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

John Rankin – A U.S.Marshal in Texas who helped kill outlaw William Whitley. Marshal of Western District of Texas 1886-1889. Shot and killed in Austin, Texas by city policeman Jim Grizzard on November 27, 1897, reportedly over an election dispute. Grizzard was acquitted.

Bass Reeves (1839-1910) – One of the most famous and effective U.S. Deputy Marshals Indian Territory.

N.O. “Nage” Reynolds – Commanded Company E of the Texas Rangers in 1878. He helped break up the Horrell-Higgins feud and warned Rangers of an attack at Round Rock by Sam Bass.

Andrew L. Roberts, aka Buckshot Roberts, Bill Williams (18??-1878) – A Texas Ranger, outlaw, and member of King Fisher’s Gang in New Mexico, Roberts heroically stood up against Billy the Kid and the Regulators in 1878 in what’s known as Buckshot Roberts Last Stand.

Daniel Webster Roberts – Joined the Texas Rangers under Rufe Perry in 1874. He was made captain in 1878 and broke up outlaw gangs such as the Mason County Mob, the Potter boys, and the Jesse Evans Gang. He resigned in 1882.

Ben A. Robertson, aka: Ben Burton, Ben Wheeler (1854?-1884) – A lawman and outlaw, Robertson, originally from Texas, made his way throughout the west until he settled in Kansas, where he went to work for Marshal Henry Brown as a deputy in Caldwell. Excellent lawmen, they suddenly turned outlaw and robbed a bank in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, and were lynched on April 30, 1884.

Porter Rockwell – Destroying Angel of Mormondom – Served as a U.S. Deputy Marshal in Utah Territory and is known as a ruthless lawman for the Mormon Church.

Isaac “Ike” Rogers (18??-1897) – A black Cherokee, Ike was related to Clement Vann Rogers, the father of Will Rogers. Rogers became a U.S. Deputy Marshal, often working in the company of Bass Reeves, but more often worked under the direction of U.S. Deputy Marshal George Crump. His most famous effort as a U.S. Deputy Marshal was the capture of African Cherokee outlaw Crawford Goldsby, aka Cherokee Bill, on January 29, 1895. He was also involved in a gunfight with the Cherokee outlaw Henry Starr and his gang near Bartlesville, Oklahoma, on January 21, 1893. In the end, Ike was killed by Clarence Goldsby, Cherokee Bill’s brother, in Fort Gibson in 1897.

John H. Rogers (1863-1930) – A lawman for 50 years, Rogers joined the Texas Rangers in 1882 but was later appointed as a U.S. Deputy Marshal. He returned to the Rangers and served as a captain until his death on November 11, 1930.

Andrew Jackson Royal (1855-1894) – Though Sheriff A. J. Royal only served one term as Pecos County, Texas Sheriff, he made an unfortunate impact on Fort Fort Stockton, Texas.

E.C. Rucker – Served as a deputy sheriff of Tularosa, New Mexico, where he sided with John Good in the Tularosa feud.

W.L. Rudd, aka Colorado Chico, Little Red (1844-1938) – Served under Lee Hall in McNelly’s Rangers in the 1870s and was elected sheriff of Karnes County, Texas, in the 1880s. He lived to be 94 years old.

Thomas H. Rynning (1866-19??) – Born in Norway in 1866, Rynning arrived in the United States when he was just two years old. Joining the military, Rynning served under General Philip Sheridan during the campaigns against the Southern Cheyenne and the Chiricahua Apaches in 1885 and 1886. He was present at the capture of Geronimo and helped chase Sitting Bull and his band as they escaped to British Columbia following the Battle of the Little Bighorn. 1898 found him serving as a second Lieutenant with the Rough Riders and was with Roosevelt during the many military engagements that led up to the surrender of the opposition forces at Santiago, Cuba. He worked for the railroad when he was recruited to the Arizona Rangers and was appointed captain the following year when Burton Mossman resigned in 1902. In 1906 he led a force of volunteers assisting the Mexican Rurales to put down the rioting and bloodshed that were taking place in the copper mines of Cananea. During his tenure, he expanded the Arizona Rangers and began a thorough training program before he resigned on March 20, 1907.

 

© Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022.

Also See:

Lawmen of the Old West (main page)

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