Thursday, August 29, 2013

How About "Deacon Jim"...?

Many times we talk about some of the regular bad guys of the Old West, but this man is a little different!

Now don't get me wrong. This man was still one bad dude, without a doubt! We probably should have saved him for our Western Wednesday, but he was just too interesting not to share!

James B. “Killer” Miller
October 25, 1861 – April 19, 1909



James Miller was also known as “Deacon Jim” because he went to church and did not smoke or drink. Despite his piousness, he was actually one of the deadliest guns in the Wild West. He openly stated that he would kill anyone for money, and his rate was reported at anywhere from $150 to $2,000. Miller’s usual method was to ambush his victims at night using a shotgun and wearing a black frock coat, making him hard to see in the darkness. His coat also concealed a steel plate he wore on his chest to protect him from opposing gunfire, an early version of a bullet-proof vest. He is known to have committed 14 murders, but rumors swelled that number to 50. He was arrested in Oklahoma, for the murder of A.A. “Gus” Bobbitt. Not wanting to leave it up to a jury, a lynch mob dragged Miller and three others out to an abandoned stable to be hanged. Before he died, he made two requests. He wanted his ring to be given to his wife (who was a cousin of John Wesley Hardin) and to be allowed to wear his hat while being hanged. He went out on his own terms, shouting “Let ‘er rip!” before he jumped off his box to his death. His body and the bodies of the other three men lynched that night were left hanging for hours until a photographer could be found to immortalize the event.

This makes me wonder why a man that appeared to be a solid church-goer would decide to become a killer of men. Never know the true heart of a man, I reckon!

Coffee out on the patio this morning. I have some chocolate fudge pie I'll share.

12 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

The west never had a shortage of colorful characters!

Chickenmom said...

Good heavens - what a nasty man. Good thing he didn't live too long.
You're a good man Mr. Hermit to share that delicious chocolate fudge pie!

Sunnybrook Farm said...

He probably had issues to have turned into killer miller. I have run into some hateful church folks over the years, it seems to not to affect them much.
Coffee but no pie here.

linda m said...

Just because a person goes to church doesn't always mean he is a true Christian. I know some people who claim to be Christians but really are the devil in disguise. At least he died on his terms. I'll pass on the pie (trying to lose some pounds) but coffee sounds good.

Caddie said...

So many enter the church doors when open but otherwise/other times do their own devilish deeds. Makes me realize: people fool themselves more than they fool others. It is surely amazing, don't you think so?

I've never seen so many churches in one area as mine, yet crime is prolific and doing very well, even down to the church going sher-IFF and his deputies.
Yes, it all makes me ponder much.

Sixbears said...

Keep an eye on those pious people. They might be up to no good. :)

Yep, he was one mean dude.

Going to be a nice day for coffee on the deck with the lovely wife.

HermitJim said...

Hey Gorges...
That's a fact. Certainly had more than a fair share of them!

Thanks for the visit today!



Hey Phyllis...
How could I not share some pie with all my friends?

Thanks for coming by this morning!



Hey Sunnybrook...
Could be that he was just mean spirited! Probably thought he was doing a good thing.

I appreciate the visit this morning!



Hey Linda...
Boy, you certainly have that right! Over the years, I saw some devilish folks at church!

Thanks for dropping by today!



Hey Sissy...
Good point about the number of churches not affecting the crime rate. Houston is certainly a good example of that!

Thanks for the visit this morning!



Hey Sixbears...
Over the years, pious folks have certainly done some terrible things! Jim Jones certainly comes to mind!

Thanks, my friend, for coming by today!

JO said...

Well that was one nasty guy I had never heard of Killer Miller nice nickname. :)

I'll drink some coffee on the patio will you all.

Rob said...

I'm not sure what church has to do with someone who has no conscience.
He ambushed people, at night, with a shotgun for money & did it often enough to have a "usual method".

Here is the picture of his end.

http://disc.yourwebapps.com/discussion.cgi?disc=239395;article=7281

I wonder how many people we have floating around today in the same profession?

Dizzy-Dick said...

I have never heard of this guy, either. This is another one of those stories that makes truth stranger than fiction.

Unknown said...

"This makes me wonder why a man that appeared to be a solid church-goer would decide to become a killer of men."

A good man can choose to go to church, or not. But going to church does not make a man good. :-)

HermitJim said...

Hey Jo...
His nick name was a lot nicer than he was!

Thanks, sweetie, for coming by today!



Hey Rob...
Probably more of them out there than we really want to know about!

Thanks for the link to the picture.

Thanks for coming by today!



Hey Dizzy...
He was new to me also. So many stories like this out there we'll never get to them all!

Thanks for dropping by today!



Hey Hermit Ladee...
What you say is very true! Still, I was surprised to hear his story.

Thanks for coming by today!