Milam County Historical Commission
Milam County, Texas
Milam County, Texas
Chief Deputy Guy Austin "Dutch" Pope
Date of Birth: November 26, 1899 in Ironton, Alabama
End of Watch: October 29, 1930 in Cameron, Milam Co, Texas
Burial: Ben Arnold Cemetery, Milam County, Texas
Served under Sheriff L. L. Blaylock
Storekeeper Barricaded in Home Garage Pours Death Fire at Officers
Houston Post-Dispatch, Thur., 30 Oct 1930, p. 1, c. 5 & p. 5, c. 6
Cameron – Oct. 29, 1930 – Funeral arrangements were being made Wednesday night for three
men who were shot to death here in a gun battle staged in the residential section located
at 810 Washington Avenue. The dead: Chief Deputy Sheriff Guy A. “Dutch” Pope, veteran
peace officer of Cameron, Ed Dunman, special officer for the Santa Fe railway and former
night chief of police in Houston and Ragan Brady, storekeeper.
The two peace officers were slain when they approached Brady’s house to question him in
regard to a case involving the recent theft of some merchandise from the Santa Fe
railroad, according to Sheriff L. L. Blalock. Ray Robinson, deputized a special deputy
city marshal a few hours before the shooting who accompanied the officers to Brady’s
home, was shot in the hand after his two companions had been fatally wounded.
The three men in a car drove up to Brady’s residence about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Seeing
Brady standing near his garage directly in the rear of the house, they shouted at him and
alighted. Robinson, the driver, however, stayed behind in the auto, while the other two
men walked toward Brady.
Seeing the officer’s approach, Brady ran swiftly in the garage, and swung the door shut
behind him. A few seconds later, a hail of shot began pouring from the muzzle of a
shotgun protruding outward a few inches from the partially open door of the garage.
Pope, with a gunshot wound in the abdomen, dropped to his knees, mortally wounded. He
died a few minutes later.
Dunman tried to run to the side of the garage, out of range of the fire, but when he saw
a fence that stood in his pathway, he stopped and suddenly, wheeled and whipped out a
pistol from his holster, evidently determined to “shoot it out” in open view with his
adversary, who remained concealed.
At this moment another shot rang out and Dunman crumpled to the ground, with a bullet
from a rifle in his brain. He died instantly.
The two bodies lay on the ground within 15 feet of each other. Meanwhile, Robinson at the
sound of the first shot had deserted the car and stood behind the machine, using it as a
shield, with drawn gun, awaiting a view of the slayer.
When Brady partly showed himself, Robinson fired four times in rapid succession. Brady
returned the volley with a shotgun wounding Robinson in the hand. The side of the auto
next to the garage was pierced by 18 shots.
Meanwhile, nearby residents hearing the shooting had sounded an alarm, and Gene Smith,
city marshal, arrived on the scene and ordered Brady to surrender. Brady, the marshal
declared, walked from the garage, saying: “I don’t want to kill you, because I like you.”
Marshal Smith tried another line of argument, it was reported. “Come on and get into the
car with me, and we’ll drive away,” he said. “We’ll have to hurry, because there’ll be 50
people here in a few minutes.”
“Brady replied with a shake of his head. “No,” he answered, I’m not going. I’m not going
with anyone.”
Deputy Sheriff Will Vaughn and Sheriff Woodie Townsend of Bastrop county, who were here
attending a murder trial, had been summoned from the courthouse, and drove up in an
automobile. Sheriff Townsend called to Brady to come to his car and avoid further
trouble.
“I am not going to nobody’s car,” Brady replied. Addressing City Marshal Smith, Brady
said: “Gene, I do not want to kill you, but I did not want to be taken by them.”
When Smith renewed his demand for Brady’s surrender, the latter ran toward his garage,
shouting as he ran: “This is the way I am going.” He paused, placed the muzzle of the
shotgun under his chin and pulled the trigger. Half of his head was blown away.
Mrs. Brady was shopping in town when the shooting took place. As she returned to her home
she saw the crowd gathered and rushed up to the outer fringe and exclaimed: “Where is the
fire?” When she saw her husband’s body she collapsed.
The officers had not fired their pistols. Dunman’s was found on the ground, fully loaded.
Pope’s was in his hand. Robinson said Dunman had reached for his pistol and dropped it as
a bullet from Brady’s rifle hit him in his jaw.
The shooting created intense excitement and caused a recess of the H. W. Middleton murder
trial at the courthouse. Deputy Sheriff Vaughn was in charge of the jury when he was
summoned to the scene of the shooting. When he returned to the courtroom to inform the
court what had transpired, tears were streaming down his cheeks.
Justice of the Peace J.M. Ralston said he issued warrants Tuesday for a search of some
Negroes’ houses for goods stolen from the Santa Fe railroad. The houses were searched,
but no stolen property discovered, he said. “I think the officers stopped at Brady’s
house to ask him if he had bought any goods recently from Negroes in the neighborhood,”
Justice Ralston explained. “The officers were trying to trace the merchandise that was
stolen from the cars and warehouse Monday night.” Justice Ralston said his verdict in the
case probably would be murder and suicide.
Brady, who was about 37, is survived by his wife and three children, and Pope, about 30,
also is survived by his wife and three children. Dunman was unmarried.
Ten years ago, before becoming connected with the Santa Fe as special officer, he was
night chief of police in Houston. In 1921, when the job was abolished, he went to
Beaumont, and served as captain in the police department there. Four years ago, he became
connected with the railroad practically all of his life.
Milam County Lawmen Killed in the Line of Duty
By Greg J Kouba
All credit for this article goes to Greg Kouba
By Greg J Kouba
All credit for this article goes to Greg Kouba
Chief Deputy Guy Austin "Dutch" Pope
.