Bill Tilghman

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William Matthew "Bill" Tilghman (1854–1924) was a lawman in the American Old West. Tilghman was a rarity among the peace officers of the times in that he seems to have been honest and incorruptible.

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[edit] Early life

Tilghman was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on July 4, 1854. He became a buffalo hunter at age 15 and claimed he killed over 12,000 bison over his five years of activity. During this time he may have become acquainted with other legendary figures such as Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Mysterious Dave Mather, who also hunted buffalo. Tilghman's older brother, Richard, hunted with him, and at one point during the mid-1870s when the hunting team was attacked by a war party of American Indians, his brother was killed. [1]

Following his hunting career, Tilghman moved to Dodge City, Kansas, where he used the money he had saved to open a saloon in 1875. Tilghman was a teetotaler but, like so many of the famous figures of the Old West, he saw owning a saloon as an irresistible financial opportunity.

[edit] Law enforcement

In September 1878, he served as a scout for the U.S. Cavalry during a surge of Cheyenne raids on settlements, working along side the likes of gunman John Joshua Webb. Later that same year, he was approached by Bat Masterson to serve as a deputy sheriff, and he accepted. He served in that capacity until 1884 and earned an excellent reputation, working at various law enforcement jobs for the rest of his life, earning the respect of Masterson, Doc Holliday, and Wyatt and Virgil Earp. By 1889 Tilghman moved on to Guthrie, Oklahoma, during the land rush. Town Marshal Bill Grimes approached him to serve as deputy marshal, and he accepted.

The territory had formerly been part of the Indian Territory and was still one of the most lawless places in the west. As a deputy US Marshal, Tilghman was one of the three men most responsible for finally bringing law and order to the area. The others were Heck Thomas and Chris Madsen. The trio, serving under "Hanging Judge" Parker, were collectively known as the Three Guardsmen and were responsible for the arrest and/or killings of many of the worst criminal elements of the era, numbering by some estimates as high as 300 arrests, including the systematic elimination of the notorious Wild Bunch. On January 15, 1895, his single handed capture of Bill Doolin in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, brought him increased fame as a lawman, for which he became best known. That same year he shot and wounded Doolin gang member "Little Bill" Raidler. Raidler was sentenced to prison and was released some years later because he suffered constantly from his gunshot wounds. Raidler died in 1904 as a result of those wounds.

[edit] Retirement, return to law enforcement

Tilghman retired from his position in 1910 and was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate. He also accepted the position of police chief of Oklahoma City in 1911. In 1915, he acted as an advisor for the movie The Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws. The film is noted as an early attempt to de-glamorize the image of outlaws. In 1924, the aging Tilghman accepted a position as marshal of Cromwell, Oklahoma.

[edit] Murder

He was in the job less than a year before he was killed in the line of duty. He die on November 1, 1924. Wiley Lynn, a corrupt prohibition agent, shot him. Lynn and Tilghman had had numerous verbal confrontations because Lynn repeatedly released prisoners who were arrested by Tilghman. The incident began on Halloween night, when Tilghman, Deputy Hugh Sawyer, and businessman W. E. Sirmans were having coffee at a cafe called Ma Murphy's.

Shots were heard outside, and Tilghman drew his handgun and went outside. In the street stood a drunken Wiley Lynn, with a gun in his hand. Brothel madame Rose Lutke was standing beside him. Another prostitute, Eva Caton, was sitting inside Lynn's car with a date, a furloughed army sergeant. Tilghman clasped Lynn's gunhand and called for Deputy Sawyer to come assist. [2]

As Sawyer ran outside, Tilghman, Lynn and Rose Lutke stood body to body in the darkness. Two shots rang out, and Lutke screamed. As Deputy Sawyer rushed forward, Tilghman slumped forward and fell. Deputy Sawyer, inexperienced, did not fire but rather disarmed Lynn and yelled "Wiley Lynn has shot the marshal". Lynn then fled with Rose Lutke to the car and sped away. [3]

Tilghman's body was laid in state at the Oklahoma state Capitol. One month later, the town of Cromwell was torched, allegedly by angry citizens, with every brothel, bar, flop house and pool hall burned to the ground. No one took credit for the arson, although it has been suggested that instead of citizens, it was former lawman friends to Tilghman, led by former Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris Madsen. [4]

Rose Lutke disappeared, and was never heard from again. Wiley Lynn escaped prosecution because, evidently, Deputy Sawyer was unable to say that he actually saw Lynn shoot Tilghman because of the darkness. The town of Cromwell never recovered to its former "wild" status, and as of a 2000 census, its population was less than 300 residents. In 1932, Lynn was shot and killed in a shootout with Oklahoma Crime Bureau agent Crockett Long, who had been a friend to Tilghman. Long and a teenaged bystander were also killed during the shootout, by Lynn. [5]

The 1999 made-for-television movie You Know My Name was based on Tilghman's life and final days. Veteran western movie actor Sam Elliott produced the film and starred as Tilghman. His wife, Zoe Agnes Stratton Tilghman, wrote about him in the book Marshal of the Last Frontier.

[edit] Quotes about Tilghman

  • His friend and fellow lawman Bat Masterson referred to him as "the greatest of us all." [6]

[edit] Further reading

  • Zoe Tilghman, "Marshal of the Last Frontier" at Amazon (not consulted)

[edit] External links

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