History: Sheriff “Red” Angus

In previous columns, we have looked at some of the Wyoming outlaws in the Sheridan area, Jesse James, Big Nose George Parrot, and the Sundance Kid. In the next three columns we will look into three of our areas most noted law enforcement officers who worked to bring these men and other outlaws to justice, and who tried to keep the peace in the wild west.

First up is Sheriff W.G. “Red” Angus, who tried to maintain the peace during the Johnson County War. As in most of history, there are usually two sides to each issue, and the Johnson County War is one of those hotly debated historical narratives.

This story in the Cheyenne Daily Leader, April 19, 1892 – When on Sunday morning Jack Flagg rode into town with a sympathizer at his back to tell the story of his miraculous escape from Nolan’s ranch, not knowing the result of the attack on Champion and Kay, he could only say the place was surrounded by a party of armed men, but an hour afterward a cowboy rode frantically up the main street of the town with the information that the Nolan ranch was fired and that be thought both the occupants were killed. This news drove the people fairly frantic and a hasty rush for guns and horses quickly ensued.

Sheriff Angus, who is said to be in sympathy with the rustlers, started off with a posse of men to verily this statement, while another crowd of fully 150 armed riders and experienced fighters from Texas as leaders swept over the foothills of the Big Horn mountains toward the TA ranch, where the regulator were at once corralled and surrounded with little hopes of escape.

It all depended on which side one was on as to whether or not the small ranchers, whom Angus defended, were cattle rustlers or not.

This from The Boomerang, Laramie, April 21, 1892 – Governor Barber yesterday sent the following dispatch to Sheriff Angus, at Buffalo: Cheyenne, April 15, 1892 — W. G. Angus, sheriff of Johnson County, Buffalo, Wyoming. You are hereby requested to deliver at once to Colonel VanHorn, commander at Fort McKinney, the men belonging in the invading party who were arrested by you before the surrender and are now confined in the county jail at Buffalo. This is done because the excitement and hostile demonstrations in that vicinity require it Amos W. Barber, Acting Governor.

At a late hour last night a dispatch was received from Sheriff Angus refusing to give up the prisoners, three of whom were teamsters, that he had in the county jail. In the same dispatch he repeated his request to have the stockmen at Fort McKinney turned over to him. Sheriff Angus had previously made a demand for the surrender of the captured army to him by the following dispatch: Buffalo, April 14.— Amos W. Barber, Cheyenne, Wyoming— Make a request on General Brooke to have the commanding officer at Fort McKinney to surrender the forty-four men, now held by him as prisoners, to the civil authorities tor trial under the charge of murder Warrants have been issued for the above men. W.G. Angus, Sheriff of Johnson County.

After the war was over, Angus ran for sheriff again, but he lost his bid for the office. He stayed in Buffalo, where he worked at the Occidental Hotel and served as a Deputy County Clerk and Johnson County Treasurer before his death in 1922.

The Sundance Gazette, November 17, 1893 – Buffalo, Wyo: Nov. 13. Last evening about 8 o’clock ex-Sheriff “Red” Angus, the present proprietor of the Occidental hotel, shot “Arapahoe” Brown in the left breast on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. The trouble grew out of a board bill of $2.50, which Brown repudiated, reporting he would settle by thrashing Angus. The two parties meeting Angus demanded payment of the account, which Brown refused, and in the ensuing altercation Angus fired two shots, one taking effect. Angus gave himself up and at the preliminary hearing here today waived examination, being bound over to the district court, which convened yesterday. The bullet in Brown’s chest has not yet been recovered and although the wound will apparently be harmless, it may result seriously. Both parties are old frontiersmen and celebrated characters.

Red Angus was a noted figure in the Johnson County War, no matter what side one falls on. In fact, in this clip he was referred to as, “Red” Angus, the war sheriff of Johnson County, who, according to Bill Barlow’s Budget, February 8, 1893, has been at Cheyenne to buy from the Royal Horse association some hounds to add to his northern ranch of kennels. Angus has been breeding for wolf dogs for several years. He has had killers for a long time, but now wants to get the requisite speed. Angus says he has three dogs, any one of which will kill in short order a gray or black wolf. It is necessary now to drive for them. He expects to produce a dog that will hunt the wolf as a natural enemy.

The Cheyenne Daily Sun, December 11, 1892 – “RED” ANGUS The Famous War Sheriff of Johnson County in Town. – W. G. (Red) Angus, the noted sheriff of Johnson County, reached the city from Buffalo last night over the Burlington. He is enroute to the state penitentiary at Laramie with eight men convicted at the Johnson County term of court just closed. There is, as has heretofore been mentioned, a liberal sprinkling of stock thieves among the convicts. The guards assisting Angus are Dan Mitchell, city marshal of Buffalo, and George Astell, the hardware dealer, formerly with F. Sehweiekert of this city. Astell is well known here. He was a member of the famous Alert Hose team of 1885. The celebrated officer of the north is looking very well indeed. He is togged out in a new suit and wears his Grand Army button.

Angus had along his great “buffalo” overcoat made a garment of fame by Sam T. Clover in the Chicago Herald. Angus was until a late hour last night with his political friends, the Leader people and A.S. Mercer and others. The sheriff and his deputies registered at the Normandie. The prisoners spent the night in the Laramie County jail. At a late hour a Sun reporter had a long talk with the visitor. He says the north is quiet that none of the men in the raid who lived up there before can live there again; that he holds no animus personally, but others do. Every man is armed ready for anything. He does not believe i that the stockmen will ever be tried. I and himself would be willing to drop the case.

“Red” Angus’ obituary tells a lot about the man who was the ‘war sheriff’ in Johnson County. The Buffalo Bulletin, August 3, 1922 – Obituary: With the death of W. G. Angus, which occurred at his home Buffalo. Wyoming. July 19th. 1922. “Taps” has been sounded over one more of the rapidly thinning ranks of that army of men who gave their all that the Union might be preserved. “Red” Angus, as he was familiarly known among his legion of friends, was a true Westerner. and practically all of his eventful life was passed in that west that he loved so well. Few men are accorded the chance that came to Mr. Angus to know, not in a passing way but intimately, so many of the famous characters that had prominent parts in paving the way for civilization and building of this part of the west; and his experience as a soldier, teamster and cowpuncher, which date from the early days of the Civil War until the entire west had been wrested from the Indian domination, would require volumes to enumerate. Mr. Angus was born at Zanesville. Ohio. November 9^th, 1849, and in 1854 moved with his family to lowa.

When the Civil war broke out, Young Angus was so persistent in his desire to enlist that his mother finally gave her consent, and on September 10th. 1862 took her boy by the hand and led him to the Colonel of the Thirteenth Kansas Infantry and an old friend or the family, and as was enrolled in Company F of that regiment, as a drummer boy, being less than thirteen years old at the time. He served during the remainder of the war, nearly three years, and took part in the battles of Prairie Grove, Kane Hill and Van Buren, Arkansas.

He was at Fort Wallace at one time when that Fort was besieged by an overwhelming force of Indians, the garrison at that time consisting of but one company of soldiers and what few freighters happened to be there. They had but two pieces of artillery, so dummy cannons were improvised by mounting pieces of stove pipe on the front wheels of wagons, and then by moving their two pieces of artillery around and firing beside the dummies, gave the Indians the impression that they were well provided with “thunder guns.”

He came to Wyoming in 1880 with a trail herd of cattle for Scott Hanks and took up range on Prairie Dog Creek in what is now Sheridan County.

Later, Angus came to Buffalo. He was sheriff of Johnson County for four years, during the Johnson County War.

He loved his country and served it well, the obituary said.

Next week we will look at Frank Canton, who was on the other side of the Johnson County War.