In the Hollywood Westerns, good guys wore white hats and bad guys wore black hats. There was always a prim and pretty maid with a bonnet and lace on her dress being the object of affection of both bad guys and good guys. I always wondered why the fair maid never picked up on the black hat clue and hit him with her parasol.
In the real West, or in our case Northwest Colorado, black and white hats often swapped. Despised ex-confederate soldiers became hard working cowboys. Ex-lawbreakers used new names and became solid citizens. And sometimes, likeable sheriffs went bad.
James C. Kendall, 1883 was a shareholder in the Meeker Townsite. He was also a tough cowboy, fearless sheriff, Indian hater, gambler, wife deserter, or likeable fellow. It depends on if you were a cattleman, Ute, voter, card player, or his wife. He was a wild west lawman who was shot at a few times and responsible for arresting some rather mean outlaws.
James Kendall was the first foreman of the LO7 outfit. It was he and several other cowboys who were sent to Utah to buy and brand a herd of cattle in the Spring of 1884 and herd them back to the White River valley. They grazed them on a mountain side just south of the former Camp on the White River, renamed, Meeker, Colorado. The mountain is called “LO7” to this day.
James C. Kendall was here in 1883 and became a shareholder in the Meeker Townsite. As a popular cattleman, Kendall received strong support in the White River valley and was elected sheriff of Garfield County. At the time of his election in 1885, Meeker was still part of Garfield. In August of 1887, Sheriff Kendall, deputy sheriff, [George] Clarence Martindale and a posse pursued two Utes accused of stealing horses. They met up with Game Warden Burgett, who had just attempted to serve other warrants for Utes alleged to violating hunting laws. Shots were exchanged between the game warden’s group and the Utes with several Utes wounded. The Utes escaped.
Local support was strong and Kendall’s posse grew to 40 or 50 men. I am sure Sheriff Kendall, who was running for reelection, saw this as a mandate for “law and order” in regards to the Utes wandering in Colorado. Kendall’s and Warden Bugett’s actions came very close to precipitating a new war with the Utes. By the time the dust settled, Kendall could not serve the warrants on his suspects as they rode over the Utah border.
In the skirmishes several Utes were shot, three white men were dead. Meeker and surrounding settlers gathered arms to protect themselves from attacks that never came. State Militia troops were sent by Colorado Governor Adams. Federal troops including units of the 9th Calvary (Buffalo soldiers) arrived later. Cooler heads intervened, including J. L. McHatton and the Ute agent from Utah. Negotiations with the Utes halted further violence.
Vast public monies were spent. No one was brought to trial, Kendall was reelected sheriff, and the Utes lost hunting privileges in Northwest Colorado. I am a little confused on who was wearing the black hats.
In May of 1888, Sheriff Kendall vanished after visiting Denver and Canon City. He had declared that he was following a clue on a bank robbery in London, Canada. Apparently, Kendall was working a side job trying to cash in on a bounty. Kendall’s disappearance was suspected to be foul play. There were vague rumors of him being sighted in Las Vegas or Alabama.
Garfield County appointed Frank Sheridan of Meeker to fill his term. Here comes the scandal and soap opera. Kendall’s friend and deputy sheriff, Clarence Martindale, kindly watched over Mrs. Kendall who was presumed to be a widow without a corpse. Still, James Kendall remained missing another year. In the April 27, 1889, issue of the Aspen Daily Chronicle, it was reported that Coroner Johnson of Glenwood Springs had reliable information that Sheriff J. C. Kendall and his deputy [G.] C. Martindale and Mrs. Kendall were all in Oklahoma City.
Newspapers quickly smelled a scandal brewing. The Colorado Daily Chieftain filled in some more details the next day. Allegedly, Martindale had borrowed money to run off with Mrs. Kendall only to run into the ghost of Sheriff Kendall in Oklahoma. Previously G.C. [George Clarence] Martindale asked his wife to sign a mortgage for $400 and disappeared with the money. Mrs. Kendall told everyone she was leaving on a visit to her relatives in Mobile, Alabama. In secret, they both were traveling together to Oklahoma City. Mrs. Martindale had suspected her husband of being unfaithful with Mrs. Kendall after finding a love letter.
Pre-arranged meeting or not, I found no record of the Oklahoma trio ever returning to Glenwood Springs. Sheriff Kendall was blamed for some missing funds and remained missing. I believe I found solid evidence that Martindale had found sanctuary in Mineral County, Colorado. A George C. Martindale, born in Virginia (mine superintendent) and his wife Octavia R. Martindale, born in Alabama, were listed in the Creede, Colorado Federal Census.
Although I was unable to find Sheriff Kendall’s wife’s name in any Meeker or Glenwood Springs record, I searched Alabama marriage records and found a James C. Kendall married a Miss Octavia Revere Jan. 24, 1883, in Mobile, Alabama. George Clarence Martindale of Creede, died 1908 in Bryron Springs, California. Octavia remarried once more to Joseph Thomas Kearns and died 1923 in Marion County, Oregon, age 58.
Kendall never resurfaced. I think he could have had a role in a Spaghetti Western wearing a black hat.
Sources: Rio Blanco Historical Society; coloradohistoricalnewspapers.org; U.S. Census records.
