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OUR 62ND YEAR
The West’s Forgotten Scout “Comanche Jack” Stilwell Wyatt & Doc Gun Down the Other Stilwell Rebel Bandits Steal Over $3 Million in Texas Raid Valiant Surgeons in Army Blue PLUS:
Survival Out West Fanny Kelly Outlived Prairie Fires, Warfare, Starvation, Physical Abuse and Scrapes with Death fx°ÊÊUÊÊ/ÀÕi7iÃÌ>}>âi°V
APRIL 2015
A≤HA Celebrates 75 |ears with a Limited Edition Sporting Rifle b\ Cimarron Firearms Compan\. The A≤HA 75th Anniversary limited edition sporting rifle is machined on ultra-modern computer-driven CNC machines then completely hand finished by A. Uberti for Cimarron Firearms Company in Texas. It sports a highly polished, nickel plated 20-inch barrel made in 45 Colt caliber and is beautifully embellished with laser assisted hand engraving and stocked with selected hand finished walnut. Each rifle has the A≤HA Series Number hand engraved into the frame.
An accurate working copy of the famous 1866 Winchester ‘Yellowboy’ rifle produced by Winchester from 1866 through 1899, this rifle is a true handmade work of art made of industrial grade brass and gun steel.
You can own this exceptional rifle for only $1,995*. Production will be limited to 500. Call Naomi Woodard at (806) 378-4508 to order yours today! For more details, visit aqha.com/rifle. Please allow 90-120 days for delivery. * PRICE SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE STATE OR LOCAL SALES TAXES, FEES OR LICENSES
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KEARNEY visitors bureau NEBRASKA
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AMERICANA & WESTERN AUCTION
MAY 9, 2015 | DALLAS | LIVE & ONLINE
CONSIGN NOW TO OUR SPRING COMBINED AMERICANA AND WESTERN AUCTION AND RECEIVE A SELLER’S COMMISSION AS LOW AS 0%!
George Armstrong Custer: One of the Largest and Boldest Autographs We Have Ever Seen. Sold for $3,250
Annie Oakley: One of the Most Sought-After Forms of Her Autograph. Sold for $7,500
George Armstrong Custer: An Important 63-Page Handwritten Memoir by Charles A. Varnum, 7th Cavalry Officer after 1872 and Chief of Scouts at Little Big Horn. Sold for $10,000
Geronimo: A Classic Pencil Example of His Distinctive Autograph, Beautifully Custom Framed with a Rare Cabinet Photo Image. Sold for $5,937
Always Seeking Quality Consignments in 39 Categories Immediate Cash Advances Available
Baker Three-Barrel Gun with King Ranch Property Marks, Circa 1880. Sold for $4,375 7th Cavalry: A Model 1881 Enlisted Man’s Dress Helmet in SuperbCondi tion. Sold for $2,375
For information on our easy consignment process, please call 877-HERITAGE (437-4824) Tom Slater | Director of Americana | ext. 1441 | [emailprotected] Don Ackerman | Consignment Director | ext. 1736 | [emailprotected] Annual Sales Exceed $900 Million ❘ 900,000+ Online Bidder-Members 3500 Maple Ave. ❘ Dallas, TX 75219 ❘ 877-HERITAGE (437-4824) ❘ HA.com DALLAS ❘ NEW YORK ❘ BEVERLY HILLS ❘ SAN FRANCISCO ❘ HOUSTON ❘ PARIS ❘ GENEVA
Paul R. Minshull #16591. BP 12-25%; see HA.com. 36118
John Wesley Hardin: A Rare, Signed Shot-Through Playing Card from this Notorious Texas Guns linger. Sold for $13,750
Prices realized are from our November 2014 auction.
OPE N I NGSHOT
WE TAKE YOU THERE
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A RMY FIELD HOSPITAL During the Battle of Savage’s Station on June 29, 1862, Confederates captured about 2,500 wounded Union soldiers from this makeshift field hospital photographed by James F. Gibson. The fellows in the straw hats are from the 16th New York Infantry. John Magruder’s slow advance during the battle got the Confederate sent west, to the District of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. – COURTESY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS –
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True West captures the spirit of the West with authenticity, personality and humor by providing a necessary link from our history to our present.
EDITORIAL
True West Online TrueWestMagazine.com
April 2015 Online and Social Media Content
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Bob Boze Bell EDITOR: Meghan Saar EDITORIAL TEAM Senior Editor: Stuart Rosebrook Features Editor: Mark Boardman Copy Editor: Beth Deveny Firearms Editor: Phil Spangenberger Westerns Film Editor: C. Courtney Joyner Military History Editor: Col. Alan C. Huffines, U.S. Army Preservation Editor: Jana Bommersbach Social Media Editor: Darren Jensen PRODUCTION MANAGER: Robert Ray ART DIRECTOR: Daniel Harshberger GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Rebecca Edwards MAPINATOR: Gus Walker HISTORICAL CONSULTANT: Paul Hutton CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Tom Augherton, Allen Barra, John Beckett, John Boessenecker, Johnny D. Boggs, Daniel Buck, Richard H. Dillon, Drew Gomber, Dr. Jim Kornberg, Anne Meadows, Leon Metz, Sherry Monahan, Phyllis Morreale-de la Garza, Candy Moulton, Frederick Nolan, Gary Roberts, Joseph G. Rosa, William Secrest, Marshall Trimble and Linda Wommack ARCHIVIST/PROOFREADER: Ron Frieling PUBLISHER EMERITUS: Robert G. McCubbin TRUE WEST FOUNDER: Joe Austell Small (1914-1994)
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This circa 1890s street scene in Abilene, Kansas, shows a medicine show drumming up business. Find this and more historical photography on our “Western History” board. Pinterest.com/TrueWestMag
Go behind the scenes of True West with Bob Boze Bell to see this and more of his Daily Whipouts (search for “February 13, 2015). Blog.TrueWestMagazine.com
ADVERTISING/BUSINESS PRESIDENT & CEO: Bob Boze Bell PUBLISHER & COO: Ken Amorosano CFO: Lucinda Amorosano GENERAL MANAGER: Carole Compton Glenn ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Dave Daiss SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR: Ken Amorosano REGIONAL SALES MANAGERS Greg Carroll ([emailprotected]) Arizona, California, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nevada & Washington Cynthia Burke ([emailprotected]) Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah & Wyoming Sheri Riley ([emailprotected]) Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee & Texas ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Sally Collins April 2015, Vol. 62, #4, Whole #543. True West (ISSN 0041-3615) is published twelve times a year (January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December) by True West Publishing, Inc., 6702 E. Cave Creek Rd, Suite #5 Cave Creek, AZ 85331. 480-575-1881. Periodical postage paid at Cave Creek, AZ 85327, and at additional mailing offices. Canadian GST Registration Number R132182866. Single copies: $5.99. U.S. subscription rate is $29.95 per year (12 issues); $49.95 for two years (24 issues). POSTMASTER: Please send address change to: True West, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright 2015 by True West Publishing, Inc.
SUBSCRIPTIONS, RENEWALS AND ADDRESS CHANGES
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Join the Conversation “My maternal grandfather, Ernest Doman, worked at the St. Louis world’s fair as a carpenter. He sent postcards from there to his love, Edna, my maternal grandmother.” – Ken Anderson of Spruce Pine, North Carolina
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OPENING SHOT SHOOTING BACK TO THE POINT TRUTH BE KNOWN INVESTIGATING HISTORY OLD WEST SAVIORS COLLECTING THE WEST SHOOTING FORM THE HIP CLASSIC GUNFIGHTS UNSUNG
46 52 58 62 66 121 126 128
RENEGADE ROADS WESTERN BOOKS WESTERN MOVIES SURVIVAL OUT WEST FRONTIER FARE WESTERN ROUNDUP ASK THE MARSHALL WHAT HISTORY HAS TAUGHT ME
INSIDE
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ISSUE
APRIL 2015 • VOLUME 62 • ISSUE 4
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THE WEST’S FORGOTTEN SCOUT The true story of the hero of Beecher Island, “Comanche Jack” Stilwell. —By Roy B. Young
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THE TEXAS RANGERS History is revealed in the boot prints of the Lone Star State’s famous lawmen. —Mike Cox
BILL TILGHMAN’S OKLAHOMA A famed lawman’s exploits reveal a rich tapestry of state history. —Brett Cogburn
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LEWIS AND CLARK’S OREGON The Columbia River leads travelers to the sea along the route of the Corps of Discovery. —Terry Del Bene
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VALIANT SURGEONS IN ARMY BLUE The diverse and oftentimes brave men who left behind a rich legacy in frontier Arizona. —By John Langellier
KIT CARSON’S NEW MEXICO The life of the famed trapper, trailblazer and soldier is poignantly remembered across the state. —Ollie Reed Jr.
THE GREAT TEXAS TREASURY RAID Rebel bandits steal millions during the post-Civil War havoc. —By Mike Cox
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WYATT EARP’S KANSAS The famed lawman’s life on the edge of law and order can be discovered in the Sunflower State. —Max McCoy
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GERONIMO’S ARIZONA The Chiricahua Apache leader’s life rides high and low across the state’s Sky Islands. —Carol Markstrom
Watch our videos! Scanning your mobile device over any of the QR codes in this magazine to instantly stream original True West videos or be transported to our websites.
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HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Cover design by Dan Harshberger
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SHOOTI NG BAC K
CIVIL DISAGREEMENT As a True West “Maniac” and subscriber since 1967, I must take exception to the Renegade Roads article about Buffalo Soldiers in the February 2015 issue. Johnny D. Boggs did a commendable job with his article. But as a former re-enactor who has represented the 4th U.S. Infantry of the Civil War era in many battles over the years, I feel that he was unfair and unjustified in his opening description of what Civil War re-enactors represent. All re-enactors should not be painted with a broad brush just because he doesn’t understand them. Re-enactors encompass thousands and include a wide variety of individuals from police to doctors to teachers and lawyers and even the clergy, not exactly low class individuals. Also, whether or not those who portray Buffalo Soldiers like to identify themselves as re-enactors, they are representing their living history, just like the Civil War buffs. Ken Bock Mansfield, Ohio
David Stoecklein, 1949-2014: A Remembrance
RANDOM EXCERPT OF A LETTER WE WON’T BE RUNNING
“Kit Carson’s name is reviled to this day on the Navajo reservation, and rightfully so. He proved to be a man without a moral compass.”
We had known of each other’s work for many years, but our trails finally crossed when Barney Nelson invited us both to a 2009 photography symposium at Sul Ross University in Alpine, Texas. David Stoecklein, who died of cancer on November 10, led students to the big corral at the 06 Ranch for the chance to shoot the crew catching mounts, saddling up and riding out—a fabulous morning for aspiring photographers on one of the great cow outfits of the American West. Stoecklein was truly “at home” in this milieu, a setting that many might consider exotic (see Stoecklein above, flanked by Lance and Chris Lacy of the O6 Ranch). The man was respected—nay, more like cherished—by the proud class of cowboys who he has portrayed so truthfully. —Photographer Jay Dusard
The Mystery Continues After seeing your mystery woman (below), the “Arizona Female Scout” photographed by A. Frank Randall, in your December 2014 cover story, “Branded but Unbroken,” I thought you might find this Randall photo (far left) interesting. Does her jacket look familiar? Labeled on the back of photo: “New Mexico Female Scout.” I got the photo seven years ago from the greatgranddaughter of William Wallace Chapel, the postmaster and Indian trader at San Carlos, in Arizona Territory, 1886-88. Tony Sapienza Ridgewood, New Jersey Thanks for sharing the photo with us, Tony! Randall photography expert Allan Radbourne did point out to readers that he had seen this Apache-manufactured jacket on at least three different subjects photographed by Randall during his time in San Carlos, Mexico, but he hasn’t seen this image before! As reported in the article, Radbourne did not believe the Arizona lady was a scout because no female Apache scouts served in 1886, the date of the photo. To him, the lady looked to be Hispanic.
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TO
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BY BOB BOZE BELL
Tracking the Stilwells Intriguing clues on both sides of the ledger.
I
n this issue, historian and author Roy Young helped us track down two disparate siblings. As you will soon discover, the Stilwell brothers could not be more opposite (see Jack’s story, on p. 26). Roy started studying genealogy as a teenager in the 1960s and learned early on that Wyatt Earp had killed Frank Stilwell (Young’s mother was a Stillwell). Fast forward to the twin Earp movies 1993’s Tombstone and 1994’s Wyatt Earp, and Roy’s interest in the Stilwell case was revived. As he puts it, his research has “been nonstop ever since.” For 10 years, Roy has edited the journal for Wild West History Association (WWHA) and is the organization’s first vice president. He is also a former president of Oklahombres. Two years ago, he received WWHA’s Six-Shooter Award for lifetime contributions to Wild West history. Regarding Frank’s demise in Tucson, Arizona, shared in Classic Gunfights on p. 42, Roy says, “I believe that Frank did not intentionally go to the train station to kill any of the Earps, or even to see them or let himself be seen. He was there to meet Milt McDowell who was to testify the next day in Jerry Barton’s case, and in which Frank was also to testify. When Frank and Ike Clanton learned that the Earps were on the train, Ike backed off, but Frank did not. Curiosity? Foolishness? Stupidity?” Perhaps all three.
Tantalizing Tidbits: Tucson had just turned on the new gas lights (above) that deadly day when the Earp crew arrived at the train depot on March 20, 1882. Wyatt Earp’s posse all added bullets to Frank Stilwell’s lifeless body (left), which prompted an eyewitness to remark Stilwell’s body was the “worst shot up man I ever saw” (see below). Marietta Spence, along with her mother (far left), paid the price for copping out her husband, Pete (given their matching black eyes, some conclude Pete was right-handed). –ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY BOB BOZE BELL –
For a behind-the-scenes look at running this magazine, check out BBB’s daily blog at TWMag.com T R U E
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TRUTH B E KNOWN
Bizarro
Quotes
BY DA N P I R A R O
“There’s three times in a man’s life when he has a right to yell at the moon: when he marries, when his children come and... and when he finishes a job he had to be crazy to start.” – Montgomery Clift to Harry Carey Sr., after Clift’s character leads the herd into Abilene, Kansas, in 1948’s Red River
“Not to know what happened before you were born is to remain forever a child.” “I would say that for me the future of the image is going to be in electronic photography.... And you will see perfectly beautiful images on a screen. I’d say that would be very handsome. They would be almost as close as the best reproductions.”
– Roman philosopher Cicero
“Today is Yesterday’s Pupil.”
– American West Photographer Ansel Adams
– Benjamin Franklin, in Poor Richard’s Almanack
“Haste in every business brings failures.”
“I drink as much as I ever did. I eat more than I should. And my sex life is none of your goddamn business.”
– Greek historian Herodotus
“It is the flag just as much of the man who was naturalized yesterday as of the man whose people have been here generations.” – Historian and U.S. Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge
– John Wayne, Playboy interview, May 1971
“It is the child of avarice, the brother of iniquity, and the father of mischief.” – First U.S. President George Washington, on gambling T R U E
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Old Vaquero Saying
“A quiet conscience sleeps in thunder.”
I N V E ST I G AT I N G
H I STO R Y
BY MARK BOARDMAN
Death in the Mississippi The post-Civil War tragedy of the Sultana.
Some of these Union prisoners of war receiving rations on August 17, 1864, at the Andersonville prison in Georgia survived the Civil War only to meet death aboard the Sultana (shown in inset, just prior to the explosion on April 27, 1865).
T
he end of wars does not always mean the end of death and destruction. The Sultana tragedy proved that. In April 1865, Robert E. Lee had surrendered, President Abraham Lincoln had died from an assassin’s bullet and Union prisoners of war were returning from the terrible camps in the South. From Andersonville in Georgia, they were directed to the Sultana, a Mississippi river boat that could carry 376 passengers and crew. Private boat owners had discovered a lucrative business after the Civil War ended; the Army paid $5 per enlisted man and $10 per officer for the trip. Certain Union officers, including regional quartermaster Reuben Hatch, a man with a history of corruption, were reportedly getting kickbacks on the deal. As many as 2,400 men were crammed onto the Sultana, more than six times its capacity. The exact number is unknown—officials stopped counting—but the ship was standing room only for men who were weakened by illness, injury and horrible incarceration. Even worse, the boat’s boilers were in bad shape. Boilermaker R.G. Taylor placed a patch on one of them while the boat was docked in Vicksburg. He recommended that new boilers be installed before departure. He was ignored, and the Sultana began its voyage on April 24. At about 2 a.m. on April 27, seven miles north of Memphis, Tennessee, the boilers exploded, ripping the boat apart and
– ALL PHOTOS COURTESY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS –
throwing men into the freezing river. Many died in the blast. Some died of burns. Others drowned or died from hypothermia. The first rescue boat got to the site an hour after the explosion. The government reported as many as 1,547 men died in the tragedy, but since nobody knew how many had boarded, the death count was a guess. Even with this low count, this was the worst maritime disaster in our nation’s history. The famous Titanic shipwreck lost 1,513 lives. Most Americans didn’t even hear about the tragic explosion. Newspaper headlines focused on the death of Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, killed the day before. The military brought charges against two officers, including Hatch, but neither was punished; both had political connections in Washington, D.C. that protected them. The
This was the worst maritime disaster in our nation’s history.
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Sultana tragedy was more or less forgotten for nearly 120 years. In 1982, Memphis, Tennessee, attorney Jerry Potter organized an archaeological expedition to find the boat. His team hit paydirt when they found blackened wood from the deck under an Arkansas soybean field—the Mississippi River channel had moved about 300 yards between 1865 and 1982. The boat has yet to be dug up to rescue artifacts that could be showcased in a museum. As of now, the only memorial to those who died in the Sultana tragedy is a small monument in a Knoxville church cemetery. That’s a tragedy unto itself.
G LEAMING WITH THE COLOR, MYSTERY & ROMANCE OF S EDONA The Native American people have always found spirituality and sacred symbolism within the beauty of nature. Their high regard for turquoise comes from a legend that describes the precious stone as a piece of sky that fell from the heavens. And because the eagle flies closer to the heavens than any other bird, it is seen as a wise and powerful Great Spirit. Today, we’ve taken these two sacred symbols and combined them with the rich colors of the Southwest in a Native American-inspired jewelry fashion exclusive—the “Sedona Sky” Turquoise Ring.
GENUINE TURQUOISE CABOCHON
Inspired by Native American Culture and the Beauty of Sedona This stylish and beautiful ring is hand-crafted of solid sterling silver and features a large genuine turquoise cabochon framed in a Native Americanstyle beaded setting. The sides of the ring are beautifully textured to resemble an eagle feather. The rich colors of the Sedona sky and landscape are represented on the center band in delicately crafted, hand-enameled red, black and turquoise colored accents.
Exquisite Craftsmanship... Exceptional Value Available in women’s whole and half sizes from 5-12, this beautiful ring is a remarkable value at $99, payable in 4 easy installments of $24.75*. To reserve yours, backed by our unconditional 120day guarantee, send no money now; just mail the Reservation Application today! But hurry, this is a limited-time offer!
A FINE JEWELRY EXCLUSIVE FROM THE BRADFORD EXCHANGE
SOLID STERLING SILVER
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Band is delicately crafted with red, black and turquoise colored enameled accents
Actual Size
www.bradfordexchange.com/sedona LIMITED-TIME OFFER Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Respond as soon as possible to reserve your ring. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. To assure a proper fit, a ring sizer will be sent to you after your reservation has been accepted.
©2013 BGE 01-15217-002-BI
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OLD
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S AV I O R S
BY JANA BOMMERSBACH
One Man’s Dream A Nebraska Sandhills community has stepped up big time for Dobby Lee.
W
hen she was a seventh grader, Lori White knew Kenneth “Dobby” Lee as her school bus driver in Alliance, Nebraska. She later found out that he had been a carpenter and mayor of the town before he began driving kids to school. After he retired at age 65, she attended the fall festival in the frontier town he was assembling with his son on the outskirts of her hometown in the Nebraska Sandhills. When Lee died in 2009, White went to his funeral and mourned the passing of a man who had meant so much to her community. Then she read a disturbing story in the local newspaper. At a community cookout, she says, Lee’s “son and daughter-in-law told us the problem—they couldn’t maintain the town on their own and asked for the help of the community. Well, after that, it was like a house afire.” White, a “happy housewife,” jumped in as one of the volunteers who were adopting buildings to watch over. She and a friend adopted a two-room house constructed out of hay bales. White, who had not finished college because she refused to take one class, a required American History course, was now keeping history alive. Others adopted the Lonesome Duck Saloon & Bordello. Still more took over the German Evangelical Lutheran church, built in 1912. Alliance—a town of about 8,500 residents—found citizens to adopt all 19 buildings that Lee had assembled for his two-and-a-half-acre town. “We’re a little town with a big heart,” White says.
The Nebraska Sandhills is home to Dobby’s Frontier Town (above). The most prized building is the 1888 cabin built by Robert B. Anderson (left; cabin interior shown above left). An ex-slave and Buffalo Soldier, Anderson was Nebraska’s first black homesteader. – COURTESY DOBBY’S FRONTIER TOWN –
After pledging their help, the townsfolk went several steps further. They created a board of directors, and White became president. They got the town designated a 501(c)(3), so they could accept taxdeductible donations. They also got a grant in 2014 for $3,800 to buy a John Deere riding lawn mower and to pay for new shingles on the 1888 Robert B. Anderson cabin—the first blackowned cabin in Nebraska. They proved what elbow grease can do—White estimates volunteers have contributed more than 20,000 hours to restoring, maintaining and operating the free-admission town. “We’ve had visitors from all 50 states and 33 foreign countries,” she says proudly. “We
“And they don’t look into buildings from behind ropes; they get a handson experience.”
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get 5,000 to 6,000 visitors a year. And they don’t look into buildings from behind ropes; they get a hands-on experience.” Dobby’s Frontier Town—now 26 buildings—does not have electricity, nor a paid staff, so the only expense is maintenance. “We get a dollar, we spend a dollar,” White says, noting that the town exists because of goodwill donations. She hopes to get funds to hire a caretaker, but if not, the good people of Alliance have so far kept this dream alive. Dobby’s Frontier Town is open from April to October, seven days a week. The fall festival is still held here, in September, speaking to the spirit of a frontier town that still lives today in this piece of Nebraska. Arizona’s Journalist of the Year, Jana Bommersbach has won an Emmy and two Lifetime Achievement Awards. She also cowrote and appeared on the Emmy-winning Outrageous Arizona and has written two true crime books, a children’s book and the historical novel Cattle Kate.
COLLECTING
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BY MEGHAN SAAR
Hired Gun’s Last Weapon Weapons and artifacts tied to Tom Horn and two different Wild Bunches among the notable lots sold.
O
n June 1, 1903, three men who knew Tom Horn rode together in the parade at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming. Horn had been found guilty of murdering 14-year-old Willie Nickell the previous October. The Winchester Model 1894 .30-30 rifle he carried at the time of his arrest hammered down as the top lot, for $130,000, at High Noon’s auction in Mesa, Arizona, on January 24, 2015. Horn gave the rifle to Charles B. Irwin, one of the men in the parade, and the family has owned it all these years, until this auction. Another man riding with stock contractor Irwin was Buffalo Bill Cody, the showman behind the Wild West extravaganza that began in 1883. After Horn beat
Charlie Meadows in a steer-tying event in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 17, 1889, the news reached Cody, who was organizing a European tour for his show. He asked both Horn and Meadows to join him; Meadows joined Cody’s show overseas, three years later, but Horn dismissed the idea entirely. The stock contractor and the showman were joined in the parade by the cowboy president, Theodore Roosevelt. As chief packer during the 1898 war in Cuba, Horn rode up San Juan Hill with Roosevelt and his volunteer cavalry known as Teddy’s Rough Riders. Despite contracting yellow fever and losing 40 pounds, Horn served admirably, earning high praise from Capt.
Tom Horn’s Winchester Model 1894 .30-30 rifle (left) sold along with Charlie Irwin’s copy of Horn’s published autobiography, which Horn wrote while he awaited his fate in the jail in Cheyenne, Wyoming (below right), as well as the guitar Irwin reportedly played at the hanging (below left), among other Irwin collectibles; $130,000.
Marion Maus. Horn even supplied mules directly to Roosevelt, but the chief packer may have given himself more credit than he deserved; he claimed he gave the mule to Roosevelt before the defining battle at San Juan Hill. But since Roosevelt rode his horse in that battle, Horn likely gave the mule to him afterwards. After the war, Horn recuperated at John C. Coble’s Wyoming ranch near Iron Mountain. Until 1894, or perhaps earlier, he tracked outlaws for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. He went back to his cattle friends to work as a range detective. Historians suspect Coble and partners hired Horn to kill sheepman Kels Nickell in July 1901, but Horn accidentally killed Kels’s son, Willie, instead. Oh, to be the horse who heard the conversation that day in the parade. Given that all three knew Horn, Irwin must have told his partners of Horn’s death sentence. After all, he was doing everything he could to get the sentence commuted to life imprisonment. Roosevelt would have carried the most influence, of course, but perhaps he still had a bad taste in his mouth for the mule packers during that campaign, whom he had denounced as cowards after the war. Irwin didn’t succeed. On November 20, 1903, Horn walked a few feet from his Cheyenne jail to the gallows. Irwin and his brother sang “Life’s Railway to Heaven” before the trap opened and Horn gasped his last breath. The Wild Bunch Gang Horn chased and Buffalo Bill’s own Wild Bunch are tied to notable lots featured here. Collectors earned more than $1.5 million at the auction.
Notable Old West Collectible Lots Included (All images courtesy High Noon)
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Cy Compton (bottom) joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s show in 1894 as a bronc rider and rose up the ranks to become chief cowboy. He toured with Cody’s “Wild Bunch” of cowboys until Cody’s death in 1917 and then joined the Wild West contingent at Barnum & Bailey Circus. Along with Wild West show memorabilia, Compton’s Pattern 1418 California spurs by August Buermann (below) bid in at $9,500 . Harry Carey Sr. played Tom Horn in a 1916 silent film, and the famous actor counted cowboy artist Charles M. Russell among his friends. A February 25, 1921, letter written by Russell to Carey Sr. bid in at $110,000. Russell jokes about prospecting for buried treasure on Carey Sr.’s ranch: booze. Prohibition went in effect in the U.S. the year before and would end in 1933. The photo above shows (first row, from left) Russell, Carey Sr. and his son, also named Harry, at his knee.
UPCOMING AUCTIONS April 8-9, 2015 During his Pinkerton days, Tom Horn chased Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch. The root of the gang tracks to June 24, 1889, when Cassidy committed his first major crime; he, Matt Warner (shown) and Tom McCarty robbed the San Miguel Valley Bank in Telluride, Colorado. A circa 1878 Colt Single Action Army revolver (below) and a Marlin 1889 rifle (above) that Warner “put away for emergency after the Telluride bank robbery” hammered down for $13,000. John Oscar Anderson, who claimed his friend Warner gave him the weapons in 1935, stated in an affidavit that “[Warner] said he did not like the long barreled Colt to carry.”
Historical Manuscripts Heritage Auctions (New York, NY) HA.com • 800-872-6467
April 9, 2015 American West Artworks Altermann Galleries (Scottsdale, AZ) Altermann.com • 480-945-0448
April 10, 2015 American Indian & Western Art Cowan’s & Little John’s (Cincinnati, OH) Cowans.com • 513-871-1670
April 11, 2015 American West Artworks Scottsdale Art Auction (Scottsdale, AZ) ScottsdaleArtAuction.com • 480-945-0225
April 24-26, 2015 Historic Firearms Rock Island Auction Co. (Rock Island, IL) RockIslandAuction.com • 800-238-8022
April 28, 2015 California & Western Art Bonhams (Los Angeles, CA) Bonhams.com • 323-850-7500
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Cartridge Rifles 1860 Henry Lever Action
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1860 Henry
1866 Lever Action
In /CTOBER "4 (ENRY WAS GRANTED A PATENT FOR THE DESIGN OF A NEW GUN A REPEATING RImE THAT USED METALLIC CARTRIDGES 7ITH IT ONE MAN COULD LOAD CARTRIDGES IN EIGHT TO TEN SECONDS )T WAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT INNOVATION THAT THE GUN WAS NAMED AFTER ITS INVENTOR !LL MODELS FEATURE A WALNUT STOCK WITH ROUND CAPACITY (ENRY 4RAPPER HOLDS ROUNDS
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1866 Rifle
1873 Rifle
7HEN .ELSON +ING PATENTED HIS NEW LOADING SYSTEM HE COULD NOT HAVE KNOWN THAT HIS MODEL WOULD PLAY A PROMINENT PART IN THE WINNING OF THE 7EST 4HE OR h9ELLOWBOY v AS IT WAS FAMOUSLY KNOWN BECAUSE OF ITS SHINY BRASS FRAME WAS THE SUCCESSOR TO THE (ENRY
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1873 Rifle – Checkered Straight Stock
Taylor’s ‘92
4HIS RImE IS AN IDEAL OPTION FOR ANY SHOOTER WHO ENJOYS THE ENHANCED GRIP AND LOOK OF A CHECKERED RImE ! FULL OCTAGONAL BARREL CASE HARDENED FRAME AND CHECKERED STRAIGHT STOCK ARE FEATURED ON THIS
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Taylor’s 1892 Rifle 4HE 2ImE WAS MECHANICALLY STRONGER AND LESS COSTLY TO PRODUCE THAN THE ! TOTAL OF OF THE S IN BOTH SOLID AND TAKEDOWN MODELS WERE MANUFACTURED FROM TO 4AYLORS #O IS PROUD TO OFFER REPRODUCTIONS OF THESE FAVORITES
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