The True
Hero Who Tamed the Worst Town in America
Abilene had
its share of woes during the days of cattle shipping. With the
Chisolm Trail in full use men of all different kinds made
their way to Abilene, helping to make it the worst town in America. It was decided law enforcement
was needed. A few local tenderfoots became policemen but not a one
lasted until payday.
Enters Tom
Smith. He was a handsome Irishman and native New Yorker who stood 5
feet 11 inches and weighed 170 pounds with auburn hair, broad
shoulders and a gentle manner that was deceiving. He was a Catholic
and neither swore nor drank.
He was
hired at the good salary of $150 a month plus $2 for each conviction
and a bonus for stray dogs. The job he did was so miraculous, within
2 months, his salary was increased to $225 a month, plus fees. Hefty
paycheck for back in the day!
An
ordinance was posted that anybody coming into Abilene would leave his
guns with the proprietor of the business he was going to frequent or
at the Marshall’s office. That just didn’t sit well with some of
the…”tougher”…men.
Unknown to
the local crowd, Smith had been a rookie policeman in New York, but
also had built quite a reputation as a young professional prize
fighter. He was billed as “Slugging Newsboy”, because as a kid
he helped support his family by selling newspapers on the street.
Just as he was ready to het the “big time” his mother fell ill.
On her deathbed she asked him to give up this career and he honored
her wish.
More than
once, a man, or group of men, told Marshal Smith they weren’t
turning their guns over to “no red-headed SOB wearing a tin badge”.
More times than not, Tom Smith used his fists instead of guns to
bring order.
Because of
his fairness and easy going ways, Tom Smith became popular with the
merchants, gamblers, citizens, saloon keepers, girls in the red-light
district, and even most of the cowboys.
It was a
sad day for Abilene when Tom Smith met his death at the early age of
31. Two Scotch homesteaders were rustling cattle. Tom and his
deputy, J. H. McDonald, went to arrest them. Story goes, McDonald
fled at the first sign of trouble, and Smith was shot and then his
head was severed with an ax.
A posse
tracked them down and though most of the town were screaming for a
lynching, a trial was held and they were sent to the state
penitentiary.
The entire
population lined the street as the procession moved slowly past. The
life and character of Tom Smith typified a virtue which was very rare
in frontier peace officers.
Thirty
years later his coffin was moved to a better location and erected a
granite stone marker at his gravesite, a tourist attraction still
today.
The
inscription on it reads: “Thomas J. Smith, Marshal of Abilene,
1870. Died a martyr to duty, November 2, 1870, a fearless hero of
frontier days, who in cowboy chaos established the supremacy of law.”
Thanks
so much for stopping by. Several of my historical western romances
take place in Kansas in the mid 1800s.
By the
way, as a thank you for visiting, I am going to choose one commenter
to receive an eBook of their choice between Jesse’s Find, Jesse’s
Nightmare, or Justice Comes to Salina. Be sure to leave an email
address!
Excerpt
for Jesse’s Nightmare
She
was making supper when Jesse came in. “You’re home early.” She
didn’t look his way.
“Yea.”
He put his hat on a peg and hung his jacket, watching her the entire
time. Ginny was always there with a smile and a kiss when he came
home. “Everything okay?” She didn’t answer, just nodded.
“Ginny?”
When
she looked up, her brown eyes were dark pools of unshed tears. She
ran into his arms, sobbing.
“What
in tarnation is wrong?” He held her as she cried. Finally, he set
her away from him so he could look into her face. “Is Sarah okay?”
“Yes.
This is silly.” She wiped her eyes and sat down at the table. For
the first time Jesse saw the gun laying there. She met his eyes.
“What
happened?”
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