Jefferson Davis Milton
A Good Man With A Gun
A young Milton with a killer mustache!
The mystique of Southwestern lawmen is legendary. Anyone with a deep interest in Old West history is soon drawn to the men who upheld the law during this lawless period. Hearing of the exploits of these rough-and-tumble men, it doesn’t take long to be mesmerized by the spell cast.
Maybe it’s the harsh, raw conditions they worked in or the dangerous men they dealt with daily that intrigues us. Before Charles Askins, Bill Jordan, and even Skeeter Skelton, there was a pioneer who led the way for Southwestern lore. Either way, these men were real, or should I say “real men,” and Jefferson Davis Milton was the epitome of the Southwestern lawman.
The Beginning
Jefferson Milton Davis was born in Sylvania, Fla. on Nov. 7, 1861, and was the son of the Confederate governor, General John Milton. After the Civil War, the family resided on the remnant of the large family estate, which had been taken over by the new government.
Milton moved to Texas at age 15, working for a relative in a mercantile store, while also trying his hand at cowboying in the old Fort Griffin buffalo country. On July 27, 1880, armed with a few letters from prominent citizenry, Milton went to Texas Ranger headquarters in Austin. Lying about his age by three years, he stated he was the required 21 years of age and was quickly sworn in as a Texas Ranger private.
Back in those days, Rangers supplied their own guns. Milton went with a Colt .45 SAA and an 1873 .44 WCF carbine. The rangers were given 100 cartridges to go with their guns, as well as a stipend of 12 rifle and pistol cartridges per month, which the State considered ample.
Milton later obtained a Colt Frontier .44-40 so he could have the same ammunition as his .44 WCF carbine. Unfortunately, when shooting the revolver the first time, the gun tied up with the cylinder locking up tight from primer flow-back. This happened every time Milton shot the gun.
The .44-40 was quickly traded for a highly ornate .45 Colt Milton got from a gambler. The .45 Colt was Milton’s chosen caliber from then on. Later, he was known to carry a second .45 Colt, a cutdown “shorty” possibly a sheriff’s model, in a shoulder holster hidden under his shirt. This second gun was said to have saved him on several occasions.
Ranger Life
Milton learned the terrain of the large state of Texas by riding thousands of miles on horseback during his three years as a ranger. He mostly worked in the Trans Pecos and Big Bend areas when the Pacific railroad was laying track.
This meant tent cities for the hardworking, rowdy railroad workers who regularly entertained gamblers, outlaws, and sporting ladies to pass the time and keep spirits high for the men. It didn’t take long for the men to spend all their low-paying wages on all the fun, and tempers flared. You can bet your bottom dollar that conflict followed on those occasions, and a good lawman was needed to keep the peace.
Jefferson Davis Milton sitting in his beloved high desert environment.
New Mexico
After three years of “Rangering,” Milton headed to New Mexico, where he tried ranching for a while. This quiet life didn’t last long, as Milton’s reputation preceded him and he worked several different jobs as a deputy sheriff in different counties, as well as several stints as a cattle detective. The Governor of New Mexico issued Milton a special statewide commission to round up cattle rustlers.
Milton was known for closing cases quickly and efficiently. He was well respected and known for his mild mannerisms and friendly demeanor. However, be forewarned if you ever crossed him! His attitude quickly changed as he did what needed doing to get things right.
On the Border
In 1877, Joseph Magoffin, Collector of Customs, hired Milton to ride alone, with a packhorse in tow, from Nogales to the Gulf of California. This desert wasteland was tough-going and dangerous. Milton’s job was to prevent smugglers from entering the United States. It is a tough and lonely job for one man to cover such a large, desolate area.
When Milton started, this dry, almost waterless stretch was also patrolled by a company of 11 men, though they seldom worked together. Daily encounters with dangerous smugglers and posse dodging outlaws while collecting U.S. Customs duties often led to shootouts — several Shootouts. For 12 years, Milton worked this rugged area and lived to talk about it. Thankfully, he was a good man with a gun.
Lawman Highlights
• Capture of Jack Taylor Gang: In the 1880s, Milton worked with Sheriff John Slaughter in Cochise County, Ariz. While pursuing the gang en route to Mexico, they were involved in several shootouts. After several close calls of catching the men, a shootout occurred with several gang members killed and Taylor arrested in Sonora.
• Capture & Death of Martin M’Rose: Milton was Chief of Police of El Paso, Texas, in 1895 when he joined forces with US Marshall George Scarborough to capture M’Rose in Mexico. While bringing him back, M’Rose was shot by Scarborough. John Wesley Hardin was seeing Mrs. M’Rose on the side, and Hardin claimed he paid Scarborough and Milton to kill her husband. Milton and Scarborough were arrested, but Hardin withdrew his claim, and the men were released.
• Fairbank Train Holdup: While Milton was employed for a few years with the Southern Pacific Railroad and/or Wells Fargo. One day, former lawman-turned-outlaw Burt Alvord and five others attempted to rob the express car of its cash. During the attempted robbery, Milton shot outlaw “Three Fingered Jack Dunlop, badly wounding him.” Dunlop died days later. Milton also shot and wounded Bravo Juan Yoas.
Milton was seriously wounded in his left arm, fracturing it and severing an artery for which he applied a tourniquet. Before Alvord and his men boarded the car, Milton threw the keys to the express car’s safe into a pile of packages at the far end of the car.
One Tough Hombre
These tales are just scratching the surface of the everyday events Jeff Milton experienced during his long and varied career of strapping on a gun and pinning on a badge to be a lawman in some capacity. A good man with a gun is the only recourse for bad men with guns. Thankfully men like Jeff Milton did so for many years.
