Sarepta Cemetery - Deputy Wise

Photos by Rose Diamond

On June 30, 2002, I went to the Sarepta Cemetery for the unveiling of a small marker in memory of Deputy W.T. Wise. The saga actually began in Lafayette County, Dallas Community on Wednesday, January 16, 1884 following a series of arguments.

According to an article in The Calhoun County Journal about the events, Deputy Wise had traveled to Oxford, MS to transport a prisoner and was asked to assist with capturing the men involved in the Dallas affair. It is believed that Deputy Wise was lead into an ambush.

The reported events can be found in The Oxford Eagle, January 24, 1884; The Monitor-Herald January 21, 1923; The Monitor-Herald April 9, 1942 and The Calhoun County Journal, July 4, 2002. Larry Hellums has transcribed the first two sources for a feature story in The Newsletter, First Quarter 2000 edition.

Forth Worth Police Department Sgt. John Marshall, Fort Worth Police Department Sgt. Kevin Foster, Reverend Billy McCord of Bruce, Historian Larry Hellums of Sarepta, and Reverend Rusty Brew of Fort Worth dedicate the marker on June 30, 2002 at the Sarepta Cemetery.