The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-23
WILD WESTERN TOWN
BLOODY WORK OF THE EARY MAR
SHALS OF CALDWELL, KAN.
Headquarters for 'KilIers" Fourteen
Years Ago, and the Marshal Was
Usually the Worst of the Lot.

Wichita Kan) Letter in st. Louis Globe
Democrat.
When George Flapp became marshal of
Caldwell, Kan, in 1880, Caldwell was the
king bee Of tough towns. Abilene and
Dodge City had had their day. "Wid BilI'
had civilized Abilene with a cutoff shot
gum and Bat Masterson was engaged in
ruling Dodge City with pair of heavy six
shooters. Caldwell, being on the Indian Ter
ritory border, was headquarters for Dave
Payne's Oklahoma boomers, the Cherokee
Strip and Texas cattlemen and cowboys
as we'll as a paradise for bad men with
killing records. and the Mecca of gamblers.
Unless a man carried an arsenal, swore
like a pirate and gambled like a fiend he
was not in good standing in society, and
either left or some one planted" him out
in the graveyard on the hill.
For a long time the killers ran the
town, and no marshal could be kept alive
or in the city long enough to preserve or
der. Then George Flapp turned up. His
chief and only recommendation was his
nerve. He was known as a bad man. He
had a handsome wife, who dotted on his
show the people that lie proposed TO run
the town on border principles, Flapp at
he brought about by killing three cowboys
one day and two Indians the next. Then
he lined up the Mayor of the town and
That settled it, and the toughs gave him
a wide berth. A plot was fixed up to get
rid of a man they could not control, and
one dark rainy night some one let loose a
charge of buckshot, which struck the mar
shall in the back. He dragged himself up
against a building, pulled his siX-shooters,
and was discovered dead with gun in
either hand
ton detective, and offered large reward
for the apprehension of her husbands muir
derer, but to this day the killing is mys-
Frank Hunt, Flaps deputy. took the
vacant place. Hunt lacked the nerve MS
chief possessed but was on the bad man
order. One night he went to the Texas
House to a dance. Filling up on liquor, ne
went inside and sat down near window to
some one shot a hole through Hunts head.
and once more Caldwell was without
policeman. The ball went on, and Hunt
was planted the next day with proper
and becoming ceremonies half the town
getting drunk. and the next morning three
men were discovered dead in one saloon.
Bat Carr succeeded Hunt, but did not
succeed in making much of a marx al
though he did escape with his life; he was
a handsome gambler but lacked the requi-
site nerve TO run such town as that. The
Mayor and City Council were powerless
once more Gme Kan rlH, anu Seeds
on the highways and byways. The ceme-
terry on the hill grew larger and became
more densely populated with the dead
One day Texan rode into town over the
old Chisholm trail. He bronZed
blonde, with a Winchester. two six-shoot-
ers and a record as a fighter He had
been engaged in the John Chisholm war in
Texas and had been a partner of BILLY
the Kid" His name was Henry Brown
and he was broke. He had heard that
Bat Car wanted an assistant, and he
hunted him out.
Il hear you want a man to do night
shift on the police" he told Carr that day
III you do, I'm your man"
I'VE bury marshal here every forty
eight hours said the t marshal win tn. a
object 10 that feature of the business, l
guess you can have the place
suits me to a dot was the laconic re-
ply. Shall l get to work right away
The boys learned that a new man was On
duty. and prepared to have some fun at his
out and buried two Of the would-be jokers.
Brown proving a tough customer.
week went by and az minstrel SHOW G2 struck 5
and Sandy Jim and his crowd proposed
to have some fun shooting holes through
the tiles. The show manager heard this
and decided 10 omit that part of the pro-
gramme but Brown also heard of this de-
csion. and insisted that the parade take
place as advertised. He urgent,
and his six-shooter so prominently dis
played, that the minstrel men were be-
tween the devil and the deep blue sea, and
concluded TO go ahead as they had first in
tended.
I'm take care of any one who shoots at
your hats" Brown had said, and he kept
his word.
AS the procession passed down the main
street SANDY Jim was sitting on a store
box. With a yelp of dersion he pulled a
gun ana plugged a hole through a high
hat. Before his comrades could initiate his
example Brown was down on them. He
got the drop on sandy" and made him
throw away his guns. Then he ordered him
10 run. There was nothing else to do 50
SANDY" started. Brown let him get al
most out of range. then quickly raised his
gun and shot him through the head.
BY this time Browns name was terror
on the border. He gave il out that Bat
Carr no man for marshal and ordered
him to resign and leave. This Carr did.
Then Brown took his place. He put
chum named Ben Wheeler as his assistant.
The Council were compelled 10 ind0rSe this
hgh-handed outrage. and even brave Mike
Meagher, the Mayor, was terrorized.
Some time after this Spotted Tail. an in
offensive Ponce Indian chief gave Brown
some surly answer one day and the mar
shall shot him 50 full of holes that there
was barely enough of him left 10 bury.
Ben Wheeler followed his chiefs lead. and
began TO get a record on his own hook.
Newton Boyce, A popular gambler fell un-
der the ban of their dsplasure. and was
der the ban OF their displeasure, and was
was a cowardly murderer, and the mar