Addison BECK (VETERAN CSA) (FAMOUS)

Veteran
Civil War Confederate

Addison Beck

July 21, 1845 - September 27, 1883

Deputy US Marshall US Marshal Confederate Soldier

Addison Beck was born to Larkin Beck and Malinda Stark Beck in Illinois. His mother died when he was a young boy. His father remarried and when she died the family then moved to Texas for a very short while. Addison's father married a third time in Texas. Addison had 2 brothers, Christopher and Logan. The 3 brothers enlisted as Texas Rangers in Parker County, now Hood County, Texas. Addison then moved to Arkansas. He married Sarah A Ashby and they lived in Franklin County, Arkansas and then moved to Ft Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas. They had 3 daughters, Laura Emma, Ida and Ada. Ada was born after the death of her father. He later went on to be a Deputy US Marshal Commissioned out of Ft Smith court about 1875. He was known for his cool head and the Courts had great faith in his abilities and honesty. His brother Christopher Beck was forced to sit astride a horse for several hours until he consented to join the Rebel Troops during the Civil War. With the 3 brothers the Rebels gained 3 great spy's.
From copies of news paper accounts are statements he made about arrest of hard cases that bare witness to a very long service as a regular Deputy. He was one of the eleven Deputies who were full time. Although, in the 1880 census he list himself as a Farmer.
In the summer of 1883, he promised his wife that he would resign his commission and take a safer job after one more trip to Indian Territory. He would never return.
He was acting as a process server with US Deputy, Lewis Merrit, when they were murdered. He was short of cash, a small bounty was offered for delivery of arrest warrant and arrest for the Bart Gang. On September 27, 1883, he was riding with posseman, Lewis Merritt, looking for a Cherokee Indian named John Bart, who was wanted for whiskey violations. They came upon him east of Webbers Falls, IT (Oklahoma) working in a cornfield with a man named Johnson Jacks. However, Bart had been warned and as the officers approached, Bart and Jacks opened fire, killing Beck with a shot in the head. Lewis Merritt returned the fire, only to be hit in the chest. However, he managed to hit Johnson Jacks twice in the stomach, before receiving another shot in the head. While lying almost dead on the ground, Jacks then approached the prone man, shooting him several more times and beating his head in with a gun. Bart then helped the wounded Jacks to a nearby cabin before making his escape. The U.S. Deputy Marshals were then out in full force and later arrested Jacks, who confessed to killing both officers.
Marshal Beck had been with the agency for eight years and was survived by his wife and two daughters. He was 38 years of age. He is buried in the Oak Cemetery in Sebastian County.

*NOTE Addison was a true American Hero of the old West. Clint Eastwood did Christopher and Addison a great justice in the movie “Hang’em High.” The movie was truly taken from their lives. Christopher who was forced to sit astride a horse for several hours until he consented to join the rebel forces. Needless to say Grant obtained three great Spy's as he lived in the neighborhood in Illinois they came from. Christopher was in the 21 Ill. The marched to their battles and covered more miles than any other unit in the Army.

http://www.odmp.org/officer/1653-special-deputy-marshal-addison-beck
US Census: 1870 and 1880

Contributed on 11/30/08 by tomtodd
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Record #: 113911

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