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Squyres Chapel Shootout

Wed, 10/28/2020 - 5:00 am

On Election Day of Nov. 8, 1898, there was a heated dispute between two warring groups in the northwestern part of Stephens County. It came to a climax on Election Day of 1898, when William Jefferson (Jeff) Squyres was killed along with Joe Rampy, the antagonist.

Apparently, bad feelings developed between the Squyres family members and that of John McCarty, who had been hired to manage the farm for the 67-year-old senior John Squyres. McCarty lived north of the Squyres farm with his brother, Roscoe McCarty.

Meanwhile, the area residents decided there needed to be a church built and McCarty agreed to donate the land and the senior Squyres would furnish the lumber for the construction.

The sudden death of the senior, William Jefferson ’Jeff’ Squyres seemed to bring all the bad feelings between the two families to the forefront, which soared to the surface by that Election Day of 1898.

A bit of family history should be explored at this point to clarify the erupting feud.

At the end of the Civil War, William Jefferson ‘Jeff’ Squyres’ parents separated and divorced. His father, John Squyres, married the first wife of Wilson Squyres, Nancy Jane (Thomas) Squyres. Wilson Squyres had been killed during the Civil War. At that point, John Squyres, his new wife and several of his younger children left Stephens County for Johnson County, but moved back in 1892, along with Riley Anderson Squyres.

‘Jeff’ Squyres and wife, Susan Ella (Harl) Squyres and their three children moved back to Stephens County in 1898, when his father, John Squyres offered him 100 acres that fronted on the Breckenridge to Albany Road. On the second trip of his move, he included his family, supplies and cattle and arrived in October of 1898.

It was later that month (October 1898) that his father died suddenly at the age of 71, while helping a neighbor load cotton on an adjoining farm to the west.

John’s wife, Nancy, also added to the hard feelings, as did the wife of Joe Rampy, a hired hand of John McCarty.

Shortly after John Squyres's death, John McCarty filed a lawsuit against Riley Squyres for $600, which he said he was owed.

Rampy had warned the Squyres men not to come to the voting place, held at the newly built Squyres Chapel. Rampy went on to say, “he and John McCarty would kill any Squyres men who came to vote.”

The Squyres men considered it a bluff from the always volatile Joe Rampy. However, they decided they would go prepared, but neither owned a gun. As a result, ‘Jeff’ Squyres borrowed a cheap pistol from his neighbor. Riley Squyres rode into Breckenridge and purchased a pistol, which was a .38 Caliber Harrington and Richardson pistol.

The Squyres men rode off to vote at Squyres Chapel on Election Day 1898, but stopped in a grove of trees near the church, where several men had gathered to warn the Squyres brothers that there were three armed men at the church, who vowed to kill them if they came to vote.

‘Jeff’ Squyres didn’t think McCarty had the nerve to shoot a man and headed for the church. At the church, he dismounted, and left his gun slung over his saddle horn and strode into the church.

He was immediately fired upon and was able to quickly retrieve his gun and strode back into the church and fired his own gun.

Unfortunately, one man hid behind the door and shot ‘Jeff’ Squyres in the back of his head and he died instantly.

Meanwhile, Riley Squyres ran toward the church, where he was met by McCarty and Rampy, who were running away from the church, firing at him as they ran. Riley Squyres was hit four times with a 44 Colt and was gravely wounded, but was able to shoot Joe Rampy in the stomach, which killed him.

McCarty was reloading his gun to shoot Riley Squyres, when he was stopped by Sam Ellis, a County Commissioner in Stephens County at the time.

Fearing for his life, McCarty rode to his home and boarded it up to protect himself from the Squyres men.

Meanwhile, Susan Ella (Harl) Squyres, who was seven months pregnant with their fourth child, was told about the fate of her husband, William Jefferson ‘Jeff’ Squyres and Riley Squyres, who was reportedly near death.

Horses were quickly harnessed to the wagons to collect her husband’s body and get Riley to his home, just a mile away. A doctor took out three bullets, but a fourth was too close to his heart and remained there for the rest of his life, until his death at age 91, in 1945. He continued to farm his 320 acres, located 13 miles west of Breckenridge, on Hubbard Creek.

The Squyres men at Cleburne were quickly deputized by the local sheriff, so they could carry their guns while traveling to Breckenridge. They traveled by train, with their horses aboard, and picked up another Squyres man at Weatherford.

Imagine the image of five armed Squyres men disembarking from the train at Breckenridge and claiming their horses.

More of the Squyres men next week. Contact Jean Hayworth at office@breckenridgeamerican.com.