James B. Hume’s father had plans for the boy—he would farm the family land in northern Indiana. But when Hume became a man, he had other ideas and went West. He became a lawman in his 20’s, racking up an impressive resume.
But his greatest claim to fame came in 1872 when he became chief of detectives for Wells Fargo, traveling the West, hunting down dozens of criminals. His most famous arrest—Black Bart, the California stage robber.
Hume served in that job for more than 30 years, retiring when he was in his 70s.
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