"Shocking Murder," Civilian and Galveston Gazette, January 31, 1844

Summary: Reported on the murder of a county judge. Described the details of the murder, which involved a dispute between a man who lent out his slaves and another man who failed to pay back the loan. The two men repeatedly stole the slaves from each other, with the judge helping out the man who did not pay the loan. Finally, the original owner of the slaves went with his brother-in-law to the judge's house, where they both murdered the judge in cold blood.

We have been informed, says the Caddo Gazette, that a few days since Judge Hansford was most cruelly murdered in Harrison county, Texas, by an old gentleman, named Mosely, and his son-in-law, whose name is Bullard. The circumstances as they have come to us, are briefly these:

Mosely held a mortgage on the slaves of some citizens of Harrison county, which mortgage had matured. The mortgagor could not or did not pay the amount, to secure which the mortgage was given, and Mosely, in his absence, went to the house of the mortgagor, and conveyed away the slaves to his own plantation. The mortgagor retained Judge Hansford, (who it appears had left the bench.) to vindicate his rights and regain the slaves. Hansford, in turn, during the absence of Mosely, repaired to the house of the latter, and took away the slaves. Mosely, on his return, finding what had been done, set out with his son-in-law, Bullard, and some others, armed, to the house of Hansford, who was not in the house at the time, but as his wife informed Mosely and his party, had rode off but would return in a few minutes. From the common practice of carrying arms in that country, Mrs. Hansford apprehended no danger to any one, but civilly requested the gentlemen to be seated. In a short time Hansford was seen approaching on horseback, and Mosely remarked, "There's the d--d rascal now." From this expression, Mrs. Hansford was led to believe that some evil was intended. Mosely and Bullard seized their guns, when the former was detained for a short time by Mrs. Hansford, but finding her efforts unvailing, she ran to inform her husband that they had come, she believed, to kill him. The party advanced upon Hansford, and as he was in the act of dismounting, Mosely shot him down, and Bullard closed instantly the man's existance by placing a gun to his head and blowing out his brains.

Source Copy Consulted: "Shocking Murder," Civilian and Galveston Gazette, January 31, 1844, p. 2