Frank Cochran (c. 1853 – c. 1925) was a 19th-century

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Deputy US Marshal in the service of Judge

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, known as the "Hanging Judge", operating out of

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

Biography

Little is known about Cochran's early life. He is thought to have possibly been born in either

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

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, but in fact it is not known for certain from where he originated. Although by reputation he captured many outlaws of the day, he is less known than others serving during the same time period, such as

Bill Tilghman William Matthew Tilghman Jr. (July 4, 1854 – November 1, 1924) was a career lawman, gunfighter, and politician in Kansas and Oklahoma during the late 19th century. Tilghman was a Dodge City city marshal in the early 1880s and played a role in ...

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, or

Chris Madsen Chris Madsen (February 25, 1851 – January 9, 1944) was a lawman of the Old West who is best known as being one of The Three Guardsmen, the name given to Madsen and two other Deputy US Marshals who were responsible for the apprehension and/or ki ...

. His best known arrest was the capture of

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and his partner William Christie, after the two murdered a farmer in the Cherokee Nation. Cochran would later transfer to the

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

office, where he would lead a

posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

in the pursuit and capture of the Al Jennings Gang. During an 1891 corruption

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal ...

in Fort Smith, Cochran saved the life of Government Special Agent to the Court W. F. Harn, when a defendant's family member attempted to stab Harn.

References

Oklahoman Daily, report on the Al Jennings Gang

Oklahoma History
Lawmen of the American Old West 1850s births 1925 deaths Oklahoma police officers Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain {{Oklahoma-stub