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120-489: Blonger's gang set up rooms resembling stock exchanges and betting parlors that were used by several teams to run "big cons". The goal of the con was to convince tourists to put up large sums of cash in order to secure delivery of stock profits or winning bets. The depiction of the "Wire Con" seen in the movie The Sting is a fairly accurate representation of a typical big con . Blonger had longstanding ties to numerous Denver politicians and law enforcement officials, including

240-479: A United States Attorney with assistants such as prosecutors and government lawyers and a marshal, appointed by the president , in charge of federal law enforcement. The courts are part of the independent judicial branch of the government, while the marshals and U.S. attorneys are part of the Department of Justice in the executive branch. The U.S. marshal for the district primarily oversees court security and has

360-697: A security police service answerable to the court itself, rather than to the president or attorney general . It handles security for the Supreme Court building and for the justices personally, and undertakes whatever other missions the court may require or assign. In many U.S. states, marshals can be found acting at the state, local or municipal level; marshals can be court bailiffs or process servers , or even fully sworn police officers. In some states, they may be sworn peace officers , however their job is, in certain cases, entirely civil rather than criminal law enforcement. In other states, some communities maintain

480-425: A Town or City Marshal who is responsible for all general law enforcement within the respective jurisdiction, as well as court duties, while others are strictly court officers. This is especially true in communities with both police and marshals. The position of marshal vastly differs from state to state. At least one local railroad servicing company's part-time public safety staff, which are both fire and police trained,

600-430: A city police officer may only enforce city code or a sheriff's deputy, who may only enforce county code. Indiana Code recognizes Town Marshals as Police Officers, therefore it is very common for Indiana Town Marshal's Offices to go simply by "Police Department" . Under Indiana Code IC36-5-7 the marshal is described as "the chief police officer of the town and has the powers of other law enforcement officers in executing

720-459: A color scheme of muted browns and maroons for the film and a lighting design that combined old-fashioned 1930s-style lighting with some modern tricks of the trade to get the visual look he wanted. Edith Head designed a wardrobe of snappy period costumes for the cast, and artist Jaroslav Gebr created inter-title cards to be used to introduce each section of the film that were reminiscent of the golden glow of old Saturday Evening Post illustrations,

840-528: A complicated plot by two professional grifters (Newman and Redford) to con a mob boss (Shaw). Hill had previously directed Newman and Redford in the Western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). The screenplay, written by David S. Ward , inspired by real-life cons perpetrated by brothers Fred and Charley Gondorff and documented by David Maurer in his 1940 book The Big Con: The Story of

960-526: A compound such as Court Marshal (not related to court martial , therefore usually called Marshal of the Court to prevent confusion) or more rarely Grand Marshal . The function of the Marshal of the Court varies according to national tradition, but frequently he is the chief of staff of the monarch's household (meaning the palace and other domains). Often, the charge includes also the honorary privilege as chief of

1080-456: A drunken rampage through several Larimer Street establishments including the Blongers' saloon, where police removed him; one account alleged that Lou Blonger was crouched behind the cigar counter, ready to unload a shotgun. In the wake of the rampage, Smith and his brother Bascomb were charged with the attempted murder of a saloon manager. Realizing he had lost control of the situation, Soapy left for

1200-637: A few exceptions, elsewhere in Georgia, the sheriff's office is responsible for enforcement of these duties, with some sheriffs' offices having an assigned unit or personnel for these duties. Indiana : Indiana Town Marshals are fully-sworn, ILEA certified police officers who act as the chief police officer of a town . General police terms in Indiana vary by what local government one works for; for example: counties have Sheriff's/deputies, cities have Police Departments/Officers and Towns have Marshals/deputies. In Indiana,

1320-531: A final plea to Van Cise to remain free, a plea the district attorney forcefully rejected: What leniency have you shown to others? What God have you worshiped except the Almighty Dollar? When you stole Preacher Menagh's trust funds, did you hesitate? When, overwhelmed with shame, he committed suicide, did you give any aid to his family? When you took the life earnings of old man Donovan of New Orleans, and reduced him from comfort to penury, what did you do to ease

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1440-420: A former district court judge . The trial began on February 5, 1923. Day after day the prosecution called a series of victims, bilked out of their life savings, to the stand. The star witness, however, was Len Reamey, one of the gang's bookmakers , fourth in the hierarchy behind Blonger, Duff, and bookmaker Jackie French. Reamey provided the inside story of how the gang defrauded hundreds of victims and divided

1560-444: A future studio head, but then an agent. He wrote in his coverage that it was "the great American screenplay and … will make an award-winning, major-cast, major-director film." Medavoy said that he would try to sell it on that recommendation, promising to fire Cohen if he could not. Universal bought it that afternoon, and Cohen keeps the coverage framed on the wall of his office. Academic David Maurer sued for plagiarism, claiming

1680-504: A head in 1894 during the " Battle of Bull Hill ", when striking miners took up arms in the hills near the Forest Queen. Lou Blonger and several allies from Denver were frequent visitors to the area during the months-long dispute and its aftermath, calling themselves "detectives". As his gang branched out into bigger and more complicated "big cons" that attracted a more well-to-do clientele, Lou Blonger found he no longer needed his saloon and

1800-559: A large crew to create a phony off-track betting parlor. Snyder and Lonnegan's men track Hooker to Chicago; Gondorff warns Hooker that if either of them find him, the con will have to fold. Aboard the opulent 20th Century Limited , Gondorff, posing as the boorish Chicago bookie "Shaw", buys into Lonnegan's private, high-stakes poker game, being facilitated by the train's conductor. "Shaw" infuriates Lonnegan with his obnoxious behavior, then cheats him out of $ 15,000 ($ 329,353 in 2023). Hooker, posing as "Shaw's" disgruntled employee "Kelly",

1920-514: A messenger between parties to signal the impending start of the service or communicate delays. In a church wedding, particularly a nuptial mass, these functions may be assumed by a verger . The wedding marshal is a position of honor and trust, often filled by a close friend or relative. Apart from its military uses, the Polish word marszałek (marshal) also refers to certain political offices: Demonstration marshals, also called stewards , are used by

2040-474: A piece of Lou Blonger's stake. Once developed, the Forest Queen provided its owners with periods of steady income, if not the fortune that came out of the nearby Independence Mine . Lou and Sam Blonger claimed, bought, traded, and sold several mines in their lives, but both held onto the Forest Queen to the end, leaving their interest to their wives. The Blongers were keen observers in the frequent labor struggles between miners and mine owners. Conditions reached

2160-757: A popular publication of the 1930s. The movie was filmed on the Universal Studios backlot , with a few small scenes shot in Wheeling, West Virginia , some scenes filmed at the Santa Monica pier's carousel , in Southern California, and in Chicago at Union Station and the former LaSalle Street Station . An antique car buff, co-producer Tony Bill helped round up several period cars to use in The Sting . One of them

2280-409: A prospector in the nearby Cerrillos Hills , a local newspaper wrote: "The three brothers are all of them young, nervy and square western men and it would be a good thing for the town if they were all on the police force." In April 1882, Lou Blonger served as acting town marshal while Sam traveled to Denver to negotiate the sale of a mine. Lou's stint roughly coincided with the escape to New Mexico by

2400-639: A rating of 92% from 101 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and director George Roy Hill prove that charm, humor, and a few slick twists can add up to a great film." On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". The soundtrack album, executive produced by Gil Rodin , includes several of Scott Joplin 's ragtime compositions, adapted by Marvin Hamlisch . According to Joplin scholar Edward A. Berlin , ragtime experienced

2520-638: A revival in the 1970s due to several events: a best-selling recording of Joplin rags on the classical Nonesuch Records label, along with a collection of his music issued by the New York Public Library ; the first full staging of Joplin's opera Treemonisha ; and a performance of period orchestrations of Joplin's music by a student ensemble of the New England Conservatory of Music , led by Gunther Schuller . "Inspired by Schuller's recording, [Hill] had Marvin Hamlisch score Joplin's music for

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2640-475: A shortened version of the family name (omitting the first "e"), as most of his brothers did. Blonger followed brothers Mike and Joe into the Union Army in 1864. Although he was still three days shy of his 15th birthday, Blonger was mustered in as a fifer at Warren, Illinois , and served a few weeks with Company B of the 142nd Illinois Regiment before suffering a leg injury at White Station, Tennessee . He spent

2760-449: A single from the film's soundtrack). The film's success created a resurgence of interest in Joplin's work. Released on Christmas of 1973, The Sting was a massive critical and commercial success and hugely successful at the 46th Academy Awards , nominated for ten Oscars and winning seven, including Best Picture , Best Director , Best Film Editing and Best Original Screenplay ; Redford

2880-457: A town is managed by a council without an elected mayor , whereas a city has a mayor and, thus, a city police department. Marshals are responsible for all law enforcement in their respective town, and their primary duties are the enforcement of local and state laws or ordinances as well as code enforcement. The Town Marshal may also be the town's humane law enforcement officer . Town marshals are fully sworn state certified police officers though

3000-559: A unit of appointed deputies and special deputies. (Other law enforcement operations and the federal prison system are handled by other federal police agencies.) The United States Marshals Service is a professional, civil service unit of federal police , part of the system of marshals, made up of career law enforcement personnel rather than the appointed district marshals. The U.S. Marshals Service assists with court security and prisoner transport, asset forfeiture, serves arrest warrants and seeks fugitives . The Federal Air Marshal Service

3120-472: A woman calling herself Kitty Blonger shot and killed a man who tried to break into her room in a Peach Springs, Arizona , brothel. Lou Blonger soon arrived to arrange her defense, and eventually she was acquitted. Kitty had previously worked in Albuquerque, where she had a soiled reputation. She may have been one of Blonger's madams, but the exact nature of their relationship has not been determined. Soon after

3240-421: A year for Ward to fine-tune this aspect of the script and to figure out how much information he could keep from the audience while still making the leads sympathetic. He also imagined an underground brotherhood of thieves who assemble for a big operation and then melt away afterward. Years later, director Rob Cohen recounted how he found the script in the slush pile when working as a reader for Mike Medavoy ,

3360-456: Is a kind of con game, devoid of the poetic aspirations that weighed down Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ." Variety wrote, "George Roy Hill's outstanding direction of David S. Ward's finely-crafted story of multiple deception and surprise ending will delight both mass and class audiences. Extremely handsome production values and a great supporting cast round out the virtues." Kevin Thomas of

3480-557: Is a separate armed federal law enforcement service employed to protect commercial airliners from the threat of aircraft hijacking . These air marshals work for the Transportation Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security . The U.S. Supreme Court maintains its own, separate Marshal of the United States Supreme Court , who also controls the U.S. Supreme Court Police ,

3600-411: Is actually Hickey, a fellow con man, who has been running a con atop the con with his "FBI agents" to divert Snyder and ensure that Lonnegan abandons the money without ever realizing he was taken. As the con men strip the room of its contents, Hooker refuses his share of the money, claiming he would lose it anyway, and walks away with Gondorff. Screenwriter David S. Ward has said in an interview that he

3720-518: Is borrowed from Old Frankish * marhskalk (="stable boy, keeper, servant"), being still evident in Middle Dutch maerscalc , marscal , and in modern Dutch maarschalk (="military chief commander"; the meaning influenced by the French use). It is cognate with Old High German mar(ah)-scalc "id.", modern German (Feld-)Marschall (="military chief commander"; the meaning again influenced by

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3840-472: Is convinced after being provided the trifecta of another race, and agrees to finance a $ 500,000 bet ($ 11 million in 2023) to break "Shaw" and get revenge. Shortly thereafter, Snyder captures Hooker and brings him before Polk, who forces Hooker to betray Gondorff by threatening to jail Luther Coleman's widow. Feeling despondent the night before the sting, Hooker sleeps with a diner waitress named Loretta. The next morning, as she walks toward him in an alley,

3960-412: Is entitled to the same fees prescribed for sheriffs in s. 814.70 for similar services, unless a higher fee is applicable under s. 814.705 (1) (c); for other service rendered the village, compensation as the board fixes. 61.28(2) (2) A village marshal who is given law enforcement duties by the village board, and who meets the definition of a law enforcement officer under s. 165.85 (2) (c), shall comply with

4080-468: Is often admiral of the fleet or grand admiral . Marshals are typically, but not exclusively, appointed only in wartime . In many countries, especially in Europe , the special symbol of a marshal is a baton , and their insignia often incorporate batons. In some countries, the term "marshal" is used instead of "general" in the higher air force ranks . The four highest Royal Air Force ranks are marshal of

4200-495: Is provided by the city marshal's office. In municipalities that do not have a police department, the city marshal's office sometimes serves as the agency that provides general law enforcement services to residents. Washington State : The city of Seattle employs marshals in their municipal court, with the senior officer holding the title of chief marshal and the subordinate officers known as deputy marshals. Seattle Marshals provide court security and law enforcement services within

4320-510: Is sent to collect the winnings and to convince Lonnegan to help him take over "Shaw's" operation. Hooker returns home to find Lonnegan's men waiting to assassinate him, but avoids their efforts; Gondorff is spooked by their attempt, but Hooker convinces him to keep the con alive. Snyder's pursuit of Hooker attracts the attention of undercover FBI agents led by Agent Polk, who orders Snyder to bring Hooker in to entrap Gondorff. Meanwhile, Lonnegan, frustrated with his men's inability to kill Hooker for

4440-738: Is still the name for the head officer of some community police forces. Arizona : Cities and towns decide whether to appoint or elect a marshal, or have the board, council, or city manager hire a chief of police as the top criminal law enforcement official for their jurisdiction (as in the town of Tombstone ). Marshals are elected by the trustees to serve a fixed term, and chiefs of police can be fired at will by whoever hired them, just like any other employee. California : Several urban counties (including Los Angeles , San Bernardino County, California , and San Diego ) once maintained separate county marshal's offices, which served as court officers similar to U.S. marshals or constables , but mainly for

4560-404: Is supervised by a chief marshal. American Old West (for example, Arizona Territory and Texas of the 1880s): Marshals, usually called town marshals or city marshals (since the larger cities were often punctilious about their titles), were appointed or elected police officers of small communities, with powers and duties similar to those of a police chief; these powers generally ended at

4680-474: The Denver Post at first declined to print Blonger's name. Co-publisher Harry Heye Tammen was a close friend of Blonger's, but his partner Fred Bonfils ordered the paper's editors to end the embargo and support Van Cise and the prosecution of the "Million-Dollar Bunco Ring". The nickname the papers hung on the gang didn't tell half the story. The con men's total haul was impossible to determine, but in any case

4800-584: The Koninklijke Marechaussee ("Royal Marshalcy") is a national military police force with civilian competences, similar to the French Gendarmerie nationale . In the United States, marshal is used particularly for various types of law enforcement officers. The federal court system in the United States has 94 federal judicial districts, each with a court (with one or more judges ),

4920-467: The Los Angeles Times called it "an unalloyed delight, the kind of pure entertainment film that's all the more welcome for having become such a rarity." John Simon wrote that The Sting as a comedy-thriller "works endearingly without a hitch". Pauline Kael of The New Yorker was less enthusiastic, writing that the film "is meant to be roguishly charming entertainment, and that's how most of

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5040-629: The Indiana Law Enforcement Academy , having law enforcement authority statewide; therefore, it is not at all uncommon for Town Marshals to be seen outside of their bailiwicks assisting other police agencies. Some town marshal agencies in Indiana can be quite large. A Town Marshal can appoint any number of unpaid deputy town marshals or reserve officers who may exercise full police powers in the state. Indiana Town Marshals are authorized to enforce not only city/town code, but also county ordinances; this differs from city police departments where

5160-607: The Marshals of France ( Maréchaux de France ), not least under Napoléon I . Another such title was that of Reichsmarschall , bestowed upon Hermann Göring by Adolf Hitler , although it was never a regular title as it had been "invented" for Göring who was the only titleholder in history. In England during the First Barons' War the title " Marshal of the Army of God and Holy Church " was bestowed upon Robert Fitzwalter by election. Both

5280-463: The Maybray Gang of Council Bluffs, Iowa . The second occurred in 1915, when Blonger was implicated in a swindling scheme uncovered by carpenters remodeling his office building. Sam Blonger's participation in his brother's gang waned as bigger and more sophisticated cons were developed, and he died in 1914. Meanwhile, Lou Blonger expanded the gang's home base from Denver, where it operated only during

5400-463: The Soviet Union and Russia have army general as well as "marshal" in their rank system. The following articles discuss the rank of marshal as used by specific countries: These ranks are considered the equivalent to a marshal: The name is also applied to the leader of military police organizations. Usually in monarchies, one or several of the senior dignitaries wear the title of Marshal or

5520-646: The Vendetta Posse , composed of Wyatt Earp , Doc Holliday , and five others. Hoping to make their way to legal sanctuary in Colorado , the men took temporary refuge in New Albuquerque after killing several men to avenge the murder of Wyatt's brother Morgan . According to one theory, Lou or Sam (or both) may have been called upon to provide shelter for the posse members during their stay. Sam Blonger's appointment as marshal of New Albuquerque lasted just five months. He

5640-491: The conspiracy case. The defense successfully fought to have Van Cise removed from the prosecution of the case on a technicality, but Van Cise considered this a tactical error, since it allowed him to spend more time devising the prosecution's strategy and less time in court. The case proceeded with two special prosecutors , S. Harrison White , former chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court , and Harry C. Riddle,

5760-438: The fire code . Colorado : Cities, towns and villages decide whether to appoint or elect a marshal, or have the board, council, or city manager hire a chief of police as the top criminal law enforcement for their jurisdiction. Marshals are elected by the trustees to serve a fixed term, and chiefs of police can be fired at will by whoever hired them, just like any other employee. Connecticut : In 2000, Connecticut eliminated

5880-408: The 1958 Maverick television series episode " Shady Deal at Sunny Acres ", starring James Garner and Jack Kelly . Jack Nicholson was offered the lead role but turned it down. He later said "I had enough business acumen to know The Sting was going to be a huge hit, [but] at the same time Chinatown and The Last Detail were more interesting films to me." Newman signed on the film after

6000-527: The Blonger trademark. Denver had a reputation as a wide-open town in the 1890s. Gambling shops bought protection from the police force and the mayor's office and operated openly except when occasional crackdowns were required for show. In addition to making direct payments to authorities, Sam and Lou Blonger also engaged in election fraud for candidates from both parties, from Denver mayor Wolfe Londoner in 1890 to Congressman Robert W. Bonynge in 1902. Testimony in

6120-573: The Blongers were joined by two other brothers: Simon, the eldest, who worked as superintendent at the Robert E. Lee Mine, and Marvin, the youngest, also a miner. Soon afterward, Sam and Lou were on the move again, this time to the burgeoning railroad town of New Albuquerque, New Mexico (soon to merge with Albuquerque ). Sam Blonger was appointed marshal of New Albuquerque in February 1882 and quickly deputized his brother. Newspaper accounts indicate that while

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6240-479: The Blongers' operation also branched out into the "policy racket" (also known as the " numbers game "), an illegal lottery that paid out on a daily basis. The Blongers aggressively targeted tourists , who were lured to the saloon by a network of henchmen called "steerers" and then cheated out of their money. The sophistication of the swindles developed over time. In the early years they were as simple as marked cards or loaded dice ; later, elaborate " big cons " became

6360-553: The Confidence Man . The film plays out in distinct sections with old-fashioned title cards drawn by artist Jaroslav "Jerry" Gebr in a style reminiscent of the Saturday Evening Post . It is noted for its use of ragtime , particularly the melody " The Entertainer " by Scott Joplin , which was adapted (along with other Joplin pieces) for the film by Marvin Hamlisch (and a top-ten chart single for Hamlisch when released as

6480-410: The French system, maréchal des logis ("marshal-of-lodgings") is a cavalry term equivalent to sergeant . Some historical rulers have used special "marshal" titles to reward certain subjects. Though not strictly military ranks, these honorary titles have been exclusively bestowed upon successful military leaders, such as the famous grand marshal of Ayacucho Antonio José de Sucre . Most famous are

6600-486: The French use). It originally and literally meant "horse servant", from Germanic *marha- "horse" (cf. English mare and modern German Mähre , meaning "horse of bad quality") and *skalk- "servant" (cf. Old Engl. scealc "servant, soldier" and outdated German Schalk , meaning "high-ranking servant"). This "horse servant" origin is retained in the current French name for farrier : maréchal-ferrant . The late Roman and Byzantine title of comes stabuli ("count of

6720-601: The Immaculate Conception , was attended by hundreds of people from all walks of life. Despite his wishes to be buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery , his wife directed that he be interred at Fairmount Cemetery instead. Lou Blonger married twice. In 1882 or 1884 in San Francisco , he married Emma Loring, about whom nothing is known. Blonger received an uncontested divorce in 1889 on the grounds of desertion and quickly married 30-year-old Cora "Nola" Lyons (née Morehouse), who

6840-615: The Joliet con, orders the job to be given to Salino, his best assassin. A mysterious figure with black leather gloves begins following and observing Hooker. "Kelly" gives Lonnegan a tip on a 7-to-1 long shot in a horse race that pays off. When Lonnegan presses him for details, he reveals that he has a partner, "Les Harmon" (actually con man Kid Twist), in the Chicago Western Union office, who will help them topple "Shaw" by winning bets he books on horse races through past-posting . Lonnegan

6960-469: The Kitty Blonger trial, Lou Blonger relocated permanently to Denver, rejoining his brother Sam. The pair operated several saloons and gambling houses in the area of Larimer Street and Seventeenth Street over the next few years, including the magnificent Elite Saloon at 1628 Stout Street, with its mahogany fixtures and frescoed ceiling. In addition to hosting the typical array of poker and faro tables,

7080-597: The Livingstons, left the Midwest for the western frontier. Following the path of the newly completed Transcontinental Railroad , they briefly ran a hotel and saloon in Red Oak, Iowa , before moving on to Salt Lake City, Utah and the nearby mining towns of Stockton and Dry Canyon . In a pattern that repeated itself at many of their stops, Lou owned and operated saloons with assorted entertainments while Sam developed mining claims in

7200-565: The Royal Air Force , air chief marshal , air marshal and air vice marshal (although the first named, which has generally been suspended as a peacetime rank, is the only one which can properly be considered a marshal). The five-star rank of marshal of the Air Force is used by some Commonwealth and Middle Eastern air forces. In the French Army and most National Armies modeled upon

7320-407: The United States, many colleges and universities have marshals. In some cases, there is a single "faculty marshal," appointed to the post on a more or less permanent basis. In other cases, there are one or several faculty marshals, and often one or several student marshals appointed for a single occasion. In all cases, the post is one of honor given to a senior faculty member or outstanding student, and

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7440-626: The Universal Legacy Series) – was released in September 2005. Its "making of" featurette, The Art of the Sting , included interviews with cast and crew. The film was released on Blu-ray in 2012 as part of Universal's 100th anniversary releases. The Sting was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray on May 18, 2021. Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society . As marshals became trusted members of

7560-634: The audience takes it, but I found it visually claustrophobic, and totally mechanical. It keeps cranking on, section after section, and it doesn't have a good spirit." In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The Writers Guild of America ranked the screenplay #39 on its list of 101 Greatest Screenplays ever written. On Rotten Tomatoes , The Sting holds

7680-403: The black-gloved man appears and shoots her dead before she could shoot Hooker. The man reveals to Hooker that he was hired by Gondorff to protect him and that the waitress was in fact Salino. At "Harmon's" direction, Lonnegan bets $ 500,000 at "Shaw's" parlor on a horse named Lucky Dan. As the race begins, "Harmon" arrives and expresses shock at Lonnegan's bet: when he said "place it" he meant that

7800-514: The border of the community. By contrast, federal marshals (U.S. marshals) worked in a larger territory, especially in pioneer country, and this area could potentially overlap with the state or territorial office of county sheriff (who then, as now, policed communities, as well as areas between communities). The word marshal is still used in this sense, especially in the American Southwest . ( See List of Western lawmen .) Town or city marshal

7920-423: The brothers engaged in a few shootouts and jailed their share of vagrants , they also took plenty of time off to pursue other interests: prospecting , horse racing , and even running a brothel . For a couple of months the Blongers were toasted as the solution to the town's law enforcement problem (a previous marshal, Milt Yarberry , had murdered two citizens). When Sam and Lou were joined briefly by brother Joe,

8040-412: The buildings and tourist attractions. Wisconsin :The village marshal shall execute and file an official bond. The marshal shall possess the powers, enjoy the privileges and be subject to the liabilities conferred and imposed by law upon constables, and be taken as included in all writs and papers addressed to constables. The marshal shall obey all lawful written orders of the village board. The marshal

8160-402: The county sheriff system, and replaced it with two types of marshals. State marshals operate out of the executive branch of state government. They are sworn peace officers who perform a wide range of duties, including service of process, seizing money and property under court order, evictions, serving tax warrants, and arresting individuals on bench warrants . Judicial marshals are employed by

8280-470: The course of a year, his detectives gathered information and watched the habits and movements of the gang members. Van Cise monitored Blonger's trash, spied on him from a building across the street, and had a Dictaphone installed surreptitiously inside his office (an action that did not require a search warrant at the time). He also allowed a crooked police detective to work inside the district attorney's office, feeding him misleading information to confuse

8400-575: The court. They handle arrests of out-of-custody defendants within the courthouse and transport in custody defendants to and from court hearings. The King County Sheriff's Office (county seat in Seattle) also employs court marshals, which is a unit under the sheriff's office. In the Old-West themed town of Winthrop , the municipal police force is headed by a town marshal, consistent with the Old West restoration of

8520-494: The courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated offices, such as in military rank and civilian law enforcement . In most countries, the rank of Marshal is the highest Army rank (equivalent to a five-star General of the Army in the United States ). "Marshal" is an ancient loanword from Norman French (cf. modern French maréchal ), which in turn

8640-401: The endurance competition " Tough Guy ," officials seeing to the observance of the rules are styled marshals. In road running races, in particular, course marshals enforce rules of competition and assist runners as needed. The marshal is the highest playing piece in the board game Stratego . The word Maréchaussée derives from the French word Maréchal (plural Maréchaux ), which was

8760-534: The film four out of four stars and called it "one of the most stylish movies of the year". Gene Siskel awarded three-and-a-half stars out of four, calling it "a movie movie that has obviously been made with loving care each and every step of the way." Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote that the film was "so good-natured, so obviously aware of everything it's up to, even its own picturesque frauds, that I opt to go along with it. One forgives its unrelenting efforts to charm, if only because The Sting itself

8880-529: The film into a full-length novel, The Sting (1974), based on the screenplay by David S. Ward . The movie was issued on DVD by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment in 2000. "If Paul Newman really does retire, he can spend his rocking chair years feeling smug about this," enthused Bruno MacDonald for OK! "The story's not the important thing: what makes it are the quirky soundtrack, the card-sharp dialogue and two superduperstars at their superduperstarriest." A deluxe DVD – The Sting: Special Edition (part of

9000-677: The film, thereby bringing Joplin to a mass, popular public." Shipments figures based on certification alone. Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis (music and lyrics), writer Bob Martin , and director John Rando created a stage musical version of the movie. The musical premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey on March 29, 2018. Henry Gondorff was played by Harry Connick Jr. , with choreography by Warren Carlyle . The stage musical incorporates Joplin's music, including "The Entertainer". Robert Weverka adapted

9120-434: The film. Phillips' book asserts that Shaw was not nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award because he demanded that his name follow those of Newman and Redford before the film's opening title. Shaw's character's limp in the film was authentic. Shaw had injured his leg while playing handball shortly before filming began. Director Hill encouraged him to incorporate the limp into his character rather than withdraw from

9240-589: The forerunner of the modern Gendarmerie ) and to an Ancien Régime Court of Justice called the "Tribunal of the Constable and the Marshals of France " which was competent for judging military personnel and civilians alike in cases of petty violations of the law. The term Maréchaussée was also used for the Continental Army 's military police during the American Revolution . In the present-day Netherlands,

9360-400: The functions are generally limited to leading processions or parts of processions during commencement exercises, academic convocations , encaenia and similar events. These marshals often carry maces , staffs or wands of office. A chief usher at a large wedding is sometimes called a wedding marshal . In addition to coordinating other ushers in attending guests, the wedding marshal may be

9480-473: The gang members and several private citizens to chauffeur them to a holding cell in the basement of the First Universalist Church . Blonger and Duff were among the first to be arrested ; eventually 33 gang members were hauled in before news of the raid reached the street, allowing the remainder of the gang to flee. Although newspapers across the country carried the particulars of the unusual sting,

9600-594: The gang. In the summer of 1922, Van Cise made it well known he was going on a long fishing vacation to the Rocky Mountains , signaling to the gang members that the heat was off their operation. While the con men plied their trade openly on the streets of Denver, Van Cise and his assistants plotted a huge roundup that required a willing victim to help catch the gang in the act. With incredible good fortune, J. Frank Norfleet showed up in Denver at precisely this moment. Norfleet

9720-484: The holdouts "the difference between me and you is that I got my five hundred dollars, but turned it over to the Judge, and you've still got yours." The three relented, and on March 28, 1923, the jury returned a verdict of guilty against Blonger and the other 19 defendants who remained on trial. Blonger's health, poor even before his arrest, grew increasingly worse during the long trial. In the days after his conviction, while he

9840-495: The horse would "place" (i.e., finish second ). In a panic, Lonnegan rushes to the teller window and demands his money back, at which point Polk, Snyder, and a half-dozen FBI agents storm the parlor. Polk tells Hooker he is free to go. Shocked at the betrayal, Gondorff shoots Hooker. Polk shoots Gondorff and orders Snyder to get the ostensibly respectable Lonnegan away from the crime scene. With Lonnegan and Snyder safely away, Hooker and Gondorff rise amid cheers and laughter: "Polk"

9960-527: The judicial branch. They are sworn peace officers who perform court security and transport detainees to and from court. Georgia : The marshal is a commissioned armed and uniformed law enforcement officer of the county state courts which have jurisdiction over civil matters and state ordinances. In the Atlanta metro counties, marshal's offices enforce evictions, foreclosures, subpoenas, civil forfeitures, judgements, seizure, liens, repossession, and garnishment. With

10080-590: The last months of his life? You have been a criminal from the time of your youth. You have been the fixer of the town. You have prostituted justice. You have bribed judges and jurors, state, city, and police officials. You have ruined hundreds of men. With that record, tell me why a death sentence is not your due? Blonger was driven in a special car to the Colorado State Penitentiary on October 18, 1923, and died there on April 20, 1924, succumbing to organ failure. His funeral, held at Denver's Cathedral of

10200-411: The latter case indicated that Blonger's network of steerers had already been in place for several years. The Blongers' policy shop had plenty of competition, including saloon man Ed Chase and Soapy Smith , the famous Western con man. Smith was an uneasy Blonger ally for a while, but the frequent quarrels between steerers from the rival groups suggested a confrontation was brewing. In 1895 Smith went on

10320-448: The mayor and the chief of police. In 1922, however, District Attorney Philip S. Van Cise bypassed the Denver police and used his own force, funded by donations solicited in secret from local citizens, to arrest 33 con men, including Blonger, and bring the ring to justice. Lou Blonger was born in Swanton, Vermont , on May 13, 1849, the eighth of 13 children. His father, Simon Peter Belonger,

10440-469: The mine at different stages of its development, some of whom were extraordinarily well-placed. Two of them, Neil Dennison and Robert W. Steele , served as district attorney in Denver during the 1890s. Dennison was the son of a former governor of Ohio and Steele later became chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court . A third partner of note was J. W. McCulloch , manufacturer of Green River Whiskey , who supposedly traded 20 barrels of his product for

10560-416: The mining boomtown of Skagway, Alaska , in 1897, ceding control of Denver's underworld to Lou Blonger. In 1892 Sam and Lou Blonger found the gold mine they had been looking for in the mountains above Cripple Creek, Colorado , and named it the Forest Queen ( 38°44′48″N 105°08′27″W  /  38.74667°N 105.14083°W  / 38.74667; -105.14083 ). Sam and Lou had several partners in

10680-576: The municipal court system. This system was abolished by state law in 2000, when the sheriffs of those counties announced that those counties' marshals would be absorbed into their departments. Therefore, many have been merged into or taken over by the local county sheriff's office, with the exceptions of Shasta County and Trinity County both located in Northern California. As of 2010, the marshal of San Benito County has been disbanded as an independent organization, with its employees becoming part of

10800-418: The next 18 years Blonger and his gang operated virtually unmolested by local law enforcement. Gang members were specifically instructed not to solicit victims from Colorado, concentrating instead on out-of-state tourists who would find it difficult to help prosecute a criminal case. Only twice during this period did Blonger come close to arrest. The first was in 1910, when he escaped prosecution in connection with

10920-499: The orders of the legislative body and enforcing laws. The marshal or his deputy: Maine : The State Marshal Service provides physical security and law enforcement duties to the judicial system, as well as protection of all state judges. Deputy marshals are fully sworn state law enforcement officers with statewide authority. Missouri : There are two types of marshal: Nevada New York : There are two levels of marshals: Ohio : The term village marshal has been used for

11040-432: The organizers of large or controversial demonstrations , rallies and protests , to help ensure the safety of the participants. They are especially important for preventing infiltration by agents provocateurs . In motorsports , such as auto racing , motorcycle racing , and rallying , the track marshals wave the racing flags and assist crashed or broken-down vehicles and their drivers, while pit marshals watch over

11160-432: The police. With Duff handling the details of coordinating gang members and scheduling locations for the scams, Blonger was free to conduct the business of schmoozing public officials and bribing law enforcement, all while cultivating the image of a model citizen. In the summertime he made the rounds of friendly politicians and policemen, paying off favors with boxes of cherries from his orchard in suburban Lakewood . For

11280-422: The procedures in the pits, and fire marshals assist in the event of a fire on the track or in the pit. The FIA provides general rules and recommendations on marshalling. In the 1977 South African Grand Prix , 1977 Japanese Grand Prix , 2000 Italian Grand Prix , 2001 Australian Grand Prix , and 2013 Canadian Grand Prix , track marshals were victims of fatal accidents. In some organized competitions, such as

11400-560: The producers agreed to give him top billing, $ 500,000 and a percentage of the profits. His previous five films had been box-office disappointments. In her 1991 autobiography You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again , producer Julia Phillips writes that Hill wanted Richard Boone to play Lonnegan. Much to her relief, Newman had sent the script to Robert Shaw while shooting The Mackintosh Man in Ireland to ensure his participation in

11520-537: The project. Hill wanted the film to be reminiscent of movies from the 1930s and watched films from that decade for inspiration. He noticed that most '30s gangster films had no extras. "For instance", Andrew Horton's book The Films of George Roy Hill quotes Hill as saying, "no extras would be used in street scenes in those films: Jimmy Cagney would be shot down and die in an empty street. So I deliberately avoided using extras." Along with art director Henry Bumstead and cinematographer Robert L. Surtees , Hill devised

11640-553: The protocol to announce formally the arrival of VIP guests at audiences, state dinners, and conferences in the monarch's premises. This office was often made hereditary in the high nobility, e.g., the English Earl Marshal , or the Scots Earl Marischal . The term is also used in more ordinary contexts, such as modern pageantry ; for example, the grand marshal of a parade is often an honored guest or dignitary. In

11760-536: The relatively small take it provided from card and dice games. Eventually he moved into headquarters in the American National Bank building on Seventeenth Street and styled himself as a mining magnate. A crucial moment in the development of the bunco gang was Blonger's partnership in 1904 with Adolph W. Duff, who had operated his own gang of confidence men in Colorado Springs before being run out of town by

11880-915: The remainder of his 100-day enlistment recovering at the Marine Hospital in Chicago . At the conclusion of the Civil War , Blonger reunited with his brother Sam, ten years his elder, who had spent the war years prospecting in Colorado and driving freight over the mountains in California and Nevada . Lou was living in Mount Carroll, Illinois , with a friend named William Livingston when Sam returned. While Sam courted and eventually married Livingston's sister Ella, Lou attended high school. Later Sam sent his brother to study at Bryant & Stratton Business College in Chicago. In 1870 Sam and Lou Blonger, along with many of

12000-455: The same function, often filled without colleagues, directly under the mayor. Texas : City marshals and deputy city marshals have, by law, the same authority as a municipal (village, town, or city) police officer. However, municipalities (like Fort Worth ), that have both a police force as well as a city marshal's office, often utilize the police as the general law enforcement agency of the municipality, while court security and process service

12120-427: The screenplay was based too heavily on his 1940 book The Big Con , about real-life tricksters Fred and Charley Gondorff. Universal settled out of court for $ 600,000, irking Ward, who resented the presumption of guilt implied by an out-of-court settlement done for business expediency. Writer/producer Roy Huggins maintained in his Archive of American Television interview that the first half of The Sting plagiarized

12240-593: The second highest military charge in feudal France after Connétable ( Constable ), the military Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Armed Forces until 1627, when the charge of Constable was abolished. The Constable and the Marshals had also jurisdictional powers, at first only over members of the armed forces. The additional conferring of police powers led to the creation of the "Corps of the Maréchaussée " ("Marshalcy";

12360-653: The sheriff's office. California also has fire marshals and deputy fire marshals, who may work for the State of California Fire Marshal's Office, or various county, city or special districts throughout the state. Fire marshals and deputy fire marshals are full-time sworn peace officers throughout the state, with powers of arrest statewide under section 830.37 of the California Penal Code . Their responsibilities include fire and arson investigation, bomb and explosives investigation, general law enforcement, as well as enforcement of

12480-421: The spoils among themselves. When the prosecution rested after seven weeks of testimony, the defense attorneys surprised everyone by resting their case without presenting a witness, and further by offering to forgo their closing arguments if the prosecution did the same. Van Cise directed the special prosecutors to call their bluff, and so the case went immediately to the jury without any closing arguments. During

12600-676: The stables") was a calque of the Germanic, which became Old French con(n)estable and modern connétable , and, borrowed from the Old French, the English word " constable ". Finally, in Byzantium, a marshal with elevated authority, notably a borderlands military command, was also known as an exarch . In many countries, the rank of marshal, cf. field marshal , is the highest army rank, outranking other general officers . The equivalent navy rank

12720-589: The surrounding mountains, served occasionally as a peace officer and, in his spare time, raced horses. Similar stops followed in Virginia City, Nevada ; Cornucopia, Nevada ; Silver Reef, Utah ; and again in Salt Lake City. Moving to Colorado in 1879, Lou Blonger took a shot at running a vaudeville theater in Georgetown , while Sam made an unsuccessful bid to become the first mayor of nearby Leadville . There

12840-401: The trial rumors were rampant that the jury had been fixed. Blonger's men approached at least four of the jurors, but struck out when they attempted to bribe Herman M. Okuly, a mechanic . Okuly played along with the offer, but immediately reported the deal to his boss, who informed Van Cise. After four days of deliberations, with three jurors still favoring acquittal, Okuly played his ace, telling

12960-473: The warmest months, southward to Miami and Havana, Cuba . During the winter Blonger relaxed at Hot Springs, Arkansas , where he reportedly compared notes with his old friend Allan Pinkerton , president of the Pinkerton Detective Agency . During the 1920 primary election for Denver district attorney , Blonger approached Republican Party candidate Philip S. Van Cise and offered assistance in

13080-414: The way of campaign contributions and votes. To Blonger's surprise, Van Cise turned down his offer, and after his election, Van Cise called Blonger into his office to warn him that one of his goals would be the eradication of Blonger's gang of con men. Recognizing that the police force was in Blonger's pocket, Van Cise undertook a private investigation underwritten by donations from 31 wealthy benefactors. Over

13200-468: Was a Texas rancher who had previously been scammed twice by other gangs and was on a nationwide manhunt to bring the men who swindled him to justice. Entering the lobby of the Brown Palace Hotel , Norfleet was hooked by unwitting gang members who saw him as an easy mark, and the plan was set in motion. The posse assembled early on the morning of August 24, 1922: eighteen Colorado Rangers to arrest

13320-513: Was a stonemason born in Canada of French ancestry. His mother, Judith Kennedy, was raised in an orphanage in Nenagh , County Tipperary , Ireland. The Belonger family migrated from Vermont to the lead mining village of Shullsburg, Wisconsin , when Lou was five years old. After his mother died in 1859, Lou lived with his older sister and her husband for a few years. Around this time Blonger began using

13440-526: Was a courier for vicious Irish-American crime boss Doyle Lonnegan. Lonnegan's men murder Luther and the courier. After finding Luther dead, Hooker flees to Chicago. Hooker finds Gondorff drunk and in hiding from the FBI , running a carousel that is a front for a brothel , and asks for help taking down Lonnegan. Initially reluctant, Gondorff relents and recruits a team of experienced con men. They decide to resurrect an elaborate, obsolete scam known as "the wire", using

13560-400: Was also nominated for Best Actor . The film rekindled Newman's career after a series of big-screen flops. Regarded as having one of the best screenplays ever written, The Sting was selected in 2005 for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". A sequel film , also written by David S. Ward,

13680-424: Was his own 1935 Pierce-Arrow limousine, which served as Lonnegan's private car. The film was a box-office smash in 1973 and early 1974, grossing $ 156 million in the United States and Canada. As of August 2018, it is the 20th highest-grossing film in the United States adjusted for ticket price inflation. Internationally, it grossed $ 101 million for a worldwide gross of $ 257 million. Roger Ebert gave

13800-443: Was inspired to write The Sting while researching pickpockets: "Since I had never seen a film about a confidence man before, I said I gotta do this." Daniel Eagan said: "One key to plots about con men is that film goers want to feel they are in on the trick. They don't have to know how a scheme works, and they don't mind a twist or two, but it's important for the story to feature clearly recognizable 'good' and 'bad' characters." It took

13920-611: Was released in 1983. In 1936, amid the Great Depression , grifter Johnny Hooker and his partners Luther Coleman and Joe Erie con $ 11,000 in cash from an unsuspecting victim in Joliet, Illinois . Hooker loses his share of the con on a rigged roulette game, while Luther, buoyed by the windfall, decides to retire. He tells Hooker to seek out his old friend Henry Gondorff in Chicago to learn "the big con". Corrupt Joliet police lieutenant William Snyder confronts Hooker, revealing that their mark

14040-518: Was relieved of his duties while on a trip to Kansas City , and soon afterward, Lou and Sam split up for the only extended period of their adult lives. Lou spent the next few years in the New Mexico towns of Silver City , Deming , and Kingston , living at least part of the time with Frank Thurmond , a well-known gambler, and his wife, Carlotta Thompkins (better known as Lottie Deno ). Blonger also got married, probably in 1884, to Emma Loring. In 1888,

14160-506: Was said in younger days to have been a "successful variety actress." Blonger had no children. Upon Nola's death the remainder of Blonger's estate, including his interest in the Forest Queen Mine, passed to her fourth husband, William J. MacAuley. The Sting The Sting is a 1973 American heist film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Paul Newman , Robert Redford and Robert Shaw . Set in September 1936, involving

14280-418: Was still battling to stay out of prison, Blonger received a final blow when the Denver Post revealed that he had led a double life for 20 years, living with his wife, Nola, on weekends and a mistress, Iola Readon, during the week. Rocked by the revelation, he reconciled with his wife, transferring his property to her in anticipation of his incarceration. As one legal appeal after another failed, Blonger made

14400-407: Was well in excess of a million dollars per year. Blonger had a host of legal talent at his disposal, not to mention a sympathetic judge or two. His personal lawyer, Thomas Ward, Jr., was a former U.S. district attorney who had argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court . While the rest of the gang was represented by lesser names, they all benefited from the roadblocks laid down by the lead lawyers in

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