Outlaw Henry Newton Brown ~ D. K. Deters

I was rummaging through some western historical books recently and came across an interesting story about the infamous outlaw Henry Newton Brown. This part of his history begins in Caldwell, Kansas. Growing up in Kansas, the story immediately drew my attention.

Geographically, the town of Caldwell was known as the “Border Queen” because its southern boundary is on the Kansas-Oklahoma border. Located fifty miles south of Wichita, Caldwell was also a stop on the famous Chisholm Trail.

Caldwell, Kansas 1889 (Public Domain)

In 1880, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad reached Caldwell, sparking a boom for commercial establishments. Saloons lined Caldwell’s main streets with hosts of businesses as the town continued to expand. Unfortunately, Caldwell had earned a reputation as a disorderly town.

Gunfights plagued Caldwell:

1880 - A city marshal and an assistant marshal were murdered.

1881 - The mayor and a former marshal were killed in a street fight.

1882 - Another city marshal was gunned down.

As the town fell rife with lawlessness, enter notorious outlaw Henry Newton Brown, who was involved in the Lincoln County War in New Mexico. He had joined up with Billy the Kid and the “Lincoln County Regulators.” On April 1, 1878, Brown, Billy the Kid, and other desperados murdered Lincoln County Sheriff William Brady. Brown left New Mexico to avoid murder charges. After leaving the gang, he found legitimate work as a cowboy and even became a deputy sheriff, but those jobs didn’t last because he had a temper and was quickly dismissed.

 

Henry Newton Brown  - 1857-1884 (Public Domain)

However, by 1882, Brown had made his way to Kansas, and Caldwell officials welcomed him as an assistant city marshal. He was later promoted to marshal. The gunfighter quickly cleaned up the bustling border town. Afterward, the grateful citizens raised his pay to $125 per month and awarded him with an engraved Winchester for restoring law and order.  The inscription read: "Presented to City Marshal H. N. Brown For valuable services rendered in behalf of the Citizens of Caldwell Kas A. N. Colson Mayor Dec 1882.” Area papers wrote glowing articles about his deeds. Of course, they didn’t know about Brown’s outlaw past.

(Public Domain)

Brown seemed to have abandoned his life of crime and married Alice Maude Levagood, the daughter of a well-to-do Caldwell brick maker, in March 1884. A woman of good standing, Alice had graduated from Park College, Parkville, Missouri, with the class of 1882.

 

Alice Maude Levagood  - 1861-1935 (Public Domain)

On April 30th, 1884, the marshal, in debt and living beyond his means, returned to his outlaw roots. Joined by his deputy and two outlaw friends, they robbed a bank in Medicine Lodge using the rifle the citizens of Caldwell had given to him. Two people were killed, and his gang was captured. Brown was shot the same day, trying to escape. His gang members were lynched.

 

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Bank robbers John Wesley, Henry Brown, William Smith and Ben Wheeler. 

(Public Domain)

He did write a letter to his wife which read in part: "Darling Wife: I am in jail here. Four of us tried to rob the bank here and one man shot one of the men in the bank. I want you to come and see me as soon as you can. I will send you all of my things and you can sell them. But keep the Winchester. It is hard for me to write this letter, but it was all for you, my sweet wife, and for the love I have for you. "Do not go back on me. If you do it will kill me. Be true to me as long as you live, and come to see me if you think enough of me. My love is just the same as it always was. Oh, how I did hate to leave you last Sunday evening. But I did not think this would happen. I thought we could take in the money and not have any trouble with it, but a man's fondest hopes are sometimes broken with trouble. We would not have been arrested but one of our horses gave out and we could not leave him [the rider] alone. I do not know what to write. Do the best you can with everything. I want you to send me some clothes. Sell all the things you don't need. Have your picture taken and send it to me. Now, my dear wife, go and see Mr. Witzleben and Mr. Nyce and get the money. If a mob does not kill us we will come out all right after while. Maude, I did not shoot anyone and didn't want the others to kill anyone. But they did and that is all there is about it. Now, my darling wife, goodbye. H. N. Brown."

Did Maude still love him? That is unclear, but she never remarried. Maude didn’t keep the rifle, and it became the property of the Robert R. Foster family. The Fosters later sold the gun to Dr. M. B. Aynesworth around October 1976. A short time later, in 1977, Dr. Aynesworth donated the rifle to the Kansas Historical Museum in Topeka, Kansas. (The museum is on my bucket list.)

I found several articles about Henry Newton Brown. All of them are fascinating. Although nefarious acts marked Brown’s life, he was the essence of the Old West figures who changed from outlaw to peacekeeper and back again.

 

Resources:

Truewest Magazine, Lawdogs Go South Henry Newton Brown’s Gang vs Medicine Lodge Cowboys by Bob Boze Bell 

The Wild West, Lawmen, Outlaws, Ghost Towns & More by Bill O’Neal, James A. Crutchfield, and Dale L. Walker

Legends of America, Henry Newton Brown – Outlaw Marshal of Kansas

Wikipedia, Henry Newton Brown