War
In 1873, Sheriff John Clark was elected. Having grievances, the German-American majority of the county was thus able to get into place law enforcement that they felt would protect their interests. Little is known of Clark short of the fact that he enforced the law with an "iron fist", openly supporting the lynching or shooting of any suspected of cattle rustling, even when there was little to no evidence supporting the charge. It was through Clark's administration that the German faction struck first, eventually sparking the county conflict.
His Deputy was German descendent John Wohrle, known to have killed several cowboys during the next two years. In August 1874, prominent Llano and Burnet County ranchers M.B. Thomas and Allen G. Roberts were arrested by a posse led by Clark, who accused them of rounding up cattle that belonged to other ranches. Roberts and Thomas denied this, and in reality according to Texas state law at the time, it mattered little, as the law allowed cattlemen to round up any cattle they wished, as long as after the cattle were sold they turned the proceeds over to the true owners. Clark did not abide by this law, and imprisoned the cattlemen for one week, then released them after charging them a hefty fine. The ranchers brought charges against Clark for false imprisonment and robbery, but little became of it.
On February 13, 1875, Sheriff Clark led a posse into McCulloch County, Texas, arresting nine cowboys he suspected of rustling, to include brothers Elijah and Pete Baccus. Four of the cowboys made bail, while the other five remained in jail. Sheriff Clark then voiced around town to several that he had no problems with the men being lynched. A few days later, a 17-year-old cowboy named Allen Bolt was found shot to death by the roadside just outside Mason, Texas. To his back was pinned a note saying "Here lies a noted cow thief".
On February 18, 1875, several masked men entered the house of Deputy Wohrle, demanding he turn over the keys to the jail to them. He did so, and the men removed the five cowboys, took them outside of town, and lynched them. Texas Ranger Dan Roberts happened to be in town at the time. He intervened, preventing the hanging of cowboy Tom Turley, while cowboy Charlie Johnson was able to break free during the chaos and flee into the night. Sheriff Clark, realizing a Texas Ranger was present, also made an effort to intervene. However, it was too late for brothers Elijah and Pete Baccus, who were both hanged. The fifth cowboy, Abe Wiggins, was shot in the head by unknown parties, and died the next morning. No arrests were ever made for the lynchings, and this fueled tensions that would eventually explode into violent retaliation by the Anglo settlers.
A few days after the lynchings, former posse member Caleb Hall was arrested, allegedly for rustling, but many believed it was due to his objections to the lynchings on February 18. Placed in a cell with Turley, the two men tunneled their way out and fled town. Former posse member Tom Gamel, who also had objected to the lynchings, received several threats. However, instead of fleeing, Gamel gathered together a band of some thirty riders, and entered town to confront Sheriff Clark. The sheriff fled town, but on March 24, 1875, Sheriff Clark returned with some sixty riders to confront Gamel and his band. Although it appeared the two factions would fight, eventually they reached a truce, and departed.
However, on May 13, Sheriff Clark and Deputy Wohrle rode out to the ranch of Carl Lehmberg, to speak with foreman Tim Williamson. Several months earlier, Williamson had been falsely arrested for possessing an alleged stolen calf. However, well liked within the community, Williamson had been released. Daniel Hoerster, the German owner of the calf, had since pressed Clark to arrest Williamson, which Clark had now decided to comply. Williamson agreed to accompany the two lawmen, and rode toward town with them. However, after traveling some ten miles, the party was met by a band of masked men. According to some reports, Williamson recognized Peter Bader, a member of the mob, and Bader shot him, killing Williamson. This latest murder would change the course of the Mason County War, as Williamson was a mentor and close friend to Texas Ranger Scott Cooley.
Read more about this topic: Mason County War
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