Deputy City Marshal Eli Stallings

Eli Stallings

Bastrop Deputy City Marshal Eli Stallings was asked to preserve the peace at a dance where there had been some disturbances. He quieted down the excitement, and was in the act of taking his seat on the gallery of the house when a shot was fired immediately behind him, hitting and wounding him. He was carried home. The city marshal was called and went to Stallings' house where he was being attended to by a physician. Stallings told the city marshal that he was shot by Toney Kendall. Eli Stallings died shortly afterwards.

The city marshal deputized some men and the posse went to the house where the dance was occurring. As the posse reached the gate, Eli’s brother, Jeptha (Jepp) Stallings, Jr., joined them but was not a part of the posse. A man called Jepp Stallings aside and told him that Toney Kendall had shot his brother and was inside the house. Stallings immediately rushed into the house, and as soon as he saw Kendall he shot him with a musket loaded with bullets, two of which entered together in the breast and separating came out in the back, some three inches apart. Kendall was killed. Two women – Matilda and Lucy Smith - were also wounded by the same shot, both of whom died later. Jepp Stallings made his escape. No evidence at this time that Jepp Stallings was ever prosecuted. He died in 1900 in Orange, Texas.

Very little is known about Eli Stallings. He was born in 1843 in Clarke County, Mississippi, and would have been about 27 year of age at the time of his death. No information as to whether he was married or had any children. He had numerous brothers and sisters. His place of burial is unknown.