Capturing Outlaw Bill Doolin

Enter now to win a copy of

Tilghman: The Legendary Lawman and the Woman Who Inspired Him

When Bill Tilghman stepped off the train in Eureka Springs he was dressed as an itinerant preacher complete with a long, black coat and derby hat. As he proceeded down the main thoroughfare clutching a Bible in his hand, he noticed a tall man bent at the waist walking with a cane. The man’s complexion was pale, and he carried himself as though he was in pain, but there was no mistaking he was Bill Doolin. Tilghman followed the fugitive to a barbershop. There Doolin made himself comfortable in front of a warm stove and began reading a paper he had tucked under his arm. The lawman walked into the room, scanning the setting for other patrons.

No one paid any attention to the lawman masquerading as a minister until he pulled a pistol from his suit pocket and pointed it at Doolin. “Put up your hands!” Tilghman ordered. The outlaw jumped to his feet and attempted to go for his six-shooter. The seasoned officer jerked Doolin’s gun arm back before his hand reached the holster. Bystanders scurried out of the business, leaving Tilghman alone with the combative criminal. “Bill, you know who I am?” Tilghman asked Doolin. “Yes, I do,” he replied. “Well, you better get your hands up,” the lawman told him. The desperado complied. After confiscating Doolin’s gun, he handcuffed him and led him out of the barbershop.

“The fact that Doolin knew him accounts for the easy manner in which Tilghman took him,” the January 16, 1896, edition of the Weekly Oklahoma State Capital reported. “There is no other marshal that could have gotten him without a desperate fight. Tilghman is the only man on Marshal Nix’s force who really made Doolin’s capture a study. He was following him incessantly for many months, being very close on his trail several times. …The government and the railroad and express companies had outstanding rewards aggregating $3,500 for the capture of Doolin, which Tilghman will receive.”

To learn more about Marshal Tilghman’s capture of outlaw Bill Doolin read

Tilghman: The Legendary Lawman and the Woman Who Inspired Him