To a casual traveler, the Hill Country town of Mason exemplifies the calm security of rural living. Families and small business occupy well-cared-for, comfortably-spaced older buildings on tree-lined, not-too-busy streets. The stately courthouse and the historic shops and offices around it give the impression of character and community pride from generations past. Not even the historic rock jail building on the south side of the square would lead observers to guess that Mason was, 132 years ago, the center of one of the most violent “peacetime” episodes in Texas history.

       Mason was founded in the 1850s, but it was after the Civil War that it really began to grow. Battles with the Indians were winding down by the mid-1870s, and Mason became a center for the booming cattle business. The first county courthouse and jail were built in 1869, but there was very little organized authority, and oftentimes settlers had to defend their rights as they saw fit.

       Most of the established settlers in Mason were farmers, and of German descent. As the value of rangeland and cattle skyrocketed after the war, they began to feel pressure from ranchers (often of Scotch-Irish descent), who rounded up stray cattle on the open range and herded them to market. Mavericking (rounding up any cattle without a brand) was considered a legitimate practice by the ranchers, but farmers complained that many of their cattle were stolen by over-zealous or dishonest cattlemen. Some of the most militant farmers joined in “vigilance committees” to protect their property from rustlers.

       Things were getting out of hand already before John Clark was elected sheriff of Mason County in 1873, but his actions definitely seemed to make the situation worse, and it was on his watch in 1875 that the tension erupted into an all-out war between the factions. Many of the facts have been obscured by the passing time, and even the names of some key participants are spelled differently in different accounts. Of the several different versions, I depended most on the Mason County Historical Commission’s “The Hoo-Doo War: Portraits of a Lawless Time.” I will try to stick to the generally accepted facts as I summarize the events here.

       Although the Hill Country was a haven for many who had run afoul of the law, and although Indians and even renegade Mexicans sometime carried out cattle-stealing raids, most of the injured farmers’ animosity was directed at neighboring ranchers. As rustling increased, and the “law” seemed unable to prevent it, the farmers became more radical. Three ranchers were found murdered in 1874 and early 1875, and the third, 17-year-old Allen Bolt, had a note pinned to his body, reading “He would not stop rustling.”

       In August of 1874, Sheriff Clark arrested eleven men as they drove a herd of cattle in western Llano County. They were respected ranchers, led by M.B. Thomas, foreman for the A.G. Roberts Ranch in Burnet and Llano Counties. The eleven were jailed in Mason, but friends led a posse into Mason County to pay their fines and arrange their release. On the way home, the disgruntled ranchers (whose herd had long since scattered) burned the Art Methodist Church, which was attended by many of the German farmers. Back in Llano County, they filed charges against Sheriff Clark, who was then indicted for false imprisonment and robbery. The charges were later dropped.

       On February 13, 1875, Sheriff Clark once again crossed county lines (this time into McCulloch County) to arrest a group of nine cattlemen. The nine posted bond, and four left Mason County immediately; the remaining five were re-arrested and locked up in the Mason County Jail. They didn’t stay there long; a hooded mob broke into the jail and removed the prisoners while Sheriff Clark and Lieutenant Dan Roberts of the Texas Rangers watched from across the street at the Mason House Hotel (see photo above). By the time Sheriff Clark obtained horses and followed the mob, four of the prisoners had been hanged. Pete and Lige Baccus were already dead, as was Abe Wiggins. Tom Turley was still alive, and the sheriff cut him down. Charley Johnson escaped the mob and turned himself in to the Texas Rangers camped southwest of town. Rumors circulated that the sheriff was the secret leader of the mob, but most of the farmers strongly supported him, and he remained in office.

       Tim Williamson was a well-liked and respected cattleman, who worked as foreman on the ranch of Charley Lehmberg. He and his wife had taken in a boy named Scott Cooley, who was part Cherokee Indian, and raised him as their own son. Cooley joined the Texas Rangers at age 19, but was working on a ranch in Menard County in 1875, when Williamson was arrested for rustling a calf. Mason county Tick and Hide Inspector Daniel Hoerster posted bond for Williamson, and he was temporarily released. On May 13, Hoerster revoked Williamson’s bail, and Sheriff Clark sent Deputy John Wohrle to bring Williamson back to the Mason County Jail. They never made it.

       Rancher Charley Lehmberg accompanied the pair as they rode toward Mason, expecting to post bond for his trusted foreman. As the trio reached Willow Creek, they were approached by a mob of more than twenty men. Williamson begged Deputy Wohrle for permission to flee the mob, but the deputy instead shot Williamson’s horse to prevent his escape. Peter Bader, who was leading the mob, shot Williamson twice, killing him instantly.

       The “law” made no attempt to find the killers of Tim Williamson, but his friends were not so reticent. Former Ranger Scott Cooley came to Mason in July, listening to gossip in the town until he was sure he knew the killers’ identities. On August 10, he went to the home of Deputy Sheriff John Wohrle and shot him through the head. Joining with John and Moses Baird, influential Burnet County ranchers, and George Gladden, he set out to exact revenge for the murder of his foster father. Two or three of the partners approached Carl Bader on August 19 in a field near his home in Castell. One engaged him in conversation while another rode up behind him and shot him in the head.

       Suspecting Moses Baird and George Gladden, Sheriff Clark had a man named Jim Cheney lure the pair into Mason County, where they were ambushed by a posse that included Peter Bader at John Keller’s store near Hedwig’s Hill. Baird died from his wounds, and Bader cut off his finger to remove a gold ring: apparently an act of revenge for his brother’s killing. Gladden recovered from his wounds, and joined Cooley and John Baird in Mason a couple of weeks later. A friend of the Bairds, named John Ringo, killed Jim Cheney on September 24.

       As Inspector Daniel Hoerster returned to town with two co-workers on September 27, he was ambushed and killed on the public square. His friends returned fire, wounding George Gladden (again), but all the assailants escaped. Sheriff Clark resigned his office and left town shortly thereafter, but a detachment of Texas Rangers under Major John B. Jones moved into Mason and began to restore order. Scott Cooley and John Ringo were arrested in Burnet County on other charges, and the “war” was almost over. On January 13, 1876, Peter Bader was shot and killed. George Gladden was convicted of that murder, and sentenced to 99 years in prison.

       In January of 1877, the Mason County Courthouse burned to the ground, and with it all records that might have been used to bring some of the guilty to justice. The Hoo Doo War of Mason County was officially over, and Mason began to grow and prosper.      

By John Hallowell

John Hallowell is the past editor of several Hill Country publications. He has been exploring the Texas Hill Country for almost 20 years.