Many men rode and administered the law in Indian Territory under the star of the US Marshal's office that was based in Fort Smith in the late 1800's, but few led the adventurous and exciting life of US Marshal Jacob "Black Jake" Yoes.
In 1889, Yoes was appointed U.S. Marshal of the West District of Arkansas with 200 Deputy Marshals under his command but he took a circuitous and sometime dangerous route to earn his spot in the historic annals of frontier justice.
Yoes was Born in 1839 in rural Washington County between Winslow and West Fork to the Reverend Conrad and Kissiah Bloyed Yoes.
It's been said that when he started to make his way in the world he had $2 and the clothes on his back. His father's parting advice was "Pay all of your debts, be truthful, be honest" and his financial success later in life was based on those principles.
Leaving home at the age of 17, later married Mary Ann Reed, and worked in the lead mines in Granby, Missouri.
Six years after leaving home, Yoes enlisted in the First Arkansas Cavalry of the U.S. Army at the age of 23 where he fought in the Battle of Prairie Grove.
During his service, his primary task was fighting bushwhackers, of which he is said to have killed about 50 during his three-year enlistment. On May 23, 1863, he was shot three times, taking bullets in his left leg and both hips. He was taken prisoner to Van Buren until he was part of a prison exchange on August 18, 1863.
In 1864, Yoes refused a 1st Lieutenant’s commission and was discharged. He was elected Washington County Sheriff during his absence and on his return assumed the duties of the office. In 1867, he was appointed to the same position and served another year.
By 1870, he had established a country store near Winslow .
Yoes entrepreneurial spirit continued as he built a number of stores all along the Frisco Railroad between Fayetteville and Fort Smith, established a flour mill, and owned interests in a canning factory and several hotels. Later, he would also serve in the Arkansas legislature.
In May of 1889 he was appointed U.S. Marshal of the West District of Arkansas by President Henry Harrison with 200 deputies under his command. Later, he developed a number of real estate interests and the community of Yoestown in Crawford County was named for him.
Yoes and his wife had eight children between 1861 and 1877, and his second daughter Francis Abigail Yoes Gilstrap lived to be ninety-years old, dying in 1952. There are still remnants of the Yoes bloodline living in both Crawford and Washington counties.
Yoes was said to have been involved directly in capturing members of the Dalton Gang when they robbed the Coffeyville, Kansas Bank.
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Bob Dalton, the head of the notorious Dalton Gang had ambitions. He would, he claimed, "beat anything Jesse James ever did--rob two banks at once, in broad daylight."
On October 5, 1892, the Dalton gang attempted this feat when they set out to rob the C.M. Condon & Company's Bank and the First National Bank on opposite sides of the street in Coffeyville.
They wore fake beards but one of the townspeople recognized them. An employee of one of the banks delayed them by convincing them (falsely) that the safe was on a time lock, and could not be opened for another 45 minutes.
With the delay, word got out that the bank was being robbed. Residents armed themselves and prepared for a gun battle. When the gang exited the banks, a shootout began.
Three townspeople were shot. Town Marshal Charles Connelly ran into the street after hearing gunfire. He returned fire and died while killing one of the gang members.
Grat and Bob Dalton, Dick Broadwell and Bill Power were all killed. Emmett Dalton received 23 gunshot wounds and survived (he was shot through the right arm, below the shoulder, through the left – right, in some accounts – hip and groin, and received 18-23 buckshot in his back.
It was customary for the US Marshal to remain involved only in
paperwork and keeping track of where all his deputies were and who they were chasing.
However, it is said Yoes, along with Deputy Heck Thomas, was directly involved in capturing members of the Dalton Gang at Coffeyville.
It is thought he was serving as a deputy at that time, but since deputies were often sworn in "on the run" and most of the time not officially recorded, we may never know for sure.
Jacob Yoes died February 6, 1906 and was buried in the National Cemetery at Fort Smith.
