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Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Auction: The Earp Brothers & Cowboys

Sat, Jul 26, 2025 11:00AM EDT
  2025-07-26 11:00:00 2025-07-26 11:00:00 America/New_York North American Auction Company North American Auction Company : Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Auction: The Earp Brothers & Cowboys https://live.naabid.com/auctions/north-american-auction/tombstone-western-heritage-museum-auction-the-earp-brothers-cowboys-20021
Join North American Auction Company on July 26th for a once-in-a-lifetime auction of the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum Collection. This extraordinary sale features the largest private collection of Tombstone history, including rare and historic pieces tied to Wyatt Earp, the Earp Brothers, and the infamous Cochise Cowboys. From original artifacts, outlaw relics, and the largest collection of C.S. Fly photographs, this is a can’t-miss event for collectors of the Old West’s most legendary chapter.
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Lot 55

Jeff D. Milton (1861-1947) Gunfighter Ephemera

Estimate: $1,500 - $2,500
Starting Bid
$500

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
Featured in this lot is this collection of ephemera of iconic Old West gunfighter Jeff D. Milton born in 1861 and died in 1947; Provenance: From the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum in Tombstone, Arizona. This collection consists of a Joslin cabinet card, an older copy of a photograph, a newspaper clipping, and two original hand written letters from Jeff Milton's Wife Mildred Milton to family and friends. The first letter is one to the Cox family and includes stories and information of Jeff Milton's sporting days, and a clear update on how he spends his time in 1926 (there is a transcribed/typed letter that comes with it); this letter comes with a original museum tag that reads as follows: Letter from Mildred Milton discussing Jeff Milton's law enforcement exploits against John Sellman and John Wesley Hardin in El Paso, TX. The second letter is from Mildred to her niece Heather Shindo and was displayed in The Tombstone Western Heritage Museum in her memory. The cabinet card features a portrait shot of Milton in his 40's by Joslin, the photographer out of El Paso, TX. The newspaper article is a stoke biography piece of Jeff Milton's "lethally acquired reputation of being on of the best shots along the border..." Jefferson Davis Milton (November 7, 1861 – May 7, 1947) was an American lawman in the Old West and a son of Confederate Governor of Florida John Milton. He was the first officer appointed to the U.S. Immigration Service Border Patrol in 1924. Reconstruction had a particularly corrosive effect on the surviving former first family of Florida. At age 15 or 16 Jeff Milton considered his prospects and joined his sister in Texas where he worked in her husband's mercantile stores and later as a cowboy. “On July 27, 1880, he appeared at the Texas Rangers headquarters in Austin, armed with a couple of letters of recommendation from prominent citizens. By adding three years to his real age, he became the requisite 21 and was sworn in as a Ranger private.” For a time in the 1880s Milton worked under Sheriff John Slaughter in Cochise County, Arizona, during which time the two were involved in several manhunts and shootouts with outlaws. One of their most well-known accomplishments was their pursuit of the Jack Taylor Gang in late 1886 to the middle of 1887. Milton and Slaughter trailed the gang to the home of Flora Cardenas in Mexico. The bandits had been tipped off that the American lawmen were after them and left before Slaughter and Milton could reach the Cardenas' home. On June 21, 1895, Milton who was at that time Chief of Police in El Paso, Texas, accompanied his oft partner, Deputy U.S. Marshal George Scarborough, when Scarborough shot and killed Martin M'Rose, a notorious Texas rustler. M'Rose had been captured by the two lawmen on an outstanding warrant and was killed while being brought back from Mexico. Outlaw, gunman and paramour of Mrs. M'Rose, John Wesley Hardin, claimed that he had paid Scarborough and Milton to kill M'Rose. Milton and Scarborough were arrested, but Hardin later withdrew his comments and the two men were released. M'Rose is buried near John Wesley Hardin and Texas Ranger Ernest St. Leon. The condition of this Jeff D. Milton Collective is well preserved with no obvious signs of damage to the paperwork with some browning to the pages consistent with the age. The measurements of these cabinet cards and letters ranges from 5 7/8" x 2 5/8" to 10 3/8" x 6 1/2". LO252, LO-117, LO175, LO251, LO43

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