Bud Ballew – Gunfighter & Lawman of Oklahoma
While figures like Heck Thomas and Bill Tilghman often dominate discussions of Oklahoma’s legendary lawmen, the story of David Monticello "Bud" Ballew, a gunfighter and lawman, deserves recognition for its own distinct color and significance. His life was a tapestry woven with threads of ranching, oil booms, and the relentless pursuit of justice in a rapidly changing Oklahoma.
Born in 1877 in Fannin County, Texas, to Bryant and Mary Turban Ballew, David Monticello inherited his father’s nickname, "Bud," early in life. His formative years were spent immersed in the rhythms of ranch life, developing exceptional horsemanship and firearms skills, skills that would later define his career. Even before reaching full adulthood, in 1890, young Bud ventured out on his own, making his way to the Ardmore area in Indian Territory. Three years later, his family joined him, establishing roots in the burgeoning region. Ballew began a modest ranching operation, and in time, he met Fannie Mariah Harper. Their marriage on April 17, 1901, marked the beginning of a family life grounded in the Oklahoma soil, settling on his ranch at Lone Grove.
By 1910, Bud had cultivated a thriving ranch, and he and Fannie were raising two sons. With the ranch running smoothly by the spring of 1914, Ballew began seeking new challenges. The lure of law enforcement beckoned.
The landscape of Carter County was rapidly transforming, fueled by the burgeoning oilfields that attracted both prosperity and a rough element. When Carter County Sheriff Buck Garrett extended an offer to serve as a deputy, Bud Ballew accepted, embarking on a 12-year career balancing law enforcement with his existing ranching interests and shrewd investments in oil leases.
During this period, descriptions of Bud Ballew paint a vivid picture: a man standing 5’11", stockily built, crowned with a shock of curly red hair, and possessing a booming laugh. He was a frequent presence in gambling dens and saloons, often adorned with a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, high-topped boots, a pistol on each hip, and a flamboyant diamond tie-tack. His cherubic face and jovial demeanor often masked the steely resolve and deadly accuracy that earned him a fearsome reputation. He was said to fear no man, and over the course of his career, he would be credited with killing as many as eight men. His persona was taking shape as a legend.
Ballew’s first significant brush with notoriety came on November 19, 1915, when he intervened in a liquor joint robbery in Wirt, Oklahoma. Pete Bynum, the perpetrator, shot Ballew in the stomach during the confrontation. Ballew returned fire, killing Bynum and, tragically, an uninvolved man named Alison, who was asleep in an adjacent room. Despite the severity of the wound, Ballew’s injury was not life-threatening, highlighting his resilience.
Following his recovery, Bud Ballew was tasked with apprehending a wanted outlaw named Steve Talkington. When Talkington resisted arrest, Ballew resorted to lethal force. He was subsequently assigned to retrieve the commission from City Marshal Highnote of Wirt, who had been dismissed but refused to relinquish his position or the reward. This confrontation also ended in Highnote’s death at Ballew’s hand.
Another incident involved Ballew and a fellow officer, Fred Williams, escorting a black prisoner named James Perle on a train. When Perle attempted to escape by jumping from the train, both officers fired, resulting in his death. In yet another event, Ballew and another officer were involved in a shooting with Arch Campbell in an Ardmore barbershop, painting a picture of a lawman constantly facing violent situations.
On one occasion, Ballew played a critical role in saving Sheriff Buck Garrett’s life. Garrett was attempting to apprehend two highwaymen, Charlie Thomas and Arthur "Dusty" Miller, who had robbed a man named Jim Taliafero. As the bandits fled east of Ardmore, Garrett pursued them, and a fight ensued between Thomas and Garrett. Ballew arrived to find Dusty Miller circling the two men, seeking an opportunity to shoot the sheriff. Miller turned on Ballew, but Ballew was quicker, fatally shooting the outlaw with his .45.
Ballew’s most widely recounted gunfight was his encounter with former U.S. Deputy Marshal Dow Braziel on January 31, 1919. The animosity between the two stemmed from Ballew’s perceived lax enforcement of Prohibition laws compared to Braziel’s more zealous approach. Early that morning, Ardmore Chief of Police Les Segler met with Bud Ballew in the eastern part of the city after hearing gunshots.
After discussing the situation, the two officers went to the California Cafe at the corner of Main and Mill Street for breakfast. Upon entering, they spotted Dow Braziel standing on the east side of the room. Without warning, Braziel fired two shots at Ballew. The deputy immediately returned fire, emptying his pistol and striking Braziel six times, killing him instantly. Ballew was arrested by Chief Segler, taken to the police station, and then transferred to the county jail. However, after Chief Segler formally documented the facts, Ballew was released.
While numerous events marked Ballew’s career, the Clara Smith case elevated the notoriety of Buck Garrett and Bud Ballew to national levels. On November 21, 1920, Ardmore oil tycoon and aspiring political figure Jake L. Hamon was admitted to Hardy Sanitarium with a gunshot wound.
The prominent oilman claimed he had accidentally shot himself while cleaning a gun. He died six days later. The incident, though occurring in a small town north of the Red River, garnered significant attention because Hamon was not only a wealthy oilman but also a Republican National committeeman and was being considered for a position in President Warren Harding’s cabinet.
Despite Hamon’s initial statement, his secretary and lover, Clara Smith, quickly became a suspect in his murder. Some alleged that she had fired the fatal shot in self-defense against his alleged brutality, while others claimed she shot him because he intended to end their affair. She was tried for murder in March 1921. After seven days of testimony, the jury received the case on March 17th. Following only 39 minutes of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
The trial itself was a major news event, but the reporters also focused on Sheriff Buck Garrett and his Deputy Bud Ballew, casting them as figures from the Wild West, and publishing stories about the two lawmen worldwide.
This notoriety, however, had unintended consequences for Deputy Bud Ballew. While he had long been respected and feared as a lawman, he was not universally admired by the locals. He was known for his drunken rides through town, during which he would yell and fire his gun. Although no one was ever harmed during these episodes, the citizens grew weary of his behavior, especially given his role as a law enforcement officer. The publicity he received from the newspaper articles seemed to encourage him to embrace the Wild West image, leading to an increase in his disruptive drunken antics.
His days as a lawman were numbered. In early 1922, an investigation was launched into Carter County and Ardmore officials on various charges. On February 17, 1922, Buck Garrett was removed from his office for non-enforcement of the laws and unlawfully releasing prisoners. In solidarity with the sheriff, all of his deputies, including Bud Ballew, resigned that day. The scandal shook the city and the county. Three days later, a fistfight erupted at the Carter County Courthouse, escalating into a shooting spree between three of Garrett’s former deputies and two newly appointed officers. When the gunfire ceased, no one had been killed, but Bud Ballew had sustained a gunshot wound to his thigh.
By the first week of May 1922, Ballew had largely recovered from his leg wound, and he and his 18-year-old son traveled to Wichita Falls, Texas, to attend a rodeo. On May 4th, Captain Tom Hickman of the Texas Rangers informed Wichita Falls Chief of Police, J.W. McCormick, that Ballew was in town, drinking, armed, and causing trouble. The next day, Ballew continued his drunken behavior, and in the afternoon, the police were called to address a disturbance at the Denver Domino Parlor. McCormick, along with another officer, arrived at the domino parlor at approximately 1:30 p.m., where they found Ballew standing at the bar. The two officers approached Ballew, flanking him on each side, and informed him that he was under arrest for disturbing the peace. The former deputy responded by saying, "You’re out of luck," and McCormick fired five shots into him when he reached to his side. Ballew died instantly.
Chief McCormick was arrested by a Texas Ranger captain but was soon released on bond and never prosecuted for the killing. Immediately following the incident, Ballew’s body was taken to an undertaker and embalmed. In an unusual move for the time, his remains were flown back to Ardmore, where mourners, including ex-sheriff Garrett, Ballew’s wife, Fannie, and his son, Dorris, greeted the plane. His body was then examined by Dr. Herbert Harvey, whose findings raised several questions, including the fact that the shots were fired from the back and that at least one came from a different caliber pistol than Chief McCormick’s.
Buck Garrett declared, "Bud Ballew was murdered. Five shots and all from the back – he didn’t have a chance." Articles such as "Noted Killer Of Ardmore Slain By Ex-Ranger," which appeared in the May 6, 1922 issue of the Houston Post, fueled the controversy. To this day, questions remain surrounding Ballew’s death.
The deputy’s death was widely reported in newspapers, building on the "fame" he had previously achieved. Even The New York Times published an article. David Monticello "Bud" Ballew is buried in the Lone Grove Cemetery, just outside Ardmore, Oklahoma. His legacy, though complex and controversial, remains a compelling chapter in the history of the American West.