OLD CANTON -- THE NEW OMEN, Smith County, Texas ********************************************************************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm Submitted by Maxine Gilliam -- maxgil@infinitytx.net 26 May, 2001 ********************************************************************* OLD CANTON -- THE NEW OMEN. "Some Biographies of Old Settlers." Historical, Personal and Reminiscent. Volume I By Sid S. Johnson, 1900: Sid S. Johnson, Publisher, Tyler, Texas Chapter XXVII. Pages 143 - 147 Sitting grandly in a pleasant community, surrounded by a farming country is the village of Omen, Smith County, Texas, known before the change of its name to Omen, as Canton. It is a progressive community of people at this writing, with the Omen High School, Christian churches, live merchants and rich farms surrounding it. Many years ago, before its name was changed, a very bloody tragedy took place at Canton that was characteristic of many tragic scenes that occurred in the early settlements of the great Southwest. The trouble that grew to very large proportions out of a frivolous fisticuff between two youths led to a bloody tragedy which resulted in the death and wounding of several good and prominent men at that time. It was some where in 1849, or early in 1850, that one Bob Pierce, a man noted for his courage and desperate nerve in the many rencounters of life, was cultivating a small field in cotton, and that pea vines had run around among his cotton, and that a certain young man whose name is not now remembered was in the habit of pulling the pea vines to feed his horse, to which Bob Pierce objected, as the vines would waste his cotton. This young man still persisted in pulling the vines, against the protest of Bob Pierce, which led to a fight between Wood Pierce, a brother of Bob's, and this young man. A warrant had been issued and was placed in the hands of Sheriff John N. McKinley to arrest Wood Pierce and the warrant executed by arresting him on the morning of the tragedy. It seems that Bob Pierce was the only person witnessing the fight between the boys and was needed as a witness before the justice court. On learning of his brother's arrest, Bob Pierce mounted a horse with a gun in hand and rode rapidly into Canton and was followed by one Pete Crawford, who figured in the fight that ensued. Bob rode up to a log house in which the sheriff and guard had the prisoner, and alighting from his horse, demanded to see his brother. Pierce's reputation for desperate courage was well known to the sheriff and posse, and, as Pierce attempted to enter the house, Holder, one of the guards presented a double-barrelled shot gun and refused to let him enter the house. As quick as thought Bob Pierce threw up his gun and both fired about the same time, Pierce receiving the full charge in his body and Holder received wounds in the breast and shoulder, severely hurt. At the discharge of Holder's gun, Pierce fell to the ground; with a desperate courage pulled up by a post and emptied his pistol in the door, killing John Patterson, an innocent looker-on, who was sitting in the court house waiting to see the trial. He was shot in the hips and soon expired. One man, whose name is not known, received a ball in the mouth, is said to have acted quite a number of amusing antics, notwithstanding the serious termination of the fight. Pierce soon bled to death from the wounds received. While the shooting was going on, O'Neil, a prominent and good citizen and one of the guards, was shooting from the corner of a building on the opposite side of the street, when Pete Crawford rode upon the scene and killed O'Neil and then made his escape. Wood Pierce, the prisoner and brother of Bob, demanded that he go to the assistance of his brother, gathered up an old broad-ax that was lying in the log house and fought his way to the front, wounding Sheriff McKinley quite seriously in the shoulder. During the fight a man by the name of Moore was killed, but the particulars I have been unable to obtain, but learn he was a friend to the Pierces. The number killed on the Pierce side were: Bob Pierce and Moore. On the sheriffs side: O'Neil and Patterson, Sheriff McKinley and Holder and an unknown man, wounded in the mouth. Wild rumors next day of the Pierce party (sixty strong) was reported advancing on the village to seek revenge, so the people of Canton prepared for the attack, but the matter was quietly settled and the killed of the previous day was buried. The prisoner, Wood Pierce, then a boy of seventeen years, was brought to Tyler and released on bail. The Pierces were a kind hearted people but when aroused to anger were generally reckless and dangerous. Most of them had fine property and thrifty in the managment of the affairs in life. The Pierces settled at an early day in the counties of Rusk, Smith and Cherokee, and participated largely in the thrilling scenes of the early settlements. This is an imperfect history of one of the most exciting and heart- rending tragedies that ever occurred in Smith county. It grew from the fist fight of two boys to the almost full magnitude of real war. Four men killed and three wounded in a street fight that a few moments deliberation and cool thought could have been settled. Large parties of men had organized on both sides and a peraonal conflict seemed inevitable. Men were wrought to a white-heat and threats were made and received by each side. These kind of turbulent scenes have long since given away to the advancement of a better condition of civilization. The bloody hatchet has long since been buried by the force of a better unity of sentiment and reasonable forbearance. This tragedy grew out of a small affair (like most of tragedies) and saddened the hearts of many. Their lives sacrificed on the impulse of the moment. We have advanced since that day. Fifty years has brought about the change.