Bush Knob Massacre
Throckmorton, Throckmorton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1873, rancher Bill Hayes organized a group to drive cattle to the Indian Territory. They gathered cattle, including some belonging to rancher and outlaw John Larn, who Hayes believed had earlier rustled his cattle. Larn and a deputy secured a warrant for Hayes' arrest and requested assistance from Ft. Griffin. Buffalo soldiers, under the command of Lt. Edward P. Turner, joined a posse assembled by Larn. They reached the herders and killed Hayes and others. The remaining cowboys were arrested and later killed on the way back to Clear Fork. While official reports indicated otherwise, it is believed that all of the cowboys were murdered. Tradition indicates that the victims were buried at Bush Knob Cemetery. (2008)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On the rough post–Civil War Texas frontier, a dispute over rustled cattle turned deadly in 1873. Rancher Bill Hayes, accused by rancher-outlaw John Larn of stealing stock, was pursued by a posse joined by Buffalo Soldiers from Fort Griffin, who killed Hayes and several of his men; the surviving cowboys were arrested and, tradition holds, murdered on the road back. The victims are believed to lie in Bush Knob Cemetery.
Why it matters
The episode lays bare the blurred line between law and lawlessness on the cattle frontier, where warrants, posses, and federal Buffalo Soldiers could serve private vengeance.
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Related people
- · Bill Hayes
- · John Larn
- · Edward P. Turner
Themes & tags
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