Annual souvenir Kansas City, Kansas, Police Relief Association
Creator: Kansas City (Kan.) Police Dept
Date: 1914
This annual souvenir created by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, introduces its members and provides a brief history of the department. The department created the annual as a fundraising effort for its Relief Association. The primary relief activity was the distribution of Chirstmas baskets. This is the first annual issued by the department. The annual also includes photos of city officials, prominent citizens, patrons, and buildings and street scenes. The annual includes advertisements from several hundred local businesses and can serve as a business directory for Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri.

Ben Thompson
Date: Between 1881 and 1884
A photograph of Ben Thompson, who made his name as a gunman and a gambler before accepting a job as Marshal in Austin, Texas, in 1881.

Center-fire police revolver
Creator: Meriden Firearms Company
Date: between 1907 and 1909
Double-action center-fire revolver. Empire State model produced by the Meriden Firearms Company. The Meriden Firearms Company was a subsidiary of Sears and Roebuck Company from 1907 to 1909. The pistol was used on the Topeka City Police force.

Charles F. Morse to Governor George T. Anthony
Creator: Morse, Charles F. (Charles Fessenden), 1839-1926
Date: May 21, 1878
Charles Fessenden Morse, general superintendent of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Rail Road Company (AT&SF) of Topeka, Kansas, writes to Governor George Tobey Anthony, also of Topeka, concerning a strike of railroad employees occurring in the company's Eastern Division. The report describes the activities of the striking engineers and firemen and Morse's response during a five day period from April 3 through April 8, 1878. Organized strikes occurred on several AT&SF lines in Kansas east of Newton. Morse primarily discusses the actions of striking workers at Emporia and Topeka. The report further discusses the inadequate response by local law enforcement and the eventual use of the State Militia to restore law and order. This strike followed the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 which began in West Virginia but spread quickly across the country.

Chauncey Belden Whitney
Date: Between 1868 and 1873
A portrait of Chauncey Belden Whitney, an early Ellsworth County settler and law enforcement officer. He served as Ellsworth County Sheriff 1871-1873; Under Sheriff, 1870; Ellsworth Township Constable, 1867-1873; and Ellsworth Marshall 1871-1872. On August 15, 1873, Whitney was killed in the line of duty by Bill Thompson. In addition to his law enforcement duties, Chauncey Whitney served as a civilian scout during the Indian Wars and was involved in the Battle of Beecher's Island. In July, 1869, he was a first lieutenant of Company A, Second battalion, Kansas State Militia, and provided settlers' protection against hostile Indians.

Citizens of Dodge City to Governor George W. Glick
Creator: Citizens of Dodge City, Ford County, Kansas
Date: May 15, 1883
Twelve citizens of Dodge City, Kansas, write Governor George W. Glick, of Topeka, protesting the forcible removal of Luke Short from Dodge City. The letter recounts the events which led to Mr. Short's removal and testifies regarding his character. The events recounted occurred between April 26 and May 1, 1883. The letter refers to Short's employment of women singers at his Long Branch Saloon and their subsequent arrest, a shooting between Short and Louis Hartman (special policeman), the arrest of Short and Hartman, the intimidation of Short's attorneys, and the Mayor's (L. E. Deger) insistence that Short (and others) be escorted out of the city. An appended newspaper article recounts events occurring between May 1 and May 10, 1883, specifically the attempted return of two men formerly jailed with Short. Dodge City Times editor, Nick Klaine, wrote the article and was an enthusiastic supporter of Deger's recently elected reform party. The arrest of Short's women employees is often credited as beginning the "Dodge City War," a bloodless conflict between competing political-business factions.

Colored directory: information, history, facts, also buyer's guide of the best business places appreciating your patronage
Date: April 1928
This directory primarily deals with African Americans living in Topeka, Kansas, but it also contains listing for Alma, Burlingame, Council Grove, Dunlap, Eskridge, Osage City, Oskaloosa, Paxico, Perry and rural Shawnee County. Listings of the residents of the smaller communities include name and occupation. The address is included only if it is rural with the RFD numbers. The listings for Topeka include name, occupation or place of employment, and home address. The Topeka portion includes a listing of churches with some sketches, colored schools, lodges, biographical sketches of some community members, article about the police and fire departments, the Kansas Vocational School in Topeka, and "Some Topeka Institutions" (African American organizations and businesses). The publication includes a listing of call letters for radio stations, driving distances in Kansas, and railroad rates from Topeka to various locations for the railroad lines through Topeka. The directory also includes a number of advertisements.

Dance card
Date: 1891
Multi-page dance card from the Second Annual Ball of the Topeka Police Relief Association, January 22, 1891. Belonged to John W. Gardiner, who was Topeka's Chief of Police from 1889 to 1892.

Dave [Mysterious Dave] Mather
Date: Between 1870 and 1879
A portrait of Dave Mather also known as Mysterious Dave. He was a resident of Dodge City, Kansas, in the early 1870's. Mather was a gambler, saloon owner, gunslinger,and assistant town marshal.

Dodge City Peace Commission
Date: Between 1882 and 1884
These three photos show different versions of the Dodge City Peace Commission as variations of a single photo negative. The first photo shows the commission with Wm. Tilghman (back right). The second photo shows the commission with W. F. Petillon (also back right). The third photo shows the commission without either Tilghman or Petillon. The other seven members left-to-right include (back row) Will Harris, Luke Short, and W. B. Masterson; (front row) Charles Bassett, Wyatt Earp, Frank McLain, and Neal Brown.

Executive circular to metropolitan police commissioners
Creator: Lewelling, Lorenzo Dow, 1846-1900
Date: December 4, 1893
With this circular, Governor Lorenzo Dow Lewelling of Topeka, Kansas, appeals to police commissioners of Kansas cities to show restraint in the prosecution of the unemployed. The governor argues that high rates of unemployment are a product of the industrial system of production and not the fault of individuals. Since jobs are not available to all employable persons, he argues, unemployed persons should not be treated as criminals. The governor denounces the vagrancy law for first class cities included in the General Statutes of 1889, and similar city ordinances, which allowed for the arrest, imprisonment, or fine of "all vagrants, tramps, and confidence men and persons found in said city without visible means of support, or some legitimate business." The Kansas Legislature originally enacted the law in 1881. Governor Lewelling was the first People's Party (Populist) candidate to become governor. Republican opponents of the Populist governor dubbed this letter the "Tramp Circular."

G. B. Woodford to Governor John Martin
Creator: Woodward, C.B.
Date: April 1, 1886
In this letter, the local authorities of Labette County, Kansas, plead with Kansas governor John Martin for militia support to preserve order in Parsons during the railroad strike of 1886. In February 1885, railroad shop workers walked off the job because of a cut in pay and reduced hours of work. Governor Martin was able to negotiate a settlement to the strike but problems continued throughout Kansas, Missouri, and Texas.

Hanging of Nat Oliphant in Topeka, Kansas
Date: June 04, 1889
Three photographs showing a crowd gathered for the hanging of Nat Oliphant, a well known burglar. He was arrested for robbing and killing A. T. Rogers, a popular citizen who lived at Third and Fillmore in Topeka, Kansas. While in jail, an angry crowd made a hole in the jail wall and went to Oliphant's cell where they threw a rope around his shoulders and dragged him down the stairs to the outside of the jail. He was carried by the crowd to the steps of the First National Bank building and then across the street to a telegraph pole. After the hanging, Oliphant's body was cut down and taken to the morgue where it was put on display. This was the first and only public lynching in Shawnee County.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
Date: Between 1870 and 1876
This formal portrait represents James Butler " Wild Bill" Hickok, 1837-1876. The legendary lawman and gun-slinger begins his career in 1858 as peace officer of the Monticello Township in the Kansas Territory of Johnson County. For a number of years Hickok also works as a government scout, guide and deputy U.S. marshal across the Great Plains. His reputation as a skilled marksman proceeds him wherever he goes. In 1869 Hickok is elected marshal of Hays, Kansas and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; roles he serves until 1870. In 1871, he is hired as Abilene, Kansas' town marshal. As marshal he earns fame for being a quick draw and for spending most of his time playing cards. Hickok is killed on August 01, 1876 while playing a game of poker at a saloon in the Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
Date: 1869
This formal portrait take in Hays, Kansas shows James Butler " Wild Bill" Hickok, 1837-1876. The legendary lawman and gun-slinger begins his career in 1858 as peace officer of the Monticello Township in the Kansas Territory of Johnson County. For a number of years Hickok also works as a government scout, guide and deputy U.S. marshal across the Great Plains. His reputation as a skilled marksman proceeds him wherever he goes. In 1869 Hickok is elected marshal of Hays, Kansas and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; roles he serves until 1870. In 1871, he is hired as Abilene, Kansas' town marshal. As marshal he earns fame for being a quick draw and for spending most of his time playing cards. Hickok is killed on August 01, 1876 while playing a game of poker at a saloon in the Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
Creator: Blakeslee, W.
Date: 1871
This studio portrait shows James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok in buckskins ,1837-1876. The legendary lawman and gun-slinger begins his career in 1858 as peace officer of the Monticello Township in the Kansas Territory of Johnson County. For a number of years Hickok also works as a government scout, guide and deputy U.S. marshal across the Great Plains. His reputation as a skilled marksman proceeds him wherever he goes. In 1869 Hickok is elected marshal of Hays, Kansas and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; roles he serves until 1870. In 1871, he is hired as Abilene, Kansas' town marshal. As marshal he earns fame for being a quick draw and for spending most of his time playing cards. Hickok is killed on August 01, 1876 while playing a game of poker at a saloon in the Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
Date: Between 1870 and 1876
This formal portrait shows James Butler " Wild Bill" Hickok,1837-1876. The legendary lawman and gun-slinger begins his career in 1858 as peace officer of the Monticello Township in the Kansas Territory of Johnson County. For a number of years Hickok also works as a government scout, guide and deputy U.S. marshal across the Great Plains. His reputation as a skilled marksman proceeds him wherever he goes. In 1869 Hickok is elected marshal of Hays, Kansas and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; roles he served until 1870. In 1871, he is hired as Abilene, Kansas' town marshal. As marshal he earns fame for being a quick draw and for spending most of his time playing cards. Hickok is killed on August 01, 1876 while playing a game of poker at a saloon in the Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
Date: Between 1850 and 1870
This copy of a cabinet card shows James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok,1837-1876. The legendary lawman and gun-slinger begins his career in 1858 as a peace officer of the Monticello Township in the Kansas Territory of Johnson County. For a number of years Hickok also works as a government scout, guide and deputy U.S. marshal across the Great Plains. In 1869 Hickok is elected marshal of Hays, Kansas and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; roles he serves until 1870. In 1871, he is hired as Abilene, Kansas' town marshal. As marshal he earns fame for being a quick draw and for spending most of his time playing cards. Hickok is killed on August 1, 1876 while playing a game of poker at a saloon in the Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
Date: 1873
This formal portrait shows James Butler " Wild Bill" Hickok,1837-1876. The legendary lawman and gun-slinger begins his career in 1858 as peace officer of the Monticello Township in the Kansas Territory of Johnson County. For a number of years Hickok also works as a government scout, guide and deputy U.S. marshal across the Great Plains. His reputation as a skilled marksman proceeds him wherever he goes. In 1869 Hickok is elected marshal of Hays, Kansas and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; roles he serves until 1870. In 1871, he is hired as Abilene, Kansas' town marshal. As marshal he earns fame for being a quick draw and for spending most of his time playing cards. Hickok is killed on August 01, 1876 while playing a game of poker at a saloon in the Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
Creator: Smith, Charles T.
Date: Between 1869 and 1876
This formal portrait shows James Butler " Wild Bill" Hickok,1837-1876. The legendary lawman and gun-slinger begins his career in 1858 as peace officer of the Monticello Township in the Kansas Territory of Johnson County. For a number of years Hickok also works as a government scout, guide and deputy U.S. marshal across the Great Plains. His reputation as a skilled marksman proceeds him wherever he goes. In 1869 Hickok is elected marshal of Hays, Kansas and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; roles he servs until 1870. In 1871, he is hired as Abilene, Kansas' town marshal. As marshal he earns the reputation for being a quick draw and for spending most of his time playing cards. Hickok is killed on August 01, 1876 while playing a game of poker at a saloon in the Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
Creator: Forney's Studio
Date: 1870
This formal portrait taken in Abilene, Kansas shows James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok ,1837-1876. The legendary lawman and gun-slinger begins his career in 1858 as peace officer of the Monticello Township in the Kansas Territory of Johnson County. For a number of years Hickok also works as a government scout, guide and deputy U.S. marshal across the Great Plains. His reputation as a skilled marksman proceeds him wherever he goes In 1869 Hickok is elected marshal of Hays, Kansas and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; roles he serves until 1870. In 1871, he is hired as Abilene, Kansas' town marshal. As marshal he earns fame for being a quick draw and for spending most of his time playing cards. Hickok is killed on August 01, 1876 while playing a game of poker at a saloon in the Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
Creator: Neuman, A., Rolla, MO.
Date: Between 1865 and 1866
This formal portrait shows James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, 1837-1876. The legendary lawman and gun-slinger begins his career in 1858 as peace officer of the Monticello Township in the Kansas Territory of Johnson County. For a number of years Hickok also works as a government scout, guide and deputy U.S. marshal across the Great Plains. His reputation as a skilled marksman proceeds him wherever goes. In 1869 Hickok is elected marshal of Hays, Kansas and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; roles he serves until 1870. In 1871, he is hired as Abilene, Kansas' town marshal. As marshal he earns fame for being a quick draw and for spending most of his time playing cards. Hickok is killed on August 01, 1876 while playing a game of poker at a saloon in the Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
Creator: Weinsell, S., Art Gallery, Junction City, Kansas
Date: 1867
This formal portrait shows James Butler " Wild Bill" Hickok, 1837-1876. The legendary lawman and gun-slinger begins his career in 1858 as peace officer of the Monticello Township in the Kansas Territory of Johnson County. For a number of years Hickok also works as a government scout, guide and deputy U.S. marshal across the Great Plains. His reputation as a skilled marksman proceeds him wherever goes. In 1869 Hickok is elected marshal of Hays, Kansas and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; roles he serves until 1870. In 1871, he is hired as Abilene, Kansas' town marshal. As marshal he earns fame for being a quick draw and for spending most of his time playing cards. Hickok is killed on August 01, 1876 while playing a game of poker at a saloon in the Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
Date: Between 1869 and 1871
This carte-de-visite shows James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, 1837-1876. The legendary lawman and gun-slinger begins his career in 1858 as peace officer of the Monticello Township in the Kansas Territory of Johnson County. For a number of years Hickok also works as a government scout, guide and deputy U.S. marshal across the Great Plains. His reputation as a skilled marksman proceeds him wherever he goes. In 1869 Hickok is elected marshal of Hays, Kansas and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; roles he serves until 1870. In 1871, he is hired as Abilene, Kansas' town marshal. As marshal he earns fame for being a quick draw and for spending most of his time playing cards. Hickok is killed on August 01, 1876 while playing a game of poker at a saloon in the Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

James Butler 'Wild Bill" Hickok
Date: Between 1870 and 1875
This formal portrait shows James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok,1837-1876. The legendary lawman and gun-slinger begins his career in 1858 as peace officer of the Monticello Township in the Kansas Territory of Johnson County. For a number of years Hickok also works as a government scout, guide and deputy U.S. marshal across the Great Plains. His reputation as a skilled marksman proceeds him wherever goes. In 1869 Hickok is elected marshal of Hays, Kansas and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; roles he serves until 1870. In 1871, he is hired as Abilene, Kansas' town marshal. As marshal he earns fame for being a quick draw and for spending most of his time playing cards. Hickok is killed on August 01, 1876 while playing a game of poker at a saloon in the Deadwood, Dakota Territory.