John Wiggins Leary, Helena, Texas 1880s

John Wiggins Leary, the young boy in this cabinet card, was born in Texas on February 19th, 1880, to parents Fanny Manning and Edgar Leary. He had four siblings: Stephen, Edward, Vivian, and Mary.

John’s father, Edgar Leary, was a salesman in Galveston before moving to Helena and becoming the sheriff of Karnes County, Texas. The previous sheriff had resigned after being threatened by a group of men known as the “Butler Boys,” whom he had openly accused of murdering a prominent Mexican stockman. On December 26th, 1884, Emmett Butler and his gang rode into Helena  “flourishing their pistols and causing women and children to take fright and hurry into their houses,” according to the Galveston Daily News. Sheriff Leary attempted to arrest them for disorderly conduct, and the men opened fire. The Sheriff was struck in the chest, but not before shooting Emmett Butler in the leg as he tried to escape. A group of onlookers from a nearby saloon was ultimately able to take Butler down. Sheriff Leary died, leaving behind a widow and five children, including four-year-old John.

Article on the death of Sheriff Edgar Leary.
The Dallas Daily Herald, Dec. 30th, 1884

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Learys received financial support from the community, including from the Sheriff’s Association. In 1891, John’s 11-year-old brother Stephen wrote a letter to the children’s section of the Houston Daily Post, which gives insight into their childhood:
“My name is Stephen Mullen Leary…My father, Edgar Leary, was killed while holding the sheriff’s office in Helena six years ago the 26th of last December. We miss him all the time. He was so kind to us and loved us more than he did himself. I hope we will meet him in heaven some day. I have a mamma, two sisters and two brothers. My mamma teaches school. When my papa was living I had a horse and a pair of Angora goats, but they have been sold. I hope I will hurry and get grown so I can support the family.”

Their mother remarried in 1898 to James Milton McGinty. In May of that same year, John enlisted in
the army to serve in the Spanish-American War. He joined the 2nd Texas Volunteer Infantry, Company B, about which there is little surviving information. Some of the Texas Volunteers remained in Texas, while others were stationed in Miami and Jacksonville, Florida. Newspapers like the Houston Post described the relentless rain, illness, overcrowded hospitals, and lack of supplies in Miami during the summer of 1898. He was discharged in November of that year. I should also note that John’s grave marker says “Texas / SGT BTRY C 5 Field ART / Spanish American War,” though I have no further information on this.

John married Tillie Elizabeth Walters at her parents’ home in 1915. They had 10 children: Walter, Fannie, Alice, Arline, Edmund, Thelma, Jaunita, Clifford, Timothy, and Marcella. The family lived in Galveston, where John was a dairy farmer, and later in Alvin.

John Leary died of lung cancer on December 18th, 1952, at the age of 72.

The next post will focus on John’s daughter, Fannie, and her husband, Howard, who I also have photos of.

If you know who this may be, let us know in the comments!