Devil In Disguise: From Pious Churchgoer to Contract Killer: "Deacon Jim" Miller
Notorious Wild West gunslinger "Deacon Jim" Miller was a man of contradictions. He attended church regularly, never drank or smoked, but was quick to gun a man down at the drop of a hat
Background
“Deacon Jim” Miller – trusted lawman, respectable citizen, and constant churchgoer. He never drank, smoked, or gambled. A true paragon of virtue it would seem. Always impeccably dressed in a long, black coat.
But Jim also had another nickname, “Killin’ Jim” and with good reason. Talented with a Winchester rifle, his signature weapon for an ambush, “Deacon Jim” Miller is considered one of the Old West’s most ruthless killers. His name has been mentioned as a possible suspect in the murder of legendary lawman Pat Garrett.
Corruption in law enforcement might seem like a modern problem, but it’s been around for a long time. Some like to romanticize the period history calls the Wild West, but it was called “Wild” for a reason.
Outlaws, rangers, and men who operated on both sides of the law. Men like “Deacon Jim” Miller, who is regarded as one of the deadliest outlaws in history. He went from Texas Ranger to contract killer – a role he performed while still gainfully employed as a sheriff. His going price for each “hit” - $150.
Early Years
James Brown Miller was born in Van Buren, Arkansas on October 25, 1861, Just as the Civil War was beginning. Despite the chaos of his adult years, Miller’s life began in comfortable circumstances. His father, Jacob Miller, was a stonemason and his mother, Cynthia Miller, came from a respectable farming family.
The family migrated to Texas when Miller was a year old. His father died a year later. Following the death of Miller’s father, Cynthia and her son moved to live with her parents in Evant, Texas.
No one knows what truly happened, but at age eight, Miller’s grandparents were found murdered in their home. To the shock of many, Miller was arrested for their deaths but never prosecuted.
An eight-year-old murderer? The jury is still out on that one. Many Western writers consider it a tall tale; however, based on his temperament and murderous tendencies, it is not entirely far-fetched.
What we do know for sure is that a few years later, “Killin’ Jim” did kill a relative – his brother-in-law when he was just 19 years old. After his grandparent’s deaths, Cynthia Miller and Jim moved in with her married daughter, Georgia, and her husband, John Thomas Coop, near Gatesville, Texas.
Jim and John fought right from the beginning. Eventually, one summer day, Miller waited for John to fall asleep on his front porch. He used his shotgun to murder John in cold blood.
Miller was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison. The conviction was overturned on a technicality. In what would become a pattern throughout his life, Jim had escaped justice.
Feud With Sheriff Frazer
Miller headed off on his own and eventually ended up working as a hired hand. In 1888, he married a woman named Sallie Clements. Sallie’s father, Mannie Clements, had a notorious cousin – John Wesley Hardin. A name synonymous with murder and mayhem in the Old West.
Eventually, Miller landed in Pecos, Texas where Sheriff Bud Frazer pinned a deputy’s badge on the man he believed was a devout and righteous person. Sheriff Frazer realized too late what a grave mistake he’d made, one that would eventually cost him his life.
Miller soon took over as town Marshall – While serving as Marshall, Miller had a very suspicious habit of gunning down Mexican prisoners who “tried to escape.”
In the election of 1892, Miller ran against Frazer but lost his bid to become Sheriff. Still a town Marshall, Miller began to appoint his own deputies—who, it turned out, were other outlaws.
When Frazer protested and even brought in the Texas Rangers to oppose him, Miller devised a plan to assassinate Sheriff Frazer.
When the plan was exposed, Miller found himself arrested and it looked like justice might finally be done. Until one of Miller’s deputies gunned down the chief witness for the prosecution. Once again, Miller got off free.
He immediately sought revenge against Frazer.
On April 18, 1894, Miller and Frazer got into a gunfight. After wounding Miller in the arm and groin, Frazer emptied his six-shooter into Miller’s chest. Everyone who witnessed the incident thought for sure the “Deacon” would make his final visit to the church as a corpse.
A group of men carried him to the doctor’s office. The doctor removed the long, black frock coat Miller always wore – no matter how steamy the weather – and made a shocking discovery.
Under the coat, Miller had improvised a large steel plate that functioned as a crude bulletproof vest. It had saved his life! Frazer now fearing for his life, fled the county.
One fateful day, Frazer returned to Pecos to visit his mother and sister. While there, he decided to sit in for a game of poker at the local saloon. Miller, who never forgave or forgot, heard his old nemesis was in town.
He quickly paid a visit to the saloon, leveled a shotgun at Frazer’s head, and shot him at close range, nearly removing his entire head. Although he was charged with the murder, a jury once again acquitted him.
When Frazer’s sister protested at the injustice, Miller threatened to blow her head off, too. Understandably, she backed off.
Texas Ranger & Contract Killer
Despite his troubles with the law, Miller was able to join the Texas Rangers and worked as a lawman in Memphis, Texas. His wife, Sallie, and their older children operated a boarding house.
But with a growing family, having extra income was always helpful. “Deacon Jim” decided to advertise his services as a hired gun. His standard fee for a job well done was $150 a hit, all while still working as a law-abiding Ranger.
Over the course of the next several years, his second career paid well. He’s credited with killing at least eight, and likely even more, during this time. Most of the time, Miller had a supposedly airtight alibi because of his ability to create one.
The devious Miller would make sure to be seen around a town by plenty of people to establish his alibi. Then, he’d ride all night, pushing a series of horses until they couldn’t go another step, as he sometimes rode up to 100 miles to the home of the “hit.”
Taking careful aim with his shotgun or rifle, hidden beneath the long black coat, he’d kill the victim. A second later, he’d swing back into the saddle and ride like a madman back to town. With his alibi once again secured.
“Deacon Jim” was indiscriminate in his killing. Peaceful farmers or ex-lawmen were all the same to Jim. If a businessman or a prosperous rancher paid for the hit, “Killin’ Jim” was willing to level his shotgun and aim.
Even if a case came to trial, Miller and his “deputies” could always intimidate or threaten any witnesses to keep them from testifying. Many times, a witness would vanish, never to be seen again.
Final Killing
In 1909, Miller’s luck finally ran out.
A year earlier, U.S. Deputy Marshall Allen “Gus” Bobbitt of Ada, Oklahoma, had retired to a nearby ranch, disgusted with his town and position. Ada had gained a bad reputation with 36 murders the year before Bobbitt retired.
Many of the leading citizens had also become involved in the shady practice of “Indian Skinning.” Native Americans had been given 160 acres each from the government in exchange for their reservation lands. Many leading citizens, including saloon owners, Jesse West and Joe Allen, took advantage of the Indians by getting them drunk and offering them less than $50 for the land.
Even in retirement, Bobbitt continued to protest this abhorrent practice. He was quite vocal about this issue, publicizing his thoughts to anyone who would listen and calling for more integrity among the elected officials.
West, Allen, and other citizens who stood to lose a profit decided to call in Jim Miller. They offered him $1,700 to silence Bobbitt.
One night, as he drove his wagon home from Ada, Bobbitt was ambushed and shot. He lived for about an hour, long enough to offer a $1000 reward for the man who shot him.
A posse was soon on the trail of the killer, with their eyes on the reward. Perhaps Miller had become careless, or maybe this posse was better than most. They were able to track Miller, who admitted he was the paid assassin.
Miller had been paid by a livestock speculator named Berry Burrell. Along with saloon owners, Allen and West, Burrell had been part of the “Indian Skinning” profit scheme. They were making huge profits, and Bobbitt’s public condemnation threatened to end all of that.
Vigilante Justice
In April 1909, Miller, Jesse West, Joe Allen, and Berry Burrell were arrested for Gus Bobbitt’s murder. By April 9th, they were all in jail in Ada, awaiting trial.
Many of the town’s decent citizens were worried about a trial taking place. Miller’s reputation for getting off Scot free had them worried.
Even though Miller had confessed that he was hired as a paid assassin, the evidence still wasn’t as solid as it needed to be. What if Miller got off again?
Fearful of the men escaping justice, a lynch mob overran the jail. The crowd of fifty overpowered the jailers and took the prisoners.
They led them to an abandoned livery stable nearby, bound their hands and feet with bailing wire, and tossed ropes over the rafters. One by one, West, Allen, and Burrell were hung, each protesting and begging for mercy. They were given none.
Before he died, Miller asked that the diamond ring he always wore be taken off and given to his wife. The mob granted his request. He also asked to wear his long, black coat and hat into eternity. The mob allowed him to wear his hat but refused to allow him to wear the coat.
His famous last words were: “Let the record show I’ve killed fifty-one men. Let ’er rip.” He stepped off the upturned box and virtually hung himself. Perhaps, in the end, he knew it was true justice.
Miller’s body was taken down and buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas.
Sources:
Alexander, Kathy. “James Miller – Hired Killer of the Old West.” Legends of America, Updated October 2023, https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-jamesmiller/
Trimble, Marshall. “Killin’ Jim Miller.” True West Magazine, 15 June 2016, https://truewestmagazine.com/article/killin-jim-miller/
“The Enigmatic Life Of James Brown Miller: From Churchgoer To Ruthless Killer.” KFMX, 13 March 2024, https://kfmx.com/texas-outlaws-jim-killer-miller/
McNabb, Max. “Man in the Long Black Coat: Jim Miller, the Old West’s Deadliest Psycho.” Texas Hill Country, 11 January 2019, https://texashillcountry.com/man-in-long-black-coat-jim-miller/
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Sounds like a psychopath, utterly ruthless and devoid of fear. In those days, people like that often fell to "extra-judicial measures."