Tales of the Lawman Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pat Garrett

Pat Garrett, who was born in Alabama, headed west at the age of eighteen after the deaths of his parents. As he made his way to New Mexico, where he gained fame, he worked as a buffalo hunter and cowboy. After being elected sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, Garrett requested that he be appointed deputy before his term even began, and began his search of Billy the Kid, who was wanted for the murder of Sheriff William J. Brady.

After Garrett shot the outlaw, many writers wrote stories that showed him to be more of a folk hero, while Garrett appeared to be more of a killer. Consequently, Garrett published a book, "The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid", which many today believe to be a bit of an embellishment of the true story. Afterwards, Garrett made his living in a variety of ways, and was even appointed as collector of customs in El Paso by Theodore Roosevelt. Although it is known that Pat Garrett was murdered, the circumstances surrounding his death are still a mystery.

Answer: Bill Tilghman

Bill Tilghman was born in Iowa, however, when he was three years old his family moved to Kansas. As a young man he was a buffalo hunter for the men building the railroad, and claimed that he killed 3,300 animals. Tilghman served as a deputy under Bat Masterson, but eventually gained an appointment as the marshal of Dodge City, Kansas, one of the most notorious towns of the Old West.

After moving to Oklahoma, he became the marshal of Perry. Another lawless region, Oklahoma was terrorized by Bill Doolin and the Wild Bunch, and Tilghman's efforts led to Doolin's capture and the annihilation of his gang. Subsequently, Tilghman continued to serve as a lawman, served a term in the Oklahoma Senate, and even directed and starred in a film about his own life. He died the victim of a gunshot wound while working as a special investigator into the activities of a U.S. prohibition agent.

Answer: Ben Daniels

Born in Illinois, Ben Daniels was supporting himself as a buffalo hunter in Kansas before he was twenty years old. He was incarcerated in a Wyoming prison after being found guilty of stealing mules, and moved to Dodge City, Kansas, after serving his time. There he became involved in law enforcement with Bat Masterson and opened his own saloon.

He moved to western Kansas after being acquitted in a murder case, and subsequently enlisted in the Rough Riders when the Spanish-American War began, fighting in the Battle of San Juan Hill and, according to some sources, saving Theodore Roosevelt's life. His association with Roosevelt eventually led to two appointments as United States Marshal for the Territory of Arizona, and one as Superintendent of Yuma Territorial Penitentiary, in spite of his rather shady reputation. He was asked to resign his office when Roosevelt left office, and worked in mining and as the sheriff of Pima County, where he was involved in finding the culprits in what is considered to be the last train robbery in Arizona, that of the Golden State Limited, outside of Tucson.

Answer: John Selman

John Selman, born in Arkansas, was one of those individuals from the Old West who was on both sides of the law at one time or another. After his family moved to Texas and his father died, Selman enlisted in the Texas Cavalry and fought for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. His outlaw status came from the fact that he was a deserter from the Confederate Army; in New Mexico he was the leader of a group called "Selman's Scouts", that was accused of wrongdoing.

After charges against him were cleared, Selman worked as a constable in El Paso, Texas. The shooting of John Wesley Hardin actually also involved Selman's son, John, Jr., who was a policeman. He had been involved in an altercation with Hardin and apparently had been beaten. Selman Sr. shot Hardin during a confrontation over the incident. Less than a year later Selman was shot by a U.S. Marshal who was faster on the draw than he was.

Answer: Wyatt Earp

Wyatt Earp was born in Monmouth, Illinois, to a large family; the family eventually resettled in California. By the time he was sixteen years old, Wyatt was assisting his older brother, Virgil, working as a teamster, driving cargo from California to Nevada, and Utah Territory. It was during the time he worked hauling supplies for the Union Pacific Railroad, that Wyatt learned boxing and gambling. When the Earp family moved to Missouri, he became a constable in the town of Lamar.

After the death of his first wife, Urilla, Earp had legal and personal difficulties that led to his relocation Wichita, Kansas. It was there that he began his career as a marshal. By the time of his infamous association with The Cowboys, which was a group of outlaws who were cattle rustlers and robbers, he had served in Dodge City before moving on to Tombstone, Arizona, and becoming the sheriff there. He led the Earp Vendetta Ride because he believed they were responsible for the death of his brother, Morgan, and the injury to his brother, Virgil; these actions are believed to have been Cowboy retaliation for the deaths of three of their members at the O.K. Corral. Afterwards, Wyatt made a living gambling, running faro tables in Colorado, and in the mining business. He died in California at the age of 80.

Answer: Roy Bean

Roy Bean, who was originally from Kentucky, certainly led an interesting life. After moving to Texas he worked as a blockade runner during the American Civil War; afterward he continued to work as teamster. It appears that his service as a justice of the peace coincided with his opening and operating a saloon.

Known for his uncommon judgements, it was typical for Bean to demand a fine for the offense - which he then kept for himself. Many times the amount the individual was fined was the amount of money he had with him at the time! He charged $5 for a wedding and $10 for a divorce, and continued to serve as the justice of the peace even after he lost his position in an election. It has been written, however, that as he aged, Bean used the money for public good, such as keeping the schoolhouse supplied with wood or helping the poor.

Answer: Bat Masterson

Bat Masterson was born in Quebec, Canada. His family moved around quite a bit before settling in Wichita, Kansas. Before they were twenty, he and two of his brothers made names for themselves hunting buffalo. After his recovery from a gunshot wound, Masterson became undersheriff at Dodge City, and was eventually appointed city marshal of Trinidad, Colorado.

He became involved in an incident that is called the Dodge City War; an old foe, Lawrence E. "Larry" Deger, tried to force his friend, Luke Short, out of the saloon business. Short called upon a group of friends, including Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and Charlie Bassett, who came to Short's rescue, and posed together for a photograph that was called the "Dodge City Peace Commission". Masterson's career as a lawman was over shortly after that for the most part. He worked in a variety of jobs before becoming a journalist in New York City.

Answer: Allan Pinkerton

Born in Scotland, Allan Pinkerton migrated to America, where he became the first police detective in Chicago, Illinois, in 1849; he formed his own detective agency, which eventually became Pinkerton & Co, a year later. During the American Civil War, Pinkerton worked for President Lincoln and served as the head of the Union Intelligence Service for two years. He and his men worked undercover as both Confederate and Union soldiers to gather military intelligence.

After the war Pinkerton was hired by railroad companies to catch Jesse James; his inability to catch the famous outlaw is considered by many to be his biggest defeat. Even after the railroad quit paying for his services, Pinkerton continued his quest until one of his agents was killed. Pinkerton died in 1884; at the time he was working on a central criminal identification system, which is considered to be the forerunner to the system used by the FBI today.

Answer: John Hicks Adams

Born in Illinois, John Hicks Adams was swept up in the gold mining craze in California after serving in the Mexican War. Shortly after successfully running for sheriff for Gilroy and Almaden Township, he had a run-in with a group called Captain Ingram's Partisan Rangers, a Confederate partisan group, who were robbing stagecoaches in the area. When he found where they were hiding, Adams demanded their surrender; when they failed to comply, all in the building were either killed or taken prisoner.

Adams was involved in an incident with another partisan group, the Mason Henry Gang, who were forced to flee from the area; Henry was finally killed by Sheriff Adams. He was the first sheriff in Santa Clara County to be elected to three consecutive terms; he continued to mine and serve as a lawman until he died after being ambushed by Mexican bandits.

Answer: Isaac Parker

Born and raised in Ohio, Isaac Parker moved to St. Joseph, Missouri, after passing the Ohio bar exam. During the American Civil War he served in the 61st Missouri Emergency Regiment, which was a pro-Union home guard; afterwards he served as a judge and congressman. President Grant appointed him as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

During his twenty-one years of service, Parker tried 13,490 cases; in 8500 of the cases, the individual either pleaded guilty or was found guilty. While 160 of the defendants were sentenced to death only 79 of them were actually executed; the typical method of capital punishment used at the time was hanging.