LOT #47008 |
Current Bid: $500
Jim "Deacon" Miller Cattle Brand Inspection Report Fully Engrossed in his Hand and Signed Four Times. ...
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Description
Outlaw Jim "Deacon" Miller draws 18 cattle brands on an inspection report
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.
Auction Info
2026 February 26 Historical Manuscripts & Texana Signature® Auction #6328 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
February
26th
Thursday
10:50 am CT
Auction Dates
February
26th
Thursday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
20 Days
10h 36m 44s
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 1
Lot Tracking Activity: 3
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Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% of the successful bid (minimum $49) per lot.
This lot is in: 1 -
Signature® Floor Session (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 47001-47282) - 11:00 AM Central Time, Thursday, February 26, 2026.
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]
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Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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