I am deeply grateful to Reed Bender, son-in-law of the late Patrick Thompson, who was an old and respected Redus family researcher, for the information and photo presented below. Thank you again Reed for sharing this with the family and all your wife's cousins.
Update: Private Bluett Sanders Redus was my second cousin 4 times removed. In researching him and his family, I was fascinated in documenting one of his more notorious exploits mentioned below. Since my initial report on this event, I have found some additional newspaper accounts which fill in some more of the story. So read on Redus cousins about an adventure of Bleutt Sanders "Tex" Redus and the Ouray, Colorado murder of Dan McDonald.
Some of my Redus kin are quite frankly, interesting! Elsewhere on this blog I have the story of Roscoe Redus (see http://larry-family-history.blogspot.com/2009/05/life-and-times-of-roscoe-redus.html).
Now I have another story about a Redus cousin, Bluett Sanders Redus, who was born 3 May 1842 in Mississippi. Bluett was the son of Wesley Reed Redus and Elizabeth Craig Astin.
Blewitt served in the Civil War in the 14th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry, Company C
14th Infantry Regiment [also called Beauregard Rifles] was organized at Jackson, Mississippi, in October 1861. The men were from the counties of Clarke, Oktibbeha, Lauderdale, Winston, Lowndes, Monroe, and Tishomingo. Sent to Kentucky then Tennessee, it was captured at Fort Donelson in February 1862. After being exchanged, it was attached to Tilghman's and Gregg's Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. The regiment saw action at Coffeeville and in various conflicts around Vicksburg . A detachment was captured when that city fell in July 1863. Later it was attached to J. Adams' and Lowrey's Brigade, Army of Tennessee. The 14th was active in the Atlanta Campaign, Hood's Tennessee operations, and the fight at Bentonville. It was organized with 1,034 officers and men, had 650 effectives in February 1862, and had 24 officers and 287 men fit for duty in April 1863. The unit surrendered with no officers and 40 men. Its commanders were Colonels George W. Abert, William E. Baldwin, and Washington L. Doss, and Lieutenant Colonels Robert J. Lawrence and M.E. Norris.
He enlisted on 30 May 1861 in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi and served the entire war until he was paroled on 13 May 1865 in Sumter County, Alabama.
Here is his Civil War Timeline taken for his consolidated military file at the National Archives. He was listed on various muster rolls as Blewitt S. Redus, Bluit S. Redus, B.S. Readus, B.L. Redus
Served as a private in the 14th Mississippi Infantry Regiment, Company C and age 19 on muster-in roll. Roll indicated that he had traveled 100 miles and was enlisted by A. J. Maxwell for 12 months.
May 30, 1861: Enlisted Corinth, MS
May 30-Jun 30, 1861: Company Muster Roll
July 1-Dec 31, 1861: Company Muster Roll - Present
Feb 16, 1862: Roll of Prisoner of War - Captured at Donelson
Sep 2, 1862: Roll of Prisoner of War - Sent from Camp Douglas IL to Vicksburg MS for exchange.
Sept 23, 1862: Company Muster Roll - Present and paid
Oct 31-Nov 30, 1862: Company Muster Roll - Absent, sent to general hospital in Jackson, dated Oct 31, 1862
Nov-Dec 1862: Company Muster Roll - Absent, sent to general hospital in Jackson, Dec 15, 1862
Jan-Feb 1863: Company Muster Roll - Present
Jan 1-Jul 1, 1863: Pay Voucher 6 months at $11 per month for $66.00 total, received on 10 Nov 1863 in Columbus, MS
May-Jun 1863: Company Muster Roll - Present
Jul-Aug 1863: Company Muster Roll - Absent, Wounded at Jackson, sent to general hospital July 11, 1863
Jul 1-Oct 31, 1863: Pay Voucher No. 221 for $44.00
Sep-Oct 1863: Company Muster Roll - Absent, on sick furlough for 20 days from 29 Oct 1863.
Nov-Dec 1863: Company Muster Roll - Absent, on sick furlough for 20 days from 20 oct 1863. By order of General Johnston.
Mar-Apr 1864: Company Muster Roll - Absent, detailed by Medical Board of examiners Demopolis, Ala April 4, 1864 to report at Westpoint, Miss.
April 1, 1864: Bounty Roll - Present
April 2, 1864: Medical Examiner Board he was found unfit for field duty due to a gunshot wound in the left wrist/hand. recommended that he be detailed to the Commissary Dept.
Jul-Aug 1864: Company Muster Roll - Absent, detailed in Q.M. Dept by order of Secy War.
May 13, 1865: Roll of Prisoner of War - Gainesville, Ala (unit surrender on May 4, 1865), Residence listed as Cedar Bluff, Mississippi
In 1869 he married Martha Glasscock (b. 1851 and d. 1881) in Perry County, Alabama. This couple has four children:
1. Romeo Reed Redus b. 12 Jul 1873, Grayson County, Texas (Find A Grave 16487453)
2. Juliett Melvina Redus b. 1874 Texas (Find A Grave 164975723)
3. Elgenna Eagon Redus b. 9 Jan 1876 Grayson County, Texas (Find A Grave 148385325)
4. Charles H. Redus b. Dec 1879 Denver County, Colorado (Find A Grave 19203828)
After his wife's death is where we pick up his claim to fame from The Western Gazette newspaper:
MURDER -- Donald McDonald Stabbed Unto Death by Blewett Redus --
Sunday morning about eight o'clock Ouray was shocked by the announcement that Dan McDonald had been stabbed by Blewett Redus. All over an argument as to whether McDonald was to join Blewett in a drink--at the latter's insistence. McDonald, feeling breakfast time was too early, refused. He was there upon put upon by Blewett who used his knife with effectiveness. Blewett Redus now rests in jail pending advisor and help from his lawyer, McDonald's in the morgue.
The moral here is, when in doubt, drink.
While one source listed this event as occurring in 1896, I know that Donald McDonald's estate was probated in Ouray County in 1885. I have also verified that Bluett did do hard-time in the Colorado state pen.
From the Colorado State Penitentiary Index 1871 - 1973
Redus, Buett -- Inmate number 1219
That inmate number was issued between 13 Jun 1871 to 3 Oct 1891. My best guess is this deed was done around 1885 and not in 1896 as implied in the Western Gazette.
Bluett (there are several different spellings of his first name through the years) died 10 Aug 1915 in Sinton, San Patricio County, Texas and is buried there. (Find A Grave 40697124)
A Bluett Sanders Redus Update
After Reed Bender contacted me with new information he had received from the State of Colorado, I started digging into newspapers of that era and here is what I found. As previously mentioned the first story of the incident cited above was from the Western Gazette in an article published in 1896, after Bluett was released from prison.
I now have two different accounts of the story from two different Colorado newspapers published shortly after the event.
From the Delta Chief newspaper published on 15 April 1885.
Well, we now know the weapon, who was killed and where. If this account is to be believed, McDonald was the aggressor.
From the Rocky Mountain News dated 15 April 1885.
We know learn that Bluett's nickname was "Tex," he was employed in Ouray as a freighter. The stabbing occurred on 5 April 1885 and McDonald died two days later on 7 April. He had been stabbed between two lower ribs. This account says the fracas grew out of a gambling game and resulted in a drunken brawl.
On May 13, 1885, Bluett was indicted for his crime by the grand jury in Ouray:
On June 11, 1885, a jury convicted Bluett of the crime of murder and sentenced him to 14 years in the Colorado State Penitentiary system.
There was at least one attempt that I could find in records to appeal his sentence in 1887, but that was denied in a Montrose County, Colorado District Court.
According to prison records, Bluett was released on 1 January 1892.
Here is a physical description of Bluett that was part of his Colorado State Penitentiary record that was sent to us by Reed Bender.
And finally, from Reed Bender, the mugshot he obtained of Bluett from the State of Colorado Prison archives.
Notice that his pen convict number (#1219) is written on the picture.
So here is a six-gun salute to Cousin Bluett Sanders Redus, another true hell raising Texan.
