Anne Carrole: Order Before Law in the Old West

Anne Carrole

by Anne Carrole
Copyright © 2011 Anne Carrole

The Old West is full of stories about lawlessness and violence and only a very courageous (or foolish) man would be up to the task of taking on the rougher elements of the time. In looking for a town marshal, many towns felt they needed to fight violent men with those who were their equal in the “dangerous” department since a gun accessorized most men’s waistbands.

Wyatt Earp &
Bat Masterson

The most famous of these lawmen was, of course, Wyatt Earp. Earp played on both sides of the law running gambling houses (Faro was his game and not always played honestly) and brothels with his brother and earned his reputation with a gun before he became a lawman. William B. Shillingberg in Dodge City characterized Earp’s appointment to the city law enforcement ranks this way:

“Over the years Earp has become something of a frontier icon; a virtual prisoner of popular culture, a heroic image showcased in books and movies that ignored the darker sides of his secretive personality and disruptive public career, including a federal indictment for horse theft in the Indian Territory, followed by two arrests in Peoria Illinois, along with his brother Morgan, for keeping a house of ill fame.”

It was because of his reputation with a gun that he was asked to become a lawman. As Bat Masterson said of his friend in his book Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier, “Wyatt Earp is one of the few men I personally knew in the West in the early days, whom I regarded as absolutely destitute of physical fear.” That quality made him an ideal lawman in a land where a man’s nerve would be severely tested.

But there are many others who were equally as dangerous as the criminal element they faced but who weren’t, perhaps, as famous as Wyatt Earp.

Augustus “Gus” Gildea, a trail driver, cowboy, Indian scout and lawman, knew something about bringing order to the West (as opposed to the law). He gives an extensive description of his life in The Trail Drivers of Texas and writes:

“I served as special ranger in Companies D and F, Texas Frontier Battalion, and U.S. Deputy Marshal and also deputy sheriff and other official positions on the Frontier. This service was from 1881 to 1889. I have met most of the so-called outlaws and bad men who ranged in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona from 1865-1890 and never knew but one but what had some good traits about him.”

No doubt, since Gildea also worked as a guard for John Chisum and rode with Selman’s Scouts during the Lincoln County Wars.

After describing a trial held at John Chisum’s ranch where “Judge Lynch” presided and two men were hung for murder, he writes: “The law of the range was “forget it” for discussions were likely to lead to trouble. In those days, cowboy law was enforced and every cowboy knew it, and I never knew of the subject again brought up around the camp fire.”

What Gildea doesn’t mention is that during this time he was wanted for investigation by Governor Lew Wallace for four murders. I’m betting two of them probably concerned the results of the aforementioned range trial. Gildea never appears to have been questioned, however, and his sentiments about range justice and cowboy law were shared by many of the lawmen in the West.

Jim Courtright

Jim Courtright became the first elected marshal of Fort Worth, Texas, then known as Hell’s Half Acre. He carried dual six-shooters and was considered an expert gunman. But he also “shook down” brothel and saloon owners for protection. Over the various terms he served in Fort Worth law enforcement he is said to have killed five people. Jim Courtright held a flexible definition of the law that spoke more to order than to enforcing the laws on the books. As Richard Selcer writes in Hell’s Half Acre:

“...Courtright preferred to enforce a personal rather than statutory form of the law. In his dealings with visiting cowboys, who were more unruly than dangerous, Courtright preferred tolerance and persuasion over coercion as the best way to keep a lid on things. In his own unique view of what a town marshal should do, he saw his job as being “to prevent the flow of blood, not liquor.”

Courtright ended up dying in a shootout with the infamous Luke Short, but not before bringing order to the chaos that was Hell’s Half Acre.

Dallas Stoudenmire

Dallas Stoudenmire was 6’4”, tall for even a Texan, a sharp dresser, and had a way with the ladies. He is also said to have killed several men before he served a stint in the Texas Rangers and was asked to serve as marshal for the then violent town of El Paso, Texas. He was lethally accurate with a pair of six-shooters and just a few days after assuming his post was involved in one of the most deadly gunfights ever fought known as “Four Dead in Five Seconds.”

His reputation as a gunfighter was materially enhanced and, with his “shoot first, ask questions later” brand of law enforcement, he eventually became a federal deputy in that region. Unfortunately, he created enemies and died in a gunfight he forced with one of the Manning brothers of El Paso due to a bystander jumping between the two men. Still, Stoudenmire is the man credited with bringing order to the violent town of El Paso.

There were several more who had flexible definitions of the law with regards to keeping order including Ben Thompson, Big Steve Long, and Bat Masterson. The wide open towns of the West called for order first before they could start enforcing laws and these men supplied that, forming their own code about right and wrong, implemented at the end of the fastest gun.

Only after order was imposed could rule of law be exercised. As violence dropped, towns began to enforce gun control laws, tougher than our laws today, to discourage people taking matters into their own hands. Drinking and gambling regulations as to who, what, and when were also established. Lawmen could expect the full backing of the townspeople, farmers and ranchers who wanted the certainty that peace brings. People like Wyatt Earp and Augustus Gildea “retired,” aware that the time of dangerous men, wide-open towns, and wielding your own brand of justice was ending, for civilization was coming fast with every railroad track laid and homestead claimed.

As heroes go, the lawmen of the early west represent the bad boy who turns good and stands up for what is right, at least according to his own code, with unflinching courage and determination.

Who are some of your favorite lawmen—either real or fictional? Mine are guys like Rooster Cogburn, Marshal Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke, Wild Bill Hickok, and of course, Wyatt Earp. I also loved Rowdy Rhodes from Linda Lael Miller’s A Wanted Man who, to me, epitomizes the bad boy turned good.

Contest!

Please leave a comment and share with us your picks.  One commenter this week will win a free pdf of Re-ride at the Rodeo!

Anne Carrole writes about cowboys who have grit, integrity and little romance on their mind and the women who love them. You can check out her contemporary romance, Re-ride at the Rodeo, at The Wild Rose Press or at Anne's website. She also is co-editor of the review website, Love Western Romances.

Anne Carrole: Re-ride at the Rodeo

Featured Title: Re-ride at the Rodeo
by Anne Carrole
Buy links: Amazon * The Wild Rose Press

RTW: Thanks for joining us today, Anne. Please tell us about your book.

AC: Re-Ride at the Rodeo is about saddle bronc rider, Clay Tanner, who is looking for some diversion when he spots a tempting little blonde at the rodeo named Dusty Morgan. She looks like she could use a good time--only she turns him down. Feeling like he’s been bucked off before the eight second buzzer, Clay’s betting he can score if she’ll give him a re-ride. But qualifying may call for more than he’s prepared to give.

Contest!

Details at the end of this article

RTW: What aspect of rodeo intrigues you the most? How did you work that into Re-Ride At The Rodeo?

AC: I think it is the camaraderie amongst rodeo contestants that intrigues me the most. Most saddle bronc riders are best friends with other saddle bronc riders, and you’ll find that amongst all event contestants. For some it’s a family affair as with the Wright brothers in saddle bronc riding and the Cooper clan in tie-down roping.

As a result, rodeo cowboys help each other out, lending a vest, rigging or whatever if someone is in need. They travel with each other, they cheer each other on, even if it means that they will land out of the money, and they give each other pointers on how to ride various horses or bulls. Rodeo cowboys view the horse, bull or steer in their event as their competition rather than each other.

In Re-Ride at the Rodeo, Clay’s best friend is a bull rider and they are very close, maybe too close since they are initially interested in the same girl.

RTW: What is your background in rodeo and what sort of things did you research for this story?

Anne Carrole

AC: My sisters were barrel racers and, yes, we have rodeos in New Jersey. In fact, my hometown hosts a yearly rodeo and because it is small you can meet and talk to the cowboys, who are unfailingly polite. I just love being called ma’am. (You can view pictures from this year’s rodeo at on my Facebook page. Click on the photos tab).

New Jersey, in fact, is involved with rodeo more than you might expect. In southern NJ, Cowtown rodeo goes on every weekend in the summer and this year Atlantic City held its first ever Pro Rodeo which I was thrilled to attend since it attracted NFR caliber rodeo cowboys. And if you think New Jersey doesn’t have rodeo cowboys, well two team ropers from New Jersey beat out a couple of 2010 NFR finalist team ropers to win that rodeo’s event. If you know where to look, you’ll find rodeos, and cowboys, even on the East Coast.

Having followed rodeo over the years, my favorite event is saddle bronc riding because it has its antecedents in ranch life and the first rodeo event ever held. In saddle bronc riding I’ve been a fan of Cody Wright and enjoyed watching on TV as he won the NFR in 2008 and again in 2010. He has a little brother, Jesse Wright, who might just beat his big brother this year.

In saddle bronc riding a cowboy has to mark out when the gate opens which means his boots must be above the horse’s shoulders and held there until the horse’s feet hit the ground or else he will be disqualified. The cowboy must hold onto a rope with a single hand and his other hand cannot touch any part of the animal or saddle.

In saddle bronc riding it is not just about staying on, however. You have to look good doing it and that means spurring in rhythm with the animal--hard to do when the horse is bucking and twisting underneath you. Saddle bronc riding techniques are the hardest to learn, they say, but once learned, you never lose it.

I’ve been bucked off a horse myself a time or two so I know the feeling of slamming into hard ground.

RTW: Um, so do I and it's not pleasant. What’s the biggest misconception about rough stock riders? Give us your take on circuit cowboys.

AC: The biggest misconception about rough stock riders and rodeo cowboys in general is that they make a lot of money. Once you figure in all the expense and investment, even the top earners don’t clear a lot in proportion to the risk.

Saddle Bronc Saddle

In saddle bronc they supply their own saddle. New, it can run anywhere from $1300 to $2200. Then if they want a vest to protect them, that can be another $200 to $300. Bareback riders don’t have a saddle, of course, but they do have a rigging that goes for about $100 or so and their vest includes a neck brace so its pricier, running about $300 to $400. A bull rider might choose to wear a helmet which will set him back a little under a hundred and a vest that will cost $200-$300.

Then the cowboy has to look the part. Those Stetson hats that we writers like our heroes to wear can cost between $150 and $200 though you can get a wool one for less and a fancy beaver one for a lot more. Boots? A good set of croc boots could set you back over $400--and they laugh at city women and their Jimmy Choos! Then you’ve got to add spurs which can go from $35 upwards, depending on how fancy you want to get. Chaps can add another $300 more or less. Cowboys may laugh at women for the price they’ll pay for a pair of designer jeans and high heels, but cowboys know a thing or two about paying for quality.

There are entries fees at every rodeo which, depending on the size of the rodeo, can average about $300 per event. Sometimes the purse a cowboy is riding for is supplemented by the rodeo producers, particularly at the larger events, but frequently they are only playing for a cut of the entry fee pool. Due to the number of cowboys entered and the caliber of the stock, most of the time they don’t win.

Travel expenses are added on top of all this and are getting more expensive with each fill at the gas pump. Rodeo cowboys can travel over 100,000 miles in a year if they are covering the National circuit (instead of a regional circuit). Most travel is by car or truck. To save on gas, cowboys usually carpool two or three to a car. With gas going so crazy, it’s now more like four or six if they can all cram in.

Then there’s the issue of sleep, if you aren’t driving all night to the next rodeo. This is when it’s good to have friends in a town but if not, you’ve got to spring for a hotel room which you’ll generally share with those same guys you car pooled with. Now you know why rodeo riders are a tight knit group. In close quarters like this, there’s no room for dissension. There are several cowboys who blog while they are on the road so you can get a feel for what life is really like. Rodeo riders have to love the life because they aren’t doing it for the money.

My character, Clay Tanner, has a problem finding a room for the night when he comes to Wayback, Texas and he’s hoping Dusty can solve that problem for him. Dusty, though, doesn’t fall for slick lines meaning Clay may have to sleep on hard ground.

RTW: Why is Clay perfect for Dusty? How did these characters formulate in your imagination? And were they easy or stubborn to bring alive?

AC: At first, Clay and Dusty don’t seem suited to each other at all. Dusty’s late father was a rodeo cowboy and because he was away from home riding the circuit when she was growing up, the last person she wants to get involved with is another rodeo cowboy who will be living on the road. Independent and no-nonsense, Dusty wants the white picket fence and the guy who is home at six.

Clay‘s competitive and driven and he’s not interested in hearth and home. But the fact that Dusty seems indifferent to his charms intrigues him to the point that he makes a bet with a friend that he can get her to notice him.

Though they have opposite views of the future, Dusty and Clay find out they share a common bond in the past having both lost their father at a vulnerable age, leaving Dusty with trust issues and Clay with commitment issues creating a few twists along their road to happily ever after.

As a character, Dusty was a challenge because she was wounded deeper by her father’s absence when he was traveling the rodeo and the finality of his early death then she first let on to me. That made Clay have to work a lot harder for her trust—only to lose it at a critical juncture.

Clay doesn’t know anything is missing from his life until he experiences a real relationship, and then he doesn’t know what to do about it. Initially clueless, Clay is a fast learner.

RTW: Please lead us into your excerpt.

AC: This is the scene where Dusty and Clay first meet.

Excerpt:

    A few people scurried by, Coke and popcorn spilling from their hands. Dusty wiped the perspiration from her face and stole a look at her reflection in the shiny metal of the fountain.

    She hated wearing her hair up. It was long and, when clipped on top of her head, it was heavy. She squinted at her blurry image and readjusted the loosened clip.

   “Personally, I’d take it down.” The unfamiliar voice was rich and husky, its deep timbre sending a little shimmer through her.

    Taking time to get the clip right, she turned around. A tall, lean cowboy with slate-blue eyes was giving her the once-over. His lips curved into an unexpected smile. The sexiest she’d seen in awhile. A long while.

    Staring into those clear blue orbs framed by dark lashes too thick to be wasted on a man, threw her a little off-kilter, like her knees would give out any second. Years of being a waitress had taught her how to school her features into an expressionless stare, even as his gaze traveled from her face to her waist and back up again. He lingered at her small chest for an extra split second. About all the attention most men thought it was worth.

    How many?” she asked in her most business-like voice. No way would she let him see he’d had any effect on her. That handsome boyish face, shaded by a black Stetson, no doubt had left countless broken hearts along the way and was used to unbalancing women. He wouldn’t get any satisfaction from her.

    “How many times have I taken down a woman’s hair?” That smile became lopsided. Those eyes sparkled. And her heart skipped a beat.

RTW: Anything else you’d like to add?

AC: Just thanks for having me here and for creating this blog, Jacquie. I love reading about the West, then and now, and appreciate the opportunity to connect with others who enjoy the same.

And thank you, Anne, for taking the time to give us a glimpse of your story world.

Anne Carrole writes about cowboys who have grit, integrity and little romance on their mind and the women who love them.  To find out more about her, read Anne's bio on her website.  She also is co-editor of the review website, Love Western Romances.

And now, for the Contest!

Leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win a free pdf copy of Re-Ride at the Rodeo. Be sure to include your email address or your name will not be included in the drawing. Thanks for stopping by Romancing The West and visiting with Anne today!