On October 14, 1895, the hanging of John Quincy Adams Crews drew a large crowd in Denton.
In 1894, John Quincy Adams Crews, age 42, worked as wood turner and as a tenant on the farm of Thomas Bransford Murrell in Callisburg, Cooke County. Jack Crews had worked for Mr. Murrell for several years and knew the family well. In early April, Jack Crews and Mr. Murrell’s son, Morgan, got into a fight which resulted in Murrell terminating Crews’ contract. With this news, Crews went to Gainesville and purchased a Winchester rifle.
On April 12, 1894, Crews hid in the hay loft of Thomas Murrell’s barn and waited for him, and when Murrell entered, Crews shot him. Mrs. Anna Murrell ran to her husband’s aid after hearing the gunfire, and Crews shot her, and fled the scene with one of the Murrell’s best horses in search of their son, Morgan.
Jack Crews rode six miles to the farm where Morgan Murrell worked and without warning, shot him dead in the field. Crews looked for Mr. Murrell’s other son, Leonard, but was unable to find him. He then fled across the Red River and into Indian Territory.
Sheriff Ware of Cooke County and his posse followed Crews in quick pursuit. Men throughout North Texas were on the lookout for Crews and Sheriff Ware offered a reward $800 for his arrest.
While hiding in Indian Territory, Crews shot and killed a member of the volunteer squad who tried to arrest him. He was hiding in a cabin in Thackerville when Charles Liddell, Deputy U.S. Marshall, found Crews, arrested him and brought him to Gainesville. Jack Crews was convicted on June 21, 1894 in Cooke County.
Convict Record for Texas State Penitentiaries, 1894. #11020 J.Q.A. Crews, Age 42 Convicted on June 21, 1894 2 Cases of murder, 1st degree Pled not guilty on July 1, sentenced to death
The people of Cooke County were up in arms over the Murrell family murders. One paper reported, “Tom Murrell was a good honest, law-abiding, thrifty citizen, and had many friends. Crews was a shiftless and apparently harmless fellow, but he must have had a sleeping devil in him and when it was aroused, he went wild.” Law enforcement in Cooke County was worried that a lynch mob might break out. They decided on a change of venue and brought Crews to Denton County.
Crews was tried in Denton County district court in late June 1895 before the following jury: J.M. London, W.F. Creach, J.L Parker, A.T. Bates, F.M Crowley, R.R. Holloway, D.W. Newton, R. M. Cochrane, A.R. McGintie, R. Ledbetter, N.B. Baker, and Frank Pierce. The Hon. J.T. Bottorff tried the case. Jack Crews pled not guilty on July 1, but the jury sentenced him to death by hanging.
Denton County Sheriff Sam Hawkins presided over the hanging, and attempted to do so quietly. He had opposed the death penalty and hoped that Crews sentence would change to life in prison for his crimes. However, Sheriff Hawkins eventually scheduled the execution and carried out his duty as the law required. In the 1890’s, hanging was the only legal recognized method of executing convicted criminals.
The old two-story brick Denton County Jail located at 402 North Elm Street in Denton, TX. Constructed in the 1890’s, this building was a modern facility with running water, electricity, and quarters for the sheriff and his family. In 1965, the county razed the building.
From Sheriff Sam Hawkins’ report:
“Come to hand on the 4th day of October, 1895 and was executed by me after 11 o’clock and before sunset on Monday the 14th day of October, A.D. 1895, in said Denton County, Texas, at a place as privately as I could conveniently find, to-wit: by erecting a gallows on the north side of the jail and near to private as possible. By hanging J.Q.A. Crews, the said person named within the said warrant, by the neck until he was dead. There were present at said execution the following named five free holders of said county, to-wit: L. Willis, C.L. Floyd, A. Wane Robertson, W.Y. Barnett, and A. Collins.”
Sheriff Hawkins also explained, “I did not execute said warrant within the walls of the county jail because there was not sufficient room to erect a gallows therein.”
While Sheriff Hawkins did want to draw attention to this case, several hundred people gathered in Denton to witness the hanging, and Crews had quite a lot to say before his death and addressed the crowd:
“I am sorry to be the center of such attention….I had trouble with but one man, and he like all those with whom I have had trouble here, died with his boots on….I have always worked honestly for my living, and I am ready to die…I am sorry that I killed Mrs. Murrell, but for the killing of Murrell, I have nothing to say.”
After the hanging, Crews’ body was placed in a coffin and Mrs. Crews and Crews’ brother took the coffin to Montague County to be buried.
- “Bloodthirsty Man.” Graham Leader, April 18, 1894.
- Thomas Bransford Murrell, Find A Grave
- History and Reminincences of Denton County. Ed. F. Bates, 1918.
- 150 Years of Denton County Sheriffs, 1846-1996. Nita Thurman and Weldon Lucas, 1998.
Denton County Office of History and Culture: Blog 
This is a very well written historical article. Being a very long term resident of Denton County it’s good to read about its history.
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