Lawman Career
In 1876, he became the first elected Marshal of Fort Worth, Texas, and had to keep peace in the notorious Hells Half Acre section, the town's wild red-light district. At that time, Fort Worth was a very dangerous place, with altercations between unruly drunks and lawmen being commonplace. On August 25, 1877, Deputy Marshal Columbus Fitzgerald was shot and killed while attempting to break up a street fight. Marshal Courtright shot and killed the suspect in that shooting that same night. On August 2, 1879, Deputy Marshal George White was gunned down by the family of a man arrested for horse theft, and his assailants were sentenced to prison, although the conviction was later overturned on allegations that White was not a sworn law officer. On October 2, 1884, Deputy Marshal W.T. Wise was killed in Oxford, Mississippi while attempting to arrest suspects who had committed a murder in Fort Worth. One suspect in Deputy Marshal Wise's murder was executed by hanging, and the other two received prison sentences.
That was the Fort Worth, Texas that Courtright inherited and which he was tasked with controlling. Although the Hells Half Acre district was known for being the most dangerous area of the city, Courtright seemed to have been in his element, as few crossed him, and most who did were killed by him. During his time there, it is believed that he killed at least five men during altercations and shootouts, including Deputy Marshal Fitzgerald's killer.
He became known for his long hair, and his reputation of using his badge as a matter of convenience. He was believed, during this time, to have taken part in several assassinations as a part of a protection service he was running. Basically, in the city's most dangerous area, he would offer his protection to business owners, for a price. Most would pay that price, as business owners understood that to decline his services meant that you would make him an enemy. Few who declined survived, and those who did eventually caved in to making payment.
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“From a hasty glance through the various tests I figure it out that I would be classified in Group B, indicating “Low Average Ability,” reserved usually for those just learning to speak the English Language and preparing for a career of holding a spike while another man hits it.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)