Wednesday, November 1, 2017

"Uncle Billy" Bites The Dust...!

Some of the most memorable folks from the era of the old west were the good guys, not always the bad.

Often thought to be one of the most honest and effective lawmen around at the time, he met his end while still upholding the law.

1924
Legendary western lawman is murdered

On this day, William Tilghman is murdered by a corrupt prohibition agent who resented Tilghman’s refusal to ignore local bootlegging operations. Tilghman, one of the famous marshals who brought law and order to the Wild West, was 71 years old.

Known to both friends and enemies as “Uncle Billy,” Tilghman was one of the most honest and effective lawmen of his day. Born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1854, Tilghman moved west when he was only 16 years old. Once there, he flirted with a life of crime after falling in with a crowd of disreputable young men who stole horses from Indians. After several narrow escapes with angry Indians, Tilghman decided that rustling was too dangerous and settled in Dodge City, Kansas, where he briefly served as a deputy marshal before opening a saloon. He was arrested twice for alleged train robbery and rustling, but the charges did not stick.

Despite this shaky start, Tilghman gradually built a reputation as an honest and respectable young man in Dodge City. He became the deputy sheriff of Ford County, Kansas, and later, the marshal of Dodge City. Tilghman was one of the first men into the territory when Oklahoma opened to settlement in 1889, and he became a deputy U.S. marshal for the region in 1891. In the late 19th century, lawlessness still plagued Oklahoma, and Tilghman helped restore order by capturing some of the most notorious bandits of the day.

Over the years, Tilghman earned a well-deserved reputation for treating even the worst criminals fairly and protecting the rights of the unjustly accused. Any man in Tilghman’s custody knew he was safe from angry vigilante mobs, because Tilghman had little tolerance for those who took the law into their own hands. In 1898, a wild mob lynched two young Indians who were falsely accused of raping and murdering a white woman. Tilghman arrested and secured prison terms for eight of the mob leaders and captured the real rapist-murderer.

In 1924, after serving a term as an Oklahoma state legislator, making a movie about his frontier days, and serving as the police chief of Oklahoma City, Tilghman might well have been expected to quietly retire. However, the old lawman was unable to hang up his gun, and he accepted a job as city marshal in Cromwell, Oklahoma. Tilghman was shot and killed while trying to arrest a drunken Prohibition agent.

Uncle Billy was around much longer than most in his profession. Sad ending to a good lawman.

Coffee out on the patio this morning!

6 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

Quite the irony - "a drunken prohibition agent."

linda m said...

That is a sad ending indeed. To be killed by someone who was supposed to be against booze and yet was drunk just isn't right. interesting story, especially since I don't remember hearing about him.

Momlady said...

Ironic, indeed. Guess the prohibition agent was testing the goods to make sure it was alcohol. Hope justice was done. Sounds like "Uncle Billy" turned out a good guy.

HermitJim said...

Hey Gorges...
I don't imagine it was that uncommon back in those days. Lots of money floating around as well as temptation.
Thanks for stopping by today!


Hey Linda...
It is sad. To be killed is one thing, but by another law enforcement officer...?
Thanks for coming by this morning!


Hey Momlady...
I'm sure the agent must have paid the price in some fashion. A little frontier justice might have been good at that time.
Thanks for the visit this morning, my friend!

JO said...

What a sad ending to a great guy. I wonder why more isn't written about this great man. I have never heard of him either.

Yes I am still home I had things come up as usual and didn't get to leave yesterday, still thinking about maybe leaving today.

HermitJim said...

Hey Jo...
Type his name into Google and you can find out all kinds of stuff about him, maybe even his picture.
Thanks, sweetie, for dropping by today!