Career
Frank is not to be confused with J. Frank, who made many claims to be famous people, including his claim of being Frank, and later Jesse James. became, without much effort, the success story of the family. He was commissioned as a Deputy United States Marshal, serving under Judge Parker, and quickly developed a reputation as being a brave lawman. Based out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was involved in a number of shootouts and high risk arrests over a three-year period.
However, on November 27, 1887, he and Deputy J.R. Cole were on the trail of outlaw Dave Smith, wanted for horse theft.
As they approached Smith"s camp, Smith fired a shot from a rifle, hitting in the chest. Deputy Cole returned fire, killing Smith, but was then shot and wounded by a Smith cohort.
Cole was able to make his escape, however, believing was dead., however, was still alive, and engaged the outlaws in a short gunbattle.
One of Smith"s cohorts was wounded, and a woman who was in the camp was killed during the crossfire.
Frank was dead by the time Deputy Cole returned with a posse, having been killed with two additional rifle shots by outlaw Will Towerly. The outlaw wounded by never revealed his own name. He died shortly thereafter, but not before naming Towerly as Frank "s murderer.
A newspaper of the time indicated had begged Towerly not to kill him, saying he was already dying.
However that was a rumour, and there were no witnesses to the crime who ever made that statement. Towerly was killed one month later by Deputy William Moody and Deputy United States Marshal Editor Stokley.
Stokley was also killed during the gunfight. was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Coffeyville, Kansas, not far from the graves of his two outlaw brothers, Grat and Bob. (One can see the graves of Bob, and Grat just to the left of Frank"s grave about 30 yards back with the original hitching post that they tied their horses to) The actor Robert Lansing played Frank in the National Broadcasting Company television series The Outlaws in a two-part episode "The s Must Die", which aired early in 1961.
