This story starts in Kansas a brother and sister who had an argument and stopped speaking to each other. The beginning was trivial and over the years it would grow and festered into a large sore that would pop blood all over the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).
These photos were shared by grandmapig on Ancestry.
In 1800's the Miller's would travel from Ohio to Kansas.
Albert L Miller and his wife Elizabeth Marsh-Tippie had 8 children.
Frances "Fannie" Miller 1845-1313
Alexander Dayton Miller 1847-1895
William Alexander Miller 1850-1878
Elbert Eugene Miller 1856-1937
Bruce William Miller 1859-1895
Cyrus S Miller 1860-
Anna M Miller
Frank O Miller
Fannie Miller married John H McElroy and they had 4 son's George, William, John and Cassius. They moved from Kansas to the Indian Territory in the Creek Nation by Muskogee. Shortly after, when the Cherokee strip was opened on Sept. 16, 1893 her brother Alexander moved his family and settled 30 miles east of Tulsa. They were still estranged and had nothing to do with each other. George married a half-breed Creek women and they settled in the northeast corner of the Creek Nation line near Alexander's claim by Lawton post office. At that time it was infested with desperados.
George prospered as a cattleman and soon found his farm was too small. The land east of his farm was broken and worthless, and his only outlet was southward. Bruce and Ell Miller refused to sell their lease and McElroy became incensed at them. The old family quarrel which began In Kansas was renewed. Meddling neighbors added fuel to the fire by carrying stories to the Miller's and warning them that the gang was going to kill their families.
The Miller brothers only lived a mile apart, Bruce Miller packed up his family and with his best friend Dutch John (Baldinger) and headed to his brothers on a Sunday afternoon, Ell (Albert Eugene) and his wife and one child and mother Fannie almost 90 years old along with Bruce's wife and 3 children waited. They heard nothing all night.
The next morning Dutch and Bruce went out with rifles to check around, all was quiet until the dog laying in the dirt perked up. They knew what was coming and a cloud of smoke rose and gun fire and Dutch went down dead. Bruce turned and ran for the house grabbing his 3 year old son as the little boy's should was blown away. A bullet passed across Bruce's stomach grazing his shirt. as he entered the house. The family took refuge in the middle of the house for it was built of thick logs as the gang outside shot it up in gun fire. The Miller's were good shots but they couldn't see anything.
The Miller's knew almost every outlaw in this part of the country. By Tuesday the women came out of the house and the gang was gone and Dutch john's body was still lying in the dirt path. The Miller's went to Payne County to inform other relatives of the happenings. While they were gone Ell Miller's house was burned to the ground.
The legal matter was sent to the United States Grand Jury in Fort Smith, Arkansas. George Elroy, Dr. J. C. Bland, brothers Henry & Charles Hook & Thomas Stufflebeam were all indicted, they were acquitted in Feb 1895. While the Miller family had been arrested for horse stealing and murder and got away with it.
After wards Bruce Miller went to Ingall where he had a butcher shop and while he and his nephew Dorsey were at the local saloon on 26 Feb 1896 someone shot a Winchester through the window hitting Bruce in the heart, everyone fled the saloon except Dorsey the son of Alexander Dayton Miller, who looked out the door and saw the 2 men who did the shooting as they got on their horses and rode out of town.
Bruce would brag that he was a friend of Judge Parker and that Elroy would get what he deserved.
Dorsey would now be a marked man, even though he did not know who the men were.
The same men were again indicted for arson and attempted murder of Mrs. Fannie Miller, Sep 1895. Charles Hook And Stufflebeam received 9 yrs behind bars and the other got 12 yrs each.
As McElroy and the others were in jail awaiting trial the most bloody massacre. Alexander Miller returned to his home near Lawson from Fort Smith, with his family as they had to testify against the men being held.
Alexander was married to Mary and they had the following children & Ages at the time
Frank O Miller wasn't home at the time
Volney Dorsey Miller 22 yrs old
William Miller 19 yrs old
Benjamin Miller 16 yrs old
Bessie Miller 13 yrs old
Charles Miller 11 yrs old
The 11 Oct 1895 around Supper time Alexander wasn't feeling well and was laying on a bed facing the wall. Dorsey had been laying on another bed on the outer edge while William was next to him reading a book. They others were in the dugout in the middle of room with their mother, they had just finished supper. When 2 Winchester's were stuck into the door of the house and shooting began. They hit Alexander in the back and shot off his hand as he laid with it across his chest, he got up staggered and fell down and died. William was struck on his left side the ball coming out the right of his chest. He ran to the rear room to escape more bullets hit him one his the lion and his left hand was blown off. Benjamin blew out the lamp, The mother was killed instantly, leaving a gaping hole in her chest. When the lamp was blown out Dorsey had grabbed a rifle and ran out the back into the starlight and wasn't seen. He could hear the horse hoofs going off to a distance in the front.
The next day he went for help, the children in the house were left with their dead parents until 2 AM. No one was ever arrested for the murders. By the following January all the men were out of jail and the case lost. The Miller's that were left all ran off and left to never return.
The following are the court documents pertaining to this case against George Elroy and his gang.
This is almost like the Hatfield's and McCoy's story. I sure love me a good Western shootout movie. This was fun to research and write. I even found a few newspaper articles.
In 1800's the Miller's would travel from Ohio to Kansas.
Albert L Miller and his wife Elizabeth Marsh-Tippie had 8 children.
Frances "Fannie" Miller 1845-1313
Alexander Dayton Miller 1847-1895
William Alexander Miller 1850-1878
Elbert Eugene Miller 1856-1937
Bruce William Miller 1859-1895
Cyrus S Miller 1860-
Anna M Miller
Frank O Miller
Fannie Miller married John H McElroy and they had 4 son's George, William, John and Cassius. They moved from Kansas to the Indian Territory in the Creek Nation by Muskogee. Shortly after, when the Cherokee strip was opened on Sept. 16, 1893 her brother Alexander moved his family and settled 30 miles east of Tulsa. They were still estranged and had nothing to do with each other. George married a half-breed Creek women and they settled in the northeast corner of the Creek Nation line near Alexander's claim by Lawton post office. At that time it was infested with desperados.
George prospered as a cattleman and soon found his farm was too small. The land east of his farm was broken and worthless, and his only outlet was southward. Bruce and Ell Miller refused to sell their lease and McElroy became incensed at them. The old family quarrel which began In Kansas was renewed. Meddling neighbors added fuel to the fire by carrying stories to the Miller's and warning them that the gang was going to kill their families.
The Miller brothers only lived a mile apart, Bruce Miller packed up his family and with his best friend Dutch John (Baldinger) and headed to his brothers on a Sunday afternoon, Ell (Albert Eugene) and his wife and one child and mother Fannie almost 90 years old along with Bruce's wife and 3 children waited. They heard nothing all night.
The next morning Dutch and Bruce went out with rifles to check around, all was quiet until the dog laying in the dirt perked up. They knew what was coming and a cloud of smoke rose and gun fire and Dutch went down dead. Bruce turned and ran for the house grabbing his 3 year old son as the little boy's should was blown away. A bullet passed across Bruce's stomach grazing his shirt. as he entered the house. The family took refuge in the middle of the house for it was built of thick logs as the gang outside shot it up in gun fire. The Miller's were good shots but they couldn't see anything.
The Miller's knew almost every outlaw in this part of the country. By Tuesday the women came out of the house and the gang was gone and Dutch john's body was still lying in the dirt path. The Miller's went to Payne County to inform other relatives of the happenings. While they were gone Ell Miller's house was burned to the ground.
The legal matter was sent to the United States Grand Jury in Fort Smith, Arkansas. George Elroy, Dr. J. C. Bland, brothers Henry & Charles Hook & Thomas Stufflebeam were all indicted, they were acquitted in Feb 1895. While the Miller family had been arrested for horse stealing and murder and got away with it.
After wards Bruce Miller went to Ingall where he had a butcher shop and while he and his nephew Dorsey were at the local saloon on 26 Feb 1896 someone shot a Winchester through the window hitting Bruce in the heart, everyone fled the saloon except Dorsey the son of Alexander Dayton Miller, who looked out the door and saw the 2 men who did the shooting as they got on their horses and rode out of town.
Bruce would brag that he was a friend of Judge Parker and that Elroy would get what he deserved.
Dorsey would now be a marked man, even though he did not know who the men were.
The same men were again indicted for arson and attempted murder of Mrs. Fannie Miller, Sep 1895. Charles Hook And Stufflebeam received 9 yrs behind bars and the other got 12 yrs each.
As McElroy and the others were in jail awaiting trial the most bloody massacre. Alexander Miller returned to his home near Lawson from Fort Smith, with his family as they had to testify against the men being held.
Alexander was married to Mary and they had the following children & Ages at the time
Frank O Miller wasn't home at the time
Volney Dorsey Miller 22 yrs old
William Miller 19 yrs old
Benjamin Miller 16 yrs old
Bessie Miller 13 yrs old
Charles Miller 11 yrs old
The 11 Oct 1895 around Supper time Alexander wasn't feeling well and was laying on a bed facing the wall. Dorsey had been laying on another bed on the outer edge while William was next to him reading a book. They others were in the dugout in the middle of room with their mother, they had just finished supper. When 2 Winchester's were stuck into the door of the house and shooting began. They hit Alexander in the back and shot off his hand as he laid with it across his chest, he got up staggered and fell down and died. William was struck on his left side the ball coming out the right of his chest. He ran to the rear room to escape more bullets hit him one his the lion and his left hand was blown off. Benjamin blew out the lamp, The mother was killed instantly, leaving a gaping hole in her chest. When the lamp was blown out Dorsey had grabbed a rifle and ran out the back into the starlight and wasn't seen. He could hear the horse hoofs going off to a distance in the front.
The next day he went for help, the children in the house were left with their dead parents until 2 AM. No one was ever arrested for the murders. By the following January all the men were out of jail and the case lost. The Miller's that were left all ran off and left to never return.
The following are the court documents pertaining to this case against George Elroy and his gang.
This is almost like the Hatfield's and McCoy's story. I sure love me a good Western shootout movie. This was fun to research and write. I even found a few newspaper articles.
I believe George McElroy was innocent in the murders, he might of been guilty of other things. I think Bruce got himself into some trouble with the outlaws he was hanging out with and that's how all this started. No one went after Elroy's. Just a thought, but my what a story to have attached to your tree.
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