The Dallas Journal, Volume 51, 2006 Page: 29
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Pleasant Valley Killings - 1897
others rushed out to ascertain the cause. We
found two young men dead and one dying. The
latter was shot in the right thigh and mortally
injured, the physicians state. Augustus A.
Garrison and Frank Jones were dead and young
Tom Jones was thought to be dying. Garrison
was my nephew. He was 24 years old and
unmarried and a son of Widow Garrison. Frank
Jones was 20 years old, unmarried and the son
of Jesse Jones. Tom Jones is 18 years old and a
brother of the dead man. Gus Garrison opened
the battle by shooting Frank Jones killing him
almost instantly. Then young Tom Jones
opened fire on Garrison. The latter returned it.
Garrison was shot and killed, but before dying
he shot Tom Jones in the throat, thus killing one
and perhaps both of the brothers. A young lady
had been wronged by Frank Jones and Augustus
Garrison, meeting Jones in the churchyard,
determined to avenge the wrong. He killed
Jones, was himself killed by a brother of the
man whom he had slain, but sent a parting shot
at the second brother that lodged in a vital part
of his body. The excitement was intense, and
men, women and children rushed hither and
thither. A brother of Garrison was an
eyewitness to the shooting, but was unarmed.
After his relative fell the young man seized the
revolver from his nerveless fingers, but did not
get to use it.
A courier was dispatched to Garland for
Justice Swim to view the bodies and act as a
coroner. Afterward the remains of Garrison
were taken to the home of his mother and
prepared for burial. The body of Frank Jones
was taken to the home of his father and likewise
prepared for the grave. Young Tom Jones was
taken to his home and Dallas surgeons sent for
to diagnose his wound and save his life, if
possible. All parties are of the highest social
standing in the community, and representative
young farmers. Monday afternoon the funeral
will take place and Garrison and Frank Jones
will be interred in Pleasant Valley cemetery, not
far from the little church where they worshipped
from early boyhood and where they died. It is
indeed a most deplorable affair."Mr. McCollum, who was accompanied
by County Clerk Albert Jackson, attended to the
business that called him to Dallas, and last night
returned to Pleasant Valley. He left home
before Justice Swim had returned a verdict. Mr.
McCollum stated that the double killing had
created the wildest kind of excitement in the
Pleasant Valley precinct as well as in the
territory contiguous, owing to the prominence of
the families involved, and the very sensational
features of the case. No services were held in
the little church yesterday. The battle did not
last long, but it was the bloodiest ever recorded
in the history of that section of the county.
County Clerk Jackson said to The News
representative: "All parties involved are friends
of mine, but I know nothing concerning the
origin of the close-range duel with revolvers
beyond what Mr. McCollum has communicated.
The men killed were members of the best
families in that section of the county. Gus
Garrison was in Dallas last week attending to
business at the courthouse, and called at my
office. He was a fine fellow and had many
friends in this city.'
Mr. A. H. Morris of this city returned
from Garland last night. Mr. Morris stated to a
News reporter that the news of the Pleasant
Valley double killing reached Garland about 1
o'clock yesterday afternoon, and produced a
great sensation and was the sole topic of
conversation during the afternoon hours until he
boarded a train and came to Dallas. Mr. Morris'
version of the duel in the church yard and the
causes which precipitated the fatal meeting,
obtained second-handed, strongly corroborates
the story of Mr. McCollum obtained early in the
day by a representative of this paper.
Two or three deputy sheriffs were sent to
Pleasant Valley yesterday afternoon to
investigate the case. The officers will remain
there until this evening. It was announced last
night that Justice Swim would take evidence in
the case to-day and make known his verdict to-
night or to-morrow.Dallas Journal 2006 29
Dallas Journal 2006
29
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Dallas Genealogical Society. The Dallas Journal, Volume 51, 2006, periodical, October 2006; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth186865/m1/33/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Genealogical Society.