In the rugged landscape of Grand County, Utah, a chapter of the Old West closed with the violent death of Sheriff Jesse Tyler. A White / Caucasian man of 43, Tyler, known by the moniker "Honest Jack," had established a reputation for his commitment to the law since moving to Moab in 1890. His tenure as sheriff, however, came to an abrupt and brutal end on May 26, 1900.
On that fateful day, Sheriff Tyler and his deputy, Samuel F.
Jenkins, were deep in the Book Cliffs, approximately 20 miles north of Thompson Springs. They were part of a posse on the trail of a notorious rustler, a common and dangerous task for lawmen of that era. Near Hill Creek, they came upon a camp of men. As the two officers approached, they were recognized, and without warning, gunfire erupted from the camp. Both Sheriff Tyler and Deputy Jenkins were killed instantly in the ambush.
The assailants were quickly identified as members of the infamous Wild Bunch gang. The prime suspect in the murders was Harvey Logan, better known as Kid Curry. It is widely believed that the killing of Sheriff Tyler and his deputy was an act of retaliation. Just a month prior, in April 1900, lawmen had killed a friend and fellow gang member of Curry's during an arrest attempt. Kid Curry, a notoriously violent outlaw, was suspected in the murders of several other law enforcement officers across different states.
In the aftermath of the slayings, a massive manhunt was launched to bring the killers to justice. For weeks, a posse scoured the unforgiving terrain, but the culprits managed to slip through their grasp. No arrests were ever made in connection with the murders of Sheriff Jesse Tyler and Deputy Samuel Jenkins. Kid Curry continued his criminal career for several more years until he was cornered by a posse in Colorado in 1904 following a train robbery. Wounded and facing certain capture, he took his own life. Sheriff Tyler, who was single and had no immediate family, was buried in the Grand Valley Cemetery in Moab, his life a testament to the perils faced by those who upheld the law in the American West.
