Dr. Benjamin Franklin McCuistion, Jr.

1868 - 1902  (33 years)

• Name	Benjamin Franklin McCuistion
  Prefix	Dr.
  Suffix	Jr.
  Born	22 Jun 1868	Lamar County, Texas
  Gender	Male
  Died	28 Feb 1902	Paris, Lamar County, Texas   [1, 2, 3]
  	Shortly after 8 o'clock this morning Dr. Ben F. McChristian, a well known physician, was shot and mortally wounded in the rear part of the Pullman Bar, at the southeast corner of the square. A double-barreled shotgun was the weapon used and two shots were fired. The first missed the mark, the charge striking the beer chest and side wall of the saloon. The deceased after the first shot started to run out at a side door opening on Clarksville street, when a second shot was fired, the charge taking effect in his right side and breast. After receiving the wound the deceased staggered out of the door and fell in a stairway. He was conveyed to his office, over Barry & Co.'s drug store, where he expired in a few minutes. There were conflicting rumors concerning the trouble between Dr. McChristian and Mr. McComas. McComas claimed that Dr. McChristian had made indecent proposals to his daughter, however friends of Dr. McCuistion claimed that the he was killed because he was an important witness against McComas in a divorce trial, McComas and his wife had separated. The gun with which the tragedy was enacted was loaded with duckshot and had been rented from a hardware dealer a few doors above the saloon about thirty minutes before the shooting. A. W. McComas, a painter and carpenter, was placed under arrest on the scene by Officers Terry and Minton immediately after the shooting and was turned over to the county authorities. An inquest was held before Justice of the Peace Deweese this afternoon.
  Buried	Mar 1902	Paris, Lamar County, Texas   [2]
  Person ID	I3981	Family
  Last Modified	22 Aug 2018

  
  

  Father	Benjamin Franklin McCuistion,   b. 8 Aug 1835, Ray County, Missouri ,   d. 11 Feb 1870, Paris, Lamar County, Texas  (Age 34 years)
  Mother	Martha A. Abels,   b. 1842, Attala County, Mississippi ,   d. possibly Paris, Lamar County, Texas
  Married	8 Mar 1866	Lamar County, Texas   [4, 5]
  Family ID	F1227	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Dora V. Roberts,   b. Mar 1864, Kentucky ,   d. 15 Apr 1928  (Age 64 years)
  Married	Abt 1890  [6]
  Last Modified	30 May 2024
  Family ID	F1228	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 22 Jun 1868 - Lamar County, Texas Died - 28 Feb 1902 - Paris, Lamar County, Texas Buried - Mar 1902 - Paris, Lamar County, Texas  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S36] Mills, Betsy. Edited from "Deaths, Murders and Other Tribulations". "Dr. B. F. McCuistion, a prominent physician of Paris was shot and instantly killed last Friday by A. W. McComas, a contractor and builder. The tragedy occurred in a saloon and deceased was standing at the bar to get a drink when McComas came in with a shot gun and began shooting. McCuistion lived only a few minutes. There are conflicting rumors concerning the origin of the trouble. McComas claims that Dr. McCuistion had made indecent proposals to his daughter; friends of McCuistion claim that the doctor was killed because he was an important witness against McComas in a divorce trial, Mccomas and his wife having separated." (Honey Grove Signal - March 7, 1902) [S675] McCuistion Search - Ancestry.com, Mays - McGinnis. [S1931] McCuistion, Benjamin F., 39-345. [S43] Marriage Record, Book 3, Pg 352. [S688] Marriage Records for Lamar County, Texas. [S3122] 1900 Census for Lamar County, Texas, 71; p. 1A, line 24; dwelling 5, family 5; Ben F. McCuistion; 30 January 2015. Year: 1900; Census Place: Paris Ward 4, Lamar, Texas; Roll: 1652; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0071; FHL microfilm: 1241652 Living in the home Clyde Huchins, niece, age 5, born Feb 1882 in Kentucky, and Ed Roberts, brother-in-law, age 22, born Dec 1872 in Kentucky.