Christopher Columbus Rogers (c. 1846–1888) was a controversial and colorful

Texan Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

and

gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the te ...

Biography

Rogers, often called "Chris" or just "C.C.", was born in

Anderson County, Texas Anderson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. Located within East Texas, its county seat is Palestine. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Anderson County was 57,922. Anderson County comprises the Palestine micropol ...

to William Rogers, then the sheriff of the county. At the age of 15, the

United States Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

having broken out, Rogers joined the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, and was tasked with guarding

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

. When the war ended, Rogers began working as a printer at the Trinity Advocate newspaper in

Palestine, Texas Palestine ( ) is a city in and the seat of Anderson County in the U.S. state of Texas. It was named for Palestine, Illinois, by preacher Daniel Parker, who had migrated from that town. The city had a 2020 U.S. census population of 18,544, mak ...

. By this time, Rogers had developed a reputation of being violently opposed to

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

, and in quick succession he assaulted John H. Morrison, an agent of the

Freedmen's Bureau The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was an agency of early Reconstruction, assisting freedmen in the South. It was established on March 3, 1865, and operated briefly as a ...

, and murdered Dan Cary, Palestine's marshal. After killing Cary, Rogers fled to nearby

Tyler, Texas Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County, Texas, Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the List of cities in Texa ...

, where he opened up a saloon. While in Tyler, Rogers killed a rival saloonkeeper named

Mose Remington Mose, Mosè, or Mosé is a given name which may refer to: People In religion * Mose Durst, former president of the Unification Church of the United States * Mosé Higuera, Colombian Catholic bishop * Mosè Tovini, Italian Roman Catholic priest I ...

during a gunfight; Rogers was later acquitted as acting in self-defense. During the spring of 1873, the town of Palestine decided to elect a new marshal to help deal with the spike of violence associated with its relatively new position as a railroad town. Rogers ran unopposed and was elected to the position, which he held until his death. During his tenure as marshal, Rogers is believed to have killed nine men, bringing his total to around 12. In 1887, Rogers attempted to arrest his friend Tom O'Donnell for a misdemeanor offense, but the two ended up in a gun battle that left O'Donnell dead. Rogers, whose violence and history had already left some in the town unsure about his suitability as a lawman, was suspended while the city investigated the shootout. While on suspension, Rogers was stabbed to death by a man named Bill Young as he sat unarmed in a local saloon enjoying a beer while talking to Young. Rogers had called Young a liar, starting the argument. Young had been upset about a recent argument with Rogers over what had happened to O'Donnell. Reference-Descendant of the Rogers family.

References

* 1840s births 1888 deaths People of Texas in the American Civil War Lawmen of the American Old West People murdered in Texas American police officers Deaths by stabbing in the United States {{OldWest-bio-stub

Biography

Further reading

References