Thomas A. Cullinan
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Thomas Allen Cullinan (1838 – June 18, 1904), also known as Tom Allen, was a law enforcement officer in Kansas. He served as city
marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
of Junction City,
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
, from 1871 to 1904. Before that he was a seaman, miner, fur trapper and hunter. He served in the Union Army during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
.


Early life

Tom Allen was born in
Kilrush Kilrush () is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is also the name of a civil parish and an ecclesiastical parish in Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. ...
,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
in 1838 to well-to-do parents.Kirchner, Paul. ''The Deadliest Men: The World's Deadliest Combatants throughout the Ages''. Colorado: Paladin Press, 2001.


Career


Young seaman and pilot

When he was eleven years old, he became a seaman and spent six years exploring the world. He worked at first for the English revenue service, where he visited ports in
British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...
, France, Hamburg, and the Mediterranean. He then went to the East and West Indies and South America. During that time he learned how to navigate and take charge of a ship. In 1854, he was in Crimea and the following year he worked on a passenger ship from Liverpool to New York. He then traveled within the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
as a seaman on the
Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
. During that time, he survived a shipwreck on
Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...
and also became a proficient
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
pilot.


Fur trapper and hunter

In 1857, he was an employee of the
American Fur Company The American Fur Company (AFC) was a prominent American company that sold furs, skins, and buffalo robes. It was founded in 1808 by John Jacob Astor, a German Americans, German immigrant to the United States. During its heyday in the early 19th c ...
and traveled to the
Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
. He hunted and trapped animals from
Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...
to the Taos Valley. During the summer of 1858, he spent some time at a ranch in
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
on the Cimarron River owned by
Lucien Maxwell Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell (September 14, 1818 – July 25, 1875) was a mountain man, rancher, scout, and farmer who at one point owned more than . Along with Thomas Catron and Ted Turner, Maxwell was one of the largest private landowners in Uni ...
and
Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent and United States Army, U.S. Army officer. He became an American frontier legend in his own lifetime ...
. Both ranchers offered Allen a job as a partner, but Allen refused.


Miner and explorer

Tom Allen traveled to the
Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
region and became a
miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face (mining), face; cutt ...
. Moreover, he staked a claim with three other men to land extending . There was a dispute to the ownership of the land and the four men (including Allen) reinforced their collective stake by erecting a large log house with firing ports in each wall. The land dispute progressed to the point where a company of 80 armed men were dispatched to remove Allen and his co-claimants. Allen allowed one of the armed men to step forward and revealed the defenses placed on the land. The armed man reported back and everyone in the 80-strong company decided to leave. Oddly enough, the land in what is now downtown Denver was eventually sold for a meager amount of money to Francis J. Marshall. Allen was involved in his first major fistfight during his stay in Denver. When he saw a gentleman publicly strike a woman, Allen challenged the assailant to a no-holds-barred confrontation. Afterwards, Allen lectured the attacker for an hour and a half on the evils of domestic violence. A man known as the "Terror of the Gulch" attempted to steal Tom Allen's sluice water. As a result, Allen attempted to settle the matter diplomatically. This option ultimately failed and Allen offered to solve the dispute either "according to the rules of the ring" or through "rough-and-tumble." The Terror chose the latter, which allowed for the use of fighting techniques such as eye-gouging, biting, stomping, and head butting. A crowd emerged as Allen demonstrated the dynamics of "rough-and-tumble." In the end, the "Terror of the Gulch" was beaten and left the area.


Explorer

Many merchants in Denver employed Allen and two of his land co-claimants, Jack Menzies and David Thompson, to explore the
Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...
. This expedition took place eight years before the explorations of Major
John Wesley Powell John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902) was an American geologist, U.S. Army soldier, explorer of the American West, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He ...
. Unfortunately, Allen and his associates were captured by the
Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...
Utes Utes may refer to: *Ute people, indigenous people of North America *Students of the University of Utah *Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Uta ...
after only into their expedition. When one of the tribesmen pulled Allen's ear, Allen punched the Ute and made him fall to the ground. Afterwards, Allen told the chief in Spanish that the Utes were cowards and that he could defeat the tribe's best warrior. Unfortunately, there is no confirmation as to whether the chief fulfilled Allen's request or was merely amused by Allen's bravado. Overall, Allen and his land co-claimants were set free. He returned to Leavenworth.


Civil War

During the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, Allen enlisted in the Union Army as a scout in the eastern states. He served with St. Clair and "Red Clark", riding through Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee. In 1863, he was in Leavenworth,
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
, when the town was occupied by a group of paramilitary units known as the
Jayhawkers Jayhawker and red leg are terms that came to prominence in Kansas Territory during the Bleeding Kansas period of the 1850s; they were adopted by militant bands affiliated with the free-state cause during the American Civil War. These gangs were ...
. Two police officers were shot and the town marshal was forced to leave. Upon the urgent request of the authorities, Allen decided to become chief of police. Allen faced the Jayhawkers using his "rough-and-tumble" techniques. In thirty days, he restored order to Leavenworth and afterwards relinquished his position.


Junction City marshal

After the war and until 1871, he came to Junction City and had contracts to supply meat to the military and railroad construction crews. In 1871, he became the city marshal of Junction City. The mayor, George Martin, stated that "The post was not a sinecure." Various brothels and saloons elicited rabble rousing troops from Fort Riley, as well as travelers coming from intersecting railway lines. The city's newspaper, the '' Junction City Union'', reported the following on April 25, 1885: Of the many exploits Tom Allen had while he was the city marshal of Junction City, a recruit from Fort Riley (along with twelve companions) intended to pull back Allen's ears. As a result, the recruit was injured and sent back to Fort Riley in an ambulance. In another incident, Allen entered a saloon while it was being vandalized by eight soldiers. Allen defeated each soldier and dragged seven of them to the jail. The eighth one managed to escape. Allen went to Fort Riley the next morning in order to arrest the eighth soldier. When the captain learned that Allen was present, he stated: "Great Scott, that's the man who licked my sergeant! He can have him." Allen confronted a drifter that according to newspaper accounts executed "a beastly offense to a little girl." Allen faced the six-foot man and decided to punish him with physical force instead of having him go to court. In another incident, a drunk which Allen imprisoned multiple times started a quarrel in a local pub and according to the Junction City Union, "stood out in the street with a rock in each hand when Tom arrived. 'Looking for a fight, are you? Remarked the peace officer as he gave him a wipe on the jaw, knocking him down and punishing him severely. This individual has never drank a drop since, and has thanked Tom repeatedly for that thrashing." A tall red-headed stranger entered Junction City in 1884. While in a general store, he created panic when he held his Colt revolver at the patrons. Allen warned the man to take the next train that was leaving in a half-hour. The man ignored Allen and during evening hours, he started a commotion at a hotel. Allen again told the redheaded man to leave town. The next day, the man was causing an uproar at a cheap, dingy drinking establishment. Allen finally intervened and said, "Now I will take you in." On his way to prison, the redheaded man stated to Allen, "You're not man enough to take me in" and slapped him. As a result, Allen was irate, thrashed the man in a bloody fight, disarmed his Colt, and threw him in a prison cell. Afterwards, Allen threw the blood-encrusted man into the next train. Mayor George Martin stated, "I think this was his last experience with amateur prize-fighters who came to test his mettle." For thirty-three years, Tom Allen served as city marshal in Junction City. During his many confrontations, he was not responsible for a single death and was never injured.


Personal life

Allen was married in 1865. In 1885, he had a wife and seven children and a 200-acre farm halfway between Junction City, Kansas and
Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...
. He died on June 18, 1904, in a
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
, hospital.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullinan, Thomas A. 1838 births 1904 deaths Law enforcement officials from Kansas People from Junction City, Kansas People from Kansas Territory 19th-century United States Marshals British emigrants to the United States People from Kilrush Union army soldiers