Journal Notes

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Tilghman: The Legendary Lawman and the Woman Who Inspired Him

Deputy marshal Bill Tilghman nudged his galloping horse in the side with his spurs to encourage the animal to run faster. The lawman was after a fugitive who had gotten a bit of a head start and whose ride was swift and agile. The horse’s ability to keep up with the outlaw’s mount had a great deal to do with the rider in the saddle. Tilghman was a solid, broad-shouldered man in his early forties and the desperado he was pursuing was a petite, seventeen-year-old woman. Jennie Metcalf, known in the Oklahoma Territory as Little Breeches, led her horse across the prairie around the town of Pawnee with ease. The ride was so fluid she managed to remove her Colt six-shooter from the waistband of the oversized trousers she was wearing, turn around in her seat and fire a volley of shots at Tilghman.

The marshal grimaced as he spurred his horse on and lifted his Winchester out of the saddle holster. It was August 18, 1895, and the sun was a ball of fire. The wind at his face was like the breath of a furnace. He was hot and tired and in no mood to take part in a gun battle with a teenager. Tilghman hadn’t anticipated the young woman would make a run for it when he set out to arrest her and her cohort, Annie McDoulet alias Cattle Annie, for stealing horses.

The pair’s misdeeds extended far beyond horse thievery. For several months, the women had been working with the Doolin Gang. In 1893, William “Bill” Doolin organized the group comprised of some of the most ruthless criminals in the region. They robbed banks, stagecoaches, and trains. Marshal Tilghman and two other deputy marshals, Heck Thomas, and Chris Madsen had been on their trail for years, but the gang was always one step ahead of them. It was clear someone was helping them to navigate around law enforcement’s efforts to apprehend the felons.

After the Doolin Gang robbed the United States Army payroll near Woodward, Oklahoma, in March 1894, the three officers discussed what they knew about each crime and what dubious characters seemed to always be in the general vicinity. Little Breeches and Cattle Annie were the prime suspects. The three men believed the women had been scouting for the gang, acting as their lookout, and keeping them in supplies. Tilghman was convinced the key to the Doolin Gang’s demise was to capture the misguided youth who were aiding and abetting them.

To learn more about Marshal Tilghman and his time chasing Cattle Annie and Little Breeches read Tilghman: The Legendary Lawman and the Woman Who Inspired Him

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Tilghman: The Legendary Lawman and the Woman Who Inspired Him

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Tilghman: The Legendary Lawman and the Women Who Inspired Him

He was steely eyed, hard riding and straight shooting; a soft-spoken, tee-totaling lawman who never drew his gun…unless he meant to use it.  Among other things he was also a buffalo hunter, Indian fighter, rancher horse breeder, saloon keeper, politician…even a movie maker. His name was Bill Tilghman and of all the heroes of the Old West he was one of the last, one of the most heroic, and a legend in his own time. Tilghman is about his life and the woman who memorialized his adventures.

Tilghman began his career in Dodge City in 1878 when his friend Bat Masterson, newly elected sheriff, made him under sheriff.  Still going strong in 1924, the 70-year-old Tilghman was called out of retirement to help rid Cromwell, Oklahoma, of bootlegging gangsters.  In 1878 the bad guys rode horses; in 1924 they drove Piece-Arrows and Fords and flew airplanes.

Frontier outlaw or prohibition hoodlum, Tilghman fought them all.  In his lifetime he saw the vast herds of buffalo disappear from the great plains and Oklahoma transformed from Indian territory and outlaw haven into homesteading land and booming oil country.  Oklahoma City evolved from a collection of muddy tents and shacks into a thriving metropolis. It was a dramatic transformation and Bill Tilghman helped make it happen.

Beside him through most of that transformation was his wife, author Zoe Agnes Stratton.  Zoe not only had an up-close view of the various outlaws her husband pursued, but was instrumental in preserving those daring exploits on paper.  The short stories and books she wrote about Tilghman’s life as a law enforcement agent helped make him a celebrated figure throughout the West.  Zoe recorded Marshal Tilghman’s capture of such criminals as the Doolin Gang, Cattle Annie and Little Britches, and the Jennings brothers. She also wrote of his friendship with such well-known figures as Marshal Heck Thomas, Marshal Bass Reeves, and Judge Isaac Parker.

When Bill Tilghman was gunned down in 1924 by a corrupt federal agent, Zoe had to find a way to continue on and financially support the two sons she’d had with the lawman.  She earned a living writing about each case her husband had taken on during his career.  Zoe hoped her sons, Richard and Woodie, would do better than their father had when he was young as the old frontier days were past, but Bill Tilghman’s brace of pistols remained symbolic of the family’s fate.

In October 1929, nineteen-year-old Richard was killed in a crooked gambling game, along with his friend James Chitwood, a farmer.  Seventeen-year-old Woodie was arrested soon after for killing the man who shot his brother.  Woodie was arrested for manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison.  Zoe wrote about those heartbreaking events as well.  Her body of work is recognized as some of the state’s finest historical writing.

Tilghman: The Legendary Lawman and the Woman Who Inspired Him is not only the story of a brave man – it’s a colorful, exciting history of the last days of the Western frontier. It’s also the story of a woman, desperate to hold onto her family and honor the life of the man she loved so dearly.

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How the West Was Worn: Bustles and Buckskins on the Wild Frontier

Clothing historians believe that no couple made more of an impact on western fashion than George and Elizabeth Custer. George, the “Boy General,” carried on his duties as commander of the Seventh Cavalry dressed in fringed buckskin breeches and a jacket, a navy-blue shirt with a wide falling collar and a red cravat. His men so admired the look that they adopted it for the entire regiment.

Custer’s sense of style extended to women’s clothing as well. Elizabeth accompanied her husband on field maneuvers dressed in hoop skirts that measured five yards around the bottom. At times, the prairie wind would blow the skirt up and expose her petticoat. So, George designed an outfit for his wife that included a military-style riding jacket, a pleated undershirt, and a less cumbersome skirt. Strips of lead were sewn into the dress hems to keep it weighted down in a strong breeze.

To learn more about trendsetters like the Custers read

How the West Was Worn: Bustles and Buckskins on the Wild Frontier

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How the West Was Worn: Bustles and Buckskins on the Wild Frontier

“Buffalo Bill is a magnificent specimen of a man, and has a native grace of movement that is quite captivating. And a look that is unique and fitting in his work.” The Chicago Review, 1872

William Frederick Cody was a frontiersman and noted marksman of the American West. Not only did he bring Wild West shows into prominence, he was a bit of a fashion plate, as well. His knee-length fringe shirts, ornamental leather coats, engraved and embroidered thigh-high boots, and broad-brimmed hat made him one of the most recognizable figures in the United States and Europe. His curly, shoulder-length hair, thin moustache, and small goatee accentuated the look. Costume historians credit Buffalo Bill with “bringing a bit of sophistication to the unruly plains.”

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Everyday wear for women throughout the early West generally consisted of cotton, wool, or linen dresses or skirts protected by an apron. Skirts of the 1850s were simply large pieces of fabric cut into rectangles. Some had inseam pockets, while some had openings in the seams with separate pockets underneath. Workaday skirts and dresses were usually absent of any trim around the hem. If a woman insisted on wearing a hoop with her skirt or dress, the length of the garment measured at least 4 feet wider than the hoop. Dressy skirts, including those worn for dancing, were 2 inches from the ground. Skirts for working could be as high as 6 inches.

Most clothing for miners and their families was homemade. Women sewed endlessly, making and mending garments for themselves and for all the members of their family. The clothing they made reflected the conditions of climate, weather, and income. Woven fabrics were available at general stores and many women purchased what they could afford. Otherwise, they spun or wove most of the material needed for the clothes. The fabric was then dyed using plant leaves, stems and blossoms of wood and meadow flowers, roots, bark, nut-hulls, tree galls, berries, and fruit pits and skins. Sewing patterns you could purchase were unheard of until the late 1880s; instead, clothes were cut from homemade patterns, and occasionally, old garments were disassembled and used as patterns.

Women married to prospectors lucky enough to hit the mother lode dressed in more ornate styles, but like those struggling to make ends meet, still took into account how to keep clothes clean. Caring for clothing, regardless of whether the item was homemade or store-bought, required work and time. In 1867, a two-piece dress of white cotton with a printed background became popular due to its easy care and was sold in stores, then duplicated by seamstresses throughout the West. The garment was known as the “wash dress” because it could be laundered easily. Women from all socioeconomic backgrounds wore “wash dresses.”

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To learn more about the sometimes bizarre, often beautiful, and highly inventive clothing of the Old West read How the West Was Worn: Bustles and Buckskins on the Wild Frontier.

“Historian Chris Enss brings to light the fascinating tales of 13 people who dedicated their lives to breaking barriers and saving lives in The Doctor Was a Woman: Stories of the First Female Physicians on the Frontier (TwoDot Books, $26.95). Fighting a patriarchal medical system, as well as overcoming the sexist distrust of their patients, the pioneering physicians featured — from Dr. Lillian Heath, who assisted in the first plastic surgery operation, to Dr. Sofie Herzog, who had a necklace made of the over 20 bullet slugs she removed from “outlaws and lawmen alike” — make an inspiring statement for gender equality, while also offering a glimpse into the medical practices of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”

Big Sky Journal

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How the West Was Worn: Bustles and Buckskins on the Wild Frontier

The pilgrimage west was an arduous undertaking. Emigrants hurriedly loaded their wagon trains with as many personal belongings as they could, and if they were unable to make what little they had fit, it was left behind. Limited space forced many to wear all the clothing they owned on their backs. The basic outfit for a pioneer woman consisted of a gingham or calico dress, a sunbonnet, and a muslin apron. Men pioneers wore simple overalls, cotton work shirts, and caps or broad-brimmed hats.

Many who made the trek were poor, possessing only a single pair of boots or shoes, the soles of which would be worn off long before arriving at their final destination. Socks wore out as well, forcing settlers to wrap their feet in rags to protect them from the elements. When traveling through snow and ice, they wrapped their footwear in gunnysacks to keep their feet from freezing.

In preparation for the trip, women altered their dresses to make walking easier. Several inches were cut off the bottom of the skirt and lead shot was sewn into the hem to keep the billowing material from blowing in the wind. Men wore their trouser legs tucked into their boots for the same reason. Wearing them in this manner also kept out mud and reptiles. Pioneer women’s dresses were worn without a hoop, and the bodice was lined with canvas for strength and warmth.

Before heading west, pioneers consulted guidebooks for advice on suitable dress for the trip, and how to best protect the body against the direct rays of the sun and sudden changes in temperature. If they acquired the necessary items listed, travelers were assured to be prepared for any possible condition.

The following list of articles was deemed a sufficient outfit of on man up on a three month’s expedition:

2 blue or red flannel overshirts, open in front with buttons

2 woolen undershirts

2 pair of thick cotton drawers

4 pair woolen socks

2 pair cotton socks

4 silk handkerchiefs

3 towels

1 comb and brush

1 gutta percha poncho

2 pair of stout shoes

1 pound of Castile soap

3 pounds bar soap for washing clothes

1 bed-knife and small whet stone

To learn more about dressing for travel in the West read

How the West Was Worn: Bustles and Buckskins on the Wild Frontier

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How the West Was Worn: Bustles and Buckskins on the Wild Frontier

It happened in Dodge City, Kansas. A stranger in town asked a resident where he could find Bat Masterson. A lawyer who overheard the question broke in and said, “Look for one of the most perfectly made men you ever saw, a well-dressed, good-looking fellow and when you see such a man call him ‘Bat’ and you have hit the bull’s eye.

Masterson was known for his trim, neat style, his derby hat, tailor-made pants and jackets, and linen shirts imported from France. He was proof that being a tough lawman did not mean one had to dress like a cowhand.

To learn more about legendary trendsetters like Bat Masterson read

How the West Was Worn: Bustles and Buckskins on the Wild Frontier