Old West Group

Congressional laws helped lay the groundwork for change. Whereas the Homestead Act (1862) opened the West for settlement by individual farmers, other laws, such as the Railroad Enabling Act (1866), the Desert Land Grant Act (1877), and the Stone and Timber Land Act (1878), transferred millions of acres of land and the resources and raw materials below ground into the hands of cattlemen, railroads, and mining and land development companies. Railroad expansion in combination with government land policies and the breaking of Native American resistance on the Plains in the 1870s opened up the trans-Mississippi West for settlement and economic usage.

Constitutional change, too, contributed to this process. The Supreme Court removed many state laws restricting interstate commerce but also blocked federal attempts at regulation. Legal change helped to create a political environment in which forces of social change could unfold.

The fringe regions of civilization have always attracted "non-conformists" and anti-social types. Far from the restraining influences of government and society, men and women who were possessed of lawless tendencies found the West to their liking. Those individuals who chose the profession of highwayman and bandit would soon discover that although significant amounts of freedom the likes of which eluded them in the East could be found west of the Mississippi River, the lifestyle was a hard one. By all accounts the life of an outlaw was seedy, unglamorous, dangerous, and ultimately deadly with little hope of economic improvement for their material situations.

Crime had existed in the West long before… and parts of the Great Plains had witnessed violence as new cultures came into conflict on the sparsely populated borderlands. The West was not a lawless region. While the perception existed that the West was free of invasive government and social influence, there were vigilance committees like those established in the California and Colorado mines as well as citizens who were willing to carry out their own form of justice on criminals.

A criminal element existed alongside an element that was quite capable of inflicting significant punishment. While we generally think of crime in the form of shootouts and bank robberies, the number one crime reported in that region was actually embezzlement followed by petty theft.

The occasional riotous trail man, causing trouble and destruction at the railhead after a long haul on the cattle trails is also just that… minor, comparatively. Cowboys were known to cause trouble for cow towns, including drunken brawls and saloon fights, but no one town held their position as a railhead for any considerable time without the rowdy cowboys getting too much out of hand and causing local citizens much inconvenience.

Few individuals from these gangs of outlaws would live to see old age as their profession was quite dangerous. Finally, the cause of violence on the frontier was related more to anxiety, tension, frustration, and prejudice than any action by outlaws, Indian fighters, or vigilante groups.

The magnetism the fringe region of society has towards non-conformists and anti-social types, the general disregard for more stringent community security standards, disenfranchised and militarily trained young men, and anxiety, tension, frustration and prejudice. All of these reasons combined with a strong desire of the other regions of the United States to see the West as it was perceived to be: wild and untamed.

It was on this fringe region that formulated a situation in Sherman in the early years. After several conflicting events linking the 4 men, this unlikely group of men, Tims, Sorensen, O’Conner, and Claridge had formed the TSOC Cattle and Trade Company.

Together, they had organized a monopoly on the cattle and merchant trade in the area and furthered plans to gain control over the economy of the Laramie District, including a monopoly on filling profitable contracts from the military at Forts Laramie, Camp Brown, and Fort Sanders. Greed and the struggle for seniority and power between the company co-owners festered hatred and mistrust, but the greed for the dollar overshadowed any internal strife.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government resolved upon another round of cession of land from the Indians. Washington initially attempted to uphold treaty obligations, thus postponing settlement of the region. The government’s efforts failed, however, and found it increasingly difficult to keep prospective landowners out, when eastern newspaper editors promoted the rush to the West. Railroad workers, mules, wagons, guns, and associated equipment poured into the very center of Indian land. Farmers, ranchers, prostitutes, and businessmen soon followed.

Again profitability for the TSOC Cattle and Trade Company surged, but the higher costs of railroad land compared to public lands, and the fact that railroads pay no taxes on their lands, soon stirred charges of extortion. Jon Claridge developed a plan of greed and corruption of his own. These charges against O’Conner gave him a means to eliminate O’Conner from The TSOC Cattle and Trade Company.

Each new day brought new dangers. Besides the Indians, the TSOC Cattle and Trade Company, financially stable, began to gobble up the smaller ranches and farms one by one. But as the moneyed investors moved in, so did the lawlessness. While the populace's ethics might have been flawed, much of the disorder was probably explained by the excitement amid the physical discomfort. Generally speaking, wide-open atmosphere of places in the Wyoming Territory, such as Sherman, helped spawn lawbreakers.

There was a widespread perception that the law was crooked, twisted by, and for the benefit of the rich. Outlaws who claimed unjust men or bad luck had driven them into crime received considerable sympathy from the press. The many threats to body and soul produced a vigilante justice. Those charged with enforcing the law were not always dependable. The early population was overwhelmingly male, producing a fertile field for prostitution. The houses of ill-repute were well known throughout the area, and were considered legitimate businesses.

The people, fluxing into the area, could easily have been daunted as every day reports were coming in, telling of Sioux raids, lawlessness and murder that prevailed in Sherman and the surrounding area in the very area they were about to enter. Such news did nothing to change anyone's plans. The decision of the town leaders, and the TSOC Cattle Company was made to form a militia in addition to the Army, to ride alert with rifles in hand. Over 150 well armed, dedicated men stood watch at all times, patrolling the area. This militia was dedicated to the TSOC Cattle and Trade Company and commanded by Jon Claridge himself. Distinguished by the yellow sashes tied around their waists, the militia was hence known as the Yellow Sashes by many.

But during those early years, smaller towns, along the cattle trails, acquired its own stamp of lawlessness and gun-slinging. There was no local law enforcement and the military was far too concerned with the Indians to provide protection over the towns. The local militia, the Yellow Sashes, provided local protection where the TSOC Cattle and Trade Company deemed necessary. Ranchers, farmers, hunters, railroad workers, drifters, and soldiers scrapped and fought, leading to shootings in the streets and saloons. And that created a hasty need for a local burial place – Carver’s Coin Cemetery. Both, persons dying who had friends-enough money-or-sufficient standing in the community were buried next to others-penniless or unknown.

Business houses, dance halls and saloons catered to the trade at hand. Saloonkeepers served brandies, liqueurs, and the latest mixed drinks. Ice usually was available so even beer could be served cold. Some saloons advertised anchovies and Russian caviar on their cold menus. Gambling ranged from a game of five-cent "Chuck-aluck" to thousand dollar poker pots. Some hotels offered showers, or hot tubs, and even massages.

By mid-1869, while most businessmen went unremembered, the names Claridge, Tims, and Sorenson survived. The TSOC Cattle and Trade Company was prospering tenfold. The Yellow Sashes controlled and patrolled the area. Jon Claridge and the Yellow Sashes provided their own style of Justice with their own laws.

It was in October 1869, the local town councilmen hired Tom Sands as sheriff. Sheriff Sands was doing a remarkable job of trying to settle down Sherman. Within a year, Sands, with assistance of the Army, took control of the area and forced the TSOC Cattle and Trade Company to disband the militia and allow him local law enforcement. Fuel fires continued to wreak havoc in Sherman between ranchers and cattlemen despite Sands' efforts.

Angered by the extortion charges and betrayal, Andrew O’Connor approached Jon late one evening in the main office. As Andrew drew a pistol from his belt, aiming at Jon, but struck his son Andy in the chest. Just as the bullet struck its target, Thomas enters the room and witness the dastardly deed. Jon in retaliation over his son’s murder attacks Andrew, beating him to death. Afterwards, Thomas contacts Markus, and the three men begin a cover-up protecting Jon and his interest in the Company. In return, Thomas and Markus acquire Andrew’s share of the Company. Reluctantly, and afraid of his future, Jon agrees. The Company then changed its name to the Tims, Sorensen, and Claridge (TSC) Trading Company.

Within months of each other, Thomas J. Tims was killed in a stagecoach robbery and Markus T. Sorensen was ambushed and murdered in the streets of Cheyenne. Many claim Jon Claridge and the disbanded Yellow Sashes with the murders. They are arrested, charged, and tried by the District Court in Cheyenne, but alibis proved differently, and the standing jury found all innocent of the charges. Jon Claridge then assumed sole ownership of the TSC Trading Company and the men of the Yellow Sashes were not seen together again in public.

Next came the permanent railhead at Sherman, along with that, news of men wearing yellow sashes around their waists were committing robberies of banks, stagecoaches and even railroads. Finally the request for US Marshals to quell the lawlessness was granted. With this group of lawmen assigned to the Laramie District, was John Tyrone Wesley. Thus Sherman began to grow more in a civilized manner... first the TSC was not as powerful as it once was, the Yellow Sashes were banished from the area, a church was built, then a bank, a school (built by TSC funds), and other businesses sprang up and flourished. Cattlemen and drovers used Sherman as a stop-over. Late one evening, when John was in the Saloon, several men began arguing, it seemed as if a drunken brawl had turned to gunplay. It was in the crossfire of a gunfight that Sheriff Tom Sands was killed. John arrested Marcus Ruszo, one of Claridge’s men as the assailant, and Jon Claridge as a conspirator. Again, in the courts the two men were set free.

Over the next several months, As Sherman continued to grow and prosper, people flocked to town and its surrounding areas, the bitter personal feud between the Marshal and the local businessman grew - each accusing the other of underhanded acts - each with a vendetta to prove the other’s guilt. Claridge sought to own all of Sherman... John knew this, but could not prove it. He swore to keep Claridge from his goal. The town's people were divided in loyalty - Claridge had his own silent force of followers, not just those of previous years but supporters of his efforts, seeing him as good for the budding town.

Others sought peace and equality in their growing community by siding with John, their hearts knowing Claridge was involved in the illegal activities and goings-on. With the murderers still at large, only one of five had been caught, tried, and found guilty, and he was once a member of the Yellow Sashes, but he had killed in his jail cell awaiting transfer to the Kansas State Prison in Abilene.

Scrutiny from the Marshals, the absence of Wesley, and advice of his close friends, Jon made himself unavailable as to avoid any association with yellow sashes, Jon Claridge left Sherman on June 4th, 1870 headed for Kansas City. Marcus Ruszo remained in Sherman.


Another form of crime, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) born out of the Civil War, now extended into almost every southern state by 1870 and became a vehicle for white southern resistance to the Republican Party's Reconstruction-era policies aimed at establishing political and economic equality for blacks. Its members waged an underground campaign of intimidation and violence directed at white and black Republican leaders. Though Congress passed legislation designed to curb Klan terrorism, the organization saw its primary goal–the reestablishment of white supremacy–fulfilled through Democratic victories in state legislatures across the South in the 1870s.

It is popularly assumed that the frontier was full of brave, strong, reckless, and violent men, and that they helped make the frontier a violent and lawless place. Towns saw a considerable number of homicides but they were remarkably free from most crime: robbery, theft, and burglary occurred infrequently and bank robbery, rape, racial violence, and serious juvenile crime seemed to occur even less. While the homicide rate was high, the killings were almost always the result of fights between willing combatants. Thus, the old, the young, the unwilling, the weak, and the female were, for the most part, safe from harm.

In Sherman, the population was anything but homogeneous, and half of it was foreign born. There were some 5,400 people: approximately 850 of them had been born in Ireland, 750 in Canada, 550 in England and Wales, 350 in China, 250 in Germany, 120 in Scotland, 100 in Mexico, 80 in France, 60 in Sweden or Norway, and so on. The towns were distinctly cosmopolitan. Different languages, nationalities, races and religions all met in Sherman. The men were adventurous, enterprising, brave, young, single, intemperate, and armed. A few had made their way financially; most had not. It all should have added up to a reign of terror, but it didn't.

Sherman had a widespread reputation for violence, boasted populations of more than five thousand, and the money flow from the cattle and train industry was regular. Sherman boomed during the late 1860's and by 1870, the town was alive twenty-four hours a day, contained dozens of saloons and brothels, and had a disproportionately high numbers of young, single males. Women were outnumbered ten to one by men. Much of the population was transient, with men arriving or departing daily.

Sherman clearly was not a den of criminal activity, and residents of the town were far safer than claimed back East. Nonetheless, when it came to men fighting men, Sherman was unquestionably violent. Men fought men with fists, knives, and guns, and they often fought to the death. They occasionally fought over women or property, or even politics. But mostly they fought over who was the better man, real or imagined insults, and challenges to pecking order in the saloon.

The men involved in the fights were willing - often very willing - participants. Some of them were professionals, hired as gunmen for cattle companies. Others were simply teamsters, bartenders, carpenters, woodchoppers, and such. The men were mostly young and single, and adventurous and brave. The combination, sometimes laced with alcohol, led often to displays of reckless bravado and not infrequently to death.


Forty-seven (47) Shermanites were victims of homicide during the towns' boom years. The count could be considerably higher, if the grand jury could be believed because the town had been established a year or two or more before they had a full cattle-shipping season.

Thus the numbers of shootings and shootouts in Sherman may have been greatly exaggerated, which is concerned with the effect of the cattle trade on the towns and therefore found pre-cattle trade homicides irrelevant for that purpose. Moreover, violence was only a very tangential theme, almost an aside, whose principal focus was the entrepreneurial spirit and city-building impulse of the citizens of a small town.

Alcohol also played a major role in encouraging fighting as well. Sherman boasted some 25 or 30 saloons. The boys were kept well watered. It was considered manly to imbibe remarkable quantities of whiskey. Anyone who did not, was regarded with suspicion.

A visitor to Sherman in 1869 said:

Drunk and disorderly conduct was the most common entry in Sherman’s jail register.

A former Shermanite recalled that:

The character of the men of Sherman and their value system meant that they would fight. Their consumption of alcohol meant that they would fight often. And their carrying of guns meant that fighting could easily prove fatal. Although the armed state of the citizenry reduced the incidence of robbery, burglary, and theft, it also increased the number of homicides. Men were beaten to death and stabbed to death, but the great majority of homicides resulted from shootings. Without the gun, Shermanites would still have fought, but their fights would not have been so deadly.

The carrying of guns was never questioned. Shermanites believed they had a natural and inalienable right to self-defense. The gun was the most effective tool in exercising that right. Nearly every man went about armed.

Nor was the high homicide rate a subject of great concern. Shermanites accepted the killings because those killed, with only a few exceptions, had been willing combatants. They had chosen to fight.

Commenting on killings in Sherman’s newspaper said on January 7, 1871:
Moreover, many of those killed in Sherman were "ruffians" or "badmen," as they were called. If a badman died in a shootout, he was not to be pitied. Sudden and violent death was an occupational hazard he had assumed upon becoming a gunman.

Robbery occurred only infrequently. When it did occur the stagecoach was as likely to be robbed as was the individual citizen. There were eleven (11) robberies and 3 attempted robberies of stages and 3 attempted robberies of the trains. During the same period there were ten (10) robberies and 3 attempted robberies of individual citizens. When highwaymen stopped a stagecoach, they normally took only the express box and usually, with some exceptions, left the passengers with their possessions intact. Passengers frequently remarked that they had been treated courteously by the highwaymen. Highwaymen seemed to understand that they could take the express box without arousing the general populace, but if they began robbing passengers they would possibly precipitate a vigilante reaction.

Occasionally the stagecoaches carried money shipments to the East. These shipments were often of great value. Yet, not one of the paymaster stages was ever attacked by highwaymen. The reason is obvious. The paymaster stages, unlike the regular stages, were always guarded by two, three, or more rifle and shotgun-toting guards. Highwaymen preferred to prey on unguarded coaches, take whatever was in the express box, and escape with their health intact. Only once did highwaymen and guards exchange gunfire — a highwayman was killed and a guard wounded — and in that case the highwaymen had not expected to encounter any guards.

Fear of arrest could not have served as much of a deterrent to stage robbery. Only 3 road agents were ever apprehended, and just 2 of them were convicted of robbery. Although bank holdups are probably the form of robbery, after stagecoach holdups, most popularly associated with the frontier. Bankers went about armed, as did their employees, and robbers, like the highwaymen who avoided the guarded paymaster stages, evidently were not willing to tangle with armed men.

Individual private citizens in Sherman very rarely suffered from robbery. There were only 10 robberies and 3 attempted robberies of individuals - other than those robbed as part of a stage holdup. In nearly every one of these robberies the circumstances were so similar as to be interchangeable: The robbery victim had spent the evening in a gambling den, saloon, or brothel; he had revealed in some way that he had on his person a tidy sum of money; and he was drunk, staggering toward home late at night when the attack occurred.

More robberies might have occurred if Shermanites had not gone about armed and ready to fight. They were, unless staggering drunk, simply too dangerous to rob.

Robbers occasionally made mistakes though.

Sober armed men were not to be trifled with.

The few robberies and attempted robberies of individuals, unlike the stage holdups, outraged the citizens and provoked talk of vigilantism. "This business of garroting…" as the Sherman Sun termed mugging and robbery, "…is getting a little too common. The parties engaged in it may wake up one of these fine mornings and find themselves hanging to the top of a liberty pole." The Sherman newspaper, later called for the formation of a vigilance committee, arguing that one or two examples of vigilante justice was usually "sufficient to purify" the town.

Burglary, like robbery, was an infrequent event in Sherman. Between 1868 and 1870 there were only 32 burglaries, 17 of homes and 15 of businesses.

Theft was more common than robbery or burglary but still of infrequent occurrence. Sherman recorded some 45 instances of theft. Since the town was nestled in mountains at an elevation of 8,400 feet or more, it is not surprising to find that firewood and blankets were the items most commonly stolen. Of Sherman’s 45 instances of theft only 6 involved horses. Just 2 horse thieves were caught, and they were punished far less severely than has been traditionally supposed: one was sentenced to serve six months in the county jail, and the other a year in the Kansas state penitentiary. Although thousands of head of cattle grazed in the Laramie District, cattle rustling, except for Indian thefts, seems to have occurred a lot less than reported.

It could be that four or five times as much robbery, burglary, and theft occurred in Sherman, but went unreported in the newspapers and unrecorded in the jail registers and court records. However, of the three crimes, robbery would be the least likely to go unreported, especially stagecoach holdups which accounted for half of Sherman's robberies.

Deterrents to Crime… Such low rates of robbery, burglary, and theft cannot be attributed to swift and certain justice meted out by the criminal justice system in Sherman. Rarely were any robbers, burglars, or thieves even arrested. Law officers often had a rather casual approach to their job, and some operated on both sides of the law: a gang leader and several of his men served as officers for a time in Sherman, and several officers may have cooperated with robbers. On the rare occasions when a suspect actually was arrested, chances were good that, if prosecuted, he would not be convicted. Since so few men were convicted, it hardly seems possible that the normal punishment that followed - imprisonment in jail or the penitentiary—could have served as much of a deterrent.

There seems to be little question that the principal deterrent to robbery, burglary, and theft in Sherman was the armed citizenry. Not only were the citizens armed but often they had professional training and experience in the use of firearms. Many of the residents had fought in the Civil War. This was especially true of the Irish-born residents who had arrived in the United States just in time, and in such a condition, to make them likely candidates for service in the war. Thus the citizens had arms, knew how to use them, and were willing to fight with deadly force to protect their persons or property.

Three other factors may also have worked as deterrents: full or near-full employment, religion, and a collective sense of optimism.

Sherman usually could count on full or near-full employment during their boom years, although there were periods, especially when the reduction or suspension of train operations caused some unemployment. The slightly greater amount of larcenous crime reported might be explained by the larger number of Shermanites who suffered periodic unemployment.

Religion's role as a deterrent is even more speculative than that of employment. Nonetheless, most of those who suffered periodic unemployment had been reared with the religion of one Christian denomination or another and the values and morality of the Christian tradition must have exerted at least some influence on them. Regular church services were held by the half-dozen denominations in town. However, since it was not until recently that the church was erected and then it was the women of Sherman who sponsored the fund-raisers for construction, it would seem that the mostly young, single, and male Shermanites considered the building projects something less than a top priority.

Perhaps the most important deterrent to larcenous crime, but also the most intangible and therefore the most difficult to evaluate, was the optimistic attitude of Shermanites. They had hope. They had hope of a better future, of big herds, of new adventures. While men have hope, no matter what their present circumstances, they are probably less likely to resort to crime.

The women residents of Sherman, with the exception of those who were prostitutes, rarely suffered from any kind of crime or violence. During boom years there were only some 30 violent encounters between men and women, and prostitutes were involved in 25 of the incidents. When women assaulted or fought with other women, prostitutes accounted for 13 of the 17 recorded incidents. Very few of these violent encounters had serious consequences. Only one woman died as the result of an attack—in that case the woman was a former prostitute and her murderer was insane, and only one other was seriously injured.

Prostitutes unquestionably bore the brunt of the little violence against women that did occur. While "decent" women were treated with the greatest deference, prostitutes were socially ostracized and generally shown little respect. Newspapers often treated the punching or slapping of a prostitute humorously, and the attitude of the police and judges was only slightly better. Men who assaulted prostitutes were usually arrested for their attacks, but their punishments were far less severe than if they had assaulted "respectable" women. The double standard extended even to the graveyard. Prostitutes who died in Sherman were buried outside the fence of the graveyard. Prostitutes were both figuratively and literally outside the pale.

Nonetheless, even prostitutes do not seem to have been the victims of rape. There were no reported cases of rape in Sherman. Admittedly, rape might have occurred but was not reported. Rape is a crime that has often gone unreported, as rape victims are often reluctant to report an attack. However, there were two reports of attempted rape (in neither case was the allegation substantiated) and this possibly indicates that had rape occurred it would have been reported. Moreover, there is absolutely no evidence of any sort that rape occurred but escaped the attention of the authorities.

On the other hand, there is a considerable body of evidence which indicates that women, other than prostitutes, were rarely the victims of any kind of offense and were treated with the utmost respect. Women enjoyed special status, partly because of the morality of the times and partly because they were a rare commodity in western railhead towns.

Sherman women did not necessarily depend on men for defense against an attack. There were several instances of prostitutes or brothel madams grabbing guns and putting unruly, drunken customers to flight.

Prostitutes were not the only gun-toting women in Sherman. When a dispute arose between a man and a woman over the ownership of a portion of a city lot, the woman, believing herself to be the rightful owner, ordered the man off the property. However, as the Sherman Sun put it, since "he was a large man and she was a small lady, he concluded to tarry yet a while." The small lady quickly tired of the standoff, though. She pulled out a six-shooter, took dead aim at the man, and again ordered him to leave. This time he did, and in a hurry.

Lynching is the practice whereby a mob - usually several dozen or several hundred persons--takes the law into its own hands in order to injure and kill a person accused of some wrongdoing. The alleged offense can range from a serious crime like theft or murder to a mere violation of local customs and sensibilities. The issue of the victim's guilt is usually secondary, since the mob serves as prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner. Due process yields to momentary passions and expedient objectives.

Extralegal Frontier Justice… Vigilantism… or Summary Justice

On a couple of occasions, however, the citizens of Sherman thought it necessary to react to homicides in an extralegal fashion. The homicides in question both involved clearly innocent victims who were given no opportunity to defend themselves. The citizenry was outraged and responded by forming vigilance committees. The committees were considered "socially constructive" committees of vigilance: they were supported by a majority of the townspeople, including the leading citizens; they were well regulated; they dealt quickly and effectively with criminal problems; they left the towns in more stable and orderly conditions; and when opposition developed, they disbanded.

The coroner's jury assembled… For two days the jury carefully investigated the case and heard the testimony of more than a dozen witnesses, including the two eyewitnesses. Not surprisingly, the jury found that the killing was "a willful and premeditated murder." The Sun expressed the mood of the town, saying that the murder was "so cold-blooded and cowardly, and was committed for a purpose seemingly so base and sordid, and under precedent circumstances so revolting to every impulse and sensibility of manhood, that it has stirred the blood of every human being in Sherman to the very springhead of the fountain."

Ruszo had obviously stepped far over the line—this was not an act of self-defense nor was it the shooting of an infamous badman who had threatened his life—and Shermanites were outraged.

By the time the coroner's jury rendered its verdict, a vigilance committee, the Yellow Sashes, had been thoroughly organized. The vigilantes operated like the military veterans many of them were. They were organized into companies and squads, had their own elected officers and a command structure, and went about their business in a quiet, orderly, and determined matter.

Within an hour, hundreds of men were discussing his fate in a street meeting in front of the Grand Palace hotel. Most argued that he should be hanged immediately, while a few urged that the law be allowed to take its course. The more the murder was discussed, though, the greater the indignation, until finally the crowd began to move toward the jail. Into the street jumped Sherman’s leading attorney. He brought the crowed to a halt and convinced the men to do nothing rash and allow the charged man to be examined in justice court.

When the testimony in justice court did not differ materially from that given before the coroner's jury, the Yellow Sashes, after a "long and deliberate" discussion in a formal meeting, decided that the man should hang. The vigilantes assembled in companies and squads, marched to the jail, and demanded the prisoner. Facing hundreds of organized, determined, and armed vigilantes, the sheriff simply released the prisoner. The vigilantes then marched the prisoner to the very spot where he had killed Taylor and hanged him from a makeshift gallows. While the man was still dangling from the rope, a note was pinned to his chest: "All others take warning. Let no one cut him down. Yellow Sashes."

Two days later the coroner summoned a jury to investigate the death of Joseph DeRoche. The jurors, some of whom could have been members of the Yellow Sashes, quickly rendered a verdict: "The deceased came to his death at the hands of persons unknown to the jury."

The summary execution was not praised by everyone in Sherman, however. Some 90 men organized the Law and Order Association which was dedicated to aiding and protecting the officers of the law in the discharge of their official duties. At about the same time, though, Yellow Sashes disbanded and the Law and Order Association had only one more meeting before it too faded from the scene.

Importantly, the Yellow Sashes (and the vigilance committee that operated in Sherman, the Citizens Safety Committee) was formed not because there was no established criminal justice system, but because the system had not been able to convict anyone other than a deranged loner who had beaten a woman to death. Although killers were invariably arrested and charged with murder, most were discharged after justice court had determined that they had acted in self-defense.

In Sherman, some forty men were arrested for murder (on three occasions more than one man was arrested for the same murder) but only seven of these eventually went to trial in superior court. Of the seven who were tried all but one were found not guilty.

Now it was early September 1870, while John and 4 other Deputies were out of town investigating a ranch burning, a young man with a Navy Colt 44 on his hip rode hard toward a meeting place, as he entered the gulch, where the others were waiting, then all together the 12 men rode down toward the ranch, all hooded with yellow sashes wrapped around the waists, several men had torches, regardless that the sun still up... two men ride to the barn and tossed torches into it, as the others opened the corral and let out the horses, herding them toward the south... one man gets down and heads for the bunkhouse, checking inside, then tossing the torch inside, setting it ablaze... four men came from the main house firing their rifles and shotguns at the hooded men, killing 2 of them and wounding 3 more, the young hooded man turned drew his gun and killed two of the men, the other hooded men began firing at the other men. As shots crossed the open area, a woman and her daughter came thru the door of the main house – both dropped where they stood. The hooded men rallied together and rode off... the 4 men suspected to be ranch hands, the woman and her daughter lay dead, the bunkhouse and barn were ablaze as the men rode off with about 35 head of horses belonging to the Circle Bar M...