 West Hill Cemetery Sherman, Texas
The Sunday Gazetteer Sunday, December 23, 1888 pg. 1 THE DEADLY SIX-SHOOTER Milton Overton Kills James Sacra in a Quarrel at Oakville, C.N. News reached this city at an early hour Monday morning of a terrible affair which occurred at or near Oakville, in the Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, 33 miles northwest of Sherman, some time Sunday afternoon, probably about 3 o'clock. Dick Sacra, in riding across a field, found his brother, Jim Sacra, kying dead by the side of a path in the field. The remains were taken at once to the home of the deceased. After attending to all the preliminaries, Dick Sacra, leaving everything in the hands of another brother, went to Sherman, where he was interviewed by a Dallas News' representative, who obtained the following version of the affair: Sunday afternoon Milt Overton and John Wilson came to Sacra's house to see about some cattle that had broken into the field, and Jim Sacra went with them. They were also seen together by a man who had bogged down in the field, which he was trying to cross, and parties who had heart the shots claim they saw the two parties mentioned above in company with a boy leaving the scene hurriedly. When he found his brother Dick Sacra says he was lying over on his side, and that there was a great hold torn in the top of the head where the ball had entered, and another neat the mouth where it had come out. There were also 2 shots in the left breast, near the heart, either of which would have probably proven fatal. The deceased had a large gold watch in his vest pocket on the left side, and one shot had struck the watch, bettering it out of shape but staying its course. Parties from the vicinity of the scene talking of the killing openly assert that it was done by Overton and Wilson. This grows out of the fact that Overton at one time had Dick Sacra placed under arrest and carried to Tishomingo on the charge of illicit cattle dealing. Jim Sacra, the brother of Dic , went to Tishomingo, and while arranging bond for his brother, had a personal difficulty with Overton. It had been the general impression from that time that there was a spirit of unfriendliness between the two men, and it is stated by Dick Sacra that Jim Sacra and Overton had some words only a few days since. There is also a theory that when Sacra rode off with Overton and Wilson that the Tishomingo affair came up again, and that a difficulty arise in the which the deceased was killed. Sacra was unarmed when he was found dead in the field, having only a pocket-knife, which was closed up and in his pants pocket. Milton Overton and John Wilson were in Denison today on their way to Ft. Smith, where Overton goes to surrender himself to the Federal authorities. The latter does not deny the killing of Sacra, but claims that it was done in self-defense. To friends in the city who questioned him about the matter, he stated that in company with Wilson he went into the pasture Sunday morning to look after some cattle that belonged to him. That while in the enclosure Jimn Sacra rode up and asked him what he was there for. He replied that he had come to look after some steers of his that were there, at which time Sacra flew into a rage and ordered him out. As he started to go Sacra followed, and quarreling as they proceeded, they got hotter words when Sacra, riding up close to him, tried to turn to pull him from his horse. In the struggle Sacra got hold of the pistol and tried to turn it on him, when he fired, with deadly effect. Overton stated that when he fired the shot they were struggling hand-to-hand, and that the blood with which his clothes were still saturated was received from Sacra before he shook loose of his hold. At the shot the horses sprang apart and both men came to the ground and Overton fired a second shot wile being dragged away with one foot fast in the stirrup. Overton had not changed his clothing since his deadly combat, and was literally covered with blood. He left Denison on the northbound Missouri, Kansas & Texas train at 1 o'clock for Wagner, I.T., where he will change cars for Ft. Smith. The Sunday Gazetteer January 20, 1889 pg. 1 The Federal grand jury at Ft. Smith, returned bills of indictment against Overton, Wilson and Hamp Willis [sic], for the killing of Sacra. Willis will be taken to jail at Sherman and carried to Ft. Smith where an effort will be made soon to have bail granted for all of them. West Hill Cemetery Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |
