Gunplay Maxwell – Utah Gunfighter & Outlaw
The annals of the American West are replete with figures who carved their legacies with grit, gunpowder, and often, a blatant disregard for the law. Among these figures stands James Otis Bliss, better known as "Gunplay" Maxwell, a man who lived a life as tumultuous as the landscapes he traversed. His story, a blend of barroom brawls, cattle rustling, bank robberies, and a fateful final showdown, paints a vivid picture of a life lived on the edge in the untamed territories of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Born around 1860 near Boston, Massachusetts, James Otis Bliss, the future Gunplay Maxwell, was the son of a hotel owner. He received a respectable education, a stark contrast to the path he would eventually tread. However, the allure of the wild West proved too strong, and a youthful indiscretion set him on a trajectory far removed from the genteel life of his upbringing.
Around 1875, a barroom altercation turned deadly, forcing Bliss to flee westward. He sought refuge first in the vast expanse of Texas, before pushing further northwest into Montana. Here, he embraced the life of a cowboy, honing his skills with a firearm and becoming embroiled in the conflicts that defined the era – the cattle and sheep wars, a brutal struggle for land and resources that pitted ranchers against each other. This period molded him, transforming the educated young man into a hardened figure of the frontier. The seeds of Gunplay Maxwell were truly planted.
From Montana, he drifted into the territories of Wyoming and Utah, where he adopted a life of crime, primarily rustling horses and cattle. It was a risky profession, demanding both skill and audacity, and it placed him squarely on the wrong side of the law. In the early 1890s, Bliss partnered with a man named Johnson, and together they orchestrated a large-scale horse theft in Wyoming, driving the stolen herd to Nebraska with the intention of selling them.
Betrayal, it seems, was another facet of Bliss’s character. After successfully selling the stolen horses, he absconded with the entire proceeds, leaving Johnson empty-handed. Bliss then returned to Wyoming, where he began using the alias "Catamount." However, his luck eventually ran out. The law caught up with him, and he was charged with grand theft. During his trial, he operated under yet another name, Clarence L. Maxwell. In 1893, he was convicted and sentenced to a term in the Wyoming State Prison.
It was within the confines of the Wyoming State Prison that fate intervened, bringing Bliss, now known as Maxwell, into contact with another notorious figure of the West: Butch Cassidy. The two men struck up a rapport, and upon their release, within a week of each other, they continued their association. While Maxwell aspired to join Cassidy’s infamous Wild Bunch, he was reportedly rejected, deemed not quite up to their standards. Undeterred, Gunplay Maxwell decided to forge his own path, forming his own gang and attempting to emulate the daring exploits of the more established outlaws.
However, Maxwell’s outlaw career proved less than stellar. In May 1898, he and an accomplice robbed the Springville, Utah bank, making off with approximately $3,000. Their escape was short-lived. A posse of nearly 100 horsemen quickly pursued them into Hobble Creek Canyon. Cornered, the two robbers hid in the brush, but their hiding place was soon discovered. A gunfight ensued, resulting in the death of Maxwell’s accomplice. Maxwell himself was apprehended and taken to the Provo, Utah jail, where he was positively identified. He refused to divulge the identity of his fallen partner in crime. Most of the stolen money was recovered, either from the robbers’ persons or found buried near their hiding place. Maxwell was convicted of bank robbery and sentenced to another term in the Utah State Prison.
But even behind bars, Maxwell found a way to alter his destiny. In 1903, he played a crucial role in thwarting a prison break, an act that earned him a commutation of his sentence. After his release, he sought a more legitimate path, finding work as a mine guard during a strike in Carbon County, Utah. He also dabbled in prospecting, hoping to strike it rich in the rugged landscape.
In the fall of 1904, Maxwell’s fortunes took an unexpected turn. While prospecting near Colton, Utah, he discovered ozokerite, a naturally occurring mineral wax with a distinctive odor. Recognizing the potential value of his find, Maxwell partnered with his lawyer to form the Utah Ozokerite Company. They hired a superintendent to oversee the mining operations. The mine quickly became the largest known ozokerite mine in the world, enjoying considerable success and eventually going public.
Despite his newfound success in the mining industry, the allure of his former life as a gunfighter proved too strong to resist. Maxwell, evidently, was not cut out for the routine of managing a mining operation. He soon resurfaced in Goldfield, Nevada, using the alias Thomas Bliss. He allegedly worked as a spy for mine owners, monitoring the activities of striking union workers. During his time in Goldfield, he was implicated in the death of a man named Joseph Smith, though he was never prosecuted for the crime.
From Goldfield, he drifted back to Utah. In July 1907, in the town of Helper, he was involved in a gunfight with a railroad foreman named L.C. Reigle. Both men were wounded in the exchange. Maxwell was arrested but was never charged. The incident underscored the enduring volatility of his character, a constant reminder of his violent past.
Later that year, Maxwell appeared in San Francisco, California, assuming yet another alias: William H. Seaman. He fabricated a story about being a descendant of an old and titled Italian family. In January 1908, he married a wealthy widow named Bessie Hume. Despite his alleged habit of pawning her jewelry, she remained with him, and the couple soon moved to Ogden, Utah. Initially, Maxwell attempted to embrace a more respectable lifestyle, shaving his mustache, dressing in fashionable clothing, and playing the part of an upstanding husband. However, this facade was short-lived. He soon fell back into his old habits, associating with a rough crowd once again.
In June 1908, he and another man named William M. Walters held up a Wells Fargo stagecoach in Rawhide, Nevada. They were captured, but Maxwell was released on bail and never brought to trial. This brush with the law seemed to solidify his return to a life of crime.
The final chapter of Gunplay Maxwell‘s life unfolded on August 23, 1909, in a saloon in Price, Utah. He confronted Deputy Sheriff Edward Black Johnstone. The reasons behind the confrontation were complex and steeped in animosity. Johnstone had been tasked with preventing Maxwell from robbing a large payroll. Furthermore, Maxwell harbored a grudge against Johnstone for having previously identified him to a sheriff in Goldfield, Nevada, as a "bad man" and ex-convict.
The confrontation escalated, spilling out into the dusty street. Maxwell, according to accounts, challenged Johnstone, declaring his intention to kill him. He drew his gun and fired, but his shot missed, merely grazing Johnstone’s arm. Johnstone returned fire, hitting Maxwell first in the elbow and then in the heart. As Maxwell lay wounded in the street, he attempted to fire again, but Johnstone fired a third shot, striking him in the lung. With his dying breath, Maxwell uttered the words: "Don’t shoot again, Johnstone, you have killed me."
An examination of Maxwell’s body revealed a life of hardship and addiction. His arms were covered in track marks, and opium was found concealed in a pocket. "Gunplay" Maxwell, the Utah gunfighter and outlaw, was also a drug addict. He was buried in the pauper’s section of the Salt Lake City Cemetery under the name William H. Seaman. His final resting place remains unmarked, a testament to the anonymity that often shrouds the lives of those who live on the fringes of society.
The day after his burial, the Salt Lake City Tribune published a fitting epitaph: "Whatever his tempestuous career may have been, matters little; his earthly record rests with him in the grave." A life marked by violence, crime, and a relentless pursuit of fortune had come to an end in a dusty street in Utah. The legend of Gunplay Maxwell was cemented in the history of the Old West.