A Political Dispute
Billy Bailey lost more than the vote… Billy Bailey wandered into Newton, Kansas (photo) in 1871, probably at the end of a cattle drive. He had a reputation as a gunfighter, so Bailey was quickly hired as a special policeman, charged with overseeing the local election....
The Cherokee Light Horse
In 1797, the Cherokees created organizations called “regulating companies” to deal with horse theft and other property crimes. The regulating companies were a mounted tribal police force, empowered to enforce tribal laws. They began to be called...
The Sheriff of Cochise County – Part 2
In 1886, the citizens of Cochise County elected John Slaughter sheriff, the office he would hold for two terms. He could have stayed on but felt he’d done enough and he wanted to get back to his family and the ranch. His successor, famed photographer, C.S. Fly...
John Slaughter – Part 1
John Horton Slaughter typified the 19th century rawhide-tough breed who settled and tamed the wild Southwest border country. He was born in 1841 in Sabine Parish, Louisiana and brought as an infant to Texas. His father, Ben, was a cattleman engaged in rounding up wild...
True West September/October 2025
In This Issue:
Features
Western Books & Movies
To The Point
