Benjamin Franklin Daniels

Arizona, the Youngest State, 1913

To say that Benjamin Franklin Daniels is interested in mining and is winning success in 
the brokerage business in Tucson is to give but a very incomplete idea of his character 
and accomplishments.  His life has been fraught with many adventures and even dangerous 
phases and has been closely connected with some characteristic aspects of frontier 
development.  He is a veteran of the Spanish American war, has been a cowboy and Indian 
fighter and buffalo hunter andas Marshal in various western towns has proven his 
coolness, his courage and his ability.

Born on the 4th of November 1852, Mr. Daniels is a native of Illinois and in that state 
was reared to the age of elevenyears.  His parents were Aaron and Mariah (Sanders) Daniels, 
natives of Virginia and Kentucky.  They were married in the former state, removed to Ohio
and afterward to Illinois.  The mother and six children, two sons and four daughters, died 
of cholera within two days and Benjamin F. Daniels, then a baby was left for dead and his 
coffin was ordered but a neighbor found him and gave him a brandy which resuscitated him.  
The father survived the cholera scourge, married again and removed to Kansas when 
his son Benjamin was eleven years of age, spending the remaining days in that state.

It was in the year 1863 that Benjamin became a resident of Kansas.  When he was sixteen 
years of age he went to Texas, running cattle on the range and while in that state he 
had trouble with the Indians and met the usual experiences of cowboy life. He engaged 
in hunting buffalo in the west.  At Dodge City Kansas, he accepted the position of 
marshal of the town, succeeding two incumbents who had been killed in riots.  While serving 
in that capacity in 1883, at which time Dodge City was one of the toughest towns in the 
west, a fire was started in the back end of one of the many saloons of the place and the 
rising wind caused it to spread over the whole block so 
that the businessmen of that and adjacent blocks began carrying their goods out of the 
buildings and  piling them in the streets in order to save wheat they could.  It became 
Mr. Daniels' duty as Marshal to hire extra policemen sworn in in order to protect these 
goods.  When the fire was raging in its greatest fury one of the policemen 
approached Mr. Daniels and told him that a certain man was helping himself to whatever 
he wanted and when asked as to why he did not arrest the man, the reply was that he was a 
Texas killer and the policeman was afraid to tackle him.  Just then he said, "There he is 
now," and they saw a man filing his pockets with candy from a showcase.  Mr. 
Daniels walked up to him and asked him what he was doing and the man replied that he was 
taking some candy. 
 
Mr. Daniels gave him a very unpleasant lecture and told him to stay away and that if he 
was caught around there anymore he would be locked up.  An hour later a policeman 
reported, telling Mr. Daniels to be more careful, that the Texan had a six shooter 
strapped on him and was making some bad talk.  Mr. Daniels started for the man, walked up 
to him, took his gun away and locked him in the city jail.  It was the fall of the year 
and the weather was cold.  The jail  was rudely built and there was no stove in it.  Before 
long two of the mans friends approached Mr. Daniels and offered to go on his bond if the 
Texas should be let out. Mr. Daniels replied that if they would put up fifty dollars for 
his appearance the next morning at nine o'clock and promise that they would take him home 
and keep him there until morning he would be released.  The men consented and the next 
morning they appeared with the prisoner, whereupon Mr. Daniels charged him with carrying 
concealed weapons and turned the money that had been put up for his bond over to the judge.  

The man pleaded guilty and the Judge fined him fifty dollars and costs, which he paid 
without a murmur but immediatelysaid, "Mr. Marshall, if you will lay off your gun I 
will show you how quick I can lick you," whereupon the Marshall threw his six shooter 
across the table to the judge and jumped over the railing after the Texas, 
whereupon ensued a hot fight in which the stove was thrown over and furniture broken, 
while the judge stood on top of his table swinging the six shooter over his head and 
demanding peace in the courtroom.  Finally Mr. Daniels'opponent  cried enough and after 
Mr. Daniels asked the man if he was satisfied that he couldn't whip him and 
was answered in the affirmative, he turned to the judge and complained on himself for 
disturbing the peace and he was fined twenty five dollars.  He then made complaint 
against his opponent for the same offense and the man was fined an equal amount.  
Afterward Mr. Daniels' fine was remitted.  

The Texan remained in Dodge city for a number of months but Mr. Daniels had no more 
trouble with him, having succeeded in making him a fairly law abiding citizen. 
Other experiences of a sinister nature constituted events and incidents in the life of 
Mr. Daniels.  For a short time he was deputy sheriff of Bent Count Colorado, and 
later served as marshal at Gutherie Oklahoma holding the office during the time when 
twenty five thousand homeseekers made a rush for government lands.  It was estimated 
that twenty five thousand people landed in Guthrie alone the first day.   He afterward 
returned to Colorado where he spent two years in Cripple Creek acting as marshal and 
also becoming connected with mining interests.

The outbreak of the Spanish American War found Mr. Daniels in Texas and from San Antonio 
he joined Troop K of the1st United States Cavalry, known as the Rough Riders and 
commanded by Col. Theodore Roosevelt.  He went to Cuba, saw much active service, taking 
part in various hotly contested battles and returned home uninjured with a good 
military record after which he was mustered out with his command. Mr. Daniels tells an 
interesting incident in connection with his war service.  while his troop was in camp at 
San Antonio numbers were given to each of the company but no one could be found who 
would accept No. 13.  Mr. Daniels took the number and out of the twenty 
men in the company he was the only one not killed, crippled or injured in battle.

After the close of the war, Mr. Daniels went to Kansas City Missouri where he worked for 
the Wells Fargo Express Company in the capacity of guard over big shipments of money.  
In 1899 he resigned and came to Arizona, where he engaged in mining until appointed 
to the position of superintendent of the territorial prison at Yuma.  After the
election of his former commander, Col.. Roosevelt to the Presidency, Mr. Daniels was 
appointed U.S. Marshal forthe territory of Arizona and served in that capacity for 
four years and two months.  Following the election of William Taft he was removed from 
office and given a position at the Menominee Indians Reservations which is forty 
miles west of Green Bay Wisconsin.  After a short time, he resigned and again came to 
Arizona, taking up residence in Tucson, where he has since remained.  

On the 15th of July 1908 Mr. Daniels married Mrs. Seayrs, a native of Indiana who by a 
former marriage had a daughter, Mary Louise who died March 12, 1915.  Mrs. Daniels 
engaged in teaching school before her marriage to Mr. Daniels and has always been 
interested in educational work.