In the Old West, the law
was enforced by marshals and sheriffs, but their employers, jurisdictions and
duties differed. Novels and TV shows often use the terms interchangeably. This
is incorrect.
U. S. Marshals have been
appointed by the U.S. Marshals Service since 1789, and are not elected. As
federal employees, their jurisdiction extends beyond county lines. Their
authority covers everything within their assigned territory. They generally
disburse and account for monies used in running the courts. In 1896 they were
put on an annual salary. Before that, they worked on a fee system, collecting
set amounts for performing certain tasks. Between 1790 and 1870, they were
responsible for taking the census every ten years. Until 1861, when Congress
created the Department of Justice, they reported directly to the Secretary of
State. They appointed deputy U. S. marshals as well as field deputy U. S.
marshals when needed. Until around 1970, there were no official headquarters
for U. S. Marshals.
Wyatt Earp |
Sheriffs hired deputies,
formed posses when needed, and served as county tax collectors. The privileges
awarded sheriffs by the States varied widely. Wyoming allowed sheriffs to use a
residence for law enforcement purposes at county expense. New Mexico extended
jurisdictional limits of the sheriff to permit him or his deputies to enter all
counties in the state to affect an arrest and to have concurrent rights to form
posses. While the duties of sheriffs and their deputies were multitudinous, the
primary law enforcement functions were virtually identical throughout the early
West. Often the sheriff carried out death sentences, usually by hanging.
They erected gallows or simply threw a rope over a stout tree limb.
Town marshals might be
either elected or appointed and worked strictly within town limits. Often they
functioned almost as arms of the county sheriff in carrying out duties such as
collecting taxes and maintaining jails. In Arizona, cities, towns, and
villages decide whether to appoint or elect a Marshal, or have the
board/council/city manager hire a Chief of Police as the top criminal law
enforcement for their jurisdiction (like in the Town of Tombstone). Marshals
are elected by the trustees to serve a fixed term, and chiefs of police can be
fired at will by whoever hired them just like any other employee.
Texas and Arizona
Rangers still perform untold services in their respective states. Some of their
duties include protecting life and property, handling special criminal
investigations, quelling disturbances, serving as officers of the court at a
judge's request, and suppressing criminal activity in any area where local
officials are unable or unwilling to maintain law and order. Their authority
extends through their entire state and is not curtailed by city or county
boundaries. Directly under the governor, they sometimes act as an army, while
at others, more like a police force. The Texas Rangers were organized in 1823
by Stephen Austin and a group of men eager to see the frontier protected. Each
ranger furnished his own horse and firearm. For $1.25 a day they handled the
toughest of assignments, often in conflicts where they were severely
outnumbered. The Arizona Rangers were formed in 1882 under the territorial
governor, an exact counterpart to the Texas Rangers. The Arizona State Congress
abolished them in 1909, but they were reformed years later.
Bounty hunters were
often considered more as bad guys than good ones, probably because of a few
rogues known for killing men wanted dead or alive to collect the bounties on
them. But they began as law enforcers. Many served as deputy U. S. marshals.
Others worked with sheriffs in apprehending criminals, freeing the marshal or
sheriff to focus on normal duties. Nowadays they track down bail jumpers.
Pinkerton Agents were
detectives who worked for Allen Pinkerton in his agency formed in 1850. They
operated nationwide, working for railroad and stage companies. Their logo was
the image of an eye, their motto, "We Never Sleep," which is where
the term "private eye" originated. Pinkertons performed some of the
work now handled by the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service. In 1861, while
investigating a railroad case, the agency uncovered and foiled a plot to kill
Abraham Lincoln. They sometimes used heavy-handed methods, such as when
quelling mining strikes, which sullied their reputation, but the agency
continued as a family-owned operation until 1967.
Vigilance vs. vigilantism. Citizens did not always rely on lawmen but took the initiative themselves, banding together in the form of vigilance committees. Too often these vigilantes are confused with lynch mobs. The two were very distinct and separate entities, and the lynch mob was actually rare in the Old West. Lynch mobs represented wild outbursts of passion--emotion trumping reason--that were expended in a matter of hours. Where Lynch mobs were unruly and unorganized, vigilance committees displayed military-style organization, including a chain of command, and preceded in a quiet, orderly, and deliberate fashion.
Most committees were
supported by a majority of the residents of the local community, including the
leading citizens. Well regulated, they dealt quickly and effectively with
criminal problems, leaving towns in more stable and orderly condition.
Moreover, vigilance committees were organized not because there was no
established law enforcement, but because that law enforcement could not always
be relied upon to pursue, apprehend, and punish the guilty. Long-range pursuits
were time consuming, expensive, and often in vain. Vigilantes were members of a
vigilance committee formed to enforce law and order before a regularly
constituted government could be established or have real authority. They
provided towns with a relatively just method of dealing with criminals in a
time and place where little other organized justice existed.
Do any of you know of an actual lynching in or near your home town?
Do any of you know of an actual lynching in or near your home town?
Charlene Raddon's first serious writing attempt came in 1980 when she awoke one morning from an unusually vivid and compelling dream. Deciding that dream needed to be made into a book, she dug out an old portable typewriter and went to work. That book never sold, but her second one, Tender Touch, became a Golden Heart finalist. Soon afterward, she signed a three book contract with Kensington Books. Five of Charlene's western historical romances were published between 1994 and 1999: Taming Jenna, Tender Touch (1994 Golden Heart Finalist under the title Brianna), Forever Mine (1996 Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Award Nominee and Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist), To Have and To Hold Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist); and The Scent of Roses. Her books are now being published as eBooks by Tirgearr Publishing.
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7 comments:
Is there anything you don't know about the Old West? I think not! Another awesome article :-)
Loved the post. Very informative and most helpful.
Hey, Charlene, great info. Do you know of any source of good info about bounty hunters in the Old West? I'm particularly curious about what happened when they captured a Texas criminal in Montana. I'm assuming they had to drag the guy back to Texas, but don't know. And how did they get paid back in the day? Have another book to write before I get to the one that needs that info, but I'm starting to think about it now.
Thanks, Kem. You're such a boost to my ego.
Ellen, I haven't really run onto much research on bounty hunters, but I'm quite sure they would have had to take a man wanted in Texas back there (or his body) to collect their bounty. As for how they would have been paid, I imagine it was either cash or a bank check. If I run onto more information I'll let you know. Thanks for stopping by.
Great info, Charlene. Thanks for sharing your research with us.
A lot of old west towns had a police department headed by the chief of police. This was the case where I set Much Ado About Marshals, but I thought Much Ado about Chiefs of Police sounded a bit awkward. LOL
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