Law Enforcement in the Old West by Paty Jager #historicalwestern

Gun Smoke Photos

Ever watch an old western show or movie or read a historical western book and wonder why in one town the lawman is called a sheriff and another a marshal? When I wrote my first book, Marshal in Petticoats, I had to figure out if the correct wording was sheriff or marshal.

These days we know a sheriff is a county lawman and a marshal is a federal lawman but back when this country was new and growing there was also a town marshal.

County sheriffs had responsibilities for less territory than an U.S. Marshal who had the full jurisdiction of the U.S. The County sheriffs tracked down and captured outlaws, thieves, and murderers. The maintained the county jail, sold property tax delinquencies, served court orders, and in some states were involved in keeping track of cattle brands, operating dog pounds, and finding stray livestock. These men were voted in by the county populace.

A town marshal had the smallest territory, their town and some distance from the town. They maintained the order in the town; collected business license fees and taxes; served as health, fire, and sanitation inspectors; maintained records and the town jail; served subpoenas; and provided evidence at court hearings. These lawmen could either be voted in or picked by a mayor or leading town member.

The U.S. Marshal was appointed by the President with the consent of the Senate. The U.S. Marshals had a much larger and broader authority than the city marshal. But they were restricted to their district.

U.S. Marshals could appoint deputies and round up posse members when needed. In some cases the U.S. Marshal did the paperwork and assigned jobs to the deputies who were at the mercy of the marshal to get paid.

In the territories where law and order hadn't reached yet, the marshals were the only lawmen. They chased outlaws and brought justice and order until the territory became a state. Then the U.S.Marshals had to let the territorial lawmen take over.  Though many times sheriffs, marshals and U.S. Marshals would all work together to bring a gang or group of outlaws to justice.

U.S. Marshals were went in to deal with crimes in Indian Territory. Indians resolved their own crimes but when there were cries involving the Indians and Whites the marshals and the federal courts dealt with the crimes.  Part of their duties within the Indian territories and reservations was to  keep Whites from selling the Indians liquor and guns. The illegal trading of guns and liquor with the Indians was one of the biggest law enforcement problems for the marshals.

The U.S. Marshals were also brought in for riots against minorities. In 1885 the mayor of Tacoma, WA was taken prisoner and indicted on federal charges for inciting violence against the Chinese.

Most men who took on the jobs of sheriff, marshal, and U.S. Marshal had integrity and believed they could help to build and make this country stronger and better. Much like the law enforcers of today.

www.patyjager.net
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The information was found in: The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West by Candy Moulton and The Lawmen by Fredrick S. Calhoun

Some Fascinating Historical Facts...

We've Got It Easy, Even When We Think We Don't...

A good friend reminded me today that blogging sometimes needs to be about more than book excerpts and competitions.  I was honored when Mirella Patzer, an author of significant historical knowledge cited me as an authority on the old west.  I stopped and thought about it, and realized I really am.  I've spent countless hours reading about the Lakota Sioux, researching their tribal traditions and rituals, and studying the trials and tribulations pioneer men and women faced.  For Sparta Rose, I researched the area, to familiarize myself with historical landmarks, schools, banks, and hotels from the past.  I may not be a "true" authority, but I sure know a lot more now than I did when I began writing historical novels.  For those who don't think your credibility as an historical author is important, you couldn't be further from the truth.  If you make a mistake with regard to the era of which you write, someone will let you know about it.  *smile*  In my debut novel, someone took issue with the fact that my Indian hero made coffee on the prairie.  I guess that person missed the part of the book where he stayed with the white heroine for months and developed a taste for the "white man's" brew.  Of course, that wasn't the only thing he grew to like.   Okay...that was yesterday's book. I digress.

This morning, I bemoaned the fact that I needed to change our bedding.  While I slipped on clean sheets then stuffed the "used" ones (I started to type "soiled" but that conjured up a big ewwww) into the washing machine, I realized how very spoiled our generation is.

 Had I lived in the old west, I might not have owned anything that resembled a mattress.  Although by the 1800s, beds raised off the ground were commonplace to avoid insects and rodents, poor pioneers often slept on straw covered with quilts or blankets. If they were lucky, rough wooden frames with crisscrossed rope created the foundation. Feather beds were common only among those wealthy enough to have access to down feathers. In some cases, straw was sewn into a bag, and cleaning the bedding meant dragging the heavy sack outside and beating the dust from it. Same for anything that covered the wood or dirt flooring.  No Hoovers or Dust Devils then!

As I added detergent to my washing machine, I thought about the women of the old west who at one time beat their clothing clean on rocks, and later marveled at the invention of a scrub board and a wringing device.  Oh, talk about thanking God for my life.  Do you know that in some third world countries, women still do laundry this way?  Don't you feel lucky?

I promise more of these types of posts.  I love western history, don't you?


Note from Ging:  If this look familiar, it's because it appeared on my other blog, Dishin' It Out in 2010.  Now that I have a place to share "western" themes, I thought this fit the bill, although I did tweak it a bit.   I'm loving this blog.  :)