OLDNAVYMCPO
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
Charlie Angelo Siringo, born 07 Feb 1855 in Matagorda County, Texas came to be called " The Cowboy Detective". Born to an Irish mother and an Italian father, Charlie spent his formative years as a working cowboy on local ranches. If you have ever been on horseback in Matagorda County, you know it is absolutely the toughest, most impossible, continuous mesquite thicket in which to try and work cattle. Brush popping at its worst.
After making a number of cattle drives, Charlie settled in Caldwell, Kansas, married and wrote a book on life as a Texas Cowboy. A year later it was published and won great acclaim.
Bored, he went to work as a stock detective. In Feb 1881, Cowboy Detective Charlie Siringo was assigned to a case involving cattle rustling from some major ranches in the panhandle of Texas. The cattle thief was none other than Billy the Kid. After the Lincoln County Wars, Billy who had always dabbled in cattle rustling, joined into a working relationship with Pat Coghlan, owner of the Three Rivers Ranch in the Tularosa Valley of NM (north of present day Alamogordo). Coghlan had the contract to supply beef to Fort Stanton. Rather than use his beef, he bought stolen beef from Billy.
Billy the Kid would steal cattle or horses in Arizona, drive them to the Texas panhandle where he would sell them. Steal cattle there and drive them to NM's Tularosa basin and sell them to Pat Coghlan. Charlie Siringo trailed the herd and found five fresh hides in Coghlan's butcheryard wearing the LX brand. He confronted Pat Coghlan with the evidence. At first Pat bowed up and refused to return the stolen cattle. Charlie had backup just north at White Oaks. They came to an agreement, Pat promised not to butcher anymore cattle and to help roundup the remainder in the spring when the grass was fresh.
Pat reneged on the deal, Charlie caught his men butchering more LX cattle. Seringo and his men rode into Coghlan's ranch but only found 8 head of LX cattle. Charlie had sufficient evidence to send Pat to the Pen. Charlie contacted the deputy US Marshall at Roswell, John Poe, and Pat was arrested. Pat whined and begged for mercy, even tried to bribe Poe but he was unrelenting. Coghlan was indicted by a grand jury in Mesilla. He eventually bribed the prosecuting attorney and got free. He was, however sued by the big ranches and paid restitution.
In 1886, Siringo moved to Chicago and went to work for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Charlie worked undercover and joined gangs and outlaw bands as part of his job. At one point in his career, he worked with assassin Tom Horn. Horn was an agency hired gun at the time. His undercover work led to hundreds of arrests. He and Horn worked together to infiltrate the Butch Cassidy gang.
Several members of the Wild Bunch were captured as a result of Charlie's efforts. Most noted of which was Kid Curry who was tracked down and killed in a shootout in Colorado. Butch and The Sundance Kid both fled to Bolivia.
In 1907, Charlie Siringo retired from the Pinkertons to continue his writing.
In 1916, Siringo became a NM Ranger and pursued rustlers until 1918 when he retired because of failing health. He continued to write and ranch, he died in 1928.
After making a number of cattle drives, Charlie settled in Caldwell, Kansas, married and wrote a book on life as a Texas Cowboy. A year later it was published and won great acclaim.
Bored, he went to work as a stock detective. In Feb 1881, Cowboy Detective Charlie Siringo was assigned to a case involving cattle rustling from some major ranches in the panhandle of Texas. The cattle thief was none other than Billy the Kid. After the Lincoln County Wars, Billy who had always dabbled in cattle rustling, joined into a working relationship with Pat Coghlan, owner of the Three Rivers Ranch in the Tularosa Valley of NM (north of present day Alamogordo). Coghlan had the contract to supply beef to Fort Stanton. Rather than use his beef, he bought stolen beef from Billy.
Billy the Kid would steal cattle or horses in Arizona, drive them to the Texas panhandle where he would sell them. Steal cattle there and drive them to NM's Tularosa basin and sell them to Pat Coghlan. Charlie Siringo trailed the herd and found five fresh hides in Coghlan's butcheryard wearing the LX brand. He confronted Pat Coghlan with the evidence. At first Pat bowed up and refused to return the stolen cattle. Charlie had backup just north at White Oaks. They came to an agreement, Pat promised not to butcher anymore cattle and to help roundup the remainder in the spring when the grass was fresh.
Pat reneged on the deal, Charlie caught his men butchering more LX cattle. Seringo and his men rode into Coghlan's ranch but only found 8 head of LX cattle. Charlie had sufficient evidence to send Pat to the Pen. Charlie contacted the deputy US Marshall at Roswell, John Poe, and Pat was arrested. Pat whined and begged for mercy, even tried to bribe Poe but he was unrelenting. Coghlan was indicted by a grand jury in Mesilla. He eventually bribed the prosecuting attorney and got free. He was, however sued by the big ranches and paid restitution.
In 1886, Siringo moved to Chicago and went to work for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Charlie worked undercover and joined gangs and outlaw bands as part of his job. At one point in his career, he worked with assassin Tom Horn. Horn was an agency hired gun at the time. His undercover work led to hundreds of arrests. He and Horn worked together to infiltrate the Butch Cassidy gang.
Several members of the Wild Bunch were captured as a result of Charlie's efforts. Most noted of which was Kid Curry who was tracked down and killed in a shootout in Colorado. Butch and The Sundance Kid both fled to Bolivia.
In 1907, Charlie Siringo retired from the Pinkertons to continue his writing.
In 1916, Siringo became a NM Ranger and pursued rustlers until 1918 when he retired because of failing health. He continued to write and ranch, he died in 1928.
