AS SEEN ON TV: FRANK M. CANTON

FRANK M. CANTON

AS SEEN IN:
'Alias Smith And Jones'

AS PLAYED BY:
Ed Nelson

From Wikipedia:
Josiah Horner (September 15, 1849 – 1927), better known as Frank M. Canton, was a famous American Old West lawman, gunslinger, cowboy and at one point in his life, an outlaw.

In 1871, he started robbing banks and rustling cattle, which at the time was a capital offense. On October 10, 1874, Horner got into a gunfight with some Buffalo Soldiers, killing one and wounding the other. In 1877, he was arrested for robbing a bank in Comanche, Texas. He escaped from Texas Ranger custody and moved to Ogallala, Nebraska and took up a herd of cattle. While in Nebraska, he officially changed his name to Frank M. Canton and vowed to give up his outlaw ways.

Frank Canton hired on as a stock detective for the Wyoming Stock Growers Association. He was also elected sheriff of Johnson County, Wyoming. In 1885, Canton married and had 2 children, one of which died early in childhood. Canton resigned the sheriff's job and returned to working for the W.S.G.A., and at the same time working as a U.S. Deputy Marshal.

During the Johnson County War, Canton signed on as one of Frank Wolcott's Regulators. Canton traveled to Oklahoma, and became a respected U.S. Marshal under Judge Isaac Parker, based out of Fort Smith, Arkansas. He worked with other famous lawmen such as Heck Thomas, Chris Madsen, and Bill Tilghman during that time.

In 1897, Canton went to Alaska to follow the gold rush but instead became a Deputy U.S. Marshal. He returned to the states in 1907 and became Adjutant General for the Oklahoma National Guard. At some point during this time, Canton arranged a meeting with the Governor of Texas. He confessed that he was secretly Joe Horner, and the governor took his law enforcement service into consideration and granted him a pardon. He chose to be known as Frank Canton for the remainder of his lifetime.

Canton died in 1927.

BCnU!

PS:
The top picture actually comes from an episode of 'The Rifleman'. I just wanted to make sure there was a frontal picture of Ed Nelson as a cowboy....