Dr. Marshall B. Taylor AKA The Red Fox

Dr. Marshall B. Taylor, a native of Scott county, was perhaps one of the strangest characters ever to live in Wise County.

He was at the same time, preacher, doctor, and U.S. Marshal. He always carried with him on his travels over the mountains a Winchester rifle and a long, brass-tipped telescope, and who became the “Red Fox” in John Fox, Jr’s Book, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine.

As a U.S. Marshal, in his quest for moonshiners he made enemies. One of these was Ira Mullins, a cripple, with whom he had had a law suit in Kentucky.

Having gotten wind that Ira Mullins had put a price of $300 on his head, Dr. Taylor beat him to a killing. On the morning of May 14, 1892 Ira Mullins, his wife, John Chappel, Wilson Mullins, and Greenberry Harris were all slain at the Killing Rock just south of Pound Gap.


Caught, tried, convicted, he was sentenced to be hanged on October 27, 1893.
At the doctors request he was allowed to wear an all white suit handmade by his wife. The gallows hood and bindings for his hands were also of white made by his wife. His final request was that he be allowed to partake of the sacrament and that his body be kept up for 3 days so that he could arise on the 3rd day.

Buried in the cemetery back of his house in Wise his grave remains unmarked to this day.

Condensed from the History of Wise County (Bicentennial edition) by Luther F. Addington.