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Lessons from the Old West for Today’s Leaders

Five riders moved swiftly across the open country through Granite Pass in southwest New Mexico.  An electrical storm lit up the sky around them, and a deluge of hail broke free from the clouds, pelting the men in their saddles and their horses.  Sounding like a troop of demons advancing, the wind howled and screamed as it pushed over the massive walls of rock the riders passed.

Former peace officer Jefferson Davis Milton rode in front of the others.  He was a tall man with sloping shoulders, his granite like visage partly hidden by a dark mustache that curled around to meet his thick sideburns.  George W. Scarborough, a blue-eyed, gruff-looking, one time law man from El Paso, Texas, took a position on Jeff’s left.  Eugene Thacker, a youthful son of a railroad detective, rode on Jeff’s right side.  Directly behind the three were Bill Martin and Thomas Bennett, Diamond A ranch cowboys turned bounty hunters.  The men pulled their slickers around their necks and urged their mounts on through the tempest.  Claps of thunder ushered in another downpour of hail.

The determined riders, members of a posse pursuing a gang of train robbing outlaws, were soaked to the bone once they reached Fort Apache, a military post near Coolidge Lake.  No one said a word as they made camp outside the garrison’s gates.  Discussing the obstacles on the way to achieving that goal wasn’t necessary.  Their focus was on capturing Bronco Bill Walters and his boys.

William E. Walters, also known as Bronco Bill Walters, was from Fort Sill, Oklahoma.  What he did before being hired at the Diamond A ranch in 1899 is anyone’s guess.  It’s what he did after getting a job as a cowhand that warranted attention.  The Diamond A was a five hundred square mile spread nestled in the boot heel of New Mexico.  The magnificent acres of grass there made it the perfect spot for raising cattle.  The ranch was always in need of workers.  Cowpunchers that dropped by looking for employment were generally hired on the spot.  It was considered a rude violation of the proprieties of a cow camp to inquire into a man’s connections or character.  Just wanting to work was enough.  Bronco Bill Walters wanted to work, and that’s all that mattered and all the foreman at the Diamond A would have cared about if Bronco Bill hadn’t have desired more than the job had to offer.

During long, dull evenings around the campfire, Bronco Bill contemplated a life that was exciting and profitable.  He thought about robbing a stage or a train.  He imagined how he would tackle such a daring feat and rehearsed a getaway.  After a while, it wasn’t enough only to imagine such actions.  Bronco Bill left the Diamond A ranch in the fall of 1890 in search of excitement and money.

To learn more about Bronco Bill and the posse after him read

Principles of Posse Management.

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Lessons from the Old West for Today’s Leaders

Dora Hand was in a deep sleep. Her bare legs were draped across the thick blankets covering her delicate form, and a mass of long, auburn hair stretched over the pillow under her head and dangled off the top of a flimsy mattress. Her breathing was slow and effortless. A framed, graphite-charcoal portrait of an elderly couple hung above the bed on faded, satin-ribbon wallpaper and kept company with her slumber.

The air outside the window was still and cold. The distant sound of voices, backslapping laughter, profanity, and a piano’s tinny, repetitious melody wafted down Dodge City’s main thoroughfare and snuck into the small room where Dora was sleeping.

Dodge was an all-night town. Walkers and loungers kept the streets and saloons busy. Residents learned to sleep through the giggling, growling, and gunplay of the cowboy consumers and their paramours for hire. Dora was accustomed to the nightly frivolity and clatter. Her dreams were seldom disturbed by the commotion.

All at once the hard thud of a pair of bullets charging through the door and wall of the tiny room cut through the routine noises of the cattle town with uneven, gusty violence. The first bullet was halted by the dense plaster partition leading into the bed chambers. The second struck Dora on the right side under her arm.  There was no time for her to object to the injury, no moment for her to cry out or recoil in pain. The slug killed her instantly.

In the near distance, a horse squealed, and its galloping hooves echoed off the dusty street and faded away.

A pool of blood poured out of Dora’s fatal wound, turning the white sheets she rested on to crimson. A clock sitting on a nightstand next to the lifeless body ticked on steadily and mercilessly. It was 4:15 in the morning on October 4, 1878, and for the moment nothing but the persistent moonlight filtering into the scene through a closed window marked the thirty-four-year-old woman’s passing.

Twenty-four hours prior to Dora’s being gunned down in her sleep, she had been on stage at the Alhambra Saloon and Gambling House. She was a stunning woman whose wholesome voice and exquisite features had charmed audiences from Abilene to Austin. She regaled love-starved wranglers and rough riders at stage and railroad stops with her heartfelt rendition of the popular ballads “Blessed Be the Ties That Bind” and “Because I Love You So.”

Adoring fans referred to her as the “nightingale of the frontier,” and admirers continually competed for her attention. More times than not, pistols were used to settle arguments about who would be escorting Dora back to her place at the end of the evening. Local newspapers claimed her talent and beauty “caused more gunfights than any other woman in all the West.”

Dora arrived in Dodge City in June of 1878.  Several of the city’s residents who knew the songstress was on her way were eagerly anticipating her arrival.  Among them was the mayor of Dodge City, James Kelley.  Mayor Kelley had made Dora’s acquaintance at Camp Supply.  He was smitten with her, and the pair became romantically involved shortly after she stepped off the stage in Dodge.

James “Spike” Kenedy, the handsome, overly indulged son of Texas cattle baron Mifflin Kenedy, was annoyed that Dora was spending time with the mayor.  He hoped to make her his own.  James was a tall man with a strong build and he was accustomed to getting his own way.  He wore tailor-made clothes and carried himself with confidence derived mostly from his family’s sizeable bank account and land holdings.  In September 1878, James strutted into the Alhambra Saloon and Gambling House with the intention of proposing to Dora.  He hoped they’d marry quickly, and then he would escort her back to the family ranch.  It didn’t enter his mind that Dora would reject his offer of marriage in favor of a relationship with the mayor.  He was furious when she told him, and his hatred of Mayor Kelley and Dora grew from that day forward.

To learn more about the posse after James Kenedy read

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Divide and Conquer

Posse leaders after the first outlaw gang to rob a train determined early on that the best way to capture the bandits was to employ an age-old plan of attack.  Deputy U. S. Marshal Hixon decided to gain an advantage over the desperados by divided the posse in two.  The lawmen were able to overtake several of the bandits in Ingalls, Oklahoma.

Inspire Trust

The first job of a leader is to inspire trust.  Deputy U. S. Marshal Bill Tilghman inspired trust in politicians and law enforcement agents throughout the Oklahoma territory.  Lawman Bat Masterson called him the “best of us all.”  It was only natural Tilghman would be called on to help capture the Doolin-Dalton gang.  Tilghman knew trust was the single most essential element to the ability to deliver extraordinary results in an enduring way.  To assist him in tracking the notorious train robbers, Tilghman called on two men he trusted with his life, Heck Thomas and Chris Madsen.  These men became legendary in their pursuit for outlaws.

Be steadfast and relentless.

Marshal Tilghman and his posse were driven to succeed.  The Doolin-Dalton gang eluded them for a while, but the lawmen were single-minded in their pursuit.  Action combined with commitment results in success.  In the case of the Doolin-Dalton gang it resulted in criminals’ deaths.

Know when to ignore public perception

The Doolin-Dalton gang’s reputation for being able to evade the law was well documented and many doubted the outlaws would ever be apprehended.  If the posse after the gang had believed what the newspapers reported as a “futile endeavor” the lawmen would never have begun the search for them.  The posse never entertained the idea that tracking the lawbreakers was folly because in their minds there was no other option beyond getting the bad guys.  If they path the posse followed wasn’t successful it didn’t mean it was time to give up.  It just meant it was time to shift tactics.

Be willing to accept advice.

Bill Doolin had been hiding out in New Mexico for weeks and the posse after the outlaw was unable to locate him.  One of the posse members reminded Officer Heck Thomas that Doolin was hopelessly in love with his wife and child and would eventually come out of hiding to try and get to his family.  It was suggested that the posse travel to Oklahoma where Doolin’s wife lived and wait for the desperado to appear.  The advice paid off.  Doolin did return home and the posse was waiting for him.

To learn more about the posse after the Doolin-Dalton Gang read

Principles of Posse Management.

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Posse Management:  Lessons from the Old West for Today’s Leaders

One of the grizzliest battles between outlaws and lawmen took place on September 3, 1893, twelve miles east of Stillwater, Oklahoma, at the town of Ingalls.  More than ten people who were situated on the eastern edge of Payne County only a few miles from the rocky retreats and nearly inaccessible wooded areas of Creek County were killed.   For some time it had been the spot where a gang of bandits, murderers, train robbers, and horse thieves known as the Doolin-Dalton Gang had made their headquarters.

The two-hundred-fifty people that resided in Ingalls had decided it was better business and safer to accept the outlaws who had overtaken the town than to fight them.  In return for not robbing local merchants, outlaws could get drunk in an Ingalls’ saloon without having to shoot their way out, and they could rent a bed in Mary Pierce’s hotel (with or without a girl in it) and not have to worry about waking up with a sheriff’s gun in their chests.

The Doolin-Dalton Gang was the last great bandits of the old West.  Bill Doolin and William Dalton worked to together at the HX-Bar Ranch in Oklahoma Territory.  In 1891, they decided life as ranch hands was too sedate and traded in their legitimate jobs to rob trains and banks.  Federal marshals began pursuing the gang in October 1892, after the daring outlaws attempted a double band holdup in Coffeyville, Kansas.  The gang was comprised of more than eight men.  In addition to the Dalton boys and Bill Doolin, there were also George Newcomb, alias Bitter Creek, Tom Jones, also known as Roy Daugherty, William “Texas Jack” Blake, and Dan Clifton, alias Dynamite Dick.

It wasn’t until after the Doolin-Dalton Gang held up two trains in the Cherokee Outlet at Wharton in Oklahoma that law enforcement learned the outlaws were hiding in caves outside Ingalls, Oklahoma, and as an extension, Ingalls itself.  Deputy U. S. Marshal John Hixon rode toward Ingalls on Thursday, August 31, 1892.  Among the fourteen members of the posse with him were marshals L. J. Shadley, T. J. Houston, Dick Speed, and Jim Masterson.  They had received information that the gang was rendezvousing at the hotel at nine in the morning.  The posse decided to separate and make their way into Ingalls from different directions.  They would surround the town and move in to capture the outlaws on Friday, September 1, 1892.

The Pierce Hotel was a two-story structure that possessed an almost unobstructed view of the entire town.  A woman named Anderson, commonly reported to be George Newcomb’s girlfriend, was at the hotel when the posse began approaching Ingalls from the north, northwest, and northeast.  While on the balcony surveying the sights, Newcomb’s paramour saw something suspicious moving in the middle distance.  Other gang sympathizers noticed the activity, too, and reported to Bill Doolin.  An alarm warning the outlaws that the law was closing in sounded throughout the burg.

Four of the five bandits hurried across the street to Ransom’s Saloon where a fifth bandit was waiting, prepared to open fire on the posse fast approaching.  Tom Jones stayed behind at the hotel in an upstairs room ready to cover his colleagues when and if they retreated.  Tom had no sooner loaded his gun and aimed out the window than the lawmen opened fire on the outlaws in the saloon.  The desperadoes returned fire.  Bullets pierced buildings and shattered glass.

To learn more about the Doolin-Dalton Gang read

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 Surround yourself with 10s. 

Deputy Sheriff Bob Paul of Calaveras County recruited the finest six-gun and rifle shots and trackers in the region to be a part of the posse that tracked down Tom Bell.  He found experts in areas needed to get the job done and didn’t feel threatened by them.

Walk in someone else’s shoes.

Various members of the posse disguised themselves as outlaws and saloon patrons in order to collect information needed to apprehend criminals.  Instead of figuratively walking in someone else’s shoes, the posse made it experiential.  By doing this they were in a better position to propose solutions to potential problems and learned how to best achieve their objective.

Learn to give up trying to control everything. 

The leaders of the three posses after Tom Bell were comfortable with letting the men riding with them take on extra responsibility.  They recognized that being good at their job meant listening to those around them.  Officer George Walker listened to posse members Detectives Robert Harrison and Daniel Gay after they captured one of Bell’s gang members.  They wanted to persuade the desperado to act as a mole to help guide the other outlaws into a trap.

Read everything you can about your business.

Captain William King poured over newspapers to find out what the press was reporting about the posses progress.  While reading one of the area newspapers he happened onto a note written to him from the outlaw.  The fugitive’s rant against the lawman paved the way for the posse to ferret the bandit out of hiding.

Wait.  Patience increases your capacity for success.

A hard-earned discipline for every man with the posse after Tom Bell was patience.  Officer Robert Price exercised patience while scanning the banks of the San Joaquin River and the result was spotting the outlaw as he was trying to find a spot to cross the water.  If the lawman had allowed himself to be pressured into generating results he would have missed seeing the bandit out right.

To learn more about the business management skills used by the most successful Old West posses read Principles of Posse Management

 “Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star”–Lillian Russell (1912)

Added to the National Registry: 2019

Essay for the Library of Congress by Chris Enss 

When actors and Broadway producers Joe Weber and Lew Fields debuted their burlesque show “Twirly Whirly” in the fall of 1902, New York critics unanimously panned the production. An article in the September 12, 1902, edition of the “St. Louis Post” noted that “in the opinion of the theatrical reviewers at large, the piece itself showed how little real wit it takes to amuse the public.”

The only bright spot in the program was a ragtime song sung by the celebrated actress and singer Lillian Russell. According to the December 19, 1902, edition of the “Kansas City Daily Gazette,” “L. Russell’s stunning beauty and glorious delivery of a brilliant piece entitled ‘Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star’ was the one and only highlight in ‘Twirly Whirly.’” Written by composer and conductor John Stromberg, the sentimental ballad would become stage queen Lillian Russell’s signature tune.

Stromberg was a well-respected songwriter who had created several popular works for Weber and Fields’ productions. Born in Canada in 1853, Stromberg often collaborated on his songs with lyricist Edgar Smith. Although Stromberg penned “Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star” specifically for Lillian, he resisted handing the song over to her because he didn’t believe it was good enough. He had promised to write Lillian the “prettiest song she ever sang” and was consumed with doubt over the finished product.

In early July 1902, John Stromberg was found dead at his home in Freeport, New York. The official cause of death was ruled as paralysis of the heart, following a long attack of rheumatism. Friends and colleagues knew the exceptional agony Stromberg suffered as a result of his rheumatism and were saddened to learn the real reason he had died was because he’d taken a fatal dose of insecticide to stop the pain once and for all.

When Stromberg’s body was discovered, the sheet music for “Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star” was found in the pocket of the suit he was wearing.

Lillian Russell was the theater’s leading musical comedy prima donna in the 1890s. She had played in many of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and had received tremendous acclaim both abroad and in America. Her beauty and voice had drawn innumerable admirers who showered her with jewels. Although she thought Stromberg was an exceptional talent, she worried her fans would not be pleased with her singing a ballad. The song “Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star” would be a significant change in her style.

When the curtain rose on “Twirly Whirly” and Lillian took her place center stage, the audience erupted with applause before she even uttered a note. When the excitement died down, she sang “Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star” with the feeling of an opera aria, displaying deep and personal emotion to the public before her. At the conclusion of the song, the audience cheered and clapped approvingly. Lillian’s anxieties were at last relieved. A review of her performance in the mid-September edition of the “Daily Mirror” reported that “Miss Russell made a decided hit with ‘Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star.’”

Lillian would sing Stromberg’s final song often in her future years. She noted in her memoirs that each time she sang the song she would see John in his last, painful hours finishing the manuscript just for her. “I always thought of Honey Stromberg whenever I sang that song,” she wrote. “And, strange to say, no one ever sang it in public but me.”

In a final tribute to Stromberg, Weber and Fields, led by Lillian, staged a benefit for Stromberg’s widow. It netted more than $6,000.

In 1912, Lillian recorded her rendition of “Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star.” It was the only recording she ever made.

Visit https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/descriptions-and-essays to hear Lillian Russell sing Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star.