Denison Daily News
Monday, June 6, 1880
pg. 8

April 1878 - Messrs. Spence, Massey, Pryor and Sims bring in the body of Frank Graves, a Mississippi murderer, on the 30th.  He shot himself rather than let them arrest him.

Denison Daily News
Tuesday, April 30, 1878
pg. 4

LIVELY ENGAGEMENT  Between a Sheriff's Posse and a Mississippi Murderer
We learn from Judge Porter that Monday morning the Sheriff of Red River county, with a posse of 3 men, overtook a party (who, it is said, committed a murder in Mississippi) on the prairie, about 3 miles from Judge Porter's residence.  A lively fight ensued, in which a great many shots were exchanged, but the murderer managed to make his escape towards Rock Bluff, being forced, however, to abandon his horse, and also losing his hat. The horse captured was wounded in 2 places, in the thigh and neck.  The murderer was  evidently wounded in the right arm, as he was shooting with the left hand towards the end of the fight.
All avenues leading to Rock Bluff are closely guarded, and the posse reinforced by several citizens, are making a thorough search. The bluffs abound in good hiding places, but his ultimate capture seems certain.  A reward of $1750 is offered for the arrest of the party. The governor of Mississippi having offered a reward of $250, and the citizens of the town where the murder was committed, $1,500.  The Judge did not ascertain the name of the murderer.

LATER
Since writing the above we learn from Mr. J.J. Chadwick, Deputy Sheriff of Red River county, who was in the city Monday afternoon, that the name of the murderer is Frank Graves.  The reason the party in pursuit of him did not succeed in capturing him was that the horses of the posse were very much fagged, while the murderer's horse was in good condition, which enabled him to reach the brush in advance of the pursuing party, where he at once dismounted and abandoned the horse. Mr. Chadwick is confident that the man was badly wounded in the right arm, or shoulder.   Constable Spence and a few others have accompanied Chadwick to Rock Bluffs, and his escape is considered impossible.  But as Graves is a desperate man, it is thought he will not be taken prisoner, but will fight to the death, if necessary.


Denison Daily News
Wednesday, May 1, 1878
pg. 4

Sequel of a Murder - Frank Graves, the Mississippi Fugitive, Brought to Bay by the Denison Posse -  Blows His Own Brains Out
Constable Spence, Deputy Sheriff James Massy, James Pryor and J. Sims, who left this city Monday evening in pursuit of the Mississippi murderer, Frank Graves, returned Tuesday evening with his dead body.
The party ascertained at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, that Graves had passed the night at the house of Mr. Taggart, near Red river, and that he had left that place early Tuesday morning.  Mr. Taggart had given him a hat in the place of the one he had lost in the fight Monday.  At about 10 o'clock a.m. the pursuing party overtook Graves at a place north of Mr. Massey's farm and about 25 miles from Denison.  He was near a house, sitting under a tree when the party arrived.  He got up, and backing towards a fence, fired several shots at the party, who called upon him to surrender, and he then jumped over a fence into a field, wit the evident intention of making for the brush, which joins the field on the further end, the party in full pursuit.  A running fight ensued, in which a great many shots were fired, the murderer himself firing 7, reloading his pistol as he ran.
The posse closing in on him, he stopped, taking the pistol in both hands, placing the muzzle of the pistol to his forehead, pulled the trigger, and fell dead, the ball tearing off a large portion of his skull. The body was brought to this city, and now lies in the carpenter shop of Mr. Mills.  An inquest will be held this morning.  The man is about 5' 6" high, and probably weighs about 120 pounds. He is about 42 years of age.
During the melee, the man living at the house near where the fight occured, was hit by a stray bullet which produced an slight wound in the scalp.
The gentlemen composing the party deserve great praise for their perserverance and the bravery displayed throughout this affair.
His coat which was found Monday evening, showed conclusively that the report that he was wounded on Monday, was entirely false.


The Dallas (Texas) Weekly Herald
Saturday, May 4, 1878
pg. 3

RESCUED BY DEATH
Frank Graves Gone to Meet His Reward - Dies by His Own Hand to Avoid Arrest
Denison Herald, 1st - As announced in the Herald extra of 7:30 p.m. last evening Frank Graves was brought to Denison a corpse by the posse that went in pursuit of him the evening previous.  We have not been able to get any authentic account of the crime with which young Graves is charged.  The rumor goes that he had committed many henious crimes in Mississippi, among them murder, after which he fled and was lost to the Mississippi authorities until he wrote to a relative in that state instructing him to sell some property and forward him the money.  During the correspondence that followed, the officers intercepted some letters and from them learned that Graves, under the alias of Jackson, was living in Red River county, Texas.  Decoy letters were sent to Graves and the officers set a trap to catch the fugitive at the post office where he got his mail, but by some means he learned of the trap and fled, pursued by the two men who had the fight with him Monday evening.  After the fight these two men came to this city and informed Constable Spence of the whereabouts of the fugitive and the reward offered for him.  They had with them the horse that Graves abandoned when he took to the brush, and for some reason, to the writer unknown, abandoned the pursuit to Spence and possee, and we suppose returned home.
The testimony before the coroner's jury this morning corrobrated the statement of the Herald's extra that he came to death by shooting his brains rather than surrender when pressed by the constable's possee, and the jury returned a verdict in accordance with this testimony.  At the inquest a man, whose name we could not learn, appeared and identified the body as that of Frank Graves, whom he had known as a lad of 15 or 18 in New York; that the boy's family went to Ohio; later Frank went to Mississippi, where he saw him 2 or 3 years since, and that deceased was recognized as a desperately bad man.  Since t hen he has known nothing of him until this unpleasant denouemnet.  There seems to be no doubt that the body soon to be put beneath the sod in the potter's field is that of Frank Graves, and whatever his crimes, he had paid the penalty with his life.  The description of the body reads: "Frank Graves is about 41 years of age, five feet six inches high, weighing about one hundred and twenty pounds, brown complexion, dark hair, light brown mustache, and had on dark coat, dark striped pants, white drilling drawers, and brogan shoes."


Denison Daily News
Sunday, May 2, 1878
pg. 4

DESPERATE SUICiDE
Proceedings of the Inquest Over the Body of Frank Graves

An inquest held Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock, upon the dead body of Frank Graves, an account of whose suicide was given yesterday, elicited the following testimony.
James Massey, Deputy Sheriff of Grayson county, testified: I saw the dead body of the party upon which the inquest is held. Saw him when alive on Tuesday, April 30th, near the house of Frank Autry, about 17-1/2 miles from Denison, in the Indian Territory.  He was walking with a pistol in his hand.  Someone, I think it was Spence, told him to throw up his hands.  Graves then commenced firing upon our part, and the fire was returned by us.  Deceased was in a 10 acre field.  We advanced upon him from different directions, he continuing to fire upon us.  When we closed in upon him, he took his pistol in both hands, and shot himself in the forehead.  He was dead when we reached the body.  The top of his head was blown off, and his brains were about 3 feet from the body on the ground. The pistol was lying uder his body.  I examined the face of the deceased this morning, and discovered powder burns on his face, and also on his hat.  We were informed he was a murderer, and were endeavoring to effect his arrest at the time he killed himself.  He fired about 7 shots at us.
Constable Spence, J.E.W. Sims and J.A. Pryor, corroborated the statement of J. Massey.

Dr. J.A. Malcolm testified: On examination of deceased I find that he came to death by his own hands, finding powder burns ranging along the upper orbit and on portion of the frontal bone. The ball passed in through the inner orbit, passing upwards and outwards, through the frontal and paretal bones.

L.G. Goodrich testified: I examined body of deceased; am satisfied that I have seen him before.  His name is Frank Graves; I knew him in the State of New York, in Chetoqua county, about 26 years ago.  He left at that time for Ohio; he remained in that State 1 years and then left of Mississippi; have heard from him several times in that State; the last time I heard from him was 3 years ago last November I was then in Mississippi and deceased was working in a blacksmith shop 5 miles from Good Hope, in Leak county, Mississippi.  He was considered to be a desperate character wherever known, and had been engaged in several difficulties.  He was supposed to be unmarried.

The following verdict was returned by the jury:

State of Texas
County of Grayson
An inquisition taken the first day of May, A.D. 1878, in said county of Grayson, before W.D. Kirk, J.P. and ex-officio coroner of said county, upon the view of the dead body of Frank Graves, about 41 years of age, 5' 6" high, weight about 120 pounds, brown com plexion, dark hair, light brown mustache and beard; had on dark coat, dark striped pants, white drill drawers, brogan shoes - by the oaths of J.H. Burch, John Holford, J.W. Cox, H. Landreth, S.C. Burson and A.B. Bales, good and lawful jurors of Grayson county, who being in due form sworn say that the said Frank Graves came to his death on the 30th day of April, A.D. 1878, being pursued, to evade arrest, shot himself in the forehead with a 44 calibre improved Colt's cartridge pistol, tearing off the upper part of the skull, producing instant death.  His face and hat were badly powder burned.
In testimony whereof as well the coroner as the said jurors, have hereunto set their hands the day and year first aforesaid.
W.D. Kirki, J.P. and ex officio Coroner
S.C. Burson
A.B. Bales
H. Landreth
J.H. Burch
Jno. Holford
J.W. Cox

While we can only speak in terms of the highest praise of the perserverance and bravery displayed by our Denison posse, we are constrained to say that the conduct of the Red River posse was not exactly what it should have been.  Our posse managed to find Graves, though he had about 20 hours the start of them.  It appears to us that the party from Red River could have easily arrested him, or at least disposed of him, if they had continued the pursuit a short time. But perhaps they were of the opinion that Graves was a bad man to tackle, and were satisfied with securing his horse as booty.
A good pistol, several cartridges, $10.35 in mone y, a paper of calomel and a railroad map were found in the dead man's possession.
Telegrams were sent to the governor of Mississippi, Tuesday evening, stating the fact, and the following answer was received in this city  Wednesday afternoon:

Jackson, Miss. May 1, 12:40 p.m.
Frank Graves is a murder. Hold him Letter by mail. 
J.M. Stone, Governor of Mississippi
T. A. Person, Esq.
Dr. Malcolm has applied the proper remedies to keep the body.  It has been placed in a metallic coffin, and will be held till the wishes of the Governor are ascertained.


Denison Daily News
Friday, May 3, 1878
pg. 4

The following telegram was received Thur sday morning by A.B. Person
Esq., relating to Frank Graves, the Mississippi murderer, whose body
now lies at Mr. Mills carpenter shop:
Jackson, Miss., May 1, 8:10 p.m.
$350 reward onconviction.   I have written.
J.M. Stone, Governor of Mississippi


Denison Sunday Herald
Sunday, May 5, 1878
pg. 4

The remains of the suicide, Frank Graves, were buried in Oakwood cemetery Friday morning.


Denison Daily News
Sunday, May 5, 1878
pg. 1

Graves, the Suicide-Murderer
A letter from the Governor of Mississippi in relation of F .Z. Graves, the Mississippi murderer, was received Saturday by A.B. Person.  We learn therefrom that Graves murdered one B.M. Vaiden in Wilkinson county, Miss., on the 26th of December last.  One hundred dollars were offered for his arrest by the county authorities and a further reward of $250 by the governor, payable on conviction.
The description of Graves as given by the governor, corresponds in every respect with the party who killed himself near this city last week in preference to being arrested.
Graves was buried Friday in the cemetery, it being considered unnecessary to keep his remains longer, as no notice had been received of anybody being sent from Mississippi to identify him.


Denison Daily Herald
Tuesday, May 14, 1878
pg. 4

The parties who went in pursuit of Graves, the Mississippi murderer, and
returned to this city with the dead b ody, have, we understand, abandoned
all hopes of getting any reward.