Marshall Benton Taylor - One Side of the Story

Marshall Benton Taylor

There are many stories about Marshall, also known as Doc Taylor and The Red Fox.
The story below was given to me by a wonderful lady named Berniece. It is beleived that
the information here came from her uncle Ewing Taylor. She has shared
much information with me and has graciously allowed me to share it with you.........


Marshall B. Taylor was the oldest son of William P. Taylor and Polly Stallard. After acquiring a primitive education in the public schools in his native county, Marshall B. Taylor went to Lee County Virginia to study medicine under Dr. Morgan L. Stallard Sr., a relative. Completing his course of study under Dr. Stallard, he then went to Letcher County, Kentucky where he commenced the practive of medicine. He remained there for a few years and then returned to Virginia and first located in Bold Camp in the Roberson District of Wise County Virginia, and after living there for a time moved to Gladeville (Wise Co) and continued in the practive of medicine.

During Harrison's administration, he secured an appointment as United States Deputy Marshall. After his appointment, he took pride in displaying his authority in his official capacity. Riding a star-faced, black fox-trotter, he rode all over the county almost encased in fire-arms and ammunition. He wore a leather belt, five inches wide just under his arms containing two rows of cartridges, and a revolver of large caliber was swung around one of his shoulders. In addition to this, he always had a Winchester swung to him or laying acorss his saddle--the same gun he used to commit the murders for which he was supposed to have died. He often carried with him, in addition to his fire-arms, a five foot long spyglass.

In his practice as a physician, and in performing his duties as a revenue officer, he was familiar with every road, by-path, or lead through the mountains. The mountain illicit distiller and moon-shiner feared him and kept an eye on him when they could. But he often out-witted them. Using his long spy-glass for long distance view to catch a glimpse of the curling smoke winding skyward from a still in a distant hollow, changing the heels on his boots from the heel to the toe so that no one could tell which way he had gone, his cunningness gave him the title of "The Red Fox" of the mountain and he is mentioned in the book "Trail of the Lonesome Pine" many times as "The Red Fox of the Cumberland Mountains".

Marshall B. Taylor married Nancy Booth and they had four children. Martha married Henry Baker. Mary married Jim Bently in Kentucky. Sylvan married a Salyer and Rebecca married Ebb Johnson.

The crime for which Dr. Marshall B. Taylor, Cal Fleming, Henan Fleming and Henry Adams were indicted was for the killing of Ira Mullins, his wife, Louranza Estep Mullins, Ira Mullins' sister's husband Wilson Mullins, John Chappel, hired hand of Ira Mullins, and Greenberry Harris, an errand boy. It came out at the trial that Ira Mullins' wife, Louranza, always carried quite a large sum of money on her person and at this time she was carrying about one thousand dollars. This alleged murder took place almost on top of the Cumberland Mountains just inside Virginia near the Virginia-Kentucky line, between 9:00 and 10:00 on May 14, 1892. Doctor Taylor was first sentenced to hang by Judge Samuel W. Williams on December 10, 1892.

His lawyers appealed his case to a higher court and a lower court verdict was sustained by the higher court and he was re-sentenced by Judge H.S.K. Morrison to be hung on October 27, 1893, between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M.

This was the time when the switch at the scaffold was made. Doctor Taylor asked that he be allowed to be dressed in white for hanging. His wish being granted fully, his wife, Nancy Booth Taylor, made for him a complete suite of white linen, even to the cap and thongs to tie his hands. He walked up the gallows steps unassisted, and on the the trapdoor. Up to this time he was still wearing a new brown derby had which was replaced with the white cap later. A Doctor Cherry has said that Dr. Taylor was not hung. Dr. Cherry said he was one of the doctors in the booth and Dr. Marshall B. Taylor put on a disguise and walked out with the rest of them and they took the casket to the cemetary and buried the casket and Dr. Marshall Taylor went to Missouri. Dr. Marshall Taylor was a Freemason and Dr. Cherry said that the sixteen men that in the booth where he fell through were all Freemasons. They said a Mason had never been known to hang.

There were three other men indicted for the "Killing Rock" murder at the same time Dr. Marshall B. Taylor was indicted. They were Calvin Fleming, Henan Fleming, and Henry Adams. Calvin and Henan Fleming were already dodging the law because of warrants out for their arrest, presumably for illegal whisky or liquor violations and of course they were ready to skip the country, which they did and left Dr. Taylor to bear the brunt of the whole deal. These other three men lived over the line in Kentucky. Cal Fleming was killed while resisting arrest on this indictment. Henan Fleming was badly wounded at the same time Cal was killed. After Henan sufficiently recovered from his wounds to stand trial, he was brought back to Wise, Virginia and put on trial July 24, 1895. After a six day trial, he was acqquittted by a jury.

Mrs. Wilson Mullins, an eye witness to the tragedy, had died and the commonwealth attorney offered to introduce as evidence a confession of the prisoner which the court refused to admit. After this was done the attorney for the commonwealth announced to the court that he would be unable, without the confession going before the jury, to convict the defendant, and the jury thereupon returned the verdict of not guilty.

Mrs. Wilson Mullins was some relation to Ira Mullins, the Moon-Shiner, who Doctor Taylor had had trouble with over a period of time. Ira Mullins had offered anybody three hundrred dollars that would gun Doctor Taylor down. A Mr. Hubbard of Kentucky told a relative named James N. Donaldson who is in the insurance business at Appalachia, Virginia that this was a revenge killing. Mr. Hubbard said the people that were killed had for many years done things to Doctor Taylor just to annoy him and had even killed his stock and Doctor Taylor had believed they had killed one of his relatives.


See also:
Marshall Benton Taylor - A Legend
Nancy Wright Bays great site, stories about John Wright, Doc Taylor and other characters of the era
Flora Taylor Stallard's letter about Doc

Or go back to Doc's family page.


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Updated --Friday, 07-Sep-2018 21:21:28 MDT