In my home county (Medina County, TX), in the very first index book, circa 1845, there are droplets of blood and glue stained in the book.  A cousin of mine was the County Clerk until a few years back, and the story goes something like this:

Around 1800-something, an attorney was reviewing the records at the courthouse.  The sheriff came in, and an argument erupted over who knows what.  The sheriff grabs a glass bottle of glue and smashes it over the head of the attorney (hence the stains).  The argument continued out in the street, where the sheriff ultimately shot dead the attorney without any ceremony.

I don't recall hearing or reading what the argument was about, nor if the sheriff was ever charged.

I have some more "Adventures in Texas Abstracting" stories, but that involves another post.