Jeff Davis Milton - Cowboy Turned Lawman

By Paisley Kirkpatrick

Cowboy Jeff Davis Milton was born in November 1861. After the Confederate surrender, Jeff Milton was raised on a once proud family estate called Sylvania, located in Florida. When it became evident the south would lose, his father had committed suicide near the end of the Civil War. When Milton was fifteen, he moved to Texas and took on a job as a cowboy, and then in 1878 lied about his age and joined the Texas Rangers.

After four years serving with the Rangers, he moved through west Texas and into New Mexico where he became a Deputy U.S. Marshal in 1884. For part of the 1880s he worked under Sheriff John Slaughter in Cochise County, Arizona. During that time the two were involved in several manhunts and shootouts with outlaws.

On June 21, 1895, while working alongside lawman George Scarborough, Scarborough shot and killed Martin McRose, a Texas rustler. McRose is buried near John Wesley Hardin, and Texas Ranger Ernest St. Leon. Milton was at that time, Chief of Police in El Paso, Texas, and Scarborough was a Deputy U.S. Marshal. McRose had been captured and was killed while being brought back from Mexico on an outstanding warrant by the two lawmen. Outlaw and gunman John Wesley Hardin claimed that he had paid Scarborough and Milton to kill Martin McRose. Milton and Scarborough were arrested, but Hardin later withdrew his comments and the two men were released.

In July, 1898 working with Scarborough again, the pair tracked down, shot, and captured Bronco Bill Walters near Solomonville, Arizona. They scattered Walter's gang from their hideout, killing another gang member in the process.

In February 1900 Milton substituted for another Express agent who was sick. When the train arrived in Fairbank that day, Milton was handing packages to the station agent. Former lawman-turned-outlaw Burt Alvord and five other robbers attempted to rob the express car of its cash. Milton shot outlaw Three Fingered Jack Dunlop, badly wounding him. He died days later. Milton also shot and wounded Bravo Juan Yoas during the gunfight. When Milton's left arm was seriously wounded, he improvised a tourniquet and stopped the blood loss from a severed artery. He then managed to throw the keys to the express car safe into a pile of packages at the far end of the car before Alvord and his men boarded the car. The gang was about to shoot Milton again when the train engineer intervened, saying he was already dead. The robbers were unable to open the safe and escaped with only a few dollars for their efforts.

The railroad dispatched a special engine and boxcar to transport Milton from Benson to Tucson for the treatment. The doctor tied the shattered bone together with piano wire. When the wound wouldn't heal, he sent Milton to San Francisco so he could be seen by experts at the Southern Pacific hospital. They wanted to amputate his arm at the elbow, but Milton refused and found a ride to his friend Dr. George Goodfellow's office. Goodfellow cleaned and treated Milton's wound, but gave him the bad news that he'd never have the use of his arm again.

Milton retired to Tombstone, Arizona and then settled in Tucson, Arizona in 1932, where he lived the remainder of his life. Louis L'Amour wrote in his book Education of a Wondering Man that he'd met Milton, who bought him breakfast and gave him a ride to Tucson.

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George Scarborough - Lawman/Outlaw

By Paisley Kirkpatrick

Recently I became aware of a dear friend's family connection to George Scarborough, one of the more modest frontier gunmen who helped tame the New Mexico and Arizona Territories. George was born in Louisiana October 2, 1859. He had quite a bit of gunplay and excitement in his limited career as a lawman. He had a considerable reputation among his peers and the outlaws he tracked throughout the southwestern wilderness.

The son of a Texas homesteader and parson, George knew firsthand the unsettled conditions of the southern frontier after the Civil War ended. His family moved to Texas where he worked as a cowboy for a while. After riding the range, he decided he'd rather deal with men than cattle. In 1885, when he was 26 years old, he took his first job as sheriff of Anson, Texas, then moved onto to work as deputy US Marshal in untamed El Paso, and finally worked as a private detective for the New Mexico Cattlemen's Association in the 1890's. At the time, El Paso was a rough town isolated from any nearby American towns. It was filled with gambling halls, bordellos, and unsavory characters, including John Wesley Hardin and John Selman.

Scarborough became well known for the unusual tactics he used while tracking a wanted outlaw. Often, he would disguise himself as an equal to those he pursued. He found this tactic extremely effective. He became hated and feared among lawbreakers. There have been many accusations that he was actively and ambitiously involved with outlaw gangs that he later betrayed, but no one could ever conclusively proved he was involved in unlawful actions.

In 1895 John Wesley Hardin claimed that he paid Scarborough and Jeff Milton, the El Paso Chief of Police, to kill outlaw and cattle rustler, Martin McRose. Milton and Scarborough were arrested but Hardin later withdrew his comments and the men were released. Later that year, gunslinger and latter-day lawman John Selman shot John Wesley Hardin in the back of the head while the man stood at the Acme Saloon Bar. On April 6, 1896, John Selman was murdered by Scarborough. George was put on trial for Selman's murder, but was acquitted.

Public opinion after his trial forced him to leave for the New Mexico Territory. He spent the rest of his days hunting down cattle rustlers and train robbers throughout the territory.

George had little appreciation for the overstated news reports of his exploits. In those days, the most effective lawmen had a dark side, but few were foolish enough to draw attention to themselves. In fear of revealing too much about his methods, George refused interviews by journalists. On April 5, 1900, Scarborough was involved in a shoot-out with George Stevenson and James Brooks. He was shot in the leg and taken back to Deming, where his leg was amputated. He died the following day.

After his death, the mysteries and legends surrounding George Scarborough were largely forgotten.