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Sheriff

Sheriff in Prescott,[1] Arizona Territory in 1877.[2] (August 28, 1811 – June 23, 1888)[2]

Trusted and well-liked by the citizenry of Prescott.[1]

On the night of December 5, 1877,[1] Bret Maverick was taken in to the sheriff's office for disturbing the peace and possibly killing Rex Clark. The sheriff held Bret long enough to informally assess the crime and the evidence of the case. Bret claimed he was only firing in self defense, and that Whitey Brandon had killed Clark in the crossfire of the gunfight. After determining that all three men in the room were shooting with .45s, and the bullet that killed Clark was a .45, there was no way to tell whether it was Bret's or Brandon's bullet that struck and killed Clark. Having never seen a case like it, the deputy sheriff determined that in a trial, with no proof of who fired the fatal shot, a jury would have to acquit both Bret and Brandon, so he would not chase after the fleeing Brandon, nor hold Bret. He asked Bret to get out of town because he was an embarrassment to him.[2]

See: The Long Hunt