Lawman Summaries (name begins with) A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

Joe Carson (18??-1880) – Carson was the town constable and part of the Dodge City Gang of Las Vegas, New Mexico. He was killed by outlaw John Dorsey when he asked him to check his guns on January 22, 1880. Carson was born in Tennessee in 1840 but by 1877 was in Texas before later moving to the Colorado Mining camps. In 1879 he lived in Las Vegas, New Mexico, working as a hotel clerk before getting involved in the notorious Dodge City Gang. Working for crooked Judge Hoodoo Brown, he worked with the likes of “Dirty Dave” Rudabaugh, “Mysterious Dave” Mather, and several others who controlled several criminal activities under the guise of the “law.” Carson and Rudabaugh were both suspected of robbing a Santa Fe-Las Vegas stagecoach on August 18, 1879. On January 22, 1880, a gunfight erupted at the Close and Patterson Saloon in Las Vegas when the “officers” demanded that several tough characters check their guns. Instead, Tom Henry and John Dorsey let bullets fly, hitting Carson eight times. Dave Mather killed one of the shooters and wounded Thomas Henry. The Dodge City Gang was later run out of Las Vegas.

Thomas “Tom” Carson (18??-1872) – A lawman and nephew of Kit Carson, Carson was a Deputy City Marshal in Abilene, Kansas, under Wild Bill Hickok. Later, he worked as a lawman in Dodge City, where he was killed. Tom grew up to be a police officer in Abilene, Kansas, working under Wild Bill Hickok in 1871. On one occasion, he confronted notorious gunman John Wesley Hardin, who was wearing weapons against Abilene regulations. Hardin explained that he feared being killed, and luckily Carson didn’t become one of Hardin’s victims. Carson then moved on to another wild cattle town – Newton, Kansas, where, after the Hyde Park Gunfight on August 20, 1871, he was hired briefly as an officer. However, by November 1871, he was back in Abilene, working as a police officer under Brocky Jack Norton. That same month, Carson shot and wounded a bartender named John Man, and both Norton and Carson were discharged on November 27, 1871. Two months later, Carson shot and wounded Norton in January 1872. He was arrested and put in jail but escaped in February, only to later work as a lawman in Dodge City, Kansas, where he was killed.

Thomas Carson – Served in Company E of the Texas Rangers and fought the Chris Evans Gang in 1880.

Charles C. “Crit” Carter – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Southern District Court of Indian Territory at Paris, Texas in 1894. In March of 1896, after Crit gave up his commission, he joined a game of craps with a colored man, named Dick Anderson at Deane, Indian Territory. The game ended in a dispute between the two men, which left Anderson critically wounded after being shot. Death came within a few hours, and Carter fled to Comanche country, heading for the Wichita Mountains with a posse in pursuit.

“Tex” Carter – A gunfighter for Jim Lacy, Opium Bob, and Dutch Charley Bates, Carter escaped a lynch mob on March 22, 1881, at Rawlins, Wyoming, and later became a sheriff in Nebraska.

L.B. Caruthers – A lawman, Caruthers served with the Texas Rangers during the Higgins-Horrell feud and fought the Evans Gang in 1880.

Jose Casaver – U.S. Deputy Marshal, commissioned on August 17, 1892, in the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas serving under Marshal Jacob Yoes. In October 1894, he and U.S. Deputy Marshal Bruner were providing security on a passenger train, which word had gotten to the marshal service, was going to be robbed by the Cook Gang. The rumors they had heard were correct as near Coretta, Oklahoma, the Cook Gang attacked. However, they were so fast that the outlaws caught Deputy Marshals Casaver and Bruner completely off guard. As the train robbers rode next to the train, they riddled it with bullets, breaking all of the windows. Inside, the passengers, including the deputies, took cover by laying low. Though several passengers were wounded by the stray gunfire, miraculously, no one was killed. The outlaws then boarded the train and relieved the passengers of their possessions, including Casaver and Bruner, whose watches were stolen.

Kit Castle – A lawman, Castle was elected Uintah County, Wyoming Sheriff, during which time he killed two horse thieves. Later he served as mayor, and when five men refused to return to their jail cells, he pistol-whipped them into submission.

J. D. Castleman – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Southern District Court of Indian Territory at Paris, Texas, assigned to the Ardmore area in 1890. He and other posse members trailed the Bill Hudgins gang, who had been robbing stores across Indian Territory in 1890 and 1891. When Castleman caught up with the outlaws near Ardmore, Oklahoma, a gunfight erupted, and Hudgins was wounded. Only one of the fugitives was able to escape, and Hudgins was sent to prison in Detroit, Michigan.

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 one 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 he was acquitted on April 17, 1909, by a jury.

John C. Chamberlain – U.S. Deputy Marshal, serving under Marshal Grosvenor A. Porter in the Southern District of Indian Territory. After serving a warrant of arrest on a personal friend and delivering him to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he stood trial, Chamberlain resigned his service.

John Chambers – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned by the federal court at Paris, Texas to work in the 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 by 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, serving 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 wasn’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, the marshal complied when Emmett made Ed an offer to purchase his horse because his own had gone lame.

John 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 fugitives tried to shoot their way through 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.

I. Chin-Chi-Kee (18??-1852) – A captain in the Lighthorse Police for the Chickasaw Nation in Indian Territory, he was killed in the line of duty when he tried to arrest four whiskey smugglers.

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. Before 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

Willard Erastus Christianson, aka Matt Warner, Ras Lewis (1864-1938) – Both an outlaw and a lawman, Christianson started as an outlaw, changing his name to Matt Warner. He rode with Butch Cassidy and wound up in prison. Afterward, he served as Justice of the Peace deputy sheriff in Carbon County, Utah.

A. F. Clark – U.S. Deputy Marshal, commissioned out of the federal court in Paris, Texas, by Marshal Thomas B. Needles of the Eastern Judicial District. Assigned to the southern part of Indian Territory, he later served as a deputy in Antlers in the Choctaw Nation.

Ben Clark – A lawman in Clifton, Arizona, he killed Black Jack Christian in April 1897.

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, they dared the deputy marshals to come after them. Madsen soon selected a posse that 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 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.

J. C. H. Clay – U.S. Deputy Marshal who rode with Deputy Marshals Madsen, Morris, and Brown near Taloga, Oklahoma in February 1895 to capture the T. J. Moore Gang who was wanted for the murder of County Treasurer, Fred Hoffman.

Harry Clayland – U.S. Deputy Marshal, commissioned on March 9, 1884, in the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas serving under Marshal George J. Crump. He was one of the sixteen deputy marshals selected to arrest Ned Christie at Fort Mountain near Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, in November 1892.

Emmanuel “Mannie” Clements, Jr. (18??-1908) – Served under Sheriff Dave Allison as a deputy sheriff at Pecos City, Texas. He later worked for Jim Miller during the Miller-Frazer feud in Pecos in 1891. While serving as a lawman in E.I. Paso, Texas, he was killed on December 29, 1908.

Isaac “Hopi” Cloud – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Southern District Court of Indian Territory at Paris, Texas in 1894. While attempting to arrest a man named George Merchant who was causing a nuisance in the Chickasaw Nation, a gunfight erupted, leaving Merchant dead.

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 the 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.

Chas Coe – A lawman and outlaw, Coe killed two men in Grayson County, Texas, in 1884 and was indicted for murder.

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 knew 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 could not find the Christians, they came 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 21 men while performing his duties as a 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 the rest of his life in the Atoka, Oklahoma area. He died at the age of 98 in 1933.