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Tracing the families who built Cheyenne County
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In the 131 years of the existence of Cheyenne County, there have been 19 different Sheriffs. I'll go through the list and add a few comments on some of the sheriffs.
In August 1870, Governor Davis Butler issued a Proclamation setting the boundaries of the new County of Cheyenne, designating Sidney as the County seat and Officers were appointed.
JOHN J. ELLIS (Appointed), 1870
Date of First Election: October 8, 1871
GEORGE C. COOK was elected but did not qualify, so Ellis continued.
JOHN J. ELLIS — 5 yrs, 4 mo
(1870–1875)
CON McCARTY — 2 yrs (1876–1877)
While Sheriff, McCARTY owned the Capitol Saloon and was a gambler, politician, and cattleman. In the 1880s, it was rumored that he was the leader of Sidney’s under‑world and the main suspect in the 1880 Gold Bullion Robbery.
Four bars of gold worth $80,000 were stolen.
The stage from the Black Hills arrived too late to catch the train. Mr. Allen, Express Agent, locked the bullion in the freight room and went to lunch. A hole had been sawed through the floor, leading to a tunnel dug over several days.
Investigators recovered all but four bars within two hours. Suspects included McCarty, Patsy (a bartender), Mr. Allen, and O’Flanagan the barber.
McCarty was later arrested by vigilantes but escaped after being told to leave the county. He never returned.
When his saloon was torn down, a “gold brick” was found — but it was only a brick painted gold.
JOHN ZWEIFEL & ROBERT C.
HOWARD — 1878–1881
SAM O. FOWLER — 1882–1885
W.T. EUBANK — 1886–1889
During Fowler’s term, James & John Pinkston were murdered by James Reynolds. Reynolds was legally hanged — but Eubank paid a young man $5 to pull the lever.
CHARLES W. TROGNITZ — 1890–1893
JOHN DAUGHERTY & DANIEL
McALEESE — 1894–1897
FRANK H. KING — 1898–1901
S.H. BABB & J.W. (BILL) LEE
— 1902–1905
JAMES W. McDANIEL — 1906–1916 &
1919–1928 (21 yrs)
McDaniel “ruled with an iron hand,” carried a big stick, and rode a powerful black horse. Hoboes avoided Cheyenne County because of him. Yet children remembered him as kind — he gave them shiny dimes.
JAMES M. NELSON — 1929–1930 (killed in
1930)
W.W. (BILL) SCHULZ — 1930–1966 (36 yrs,
10 mo)
Schulz became a Panhandle law‑enforcement legend. He served nearly 38 years and lost only two precincts in nine elections.
Several dramatic incidents followed — shootouts, hostage rescues, Depression‑era hardships, and the famous glove with a bullet hole between the fingers (now in the museum).
KERMIT BRUMBAUGH — 1967–1974
OREN COX — 1975–1978
DARRELL J. JOHNSON — 1979–about 2000
I hope you enjoyed the information on the Cheyenne County Sheriffs.
ADA SCHULZ AMMERMAN
Clarifies McCarty’s alibi, bullion weight/value, and vigilante events. Notes that Patsy Walters was shot by Smith, and that Flanagan was not yet in Sidney.
Whispering Smith appeared in Sidney court three times in 1885 for divorce proceedings.
Bristow’s research shows McCarty lived in Idaho until at least 1891; Smith did not kill him. Documentation appears in his book Whispering Smith: His Life and Misadventures.