Sheriffs, on the other hand, had some law enforcement responsibilities, but were often in the business of collecting taxes county-wide, of which they got a percentage. In Tombstone, for instance, a sheriff's $2,500 annual salary might bump up as high as $30,000 a year, according to Trimble. Sheriffs and deputies did chase evildoers, of course, and sometimes cooperated with town or federal authorities in the chase. Sheriff Johnny Behan in Tombstone was an exception; he famously was at odds with the Earps and their law enforcement allies in Tombstone.
An important distinction is that marshals tended to be hired, and sheriffs were elected, usually the highest elected office in a county in those days. In turn, sheriffs and marshals would hire their deputies, or deputize on the spot in times of need, as Virgil did for his brothers Morgan and Wyatt (though possibly not Doc Holliday) just prior to the O.K. Corral fracas. Wyatt served as both a federal deputy marshal and as a sheriff's deputy during his Tombstone days, and as a deputy marshal in Wichita and Dodge City, Kansas, earlier in his life. Wyatt was a rarity: a peace officer who died of old age and wasn't even wounded in the course of his duties.
