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Years ago, Madison County was known as “wild and wooly”, meaning law and order often didn’t prevail. Information below was found under “history” on Madison County Historical Commission’s webpage, https:// madisoncountychc.com Antonio Rivers was one of the earliest settlers here. In a clipping from the July 27, 1854, edition of the Texas Ranger publication in Grimes County’s Old Washington stated that “We can learn from Antonio Rivers that James Wiseman was killed at Madisonville on Monday evening by a man of the name of Nash. Nash, it seems, kept a grocery, and young Wiseman, a youth of some 16 summers, called at that shop about sundown to summon 2 uncles that were there, to accompany him to supper. Being invited to participate in a drink by some of the party, he unavoidably spilled some bitters on the counter, for which trifling offense Nash drew his knife and inflicted a wound in the region of the heart, which produced death almost instantaneously. Nash was immediately arrested, and while under strict guard on Tuesday night, was shot by someone (in the dark) in the back with 9 buckshot, 4 of which passed entirely through the body. At last accounts, he was still alive, though his physician was of the opinion that he could live but a short time.”
