Chris, How does one select without knowing the content? I've not learned the magic of selection. I want it all first. Then, and only then, can I truly decide what is relevant. I sometimes miss something, its true, and there are things that haven't been discovered yet, but I want selection to be informed.
Crawley allegedly funded Wyatt's vendetta ride. There's no doubt he (Dake) knew of the ride. Whether he knew details beforehand is anyone's guess. Dake was a political animal of the worst sort. He... more
I'm looking for documentary evidence concerning Dake's knowledge of the vendetta ride. I would assume he had general knowledge of Wyatt's plans, but I am wondering if there is more connecting Dake to ... more
Right now I am in the process of packing all of our household belongings for an upcoming move to Jonesboro, Ark., so the evidence I am referring to is packed away in a box. However, it is well-known... more
Was a special Federal investigator that looked into Dake's accounts. Dake at one time had purchased land with 22 thousand in cash. In some accounts it says Dake blamed Earp for embezzling funds and... more
Butch, Thanks. I remember seeing reference to this report in Gary’s book. As best I can tell, not having seen the report itself, this indicates that Dake was channeling funds to Wyatt through Wells... more
Basically chronologicl: "It is reliably stated that United States Marshal Dake will place in the hands of proper authorities a sufficient amount of funds for the organization and equipping of a body... more
"Wyatt and Morgan Earp, Doc Holliday, 'Texas Jack," - Smith, McMasters, and one or two others left the city yesterday afternoon for- where, no one apparently knows, but when in the vicinity of... more
Kenny: Good summary (as usual), please allow me to suggest one more---an interesting perspective in the Arizona Republican edition of March 3, 1898, by some guy named R.H. Paul. He is writing from... more
There is ample evidence of Dake's involvement with the Earps (or his use of them for his purposes, depending on one's perspective) in the National Archives records of the Justice Department (both the ... more
Gary, Thanks. I will try to check out the Ball sources. My long experience with books with phrases like “racial division” in the title makes me wary, so I will stay away from that one. I am looking... more
but Dake never turned his back on the Earps. On December 8, 1881, after the Spicer hearing, he spoke of the "effectual blow" his deputies had struck, and he made his position clear: "hereafer my... more
Gary, Yes, costly. In addition to the embezzlement charge, I have read that Dake was forced out as US Marshal of Arizona Territory because of his not so clandestine support of the Earps. In the... more
with regard to Chalmers performing a lackluster investigation to satisfy politicos. When Chalmers filed an initial report, his boss was not satisfied and chastised Chalmers for what appeared to be... more
Butch, Perhaps Chalmers’s boss thought it did not look good enough to satisfy whomever it was supposed to, so he told Chalmers to dig some more. Did Chalmers find conclusive proof that Dake embezzled ... more
as I recall Chalmers' second report was much more thorough and provided enough evidence to put Dake through a tough civil trial. In other words, the federal government took him to court over the... more
Butch, Perhaps. But absent evidence to verify Dake’s connections worked to get him off with a wrist slap, we are simply one step further removed and therefore no closer to saying what happened. Mind, ... more
I've not made a detailed examination of Dake's accounts, but I do find his situation and his response to it interesting. U. S. Marshals were given advanced funds, up to $20,000 at a time, and they... more
that I recall that Dake was criticized his Chalmers' report when he said he was unable to get vouchers from Wyatt Earp and others. Dake said he couldn't find Earp. Yet Chalmers' reported that Earp... more
Butch, I'm not trying to give Dake a pass, merely suggesting the story is more complicated than commonly assumed. Larry Ball's "Pioneer Lawman: Crawley P. Dake and Law Enforcement on the Southwestern ... more
Gary, Is the information in Ball's article on Dake in THE JOURNAL OF ARIZONA HISTORY contained in his book on US Marshals of New Mexico and Arizona? Best, Chris
but the article seems a little more personal. The book is focused on the office of the U. S. Marshal in Arizona and New Mexico. Actually, Ball seems more critical of Dake in the book than in the... more
Gary, Thanks for the thoughtful run-down. Your agreement that proving Dake was criminally embezzling is well noted. As I previously mentioned, and as you also discussed, the political climate... more
Not checking BORDERLINE AMERICANS won't hurt you much on the specific question you pose. Benton-Cohen's focus is not Dake or the Earps, but as a principle of research I would caution you to dismiss... more
Gary, Selection is part of the process. Again, my experience with these things is wide and varied. Titles of studies published by academic presses are only slightly less geared toward target... more
Gary, How? By examining the marketing attached to the content. For example, if one looks at two titles for studies in political theory and one is titled something like POSTCOLONIAL PERSPECTIVES ON... more
I understand the impulse, but I find it surprisingly anti-intellectual for one committed to reason. I was trained to consider all points of view. When I studied the causes of the American Revolution... more
Gary, My primary goal is to learn too. With that purpose in mind, I have found that I must be selective in choosing sources. I read quite a bit, but I don’t have an unlimited amount of time or... more