Myra Maybelle Shirley, a woman of complex character, met her end in a violent ambush on February 3, 1889, just two days shy of her 41st birthday. At the time of her death, this female, known more famously as Belle Starr, was riding home from a neighbor's house in the Indian Territory, near what is now Eufaula, Oklahoma. The attack was brutal; she was first shot from her horse and then shot again, ensuring her death from shotgun wounds to her back, neck, shoulder, and face.
In the final
years of her life, Myra was married to a younger man of Cherokee descent named Jim July Starr. On the day of her murder, she had been accompanying him part of the way to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he was to face robbery charges. She turned back to ride home alone, a journey that led to her fatal encounter. The mysterious circumstances of her death quickly fueled speculation and pointed to several individuals who might have had reason to wish her harm. Her life as an associate of outlaws like the James-Younger Gang and her own conviction for horse theft had earned her a certain notoriety.
The investigation into her murder, though persistent, never resulted in a conviction, leaving her death officially unsolved. A number of suspects emerged from the whispers and accusations that followed the crime. One of the primary suspects was a man named Edgar Watson, who was a tenant on her land. Watson was reportedly a fugitive wanted for murder in Florida, and it was rumored that Myra had discovered his past and intended to turn him in. He was arrested and tried for her murder but was ultimately acquitted due to a lack of witnesses.
Beyond Watson, suspicion also fell closer to home, casting a shadow over her own family. Her son, Eddie Reed, was considered a suspect, with some accounts suggesting Myra had recently beaten him for mistreating her horse. Her final husband, Jim July, was also among those suspected, as their relationship was reportedly fraught with conflict. Despite the array of potential culprits, the identity of the person who fired the fatal shots remains one of the enduring mysteries of the Old West.
