Milton J. Yarberry (c. 1849 – February 9, 1883) was an outlaw, gunman and lawman of the Old West, best known for having been the first Town Marshal for Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He confessed this just prior to his death, to friend Elwood Maden, and that his family was respectable, and to protect them from the shame of the life he led, he would never reveal his true name, and, he never did.
He also confessed to Maden that he'd been born in 1849, and that he had left his family's home after being involved in the killing of a man during a land dispute, after which he fled and changed his name.
Accounts uncovered by Robert DeArment indicate that Yarberry served honorably with the Rangers during his brief service with them, and he departed in 1876, surfacing in Decatur, Texas under the name "John Johnson".
However, when a bounty hunter came to Decatur, asking questions about Yarberry relating to the Sharp County murder, he sold out to his partner quickly and left town.
[1] On March 6, 1879, the bartender of another saloon shot Yarberry's partner Tony Preston, wounding him severely, though he would eventually recover.
A few months later, circa July 1879, Yarberry shipped his bar supplies to Las Vegas, New Mexico and departed Cañon City soon thereafter.
Selling his share in the establishment, Yarberry moved to San Marcial, New Mexico, where his former partner Tony Preston had now settled, still recovering from his wounds.
Yarberry quickly proved to be a very good lawman, and killed two men only a short time after accepting the position, during arrest situations.
In 1876, Brown had played a minor role in thwarting a robbery committed by Dave Rudabaugh and other riders, near Kinsley, Kansas.
Although never known to have shot anyone, he bragged of how many men he'd killed, and quickly gained a reputation in Albuquerque as a heavy drinker, with a temper and a habit of pulling his gun with little provocation.
According to reports of the day, Brown and Sadie entered the restaurant, and shortly thereafter Yarberry appeared, walking up the street holding the hand of the young Preston daughter.
The two men walked to a nearby vacant lot, and continued arguing, during which time Brown repeatedly told Yarberry he was not afraid of him.
For unknown reasons, several prominent people in town expressed dissatisfaction with the results of the hearing, and called for a Grand Jury indictment, which did convene in May, 1881.
On June 18, 1881, Yarberry sat on the front porch of his friend Elwood Maden's home, conversing with gambler Monte Frank Boyd.
This led to a loud public outcry, despite evidence at the time indicating that Yarberry had acted in good faith, in self-defense.
The New Mexico Governor Lionel Sheldon, having newly taken office, and doing so in a time when news stories of Billy the Kid and John Kinney were rampant, was intent on making an example out of Yarberry.
On September 9, 1882, Yarberry and three others escaped from the Santa Fe, New Mexico jail, and he quickly found that a $500 bounty had been placed on him.
The other prisoners were captured quickly, and Santa Fe County Sheriff Romulo Martinez organized a posse to hunt down Yarberry.
On September 12, 1882, a posse led by Santa Fe Police Chief Frank Chavez captured Yarberry twenty eight miles outside of town.
Attorney John Knaebel filed appeals and sent letters all the way to Washington, D.C., insisting his client was innocent of murder, but to no avail.