173:, said to be too lenient in their judgements and demanded them to all resign. When the magistrate objected, saying the marshal had no such authority, Duggan pulled out his gun, threw it across the desk in a spinning motion and declared they are all arrested. In response to the confusion, he declared “I can blow any damn office alderman in this building”. Duggan then hand picked magistrate replacements and held court for six days, passing down sentences. The disposed magistrate later apologized to Duggan, and on his promise to do better in the future, returned to their posts. Although completely illegal and improper, Duggan's tactics were extremely effective, and were tolerated by the townspeople. He killed two men during this period, both in saloon shootings.
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On March 10, 1879, Bill and Jim Bush, businessmen and also friends to Mayor Tabor, became involved in a dispute on a vacant lot with
Mortimer Arbuckle, another businessman who had evidently set up his small shanty shack business on a lot belonging to the Bush brothers. In the heat of a physical exchange, Jim Bush pulled a pistol and shot Arbuckle, killing him. Arbuckle was unarmed, and was well liked in town. Another mob formed, intent on burning the hotel owned by Bill Bush, and hanging Jim Bush. Duggan again backed down the mob, and arrested Jim Bush for
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Despite some of the problems he'd had, Duggan was still highly respected and his death was mourned by the whole of
Leadville, with a large attendance at his funeral. Bailey Youngston, along with his business partners Tom Dennison and Jim Harrington and employee George Evans, were arrested for his murder, tried, but acquitted due to a lack of evidence. The widow of Louis Lamb danced where Duggan had been shot down, and presented her widow's weeds to Duggan's wife.
241:, killing a cattle dealer named Jack Taylor. Frodsham was wounded by two bullets in the gunfight, and was arrested, but posted bail. Frodsham then moved to Leadville, and the same month of his arrival, on December 29, 1879, he shot and killed Peter Thams, a Laramie resident, after the latter argued with him over the Taylor shooting. Marshal Kelly, perhaps out of fear, refused to arrest Frodsham for the murder.
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threw the man's revolver into a corner. He then walked outside across the street and waited for the man to come out and confront him. The drunk man walked outside towards the street and the two faced one another about 30 feet apart, with many saloon patrons standing by to witness. In the gunfight that followed, the two
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The salesman immediately went to
Leadville, where Duggan was not popular. He filed charges of robbery and assault against Duggan, who appeared in court to face the charges along with a string of dance hall girls as witnesses. The judge acquitted Duggan on the charge of robbery, but fined him $ 10 for
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With the town totally out of control, the council fired Pat Kelly, and sent for Mart Duggan once again. Duggan returned in late
December, 1879, and immediately fired all of Kelly's deputies, hiring men of his own choosing. He then went about arresting any he believed to be causing problems, including
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with his wife. He was replaced by Pat Kelly, another
Irishman, but Kelly lacked the abilities and raw aggression that Duggan possessed, and within months the town of Leadville had reverted to its former rowdy state. Gangs of hoodlums began taking over businesses and city property at gun point, led by
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He opened his eyes some hours later and asked for a drink of water. When asked who had shot him, and had it been Bailey
Youngston, he replied, "No. And I'll die before I tell you". Duggan died at 11:00 am on April 9, 1888. It has never been discovered why he chose to withhold the name of his killer.
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Duggan was dismissed from duty as
Marshal after a February, 1879 drinking binge in which he threatened passersby who looked suspicious, repeatedly waving his handgun at their faces. He was quickly reinstated when it became obvious no one could replace him at that time, given the town's rowdy status.
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In May, 1880, Duggan led several others in the employ of former mayor Tabor to help end a miners' strike over wages, and within a month the strike had ended. On
November 22, 1880, Duggan argued with miner Louis Lamb, with whom he'd had previous confrontations. Lamb walked away, but Duggan was still
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was formed. Duggan ran to head off the mob, who was headed for the jail. Cocking a revolver in each hand, he informed them he would kill the first man who took another step forward. The mob, numbering no less than 100 men, dissipated. Hines eventually did recover from his wound. Elkins was found to
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for their pistols, but Duggan managed to shoot first, firing three bullets and hitting the man in the chest, killing him. The identity of the man has been relatively unknown for he hadn't been in town long enough to even pass his name along to others. Duggan was cleared in the shooting, it being
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Not long after accepting the position, Duggan disarmed a drunk who was brandishing his pistol, beating the man over the head with his own gun. The man threatened Duggan and said that, had it been a stand up gunfight, Duggan would not have fared so well. Duggan accepted the man's challenge and he
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Later that year, Duggan returned to
Leadville to accept a job as a patrolman. However, Leadville had by this time progressed well beyond the bustling mining camp he had policed a decade earlier, and had become civilized. Duggan and his techniques, however, were unchanged. In March, 1888, Duggan
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Mayor Tabor then appointed George O'Connor as
Marshal, and for one months time O'Connor did a commendable job. However, he was shot and killed less than five weeks after his appointment by one of his own deputies, Deputy Marshall James M. "Tex" Bloodsworth, on April 25, 1878, after O'Connor
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Although no one was ever convicted in his murder, most believed that George Evans had been paid to murder Duggan by a group of men who held grudges against him from years earlier. This could never be proven. Evans left town immediately after being acquitted, and was killed in a gunfight in
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In late May, 1878, Duggan arrested August Rische, one of the wealthiest mine owners in Colorado at the time, for being drunk and disorderly. When Rische resisted, Duggan physically lifted him into the curb and escorted him to county jail. Rische was a friend to Mayor Tabor, who came to the
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girls into buying fake jewelry, Duggan hunted the man down, beat him, then made him return all the money he had taken, using the remainder of his money to pay for drinks for everyone present at the dance hall until he was broke. Duggan then escorted the conman out of town.
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Duggan immediately began ousting any he believed to affect his abilities at policing the town. His first order of business was to fire any deputies he suspected of being too friendly toward the criminal elements. He then walked into the office of the municipal
141:. At its founding in 1877, Leadville had some 300 residents, mostly miners. A mere one year later, by the time Duggan arrived, the town boasted a population near to 15,000. T. H. Harrison was appointed as the town's first
325:, but had walked only a few steps on Harrison Avenue before someone approached him from behind and shot him in the back of the head, then fled. Duggan did not immediately go down, and staggered next door to the
282:, where he turned and pulled his pistol. Duggan drew also, shooting Lamb in the mouth, killing him instantly. He turned himself in following the shooting and was later cleared on grounds of self-defense. Lamb's
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due to a rowdy crowd of miners. He stood his ground against them, and backed them down. Although his first altercation had been successful, witnesses would later claim that they felt it would be short-lived.
321:. Duggan invited them both outside to settle the dispute with guns, but fearing his reputation they both refused. At around 4:00 am, friends were able to calm Duggan and convince him to go home. He left the
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game. A fight ensued, and Elkins stabbed Hines with a knife, then fled. Two of Duggan's deputies quickly located Elkins and arrested him without incident. However, when word spread that Hines was dying,
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78:, although details of those events are sketchy at best. In 1876, having seen little success as a miner, and having developed into a strong man, Duggan began working as a bouncer in the
293:, but after the shooting his business failed altogether in 1882. He moved to Douglass City, Colorado, where he became a deputy, and tended bar. In 1887, when a conman tricked several
160:, and appointed Mart Duggan to replace O'Connor. Immediately Duggan began to receive threats that he could either leave town, or be killed. That same day, Duggan was called to the
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by trade, but had a fearsome temper, and was good with a gun. On August 8, 1879, Frodsham and friend Lee Landers, the latter an escaped convict, became involved in a gunfight in
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to protest his arrest. However, Duggan did not back down, and Rische remained in jail until Duggan saw fit to release him. Later that same month, Duggan was called to the
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who had terrorized several mining towns a decade earlier, due to the similarity in names. However, there were some present in town who were aware that Sam Duggan had been
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assault. Duggan flew into a rage, demanding that if anyone should pay, it should be the salesman. Seeing Duggan's temper, the salesman dropped the charges and fled town.
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Although cleared in the shooting, Duggan lost a lot of his popularity over the shooting of Lamb, who was well liked in the community. Duggan had opened a
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who, although mostly unknown today and one of the most underrated gunmen of the Old West, was at the time one of the more feared men in the west.
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reprimanded Bloodsworth for spending too much time in saloons. Bloodsworth then fled on a horse he stole, and was never seen again in Leadville.
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rate. Harrison, although thought to have a fearsome reputation, was beaten and run out of town a mere two days after his appointment.
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Duggan left the Marshal's position for Leadville in April, 1879, when his term expired, stating he wished to move to
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and a mule skinner. It is known that during this period, he was involved in numerous fights with
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arrested a jewelry peddler, and when the charges were dropped and Duggan was fined $ 25 for
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enraged. Duggan continued to verbally yell at Lamb, who walked as far as the front of the
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On April 9, in the early morning hours, Duggan became involved in an argument with two
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Miners John Elkins (a Black man) and Charlie Hines were quarrelling over a pot at a
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Deputy Sheriff Edmund H. Watson, however, stepped in and did arrest Frodsham.
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have acted in self-defense, and fled town immediately upon his release.
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Patrick Stewart out of the jail two days later, and lynched them.
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Deadly Dozen: Forgotten Gunfighters of the Old West
156:Mayor Tabor called an emergency session of the
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249:stormed the jail and took both Frodsham and
197:began to spread throughout the town, and a
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431:Mart Duggan, Unsung Gunman of the Old West
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19:(November 10, 1848 – April 9, 1888) was a
361:DeArment, Robert K. (7 September 2009).
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114:In the Spring of 1878, Duggan entered
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42:Duggan was born Martin J. Duggan, in
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537:Irish emigrants to the United States
522:Gunslingers of the American Old West
185:, due to a disturbance in progress.
237:with two men inside Susie Parker's
86:Occidental Dance Hall & Saloon
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396:"Officer Down Brief, Mart Duggan"
542:People from Leadville, Colorado
517:Lawmen of the American Old West
58:. In July, 1863, following the
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367:University of Oklahoma Press
110:Life as a gunman and lawman
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401:Officer Down Memorial Page
135:Horace Austin Warner Tabor
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17:Martin J. "Mart" Duggan
218:Edward Frodsham, from
133:On February 12, 1878,
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243:Lake County, Colorado
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439:Police appointments
80:Georgetown, Colorado
60:New York Draft Riots
489:Leadville, Colorado
458:Leadville, Colorado
327:Bradford Drug Store
116:Leadville, Colorado
162:Tontine Restaurant
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496:Succeeded by
465:Succeeded by
25:American Old West
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493:1879–1880
478:Patrick A. Kelly
475:Preceded by
468:Patrick A. Kelly
462:1878–1879
444:Preceded by
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128:Denver, Colorado
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532:1888 deaths
527:1848 births
323:Texas House
319:Texas House
511:Categories
345:References
295:dance hall
247:Vigilantes
171:magistrate
38:Early life
21:gunfighter
499:Ed Watson
341:in 1902.
339:Nicaragua
199:lynch mob
412:20 April
315:gamblers
64:Colorado
239:brothel
231:jeweler
224:Wyoming
143:Marshal
124:lynched
76:cowboys
72:Indians
48:Ireland
23:of the
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251:outlaw
208:murder
102:ruled
83:saloon
284:widow
190:poker
139:mayor
120:bully
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