Editor’s Note: Caprock Chronicles is edited by Texas Tech University Librarian Emeritus, Jack Becker. He can be reached at [email protected]. Today’s article delves into the captivating story of the murders of two cattle inspectors. This riveting piece is the final installment of a three-part series crafted by Chuck Lanehart, a distinguished Lubbock attorney and award-winning Western history writer. In Part One, we explored the extraordinary life of legendary Texas lawman Dave Allison. In Part Two, we chronicled the tragic murders of Allison and his partner, Hod Roberson, at the historic Gaines Hotel.
Step into Lubbock’s majestic 1916 courthouse and immerse yourself in the trial of the century. The 1923 murder trials of Tom Ross and Milt Good, accused of killing lawman Dave Allison and his partner Hod Roberson, captivated the entire state of Texas. Ross stood trial first for the murder of Roberson, followed by Good’s trial for the same killing.
Judge Clark Mullican prioritized the courtroom’s security by assigning 38 deputies to protect the courthouse. He meticulously drew diagrams of the surroundings and ordered a thorough search for firearms on all spectators, including his own wife! The anticipation was palpable as June 18, 1923 approached. The courtroom quickly filled to capacity, with an overflow crowd spilling down the stairs.
Ross entered the courtroom wearing a business suit and boots, giving a bittersweet kiss to his wife and 15-year-old daughter. The prosecution team consisted of District Attorneys Gordon McGuire of Lamesa, J.E. Vickers of Lubbock, and the flamboyant Dayton Moses of the Cattle Raisers Association. Accompanying them at the counsel table was the formidable Lubbock lawyer William Bledsoe, who had previously outshone Vickers in Lubbock County’s first murder trial a decade prior.
A painstaking process ensued, with 400 veniremen being questioned about their affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan, among other topics. Eventually, twelve impartial jurors were selected. The State called eight witnesses before resting its case on June 22. The rebuttal phase involved a staggering 200 witnesses from both sides, including numerous individuals who testified to the admirable character of Allison and Roberson.
Ross, seated with his family, maintained an unwavering composure as Moses unleashed a blistering denouncement. In the end, the verdict was guilty, and Ross was sentenced to 35 years behind bars.
Just three days later, the trial of Milton Good for the murder of Hod Roberson commenced. The proceedings mirrored Ross’s trial, with the same judge and advocates. Impartial jurors were a rarity, and each juror’s personal details were meticulously recorded, including name, age, town of residence, number of children, religion, and occupation.
After the State presented its case, Good took the stand in his own defense, insisting that he acted in self-defense. However, none of the eyewitnesses to the killings saw the victims reach for their guns.
Surrounded by his wife, eight children, five sisters, and brother, Good listened as Moses delivered one of the most scathing and forceful arguments ever witnessed in a Texas courtroom. The jury found Good guilty, and despite the State’s push for the death penalty, he received a 26-year prison sentence.
The two trials spanned three weeks and were the costliest in West Texas history, totaling $20,000. Witnesses from 60 counties throughout Texas, amounting to 250 individuals, were summoned to testify. Deputies experienced sore backs from searching 40,000 spectators, with only a single pistol being discovered among countless confiscated nail files belonging to the ladies.
Next came the separate trials of Ross and Good for the murder of Dave Allison. However, due to the saturation of newspaper coverage and the resulting lack of impartial jurors in Lubbock, both cases were transferred to Abilene, Texas.
The Abilene trials, which took place throughout September 1923, featured similar testimonies. Once again, the defense argued self-defense.
“The threats made me so paranoid that I couldn’t eat or sleep!” Ross testified. “I knew from reports that Roberson had taken numerous lives, so I started carrying a six-shooter. I knew he’d kill me!”
Upon entering the hotel, Good exclaimed, “Watch out for Allison!” Ross then witnessed Roberson’s hand hovering near his left hip. What followed was a blur of bullets. Ross testified, “I lost count of how many times I fired. I ceased when Roberson’s head fell back, and he went limp.”
Once again, both defendants were convicted, but the jury refused to impose the death penalty. Ross received a 20-year sentence, while Good was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Historians look back on these convictions as the symbolic end of Texas’ frontier era.
Due to stacked sentencing, Ross faced a 55-year term, while Good confronted a 51-year sentence. In January 1925, the convicts arrived at Huntsville’s State Prison. Following the exhaustion of all appeals, Ross and Good formulated an escape plan. In November of the same year, they brutally assaulted a guard and managed to flee.
The two fugitives sought refuge in New Mexico before embarking on an illicit journey across the Northwest. Good’s run came to an end when he was apprehended in Oklahoma and promptly returned to Huntsville.
Ross, born Hillary Loftis, assumed another identity and resurfaced in Montana as Charles Gannon. In 1929, he tragically shot and killed a ranch foreman during a dispute. Immediately after committing the murder, Loftis/Ross/Gannon placed his .45 pistol to his right ear, pulled the trigger, and ended his own life at the age of 68.
Following Good’s return to Huntsville, he attempted to tunnel his way to freedom but was unsuccessful. Then, in a surprising turn of events, Governor Ma Ferguson, infamous for granting pardons for a fee, pardoned Good in 1934. Five years later, he found himself back in Huntsville for a brief stint due to theft. In 1960, at the age of 71, Good met his demise in a ranching accident in West Texas.
This article draws from various sources, including the archives of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ancestry.com, and the book “Fearless Dave Allison” by Bob Alexander.
This article was originally published on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Caprock Chronicles: Murders at the Gaines Hotel Part Three: The end of the Texas Frontier Era.
