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Submitted: 2/28/14 • Approved: 3/2/14 • Last Updated: 3/25/18 • R3810-G0-S3
November 3, 1864 - December 27, 1884
On the day after Christmas of 1884, Bill’s 20-year-old son Emmett chose to disregard his father's advice to stay out of Helena and took 22-year-old ranch hand Hugh McDonald to town on a drinking spree. With too much to drink, a fight was picked with one of the locals and shots were fired. Sheriff Leary ran to the scene and relieved Emmett and McDonald of their Winchesters. Emmett pulled his revolver and fired at point-blank range into Leary’s chest. Supposedly, Leary dropped to his knees, fired one shot and said, “He has killed me. Shoot him.” Leary then dropped dead. McDonald then shouted out for Emmett to run as he had killed the sheriff. Emmett jumped on his horse, but the town folks were now firing at him. They shot his horse and then Emmett. Two shots hit him in the right leg and a third in the back of the head. He died the next morning.
The inquest confirmed that Emmett’s bullet killed Sheriff Leary and that parties un-known killed Emmett. Emmett became the first burial in what would become the Butler Cemetery in Kenedy, Texas, on December 28, 1884. Sheriff Leary was succeeded by Sheriff Isham Lafayette “Fate” Elder which did nothing to relieve Bill’s bad feelings. Bill suspected that Elder was one of the townsfolk shooting at Emmett as he made his break. Sheriff Fate Elder then appointed his brother James J. “Bud” Elder as his deputy. Things got a bit com-plicated when Newton, Bill’s oldest son, married Mary Elder, sister to Fate and Bud. The story is still told that Bill rode into Helena with Winchester in hand and demanding to know who shot Emmett. When no one responded, he vowed to return and kill the town. He did return some days later with a group of his armed ranch hands. The presence of the Texas Rangers prevented any bloodshed.
Excerpt from Tombstone gy Tombstone, Volume Two
tomtoddbooks.com
Tombstone photo courtesy of Sibyl Harding
Contributed on 2/28/14 by tomtodd
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Record #: 3810