Cassius M. Hollister
Encyclopedia
Cassius M. "Cash" Hollister
(December 7, 1845-October 18, 1884) was a 19th-century American law enforcement officer and deputy U.S. marshal who served as mayor and sheriff of Caldwell, Kansas
as well as deputy sheriff of Sumner County
from 1879 until his death in 1884. During his career, he worked with several well-known lawmen including Henry Brown and Ben Wheeler
, who together were active against horse thieves in southern Kansas.
, Hollister moved to Kansas
in 1877 and worked as a hotel clerk in Wichita
and Caldwell, Kansas
. The next year, he married Sadia Rhodes and lived in Caldwell for two years before being elected mayor of the city on October 28, 1879; the result of a special election following the sudden death of the town's first mayor Noah J. Dixon the previous month.
He soon became involved in a number of brawls and fistfights over the next few months and, in one incident, he was arrested by town marshal George W. Flatt for assaulting one Frank Hunt and fined a dollar after pleading guilty. Hunt, who would later be appointed a police officer under Hollister's successor, assaulted him two days later and was fined a similar amount. Choosing not to run against candidate Mike Meagher, he was eventually superseded as mayor on April 20, 1880. However, he continued to be involved in street fighting and experienced minor legal problems as a result.
On April 8, he was involved in a large gunfight with Caldwell Marshal Henry Brown, Ben Wheeler
and several others near Hunnewell, Kansas
against a gang of cattle rustlers resulting the death of one outlaw and the wounding of another. He later investigated a murder in the Indian Territory
and successfully brought back several suspects.
On November 21, authorities received a report that Chet van Meter, a local resident living on a farm in Chikaskia Township, had beaten his wife on the previous night as well as firing at his neighbors J. W. Loverton and a Miss Doty. The following morning, he severely beat his 15-year-old brother-in-law Albert Banks and began threatening his other neighbors that he would "kill half a dozen of them [in that neighborhood] before he got through."
Arriving in town soon after, Loverton and Banks swore out an arrest warrant against van Meter and Hollister was deputized to bring van Meter in. Advised that he was armed and dangerous, Hollister anticipated trouble and asked Ben Wheeler to accompany him. Arriving at van Meter's home, they found Chet van Meter had gone to his father's house some five miles away. Making their way to the home of S. H. Van Meter, they found his son outside the house armed with a Winchester rifle
. With both men getting off the wagon, Wheeler called on van Meter to surrender. While he seemed to be complying with the order, van Meter suddenly brought his gun up as he raised his hands, taking a shot at Hollister. Hollister and Wheeler then fired at van Meter, hitting him a total of seven times before killing him. He was then carried to their wagon with the help of Loverton and Banks and brought into town by Hollister and Wheeler. Bringing the body to the Leland Hotel, it was kept in the front basement while a coroner's jury was summoned.
An inquest was later held investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting and a jury eventually acquitted them both, the official ruling that van Meter's death was justifiable.
for another month before he was killed by Texas outlaw Robert Cross while attempting to take him into custody on October 18, 1884. Hollister had been attempting to negotiate with Cross, who had kidnapped the daughter of a local farmer; however, he refused to surrender and shot Hollister when he threatened to set fire to his house. With nearly the entire town in attendance, he was buried in a cemetery north of town days later.
Hollister is one of those honored on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
in Washington, DC.
Hollister (family name)
Hollister is an English family name from the Gloucester region of England, United Kingdom, now most numerous in the United States of America. In 1992, it was estimated there were 2204 households in the USA, 94 in Canada, 81 in Australia, 21 in New Zealand, 3 in Denmark and 371 in Great...
(December 7, 1845-October 18, 1884) was a 19th-century American law enforcement officer and deputy U.S. marshal who served as mayor and sheriff of Caldwell, Kansas
Caldwell, Kansas
Caldwell is a city in Sumner County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,068.-19th century:In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a branch line north-south from Herington to Caldwell...
as well as deputy sheriff of Sumner County
Sumner County, Kansas
Sumner County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. The county's population was 24,132 for the 2010 census. Its county seat is Wellington. Sumner County is part of the Wichita, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was named in honor of Charles Sumner, a U.S...
from 1879 until his death in 1884. During his career, he worked with several well-known lawmen including Henry Brown and Ben Wheeler
Ben Wheeler
Ben Wheeler is a cricketer from New Zealand.-References:...
, who together were active against horse thieves in southern Kansas.
Early life
Born near Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Hollister moved to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
in 1877 and worked as a hotel clerk in Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
and Caldwell, Kansas
Caldwell, Kansas
Caldwell is a city in Sumner County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,068.-19th century:In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a branch line north-south from Herington to Caldwell...
. The next year, he married Sadia Rhodes and lived in Caldwell for two years before being elected mayor of the city on October 28, 1879; the result of a special election following the sudden death of the town's first mayor Noah J. Dixon the previous month.
He soon became involved in a number of brawls and fistfights over the next few months and, in one incident, he was arrested by town marshal George W. Flatt for assaulting one Frank Hunt and fined a dollar after pleading guilty. Hunt, who would later be appointed a police officer under Hollister's successor, assaulted him two days later and was fined a similar amount. Choosing not to run against candidate Mike Meagher, he was eventually superseded as mayor on April 20, 1880. However, he continued to be involved in street fighting and experienced minor legal problems as a result.
U.S. Marshal duty
In early 1883, he was appointed a deputy U.S. marshal by B.S. Simpson and soon after assisted in the capture of horse thief Frank Horstetter, who was connected to a major cattle-rustling operation in Arkansas City, although the ringleader Jay Wilkinson escaped before he could be caught.On April 8, he was involved in a large gunfight with Caldwell Marshal Henry Brown, Ben Wheeler
Ben Wheeler
Ben Wheeler is a cricketer from New Zealand.-References:...
and several others near Hunnewell, Kansas
Hunnewell, Kansas
Hunnewell is a city in Sumner County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 67.-History:Hunnewell was named for Boston financier and railway owner H. H. Hunnewell....
against a gang of cattle rustlers resulting the death of one outlaw and the wounding of another. He later investigated a murder in the Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
and successfully brought back several suspects.
On November 21, authorities received a report that Chet van Meter, a local resident living on a farm in Chikaskia Township, had beaten his wife on the previous night as well as firing at his neighbors J. W. Loverton and a Miss Doty. The following morning, he severely beat his 15-year-old brother-in-law Albert Banks and began threatening his other neighbors that he would "kill half a dozen of them [in that neighborhood] before he got through."
Arriving in town soon after, Loverton and Banks swore out an arrest warrant against van Meter and Hollister was deputized to bring van Meter in. Advised that he was armed and dangerous, Hollister anticipated trouble and asked Ben Wheeler to accompany him. Arriving at van Meter's home, they found Chet van Meter had gone to his father's house some five miles away. Making their way to the home of S. H. Van Meter, they found his son outside the house armed with a Winchester rifle
Winchester rifle
In common usage, Winchester rifle usually means any of the lever-action rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, though the company has also manufactured many rifles of other action types...
. With both men getting off the wagon, Wheeler called on van Meter to surrender. While he seemed to be complying with the order, van Meter suddenly brought his gun up as he raised his hands, taking a shot at Hollister. Hollister and Wheeler then fired at van Meter, hitting him a total of seven times before killing him. He was then carried to their wagon with the help of Loverton and Banks and brought into town by Hollister and Wheeler. Bringing the body to the Leland Hotel, it was kept in the front basement while a coroner's jury was summoned.
An inquest was later held investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting and a jury eventually acquitted them both, the official ruling that van Meter's death was justifiable.
Death
Resigning as U.S. Marshal the following year, he remained deputy sheriff of Sumner CountySumner County, Kansas
Sumner County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. The county's population was 24,132 for the 2010 census. Its county seat is Wellington. Sumner County is part of the Wichita, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was named in honor of Charles Sumner, a U.S...
for another month before he was killed by Texas outlaw Robert Cross while attempting to take him into custody on October 18, 1884. Hollister had been attempting to negotiate with Cross, who had kidnapped the daughter of a local farmer; however, he refused to surrender and shot Hollister when he threatened to set fire to his house. With nearly the entire town in attendance, he was buried in a cemetery north of town days later.
Hollister is one of those honored on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., at Judiciary Square, honors the nearly 19,000 U.S. law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty throughout history. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund was established by former U.S...
in Washington, DC.
Further reading
- Miller, Nyle H. and Joseph W. Snell. Great Gunfighters of the Kansas Cowtowns, 1867-1886. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1967.
- Walker, Wayne T. "Cash Hollister - Border Lawman". Real West. Vol. 25, No. 183 (Mar. 1982). 14-17
External links
- Cassius M. "Cash" Hollister at Find-A-Grave