This little item is what makes research difficult. Sands mentioned was that bounty hunters' names were never, ever recorded, because their anonymity was their protection. (They'd probably wait, considering the state of banking at the time.) But the most important thing that Ms. She also mentions that the bounty hunters didn't receive payment until later, so when they brought in prisoners, they'd either have to wait, or have the money sent to a bank. The US had no such compunctions, but the bounty was half if the prisoner died before making it to jail. Anyway, she points out that in order for a bounty hunter to get his money in British Columbia, he had to bring the criminal in alive. Really good info at this site on lots of Old West topics. Many lawmen straddled the fence between law-enforcing and law-breaking.Ĭharlene Sands, author of Bodine's Bounty, blogged about bounty hunters on Pistols and Petticoats. Then again, if there's no one around for a couple hundred miles, who's to know? This is part of how the West was tamed. Of course, they had to follow the rules of due process while a bounty hunter had no such restrictions. Lots of town marshals and county sheriffs supplemented their meager incomes with bounties. Could be that the Pinkertons were the only ones to ever best him. But he wrote a book, and the Pinkerton Agency wasn't too keen about that, so he spent several years at the end of his life arguing with them. He had steely nerves and his cleverness got him out of more than one jam.

Siringo had a long and distinguished, if not controversial, career. One of the greatest bounty hunters was Pinkerton Detective, Charlie Siringo. It is likened to the arrest by the Sheriff of an escaped prisoner.As you can see by this decision, bounty hunters didn't have to adhere to the same rules of due process that lawmen did. The seizure is not made by virtue of due process. They may pursue him into another state may arrest him on the Sabbath and if necessary, may break and enter his house for that purpose. They may exercise their rights in person or by agent. Whenever they choose to do so, they may seize him and deliver him up to his discharge and if it cannot be done at once, they may imprison him until it can be done. Their domain is a continuance of the original imprisonment. Taintor: When the bail is given, the principal is regarded as delivered to the custody of his sureties. law enforcement system with a decision in Taylor vs. In 1872, the Supreme Court ruled that bounty hunters were a part of the U.S. If a criminal knew how to live off the land and he owned a fast horse, he was pretty well guaranteed an escape. The law was a bit sparse in the Old West, often not a lawman around for hundreds of miles.

Bodine's Bounty by Charlene Sands