Jeff Milton - Lawman Career

Lawman Career

After serving with the Rangers for four years, he moved through west Texas and into New Mexico, where he became a Deputy US Marshal in 1884. For a time in the 1880s he worked under Sheriff John Slaughter in Cochise County, Arizona, during which time the two were involved in several manhunts and shootouts with outlaws.

One of their most well known accomplishments was their pursuit of the Jack Taylor Gang in late 1886 to the middle of 1887. Milton and Slaughter trailed the gang to the home of Flora Cardenas in Mexico. The bandits, however, had been tipped off that the American lawmen were after them and they left before Slaughter and Milton could reach the Cardenas' home.

Returning to Arizona, the two lawmen traveled to Willcox on the outlaws trail, then to Contention City, where they found gang member Manuel Robles and one of the others asleep. When Slaughter shouted at them to get up with their hands up, a gun battle ensued. Guadalupe Robles, Manuel's brother, joined the gun battle, but he was killed quickly. Manuel Robles and Nieves Deron tried to run away and while still firing back, one of their bullets hit Slaughter's ear. Slaughter's next bullet killed Deron, but Manuel Robles escaped. Soon, Jack Taylor was arrested in Sonora, and Robles, along with Geronimo Miranda, were killed by the Mexican police in the Sierra Madre mountain area.

On June 21, 1895, while working alongside lawman George Scarborough, whom Milton often partnered with, Scarborough shot and killed Martin McRose, a Texas rustler. McRose is buried near John Wesley Hardin, and Texas Ranger Ernest St. Leon. Milton was, at that time, Chief of Police in El Paso, Texas, and Scarborough was a Deputy U.S. Marshal. McRose had been captured, and was killed while being brought back from Mexico by the two lawmen on an outstanding warrant. Outlaw and gunman John Wesley Hardin claimed that he had paid Scarborough and Milton to kill Martin McRose. Milton and Scarborough were arrested, but Hardin later withdrew his comments and the two men were released.

In July, 1898, working again with Scarborough, the pair tracked down, shot and captured "Bronco Bill" Walters near Solomonville, Arizona, and scattered Walters gang from their hideout, killing another gang member in the process. On February 15, 1900, in Fairbank, Arizona, Milton shot outlaw "Three Fingered Jack" Dunlop, when the Burt Alvord gang attempted to rob a train in which Milton was working as a guard. Dunlop was badly wounded, and died days later. Milton also shot and wounded gang member Bravo Juan Yoas during the shootout, before Milton himself received a wound that shattered his left arm. Milton eventually recovered from his wound but never completely regained the use of his arm, and retired to Tombstone, Arizona in 1932, where he lived the remainder of his life.

He also met Louis L'Amour, according to L'Amour's book, "Education of a Wandering Man," and gave him breakfast and a ride to Tucson, Arizona.