Old West Lawmen - Last Name Starts With "T"

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Over the years, the Texas Rangers have investigated crimes ranging from murder to political corruption, kept the peace during riots, protected the Texas governor, tracked down fugitives, and functioned as a quasi-military force. Today’s Texas Rangers are an investigative division of the Texas Department of Public Safety.  The more than 100 highly trained men and women are posted across the State of Texas and are one of the most effective investigative law enforcement agencies in the world.  More ...

The Three Guardsmen - This name was given in Old West literature to describe the three effective U.S. Deputy Marshals, Bill Tilghman (1854-1924), Chris Madsen (1851-1944), and Heck Thomas (1850-1912). In 1889, this trio began the "cleaning up" of Indian Territory , which at the time, was known as a wild and lawless place. Working under Judge Isaac Parker in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the three men arrested more than 300 outlaws in the next ten years and killed many others. Their main claim to fame was their relentless pursuit of the members of the Doolin-Dalton Gang, eliminating many of them systematically, and apprehending those that would surrender.

Henry "Heck" Thomas (1850-1912) - Heck was born in Athens, Georgia on January 3, 1850. When he was 17, he joined the Atlanta police department and by 1875, he was working as a railroad guard in Galveston, Texas. After having saved the train from a holdup by Sam Bass and his gang, he was promoted  to a Fort Worth detective for the company and by 1879 he held the position of Chief Agent. In 1886, he was appointed as a U.S. Deputy Marshal moved his family to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he worked directly under the infamous Isaac Parker, known as the “Hanging Judge.”  During his tenure, Thomas would earn a reputation for being one of the most efficient deputies working the lawless land of Indian Territory and bring more outlaws to justice than any other marshal working in Indian Territory.

In August, 1896 Thomas led a posse that caught up with Bill Doolin. When the outlaw was confronted, he tried to shoot his way out, but was killed. Though Heck's success in tracking outlaws provided him with the financial rewards he sought, he also paid a price when he was wounded at least six times during gunfights.

In 1902, Thomas moved to Lawton, Oklahoma where he served as the Police Chief for the next seven years.  After a heart attack in 1909, he finally retired from law enforcement at the age of 59.  Three years later, on August 15, 1912, he died of Bright’s Disease. Henry Andrew “Heck” Thomas was buried at Highland Cemetery in Lawton, Oklahoma , where his grave remains today.  More ...

Benjamin "Ben" Thompson, aka: Shotgun Ben (1843-1884) - Born in Knottingly, Yorkshire, England on November, 2 1843, the Thompson family immigrated to the United States in 1851. Settling in Austin, Texas, Thompson became a printer working for various Austin newspapers. At the age of 15, he wounded his first man, in an argument about his shooting abilities. By 1859, Thompson had moved to New Orleans where he worked for a bookbinder and killed his first man when he saw him abusing a woman. When the Civil War began, he returned to Texas, enlisting with the 2nd Texas Cavalry. After fatally shooting a teamster in an argument in May, 1865, he fled to Mexico.

Returning to Texas, he wounded his brother-in-law who was abusing his pregnant sister and spent two years in the Texas State Penitentiary. Afterwards, he headed to Abilene, Kansas, hoping to change his fortunes. For the next several years he moved about Kansas and Colorado, primarily as a professional gambler and involved in several shootouts.

Later he returned to Austin once again where he became the city marshal in December, 1880. In 1882, while still serving as an Austin marshal, Thompson quarreled over a card game in San Antonio, where he killed the owner of  the Vaudeville Theatre, Jack Harris, allegedly his 21st victim. Though he was acquitted of murder, he was assassinated on March 11, 1884, in the Vaudeville Theatre, in revenge for the killing of Jack Harris. More ...

In this capacity, Tilghman, Heck Thomas and Chris Madsen became known as the Three Guardsmen, as they were instrumental in taming the lawless territory. After he retired as a U.S. Deputy Marshal in 1910, he was elected to the State Senate. However, just a year later he became the Chief of Police of Oklahoma City. At the age of 70, he was still acting as a lawman when he was appointed as the marshal of Cromwell, Oklahoma . After surviving decades of tough outlaws, he was shot and killed on November 1, 1924 while he attempted to arrest a corrupt Prohibition Officer by the name of Wiley Lynn. More ...

Paden Tolbert (1863-1904) -  U.S. Deputy Marshal in Indian Territory.

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From the Rocky Mountain General Store

Saloon Style Advertising Prints - What were on the walls of the saloons in the Old West?  Likely, much of the same as those you find today - advertisements for liquor, beer, and tobacco.  Plus the "decadent" women of the time.  In our Photo Print Shop, you'll find dozens of photographs for decorating your "real" saloon or den in a saloon type atmosphere.