Crawley P. Dake

Crawley P. Dake (September 15, 1836 – April 9, 1890) was a lawman and business owner best known for having served as the U.S. Marshal for the Arizona Territory from 1878 to 1882, during a time of notorious lawlessness in frontier towns like Tombstone. A veteran of the American Civil War, Dake was noted for his creativity and for his frequent deputizing of civilian posses after the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 was passed.

Early life

Dake was born at Kemptville, Ontario, Canada on September 15, 1836. His family moved to Ogdensburg, New York when he was a child.

Adult life

As a young man, Dake moved from New York to Michigan in 1855 and opened a retail store. He held public office and ran unsuccessfully for Congress. His regiment served in the defenses of the capital until June 1863, when it joined the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Over the next month, the 5th Michigan Cavalry took part in several major battles, including the Battle of Hanover on June 30, the Battle of Gettysburg from July 1 to July 3, and the Battle of Williamsport from July 6 to July 14. The regiment then participated in a series of smaller engagements followed by the Battle of Mine Run from November 26 to December 2. Dake was seriously wounded in the leg as the U.S. Marshal for the Arizona Territory, Territorial Governor John P. Hoyt objected, but Michigan's Washington delegation prevailed.

Robberies

Early in his tenure Dake faced an epidemic of stage robberies. In May 1877, the Arizona Miner of Prescott complained that the stage robberies were now as frequent as had "Indian murders" during prior years. Associate Justice Charles Silent wrote the attorney general, telling him "this lawlessness... is paralyzing business." Dake observed that the robberies "have caused much inconvenience... to the businessman." Saiz and Cruz may have been the same person. In 1879, the Mexican federal government refused to allow Dake to extradite two of the suspects.

Struggles for federal support

The U.S. Marshal's Office on North Cortez Street in Prescott, Arizona Territory, in May 1877. Dake and others in the still rural Western territories pleaded with Washington for the means to pursue the bandits in their areas. Despite the presence of several hundred federal troops in Arizona, the federal Posse Comitatus Act restricted the use by the marshal of federal troops in pursuing criminals. When Union Pacific Railroad President Jay Gould complained in Washington D.C. about train robbers, the President's cabinet finally met and decided that federal troops could be used to patrol and protect government property, but not pursue outlaws. In 1879, Congress neglected to budget any money to the federal Marshal service, and Dake was forced to use his remaining funds to prosecute those he already had in custody. Dake was criticized when he was unable to resolve a long-simmering feud between the Earps and the Cowboys in the newly formed Cochise County and for Virgil Earp's participation in the resulting Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881. The acting attorney general ordered Dake to take action against the Cowboy faction, but Dake was replaced by Zara T. Tidball less than six months later, in July 1882.

Later life and death

Dake knew a number of well-known Old West characters, including Leslie Blackburn, Virgil and Wyatt Earp, Joseph Evans, Joe Phy and others. Dake was heavily criticized and ultimately replaced after the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and was charged three years later with misappropriating funds but was later cleared. Dake died in Prescott, Arizona Territory on April 9, 1890.