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N0KFQ > TODAY 22.08.14 17:00l 54 Lines 2387 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 34020_N0KFQ
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Subj: Today in History - Aug 22
Path: IW8PGT<IR2UBX<IK2XDE<PY1AYH<PY1AYH<CX2SA<VE2PKT<ZL2BAU<N0KFQ
Sent: 140822/1455Z 34020@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQK1.4.60
Aug 22, 1898:
Hired killer Jim Miller joins Texas Rangers
The hired assassin Jim Miller briefly joins the Texas Rangers,
demonstrating how thin the line between outlaw and lawmen often
was in the West.
Many lawmen in the Old West had never been on the wrong side of
the law themselves, but more than a few moved easily between the
worlds of lawbreaker and law enforcer. James Brown Miller was one
of the latter. During his 47 years, Miller worked as a deputy
sheriff, a city marshal, and Texas Ranger. He was also a gambler,
a swindler, and one of the deadliest professional killers in
Texas.
As a young man, Miller was accused of committing several
murders-including the double killing of his own grandparents-but
the charges never stuck. By age 27, he was living in Alpine,
Texas, where he reportedly offered to kill a local judge for
$200. That offer was apparently rejected, but thereafter he
became a professional killer, charging between $50 to $2,000,
depending on the victim and the client's ability to pay. By his
own account, he committed more than 50 murders.
Although Miller was arrested on several occasions, he proved hard
to convict. The wealthier clients who hired him often provided
expert legal counsel, and he was a careful killer who took pains
to cover his tracks. Law enforcement agencies also found men like
Miller useful, and they often were willing to overlook his
checkered past if they needed help in capturing or killing a
dangerous outlaw. The famous Texas Rangers even hired Miller,
temporarily appointing him a Special Ranger on this day in 1898.
Miller's luck eventually ran out. In 1909, two Ada, Oklahoma,
ranchers paid Miller $2,000 to kill August Bobbitt, with the
promise of an additional $3,000 to pay for his defense in the
event Miller was arrested. Miller killed Bobbitt with a shotgun,
his favored weapon for assassinations. This time, however,
Miller's victim was a well-liked man who left a widow with four
children. Local citizens were outraged by the cold-blooded murder
and demanded action. Miller and his two clients were quickly
arrested and jailed, but none of them had a chance to mount a
legal defense. A mob of Ada vigilantes stormed the jail,
extracted the men, and lynched them in a nearby barn. Miller was
47 years old.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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