I am looking to tack down one Bill Howesly or Housely.
Robert K DeArment's book "Bravo of the Brazos" mentions William D. Howsley as a member of the Tin Hat Brigade John Larn. He says that he is an in-law of Larn and one of the group that broke in to jail at Albany Texas June 23, 1878 to lynch him but had to settle for shooting him.

The only family I have found are named Reynolds and Matthews. I have seen some statements to the effect that some effort was made to destroy documents and cover up an embarrassing past.

In DeArment's book Ballots and Bullets The Bloody County Seat Wars of Kansas, he talks about Bill Housely and in his citations says he thinks that they are the same person.

Bill Housely (the Kansas one) was a friend of Ed Short and a Joe Ferguson and they made the rounds of several of the County Seat Wars together along with many of he big name Dodge City men such the Mastersons, Erps, and Bill Tilghman.
In Grant County, on Sept. 27, 1888, Housely shot Ferguson over an argument about the Stevens County situation. Ferguson's leg was shattered by the bullet and had to be amputated. He died two days later.

There is almost nothing else in print about the subject.

When Kansas Was Young by Thomas Allen McNea just says " Ed Short and "Bill" Housely, of Woodsdale, started after them with the intent of arresting Robinson."
It gives no references or citations. it was written in 1922 not too long after these events

"Kansas Blood Spilled Into Oklahoma" by Ken Butler and also published under other titles such as "Massacre at Wild Horse Lake" Chapt 4 of "More Oklahoma Renegades" doesn't mention him at all but then this crude work misses many of the major parts of the story and gets a lot of facts twisted or just plain wrong.
Once again there are no footnotes or citations except for a few off handed remarks in the text itself.

"The Story of The Outlaw A Study of The Western Desperado" by Emerson Hough in the chapter "The Stevens County War" doesn't mention him either but this work is mostly the writings of Herbert Tonney the lone survivor of the massacre. He obviously can't be expected to know things that were going on in other places. He does repeat several hearsay stories which nearly all of these other authors have lifted.
This seems to be based on his account given in the Woodsdale paper at the time this all happened

A part owner of the first bank in Hugoton, Mr. R. O. James, wrote a detailed timeline history of this period. He says.
September 26, 1888 - Bill Housely, a Woodsdale man, shot and killed Ferguson, another woodsdale man, because of old scores. Ferguson was the man that made Mr. Stretch's hair stand on end while the ropes were being cut to hang him and his neighbor.
He was referring to an event back in August when C. H. Stretch was newly elected chairman of the Farmers Alliance went to Woodsdale to organize their "club" and ask the farmers to stay out of the fight and let the townspeople fight it out.
James seems to be repeating a newspaper report or hearsay.

Herman Cann (constable/sheriff/USDM) wrote a short version of the story but doesn't mention Housely. This is understandable as he doesn't enter the story until just after the massacre. His story seems to be the most honest of all as he doesn't talk much about things he doesn't know firsthand.

Orie A. Farmer, who I have connections to on my mother's side, wrote an account published in the Dodge City Globe in 1956. He was a small boy at the time and mentions almost none of the peripheral people of the event.

"Sam Wood Quaker" by Jay Baugh tells the story as well but leaves Bill Housely out

"County Seat Controversies in Southwestern Kansas" by Henry F. Mason leaves him out too.

First Filings in Stevens County reports that in November 1887 William R. Housely filed on the South East Quarter of Section 13, Township 31, Range 36.
This is about 5 miles north and 6 miles east of Woodsdale right on the present day highway US 56 near the present town of Moscow (which wasn't at this location until 1913).
Earlier in December 1886, Sherman Ferguson filed on the SE1/4 f Section 20 and James B. Ferguson filed on the SW1/4 of Section 21. Sherman would be 1mile south and 1 mile east of Housely and James would be just across the county road to the east.

Most of the gunmen that followed these county seat wars seem to be cowboys that had followed the Jones-Plummer Trail up to Dodge City. Standing around looking mean and intimidating a bunch of farmers was more fun than driving cattle.

I seem to be on the right track but I still can't tie the Texas man to the Kansas man.

William Davis Howsley
Birth: 24 MAR 1851 , , Kentucky
Death: 24 JUL 1933
Spouse: Annette Elizabeth Matthews
Marriage: 25 JUL 1883 Reynolds Bend, , Throckmorton, Texas

1880 census

Shows William D. Howsley age 26, single and working as a stockherder on a place owned or at least run by George and Lucinda Reynolds.
Other hands include Eugene Matthews, John A Saur, Samuel B Barber, Eurias Martin, all stockherders.
Others are Farmers Sebron P. and Benjamin F. Merry and Housekeeper Melissa Merry. All the Merrys are single and in their 20s.

The next household on the census is William D. and Susan A Reynolds and son George E. along with four hands.

The next household is William R. and Jennie B. Matthews along with son William L. and daughters Martha A. and Essie

This appears to be what was known as the Ranger Cattle Company.

I also note there are a lot of Howsleys in the Albany Cemetery in Shackelford County but no William.
On the Kansas side I am definitely on the right track Sherman and Joe Ferguson were both town marshals during the Grant County county seat war.

George W. Earp says this:

"As soon as our town got to going good the "toughs" from Dodge City came down to rule things. They started a dance hall. We fought them in our own way but my partner S. J. Kearney, was killed in a street fight and in 1887 they killed deputy marshal Joe Ferguson, but by passing laws we kept out the wild dance halls."

In another place he says this:

" I was then postmaster, and the stage carrying the mail and passengers from the east came in about noon. There was a passenger wearing a silk plug hat. He went into the saloon near the Hotel Hoisington for a drink where Wells and Prather were drinking. Wells shot the hat from the man's head. He then picked up the hat and put it on. Prather shot at the hat and the bullet went through Well's head. It was generally thought that he meant to kill Wells and he used the hat as an excuse. Both were tough guys.
"I was mayor when Prather ran everyone out of the Hotel Hoisington. It was late supper time when he drove in with a woman. Both were drinking and in an ugly mood and used obscene language to the waitresses and they refused to wait on them. That made him furious
and he took two six shooters that he always wore, and drove everyone from the hotel and he and the woman took charge completely.
"Ben Morris and Sherman Ferguson were my city marshals, so they came for me and the three of us went to the hotel and arrested Prather and the woman and opened the hotel for the return of the proprietor and guests. At that time I was acting chief of police and the marshals always depended on me to direct them in any difficulty. We had no jail or other place to confine them so we told them if they would leave Ulysses and never return we would call their livery team and they could go. It was then about eight-thirty or nine P.M. so they agreed to leave and we put them in their buggy and they left for good, for the next day they went to Leoti, Kansas, where Bill Tilgeman was a marshal and Prather was killed by Tilgeman. Bill Tilgeman was a good frontier marshal and was later killed at Cromwell, Oklahoma, while serv­ing there as a marshal. Cromwell was at that time a new wild oil town.

Other writers said this hat thing was just publicity stunt to bring i business to the saloon.
I don't know what the difference is between Chief of Police and Town Marshal or why you would need both.
This side story sure puts a new spin on the Ed Prather thing. Does the Glenn Shirley book cover this? I don't want to have to rob a bank myself just find out.

So far the only connection I find is that the Kansas Bill Housley was described as a Dodge City "tough" and the Texas Bill Howsley was from the Albany area. Albany and Dodge City are both on the Western cattle trail.

Ken Butler's sources for his story:

1. "No Man's Land, The Historic Story of a Land Orphan" by George Rainey;

2. "Fifty Years on the Owl Hoot Trail" by Harry E. Chrisman;

3. "Man and the Oklahoma Panhandle" by Bernice Jackson etal (1982 pp. 194-196);

4. A Series of Feature Articles, written by Alvin Rucker, in the Daily Oklahoman (June 7, 14, 21 - - 1931).

I don't know if Housely/Howesly/Howsley is mentioned in any of these publication, or not.

I know this is what he has listed on the web pages but surely he must have some primary sources. Maybe this is why his stuff reads like an early draft.

The Harry Chrisman can be used for some primary material as he interviewed many of the "old-timers" and got eyewitness accounts. Chrisman is kind of legendary around here. That old newspaper man did the kind of hands on research that has almost died out today.

I have noticed that a lot of writers are going around repeating the same incorrect information some early writer put out. It looks like everyone is depending on each other to have checked the facts.

I have found a really big whopper in the Herbert Tonney story. He is an excellent source to the things he was an eyewitness to but when he goes to repeating local scuttlebut he isn't any more reliable than th local livery stable hand that one New York Times article quoted. I would like to tell you what mistake he made but I'm saving my discovery for the right time.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dmorgan/

Here is an online book of Barber, Matthews & Reynolds family ancestry.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dmorgan/

BUSH KNOB CEMETERY
THROCKMORTON CO.TX.
By Patti Pattillo


Cemetery located 7 miles northwest of Woodson on State Hwy.183,then
3 miles north on FM 923.Located on west side of road.



MOORE,MARY LOUISE 02/13/1949 01/20/1942
MOORE,ROBERT S. 12/20/1833 09/19/1917 CSA CO.G 9th TX.INF.
Pension #16675
Application dated July 7,1909 states his age as 74,born in Marengo Co.
Alabama.Has resided in the State of Texas since 1860 and has lived in
Throckmorton Co.since Oct.1906.Enlisted Oct.8,1861 and discharged April
12.1865 at Pittsburg,Upshur Co.(?)Texas.Mortuary Warrant states he died
Sept.19,1917 in Throckmorton County,Tx.,in the home of his son,HOMER
MOORE.Signed by W.D.HOWSLEY & SON,Undertaker of Throckmorton and
attending physician W.L.B??Y(can't make out signature)of Throckmorton.

Howsley Infant 7 Mar 1893 7 Mar 1893 s/ Mr & Mrs W D Howsley

Howsley W D 24 Mar 1851 24-Jul-33

Howsley Edna 30 Sep 1890 11 Dec 1893 d/ Mr & Mrs W D Howsley

Howsley Annette E 30 Nov 1862 19-Jul-40

Howsley W D Jr. 25 Jan 1899 26-Mar-67

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txthrock/throckcem.html

Throckmorton Cemetery
THROCKMORTON, THROCKMORTON COUNTY, TEXAS

I have a couple of sources on hand, that I can look in and see what, if anything, said about Bill/W.D. Howsley, but 2 of my grandkids are here now, & will be until Sat. a.m.

I posted your question, with a link to this site, on a couple of other sites. Here are the responses rec'd thus far:
sharonc
Mike, if you have the book
Thu Jun 19, 2008 19:01
65.6.208.206


INTERWOVEN by Sallie Reynolds Matthews, on page 127 there is a mention of WILL HOWLSLEY having been a cowboy on their ranch, the California Ranch on California Creek in Haskell County, TX.

The rear fly pages of this book contains the Reynolds/Matthews Family Tree, but no mention of either Annette Elizabeth Matthews or William Howlsley....

Sharon

sharonc
William Howsley
Thu Jun 19, 2008 19:28
65.6.208.206


OK, Mike - If you are subscribed to ancestry.com, go to: http://trees.ancestry.com/owt/person.aspx?pid=17726505

This will bring you to: ANNETTE ELISABETH MATTHEWS, b. 30 Nov 1862, Emmett, Hempstead, AR - d. 19 Jul 1940, Throckmorton Co. TX.
Father: Andrew Jackson matthews
Mother: Caroline G. Walton

Married in 1883 at Ft. Griffin TX,

William Davis Howsley, b. 28 Mar 1851, Bradenburg (Co?) KY - d. 24 Jul 1932, Throckmorton Co., TX.

The couple had 9 kids - 6 girls - 3 boys.

ancestry.com's OneWorldTree is a hoot! LOTS of info on friends and family. LOL

sharon

channeltwelve, I have some papers I had copied out of the Old Jail Museum in Albany, Tx., trying to trace my Great Grandfather. So far, looking thru those papers, I have 2-3 pages that mention Bill Howsley.

I updated my profile to correct email. If you'll email me a mailing address, I'll copy the pages and mail them to you.

If I find anymore, I'll mail them to you also.

Martha.

There seems to be several William Howsleys in the Texas group. The one most likely to be the vigilante, seems to be having kids at the time in question which would make it difficult to be running back and forth to Kansas.
There are lots of other William Housleys and a few Howsleys. They all trace back to either Tennessee or Kentucky. The two lines come together in Stafford County, Virginia in the early 1700's and then back to John Owsley , of Trull born after 1580 in England
Notice that the name is spelled Owsley before about the 1830s

If I assume that the Kansas man actually gave his right name, William R. Housely, I only have found one likely possibility and he would have been about 18 years old, born and died in Indiana.
He was a deputy sheriff under Ed Short so that may be a clue if they knew each other before. Other imported gunmen such as Bob Hubbard were brought in from No Man's Land instead of Dodge City.
Sam Wood may have wanted it that way. He also may be the one who had them get claims in the county in order to establish themselves as citizens and residents and, of course, voters.
Bob Hubbard came to town just the week before the Ferguson killing and was reported by the Woodsdale paper to be former town marshal of Saratoga. Saratoga was a town in Pratt County which had just lost it's county seat war with Pratt. Sam Robinson was there too.
The Hugoton paper says Hubbard had just come from Beer City and was wanted. Other sources say he came in from Beaver City.
What I really need is some account of William’s exploits before he came to Stevens County. I doubt that too many cattle drives kept detailed records of the hands but maybe there was a payroll. I don't think I would be lucky enough to find a journal kept by some cowhand who just happened to work with him all the way from a known ranch in Texas all the way up to Kansas. It would take something like that to make the connection.

Here is the Hugoton Hermes account of Ferguson killing. Remember that they are strongly biased against the Woodsdale people. Nearly everyone in the story is a lawman.

Hugoton Hermes September 28, 1888

ATTEMPTED MURDER.

Housley Attempts to Kill Ferguson


And Succeeds in Inflicting a Serious
If not Fatal Wound.

Mr. Fred W. Lee received word from H. G. King, of Ulysses, last evening of the shooting, in that town, of J. A. Ferguson by Wm. Housley. Mr. King says: “Bill Housley has just shot Joe Ferguson outside our door. All excitement. Shot in thigh. Will have to have his leg taken off as the bone is broken and splintered badly. Housley pulled out with our Deputy Sheriff after him."
Chet. Lathrop brought the word that Ferguson, it was thought, could not survive.
It seems that when Housley pulled his revolver Ferguson knocked it down, and received the ball in his leg.
Both parties formerly lived. at Woodsdale, and Housley was one of the parties to the attempted murder of Sam Robison in this city some time ago and also one of the parties who held up Robinson and the Cooks in the Strip. He has been one of Ed Short's main helpers and is a bad man. It is to be hoped that he will be overhauled and dealt with as severely as the law will permit.
Ulysses is beginning to reap the fruits of her importation of boodlers and toughs to vote in the pending county seat election.

LATER

Sheriff Cann returned today from Ulysses and told a reporter of the Hermes that Ferguson was shot about midway between the knee and hip joint. The leg as amputated last night and the wounded man was resting easy.
The affray was the result of an old feud between the parties and from what could be gathered from those who witnessed the affair, Ferguson was the aggressor.
Housley pulled his gun soon after the quarrel began and kept telling Ferguson to keep back for he didn't want to shoot him, but Ferguson kept crowding on him and finally grabbed the gun and it was discharged while he had hold of it.
The sympathy at Ulysses seems to largely in favor of Housley, and it is supposed that he skipped out for fear of mob violence rather than from a fear of the outcome of a judicial hearing.
Sherman Ferguson, a brother of the wounded man and Marshal of Ulysses, got on a drunk last night and was flourishing a revolver when a man named Donahue disarmed him. Ferguson got another revolver and a double barreled shotgun and was looking for Donahue, when some of citizens appealed to Sheriff Cann to disarm them and prevent further bloodshed. Cann did so and no doubt prevented another tragedy. Our Sheriff was the only peace officer in town at the time, and it is lucky that he was present.

Housley had earlier gone with Woodsdale town marshal Ed Short and Deputy Sheriff J. C. Gerrond to Hugoton to serve an arrest warrant on Sam Robinson for attempted murder and assault in an incident at railroad bond meeting.
Ed Shorts behavior was pretty embarrassing while he was here. The Hugoton townsfolk and Sam Robinson resisted the arrest with a hail of bullets and chased them all the way back to Woodsdale.

The story just after this is about Ed Short playing in a baseball game between Appomattox and Ulysses, the two towns in the Grant County county seat war. Ed was on the Ulysses team and even got to pitch the second inning, all the while wearing his famous pearl handled 44 revolvers.

Two stories before this is one about Billy The Kid robbing a store and attempting to rob the bank in Taloga Kansas just to the west of us in Morton County. It says he was caught near Boston Colorado by two farmers who found him hiding in an abandoned dugout. Did that really happen?

I thought I may have found a big clue but now I'm not so sure. Deputy Sheriff James Copeland Gerrond married Hettie Maria Reynolds. Her mother and father came out here and settled in Grant County. They were Isaac and Mary Catherine "Kate" (Herron) Reynolds.
Isaac and Kate ran the Ulysses hotel which was owned in part by George Earp. This is the hotel seen on the Legends Of America web site.

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/OZ-Ulysses.html

This is very fun website.

I haven't found any of these Reynolds names showing up in Texas so far. Everything goes back to White County Indiana and stops

Hettie Maria Reynolds
Birth: 15 DEC 1872 , White, Indiana
Death: May 12 1955
Burial: 1955 Hugoton
Spouse: James C. Gerrond
Marriage: 15 OCT 1888 , White, Indiana

James GERROND
Birth: 30 SEP 1858 , White, Indiana
Marriage: 15 OCT 1888 , White, Indiana
Death: 1944
Burial: 1944 Hugoton

Isaac REYNOLDS
Birth: 8 Apr 1831 Chalmers, White, In
Death: Jul 1924 Ulysses, Grant, Ks
Burial: Ulysses, Grant, Ks
Parents
Father: Benjamin REYNOLDS
Mother: Julia Ann COLLIER
Spouse: Catherine Herron Family
Marriage: 10 MAY 1861 , , Indiana