SUTTON (VETERAN CSA), WILLIAM E "BILL" - Victoria County, Texas | WILLIAM E "BILL" SUTTON (VETERAN CSA) - Texas Gravestone Photos

William E "Bill" SUTTON (VETERAN CSA)

Evergreen Cemetery
Victoria County,
Texas

Veteran Confederate States
Company C, 24th Militia Brigade
Civil War Confederate
October 20, 1846 - March 11, 1874

Born inFayette County, Texas and died in Indianola, Calhoun County, Texas

Lawman, Cattleman and Texas Feudist. The Sutton-Taylor Feud lasted longer, covered more territory, and was the bloodiest feud in Texas history. Bill Sutton served in the Confederate States Army under Captain Harrison Gregg, Company C, 24th Militia Brigade, Texas State Troops. The feud came about as a result of the bad times that befell Texas following the Civil War. One of the oddities of the feud is that Bill is the only Sutton involved in the Sutton-Taylor Feud. He did, however, have many loyal followers. The exact beginning and cause of the bitter dispute between the two factions is, in itself, under dispute. One version is that a posse led by Sutton in March of 1868 caught a gang of horse thieves on the streets of Bastrop, Texas. One of the thieves, Charley Taylor, was killed on the spot and James Sharp, who was captured, was shot as he "attempted to escape," as the posse was returning to Clinton, Texas. The Taylor family claims the feud started on Christmas Eve of 1868 when Buck Taylor accused Sutton of dishonesty in a horse sale and the following shootout resulted in the death of Buck Taylor and Dick Chisholm. The last death occurred in 1880, but the feud was not totally over until the end of a long trial in 1890 and the only convicted defendant was pardoned. The war for Sutton ended in March of 1874 when he was seriously contemplating on leaving Texas and the feud for good. He, his four month pregnant wife, and close friend Gabriel Webster Slaughter were in Indianola, Texas to catch the steamboat Clinton that would take them to Kansas where they would meet a herd of cattle they had sent on a drive. Jim Taylor and his cousin Bill Taylor snuck on the boat behind the Sutton group. As the Suttons approached their cabin Jim Taylor drew a brace of pistols and taking Sutton by surprise shot him in the breast and head. Bill Taylor engaged Slaughter at the same time and one of his two shots caught Slaughter in the face. Despite all the witnesses, including the pregnant Mrs. Sutton, the killers managed a clean escape. Jim Taylor was killed by a posse on the streets of Clinton on December 27, 1875. Bill Taylor fled Texas and reportedly died in Oklahoma in 1895. The exact number of deaths is not known for sure, but there are 83 known victims. Both sides were known to commit atrocious murders.

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Contributed on 1/22/14 by tomtodd
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Record #: 2793

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Submitted: 1/22/14 • Approved: 1/24/14 • Last Updated: 3/26/18 • R2793-G0-S3

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