THE LIFE AND LYNCHING OF KILLIN’ JIM MILLER IDWEST WILD COE 02VL 5 O 3 NO. 25, VOL. 2012 OCTOBER

THE Wyatt Earp’s gunfight of the century

..CORRAL O.K. Showdown at the O.K.Corral • ILN I MILLER JIM KILLIN' • ETR GRAVES WESTERN • USASI CALIFORNIA IN RUSSIANS • EA AGR IHWINCHESTERS WITH RANGERS TEXAS

What you can learn from a Western gravestone

EDRHSOYGROUP HISTORY WEIDER The prostitute queen of Virginia City

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© 2012 Offi ce of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism. FEATURES BOB STINSON Tombstones in Tombstone, Arizona, are a big deal on Boothill, as photographed by Bob Stinson (for more grave matters, see P. 48). Cover 28 Fatal Mix-up on 40 The Lynching of Story Fremont Street Assassin Jim Miller By Roger Jay By Ellis Lindsey The participants in Tombstone’s For a quarter century “Killin’ Jim” had famous gunfight near the O.K. Corral gotten away with murder for hire, but had welcomed a war of words, but in Ada, Okla., in 1909 his string of good when it came to letting bullets fly, fortune ran out at the end of a rope. they were reluctant warriors. 48 Where Legends Rest 36 The Day In the West Rangers Relied Pictorial by Bob Stinson The spirit of the wild frontier graces On Winchesters the gravesites of notable Western By Wayne R. Austerman personalities, from Doc Holliday to Tom Comanche and Kiowa warriors Horn, Buffalo Bill Cody to Warren Earp. outnumbered his Texas Rangers 4- to-1, but Sergeant Edward Cobb and his men had Model 1866 Winchesters. 56 Missions, Sea Otters ON THE COVER: Nicholas Eggenhofer rendered an earlier Gunfight And California Indians at the O.K. Corral painting for Stuart Lake’s 1931 Wyatt Earp biog- raphy Frontier Marshal but left Doc Holliday out of the picture. By Daniel J. Demers Doc (holding shotgun) stands beside the three Earp brothers in While Spain sought to Christianize Eggenhofer’s second version, done for the 1955 reprint shown on the California Indians, Russia’s our cover. In both versions the opposition includes five men— the McLaury brothers, the Clanton brothers and Billy Claiborne, interest in the region was purely though Claiborne was leaving when the shooting started. (Image: commercial, notably the harvesting National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, via Lee A. Silva) of sea otter and seal furs.

OCTOBER 2012 WILD WEST 1 DEPARTMENTS

4 Editor’s Letter 25 Art of the West 6 Letters By Johnny D. Boggs In his bronzes and paintings Maurice Turetsky 8 Roundup captures Billy the Kid and other key figures The Wild West History Association honors from the Lincoln County War. Lone Star State author Bill O’Neal for his Wild West article “Texas: Gunfighter Capital 26 Western Enterprise of the Frontier.” Plus author Ellis Lindsey’s 8 By John Koster 25 “Top Ten” myths about Killin’ Jim Miller. Weather was more daunting than the Indians, but nothing could stop the transcontinental 14 Interview telegraph, completed in less than four months. By Johnny D. Boggs An expert on historic Americana, Wes Cowan 64 Reviews discusses his love of history and antiques and the Jim Miller biographer Ellis Lindsey looks at founding of Cincinnati-based Cowan’s Auctions. books about the West’s most proficient hired killer. Plus reviews of Butch Cassidy, My Uncle 16 Westerners and other new books and a DVD review of A meeting of three celebrated creative minds the first season of the TV classic Maverick. of the West—C.M. Russell, William S. Hart and 14 26 Will James—occurred in Los Angeles in 1924. 74 Ghost Towns By Dave Lauterborn 18 Gunfighters and Lawmen Masons founded this eastern Sierra Nevada By Thomas Cobb gold-mining town, but it took a jumpy 16-year-old Arizona’s deadliest gunfight involved the Power from nearby Bodie to trigger its boom. brothers, not the Earp brothers or Clanton brothers or McLaury brothers, and went off 37 years after 76 Collections the far more famous fight near the O.K. Corral. By Linda Wommack Pawnee Bill was a showman second only to 20 Pioneers and Settlers 18 Buffalo Bill, and his Oklahoma museum and 76 By Dennis Goodwin ranch are showplaces for artifacts and buffalo. Miss Julia Bulette once sat proud and pretty atop a horse-pulled fire truck in Virginia City, Nevada, 78 Guns of the West but in January 1867 someone murdered her in bed. ByLeeA.Silva This particular Single Action Army Colt revolver 22 Indian Life was likely used at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. By Dennis Sumrak The destruction of the Navajos’ peach orchards 80 Go West! in Canyon de Chelly added insult to injury during If a tree falls in Sequoia National Park, the Army’s brutal 1864 scorched-earth campaign. 22 everyone hears it. 80

Visit our NEW WEB SITE www.WildWestMag.com for these great exclusives: Onlineextras October 2012 WWHA Article Winner The Wild West History Association (WWHA) honors Bill O’Neal’s article “Texas: Gunfighter Capital of the West” (October 2011 Wild West) with its 2012 award for best Western history article. More on Maurice Turetsky The New Mexico artist’s work reflects his obsession with Billy the Kid. “The last painting I did,” he says, “was the death scene of Billy the Kid, and I thought, ‘That’s the end.’ But then I went back to the theme of Billy the Kid. I’ve got some more ideas on Billy.”

Showgirls and Graves www.WildWestMag.com Author-photographer Bob Stinson writes of this unusual pictorial feature: “One of my life’s biggest passions is Western history, and Discussion: How do you feel about vigilante (read “mob”) action I am drawn to old cemeteries. I came up with the idea of taking pictures at gravesites of Western icons and adding sex appeal.” in the Wild West? Was it ever justified? Specifically, was it justified in the case of Jim Miller, aka “Killin’ Jim” and The Real O.K. Corral Story “Deacon Jim”? Miller had gotten away with murder one way An interview with Jeff Guinn, author of The Last Gunfight: or another for a quarter century before some 40 citizens of The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral—And Ada, Oklahoma, took him out of jail and hanged him in 1909. How It Changed the American West.

2 WILD WEST OCTOBER 2012 $'9(57,6(0(17 &RPH H[SHULHQFHWKHULFK KLVWRU\RI.DQVDV )URP SLRQHHUV WUDYHOLQJ WKH 6DQWD )H 7UDLOWKURXJK IRU DQ ROG :HVWHUQPRYLH7KH)URQWLHU0LOLWDU\6FHQLF WKH ´%OHHGLQJ .DQVDVµFRQÁLFWOHDGLQJWRVWDWHKRRGWR %\ZD\³WUDFLQJ HDUO\ EDWWOHV RYHU VODYHU\³LV D PXVW WKH ZLOG IURQWLHU GD\V RI 'RGJH &LW\DXWKHQWLFH[SHUL IRU KLVWRU\EXIIV HQFHV DQG FKDQFHV IRU GLVFRYHU\ DZDLW  'HWRXU WR OLYHO\ GRZQWRZQV OLNH +D\V· +LVWRULF 7DNHWKH7UDLOVWR$GYHQWXUHDQGGLVFRYHUWKHOHDG &KHVWQXW 6WUHHW 'LVWULFW DQG HQMR\ IURPVFUDWFK PHDOV LQJ SODFHV WKDW VKDSHG WKH VWDWH DQG WKH DQG XQLTXH VKRSV 2UKDYH OXQFKLQDQ QDWLRQ 6HH WKH IDPRXV -RKQ %URZQ HDWHU\ DORQJ 0DVVDFKXVHWWV 6WUHHW LQ PXUDOV LQ WKH 7RSHND&DSLWRODQGYLVLW KLVWRULF GRZQWRZQ /DZUHQFH VLWH RI WKH VLWH RI %URZQ·V3RWWDZDWRPLH0DV 4XDQWULOO·V5DLGRQ$XJXVW VDFUH LQ  )URQWLHU IRUWV DERXQG LQ  )RXUGLVWLQFWVHDVRQVWUDQVIRUP.DQ .DQVDV VXFK DV )RUW /HDYHQZRUWKDQG VDV· ODQGVFDSH DQG RSSRUWXQLWLHVFRPH )RUW 5LOH\ KRPH RI WKH 86 &DYDOU\ ZLWK HDFK RQH +LNH ÀVK ERDW KXQW 0XVHXP DQG WKH &XVWHU +RXVH DQG ELNH LQ  VWDWH SDUNVPDQ\ZLWK 7HQ E\ZD\V WUDYHUVH  PLOHV ELJ ZDWHU DQG GUDPDWLF ODQGVFDSHV$QG WKURXJK IULHQGO\ FRPPXQLWLHV DQG \RX·OO ÀQG DOO VRUWV RI FRPIRUWDEOHORGJ PHPRUDEOH VFHQHU\IURPHFRORJLFDOO\ LQJV DQG FDPSJURXQGVDORQJWKHZD\ LPSRUWDQW ZHWODQGV WR UHGURFN EXWWHV  9LVLW 7UDYHO.6FRP WRGD\ WR RUGHU WKDW ZRXOG PDNH WKH SHUIHFW EDFNGURS \RXU IUHH.DQVDV9LVLWRUV·*XLGH

KansasThere’s no place like TravelKS.com . 800.2Kansas, ext. WW

Immerse yourself in the myths, truths and romance of the “Old West.” Civil War sites, frontier outposts, cow towns and working ranches – history lives in Kansas. EDITOR’S LETTER A Notice from the Editor ‘Miller Time’Meant Blood Would Flow; Dear Subscriber, Some of you have recently reported sus- How Many He Shot We Just Don’t Know picious phone calls or offers in the mail to renew your subscription to Wild West When it came to bushwhacking for pay, Killin’ Jim led the way magazine. Your uneasiness may be justi- fied. While still rare, fraudulent mailings and phone calls are increasing. We have 1910 El Paso newspaper called Miller the minister of anything but death? confirmed that criminal organiza- him“the worst and most dan- Sure there was hardened Texas killer tions are attempting to represent gerous of all the badmen,” , but his Methodist themselves as the Weider History A and a New Mexico lawman preacher daddy named him at birth for Group, asking for a check or credit card who knew him said he was the founder of Methodism—long before number to renew your subscription. “the most dangerous man in the West.” there was any method to J.W.’s madness. They take your money but cannot deliver Ellis Lindsey, who writes about this “per- As for Miller’s madness, it does have the subscription. sonification of a psychopath” in this very religious undertones. “Miller used reli- issue (P.40) and is working on his biog- gion as a device,” author Lindsey says. It These simple guidelines can help you raphy, agrees. For a quarter century Lind- seems in July 1884 Jim attended a revival avoid becoming a victim: sey’s subject killed men, mostly for pay, meeting in central Texas, slipped away until April 19, 1909, in Ada, Oklahoma, while the preacher was preaching, rode Before renewing, check your mailing when a mob (of good citizens, it can be in the dark back home, put two loads of ֡ label. You'll find your expiration date on argued) hauled him out of jail into a buckshot into brother-in-law John Coop the line above your name, the second item nearby barn and strung him up. This and rode back to the meeting for fur- from right. If your subscription has lynching victim stands out for having ther inspiration. His absence was noted, not expired and you receive a phone call left in his wake perhaps as many as 51 however, and he was arrested, tried and asking for your renewal, it is fraud- shooting victims. Theoretically the num- sentenced to life in prison (but, as was ulent. The Weider History Group will not ber could have been as low as a dozen his way, he escaped on a technicality). telephone you to renew unless your sub- (most of his professional assassinations While standing trial in Eastland, Texas, scription has actually expired. went undocumented), and his execu- for the murder of personal enemy Bud tioners were certainly looking for re- Frazer, Miller joined the church there. venge for one particular killing (they “He is even said to have gone out with also hanged three other men involved in the preacher to do personal work,” notes the death of popular Gus Bobbitt). But Lindsey. “He may have been a deacon, you can bet the 40-odd men at the Ada but whatever he was, he was playing necktie party—along with many who Mr. Good to deceive the jury.” weren’t there—figured the West would At the time Miller was lynched along Look carefully at mail requests. We do now be a far less dangerous place. with Joe Allen, Berry B. Burrell and Jesse ֡ not begin mailing renewal efforts more The assassin’s name—Jim Miller—is West, Lindsey continues, “a Fort Worth than about six months before your sub- plain and common enough, certainly too paper mentioned that his wife and chil- scription expires. We will never ask you plain and common for those who have dren attended a Methodist church there, to write a check to anyone other than written about him. But two contrasting but that Jim was not mentioned as a Wild West magazine or the Weider nicknames have come along (exactly member.” Jim was very well known in History Group, and our mailing ad- when is uncertain) to help distinguish FortWorth, where, according to Lindsey, dress on the return envelope should be him from other Jim Millers and other he was not called Killin’ Jim, Killer Miller to P.O. Boxes in Palm Coast, Florida, 32142, more ordinaryWestern badmen—“Killin’ or Deacon Jim but “Kid Miller.” No kid- with P.O. Box 420464, 420465 or 420466. Jim” Miller and “Deacon Jim” Miller. ding—another Kid in theWest! Not that It didn’t take much imagination for he looks the part, certainly not in 1906 If you are uncertain about any offer some ink-stained wretch to come up when somebody took his picture in that ֡ you receive, simply phone us toll- with “Killin’ Jim” (or the rhyming vari- Texas city. In that attention-grabbing free at 1-800-435-0715. Orders placed ation “Killer Miller”). Killing folks is what photo (see P.41) Miller holds a cigar at through this number are secure. Or you Jim did best. In fact, Miller may have shoulder level in a fashion that Lindsey can go online and place your order at killed the man who killed Billy the Kid. interprets as arrogance. “And he has the www.HistoryNet.com and click on the se- Nobody was ever convicted for the back- stone-cold face of a psychopath,” the cure link for “Subscription Help.” of-the-head shooting of near author adds. You be the judge. We sincerely appreciate having you as a Las Cruces, New Mexico Territory, a little In Ada, of course, no one was callling faithful reader and we are eager to help over a year before the Ada action. But Miller “Kid.” When the citizens helped make the experience of subscribing to Lindsey argues that Miller is a prime him to the end of his rope, he was 42, his Wild West magazine pleasurable. Always suspect as the triggerman. dark hair was turning gray, and he would feel free to contact the editor, Greg Lalire, Considering all of Miller’s deadly sins, soon cease to be dangerous. at [email protected]. “Deacon Jim” sounds like a stretch. Was Gregory Lalire

4 WILD WEST OCTOBER 2012 THE 1873 MODOC WAR? Visit us to learn about the most significant Indian war in western history, W EIDER HISTORY GROUP were it not overshadowed by Custer’s debacle at the Little Big Horn. Captain Jack General Canby EDITOR IN CHIEF Stephen L. Petranek Modoc leader assassinated David Grogan Executive Editor Rudy Hoglund Design Director

® Toby Riddle General Davis war heroine Klamath County Museum won the war 1451 Main St, Klamath Falls, Oregon 97601 ‡ (541) 883-4208 ‡ www.modocwar.org n 1873, a small band of Modocs, led by Captain Jack, successfully defended their stronghold in the lava beds Vol. 25, No. 3 October 2012 Iat Tule Lake in Northern California against over 600 U.S. army troops. When the Modocs assassinated

EDITOR Gregory J. Lalire General Canby and Reverend Thomas at a peace parley on April 11, 1873, the Modoc War suddenly became sensational news — international as well as national. Were it not overshadowed by Custer’s shocking defeat Mark Drefs Art Director at the Little Big Horn three years later, historians have written that the Modoc War would rank as the most David Lauterborn Managing Editor significant Indian war in America’s western history. Lori Flemming Photo Editor The Modoc War is the only Indian war in which a full-ranking general has been killed. Other unique aspects Stephen Mauro Associate Editor are that it was photographed by Eadweard Muybridge, “father of the cinema,” and sketched by renowned British SPECIAL Lee A. Silva artist/reporter, William Simpson. In 1955, Hollywood made a Modoc War movie, “Drum Beat,” starring Alan CONTRIBUTORS Gregory F. Michno Ladd as a peace commissioner and Charles Bronson as Captain Jack. Johnny D. Boggs Visit our Klamath County Museum to learn first-hand about the Modoc War. Then drive south to Tule Lake where the war took place. The lava beds there are officially designated as Lava Beds National Monument PRODUCTION Karen G. Johnson Production Director (LBNM) and managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Karen M. Bailey Production Manager Barbara Justice Senior Graphic Designer The Modoc War is an untold story which you will find intriguing, tragic and suspenseful.

DIGITAL Brian King Director Gerald Swick Editor Kelvin Holland Producer

PRESIDENT &CEO Eric Weider Bruce Forman Chief Operating Officer Simpson assassination sketch Muybridge army camp panorama at Tule Lake Pamela Dunaway Chief Marketing Officer To get a free MODOC WAR map, email [email protected] or call (541) 883-4208

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OCTOBER 2012 WILD WEST 5 LETTERS ‘The story of the Indian woman saving Custer from mutilation is apocryphal and is based on rumors and writings with little or no evidence to back them up’

OUT OF RESPECT FOR LIBBIE setah.” For much more about the rela- any information I enjoyed reading Paul Hutton’s well- tionship between Monahsetah, Libbie about the Sioux crafted piece “Libbie Custer: ‘AWounded and George see the cover story “Squaring White Bull [see Thing Must Hide’” in the June 2012 issue. Custer’s Triangle,” by John Koster,in the image at right], Libbie’slasting love for her slain husband June 2009 Wild West. who was at the echoes the words of the antebellum song Battle of the Lit- “Dashing White Sergeant”: MORE MONAHSETAH tle Bighorn. Great piece on Libbie Custer by Paul I am retired When my soldier is gone Andrew Hutton. I have read that George from working Do you think I’ll take on Custer’s probable Indian lover, Monah- fortheDepart- Or sit moping forlorn setah, kept his body from being muti- ment of Mental No, no, not I! lated at the Little Bighorn. Suppose that Health for the state of Illinois. I worked His fame my concern she actually found him alive and nursed at the Elgin Mental Health Center for How my bosom would burn him during the Indian retreat and then more than 20 years. Even Mary Todd Lin- When I saw him return crown’d with victory! introduced him to his son.Wouldn’t that coln stayed at this facility for a while. be a story for the ages? I stood in the room she occupied in the Hutton points out that Libbie, dying Ed Colbach old center building before it was torn at age 91, outlived all of Custer’s officers. West Linn, Ore. down a number of years ago. One day What is not mentioned in the article, Wild West special contributor Gregory while working at the facility, I met a however, is that while she lived, partic- Michno responds:When Custer first met patient who stated his grandfather was ipant officers, out of respect for this Monahsetah (Meotzi) in 1868, she was White Bull. Apparently his grandfather proud and devoted widow, did not wish already seven months pregnant, a detail was close to 100 years old when inter- to criticize George Armstrong Custer. that would frustrate gossipers over the viewed by National Geographic in 1947. Because of their sense of ethics, the valu- years. If that child couldn’t have been The patient told me his grandfather saw able testimony of these 19th-century George’s, then rumors followed there must Custer defending his position in the bat- gentlemen was lost forever to historians. have been another one between them tle, ran up to him and wrestled the gun William Gorenfeld later, born in late 1869. This tale, used away from him, but not before Custer Ventura, Calif. by Mari Sandoz in Cheyenne Autumn, apparently bit White Bull’s nose to the is also unsubstantiated. There are hints extent of doing some considerable dam- MONAHSETAH MENTIONED Monahsetah may have been at Last Stand age. White Bull was able to hit Custer in In Paul Andrew Hutton’s June 2012 arti- Hill after the Little Bighorn fight and the face, take the handgun away from cle on Libbie and George Custer, I didn’t “saved” Custer from mutilation. These him and then shoot Custer in the chest find the name Monahsetah mentioned. come from Cheyenne Kate Bighead and and then the right temple. Could you A local book, Oklahoma Legends: A Pic- the Oglala White Cow Bull. The latter’s investigate this information? torial History of Oklahoma’s Indians, story, as told by D.H. Miller in Custer’s Terry Gabrich Cowboys, Outlaws and Pioneers, illus- Fall, is the one account of the many In- Bartlett, Ill. trated by Mike Parks, includes this item: dian recollections of the battle that is White Bull (1849–1947) was a nephew “Records show that Monahsetah, pretty the most difficult to reconcile with cor- of Sioux spiritual leader Sitting Bull. daughter of a chief, was captured at the responding narratives. It seems that Gregory Michno, author of Lakota Noon: Battle of the Washita and for months at best the story of the Indian woman The Indian Narrative of Custer’s Defeat, thereafter was assigned to Custer’s staff saving Custer from mutilation is apoc- responds more fully: The story of White as interpreter although she did not speak ryphal and based on rumors and writ- Bull killing Custer stems from Walter English! No photos of her are extant.” ings with little or no evidence to back Campbell (who wrote under the name Many times in Oklahoma I have seen the them up. It is, however, a bit of histori- Stanley Vestal). Campbell interviewed bumper sticker CUSTER HAD IT COMING. cal irony and the type of tale that will White Bull extensively, but nowhere in Dave Farrington probably never fade away. those notes doesWhite Bull ever mention Midwest City, Okla. personally fighting Custer or the color of The editor responds: Actually, on P.35 WHITE BULL AND CUSTER the hair of the man he fought. No Indi- of his article Hutton writes,“Still, others’ I have been receiving your magazine for ans at the Little Bighorn battle knew testimony bore out [Captain Frederick some time now and find it very interest- they were fighting Custer.In Campbell’s Benteen’s] tales of Custer’s dalliances with ing, particularly the article in the June notes the soldier had a carbine, not a other women, namely another officer’s 2012 issue about Lt. Col. George Custer handgun, and he tried to bite White wife and the Cheyenne captive Monah- and his wife. I am wondering if you have Bull’s nose but failed. Campbell never

6 WILD WEST OCTOBER 2012 Emigrants on the Overland Trail The Wagon Trains of 1848 mentioned the soldier was Custer in his alternative misspellings, this is a new biography of White Bull. Campbell died one). Bulette came to America from Eng- Michael E. LaSalle in 1957, and it seems he might have land by way of New Orleans, not from $40.00 pb wanted to make his final “contribution” France, but John Milleain (correct spell- $29.99 ebook to history by claimingWhite Bull fought ing; see his photo at the Nevada Histor-  PP s Xv and killed Custer.In his last publication ical Society) was French. Mark Twain, in 23 illus; 20 maps in American Heritage that year he said the [Virginia City] Territorial Enterprise, Presenting the the man White Bull fought had yellow reported that his true name was Jean hLOSTvYEAROF hair and was Custer.But again,White MarieVillain. In his final confession Mil- the overland emigrants in Bull never said any such thing in his leain blamed everyone in Virginia City, 1848, this interviews. And actually, he had to call including presumably the respectable volume sheds his friends Bear Lice and Crow Boy to women, for his death, because they did light on the help him fight the soldier. They killed not like France or Frenchmen. There JOURNEYOF him by beating him in the head with is no record of the town’s respectable the men, women, chil- their rifles and handguns. They never women treating him like a hero; to the dren, and wasted a bullet on him. contrary, eight women, presumably pros- the wagon titutes, testified against him, securing trains that made the challenging trek CHIAVENTONE’S RED CLOUD his conviction, and he had killed a gen- FROM-ISSOURITO/REGONAND#ALIFORNIA I just finished reading R. Eli Paul’s article uine “prostitute with a golden heart.” 4HESEPRIMARYSOURCES WRITTENBYSEVEN MENANDWOMENDIARISTSFROMDIFFER- “Red Cloud and the Bull Bear Shooting” Bulette did not live in a “palatial bagnio” ent wagon companies, tell how settlers in the April 2012 issue and then noticed but in a one-room crib, and she took her ENDUREDTHETRIBULATIONSOFAlVE MONTH your list of Red Cloud books in the “Must meals at the home of neighbor Gertrude WESTWARDJOURNEYCOVERING MILES See, Must Read” section of the “Reviews” Holmes. The evidence was conclusive department. They are all fine histories of that Milleain alone had murdered Bu- the great warrior, but your list is missing lette [see related story, P.20], not several TSUPTRUMANEDUs one of the best books I have ever read on drifters (Douglass, Dillon, with Milleain  % .ORMAL !VE +IRKSVILLE -/  Red Cloud, and that is Frederick J. Chi- himself as lookout), who were a figment aventone’s Moon of Bitter Cold, the mas- of his imagination conjured in his sec- terfully written historical novel on how ond attempt to shift the blame (the first Red Cloud united the Lakota Sioux, Chey- attempt was to put the blame on Chris Butch Cassidy ennes, Arapahos and Crows in what Blair). Milleain was hanged on April 24, became known as Red Cloud’sWar. It is 1868, not 1869. written in such an easy, flowing manner R. Michael Wilson New info that still grips you and makes it hard to Las Vegas, Nev. about Butch! put down—much like his Little Bighorn book A Road We Do Not Know. I’m glad PLURAL WIVES Eli Paul is a regular contributor to Wild John Koster’s “Plural Wives and the New! West, as his articles are excellent. Plains Indians” in the June 2012 is excel- McKay S. Anderson lent. That said, the author minimizes the Kansas City, Mo. impact of three important elements— by Butch’s Editor’s response: Only nonfiction books time, tribe, social class. Halfbreed: The great-nephew were listed on the “Must Read” Red Cloud Remarkable True Story of George Bent, Bill Betenson list, but Chiaventone won aWestern Heri- by David Fridtjof Halaas and Andrew tage Award (Wrangler) in 2003 for Moon E. Masich, shows the effect of each. For “Bill Betenson knows more about of Bitter Cold.We’re also happy to say the Cheyennes, after Sand Creek com- the complete life of Butch Cassidy he won a second Wrangler in 2011 for plex incest rules fell away and plural than anyone alive today. “Taking Stock of the Pony Express,”which marriage became more common. The He's grown up with all the inside family in- appeared in the April 2010 Wild West. daughters of chiefs tended to follow the formation, and his research and travel have rules more closely than girls whose fami- added much more to his storehouse of JULIA BULETTE’S KILLER lies were less concerned with status. knowledge.” ( Colin Taylor, Outlaw Historian In Lee A. Silva’s December 2011 “Guns of Jicarilla and Plains Apaches would find 320 pp, index, bib, 120 photographs theWest” article on the spur trigger guns it far more difficult than their sisters trade paper $19.95; or limited edition hardcover $35; Ask about the boxed collector’s edition. of the bordellos, he mentions as an ex- among the Cheyennes to end a union. ample of the brutality suffered by pros- Doug Hocking High Plains Press titutes the case of Julia “Jule” Bulette and Sierra Vista, Ariz. Ph. 1-800-552-7819 mentions John Millais (while there are www.highplainspress.com

OCTOBER 2012 WILD WEST 7 ROUNDUP News of the West WildWest ’s Top 10 WWHA Honors Bill O’Neal Prolific, award-winning Texas author Bill AUTHOR ELLIS LINDSEY LISTS PERSISTENT O’Neal (below) strikes again, this time MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MAN-KILLER JIM MILLER with the Wild West History Association [www.wildwesthistory.org]. In the Octo- 1. As a child he killed his grandparents.No record supports this story. ber 2011 issue of WildWest O’Neal wrote His grandparents did not come to Texas, where Jim lived from age 1. The myth about what he got started when a FortWorth newspaper, in listing Miller’skillings, confused knows best— Miller’s grandparents with brother-in-law John Coop, a man Miller did kill. gunfighters who 2.He was not so bad.When Miller died, virtually all newspapers, including hailed from or those in his hometown of FortWorth, ran stories about his career as a hired achieved some killer. One wire service release, however, made the outrageous claim that notoriety in the he killed only in defense of his rights and property. Lone Star State. His“Texas: Gun- 3. He was religious, thus the nickname “Deacon Jim.” Miller hypo- critically used religion to gain sympathy and establish alibis. Before his trial fighter Capital at Eastland, Texas, for the murder of Bud Frazer, he joined a local church of the West” is and even assisted its preacher. It worked with the jury, who set him free. the 2011 winner of the WWHA’s 4. He did not drink alcoholic beverages. When he killed Bud Frazer Six-Shooter Award for best generalWest- in a saloon in 1896, he offered everybody a drink and took one himself. ern history article. Frontier Texas, the au- However, Miller was not known to become drunk and disorderly. thor points out, had more than twice as 5. He wore a metal breastplate or metal plates in his long coat. It is many gunfights as any other state or possible, but some reports say that one of Bud Frazer’s bullets passed territory.WWHA recognized O’Neal and through his body and was almost fatal. other award winners at its fifth annual Roundup in Prescott, Ariz., August 1–4. 6. He was a coward. Miller is never known to have backed down from a fight, even after being shot. Old-timers who knew him said he feared only The organization also awarded O’Neal one man—Barney K. Riggs, who put .45 rounds through the brains of Miller a second, more prestigious honor—its henchmen Bill Earhart and John Denson at Pecos in 1896. lifetime contributions award. O’Neal has written more than 35 books, including 7. He was mild-mannered. On the surface, maybe, as people who knew such standards as Encyclopedia of West- Miller said he was the last person one would suspect was a killer. As a psycho- ern Gunfighters and Fighting Men of the path, he had a superficial charm that disguised his true nature. IndianWars, and well over 250 magazine 8. He was a good special Texas Ranger. Miller served as a special articles. This is the third straight year an (unpaid) Ranger under Captain Bill McDonald, but the captain had to fire article from Wild West has received the him for subornation of perjury. Miller had convinced Joe Earp to swear WWHA’s best general article award. Ear- falsely that two innocent men were guilty of a murder.When exposed, Earp lier this year Wild West feature articles turned state’s evidence against Miller. published in 2011 received both aWran- 9. He killed his friend Joe Earp for turning state’s evidence against gler from the National Cowboy & West- him. New Mexico lawman Daniel “Dee” Harkey seems to have started ern Heritage Museum and a Spur from that myth. Actually, Clay Chapman killed Joe Earp when Earp lunged at him the Western Writers of America. Read all with a knife. three articles at www.wildwestmag.com. Other WWHA Six-Shooter Awards for 10. He was invincible. For a quarter century (1884–1909) it seemed Miller could do as he pleased. He must have thought the law could not touch him literary achievements include: for best as he murdered, committed deed forgery, stole livestock and did no telling book, a tie between Bob Alexander’s Raw- what else. Angry citizens at Ada, Okla., finally put a stop to all that in 1909, hide Ranger, Ira Aten and Chuck Par- with the help of a rope (see article, P.40). sons’ Captain John R. Hughes, Lone Star Ranger (both published by the Univer- sity of North Texas Press); for best his- History Center, Vernal, Utah); and for FirstVice President Marshall Trimble, an torical/scholarly publication article, Joel bestWWHA Journal article, John Boesse- Arizona-based entertainer/writer whom Frandsen’s“Edward B. Johnstone—The necker’s “The Crimes of Gladwell Rich- the Arizona Centennial Commission hon- ManThat Killed‘Gun-Play’ Maxwell” (The ardson, Alias Maurice Kildare.”WWHA’s ored this year. Trimble is Arizona’s offi- Outlaw Trail Journal, by the Regional President’s Silver Star Award goes to its cial state historian.

8 WILD WEST OCTOBER 2012