He died blind. He never got his eyesight back.
John Sutton (Texas Lawman / Gunfighter) Era: The Sutton-Taylor Feud (Reconstruction Era Texas) did john sutton ever get his eyesight back
John Sutton never regained his vision. The injury effectively ended his career as a gunman and active lawman. In the brutal code of the Old West, a blind man could not participate in the shootouts that defined the feud. While his brother William continued to lead the faction—and was eventually ambushed and killed in 1874—John was forced into a life of dependency. He died blind
However, to make this an "interesting report," it is necessary to clarify which John Sutton is being discussed, as there is often confusion between the lawman and his brother, the more famous William E. Sutton . The injury effectively ended his career as a
John Sutton serves as a tragic footnote in the history of the American West. While the gunslingers who died in the street are often remembered for their dramatic ends, John Sutton represents the lingering suffering of the era. He carried the burden of the feud for decades, living in total darkness until his eventual death from natural causes years later.
It is worth noting that in popular retellings (and even some older texts), the injuries of the Sutton brothers are sometimes conflated.
One of the bullets struck John Sutton in the face. In an era before modern reconstructive surgery or antibiotics, a facial wound was often a death sentence. However, Sutton survived the initial trauma. The bullet had caused catastrophic damage to his eyes.