The Untimely Demise of Miss Willie Greer...
Every Texan has heard the adage “there’s many a tale from the
Chisholm Trail,” and truer words were never spoken. The Chisholm Trail runs through tiny Bosque County, Texas, my birthplace and where I now reside. Our family has been in Bosque County since the mid 1850’s (back when it was still called “The Bosque Territory”). The Bosque Territory was apparently a pretty rough and rugged area as an old clipping from an Austin newspaper from that time states “there were only two murders in the Bosque Territory last week which is a
definite improvement.”
As a history buff I thought I knew every old story ever told about the Greers (the maternal side of my family). Imagine my surprise when I came upon the story of Miss Willie Greer – a story of love, jealousy and murder which had somehow slipped right by my never-ending family research.
The Greers originally came from Georgia to Texas; first settling at Washington on the Brazos (being friends of Sam Houston) and eventually moving on to The Bosque Territory due to the influence of another friend, a land baron named DeCordova, who was instrumental in surveying and selling land in the Bosque Territory. The Greers, back then, were described as wealthy, influential and good citizens. Nathaniel Hunt Greer appears to have been the first Greer to settle in The Bosque Territory. The following story is about his granddaughter, Miss Willie Greer, daughter of his son Capt. Gilbert Dunlap Greer, a prosperous
rancher, who’s ranch was located in the area which would eventually become the railroad town of Kopperl, Texas.
The crime involved in this tale was so sensational that even the papers back East reported on it less than one month after it occurred. The facts herein are thus taken from that reprint which ran November 20, 1875 in The Landmark of Statesville, NC.
Miss Willie is described as being 18 years old, handsome, intelligent, amiable and beloved by all who knew her. She had a younger sister, Miss Nannie, who was 16 years old. It seems about a year prior to the incident
Miss Willie met a young stock raiser named Robert (Bob) Simms who was passing through (most likely on the Chisholm Trail as that was the route of all cattle drives through this part of Texas in those days) with his cattle on his way to Colorado. Simms was a distant relative of Capt. Greer’s first wife (Miss Willie and Miss Nannie were by his second wife).
Stopping to visit relatives in the area he met and became enamored with Miss Willie Greer. It is not known whether they became engaged or not but when he went away he was wearing her ring and she was wearing his. It’s been noted that Miss Willie, although she was definitely in love with young Simms, also feared him as he had killed a man, so it was said, in the southwest part of the State. Although the young couple were separated by many miles; Simms kept up on all that was going on in Bosque County by corresponding with one of his uncles who resided in the County and of whom he was very fond.
Less than four months after Miss Willie exchanged rings with Simms, a young, good looking Baltimore physician named Frazer began “boarding” (taking his meals) at the home of Miss Willie’s maternal grandfather Esquire Lane. The young Dr. Frazer hung out his shingle and began practicing medicine in
the small community. Nearly immediately he met Miss Willie, courted her and they became engaged.
It wasn’t long before Bob Simms heard from his uncle that Miss Willie intended to marry Dr. Frazer and he high tailed it back to Bosque County in an attempt to woo Miss Willie back and prevent the marriage. He called on Miss Willie on Thursday, October 21, 1875 and found that what he had been told was indeed true-- she intended to marry Dr. Frazer on November 11. He chided her, told her they were meant for each other and that no other man should claim her as his wife. At the time of this confrontation Miss Willie’s father, Capt. Gilbert Greer was not at the ranch. He had gone to Dallas with a cotton crop and was to return Saturday, October 23rd having concluded his business and bringing Miss Willie’s bridal gown for her marriage to Dr. Frazer.
On the following Saturday morning (after her meeting with Bob Simms on Thursday) Miss Willie went to town to make some purchases. On that same day Bob Simms gave a letter to his friend, with whom he was staying, to be delivered to his sister, instructing her “Answer this letter tomorrow if I do not return. I am going over to Capt. Greer’s and if I never return wind up my business.” He then proceeded to go to the Greer Ranch and requested to see Miss Willie who was with her mother and Dr. Frazer in the sitting room. Upon learning that Simms was at her door to see her, Miss Willie said to Dr. Frazer, “Doctor, have you your pistol? I am afraid of Bob; he said he would kill me. Shall I go in?” to which the doctor replied “I am not armed. Go in if you like” and thereupon Miss Willie, her mother and Dr. Frazer all went in.
Simms, upon seeing Miss Willie, invited her to walk with him in the garden but she declined. He then asked her to walk out on the back porch, so they might have some privacy, as he wished to have a “goodbye chat” with her. She went, and he followed her out onto the back porch – shutting the door after him.
Mrs. Greer reported she head them conversing and heard Simms say “And you are the cause of it;” heard Miss Willie sob and say “Oh, don’t do that, Bob” and then heard Bob’s six-shooter fire three times, then a pause and another shot was fired. Mrs. Greer threw open the door and her beautiful daughter lay
dead on the porch. One shot entered near the heart, one entered the left eye and came out at the back of her head and the other shot entered the center of the forehead and also came out at the back of her head. It appeared that Simms must have supported Miss Willie with his left hand while shooting her. Near her lay
Bob Simms – the fourth shot was self-inflicted through his own head.
Dr. Frazer, upon viewing the ghastly scene, immediately ran out, turned the murderer’s horse loose, and ran to the next house (supposedly) to get a gun. To say his actions were cowardly and far too little too late would be an understatement. The good doctor didn’t hang around to check a pulse or find a heartbeat – he just got out of there as quickly as he could leaving poor Mrs. Greer to deal with the murder of her daughter and the suicide of Bob Simms alone.
After the immediate shock of the tragic event, Mrs. Greer sent a runner to meet Capt. Greer who was a few miles off on the Dallas road, coming home. Capt. Greer was inconsolable at the horrible death of his oldest child. Next day, Sunday, they took Miss Willie’s body to Kimball, Texas (not far from the town of Kopperl and almost directly on the Chisholm Trail) and buried it in the little cemetery located there. Bob Simm’s body was buried in a graveyard near Powell’s Dale by his friends and family.
In closing, the article which was printed in The Landmark stated: “The carpet-bagger will stick out. As danger approaches he takes to his heels and hound-like sneaks off. Instead of protecting the brave
girl from her jealousy-maddened lover, the cowardly Dr. Frazer runs off in the neighborhood to borrow a shot gun! That he didn’t ride off on his dead rival’s horse is a mitigating circumstance.”
“Carpet-baggers”were neither liked nor welcome in the South. The original reporter’s story, from whom The
Landmark article was taken, was a Texan and he makes it very clear that Dr. Frazer’s actions at the time of the murder were all that was to be expected of such lowlife. His sarcasm is very evident as he says, “ the doctor ran off and didn’t ride away on the murderer’s horse” which he refers to as a “mitigating
circumstance.”
In a report of this article in The Greer Way West it’s said that the foregoing newspaper article (from which
these facts were taken) made no mention of the strange experience of Capt. Greer as he was approaching home on that day his daughter was murdered – possibly because it was not discussed outside the
family.
Capt. Greer said that as he approached a stream on his way back home, Miss Willie’s spirit had floated over the water in front of him. The musings of a grieving father? Maybe so and maybe not – stranger things have
happened.
Author's Note: This is a true story and the facts were taken from several newspaper articles of the period and The Greer Way West (a periodical published for/about the Greer Family for some years). Miss Willie was the niece of my great, great grandfather Matthew Simeon "Babe" Greer (Captain Gilbert Greer, Miss Willie's father was Babe's brother.) The Greer's were a close-knit, loving, large extended family and Miss Willie's death was a horrible blow to them all as she was a kind, delightful, popular young woman and much loved by both family and friends. It was most unusual for newspapers in the East to print such stories coming out of the South -- and Eastern readers were horrified and amazed at the "barbaric" happenings in Bosque County, Texas.
By Angela Blair © 2010
You are listening to "Lovely Ladies Past" written and performed by Steven Fromholz from his new Cd "Texas Trilogy Goes to G'Nashville" -- check out this site for ordering instructions. Y'all are gonna love it!
Chisholm Trail,” and truer words were never spoken. The Chisholm Trail runs through tiny Bosque County, Texas, my birthplace and where I now reside. Our family has been in Bosque County since the mid 1850’s (back when it was still called “The Bosque Territory”). The Bosque Territory was apparently a pretty rough and rugged area as an old clipping from an Austin newspaper from that time states “there were only two murders in the Bosque Territory last week which is a
definite improvement.”
As a history buff I thought I knew every old story ever told about the Greers (the maternal side of my family). Imagine my surprise when I came upon the story of Miss Willie Greer – a story of love, jealousy and murder which had somehow slipped right by my never-ending family research.
The Greers originally came from Georgia to Texas; first settling at Washington on the Brazos (being friends of Sam Houston) and eventually moving on to The Bosque Territory due to the influence of another friend, a land baron named DeCordova, who was instrumental in surveying and selling land in the Bosque Territory. The Greers, back then, were described as wealthy, influential and good citizens. Nathaniel Hunt Greer appears to have been the first Greer to settle in The Bosque Territory. The following story is about his granddaughter, Miss Willie Greer, daughter of his son Capt. Gilbert Dunlap Greer, a prosperous
rancher, who’s ranch was located in the area which would eventually become the railroad town of Kopperl, Texas.
The crime involved in this tale was so sensational that even the papers back East reported on it less than one month after it occurred. The facts herein are thus taken from that reprint which ran November 20, 1875 in The Landmark of Statesville, NC.
Miss Willie is described as being 18 years old, handsome, intelligent, amiable and beloved by all who knew her. She had a younger sister, Miss Nannie, who was 16 years old. It seems about a year prior to the incident
Miss Willie met a young stock raiser named Robert (Bob) Simms who was passing through (most likely on the Chisholm Trail as that was the route of all cattle drives through this part of Texas in those days) with his cattle on his way to Colorado. Simms was a distant relative of Capt. Greer’s first wife (Miss Willie and Miss Nannie were by his second wife).
Stopping to visit relatives in the area he met and became enamored with Miss Willie Greer. It is not known whether they became engaged or not but when he went away he was wearing her ring and she was wearing his. It’s been noted that Miss Willie, although she was definitely in love with young Simms, also feared him as he had killed a man, so it was said, in the southwest part of the State. Although the young couple were separated by many miles; Simms kept up on all that was going on in Bosque County by corresponding with one of his uncles who resided in the County and of whom he was very fond.
Less than four months after Miss Willie exchanged rings with Simms, a young, good looking Baltimore physician named Frazer began “boarding” (taking his meals) at the home of Miss Willie’s maternal grandfather Esquire Lane. The young Dr. Frazer hung out his shingle and began practicing medicine in
the small community. Nearly immediately he met Miss Willie, courted her and they became engaged.
It wasn’t long before Bob Simms heard from his uncle that Miss Willie intended to marry Dr. Frazer and he high tailed it back to Bosque County in an attempt to woo Miss Willie back and prevent the marriage. He called on Miss Willie on Thursday, October 21, 1875 and found that what he had been told was indeed true-- she intended to marry Dr. Frazer on November 11. He chided her, told her they were meant for each other and that no other man should claim her as his wife. At the time of this confrontation Miss Willie’s father, Capt. Gilbert Greer was not at the ranch. He had gone to Dallas with a cotton crop and was to return Saturday, October 23rd having concluded his business and bringing Miss Willie’s bridal gown for her marriage to Dr. Frazer.
On the following Saturday morning (after her meeting with Bob Simms on Thursday) Miss Willie went to town to make some purchases. On that same day Bob Simms gave a letter to his friend, with whom he was staying, to be delivered to his sister, instructing her “Answer this letter tomorrow if I do not return. I am going over to Capt. Greer’s and if I never return wind up my business.” He then proceeded to go to the Greer Ranch and requested to see Miss Willie who was with her mother and Dr. Frazer in the sitting room. Upon learning that Simms was at her door to see her, Miss Willie said to Dr. Frazer, “Doctor, have you your pistol? I am afraid of Bob; he said he would kill me. Shall I go in?” to which the doctor replied “I am not armed. Go in if you like” and thereupon Miss Willie, her mother and Dr. Frazer all went in.
Simms, upon seeing Miss Willie, invited her to walk with him in the garden but she declined. He then asked her to walk out on the back porch, so they might have some privacy, as he wished to have a “goodbye chat” with her. She went, and he followed her out onto the back porch – shutting the door after him.
Mrs. Greer reported she head them conversing and heard Simms say “And you are the cause of it;” heard Miss Willie sob and say “Oh, don’t do that, Bob” and then heard Bob’s six-shooter fire three times, then a pause and another shot was fired. Mrs. Greer threw open the door and her beautiful daughter lay
dead on the porch. One shot entered near the heart, one entered the left eye and came out at the back of her head and the other shot entered the center of the forehead and also came out at the back of her head. It appeared that Simms must have supported Miss Willie with his left hand while shooting her. Near her lay
Bob Simms – the fourth shot was self-inflicted through his own head.
Dr. Frazer, upon viewing the ghastly scene, immediately ran out, turned the murderer’s horse loose, and ran to the next house (supposedly) to get a gun. To say his actions were cowardly and far too little too late would be an understatement. The good doctor didn’t hang around to check a pulse or find a heartbeat – he just got out of there as quickly as he could leaving poor Mrs. Greer to deal with the murder of her daughter and the suicide of Bob Simms alone.
After the immediate shock of the tragic event, Mrs. Greer sent a runner to meet Capt. Greer who was a few miles off on the Dallas road, coming home. Capt. Greer was inconsolable at the horrible death of his oldest child. Next day, Sunday, they took Miss Willie’s body to Kimball, Texas (not far from the town of Kopperl and almost directly on the Chisholm Trail) and buried it in the little cemetery located there. Bob Simm’s body was buried in a graveyard near Powell’s Dale by his friends and family.
In closing, the article which was printed in The Landmark stated: “The carpet-bagger will stick out. As danger approaches he takes to his heels and hound-like sneaks off. Instead of protecting the brave
girl from her jealousy-maddened lover, the cowardly Dr. Frazer runs off in the neighborhood to borrow a shot gun! That he didn’t ride off on his dead rival’s horse is a mitigating circumstance.”
“Carpet-baggers”were neither liked nor welcome in the South. The original reporter’s story, from whom The
Landmark article was taken, was a Texan and he makes it very clear that Dr. Frazer’s actions at the time of the murder were all that was to be expected of such lowlife. His sarcasm is very evident as he says, “ the doctor ran off and didn’t ride away on the murderer’s horse” which he refers to as a “mitigating
circumstance.”
In a report of this article in The Greer Way West it’s said that the foregoing newspaper article (from which
these facts were taken) made no mention of the strange experience of Capt. Greer as he was approaching home on that day his daughter was murdered – possibly because it was not discussed outside the
family.
Capt. Greer said that as he approached a stream on his way back home, Miss Willie’s spirit had floated over the water in front of him. The musings of a grieving father? Maybe so and maybe not – stranger things have
happened.
Author's Note: This is a true story and the facts were taken from several newspaper articles of the period and The Greer Way West (a periodical published for/about the Greer Family for some years). Miss Willie was the niece of my great, great grandfather Matthew Simeon "Babe" Greer (Captain Gilbert Greer, Miss Willie's father was Babe's brother.) The Greer's were a close-knit, loving, large extended family and Miss Willie's death was a horrible blow to them all as she was a kind, delightful, popular young woman and much loved by both family and friends. It was most unusual for newspapers in the East to print such stories coming out of the South -- and Eastern readers were horrified and amazed at the "barbaric" happenings in Bosque County, Texas.
By Angela Blair © 2010
You are listening to "Lovely Ladies Past" written and performed by Steven Fromholz from his new Cd "Texas Trilogy Goes to G'Nashville" -- check out this site for ordering instructions. Y'all are gonna love it!
