Randolph W. Cathey (1877?-1907) - An Assistant City Marshal in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. After Cathey had arrested the nephew of Jim Stephenson, a local saloon operator, and beat him into submission when the man resisted arrest, Jim Stephenson openly threatened the officer’s life on several occasions. Stephenson’s threats were not idle, as on November 3, 1907, he ambushed Cathey as he was leaving a café shooting him in the chest and abdomen. Though severely wounded, Cathey was able to return the fire before he died, wounding Stephenson three times in the legs. Stephenson was immediately arrested and taken to jail in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Officers kept a close eye on the prisoner, as well as the town folk, fearing citizens would try to lynch the killer. The next morning, outraged citizens of Pauls Valley held a mass meeting and passed a resolution all liquor dealers and saloon operators had three hours to remove their goods and leave town. The town folk further threatened that any items remaining beyond the three hour deadline would be dragged into the street and burned. The whiskey peddlers left and Cathey received on of the largest funeral services ever held in Pauls Valley, after which his body was shipped to his parents in Youngsport, Texas for burial. Stephenson was later tried for Marshal Cathey's murder, but on April 17, 1909, he was acquitted by a jury.

John Chambers - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in by the federal court at Paris, Texas to work in Southern District of Indian Territory. In June of 1895, John rode with the posse that tried to capture the Christian Gang in the Creek Nation. Though the posse could not find the Christian Gang, they catch up with a robber named Will Stevenson, who was killed and arrested the outlaw’s, partner, Dick Sanger.

Lon Chambers - After serving as a cattle detective in the Texas Panhandle with Pat Garrett, Chambers followed Garrett to New Mexico, where he served as a deputy in Lincoln. Pursuing Billy the Kid and his gang with Garrett, Chambers was with the posse when they killed Tom O'Folliard. A few days later the posse caught up with the outlaws again, killing Charlie Bowdre and forcing the rest of them to surrender. However, by the time Garrett killed Billy the Kid, chambers isn't mentioned. A couple of years later, chambers allegedly robbed a train in Kansas. He was arrested and tried for the robbery but was later acquitted. He then disappeared into history.

Ed Chapman - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In October, 1892, he left Fort Smith, determined to capture the Dalton Gang in Indian Territory. Traveling alone, he did come face to face with Emmett and Bob Dalton, a dangerous situation for any man. Rather than attempting to arrest the pair alone, he probably did not declare himself as an officer, or he would likely have been killed on the spot. Instead, when Emmett made Ed an offer to purchase his horse, because his own had gone lame, the marshal complied.

Hank Childers - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in Indian Territory, Childers served with fellow U.S. Deputy Marshals Heck Thomas, Burrell Cox and Jim Wallace when they went to serve a warrant of arrest on June 27, 1888 to the Purdy Gang. the lawmen located the fugitives, who were wanted for a series of train robberies, at an illegal still on Snake Creek. However, when the U.S. Deputy Marshals tried to arrest them, the the fugitives tried to shoot their way their predicament.In the end, Aaron Purdy, was severely wounded and all of the outlaws arrested. However, Heck Thomas also took two bullets in his side and one in his right wrist.

Willard Erastus Christianson, aka: Matt Warner, Ras Lewis (1864-1938) - Both an outlaw and a lawman, Christianson was born in Ephraim, Utah in 1864 to a Swedish father and a German mother who had come to Utah as converts to the Mormon Church. Though his start was good, he got into a fight when he was 14 years-old, and fearing he had beaten the other boy to death, he ran away. He soon joined up with a band of rustlers to begin his life as an outlaw. It was at this time that he began going by the name of Matt Warner. Somewhere along the line, he got married to a girl named Rose Morgan and the two ran a cattle ranch in Big Bend, Washington before returning with his wife and a daughter to Utah. He then hooked up with his brother-in-law, outlaw Tom McCarty. In no time, Warner was robbing banks and trains with the likes of Elza Lay and Butch Cassidy. He then got into a shoot out, that earned him five years in the Utah Sate Prison. Though he received an early release for good behavior, his wife died during his incarceration.

After his release, he remarried and settled in Carbon County, Utah. Warner ran for public office under his real name, Willard Erastus Christianson, and lost. He then had his name officially changed to Matt Warner, the name most people knew him by, and was elected justice of the peace and then served as a deputy sheriff. Later he worked as a night guard and detective in Price, Utah. He died a natural death on December 21, 1938 at the age of seventy-four.

 

Aurelious "Arthur” Manisco Chitwood (18??-1940) - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned out of the Western District court of Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1875, he was assigned to the Antlers area in the Choctaw Nation. A long-time career officer, he served as Marshal Hackett’s office deputy in 1901. Prior to becoming a deputy marshal, Chitwood served in the Civil War, first on the confederate side until he decided he was fighting for the wrong cause which caused him to change his allegiance to the Union. He died near Atoka, Oklahoma on December 30, 1940.

 

J. H. Clary - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in Oklahoma Territory serving under Marshal Evett Dumas Nix. After the Doolin Gang robbed the Rock Island train at Dover, Oklahoma on April 3, 1895, the dared the deputy marshals to come after them. Madsen soon selected a posse which included Clary, and trailed the outlaws to Black Jack Grove. When the posse demanded the surrender of the fugitives, an all-out gun battle ensued, with more than 200 rounds fired before Doolin gave the order to move out. During the fight, Tulsa Jack Blake was killed by U.S. Deputy Marshal l William Banks and Bill Raidler was shot in the hand, leaving several fingers barely hanging on, which he cut off with his pocket knife. While two of the posse members took Tulsa Jack’s body to Hennessey to collect the $1000 reward, the others continued to trail the outlaws but eventually lost them.

 

Emanuel "Mannie” Clements, Jr. (1869-1908) - A lawman and cattleman, Clements was born in Gonzales County, Texas. He was raised in Ballinger, Texas and called "Little Mannen” or "Mannie," to distinguish him from his cattleman father, Emmanuel "Mannen" Clements, Sr., who was called "Big Mannen.” His sister, Sallie, grew up to marry the notorious "Killer Jim” Miller. In 1891, Miller managed to get himself hired as a deputy in Pecos, Texas. However, just a few months later, his boss Sheriff Bud Frazer fired him, touching off the Frazer-Miller feud, in which Mannie Clements would be involved. Miller then got himself appointed as Pecos City Marshal and hired Mannie to work for him.

 

Clements later drifted to El Paso in 1894, and for the next fourteen years he wore a badge as a deputy constable, constable, and deputy sheriff. During the 1890's he was united in El Paso with his cousin John Wesley Hardin, just released from prison, and with his murderous brother-in-law "Killer Jim” Miller. In 1908 Clements was indicted for armed robbery, and even though he was acquitted, his career as a law officer was ruined. He turned increasingly to drink, was shot and killed in the Coney Island Saloon in El Paso on December 29, 1908. He was said to have been killed by a man named Joe Brown, a former constable of El Paso County. Rumor at the time suggested that Clements had been killed because he attempted to blackmail Albert Fall, threatening to provide proof of Fall’s complicity in a plot to murder Pat Garrett. No one was ever charged in Clements Murder.

Thomas I. Cloud (18??-1885) - A captain of the Seminole Lighthorse Police, Cloud led a posse to arrest two fugitives by the names of Paro Bruner and Rector Rogers on March 29, 1885. The officers located Bruner on the south side of the Canadian River some 30 miles southeast of present day Shawnee, Oklahoma. Bruner was arrested peacefully and directed them to Rogers cabin nearby. However, when the officers identified themselves to Rogers at his door, the fugitive slammed the door in their faces, armed himself and shot through the cracks in the wall hitting Captain Cloud in the thigh and another officer, named Sam Cudgo in the abdomen. The rest of the posse returned the fire and Rogers was killed trying to escape. Officer Cudgo died within an hour. Captain Cloud was taken to the home of the Seminole Chief at Sasakwa but died two days later.

 

E. F. "Frank” Cochran - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas. He arrested Blue Duck and William Christie on charges of murder in the Flint District of the Cherokee Nation. Christie turned evidence against Blue Duck and was cleared of the charge, while Blue Duck was sentenced to be hanged on July 23, 1886. However, Blue Duck’s girlfriend, Belle Starr, used her influence to change his death sentence to life imprisonment. In 1897 Frank was working out of the Oklahoma City District when he rode with a posse headed by Marshal Stowe to capture the Al Jennings Gang.

 

Bill Colbert (1835-1933) - Of African Choctaw ancestry, U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Western District of Arkansas, working from the Fort Smith court. He was assigned to the Choctaw Nation in the area of Atoka, where he had knowledge of the land, language and customs. He was quick to use his gun and in two separate incidents he killed suspects who resisted arrest. On September 24, 1891 Bill Colbert attempted to arrest a murderer named Bill Alexander, but when he resisted arrest Colbert was forced to kill him self defense. On March 11, 1894, he was again forced to kill an outlaw named Jackson Fletcher, who also resisted arrest. Colbert was riding with U.S. Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves when they trying to capture the Christian Gang, wanted for killing an Oklahoma City police chief. Though they were unable to find the Christians, they did come upon two other outlaws by the names of Will Stevenson and Dick Sanger. When the fugitives began to fire upon the officers, a gun battle ensued Will Stevenson was killed and Dick Sanger was taken prisoner. Bill Colbert was credited with killing twenty one men while performing his duties as deputy marshal. Bill Colbert was arrested and jailed for robbery at the McAlester, Oklahoma jail  on December 11, 1908; however, nothing must have come of it, because he was known to have lived his the rest of his life in the Atoka, Oklahoma area. He died at the age of 98 in 1933.

 

James R. Cole (1856-1925) - Cole was born on march 31, 1856 in Warsaw, Missouri. He grew up to become a U.S. Deputy Marshal in Indian Territory who was known to have often dispensed his brand of frontier justice from the point of his gun. Commissioned on July 31, 1886 in the Western District at Ft. Smith, Arkansas, he initially served under Marshal Jacob Yoes. On November 27, 1887, Cole was riding with and Deputy Marshal Frank Dalton (the brother of the notorious Dalton Gang members) when they went to arrest a horse thief named Dave Smith. They found Smith with two men named William Towerly and Lee Dixon, and Dixon's wife. When Smith resisted arrest, the guns started blazing and Frank Dalton was killed. Though Cole was hit in his side, he returned the fire and killed both Dave Smith and Dixon's wife. Dixon was also critically wounded and died from his wound while awaiting trial in the Fort Smith, Arkansas jail. Towerly managed to escape, but was later killed in another shootout. Several years later on September 11, 1880, Cole would be in another gunfight with a man named Rhody was was drunk and shooting of his pistol on a ferry boat. When the boat landed, Cole was waiting for him and the drunken gunman began to shoot at the officer, who fired back, dropping the man dead. Cole died on October 14, 1925 and was buried at the Oak Cemetery in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

 

Ben Collins (18??-1906) - Collins served as an Indian policeman in the Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory, and in 1898 he received an appointment as deputy U.S. Deputy Marshal in the Southern District of Indian Territory under Marshal John S. Hammer. Collins made a number of sensational arrests, including an incident in which he was forced to shoot Port Pruitt, an influential resident of Emet, Oklahoma. Collins was charged with assault with intent to kill, but was cleared by the court and the case was dismissed. Partially paralyzed, Pruitt and his brother Clint, a prominent citizen from Orr, swore revenge against Collins. In 1905 a gunman acquaintance of Collins told the officer that he had been hired to kill him. The gunman, who had already received $200 for the killing, and was to receive $300 more when it was complete, then skipped town. However, Collins’ enemies were determined and the next year he would not be so lucky. On the evening of August 1, 1906, Collins was ambushed while traveling to his home. Allegedly killed by Jim "Killer” Miller, and other assassins, he was buried at Colbert, Oklahoma. Miller would later meet justice after ambushing U.S. Deputy Marshal Gus Bobbitt in an assassination similar to Collins.  In 1909, Miller and three other men were dragged from a jail in Ada, Oklahoma and hanged.

 

Ben Connally - A U.S. Deputy Marshal in Indian Territory, Connally rode with fellow Deputy Marshals White, Petty and Rutherford in Cherokee country to serve a warrant of arrest to John Barber, who was wanted dead or alive for the killing of three sheriffs in Texas. Locating the fugitive near the Spring Creek, some 25 miles north of Tahlequah, Barber began firing his rifle when the officers demanded his surrender. Deputy Marshal Connally returned fire as Barber fled the scene on horseback dropping the outlaw from his horse and killing him. The officers divided the $4000 reward. Later, Connally was one of 16 deputy marshals that ambushed Ned Christie’s fortress, killing the wanted man in November, 1892.

 

Barney Bernard Connelley (18??-1891) - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas. He rode with fellow Deputy Marshal Gideon White to arrest Kep Queen and John Barber in 1888, for charges of train robbery and murder. However, the outlaws resisted arrest and were able to escape from the marshals. Both fugitives were later killed in two separate shootouts. On August 19, 1891, Connelley had an arrest warrant for former U.S. Deputy Marshal, Shepherd Busby, of the Cherokee Nation for adultery. Busby, along with his son, resisted the arrest warrant and fired on Connelly, killing him. Busby was hanged for his crime on April 27, 1892 at Fort Smith, Arkansas. Busby’s son was charged with manslaughter and sentenced to serve ten years in the penitentiary at Detroit, Michigan.

 

Charles E. Copeland - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned on February 3, 1892 in the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas. Copeland was one of the sixteen members of the posse that attacked Ned Christie’s fortress and killing the fugitive in November, 1892.  Copeland also later killed Wauhoo Hampton, a Cherokee Indian outlaw, charged with murder and other crimes. Hampton, who had eluded the law for some time, had taken to hiding in the hills of Adair County, where Copeland tracked him down. When the Indian resisted arrest, he was shot.

 

Al R. Cottle - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas. In early 1903, he was sent with Deputy Marshals Bud Ledbetter and E. H. Hubbard to control a racial riot in Boynton, Oklahoma. When the riot was under control, one white man and twenty-one blacks were arrested. In February, 1906, Cottle was appointed office deputy by Marshal Leo Bennett of the Western District of Indian Territory. In 1929, he became the Chief Deputy Marshal under Grant Victor, for the District of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

 

Timothy Isaiah "Longhair Jim" Courtright (1848-1887) - Born in Sangamon County, Illinois, little is known of Courtright’s early life. He served with the Union army during the Civil War then drifted around until he finally settled in Fort Worth, Texas. While there, he served at various times as a jailer, deputy sheriff, hired killer, private detective, and racketeer. He was the first elected marshal of Fort Worth in 1876 -- tasked with keeping the peace in what had become known as Hell's Half Acre, the town’s wild red-light district. Briefly Courtright left Texas and served as marshal of the flourishing silver mining town of Lake Valley, in New Mexico in 1882. However, in 1883 he was back and was appointed as a deputy U.S. Deputy Marshal, but became a fugitive himself after his posse killed two ranchers. Later, he grew tired of running and turned himself in, though he was acquitted of any wrong doing. By 1887, Courtright was running the T.I.C. Commercial agency in Fort Worth, Texas, which provided "protection" to gambling dens and saloons in return for a portion of their profits. In the meantime, Luke Short, a former friend of Courtright's, had set up the White Elephant Saloon and Jim was trying to get Short to utilize his services. But the Dodge City gunfighter told Courtright to "go to hell," he could do any gunslinging that was necessary to take care of his business. Some time later, the two quarreled, resulting in one of the most famous gunfights in western history. With Bat Masterson at Short's side, Courtright and Luke Short dueled in the street in one of the few face-to-face gunfights in the American West. Shot down by Short, Courtright was killed on February 8, 1887.

Burrell F. Cox - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned on August 23, 1890 in the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas serving under Marshal Jacob Yoes. He rode with Heck Thomas, Hank Childers and Jim Wallace on June 27, 1888 when they were pursuing the Aaron Purdy Gang who were wanted for train robbery. When they came upon the gang at the Snake River, a shootout erupted and Heck Thomas was shot twice. Cox and the other two deputies returned the fire, killing Aaron Purdy and arresting the rest of the outlaw gang. Later, Cox rode with Ben Tilghman and Heck Thomas near Ingalls, Oklahoma trying to capture Bill Doolin and Bill Dalton.

Robert "Bob” M. Cox (18??-1890) - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Western District of Arkansas. On April 12, 1890, Cox rode with Deputy Marshals, Floyd Wilson and Charley Canon to Claremore, Oklahoma to arrest a fugitive from the Little Rock, Arkansas prison, named Halm. However, by the time the three deputies arrived in Claremore, Deputy Marshal Wilson was so sick that he took to bed and tried to convince the other two to wait until he felt better and could accompany him. However, Cox and Canon set out on their own, finding Halm at barn dance. Deciding to "blend into" the festivities, they first arrested a man named Ed Louthers, who was selling illegal whiskey. Before they could make their way to arresting Halm, the deputies were interrupted by Alex and Jesse Chchran who wanted to free Louthers. When Deputy Cox went for his gun, Alex Cochran shot him in the shoulder and neck. Depiuty Canon returned the fire, and after a dozen shots had flown, Cox had received another shot in the thigh. During the melee, Louthers and the Cochrans escaped. Though cox's wound were initially reported as not serious, he died on April 14, 1890.

Everett Milo Creekmore (1870-1931) - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Western District of Arkansas in May, 1889. He was a son of U.S. Deputy Marshal R. B. Creekmore. In November of 1891, Milo was with U.S. Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves near Okmulgee when they tried to arrest Ben Billey, a whiskey peddler and Tom Barnett, a horse thief. However, when a gunfight erupted, Billey took two slugs in the legs and they were arrested anyway. On October 11, 1892, Creekmore, and fellow marshals, William Bouden, David Rusk, and Charlie Copeland cornered Ned Christie in the Cherokee Nation. When another gunfight ensued, three of the lawmen were wounded and Christie managed to escape. After this even, Creekmore left his position and soon went to the other side of the law, joining up with the Henry Starr Gang and robbed two stores. He was soon arrested and taken to Fort Smith. However, after making bail, and while he was awaiting trial, he shot and killed the father of his girlfriend, Cora Runyan, who objected to the courtship. Creekmore gave himself up at Fort Smith and was tried on the robbery and murder charges. Though acquitted on the murder charge, he was found guilty on the robbery charges and sentenced to five years in the Kings County Penitentiary at Brooklyn, New York.  After his rlease, he moved to Cherokee County, Texas where he worked as a locomotive engineer and married in 1902. He died on May 10, 1931 and was buried in Hope Cemetery in Wells, Texas.

Dick Crittenden - U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Western District of Fort Smith, Arkansas. On July 18, 1894, he was with his brother, Deputy Marshal Zeke Crittenden, and Deputy Sequoyah Houston and posse when they tried to capture the Cook Gang. Tracking Bill and Jim Cook, along with Cherokee Bill to the Fourteen Mile Creek in the Cherokee Nation, a running gun battle erupted. When the smoke cleared, Sequoyah Houston was killed and with the exception of the two Crittendens, the posse fled. Continuing with a hail of bullets, Jim Cook was wounded several times before the outlaws made their escape. The fugitives then made their way to Fort Gibson, Oklahoma where a doctor attended to Jim’s wounds. When the Crittendens caught up with them again, Bill Cook and Cherokee Bill fled again, but left Jim Cook behind. The brothers lived in Wagoner, Indian Territory and on October 24, 1895, after having too much to drink, became involved in an argument with another Wagoner resident. When guns were pulled, the other man was wounded. Soon Deputy Marshal Ed Reed, who was the son of Belle Starr, asked the Crittendens to surrender their weapons. However when the Crittenden resisted and once again, the guns were pulled, Ed Reed shot and killed both brothers.

illiam R. Cruger (1840-1882) - Born on May 30, 1840 in Albany, Georgia, he moved to Shackelford County, Texas when he was 34. Assisting in the county's organization, he named the city of Albany, which became the county seat, for his birthplace. In April, 1876, John M. Larn was elected as the sheriff of Shackleford County and Cruger became his deputy. Law and order was much needed in the area. as nearby Fort Griffin, some 15 miles north of Albany, had become a hotbed for outlaws, thieves, and other desperate characters. Early in 1877, when the lawmen attempted to restore order in a Fort Griffin saloon, a gunfight broke out and in the end, three men were killed, and Cruger and the Shackleford County attorney were wounded. Afterwards, Sheriff Larn resigned and Cruger was appointed as his successor on April 20, 1877. Ironically, after Larn quit, he turned to cattle rustling and Cruger was given the warrant from he Albany court to arrest his former boss. After arresting Larn on June 22, 1878 and placing him in jail, he had the local blacksmith shackle Larn to the floor of the jail house to prevent a breakout by Larn's supporters. However, the next night, vigilantes stormed the jail intending to hang Larn. When they found they couldn't lynch the shackled man, they shot him in his cell. Cruger continued to serve as sheriff until he resigned on July 20, 1880. Before long he moved his family to Tennessee where he served as marshal in Princeton. While there, he was killed by a drunken prisoner whom he had failed to search on May 29, 1882. He was buried in Albany, Georgia.

 

Sam Cudgo (18??-1885) - A member of the Seminole Lighthorse Police, Cudgo rode with a posse led by Captain Thomas I. Cloud to arrest two fugitives by the names of Paro Bruner and Rector Rogers on March 29, 1885. The officers located Bruner on the south side of the Canadian River some 30 miles southeast of present day Shawnee, Oklahoma. Bruner was arrested peacefully and directed them to Rogers cabin nearby. However, when the officers identified themselves to Rogers at his door, the fugitive slammed the door in their faces, armed himself and shot through the cracks in the wall hitting Captain Cloud in the thigh and and Sam Cudgo in the abdomen. The rest of the posse returned the fire and Rogers was killed trying to escape. Officer Cudgo died within an hour. Captain Cloud was taken to the home of the Seminole Chief at Sasakwa but died two days later.

 

John A. Culp - U.S. Deputy Marshal in Indian Territory. In 1885, Culp along with Deputy Marshal Rush Meadows, overtook outlaw Dick Glass at the foot of the Arbuckle Mountains where gunplay erupted. After critically wounding the outlaw, and thinking him dead, they approached his body. But Glass was still alive and fired at Meadows, killing him instantly and wounding Culp. Three years later, in January, 1888, John Culp was riding with a friend in the Chickasaw Nation when he was killed by a man named Wooford. Culp’s friend returned the fire and killed the shooter.

 

 

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