Auction Name: 2026 February 26 Historical Manuscripts & Texana Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 47008

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/6328*47008

Jim "Deacon" Miller Cattle Brand Inspection Report Fully Engrossed in his Hand and Signed Four Times. Single partially printed sheet, 13 7/8 x 17 inches; Reeves County, Texas; May 16, 1893. Printed form, headed at top: "Report of Hides for Butchers under Law of 1889, by," to which Miller adds his name, "J.B. Miller." Miller lists 18 hand-drawn brands, including quantity and general description. He writes his name twice more at bottom, listing himself as the inspector and signing to assert the veracity of the report. He writes his name a fourth time on the back to identify he is the person making the report. With Reeves County blind embossed stamp at lower left.

James Brown "Deacon" Miller was one of the most notorious figures of the Old West, operating fluidly on both sides of the law as a hired killer while at times serving as a lawman. Publicly presenting himself as a pious churchgoer, Miller privately carried out contract murders, exploiting his badge and official connections to evade suspicion. Despite his criminal activity being well established by 1893, he was serving as a deputy sheriff in Pecos County and entrusted to inspect cattle as evidenced by this form.

Miller's career ended abruptly in 1909, when he was seized by a mob in Ada, Oklahoma, and lynched without trial. We could locate only one other autograph item by Miller in online auction records: a similar report to this one that sold in 2023 listed as being from the Jim & Barbara Sherman Private Western Mining Museum.

Condition: With multiple folds and dog-eared corners. Light stain along right margin and four punctures at top center. Stray creasing and soiling on verso.

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