I need some help here. I got the following request from a relative: "Sheriff N.J. Miller was not a Texas Ranger but was a sheriff from Burnet County Texas. In Septembet, 1881
he was on the trail of a murderer who fled to the Indian Territory and the Sheriff was never heard from again nor was his body ever found. His deputy tried to track him down and his last information placed him at Caddo purchasing a horse to travel to Paul,s Valley. Any information you can provide would be appreciated." And internet check yeilded the following: "Sheriff Miller was shot with an arrow and beaten by several suspects while en route to Indian Territory (modern day Oklahoma) to arrest a suspect. Sheriff Miller's body was never found. What happened to Sheriff Miller was not learned about until a prisoner in Fort Smith, Arkansas, confessed that he witnessed the murder."
Now, I seem to recall reading this tale someplace, but I can't drag the source outta the attic. Anybody else know any more detail?

Ok, Here is what I found posted at the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial:
http://oklemem.com/M.htm



In late August of 1881 Sheriff Miller, 37, left Burnet County, Texas for Pauls Valley in the Indian Territory (I.T.) in search of a man named W. P. Brown who was wanted for a murder that occurred in Burnet County in February 1876. Sheriff Miller was last seen on September 1, 1881, in Dennison and Sherman, Texas area headed to the Indian Territory. Shortly after that reports of his death in the Indian Territory were received but his body and the circumstances of his death were never found. In August of 1882, there was an unsubstantiated report of a man named Sam Paul, who was in the Ft. Smith jail, stating that he witnessed the killing of a Sheriff Miller in Chickasaw County (I.T.) by a Sam S. Wood. Sheriff Miller was survived by his wife Pollie and seven children.

At that time, Sam Paul was in jail on a murder charge. He was an Indian Policeman and had arrested an old boy on suspicion of larceny. While on the way to jail, he and three others took the guy out into the bushes to see if they could scare some information out of him. The guy took off on 'em and Sam shot and killed him. Old Judge Parker had already been riding the Territorial Marshals about the number of prisoners being held on minor charges who were "shot while trying to escape" and decided to make an example of Sam. So, Sam may have been trying to trade for a little slack.

We still need something on Sam S. Wood though. Haven't a clue as to who he was.