Did My Black Sheep Briggs Start a DGS Feud?

by Sharon Bowles

Winner of the DGS 2022 Writing Contest: Your family’s black sheep

I was trying to solve a mystery. Why did my 2xgreat grandmother Mary Elizabeth Campbell Briggs show up on the 1880 census as a widow living with her three young children in Pulaski TN?¹ She had previously been in Texas with her husband William Wallace Briggs Jr, and the couple boldly appears back together in the Lone Star State on the 1900 census.² Did they divorce, then later remarry? That seemed possible, but improbable in that era. I could not find any records of divorces and remarriages. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon a hit for W.W. Briggs Jr in the Tennessee Supreme Court records!³ There he was, for two cases; one in 1878 and another in 1880. My first mystery was solved; it seemed plausible that in 1880 Mrs. Briggs was doing some damage control by casting herself in the more genteel role of “widow” versus wife of a convict. Obviously, she later reunited with her wayward husband for a hopefully calmer life back in Texas.

While I got some satisfaction from getting my first mystery solved, I did not feel at ease. My mind was bubbling over with new questions. What did W. W. do that landed him “in the big house”? You must have a question too by now-how does the crime relate to DGS? The ugly answer is murder. A drunken Willie (W. W.) Briggs picked a fight with an innocent young man in a local store and shot him directly in the heart.⁴ Who was the unlucky victim? None other than John G. Ussery, a distant cousin of DGS Past President Suzan Younger! It’s a good thing that much time has passed and that Suzan and I are friends; otherwise, the Briggs/Ussery fiasco might have turned into a modern-day Hatfields vs. the McCoys. (In another “small world” occurrence, I related this murder tale at a dinner for genealogist Mark Lowe. Mark is from Tennessee, and amazingly he knew about this scandal, the little town where it happened and the Ussery family! He also informed me that the name Campbell in that region is pronounced “camel”.)

I was very excited to discover several historic newspaper articles about this unsavory event. I can’t believe that I actually have eyewitness reports! Through these 1878-1888 issues I was able to follow Willie and Mary’s lives for that time period.

At last, here are the gory details. The young Briggs couple came to the Campbellsville area in Giles Co. TN in the mid-1870s from Texas. (Willie may have come alone earlier, then subsequently sent for the family.)⁵ They had their preschool aged daughter (my great grandmother Cattie) and son with them. Another daughter was born in Tennessee around the time of the trouble.⁶ Both of the couple’s families had come from Cumberland Co. N. Carolina to Texas when they were young children.⁷ Rumor has it that they left Texas because Willie had murdered another man there. (So far, I have not been able to find anything about this.) They landed in Giles Co. due to having distant kin there.⁸ Willie, aged 32, was operating a grocery in town at the time of the crime.⁹

Witnesses report that on April 10, 1878, John Gilbreath Ussery (often called and reported as Ursery), aged 25, was in Kinney’s store in Campbellsville. Young Ussery came from a family long established in the area and was admired by many. Willie approached him to buy some of his corn, but then insulted Ussery’s product and complained about the price. In a sharp retort, Ussery indicated he wasn’t willing to sell to Briggs. Willie took offense, then slapped Ussery. A fight ensued, with witnesses noting that the younger and fitter Ussery had picked up a pair of hames (wooden horse collars) and a 4lb weight to use as defense. At this point, Willie pulled a pistol. The other patrons in the store dove for cover, while the store owner tried to talk sense to Willie and make him stop the assault. Willie missed his target on the first shot, the gun misfired on the second shot, then sadly his aim was true for the third and final shot. It hit Ussery in the heart. He did not make it to the front door before he collapsed and died on the spot. His last words were “Oh Lordy.” Willie immediately rode away on his horse.¹⁰

Willie did his best to get out of town and avoid his consequences. He managed to get on the train at the nearby Campbell station the next morning, but was apprehended when he arrived at the Louisville depot near Nashville. Several urgent dispatches were sent to the train personnel and Nashville police, imploring them to detain him. A relative of the victim, J.S. Gilbraith, was actively involved in the apprehension effort and offered a generous reward for the capture; “Arrest a man who got on the train at Campbell Station. Large man, red face, weight about 200lbs. Reward $250.00 His name is Wm Briggs.” Willie was captured by Nashville policeman Samuel Starkey that day and taken to the local jail.¹¹ He gave a false name, of William Bannon, but soon confessed his true identity and crime.

Willie expressed much remorse for his actions, but naturally, he considered himself to have acted out of self-defense. He shared his getaway plan that he thought up as he rode his horse out into the country for several hours after the shooting. He admitted that he had changed clothes and brought the soiled murder outfit and reloaded weapon with him. He had planned to travel to the Chattanooga area and find shelter with a kinsman, William Bannon. He hoped to stay hidden there for an extended time, believing that eventually everything would calm down and he could go home (sounds to me like he was still drunk if he believed that). When the Campbellsville authorities arrived, Willie claimed he could make $50K bail and asked to be kept overnight in a hotel rather than the jail. He did not get his wish. It was determined that it was not safe to take him back to Campbellsville, and that he would instead be delivered to the Pulaski jail. He was denied bail, as the citizens of the Campbellsville area were outraged. Officer Starkey was able to pocket the reward payoff that very day.¹²

Willie Briggs was convicted of murder in the first degree on Dec. 6, 1878 in the circuit court.¹³ He made a dramatic, tearful speech in his defense, at his sentencing. He reported his normally good character had been altered since he took up “whisky drinking.” His performance on the stand created great sympathy for him in the audience, but the judge didn’t buy it. He was sentenced to life in prison on Dec. 10, 1878.¹⁴ Back in jail while awaiting his upcoming appeal at the Tennessee Supreme Court, he almost avoided his fate. On Dec. 17. he managed to get out of his cell (having mysteriously come into possession of a key), and was busy picking a hole in the outside wall when discovered! He was immediately transferred to the Nashville jail for a higher level of security.¹⁵

Willie had a way with words, and some of his letters from prison were printed in the local paper. He scolded certain preachers for not coming to minister to the convicts, and let the citizenry know about the products the convicts were making, such as furniture, wagons, and household goods.¹⁶

Willie was back in court early the next year. After his first conviction, a motion for a new trial was overruled, so the case was sent to the Tennessee Supreme Court. In a surprise move, on Mar. 5, 1879, the Attorney General proclaimed that he could not in good conscious try Willie for murder in the first degree. After his examination of the case, he believed a more fitting charge would be murder in the second degree. The original conviction was overturned, and the case was sent back to the local circuit court to be retried as a lesser crime.¹⁷ This announcement was made in the courtroom, and if social media had been invented yet, the buzz would have gone viral!

Some might call Willie Briggs “lucky” for getting another chance. His retrial was set for Dec. 1979. A local law officer bought the impoverished defendant appropriate clothes for the trial.¹⁸ In spite of another sad plea for mercy on the stand “…he deplored his act, asserted his love for his victim…His reference to his family in poverty and friendless was touching…”, he was convicted again, of murder in the 2nd degree. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by the judge.¹⁹ On Jan. 28, 1880, The Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the circuit court’s latest decision.²⁰

Mary also made the news. In 1879, she was caught trying to smuggle in saws to her jailbird spouse!²¹ In all other reports, she was pictured as a symbol of gracious Christian martyrdom. She praised the Pulaskians for their great kindness to her and her little children. She sometimes took refuge with extended Briggs family in the area.²² Mary survived by dressmaking during Willie’s incarceration, as well as selling small items he made in the prison furniture factory.²³ I was surprised to learn that she did not visit her husband in the penitentiary until five years into his incarceration there.²⁴

Willie Briggs’ luck held. In Sep. 1887, he received a pardon from the governor! This was after “the night of the great fire at the penitentiary, he acquitted himself heroically fighting fire and did not take advantage of an opportunity to escape, even helping to guard the other prisoners.”²⁵ This action, along with almost a decade of model behavior in prison, led to the unexpected release. Mary’s good reputation in the community and the neediness of the family were cited as additional factors in the pardon decision. Willie Briggs was released on Oct. 21, 1887.²⁶ It was believed the family would return to Texas. Instead, they settled in Pulaski and set up a grocery. An ad in the 1988 Pulaski Citizen heralded “Mrs. M. E. and W. W. Briggs are carrying a full and complete stock of staple and fancy groceries…”²⁷

The Ussery family did not share Willie Briggs’ luck. They suffered another blow on Aug. 20, 1887 when murder victim’s father, Joe Ussery Sr, and his brother, Joe Jr were killed when their wagon was hit by a train.²⁸

Fast forward to 1900 (after cursing that 1890 census fire). The Briggs were still married and living back in Ennis, Ellis Co. TX. Their house was on N. Preston, and that property lies within the Ennis historical district today. Their elder daughter Cattie lived with them, along with her husband, newspaper editor W. C. Perry, and their brood.²⁹ My grandmother Mary Elizabeth Perry would join that crowd in a few short years. Mary Briggs died in 1911,³⁰ with Willie following her in 1920.³¹ They are buried together in the historic Myrtle Cemetery in Ennis.³²

It is unknown to me at this time, if Willie Briggs returned to the “whisky drinking” lifestyle and kept up his nefarious ways, or became a sober and upright citizen. I have nothing to prove that he didn’t at least stay out of trouble. Now that the full extent of this saga is known, I am hoping no Ussery kin shows up on my doorstep looking for retribution. That includes you, Ms. Younger!

SOURCES

1. Mary E. Briggs. Year: 1880; Census Place: Pulaski, Giles, Tennessee; Roll: T9_1256; Family History Film: 1255256; Page: 128.1000; Enumeration District: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ©.

2. William W. Briggs. Mary E. Briggs.Year: 1900; Census Place: Ennis Ward 3, Ellis, Texas; Roll: T623_1630; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 25. Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data – United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 18.

3. Web: Tennessee, Supreme Court Case Index, 1809-1950. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2013.

4. “A Man Killed at Campbellsville”, Newspapers.com, The Herald and Mail, (Columbia TN), 12 Apr, 1878, p.3.

5. ” The Briggs Murder Case”, Newspapers.com, The Tennessean (Nashville TN), 19 Apr 1878, p.4.

6. Mary E. Briggs, 1880 Census, Pulaski, Giles, Tennessee.

7. William W. Brigo. Year: 1850; Census Place: My Subdivision, Smith, Texas; Roll: M432_915; Page: 49B; Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.Original data – Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls).

M.E. Campbell.Year: 1860; Census Place: Division 2, Ellis, Texas; Roll: M653_1293; Page: 7; Family History Library Film: 805293. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data:1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.

8. Untitled, Newspapers.com, T he Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 22 Sep, 1881, p.3.

9. The Herald and Mail, 12 Apr, 1878.

10. The Herald and Mail, 12 Apr 1878; The Tennessean, 12 Apr, 1878; “The Ussery Murder”, Newspapers.com, The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 29 Jan, 1880, p.2.

11. “Starkey’s Strike”, Newspapers.com, The Tennessean, (Nashville TN),12 Apr, 1878, p.4.

12. Ibid.

13. “For Life”, Newspapers.com, The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 12 Dec, 1878, p.3.

14. Ibid.

15. Untitled, Newspapers.com, The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 19 Dec,1878, p.3.

16. Untitled, Newspapers.com., The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 4 Sep, 1879, p.3; “Penitentiary News”, Newspapers.com., The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 28 Jul, 1881, p.3.

17. ”Something Unusual”, Newspapers.com., The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 6 Mar, 1879, p..3.

18. Untitled, Newspapers.com., The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 4 Dec, 1879, p.3.

19. Untitled, Newspapers.com, The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 11 Dec, 1879, p.3.

20. “The Ussery Murder”, 29 Jan, 1880.

21. Untitled, Newspapers.com., The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 2 Oct, 1979, p.3.

22. Untitled, Newspapers.com, The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 22 Sep, 1881, p.3.

23. Untitled, Newspapers.com., The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 2 Dec, 1880, p.3; Untitled, Newspapers.com., The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN) 24 Dec, 1885, p.3.

24. Untitled, Newspapers.com, The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 4 Oct, 1883. p.3.

25. “W.W. Briggs Pardoned”, Newspapers.com., The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 29 Sep, 1887, p.3.

26. Ibid.

27. Untitled, Newspapers.com., The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 17 May, 1888, p.4.

28. “Three Men Killed”, Newspapers.com., The Pulaski Citizen, (Pulaski TN), 28 Aug, 1887, p.2.

29. William W Briggs, 1900 Census.

30. Mary Elizabeth Campbell Briggs. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, Ancestry.com

31. William Briggs. Texas Death Index, 1903-2000. Ancestry.com. Online publication – Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data – Texas Department of Health. Texas Death Indexes, 1903-2000. Austin, TX, USA: Willam Briggs. Texas, Death Certificates, 1903–1982.Ancestry.com.2003.

32. William Wallace Briggs Jr, Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/159968672/william-wallace-briggs: accessed 16 September 2022), memorial page for William Wallace Briggs Jr. (8 Jan 1846–13 Apr 1920), Find a Grave Memorial ID 159968672, citing Myrtle Cemetery, Ennis, Ellis County, Texas, USA;.

Photo of Willie and Mary Briggs from private collection of the Bowles Family.

©2022 Sharon Bowles
Published by Dallas Genealogical Society with the author’s permission