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Claude

Resident of Hallelujah, New Mexico Territory in 1876.[1] (September 21, 1841 – December 3, 1911)[2]

In September of 1876, Claude witnessed the escape of Cliff Sharp robbing the Hallelujah Wells Fargo office after killing the clerk. He was part of Sheriff Chick Tucker's posse when they found Bret Maverick in his Elbow Bend hotel room with evidence planted there by Sharp. Claude testified against him at the trial as an eye witness and — in a saloon wagering pool — bet five dollars that Bret wouldn't tell where the Wells Fargo money was hidden before the hanging. He attended Bret's hanging and was present when Molly Sharp arrived by stage in Hallelujah, claiming to be Bret's widow. When Bret rode back into Hallelujah the next day, masquerading as his own twin brother, Claude confessed that he had been one of three eye witnesses to identify him at the trail. He was playing cards with Tucker in the sheriff's office when Bret and Molly rode back into town to return the Wells Fargo money.[1]

See: The Day They Hanged Bret Maverick