Citizen Volunteers Were Essential In The Old West

In 20226, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) offers rewards of up to $150,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals involved in robberies and attacks against mail carriers in California. This is a significant increase from previous rewards of $10,000 to $50,000 which were also aimed at deterring a rising trend of violence and mail theft.

Well, as we can see by the 1890 newspaper article below, nothing has changed.

Published in the San Francisco Call, Volume 68, Number 60, on July 30, 1890:

BOUNTIES FOR THIEF-TAKERS

SEEKING VOLUNTEER DETECTIVES

The Postmaster General is advertising that a reward of $l,000 will be paid to any one who causes the arrest and conviction in any United States court of a robber of the mails in a railroad train by the use of dangerous weapons. A reward of $500 to any one who cause's the arrest and conviction of a robber. 

Of the mails in a stagecoach, a reward of $200 is offered to any one who causes the arrest and conviction of one who attempts by violence to rob the mail in any conveyance. 

The object of offering a reward for the arrest of malefactors is to induce outsiders to enlist as volunteer detectives. In sparsely settled regions such volunteer aid is necessary. The regular officers of the law are so few and the field to be covered is so wide, that without assistance from persons not regularly engaged in the service of justice criminals would rarely be caught. 

The practice works in two ways. Whenever a robbery or murder is committed West of the river valleys, a lot of amateur detectives go to work on the case in expectation of a reward. 

If that reward is not offered, or is inadequate, in the detectives' opinion, they will keep their discoveries a secret, and will often even connive at the escape of the criminal — by way of teaching the authorities or parties interested to be more liberal in future. And doubtless, some Sheriffs and professional detectives will, in the like case, be slow to exhibit zeal and energy in running down the man for whom they hold a warrant. 

In the Central States, where the reward business is firmly established, criminal lawyers doubt whether it is as helpful to justice as is generally supposed. 

A murder or stage robbery is committed. The moment it is announced the Sheriff of the county and the chief detectives should be hot on the trail of the criminal. But, in fact, they generally wait till a reward is offered, and in the interim the malefactor often makes good his escape. 

Meanwhile, a number of amateur detectives have taken up the case on speculation and use exertions to keep track of their man. If no reward is offered, neither the regular officers of justice, nor the guerillas, trouble themselves much further. If a suitable reward is advertised a struggle then ensues between the Sheriff and the outsiders, who shall get it, and instead of co-operating, each tries to set the other on a wrong scent.

-- end of article

So who are those "volunteer detectives" that the Postmaster General was talking about in the 1890 newspaper article?

In the Old West, citizens volunteering as amateur detectives was not out of the ordinary, and their help was not shunned. In fact, their help was sought. The fact is, criminal investigations and manhunts the frontier were usually handled by citizen posses, vigilantes, private detective agencies, bounty hunters, and citizen volunteers who were amateur detectives. And really, they were more than not just profit-driven opportunists. 

Because official law enforcement was understaffed and lacked federal investigative power, everyday citizens routinely stepped into investigative roles. In fact, the historical reality of how "citizen volunteers" and freelance detectives functioned during the Old West is not complicated. When crimes were committed or there simply was a need for security, townspeople stepped forward to assist their communities. And yes, they would also be deputized on the spot by Sheriffs to form a posse, act as volunteers in manhunts, or do whatever else was required.

For the Sheriff's Posse, all able bodied men were enlisted to help. Saying "No" was not an option. Shirkers were shunned in the Old West. 

It was a time when people understood responsibility and didn't pay lip service to it. The notion that shirkers, those who evaded duty, work, or responsibility, were shunned in the Old West is real. The frontier economy and social structure of towns in the Old West were heavily dependent on mutual cooperation and hard labor. 

Life on the frontier was demanding, and survival often required residents to work together. Individuals who did not "pull their weight" or evaded community duties were viewed with hostility and were often ostracized by neighbors.

The Cowboy work ethic was foundational to life on the frontier. Cattle drives required immense teamwork. Cowboys faced dangerous conditions and relied on their companions for survival. A shirker could compromise the safety of the entire crew.

As for frontier justice, the Old West was not completely lawless, but rather, it relied on strict, swift, local justice in order to maintain order. Those who violated community standards, including laziness or avoiding responsibility, faced the risk of social shunning or even vigilantism.

What Americans learned in the Old West is part of our American Cultural Values. While Hollywood promotes the myth of the "lone cowboy," the reality is that most people lived and worked in close-knit communities where folks worked together.  

If someone was given the "Shirker" label, that in itself told everyone that he was not contributing to the rugged labor necessary to build or maintain a town, or ranch, or family. That made them outsiders in communities built on the principles of hard work and shared risk. 

The Old West was a place where extreme interdependence meant that individuals who failed to carry their own weight, were often referred to as shirkers. They sometimes met with severe consequences, including social shunning and, in many cases, forced banishment. 

While "shirkers" were free to refuse to carry their own weight when it came to volunteering to help, life on the frontier was harsh and often required a collaborated effort. That made laziness or someone's failure to contribute to the common good seen by others as a threat to the survival of the group. 

On Wagon Trains, the pressure to conform extended to all facets of life, including labor. Those who were considered lazy or unwilling to participate in dangerous tasks were often ostracized or banished from camps. The same applied in frontier towns. So yes, it was prudent for folks to pitch in when a major crime took place. That's why folks stepped up to do their duty. 

As for the problem that local law enforcement had regarding the lack of resources to pursue suspects alone or investigate what took place. To remedy that situations, citizens were instantly Deputized on the spot. County Sheriffs, Sheriff's Deputies, Town Marshals, their Deputies, and Deputy U.S. Marshals, all routinely gathered trusted local townspeople, ranchers, cowboys, and business owners, and Deputized them on the spot for whatever reason. 

If the local lawman needed to form posses, needed extra security on their jail, needed extra security at the court house during a trial that they knew would attract more attention, need more deputies during a parade, an election, a riot, and more. I wasn't kidding when I said saying "No" was not an option. It was considered mandatory Civic Duty. 

Posse Comitatus was used in the Old West. Sheriffs legally summoned armed citizens to assist in keeping the peace, a practice that Americans can trace back to medieval England. Sheriffs frequently picked trusted townspeople and deputized them on the spot to hunt outlaws and killers.

Volunteer detectives in the Old West were private citizens who volunteered when they were needed. While banks, stage companies, railroads, and mining operations depended on private security companies like Pinkerton National Detective Agency and Wells Fargo in the Old West, they also depended on citizen volunteers. 

Citizen volunteers were essential for maintaining law and order in the Old West, often forming the backbone of law enforcement through the "posse comitatus" tradition. Due to vast jurisdictions and limited resources, sheriffs and marshals relied on ordinary, gun-toting citizens to chase criminals, provide their own horses and gear, and assist in high-risk apprehensions. 

For posses, while technically volunteers, citizens joining a posse were expected to assist in tracking, gathering local intelligence, and apprehending outlaws. They also acted as "eyes and ears." As temporary lawmen, citizens were used for their local knowledge of the terrain. This helped piece together which way an outlaw was headed. It was voluntary service. 

While not always paid, those volunteers faced dangers alongside lawmen and sometimes shared in rewards. Sharing a reward with a citizen volunteer who was deputized on the spot was purely up to the Sheriff's discretion. Sometimes they did and sometimes they didn't. 

Because official law enforcement was often part-time or poorly funded, and because official law enforcement was largely non-existent, ineffective, or unable to cross jurisdictional boundaries to pursue gangs, volunteer detectives were essential for tracking criminals across borders, protecting commercial interests, and enforcing frontier justice. 

It's true, citizens volunteers did not have the limitation that Sheriff's had. In the sparsely populated frontier, local sheriffs often had limited jurisdiction and resources. Private citizen detectives, both volunteers and those employed by Wells Fargo or the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, could pursue criminals across state lines, a crucial advantage in catching stagecoach robbers, highwaymen, bandits, and killers. That's one of the reasons why private citizen volunteers and their ad hoc citizen groups were essential for  justice.

As for trailing rustlers, there were volunteer anti-Rustling associations. Livestock theft was a real threat to frontier economies. Livestock theft was, and still remains today, a real threat since it acts as a major source of financial ruin and instability.
Historically, cattle rustling in the American West was so severe that it sparked intense violence and required specialized law enforcement to protect ranching operations. 

In the late 1800s and into the 1930s, cattle rustling could destroy towns and ranches, often leading to bloody confrontations. Today, it remains a severe threat to ranchers where it can cause billions in losses.

Because cattle and horses are easily transported and sold, they are often preferred targets for theft. And yes, today thousands of head of cattle and horses are stolen annually in America. And here is something to think about, while most folks think that on large cattle operations are affected, it's a fact that small-scale ranchers and farmers with fewer resources are particularly vulnerable to the loss of their assets. 

The loss is felt as ranchers and farmers are forced to divert funds from investment and expansion toward, better security and fencing. The issue often requires a collaborative response from community security groups and law enforcement to effectively manage the threat

Back in the Old West, rustling led citizens to organize their own formal, non-governmental investigative bodies. One such group was the Rocky Mountain Detective Association which was founded by Colorado lawman David J. Cook. This was a freelance, volunteer-only network of local "troubleshooters". They operated across territories to share information, track stolen property, infiltrate gangs, and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Another group is the Stock Growers' Associations. In some places, wealthy cattle barons formed groups that hired "Range Detectives," while using local volunteer scouts, to investigate missing herds and track down rustlers.

As for Vigilante Committees, when formal legal channels failed or were non-existent, citizens bypassed the law entirely to conduct their own criminal investigations. It's true. When formal law enforcement was absent, ineffective, or corrupt, communities often formed vigilante committees, more than 210 between 1849 and 1902, to identify, track, and punish criminals. 

Most vigilante groups were not what Hollywood has depicted them as. Most groups were the door-shakers, the town's volunteer security force, the folks that supplemented the Sheriff and the Town Marshal, the same citizens that were on their fire brigade, their neighbors. Vigilante committees acted as the town's self-appointed law, they judged, and they were executioners. But, they were also volunteer detectives who provided needed evidence for Citizen Tribunals to either convict or set someone free. They operated on their own, interrogated suspects and gathered witness testimony before taking  action. 

While not volunteers, private detective agencies filled the massive investigative void left by the lack of public policing. Organizations like the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, Burns Detective Agency, and Wells Fargo utilized extensive mug-books, undercover infiltration, and advanced legwork to solve train and stagecoach robberies. The legendary "Cowboy Detective" Charles A. Siringo famously lived among outlaw factions for months to build a case. 

Some were "outlaw hunters." Those Freelance Manhunters, Volunteer Detectives, and Bounty Hunters, straddled the line between paid private detective and being a volunteer detective looking for that big reward. And yes, some called them "citizen opportunists." 

Of course, there was the profit incentive to consider. Most frontier "volunteer detective work" done by non-officials was driven by cash rewards offered by the state or private corporations like Wells Fargo. To secure those rewards, bounties, offered by companies like Wells Fargo, banks, or stagecoach lines, those citizens tracked suspects to collect the reward money -- which more often than not, was more money than they would earn working their regular jobs.

Were there true "lone wolf" professional bounty hunters? Yes, but they were rare. Most investigations were side jobs handled by part-time lawmen, private stock detectives, or local citizens, volunteer amateur detectives, looking for cash. 

So yes, citizen volunteer detectives were indeed armatures detectives. But, all in all, they were effective. And really, amateur detectives or not, in the sparsely populated Old West, where law enforcement was often nonexistent, citizens, vigilantes, and hired private agents acted as amateur detectives, served on posses, and were "manhunters." They did it to combat crime. 

Driven by a lack of formal police, these groups tracked criminals and maintained order, often blurring the lines between lawmen and vigilantes. But, though the lines were blurred now and then, citizen volunteer detectives played a crucial, often indispensable, role in maintaining order in the Old West. As private agents, often hired as contractors, those citizen volunteers filled the security void created by expanding transport networks, protecting valuable cargo from rampant train robberies and internal theft, and much more to fill the void left by understaffed, underfunded, or nonexistent government law enforcement.

And yes, if you're wondering, in many a situation, those volunteer detective, amateurs or not, were key to finding bad guys and recovering stolen money. That's something that the Postmaster General knew for a fact in 1890. 

Tom Correa