Albert "Burt" Alvord (September 11, 1867 – after 1910) was an American lawman and later outlaw of the Old West. Alvord began his career in law enforcement in 1886 as a deputy under SheriffJohn Slaughter in Cochise County, Arizona, but turned to train robbery by the beginning of the 20th century.
Albert W. Alvord was born to Charles E. Alvord and his wife Lucy on September 11, 1867, in Plumas County, California.[1] His father, a native of New York, worked as a prospector and mechanic for mining companies, but eventually came to hold public offices such as constable and justice of the peace in several of the places that the family lived.[2] The family moved frequently throughout Burt's childhood, following the mining business from boomtown to boomtown. In 1879, the family settled in Pima County, Arizona Territory,[3] but soon moved to Tombstone in Cochise County.[4][5]
Alvord's education was informal, but he likely learned much from his father's cases about local disputes.[6] He also spent time working at the O.K. Corral where he got to know the townspeople very well.[7] Claims that Alvord witnessed the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881 are unsubstantiated, though the banditry and lawlessness for which Tombstone was famous would certainly have made an impression on the young Alvord.[8]
Law enforcement careerEdit
Despite Alvord's reputation for frequenting saloons and his participation in several bar altercations, Cochise County Sheriff John Horton Slaughter recruited Alvord as a deputy in 1886. The same year, Alvord's mother died. Alvord served primarily as the muscle behind Slaughter's operations; he made several decisions which revealed his lack of experience and finesse in law enforcement. He was reportedly "not noble, temperate, far seeing, or unselfish".[9] He did assist Slaughter in capturing or killing several rustlers and other outlaws between 1886 and 1889, but his reputation suffered when his alcoholism became increasingly apparent. Alvord continued to frequent saloons and eventually began to associate with gamblers and suspected outlaws. When Slaughter reprimanded him, he quit.
Alvord next worked as a lawman in several towns in the 1890s, including Fairbank, Arizona and Pearce, Arizona. In 1896, Alvord moved to Cochise County, where he married Lola Ochoa, bought a ranch, and settled down. Once again he became a sheriff's deputy.[10] Two years later, his father died.[11] In late December 1899, Alvord suddenly and inexplicably resigned his post of deputy sheriff.[12]
Outlawry and last yearsEdit
Almost immediately after turning in his badge, Alvord left his wife and turned to crime. He formed a gang with outlaws Billy Stiles, Bill Downing, and "Three Fingered Jack" Dunlop, men he had once pursued during his career as a law officer. Alvord's gang committed several armed robberies in Cochise County, where he and Stiles were both captured. Somehow, they managed to escape. On February 15, 1900, Dunlop was killed by lawman Jeff Milton during a bungled train robbery in Fairbank, Arizona, and gang recruit Bravo Juan Yoas was wounded. Later that year, Alvord was again captured and taken to Tombstone. Billy Stiles rode to Tombstone and wounded the deputy on duty, allowing Alvord and 24 other prisoners to escape.
In 1902, Alvord assisted Arizona Rangers Captain Burton C. Mossman in capturing the notorious Mexican bandit Augustine Chacon, in exchange for a share of the reward money and a reduced sentence. When Chacon was convicted of murder and hanged at Solomonville, Alvord decided it was wiser not to surrender after all.[13][14] Alvord and Stiles instead returned to crime, now pursued by the Arizona Rangers. They were captured in December 1903, but again managed to escape. Alvord even made a crude attempt at faking their deaths, using the bodies of two unknown Mexicans. Alvord sent the bodies to Tombstone, claiming they were himself and Stiles. However, an examination quickly showed the dead men were not the two "gringos".
The irritated Arizona Rangers finally pursued the outlaws across the international border into Mexico, trapping them near Naco in February 1904. The outlaws resisted, but surrendered after both were wounded. Alvord spent two years in the Yuma Territorial Prison. Following his release, he announced he was going by ship to start anew in Central America. He was last seen in 1910 working as a Panama Canal employee. Following this, Alvord's fate is unknown.
^U.S. Census, Luttrell, Pima Co., Arizona, 7 June 1880: Chas. E. Alvord, 53, prospector, Lucy, 48, wife, William, 23, son, Chas. E., 16, son, Albert, 14, son, Mady, 9, daughter. Page 3, Enumerator's District 40.
^Census Enumeration of Cochise County, Arizona Territory - Tombstone: C. E. Alvord, 53, Lucy, 50, W. W., 26, C. E., 19, A. W., 15, M., 9. No page numbers.
^"Stories of the Century: "Burt Alvord", January 2, 1955". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
^David Leighton, "Street Smarts: Alvord Road named for deputy sheriff who became bank robber," Arizona Daily Star, Nov. 7, 2016
BooksEdit
Burton Alvord, lawman and outlaw
Chaput, Donald (2000). Spawn Gone Wrong – The Odyssey of Burt Alvord: Lawman, Train Robber, Fugitive. Westernlore Press Co.
Wilson, R. Michael (2005). Legal Executions in the Western Territories, 1847–1911: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. McFarland. ISBN978-0-7864-4825-8.
Raine, William MacLeod (1905). Pearson's magazine: Carrying Law into the Mesquite. Pearson Publishing Co.
Sifakis, Carl. Encyclopedia of American Crime, New York, Facts on File Inc., 1982
October 19, 2023
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Albert Burt Alvord September 11 1867 after 1910 was an American lawman and later outlaw of the Old West Alvord began his career in law enforcement in 1886 as a deputy under Sheriff John Slaughter in Cochise County Arizona but turned to train robbery by the beginning of the 20th century Burt AlvordBorn 1867 09 11 September 11 1867Plumas County California U S Diedafter 1910NationalityAmericanOccupation s Deputy sheriff outlawCriminal chargeArmed robbery Contents 1 Early life 2 Law enforcement career 3 Outlawry and last years 4 In media 5 Legacy 6 See also 7 References 8 BooksEarly life Edit nbsp Mugshot of Burt Alvord at the Yuma Territorial Prison in 1904Albert W Alvord was born to Charles E Alvord and his wife Lucy on September 11 1867 in Plumas County California 1 His father a native of New York worked as a prospector and mechanic for mining companies but eventually came to hold public offices such as constable and justice of the peace in several of the places that the family lived 2 The family moved frequently throughout Burt s childhood following the mining business from boomtown to boomtown In 1879 the family settled in Pima County Arizona Territory 3 but soon moved to Tombstone in Cochise County 4 5 Alvord s education was informal but he likely learned much from his father s cases about local disputes 6 He also spent time working at the O K Corral where he got to know the townspeople very well 7 Claims that Alvord witnessed the famous Gunfight at the O K Corral in 1881 are unsubstantiated though the banditry and lawlessness for which Tombstone was famous would certainly have made an impression on the young Alvord 8 Law enforcement career EditDespite Alvord s reputation for frequenting saloons and his participation in several bar altercations Cochise County Sheriff John Horton Slaughter recruited Alvord as a deputy in 1886 The same year Alvord s mother died Alvord served primarily as the muscle behind Slaughter s operations he made several decisions which revealed his lack of experience and finesse in law enforcement He was reportedly not noble temperate far seeing or unselfish 9 He did assist Slaughter in capturing or killing several rustlers and other outlaws between 1886 and 1889 but his reputation suffered when his alcoholism became increasingly apparent Alvord continued to frequent saloons and eventually began to associate with gamblers and suspected outlaws When Slaughter reprimanded him he quit Alvord next worked as a lawman in several towns in the 1890s including Fairbank Arizona and Pearce Arizona In 1896 Alvord moved to Cochise County where he married Lola Ochoa bought a ranch and settled down Once again he became a sheriff s deputy 10 Two years later his father died 11 In late December 1899 Alvord suddenly and inexplicably resigned his post of deputy sheriff 12 Outlawry and last years EditAlmost immediately after turning in his badge Alvord left his wife and turned to crime He formed a gang with outlaws Billy Stiles Bill Downing and Three Fingered Jack Dunlop men he had once pursued during his career as a law officer Alvord s gang committed several armed robberies in Cochise County where he and Stiles were both captured Somehow they managed to escape On February 15 1900 Dunlop was killed by lawman Jeff Milton during a bungled train robbery in Fairbank Arizona and gang recruit Bravo Juan Yoas was wounded Later that year Alvord was again captured and taken to Tombstone Billy Stiles rode to Tombstone and wounded the deputy on duty allowing Alvord and 24 other prisoners to escape In 1902 Alvord assisted Arizona Rangers Captain Burton C Mossman in capturing the notorious Mexican bandit Augustine Chacon in exchange for a share of the reward money and a reduced sentence When Chacon was convicted of murder and hanged at Solomonville Alvord decided it was wiser not to surrender after all 13 14 Alvord and Stiles instead returned to crime now pursued by the Arizona Rangers They were captured in December 1903 but again managed to escape Alvord even made a crude attempt at faking their deaths using the bodies of two unknown Mexicans Alvord sent the bodies to Tombstone claiming they were himself and Stiles However an examination quickly showed the dead men were not the two gringos The irritated Arizona Rangers finally pursued the outlaws across the international border into Mexico trapping them near Naco in February 1904 The outlaws resisted but surrendered after both were wounded Alvord spent two years in the Yuma Territorial Prison Following his release he announced he was going by ship to start anew in Central America He was last seen in 1910 working as a Panama Canal employee Following this Alvord s fate is unknown In media EditIn 1955 Alvord and Stiles were portrayed by Chris Drake and Paul Sorensen in an episode of the syndicated television series Stories of the Century starring Jim Davis 15 Legacy EditAccording to historian David Leighton Alvord Road in Tucson Arizona is named for the lawman turned outlaw 16 See also EditBill Downing Fairbank Train Robbery List of people who disappearedReferences Edit Chaput pg 17 Chaput pg 16 21 Chaput pg 21 U S Census Luttrell Pima Co Arizona 7 June 1880 Chas E Alvord 53 prospector Lucy 48 wife William 23 son Chas E 16 son Albert 14 son Mady 9 daughter Page 3 Enumerator s District 40 Census Enumeration of Cochise County Arizona Territory Tombstone C E Alvord 53 Lucy 50 W W 26 C E 19 A W 15 M 9 No page numbers Chaput pg 20 25 Chaput pg 29 Chaput pg 25 6 Chaput pg 33 4 Chaput pg 48 9 Chaput pg 54 Chaput pg 57 Raine pg 74 77 Wilson pg 45 Stories of the Century Burt Alvord January 2 1955 Internet Movie Database Retrieved September 15 2012 David Leighton Street Smarts Alvord Road named for deputy sheriff who became bank robber Arizona Daily Star Nov 7 2016Books EditBurton Alvord lawman and outlaw Chaput Donald 2000 Spawn Gone Wrong The Odyssey of Burt Alvord Lawman Train Robber Fugitive Westernlore Press Co Wilson R Michael 2005 Legal Executions in the Western Territories 1847 1911 Arizona Colorado Idaho Kansas Montana Nebraska Nevada New Mexico North Dakota Oklahoma Oregon South Dakota Utah Washington and Wyoming McFarland ISBN 978 0 7864 4825 8 Raine William MacLeod 1905 Pearson s magazine Carrying Law into the Mesquite Pearson Publishing Co Sifakis Carl Encyclopedia of American Crime New York Facts on File Inc 1982 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Burt Alvord amp oldid 1155128278, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
