Jim Roberts came to Az as a teenager, he had been born in 1856 but little is known of his early life. As a young man he built a cabin on the site of the head waters to the Tonto Creek Az and started raising fine horses. Little did he know at the time that area near the Mogollon Rim would develop into a hot war between the Grahams and the Tewksburys. Over a number of things, but mainly range rights.

The Grahams were accused of burning down Roberts cabin and stealing his horses, trying to drive him off his land. In what would become Roberts trademark...he went directly to the situation by riding into the Midddleton Ranch below the Mogollon Rim...it was Aug 10, 1887 Jim was 31 years old and about to have his life changed forever. The Tewksburys started the shooting with the Grahams that day, but it was young Roberts that finished it. He killed one Tom Paine with his first shot, shot Hampton Blevins off his horse with the second shot, and killed another Graham rider , named Tom Tucker with his third round, ...then wounded two more....

The TERRITORIAL stated in an editorial that "..in less time then it takes to tell it, two cowmen had been killed and three more wounded, attesting to the accurate shooting of Jim Roberts.." The wounded died later, and Roberts emerged as having right on his side, and being a very proficient gunfighter. And obliviously taking a lot of steam out of the war.

Roberts was indicted for murder from pressure of friends and relatives of the Graham’s...but a Territorial Judge dismissed the charges. And the High Sheriff of Yavapai County, William "Buckey" O'Neill...who later was killed in the Spanish American War, appointed Roberts a Deputy saying he...Buckey..wanted only the best as his deputies. Roberts first assignment was to clean up the mining community of Congress Az.

 In Congress, Jim met a beautiful 20 year old blond woman named Permelia Kirkland at a dance. She was engaged to someone else, but in his fashion Jim went directly in to it. He always showed up at her house dressed in a suit and a tie, he was always kind and a gentleman. Mean while he was cleaning up the town with a good deal of authority.

Permelia was so impressed she dropped her fiancee, saying .."..he was a nice boy...but he wasn't the man Jim was..." They were married in 1891.

Also in 1891, Buckey sent Jim to Jerome Az...If Tombstone was a town to tough to die, then Jerome was dangerous, merciless....and murderous. The New York Sun Times called it the wickedest town in America. And Jim of course put himself right into the middle of all of it. In early 1895 a prisoner by the name of Jose Soto, was under arrest for breaking into a waitress' room in the hotel. Rumor was put out that his intentions were to rape her. Those accusations were false, but at the time a mob believed it and set out to lynch him. The Jerome CHRONICLE states the stalwart Roberts came into the mob with a shotgun, saying he hated to hurt good citizens but he would if he had to. Some one challenged him saying he was bluffing. Roberts slapped the shotgun barrels over his head and handcuffed him...the rest of the crowd broke up, slipping away into the night.

A small hotel operator by the name of George Ward also got himself in trouble with a mob, only this time it was a bunch of miners who wanted to lynch Ward because he shot a masked bandit inside his own hotel. The shot individual had robbed him several times..

Again we see Roberts walking right into the middle of it with his shotgun. Telling the colony of miners that he Roberts had given Ward permission to shoot the intruder if he had to. And if anyone didn't like that he would have to deal with him and not Warm...no one wanted to do that. The crowd went home.

Jerome at the time didn't have a jail, so it was known that if someone was handcuffed to a wagon wheel or a around a post holding up a roof...Jim Roberts arrested him and it was better not to intervene. Late one night in 1895 Dud Crocker and Sid Chew shot and killed Joe Hawkins, Robert's sometimes deputy.

And so it went for the lawman, his bravery and accuracy bringing him success. But in his personal life, tragedy struck him and Permelia...in 1902 scarlet fever took three of their children. Roberts and the rest of his family moved thru Florence then Humboldt Az and other towns...he was a lawman's lawman...and his reputation spread deep into the county he served so well. It got to the point that all he had to do was brace a criminal announce that he was Jim Roberts...and the criminal would quickly surrender, knowing Roberts shot for the head and didn't usually miss.

In 1927 at the age of 71 he became a deputy sheriff for Clarkdale Az...sitting out many days in the sun, tilted back in his chair in front of the town jail. But he was an active sheriff...many saying the job was more ceremonial, it wasn't. In 1928 he proved that when two bandits went in the Bank of Az and forced David Saunders to turn over almost 50,000 in cash to them. The bandits Willard Forrester and Earl Nelson must have thought they were set for life with that kind of score. They jumped into a stolen car to make their get away...but Roberts spotted them a fired one shot thru the back window into Forrester's head killing him. Nelson jumped out of the car when it wrecked and ran. But Roberts at the age of 72 ran after him, caught him and brought him back handcuffed.

The Az REPUBLIC report the happening by saying..."..now at 72 his eyes are still keen, and his actions with a sixgun are as vivid as the dart of a rattlesnake...criminals beware Jim Roberts still rules the roost..."

Six years later on January 8, 1934 he was making his daily rounds, at 78 years of age....suddenly very tired, he sat down against the back wall of the Clarkdale drugstore and quietly died of a heart attack. Just a quiet hero...that saved lives by stopping criminals anyway that he was forced to. The epitome of the American Tradition.