Sheriff George W. Wall

George W. Wall

The Border-Wall feud divided San Augustine County into two warring factions. The patriarch of the Wall family was W. A. (Uncle Buck) Wall, declared himself pro-Union during the Civil War. This was an unpopular position in deep East Texas. Four of Wall's five sons became embroiled in the feud with the Border-Broocks family who were pro-Confederacy Democrats.

Lycurgus "Curg" Border and the four Wall brothers were all men who had been involved in shooting incidents, but each had been acquitted alleging self defense. The feud deepened in 1894 when the People’s Party swept the county and Uncle Buck Wall was elected county commissioner and his son, George, was elected sheriff.

The feud reached its peak when Curg Border shot Sheriff George W. Wall in the back with a shotgun in front of witnesses on April 21, 1900 in downtown San Augustine. Sheriff Wall was shot through the lungs and bowels and died from the wounds. Sheriff Wall had arrested Border for disorderly conduct a few months earlier and had refused to allow Border’s friends to make his bond.

George W. Wall was elected sheriff on November 6, 1894 and re-elected on November 3, 1896 and November 8, 1898. He was survived by his wife, Jane, and his daughter, Mary. His place of burial is unknown at this time.

Curg Border was indicted, but never tried in the death of Sheriff Wall. One month later, Eugene Wall, the sheriff's brother, shot and killed Border’s cousin, Ben Broocks. On June 4, 1900, Border and three of Broocks’ brothers wounded Sheriff Noel Roberts, Wall’s nephew, and killed his two brothers, at the courthouse. Border was never tried for those two murders. Eugene Wall was acquitted for killing Ben Broocks, but was assassinated by unknown persons on October 25, 1901. In November 1902, Border was elected sheriff, but was removed in March 1903 for stealing tax money. On May 7, 1904 Border threatened to kill then Sheriff Sneed Noble. Sheriff Noble shot Border in the head and killed him.