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Though not nearly as well known as other Oklahoma lawmen, such as Heck Thomas or Bill Tilghman, Bud Ballew was just as colorful and respected as a gunfighter and lawman.
Born David Monticello Ballew to Bryant and Mary Turban Ballew in Fannin County, Texas, in 1877, Ballew inherited his father's nickname, "Bud," from an early age. When he was a young boy, he helped his father on the family ranch and became extremely adept as a horseman and handling firearms. While still more than a boy, Bud left the family in 1890 and made his way to the Ardmore area in Indian Territory. Three years later, his father and the rest of the family would follow him and settled in the area. Bud started a small ranching operation and before long met a girl named Fannie Mariah Harper. The two married on April 17, 1901, and settled on his ranch at Lone Grove, Oklahoma.
By 1910, Bud had a stable ranching operation, and the couple had two sons. In the Spring of 1914, his ranch was running so smoothly that he began to look around for something else to do.
By this time, the area was filled with oilfields and the rough characters that often worked in them. When Carter County Sheriff Buck Garrett offered him a job as a deputy sheriff, Bud accepted. For the next 12 years, Ballew would work as a lawman, continue his ranching operation, and speculated in oil leases.
During this time, Bud was described as 5'11" tall, stockily built, with a shock of curly red hair and a hearty booming laugh. He was fond of the gambling dens and saloons, where he was often spied wearing a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, high topped cowboy boots, a pistol on each hip, and a large diamond tie-tack. His cherubic-looking face and ready laughter often belied his character. He feared no man and would be credited with killing as many as eight men over the next 12 years.
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Ballew first made headlines on November 19, 1915, when he killed Pete Bynum, who was in the middle of holding up a liquor joint in Wirt, Oklahoma. Bud intervened, catching Bynum in the act, and Bynum shot him in the stomach. Ballew returned fire and killed Bynum and a man named Alison, who was unlucky enough to be sleeping in an adjoining room. Though the bleeding was, no doubt, profuse, Ballew's wound was not serious.
After Ballew had fully recovered, he was sent to arrest a wanted outlaw named Steve Talkington. However, when Talkington resisted arrest, Ballew shot and killed him. He was then sent to retrieve the commission from City Marshal Highnote of Wirt. However, Highnote had been fired and refused to vacate his position or hand over the reward. As a result, Ballew killed him too.
