Cut,
Stabbed, and Killed in the Line of
Duty, July 19, 1905
On
Wednesday, July 19, 1905, at
approximately 12:00 noon Collinsville City
Marshall James W. Brooks
arrested Z.T. Trice for failure to pay
court fines issued six weeks
earlier. Trice was in his buggy
with his wife, and on his way to Fort
Worth to have his foot treated.
After making the arrest, Brooks had
Trice sit down in a chair.
Brooks was apologizing to Trice's wife
when Trice came up behind Brooks and
cut him across the abdomen and to the
heart. Brooks fell to the
sidewalk and was pronounced dead by a
doctor within two minutes.
Daily
Times Herald
Dallas, Texas
Thursday evening, July 20, 1905
pg. 3, col. 3
MARSHALL KILLED
Officer Stabbed to Death by Prisoner
at Collinsville
(Special to The Times Herald)
Collinsville, Texas, July 20 - City Marshall J.W.
Brooks was stabbed and
instantly killed by Z.T. Trice last
evening at 2:30 p.m. Trice had
been fined by the city court about six
weeks ago and had failed to pay his
fine. He came into town last
evening on his way to Fort Worth to
have his foot treated. Brooks
arrested him while in his buggy with
his wife and took him about ten steps
up the street to a chair. Brooks
returned to the buggy and was
apologizing to Mrs. Trice when Trice
came up behind him, cutting him to the
heart and across the abdomen, either
cut being fatal. Brooks fell to
the sidewalk.
A physician pronounced him dead in two
minutes. Both are men of
families and have grandchildren.
Trice has a farm, living two miles
from town.
Researched
by Terry Baker
Assistant Chief Deputy (Retired)
Dallas County Sheriff's Department
James
W. Brooks, born in November 1841, was
a pioneer peace officer and operator
of the first drug store after the city
of Collinsville was moved to its
present site. Mr. Books was
postmaster in 1886 and was city
marshal of Collinsville, serving five
years, until his death in 1905.
He was secretary of the Knights and
Ladies Lodge of Collinsville.
City Marshall James W. Brooks was
survived by his wife Nannie, had seven
children, with four surviving
him. No death certificate or
cemetery records for James W. Brooks
have been.
Z.T.
Trice was arrested and charged with
the murder of Collinsville City
Marshall James W. Brooks.
Grayson County District Clerk records
show that Cause #9863, The State of
Texas vx. Z.T. Trice, charge - murder,
was tried and on October 26, 1906, the
jury gave the following ruling.
"We the jury find the defendant not
guilty."
The Denison Daily Herald
Friday,
October 26, 1906
pg. 3
Zach
Trice Not Guilty
Jury in
the Case returned the Verdict This
Morning.
Sherman,
Tex., Oct. 26 - "We the jury
find the defendant not guilty."
This
was the verdict of the 12 men that
weighted the evidence and testimony
in the case of Zach T. Trice of
Collinsville, charged with the murder of
J.B. [sic] Brooks, city marshal of
that place, more than a year
ago. This was Trice's
second trial. The first resulted
in a hung jury and
this one in an acquittal.
The
case was hard fought and the trial
consumed more than a week's time in the
15th District Court. The main
point of defense pleaded by the counsel
for Trice was defense of his family
and this point won the case.
Evidence produced at this trial by the
defense showed that Marshal
Brooks, after arresting Trice and
taking him from his buggy, was
endeavoring to take Mrs. Trice from
the vehicle. Trice attacked Brooks with
a knife, inflicting mortal wounds.
The
jury was given the case at 2 o'clock
yesterday afternoon but returned
no
verdict till 10 o'clock this morning.
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