Frank M. Canton
Frank M. Canton, born Josiah Horner on September 15, 1849, was an American Old West figure who lived as both a fugitive and a lawman. He used the name Frank M. Canton for much of his career. He was born in Harrison Township, Indiana, though in his writings he sometimes claimed he was born near Richmond, Virginia.
In the early 1870s Horner began robbing banks and rustling cattle. In 1874 he fought a gunfight with Buffalo Soldiers, killing one and wounding another. In 1877 he was arrested for bank robbery in Comanche, Texas, but he escaped and fled to Ogallala, Nebraska, where he worked as a rancher under the Canton name.
Horner/Canton later worked as a stock detective for the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, during a tense struggle between large ranchers and growing numbers of homesteaders. In 1885 he was elected sheriff of Johnson County, Wyoming, and served four years. Some people saw him as a harsh enforcer or even an assassin, and the prewar killing of a homesteader tied to Canton's circle sharpened distrust. After a controversial arrest and release, Canton left Wyoming.
He returned to the region as a guide for Frank Wolcott’s Regulators in the Johnson County War. In 1892 Canton led the Regulators to the KC Ranch; Nate Champion and Nick Ray were there. Ray was killed early in the gunfight, Champion fought back and Canton then set the house on fire. A large posse arrived, and the U.S. Cavalry had to intervene. Because newspapers supported the Regulators, Canton and his allies were freed, and he left Wyoming for good.
Canton then worked as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), teaming with famous lawmen like Heck Thomas and Bill Tilghman. In 1895 he helped capture Bill and John Shelley after a jail escape. In 1896 he killed Bill Dunn in Pawnee in a quick, single-shot duel that was ruled self-defense.
In 1897 Canton went to Alaska for the gold rush but later faced accusations of misusing public funds. He returned to the United States in 1907 and became the first Adjutant General of the Oklahoma National Guard, serving until 1916 under three governors. He later admitted his true name was Josiah Horner and was pardoned by the Texas governor.
By the mid-1920s Canton was aging, nearly blind and hard of hearing. He received a small pension from the Texas Cattlemen’s Association. His wife Annie lived with his daughter Ruby, who helped care for him. He died of cancer on September 27, 1927, in Edmond, Oklahoma, at the age of 78.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:56 (CET).