Prior to becoming sheriff, Bowers had been a saloon bouncer and a night marshal in the town of Altman, Colorado.
After 300 state troops arrived, Adjutant General T. J. Tarsney found the area calm and ordered his soldiers back to their barracks.
Acting independently, Bowers then arrested the mayor and town marshal of Altman as well as a number of miners, in an attempt to crush the morale of the strikers, but a short trial acquitted them of any charges Bowers later secretly met with mine owners, and agreed to receive a large sum of money to equip a force of 125 men to act as deputies.
On May 25, 1894, the deputies attempted to raid a striker's camp atop Bull Hill but fled when a nearby mine was blown up.
A few days later, after an agreement had been reached ending the strike, Bowers had lost control of his paramilitary force.