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
Bynum Colbert – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned on June 10, 1889, in the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas serving under Marshal Jacob Yoes. Bynum rode in a posse led by Columbus Ayers into the Cherokee Nation to arrest Johnson Jacks, who was wanted for the murder of U.S. Deputy Marshal Beck in October 1883.
Paden Tolbert Colbert – Paden Colbert – U.S. Deputy Marshal for Indian Territory in the 1880s and 1890s. He led the posse that killed Ned Christie.
Charles Francis Colcord (1859-1934) – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in 1889 under Marshal Richard L. Walker and assigned to Oklahoma City. In 1893 Colcord was placed in charge of the 4th District at Pawnee, Oklahoma, and three years later, in charge of the Perry District in February 1896. By 1891, Colcord was serving as Sheriff of Oklahoma County.
Captain Neal Coldwell – A soldier and lawman, he was made captain of Company F of the Texas Rangers under Major John B. Jones in June 1874, captain of Company A in 1876, and resigned in 1883 to become a rancher.
James N. Cole – U.S. Deputy Marshal, commissioned out of the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas. At one point, he and several other deputies arrested Belle Starr and were ambushed while transporting her to Fort Smith. However, the officers fought off her gang, and she was delivered.
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 Fort Smith, Arkansas, he initially served under Marshal Jacob Yoes. On November 27, 1887, Cole was riding with Deputy Marshal Frank Dalton (the brother of the notorious Dalton Gang members) when they arrested 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, who was drunk and shooting off 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. On October 14, 1925, Cole died 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 several 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, 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 jail in Ada, Oklahoma and hanged.
John Conely – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned sometime before 1893. John was killed in a gun battle at a saloon in Cushing, Oklahoma by a man named Johnson, the saloon owner.
Charles Conklin – Deputy Marshal in Las Vegas, New Mexico, whose pursuit of twelve train robbers in 1879 led to their arrests.
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.
Charles T. Connedy – City Marshal of Coffeyville, Kansas, when the Dalton Gang attempted to rob the town’s two banks. He was killed in the gunfight that erupted after the attempted robbery.
Bernard “Barney” M 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 escaped 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. Along with his son, Busby 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.
David J. Cook (1842-1907) – Denver, Colorado Marshal, responsible for over 3,000 arrests.
Harry G. Cook (1869?-1848) – U.S. Deputy Marshal in Indian Territory, Marshal, was born in California but migrated to Indian Territory in about 1883. He took part in several of the Oklahoma land runs and after servings as a deputy marshal, operated a real estate business. He published his autobiography Boomer-Sooner in 1939. He died in December 1948 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.
Thalis T. Cook (1858-??) – A lawman, Cook served in Company D of the Texas Rangers for several years in the 1890s, during which he killed many outlaws, including Fine Gilliland and the Friar brothers.
Scott Cooley (1845-1876?) – A lawman and gunfighter, he killed Deputy Sheriff Worley during the Mason County War in Texas in 1875. When the Texas Rangers were brought in to settle the “war,” Cooley disappeared, only to mysteriously die a short time later.
Harry Cooper – A deputy marshal in New Mexico, who was accused of stealing courtroom evidence in 1899.
James A. Cooper – A U.S. Deputy Marshal under Evett Nix, Cooper worked in the Kingfisher District in 1893. In July 1895, Cooper was with a posse that went into the Gloss Mountains west to capture the notorious Dick Yeager and Ike Black gang.
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 16 posse members that attacked Ned Christie’s fortress and killed the fugitive in November 1892. Copeland 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. One white man and 21 blacks were arrested when the riot was under control. 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.
Mitch Cotton – Served on the Texas State Police and killed D.C. Applewhite on September 30, 1871.
John Couch – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Eastern Judicial District Court at Paris, Texas under Marshal Needles. On March 8, 1892, he shot a Mr. Van Pendley in Bob Watkins Saloon in Ardmore, Oklahoma. He was arrested for the murder and taken to jail in Sherman, Texas, but was later released on $3000 bail. The rest of his history is unknown.
Timothy Courtright
Timothy Isaiah Courtright, aka Long-Haired Jim (1848-1887) – A lawman and outlaw, Courtright was elected city marshal of Fort Worth, Texas, in 1876. He became a U.S. Deputy Marshal in 1883 but became a fugitive after his posse killed two ranchers. He was later acquitted. Luke Short killed him in a gunfight in 1887.
Phoebe Couzins (1842-1913) – One of the first female lawyers in the United States, the first female appointed as a U.S. Marshal, and a well-known suffragist, Phoebe Couzins was a trailblazer for women’s rights and equality.
Joe Covington – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Southern District Court Of Indian Territory at Paris, Texas. In June 1899, Covington killed John Ward, a former member of the Dalton Gang, when he resisted arrest.
John Grant Cowen – U.S. Deputy Marshal who served two terms in the Northern District, assigned to Okmulgee, Oklahoma. In September of 1905, he killed Tom Johnson when he tried to escape.
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 pursued 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.
George W. Cox – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in Oklahoma Territory in July 1894 serving under Marshal Evett Nix. On November 28, 1892, Cox rode with Tom Hueston and Kansas Sheriff Beeson to arrest Ol Yantis of the Bill Doolin Gang, who had robbed a bank at Sprearville, Kansas. Yantis resisted arrest, fired on the officers, and later died of his wounds.
Robert “Bob” M. Cox (18??-1890) – Robert “Bob” M. Cox was a U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Western District of Arkansas who was killed in the line of duty.
Wiley A. Cox (1847-1891) – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas. He was shot in the line of duty on October 10, 1890, by a man named James McNalley. The following year, he died of his wounds on April 13, 1891. The 43-year-old officer was buried at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and at the time of his death, his killer was still at large.
Edward Crawford – Served on the Ellsworth, Kansas police force in the early 1870s until he was discharged for killing suspected murderer Cad Pierce. Pierce’s brother later killed Crawford.
Everett Milo Creekmore (1870-1931) – Creekmore was a U.S. Deputy Marshal that later turned outlaw, working with Henry Starr in Oklahoma.
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, 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 escaped. The fugitives then went 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, they became involved in an argument with another Wagoner resident. When guns were pulled, the other man was wounded. Soon Deputy Marshal Ed Reed, the son of Belle Starr, asked the Crittendens to surrender their weapons. However, when the Crittendens resisted, the guns were pulled, and Ed Reed shot and killed both brothers.
Zeke Crittenden – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Western District of Arkansas along with brother to Dick Crittendon. U.S. Deputy Ed Reed killed both brothers.
Charles C. Crosby (1873-??) – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in Oklahoma Territory in 1895 serving under Marshal Evett Nix. He was working in the Pond Creek area when the Pond Creek sheriff would not uphold his duties as a lawman to make an arrest. Crosby used his authority as deputy marshal to make the arrest.
William R. Cruger (1848-1882) – William R. Cruger was a lawman who worked in Fort Griffin, Texas before he moved to Tennessee and was killed in the line of duty.
George J. Crump (1841-1928) – A lawyer and Confederate veteran of the Civil War, Crump was involved in politics and the Brooks-Baxter War and later became an Arkansas legislator in the House and Senate. From 1893-1897, he served as a U.S. Marshal in Fort Smith, Arkansas for the Western District.
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 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 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 and Deputy Marshal Rush Meadows overtook outlaw Dick Glass near 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 Woodford. Culp’s friend returned the fire and killed the shooter.
Martin S. Culver – A member of Major Tobin’s Texas Rangers, who fought numerous battles along the Rio Grande.
Samuel M. “Doc” Cummings (18??-1882) – Cummings worked as a Deputy Marshal in E.I. Paso, Texas, in 1881 under Dallas Stoudenmire. He was killed by Jim Manning on February 14, 1882.
Ada Curnutt – A District Clerk and U.S. Deputy Marshal in the Norman, Oklahoma area. In March 1893, when the office received a telegraph that there were two wanted men who had fled to Oklahoma City, she could not find a male deputy marshal to go after them. She then donned her bonnet and caught the first train to Oklahoma City.
G. I. Currin – The first African American U.S. Deputy Marshal to serve in Oklahoma Territory.
John Curtis – U.S. Deputy Marshal commissioned in the Western District at Fort Smith, Arkansas. He was killed in the line of duty, probably by Ned Christie.
W.S. Cury – Sheriff of Pima County, Arizona, from 1873 to 1877.
Abraham Cutler – Brought from Kansas to serve as the New Mexico Territory marshal, beginning in August 1862.
© Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022.
Also See:
U.S. Marshals – Two Centuries of Bravery
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