Frank J. Eastwood

___________________________________________________


The most famed of the gangs that operated in the Texas Hill Country during the 1870’s was the one led by the notorious Frank Eastwood.

Eastwood was born in Texas in about 1842. He was living in Kerr County during the 1870’s and perhaps earlier. He can be found on the 1870 Census in Precinct 3 (Comfort), at that time residing with the James Johnson family. Some sources report that both Eastwood and Johnson had served in the Civil War in the First Regiment Texas Cavalry on the side of the Union. Both James Johnson and Frank Eastwood actually did serve in that unit (no to be mistaken for a different Frank Eastwood, named Joseph Frank Eastwood from Bell County, Texas who was born in 1844 and who served on the side of the Confederacy).

In any case, following the Civil War Eastwood returned to Texas and settled in the Hill Country. He began a life of crime almost immediately and was indicted for theft of a mare in Williamson County as early as 1867. During 1870 he was indicted in Kerr county on numerous charges, including theft of a steer, illegally branding and driving livestock and shooting cattle. He was also wanted in Gillespie County on nine charges of cattle theft during 1870 alone. By 1872 Eastwood was actively forming up his gang, drawing new outlaws to the Kerr County area. Their nefarious activities ranged as far afield as Junction and Austin, and the gang is said to have numbered as high as nineteen men.

Feeling the heat of local law enforcement, the gang moved to Kendall County near the end of 1871 or the beginning of 1872. In 1872 a posse under the command of Nimrod J. Miller located gang member Bill Bell. Bell was wanted for murder in another county. Miller ultimately shot and killed Bell, but his death did not deter the likes of Bill Longley and the Ake Brothers (Jesse & Bill) from joining the gang. On 14 July 1873 the band traveled through Kerrville, being pursued by the Sheriff Finney of Mason County and several possemen. Kerr County Sheriff John M. Tedford joined Finney, and collectively they caught up with the Eastwood Gang about thirteen miles from Kerrville. The posse approached the gang at dusk, and wisely decided to hide out in the brush and wait until daylight to descend upon the bunch so as to avoid potential injury or death to any of the possemen. After patiently waiting out the gang overnight the posse arrested Eastwood, Longley, John Jamison George DeGraffenreid and James Ratliff and the Ake Brothers on 24 July 1873 without incident.

The whole bunch were escorted to the jail in Kerrville, where they were held until 29 July 1873 when in the early hours of the morning a mob of angry citizens overpowered the Sheriff and his Deputies and took all of the men except Longley from jail. Prisoner John Jamison was shot and killed in the jail. Frank Eastwood’s body was found the next day after having been shot seven times and left near the mouth of Goat Creek at the Guadalupe River. The Ake Brothers (Jesse & Bill) were set free, but George DeGraffenreid and James Ratliff were lynched from an oak tree by the mob of vigilantes.

Some debate remains as to the exact location of the famed “Hanging Tree” involved in this incident. By most accounts it is (or was) on the property of the present day Guadalupe RV Park. Others place its location in the Blue Bell Hills area near present day Harper Road. Given the reference to Goat Creek as the place where Frank Eastman’s body was found it is far more likely that the oak tree in reference would be near that area…specifically the tree location at Guadalupe RV Park.

Bill Longley, who is the topic of another story, remained at large until 11 October 1878 when he was hung for murder.

Thus concludes the story of Frank Eastwood, who’s fateful and final journey ended….A Days Ride From Here.


Note:
A Days Ride From Here..is the title of a new book I am working on and hope to have out early next year. I will add a couple more stories from that book to the board now and then.

Cliff Caldwell






1) The Mason County “Hoo Doo” War 1874 – 1902 – David Johnson & Rick Miller
2) National Park Service Records of Civil War Soldiers & Sailors
3) United State Census Records for Texas – 1870
4) Galveston Daily News – 24 July 1873
5) Lynch is short for lynch law, the punishment of a person for some supposed crime without bothering with the niceties of a legal trial. Its an American expression having its origins in Virginia in the 1780’s during the American Revolution. There has been some doubt about which Lynch gave his name to the expression, since there were two men of that name associated with the practice: Captain William Lynch of Pittsylvania County and Colonel Charles Lynch of Bedford County. Both have been said to be the origin.
World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion,
1996–2009.

Cliff Caldwell wrote:

Frank J. Eastwood

___________________________________________________


The most famed of the gangs that operated in the Texas Hill Country during the 1870’s was the one led by the notorious Frank Eastwood.

Eastwood was born in Texas in about 1842. He was living in Kerr County during the 1870’s and perhaps earlier. He can be found on the 1870 Census in Precinct 3 (Comfort), at that time residing with the James Johnson family. Some sources report that both Eastwood and Johnson had served in the Civil War in the First Regiment Texas Cavalry on the side of the Union. Both James Johnson and Frank Eastwood actually did serve in that unit (no to be mistaken for a different Frank Eastwood, named Joseph Frank Eastwood from Bell County, Texas who was born in 1844 and who served on the side of the Confederacy).

In any case, following the Civil War Eastwood returned to Texas and settled in the Hill Country. He began a life of crime almost immediately and was indicted for theft of a mare in Williamson County as early as 1867. During 1870 he was indicted in Kerr county on numerous charges, including theft of a steer, illegally branding and driving livestock and shooting cattle. He was also wanted in Gillespie County on nine charges of cattle theft during 1870 alone. By 1872 Eastwood was actively forming up his gang, drawing new outlaws to the Kerr County area. Their nefarious activities ranged as far afield as Junction and Austin, and the gang is said to have numbered as high as nineteen men.

Feeling the heat of local law enforcement, the gang moved to Kendall County near the end of 1871 or the beginning of 1872. In 1872 a posse under the command of Nimrod J. Miller located gang member Bill Bell. Bell was wanted for murder in another county. Miller ultimately shot and killed Bell, but his death did not deter the likes of Bill Longley and the Ake Brothers (Jesse & Bill) from joining the gang. On 14 July 1873 the band traveled through Kerrville, being pursued by the Sheriff Finney of Mason County and several possemen. Kerr County Sheriff John M. Tedford joined Finney, and collectively they caught up with the Eastwood Gang about thirteen miles from Kerrville. The posse approached the gang at dusk, and wisely decided to hide out in the brush and wait until daylight to descend upon the bunch so as to avoid potential injury or death to any of the possemen. After patiently waiting out the gang overnight the posse arrested Eastwood, Longley, John Jamison George DeGraffenreid and James Ratliff and the Ake Brothers on 24 July 1873 without incident.

The whole bunch were escorted to the jail in Kerrville, where they were held until 29 July 1873 when in the early hours of the morning a mob of angry citizens overpowered the Sheriff and his Deputies and took all of the men except Longley from jail. Prisoner John Jamison was shot and killed in the jail. Frank Eastwood’s body was found the next day after having been shot seven times and left near the mouth of Goat Creek at the Guadalupe River. The Ake Brothers (Jesse & Bill) were set free, but George DeGraffenreid and James Ratliff were lynched from an oak tree by the mob of vigilantes.

Some debate remains as to the exact location of the famed “Hanging Tree” involved in this incident. By most accounts it is (or was) on the property of the present day Guadalupe RV Park. Others place its location in the Blue Bell Hills area near present day Harper Road. Given the reference to Goat Creek as the place where Frank Eastman’s body was found it is far more likely that the oak tree in reference would be near that area…specifically the tree location at Guadalupe RV Park.

Bill Longley, who is the topic of another story, remained at large until 11 October 1878 when he was hung for murder.

Thus concludes the story of Frank Eastwood, who’s fateful and final journey ended….A Days Ride From Here.


Note:
A Days Ride From Here..is the title of a new book I am working on and hope to have out early next year. I will add a couple more stories from that book to the board now and then.

Cliff Caldwell






1) The Mason County “Hoo Doo” War 1874 – 1902 – David Johnson & Rick Miller
2) National Park Service Records of Civil War Soldiers & Sailors
3) United State Census Records for Texas – 1870
4) Galveston Daily News – 24 July 1873
5) Lynch is short for lynch law, the punishment of a person for some supposed crime without bothering with the niceties of a legal trial. Its an American expression having its origins in Virginia in the 1780’s during the American Revolution. There has been some doubt about which Lynch gave his name to the expression, since there were two men of that name associated with the practice: Captain William Lynch of Pittsylvania County and Colonel Charles Lynch of Bedford County. Both have been said to be the origin.
World Wide Words is copyright Michael Quinion,
1996–2009.

Cliff, those were hard men in that day. I don't think I would want to live then,

Russ

Amen Russ!! What I find very interesting is that so many of our local residents here in Kerr County have no idea what happened back in the late 1800's. I call them "revisionist historians" because they only recall the "pretty stuff" that happened. I am one of those who believe that ALL of our history went together to craft what we have today, and leaving any of it out is a mistake.

Cliff