Page 69 - All About History - Issue 12-14

WYATT EARP’S WILD WEST

an increasingly irate Behan they saddled up and
rode out of Tombstone.
The following morning, on 22 March, Wyatt rode
into Spence’s woodcamp in the South Pass of the
Dragoon Mountains. A quick inspection revealed
that Spence wasn’t there – in fact, he had become The sheriff chasing down Wyatt Earp
so paranoid that Wyatt was going to kill him
that he had handed himself in to Sheriff Behan A key player not just in Wyatt Earp’s vendetta an investigation Behan was shown to have set
ride but also the famous Shoot-out at the OK
aside $5,000 from unknown sources while
for protection. Wyatt was unaware of this and so Corral, Johnny Behan was the sheriff of Cochise sheriff. While Behan escaped jail, he failed to be
decided to make one final search of the premises to County in Arizona Territory during both. After renominated as sheriff of Cochise County and
make sure Spence wasn’t hiding like the coward he the climactic gunfight at the Corral, Behan was stripped of his rank and authority months
knew he was. He suddenly saw movement, a figure famously testified against the Earp family, after Wyatt left the state.
running out to the rear and into the scrub. It wasn’t saying they precipitated the shoot-out and
Spence though, it was Florentino ‘Indian Charlie’ therefore murdered three outlaw cowboys
in the encounter. The Earps were later
Cruz, Spence’s right-hand man. exonerated, however, and so started a
Wyatt drew his pistol but couldn’t get a clear bitter feud between them and Behan.
shot, so called for his men. Holliday, McMaster and While he was known to think himself a
Johnson were the fastest, drawing and firing from model of law and order, Behan in fact had
multiple positions at the fleeing Cruz, who was a checkered life, with his wife leaving him in
hit simultaneously in the arm, thigh and pelvis, June 1875 for taking a mistress and sleeping
bringing him crashing, face-first into the dust. with prostitutes. He was also particularly violent
toward women, threatening them consistently,
Cruz’s cries of anguish echoed throughout the pass both verbally and physically. Behan also liked to
as he started to bleed out, all the time attempting associate and deal with known outlaws while off
to crawl into cover. Wyatt was on him, quick as official business, dealing with cowboys such as
a flash though and Cruz started begging for his Ike Clanton, Johnny Ringo and William Brocius,
life. When questioned about the assassination of all three who were instrumental in the maiming
Morgan he confessed that he had been the lookout of Virgil Earp and the murder of Morgan Earp.
Following Behan’s famous confrontation
for the job. As Wyatt pressed down on Cruz’s leg with Wyatt Earp in the Cosmopolitan Hotel,
wound with his spurred boot, a blood-clotted Tombstone, and then failed pursuit of
scream curdling out of Cruz into the pass and he Wyatt and his vendetta posse, Behan fell
shouted the names of the killers, one at a time. into another feud with his own deputy Billy Behan was stripped of his rank soon after
William ‘Curly Bill’ Brocius. Frank Stilwell. Hank Breakenridge. Breakenridge accused Behan of the Wyatt’s vendetta ride
Swilling. Johnny Ringo. As he said each name, a misappropriation of illegal monies and after
death sentence was passed on them.

Was there any system of justice in the American Old West?

The American frontier was huge and there system of justice was that it often led
was no standardised law enforcement to violence for mere perceived threats,
agency in the Wild West. As such, rather than real acts of criminality.
criminals found many opportunities to rob The end point for anyone successfully
pioneer families, while what law there was apprehended by law or outlaw was death,
found it difficult to track them down and typically by shooting or hanging.
bring them in, let alone provide concrete Further, the line between legal and illegal,
evidence that would see them sentenced good and bad, justified and cruel, was
in court. It was this system that infamous blurred in the Old West, with outlaws
cowboys such as Jesse James, Billy the in one state perceived as respected
Kid and Butch Cassidy thrived. lawmen in the next. Sheriffs, who are
The result of this lawlessness and lack often depicted in films as bastions of
of authority led to many people taking honour and virtue, were often ex-outlaws
the law into their own hands – as evident themselves who had gained their position
by Wyatt Earp’s vendetta ride – with the through violence and threats, ruling their
law’s apparent impotence to combat territory like medieval barons. It was
outlaws, driving them to take extreme only when the USA became developed
measures. This led to a culture of feuds, enough to establish a true federal system
bounties and vengeance killings, with of law and order in the late-19th century
rival groups taking turns to avenge each that crimes like horse stealing, highway
other’s latest illegal act. The natural robbery, duelling and cattle rustling were A horse thief being hanged in the American Old West
conclusion of this ramshackle tit-for-tat effectively combated.

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