Originally from Mississippi, Spradley moved to Nacogdoches in the 1870s. Over time, “His use of bloodhounds, which he raised and trained to track criminals, and his shrewd detective work soon became legendary.” “During Spradley's long career as a law officer,” we further learn, “he participated in a number of famous cases.” This included tracking down the outlaw Bill Mitchell throughout South Texas and New Mexico after Mitchell murdered James M. Truitt in Timpson, participating in an expedition against the remnants of the Dalton gang after they held up the First National Bank of Longview in 1894, and he arrested outlaw Tex Wallace after he robbed the Cotton Belt Bank of Timpson. In the end, Spradley also served as Sheriff during all of Nacogdoches’ known lynchings. | Date: October 16, 1902 | Source: The Times Democrat (New Orleans), October 16, 1902, p. 3.Download Original File
Source
The Times Democrat (New Orleans), October 16, 1902, p. 3.
Date
October 16, 1902
"John Spradley, pictured here in October 1902, served as Nacogdoches County Sheriff on and off for 34 years between 1882 and 1916. " appears in: The Lynching of Joe Adams
