Freestone County, Texas
Reflections




[SPECIAL THANKS to Linda Mullen for transcribing and Margaret Tolar for locating.]



Diary of Mrs. Frances “Fannie or Frankie” (Noland) Anderson
(Fannie was born in 1850.  She married Judge Asa Green Anderson on May 14, 1868 
 in Freestone County. )
 
Freestone—Past &Present By J.R. “Sonny” Sessions
The Teague Chronicle; 2005:  Mrs. Andersons Ledger #16:  The Murder of Sheriff Rogers

Continued from last week:
  Time passed for several months when a stranger rode in town with a nice horse 
for sale.  Some of the citizens thought he looked suspicious, flashing his eyes 
around and over the men and town.  Any way they were wary of buying stock of any 
kind from a stranger so he left without making the sale.  Though not a member of 
that gang of rustlers had ever been recognized or heard of in the county again 
they were not forgotten.
  That evening after supper a number of the men were sitting in the Lobby of one 
of the Hotels when someone came to the door and called to Sheriff Rogers he was 
wanted at the Livery Stable, he said alright got up and started out.  W.L. Noland 
a close friend got off his seat saying “Jim I don’t like this and am going with 
you.” Sheriff Rogers said, “Alright, Wood come on.”  W.L. Noland had served 
during the Civil War in the Confederate Army, had received his Commission as a 
riding courier, he was a fearless rider and good shot, and at this time honest 
men wore their six shooters as well as thieves and hijackers.  The stable was 
only a short distance from the Hotel in the same block.  On getting near they 
noticed two men standing in the door, one slightly behind the other, when almost 
in front of the two men Jim Rogers was shot, at the flash of the gun W.L. Noland 
killed the horse thief then turning caught our Sheriff as he was staggering, the 
other man ran out the back way jumped on his horse and left.  The men in the 
Hotel hearing those shots knew something was wrong and rushed out there.  On 
hearing and seeing what had happened they got our Sheriff to the Hotel and doctor 
with him as quick as possible, also his family.  He was mortally wounded, passed 
away leaving a wife and three little daughters.  In the meantime his Deputy with 
a posse trailed the other horse thief, all I ever heard was they caught him, he 
said his name was Dove and the left him on the limb of a tree.

***Been told Dove was buried east of Fairfield in the Butler area and his grave 
which lost now was called the Horse Thief’s Grave.  My Grandmother Sessions was 
one of Sheriff Rogers young daughters left an orphan by the horse thieves.  

(Sherriff James Bonner Rogers was born Nov. 27, 1836 and died April 13, 1872.  
He served as Sheriff of Freestone County from 1870 to 1872 at the time of his 
death.  He is buried in the Fairfield Cemetery and has a historical marker at 
his grave site which was unveiled in 1968.)