b'The Old West Lawman WhoKNEW NO FEARPART 2 By Alan RockmanWell, I reckon I\'d better be getting along, he said presently. His mind was asking: Why didn\'t they shoot, and be done with it. I reckon you\'d better, said the man by the fire, in the same surly tones. Very politely Bill Tilghman thanked him. Then turning, he walked towards the door. Without question, it was the longest walk he ever took.A t every step, he expected the fatal blast, the volley ofby sparing his life, at least temporarily, when the roles were. .Tilghman" (Wellman, Dynasty of Western Outlaws, pp. bullets that would tear him to pieces, and fling him, areversed. Back on the trail, and knowing he had a moral bleeding corpse, on the dirt floor of the dugout. Butdebt to repay the outlaw leader, Tilghman let his fellow he was an old poker player, schooled in keeping any trace ofOklahoma Guardsmen know that Doolin was his - and229-231; Colonel Bailey T. Hanes, Bill Doolin, Outlaw O.T., emotion out of his face. Without a sign of worry, he pacedhis alone. As he told them: "If a posse goes, there will beUniversity of Oklahoma Press, pp. 156-157. 1968).toward that far door. In some of the bunks, as he passed, heshooting and Doolin will be killed. He saved my life once. could even hear the low breathing of the inmates. Not onceHe\'s got to be brought in, but I want to take him alone - andOn the train ride back to Guthrie those two adversaries who did he look back. alive" (Wellman, Dynasty of Western Outlaws, p.229)! greatly respected and (this writer would add) liked each other chatted like old friends. Doolin seemed a bit relieved He reached the door. Slowly, very slowly, as if reluctantTracking down Doolin through the movements of his wife,to be captured, no longer on the run, but he also added that to leave the warmth of the interior, he opened it. Aswho was masquerading as a Mrs. Berry, Tilghman learnedwhile he would respect Tilghman, there would be no future deliberately he stepped outside and closed it carefullythat Doolin was in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, seekingguarantee that he wouldn\'t try to escape. It would be nice behind him. Not a shot had been red! Now Tilghmancomfort at the mineral baths for the head wound he hadto note that Doolin not only kept his word to Tilghman acted. No sooner was the door closed than he sprung backincurred at Ingalls. As he walked into one of the mineralbut would have also kept it to his jailers. Unfortunately, and whipped out both revolvers. There was no rush frombaths he immediately recognized Bill Doolin, who hadDoolin chose to make his getaway far from the friendlier inside to open that door. Keeping his six-shooters ready andnot seen Tilghman and was calmly reading a newspaperhands of Tilghman, and while trying to escape to Texas his eyes on the door, he began to back away as rapidly as hewhen all of a sudden a voice of authority startled him. "Bill,was ambushed by Tilghman\'s fellow Guardsman Heck could through the snow, toward the waiting wagon. "Getyou\'re under arrest!" said Tilghman. In amazement, theThomas with a posse that included the treacherous Dunn out of here fast!" he said to his companions as he vaulted in.outlaw glanced up from his paper. "What do you mean?"brothers. Riddled with buckshot and bullets, Doolin died a That dugout\'s swarming with outlaws" (Wellman, A Dynastyhe asked. Then he recognized the man speaking to him.sad, and quite avoidable death (if he had only gone straight) of Western Outlaws, pp. 214-217)! With a bound he was on his feet, reaching for a revolveron the dusty streets of Lawson, Oklahoma, at 9 o\'clock that he carried in a holster under his left armpit. Tilghmanon the evening of August 25, 1896.It is not known what Tilghman would live almost 30 years more. But monthsgrasped his gun arm by the sleeve of the coat and thrustTilghman\'s reaction was upon hearing of the death of the later, in a conversation with Will Dunn, the Dunn brotherhis own pistol muzzle against the other\'s side. Calmly,outlaw who had been both his enemy - and his friend, but it who acted surly and impatient with him, he found outwithout excitement, though he was straining to hold hisis known that both he and Chris Madsen would later pay a how really close death almost touched his shoulder in thatman, Tilghman said, "I remember what you did for me incondolence call on his widow. dugout. For behind those bunks waiting were Bill Doolin,the Dunn ranch dugout, Bill. Don\'t make me kill you. They Bill Dalton, Red Buck Waightman, Bitter Creek Newcomb,were both powerful men and for a few moments, DoolinThe last of the roaming Doolin-Daltons, Little Dick West Bill Raidler, and possibly Little Dick West, Tulsa Jack Blake,continued to try to reach the revolver, his gun arm held byhad managed to remain free until the morning of April and Charlie Pierce. Not only were their guns drawn whenTilghman\'s grip on his sleeve. Then the sleeve began to rip. 7, 1898, when Tilghman and Heck Thomas caught up Tilghman approached the dugout, but they had recognizedwith him. When West tried to resist arrest, the carbines of him immediately. Dunn, anxious to save his own skin, told"Goodbye, Bill", the officer gasped. Doolin, looking him inTilghman and Thomas spit re and the last "on the loose" Tilghman he only acted rude towards him because he feltthe eye, saw it was death if he resisted for another instant.Doolin-Dalton fell from his saddle (Wellman, A Dynasty of he\'d be murdered by the outlaws he had sheltered. "You win," he said. Tilghman disarmed him and took himWestern Outlaws, p. 286).to the hotel to pack up his things. Among the articles, The episode didn\'t end there, as one of the outlaws, thethere was a small cup, of a baby\'s size. "Yours?" he asked.While the capture of Doolin may very well have been the violence-prone, ill-tempered Red Buck Waightman leaped"Yes, I bought it for my baby," said Doolin. It made a deephighlight of Tilghman\'s career, it was by no means over by a towards the door as Tilghman closed it, gun drawn, only toimpression on Tilghman, who was fond of children. He feltlong shot. Once a lawman always a lawman, Tilghman went be restrained at the last moment by Bill Doolin and Bitterthat a man who had such affection for his child could not beon to become the sheriff of Lincoln County (Oklahoma) in Creek Newcomb. Will Dunn turned back and told Red Buckall bad. "I\'ll see that the baby gets it," he said. And then he1900. He also built up a ne stable of Thoroughbred horses that the dugout would be surrounded by deputies withinadded, "I believe you\'ll keep a promise, Bill. If you give meat his ranch, including at least one Kentucky Derby winner. hours if he gunned down Tilghman. Then Bill Doolin,your word that you won\'t try to escape, I\'ll take you back toA Democrat, he dabbled in politics and led the Oklahoma the good-natured Cowboy outlaw with a conscience,Guthrie without humiliating you by putting the handcuffsterritory delegation to the 1904 Democratic National who unlike Red Buck never killed for the sake of killing,on you." Convention where he would support the nomination of showed what measure of a man he truly was as he said,Judge Alton B. Parker (no relation to his former boss, "Bill Tilghman\'s too good a man to be shot in the back"Doolin gave him a look of gratitude. "I wouldn\'t go back on"Hanging Judge" Isaac Parker). Judge Parker\'s opponent (Wellman, A Dynasty of Western Outlaws, p. 218). a trade like that," he said. "I promise".Then, just prior towas none other than the Rough Rider Theodore Roosevelt boarding the train back to Guthrie, Tilghman sent Marshalhimself, and while Roosevelt handily beat Judge Parker, he Tilghman would remember, and the time would almost beNix a telegram that read: Eureka Springs, Arkansas,knew very well of Tilghman\'s exploits from his readings a year later when Tilghman would repay the outlaw leaderJanuary 15, 1896. "I have him. Will be home tomorrow.but even more so from the praises of his friend and fellow 30 September 2019'