the time hearing his mother and sister screaming while more shots were being fired.  Harvey possibly recognized the shooter since he was outside in the bright moonlight and was close to the man.  His opinion was that the leader of the three-men gang was William "Bill" Taylor, an escaped convict and refugee from justice at the time of the murder.  His testimony was that he knew Krebs well and did not recognize Krebs as the shooter, adding that the man who followed him into the house was a young man and "wore not hat but had a rag around his head."  It is reasonable to believe that Harvey had the best means of telling accurately whom and what he saw while his mother and sister got their first sight of the man from indoor darkness, and their impression by the flash of a pistol that left Isaiah a lifeless form at their feet.
In fact, Harvey followed his mother to the neighbor Musick's house where he found her lying on the floor bleeding and told her that he took one of the assassins to be "Bill Taylor" and another to be "John Musick."  He also testified that his mother told him to "hush, "that Musick was at home when she came to the house."

There were other affidavits given that Bill Taylor and Musick had been out hunting that fateful evening, that Bill Taylor had skipped the country and not been seen since the murders, and that soon after the murder Musick "wound up his affairs," quit his wife and family and left the country.  Johnny Savage and Mary Jane Savage, Krebs' stepchildren, testified that the two defendants and A.K. Taylor were aroused by the shooting, got out of their beds, and with other members of the family, went into the yard barefooted to listen.  (The Galveston Daily News, November 30, 1894)

Other facts and circumstances of evidence that was not deemed sufficient to cast more than slight suspicion on either of the accused:
1. Krebs and the England family were on unfriendly terms as neighbors and the England family were prosecuting witnesses against Krebs in a misdemeanor case that was soon to be tried.
2.  John Musick, another neighbor, was also "at outs" with the England family because he claimed they had taken the land they occupied from his father, depriving him of valuable property rights.
3.  Preston and the England family were good friends with Mr. England even preaching the funeral of Preston's deceased wife a few months prior to the assault on the family.
4.  Krebs and England had fallen out over "gaps in the fence" and "hogs in the field" shortly before the time of the assault.

After serving 18 years in the state penitentiary, Gov. J.S. Hogg examined the entire case in 1894 and delivered his opinion that Krebs and Preston were innocent of the crime committed in August 1876 against the England family and granting them a full pardon and restoring all their rights as citizens.
Both men were nearing their 76th birthday at the time of their pardon.
Hon. E.G. Douglass, assistant Superintendent of the Rusk Penitentiary for three years, wrote a letter before his retirement stating that he was convinced both men were innocent and wrongfully convicted.
Lucas F. Smith, part of the defense team, wrote a letter stating that Harvey Taylor, the only survivor of the 1876 family murder had told him as well as Judge Hurt in a Gainesville hotel room during the first trial that he knew the defendants were innocent but had not testified to such in court because he feared for his life.
Judge J.P. Gibson, assistant Superintendent of Rusk Penitentiary, wrote a letter stating that approximately 90 officers, guards and other employees at the prison believed implicitly in the innocence of Krebs and Preston.
Young Taylor had given a dying declaration of his as well as Krebs and Preston's innocence in the murder.

Around the time of the trials, Eliza Krebs apparently changed her name to "Rhoda," for reasons unknown.  Family research  by descendants note that Eliza may have assumed the name of her great-grandmother, Rhoda Campbell.  

1880 Montague Co., Texas census showed Rhoda Krebbs, age 40, and her children, M.J. (female, age 18), J.W. (male, age 16), W.B., male, age 12), Geo. A. (female, age 10) and J. Adaline (age 7) living two houses down from Thomas Savage and family, Eliza/Rhoda's former step-son of Wiley B. Savage.  In the years following the massacre of the England family, Eliza/Rhoda and her sons moved across the Red River into Chickasaw Nation lands in Indian Territory where they obtained farming lands.
Benjamin and Rhoda Krebs were enumerated in the 1900 census in the household of their son, Billie Krebs, in Lone Grove, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory.  Benjamin Krebs died February 21, 1901 at the age of 72 in Lone Grove and was buried in the Newport Cemetery (Find-A-Grave Memorial #17097954).  Eliza/Rhoda Ann Krebs died August 2, 1909 in Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma, at the age of 66 years.  She is buried in the Duncan Municipal Cemetery

FELONY
Susan Hawkins
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