Henry Newton Brown and Ben Wheeler - Both Sides Of The Law

    The old west is full of tales about outlaws that turn into lawmen and lawmen that turn into outlaws. This is one of those true and fascinating stories about two men in particular named Henry Newton Brown and a man named William Sherod Robertson alias Ben Wheeler.

Henry Newton Brown & Ben Wheeler 

   

We will start with Henry Newton Brown. Henry Brown was born in 1857 in the Rolla Missouri area. He lived with his Uncle Jasper and Aunt Aldamira Richardson until he was about 17 years old when he left their home and headed west. For the next few years he worked cowboy jobs in Colorado and Texas. It was in Texas that he is reported to have killed his first man in a gunfight.

 Henry Newton Brown

Billy The Kid

  1877 finds Henry Brown in Lincoln County New Mexico hanging around the likes of William H. Bonney known better to the world now as Billy The Kid. Henry Brown and several others were working for John Tunstall. It was here that Henry Brown found himself embroiled in the Lincoln County War, a war between two merchants and their backers.

  John Tunstall's Store In Lincoln, New Mexico

  John Tunstall 

    In 1878, it was the murder of Henry Brown's employer, John Tunstall, that ignited the Lincoln County War. After Tunstall was murdered the men working for him were sworn in as special constables. They called themselves The Regulators. They soon went on track down and dispose of several men whom they believed to have been behind John Tunstall's murder. One of those men they believed to have been responsible for the murder was Sheriff William Brady. On April 1, 1878 Henry Brown, Billy The Kid and four others found Sheriff Brady and four of his deputies on the main street in Lincoln New Mexico and ambushed them killing Sheriff Brady and at least one of his deputies.

    Sheriff William Brady

    Three days later they were in another intense prolonged gunfight with Buckshot Roberts who they would eventually kill but not before he killed Richard Brewer, a member of The Regulators. Warrants were sworn out on the men who killed Sheriff Brady which lead Henry Brown and members of The Regulators to lay low for a few months, On July 15, 1878 Henry Brown, Billy The Kid and several others were involved in another gunfight where they were trapped in the home of Alexander McSween. Henry Brown was not actually trapped in the house with the rest of the men. He was in a grain warehouse behind John Tunstall's store where he fired on Sheriff Brady's men. He escaped with Billy The Kid after Alexander McSween's home was set a blaze. Alexander McSween was killed trying to escape the flames essentially ending the Lincoln County War.

    In the fall of 1878 Henry Brown, Billy The Kid and some of the other Regulators trailed a herd of rustled horses to Tascosa, Texas where they sold the horses. After the horses were sold many of the Regulators returned to New Mexico but Henry Brown having two murder warrants decided to stay in Texas. There he would eventually become some type of lawman though its unclear if he was a deputy sheriff, marshal or constable. He was quickly dismissed due to his hot temper and quickness to fight.

Henry Newton Brown As Marshal Of Caldwell, Kansas

    In July of 1882 at about 25 years of age he settled in Caldwell, Kansas. Caldwell was a rough cattle town similar to Abilene and Dodge City. It was here in Caldwell that he took a job as Assistant Marshal of Caldwell. He was promoted to Marshal 5 months later. Henry Brown with the help of Assistant Marshal Ben Wheeler were effectively hired to clean up the town which was known as a rough and rowdy town full of violence.

        Caldwell, Kansas

    The following was taken from Henry Brown's Wikipedia page;

"Brown was described by contemporaries as a "very much undersize" man who didn't smoke, drink, chew, or gamble, and was noted to be in regular attendance at the Methodist Church. Said to be "exceedingly modest and, in fact, bashful," he displayed an introvert presence but "gained the entire confidence of the people . . . and . . . conducted himself in such a manner that the doors of society were always open to him."

But, "he had a square set jaw, not unlike that of a bull dog" and "his face indicated firmness and a lack of physical fear." "His words were few and parted with reluctantly," and when duty called, Brown's demeanor changed immediately. He was easily angered: his temper flared instantly and his outwardly meek manner transformed into one of deadly grave purpose. One contemporary commented that "he was a two-gun man. He could take a six-shooter in each hand and make one think a battle was on."

Henry Brown was so well respected and loved in the town of Caldwell, Kansas that the citizens there gave him a wonderfully engraved Winchester 1873 rifle with a silver medallion on the stock that reads "Presented to the City Marshal H. N. Brown for valuable services rendered in behalf of the citizens of Caldwell Kas A. N. Colson Mayor Dec 1882"

 Henry Brown's Rifle Given To Him By A Grateful Town

In December 1883 Henry Brown would use that very rifle to kill a gambler, Newt Boyce. He would later kill Spotted Horse, a known renegade Indian. By the end of Brown and Wheeler's third term as Marshal and Assistant Marshal they were regarded as the most effective lawmen the town had ever known.

Ben Wheeler As Assistant Marshal Of Caldwell, Kansas

There is not as much readily available information on Ben Wheeler but what is known is that Ben Wheeler was born William Sherod Robinson around 1854 to a respected Texas family. By all accounts available to me at the time William Sherod Robinson lived an honest upright life marrying and having four children. It is here in Texas the he likely met Henry Brown. He was severely wounded in a gunfight in 1878 which led him to flee the state abandoning his wife and children. From Texas William Sherod Robinson ended up in Cheyenne, Wyoming where he took up work as a cowboy. He would eventually end up in Indianola, Nebraska using the name Ben F. Burton. In Nebraska the now Ben F. Burton would eventually marry a woman named Alice Wheeler in November 1881 but after living with her and her parents for about a year he abandoned her also.

Ben F. Burton would leave Nebraska end up in Caldwell, Kansas under the name Ben Wheeler where he would meet up with an old friend Henry Newton Brown and be appointed Assistant Marshal Ben Wheeler in December 1882.

Assistant Marshal Ben Wheeler's Badge

In Caldwell, Kansas, Henry Newton Brown and Ben Wheeler would forever be linked together. First as top notch citizens and the best lawmen the town had ever known. As lawmen they would first clean up Caldwell, Kansas of some of the meanest and nastiest criminals around. Then they would have a brisk fall from grace like few in their position have ever seen.

Assistant Marshal Ben Wheeler's Colt SAA

    It was April 1884 when Henry Brown and Ben Wheeler would come up with a plan to rob the bank in Medicine Lodge, Kansas. Brown and Wheeler convinced the mayor to give them a leave of absence to  track down a murderer through Indian Territory. The mayor, knowing Henry Brown was in debt and could use the bounty money from capturing the murdering outlaw agreed to let them go.

 

Medicine Valley Bank In Medicine Lodge, Kansas

Henry Brown and Ben Wheeler along with two other cowboys named William Smith and John Wesley rode to Medicine Lodge, Kansas where they attempted to rob Medicine Valley Bank. Their plan quickly fell apart and gunfire erupted. Two of the bank officers were shot. Henry Brown is said to have killed bank president Wylie Payne although there have been conflicting reports that John Wesley may have been the killer of Payne. Ben Wheeler is said to have shot and killed the bank's chief cashier, George Geppert. Some reports state that John Wesley may have also fired some shots at George Geppert. At that point it did not matter who shot who. The fate of the four men had been sealed. 

The outlaws fled the scene under fire from townspeople. A posse of 12 men was quickly formed from a group of men who had been across the street from the bank at a stable.

             The Posse That Captured The Outlaws                             

    Heavily pursued by the posse the outlaw gang unknowingly ended up in a box canyon several miles south of town where they were trapped and eventually had to surrender to the posse. They were taken back to Medicine Lodge, Kansas where they were put into the town's small jail but not before a photo of the outlaw gang was taken.

The Outlaws Had Their Photo Made Before Being Lynched

While jailed in Medicine Lodge, Kansas Henry Brown wrote a letter to his wife. The following is a transcription of the letter.

It read in part:

"Darling Wife: I am in jail here. Four of us tried to rob the bank here and one man shot one of the men in the bank. I want you to come and see me as soon as you can. I will send you all of my things and you can sell them. But keep the Winchester. It is hard for me to write this letter, but it was all for you, my sweet wife, and for the love I have for you. "Do not go back on me. If you do it will kill me. Be true to me as long as you live, and come to see me if you think enough of me. My love is just the same as it always was. Oh, how I did hate to leave you last Sunday evening. But I did not think this would happen. I thought we could take in the money and not have any trouble with it, but a man's fondest hopes are sometimes broken with trouble. We would not have been arrested but one of our horses gave out and we could not leave him [the rider] alone. I do not know what to write. Do the best you can with everything. I want you to send me some clothes. Sell all the things you don't need. Have your picture taken and send it to me. Now, my dear wife, go and see Mr. Witzleben and Mr. Nyce and get the money. If a mob does not kill us we will come out all right after while. Maude, I did not shoot anyone and didn't want the others to kill anyone. But they did and that is all there is about it. Now, my darling wife, goodbye. H. N. Brown."

Tension was rising in town and a lynch mob was forming. Fearing they would be lynched John Wesley removed his boot along with the shackle of the leg iron with which he and Henry Brown were shackled together with. Henry Brown used a bandana to tie his leg iron to his leg with and allow him to run. John Smith who was handcuffed to Ben Wheeler was able to slip the handcuff over his small hand resulting to all four men being free from one another.

When the lynch mob rushed the door at 9pm on April 30, 1884 Henry Brown burst through the lynch mob to an alley along side of the jail. As he ran he met both barrels of a shotgun at close range which nearly cut him in half. Henry Brown was dead. It is said that the mob was so disgusted that Henry Brown had cheated them out of a hanging, various members of the lynch mob pumped bullets into Brown's mangled corpse. 

Ben Wheeler was able to run about 100 yards before being wounded in a hail of gunfire. He lived long enough to be hanged by the angry mob from a nearby elm tree along with William Smith and John Wesley.

Within a few minutes all four outlaws were dead. 

You can imagine how shocked the townspeople of Caldwell, Kansas were when they found out their beloved Marshal and Assistant Marshal attempted to rob a bank, killed two employees of the bank and were lynched by an angry mob.

Henry Brown's widow continued to live in Caldwell but she ignored his instructions for his Winchester Rifle and gave it to some of her husband's acquaintances.

Noose That Was Kept At Medicine Valley Bank As A Reminder To Would Be Robbers

Both Henry Brown and Ben Wheeler lived contradicting lives. At times good and at other times bad. They both seemed to be men who possibly wanted to do good but kept finding themselves in situations where the lines were crossed. In the end they paid heavily for their crimes and became a part of western history.

Edit: I have since found what looks to be a very good and well documented book on Ben Wheeler. I ordered it and look forward to finding out more about him. I will add new info at a later time as I become more aware of his life before Caldwell, Kansas.

Glock 19 MOS with Burris Fastfire 3 Review

    Glock 19 MOS with Burris Fastfire 3 Review

    I have been shooting Glocks for a long time. My first Glock was a Generation 2 G22 in .40 that was my father's duty pistol when he made the switch from revolver to semi auto. The gun was made in about 1993 if I remember correctly and now has about 15,000 rounds through it and is still going strong. That said, I am not a pro shooter. Though I have shot pistols at different points most of my life I have just now really decided to dedicate more time to pistol shooting.

   I have had many different Glock models through out the years including the 22, 27, 26, 17, 31, 21 and the 19. Some I have kept and some I have traded for other things throughout the years.

My original Glock 22 will be a gun that I keep forever though.

   Recently with Glock making pistols designed for the Modular Optic System (MOS) I have been dying to try these out. The gun I planned to try out in the MOS was the Glock 34 MOS. I have searched for months now but have yet to be able to find one in my area which is a real bummer.

What I did happen upon one day while at the gun shop was a Generation 4 Glock 19 MOS. I decided that I had to have it and so I bought it that day. While at the gun shop I decided to pick up the Burris Fastfire 3 as my test sight.

   Never having had a Red Dot on a pistol before I could not justify paying twice as much for a Trijicon RMR, although I am sure they are worth every penny.

   The Burris Fastfire 3 is a 3moa sight and comes with a no questions asked "Forever Warranty" so if anything ever happens they will fix or repair it free of charge.

Here is the Glock 19 MOS and Burris Fastfire 3 together.



Here is the Gen 4 G19 MOS with my Standard Gen 4 G19.

For comparison I will include a few photos of the Gen 4 19 MOS along side the Standard Gen 4 19

After taking a few family photos of the two Gen 4 Glocks together I mounted the Burris Fastfire3 using plate number one that came with the Glock. Everything mounted nicely and fit well. It was a very easy install.

Now for some range time.

   My first trip to the range with the MOS system was actually not bad. I was shooting at 15 feet which is not far but I wanted to get used to this pistol and sight. Also, I am used to having a slightly lighter trigger on my pistols so the stock trigger was something to get used too also.

Here is my first actual grouping with the pistol. It is a 5 shot group. I felt that last shot pull low as soon as it fired.

Here is another 5 shot group I shot. My shots kept tending to print to the left of point of aim but for grouping purposing this was okay. For this day I was just getting used to the pistol and sight.  

   I found that I could keep a good group but sometimes they would shoot to the left of the point of aim and some times I would shoot them low as seen in this next 5 shot group which all hit lower than the red diamond I was aiming at. Some of this can be attributed to movement as I am aiming and some of this can be attributed to me not placing the red dot in the same place in the sight when I am shooting.

(note: The 5 shot group does not include the far left hole. That was from another string)

Here is a 10 Shot group that I shot just for fun.

(Again with me pulling the final shot in the string)

Over all I was pleased with my first outing with the Glock 19 MOS with Burris Fastfire 3. It grouped well for me when taking slower shots for grouping purposes.

Extended Use And Final Thoughts

Over the past couple of months I have shot this pistol/sight combo a bunch putting well over 1,000 rounds through it. While over all I have enjoyed the combo, I have found a couple of things that I don't like in addition to the things that I do like.

Things I don't like;

1: I am still trying to adjust to the red dot sight. It is good for quick acquisition of your intended target although sometimes when I am rushing to shoot I have a hard time finding the dot in the sight. I am sure this is just shooter error as I am starting to get better and putting it up and quickly finding the dot. Not as quickly as I would like though. Sometimes I have to move the pistol around in order to find the dot. More time on the range will hopefully help me to get better at this.

 2: Sometimes when I hit the button on the Fastfire three the dot does not come on right away. I find myself having to push the button two or three times in order for the dot to actually come on. It has one button controls that turn on, bighting/dim the dot and also turn off the dot. It is not a real problem but a more positive button of some sort would be a nice feature. (Edit; The first pressing of the button puts the sight in Auto which automatically adjusts the brightness level. I thought that it was just not coming on but I now think that it was, just not as bright at the moment.) 

3: This sight takes a real beating from brass being ejected. I have shot some slow motion video of the gun being fired and many times the brass is ejected straight back into the sight.

You can see in the following photo that the brass ejected straight into the sight. It is a little more exaggerated in this photo due to the one handed/ off hand grip. It does it even with a good firm grip also.  

(Please excuse the grip in this particular shot. Was trying to shoot left handed so I could film it in slow motion)

The sight appears to take the brass hitting it well. There are some slight dings in the glass but overall it does not effect the sight picture. The frame of the sight has some nicks in the metal where the paint has been chipped off due to the brass hitting the frame.

Here you can see the places on the frame of the sight window where the brass has been hitting.      This was after about 1,000 rounds.

The things I do like;

1: Price. At around half the price of the Trijicon RMR sight I found it to be perfect for someone who is wanting to try out a red dot pistol on their semi auto pistol.

2: It was easy to sight in. It has very easy adjustments that can be turned with a dime, knife tip or some other type of small flat tool that you may have.

3: It can obviously take a beating from the brass hitting it. The rim has some slight nicks but the glass is surprisingly well off. It has some very slight scratches or nicks in the glass but overall it appears to be a hard glass and takes the hits well.

4: The battery is located on top of the sight (unlike some) which makes it easy to change and you don't have to take the sight off to change it.

5: The sight has held its original zero through over 1,000 rounds.

6: Warranty. Burris offers a "Forever" warranty with no questions asked. That seems hard to beat.

   All in all I think this combo is a great pair. The MOS system offered by Glock is great. The cover plate looks allows you to not run a red dot if you don't want. If you mill out your slide on a non MOS gun you may not have that cover plate. That and the fact that you get four plates designed to accommodate the different popular red dots out there make it well worth the extra money in my opinion.

I am still planning on getting the 34 MOS pistol when I find one. Until then, I will continue to shoot the heck out of this 19 MOS.

Thank you for taking the time to read this review. I hope that you found it interesting enough to read it all the way through.

Please Feel Free To Share This Post. 

All content in this post is owned by J. Wheeler. All rights reserved. 

Old Time Shaving

   I recently decided I wanted to try my hand at shaving the way my grandfather used to shave.

   He used an old CaseXX Straight Razor. I can still remember watching him stand at the sink with his shave mug, shave brush, shave soap, straight razor and of course some aftershave.

   The smell of the aftershave filling up the house is a memory of mine that the years have not faded in my mind.

   I don't remember what aftershave he used so I decided to try several different brands of shave soaps and after shaves.

   One shave soap and after shave that I found I liked was Ogallala Bay Rum.

  
   It has a very soothing smell that is not like other Bay Rums I have smelled. It is one of my favorites so far. Great product and it has an old time look to the packaging that it comes in. I was very pleased with the shave and smell that came with it.

   Another shave soap that I tried was Sir Hare. I was very happy with this product also. It has a very clean barber shop type smell. The soap lathered nicely and shaved well.

   It came in a well mad tin container much like an old shoe polish container. I like the packaging very much along with the way it performed and smelled.

   The next I tried was a four pack from Colonel Conk. It came with Bay Rum, Amber, Almond and Lime. Out of all the "flavored" I would say that the Bay Rum and Lime smelled the best. The soaps performed well and made a good lather. They allowed for a smooth close shave.

   The packaging was less desirable. Being plastic, it did not have a nostalgic look or feel to it which I find enriches the shaving experience for myself. That said, it was much cheaper than the others and the packaging did its job.

   I am no professional when it comes to old time shaving. Just a guy who enjoys things of yesteryear. I will continue to try out new shave soaps and aftershaves. Undoubtedly I will cross paths with smells that I like and dislike. 

   It takes a chore of shaving and makes it into a new hobby. If you are thinking about trying some old time shaving pick yourself up a straight razor or safety razor and try it out. Don't be afraid to try new smells and find what you like. In the end I feel that you will enjoy the task of shaving more than if you were to just keep on buying expensive disposable razors. 

Good luck and have fun shaving. 

CASE XX , American Family Tradition

   In today's times you have to really search to find that tag that says Made In The U.S.A. Even many American companies that have been here for what seems like forever, have in recent times started making their products in other countries. Its hard to look around your house and not find something made in China or Japan or some of the other countries out there that are producing things for the states. Go ahead, try it in your own home. Not an easy task, is it?
  
   Obviously since its very hard to find and use purely American made products we have to do our best to use things made here when we find them. If I can help it, I try to buy American made products when I can. I'm always looking for labels that say Made in the U.S.A.

   When it comes to knives many American companies have followed these trends of sourcing out their product to other countries and once proud American companies are now having their products made in other countries.

   That is not the case however with W.R. Case & Sons. They have been making knives in the United States since 1889. That is 125 years of excellent U.S. made knives and they don't show any signs of this changing any time soon. They have a strong presence in the knife industry and they are one of the most well respected and collect knife companies in existence.


   For many of us Case XX is the brand that our fathers carried, our grandfathers. For some of us our great grandfathers may have even carried a knife. I know personally that my grandfather carried a Case XX and so has my father. At any given time throughout my childhood I could ask to borrow a knife and you can bet your bottom dollar that they would pull out their favorite Case XX knife that was deep in their pocket.

                                          Grandfather's Knife

   I am lucky enough that even my wife's family were big Case XX knife people. My wife's grandfather pulled me to the side one day a few years ago and gave me one of his own father's Case XX pocket knives. I was shocked and of course very happy to accept the knife. It is now one of my prized knives in my collection because it belonged to my wife's great grandfather. That is pretty neat in my book.

                                                    Wife's Great Grandfather's Knife


   The argument could be made that there are not many knives that are passed down from generation to generation intentionally because of what tradition they have instilled within the brand.

   My everyday carry knife is a Case XX Stockman 63032 CV that fits perfectly into my watch pocket in my jeans.  I will carry this knife till it cannot be carried any longer. I want my kids and eventual grand kids to know without a doubt what I will pull out of my pocket. I want them to have fond memories of seeing me with this knife for years and years.

 

                                          My every day carry Case XX Stockman 63032 CV

   When we take trips we try to find the small general stores or hardware stores that carry Case XX knifes. The big stores are wonderful also but for me I really love the small hole in the wall shops because they have some of the best knives. I wish I could afford everyone of them that I see in these types of stores. You get a good mixture of old and new when you find one of these places.

  In Townsend, Tn. a couple of weeks ago while on vacation I found one of these stores. This old general store had just about every thing you would need to get by but what I was looking for was the Case XX knives and boy did he have plenty. He is a Case XX master dealer and had plenty knives to choose from. I ended up going back there several times before our trip to the Smoky Mountains ended. Here are a few knives that I picked up from his store.

My wife even got in on the fun and bought me this beautiful Case XX Canoe with Damascus metal and Stag handles. My first every Stag/Damascus combo.

   I will show you now a couple of the other knives that were handed down to me from various people such as my Father, Father-In-Law and others. The craftsmanship on these knives are always top notch and each a beauty in their own way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Case XX is an American Family Tradition. That is one of the things I love about this company. If you love good American Traditional Knives then you will love what W.R. Case & Sons have done over the past 125 years.

 

   Here's to another 125 years or making great knives.

 

 

 

It just don't get more American than Case XX.......

 

 

 

Okay, maybe Case XX and Watermelon is more American.

 

 

Thank you W.R. Case & Sons for still making a Traditional pocket knife that I am proud to still inherit and will be proud to pass down for generations to come.  

 

Respectfully,

Joe Wheeler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more info on W.R. Case & Sons knives and info on where you can purchase your own Case XX knife please check out their website at http://www.wrcase.com/index_en.php

 

I am in no way affiliated with W.R. Case & Sons. Just a fan of theirs for as long as I can remember.