Victor B. Walker (born 1864) was an African American soldier, political activist, lawyer, civil rights activist, police officer, saloon owner, journalist, and gangster in the Old West, particularly in Omaha, Nebraska, and in Denver, Colorado, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Before coming to Omaha, he was a Buffalo soldier on the frontier, and when he first arrived in the city, he worked as a police officer. For a short time, he owned the Omaha saloon The Midway, a center of gambling and criminal activity in the city. As well as a working as defense lawyer, he worked for civil rights and was a member of the Omaha Afro-American League, a civil rights organization in the city.
In 1902, he had a dispute with Omaha political and criminal boss, Tom Dennison, which resulted in Walker's beating at the hands of an Omaha police and an end to his political ambitions in Omaha. He moved to Denver, Colorado, where he ran a club, "The Rocky Mountain Athletic Club". He was appointed deputy sheriff in that city and briefly ran a weekly newspaper, New American Weekly. He was heavily involved in criminal activity in Omaha and Denver, particularly voting fraud and gambling, and in Denver was known as the "King of the colored underworld".
Early life Victor Beaman Walker was born in Knox County, Tennessee in 1864 and lived in Knoxville until 1882. He enlisted in Troop A of the Ninth Cavalry (Buffalo soldiers) and was appointed non-commissioned officer. During Walker's time enlisted, the troop was stationed at Fort Elliott, Texas, and Fort Niobrara, Nebraska. Walker moved to Omaha in 1888 and in 1889 joined the Metropolitan Police force. He served for five years, and was for two years Court Officer, Deputy Chief of Police. He studied law at night and was admitted to the Douglass County Bar Association February 1895. In 1890, he married Barbara Selden of Washington, DC, and they had two children.Johnson, Ida Bell. Mechanical. Enterprise (Omaha, Nebraska). April 4, 1896. page 5 He was described as a large, six-foot, 200-pound man.Governor's Doorkeeper Forming Negro Regiment. Denver Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Colorado). April 8, 1917. Page: 11 The couple moved to Denver in about 1910.
Early activism In the 1890s, Walker was an active member of the Omaha and Nebraska branches of the National Afro-American League, organizing the fourth annual state convention in 1893 and serving as secretary that year. The leaders at that meeting included Jessie Merriam, E. G. Rozzelle, and Silas Robbins."Afro-Americans to Meet. Arrangements for the Fourth Annual Convention in Omaha." Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Thursday, April 27, 1893. Page: 8 In 1895, he sought the position of captain of a black company of firemen being formed"Good Wire Pullers", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). February 14, 1895. Page: 2 due in part to the efforts of Matthew Ricketts, Nebraska's first and to that time only black in the state legislature. Walker was politically active and supported the Republican cause within the black community. This brought him into opposition with African-American Democrats Cyrus D. Bell and Robbins, whom he challenged on economic policy."Voice of Colored Voters", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). October 31, 1893. Page: 4 He participated in the Republican city conventions in 1894"Candidates for the Toga the Republican City Primaries Choose Candidates for Ward Councilmen. Returns Have." Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). October 13, 1894. Volume: 30 Page: 3 and, in 1895, sought and gained the Republican nomination for Justice of the Peace, but later withdrew his name."North Enders Enthuse. Dr. Ricketts Finds a Worse Liar than Mr. Ananias", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). October 27, 1895. Volume: XXXI Issue: 27 Section: Part 1 Page: 6 In 1897, he campaigned on behalf of the Republican mayor Moores."Spirited Moores Meeting Held over a Disreputable Saloon-Plenty Beer and Cigars", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). April 19, 1897. Volume: XXXII Issue: 201 Page: 1
Legal career After passing the bar, in 1895, Walker worked primarily as a defense attorney for blacks in Omaha. He frequently supported African Americans in cases involving gambling or prostitution. In April 1895, he defended a man named Edgar Stanley (aka A. B. Burrus) who was charged with slandering the character of a young white woman. In that case, he was accused of threatening the woman and her family with greater exposure of the accusations against her character in the Omaha paper, the Progress (published by Ferdinand L. Barnett), if she did not drop the case. The Progress denied involvement, but the case was dropped."A Color Line", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). April 11, 1895. Page: 1 In 1896, he ran against Barnett for alternate to the Republican national convention, receiving the support of Matthew Ricketts on account of Barnett's tepid support for down-ticket Republicans in the 1895 election,"Mo Bouquets for Bolters", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). April 14, 1896. Page: 4 and Walker received the honor. He frequently defended prostitutes and keepers of houses of prostitution; in 1896 taking the defense that his client, Gladys Bush, be allowed her business or that every similar house be closed."A Stir in the Bad Lands", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). March 6, 1896. Page: 1 When Bush lost her case, he assisted in her filing complaints against fourteen other houses along Ninth Street, then called "The Row" or, more euphemistically, "the proscribed district""Revenge in 'The Row'", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). March 17, 1896. Volume: XXXI Issue: 169 Page: 8 "red light district", or the "bad lands". In 1897, when his client, a landlady named Miller at another brothel at 201 N 9th Street was arrested for the robbery of a group of three travelers, Walker filed a complaint against the travelers for contributing to the support of a disorderly house, who were then themselves arrested although they were witnesses in the case against the landlady - much to the humor of the court which heard the case and accusation."Prosecutes Witnesses", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). November 22, 1897. Page: 2
In the mid-1890s, two cases against black men in Omaha received great attention: the murder of Maude Rubel and the Rock Island train crash near Lincoln. Sam Payne was convicted for the murder, while George Washington Davis was convicted for sabotage in the train crash. Both cases were believed to be based on circumstantial evidence. Further, supporters believed Payne was not mentally able to give testimony in the case, and believed Davis was a scapegoat for corruption within the rail industry. Walker worked to exonerate these men, with George F. Franklin, Ella and Thomas P. Mahammitt, John Albert Williams, Millard F. Singleton, M. L. Wilson, and John W. Long playing important roles in rallying local support for the convicts."Davis and Payne. Afro-American Meeting to Relieve the Two Prisoners", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). January 15, 1896. Volume: XXXI Issue: 107 Page: 8
Walker was also known for working with a number of disreputable professional bondsmen, including "Uncle John" John Flannigan,"John Flannigan Tripped up. Professional Bondsman Swears to a Lie - Judgments Against Him", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). October 8, 1895. Volume: XXXI Issue: 8 Page: 2 Olie Jackson and Chase Green."In the Police Round-up", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). March 11, 1898. Page: 2 (Green was arrested during the Trans-Mississippi Exhibition for rooming with a white woman"Fallen Idol." Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Friday, March 18, 1898. Page: 1 in a case where Walker served as bondsman.)"Green's Trial Goes Over", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). March 20, 1898. Volume: XXXIII Issue: 171 Page: 3 Green and Olie Jackson were pressured out of their positions by an investigation in theOmaha World-Herald, and replaced by Scott Jackson."Find Rotten Bonds Galore", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). April 15, 1898. Page: 4
In 1897, he ran for the position of Police Judge"Tomorrow's Election", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). April 19, 1897. Volume: XXXII Issue: 201 Page: 4 and, in 1898, he sought nomination to the Republican ticket for state legislature,"Gamblers out on Bail", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). March 19, 1898. Page: 6 but was not successful. In 1899, when the city prosecutor became sick, Walker was designated temporary city prosecutor."Walker City Prosecutor", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). January 7, 1899. Volume: XXXIV Issue: 99 Page: Copy of 7
At the outset of the Spanish–American War in 1898, Walker organized a company of black soldiers to serve in the Third Nebraska Regiment, where Walker was elected provisional captain, Henry Plummer first lieutenant, James H Bryant second lieutenant. S. B. Smith, J. H. Tucker, Walter J. Singleton, Robert Bryant, A. D. White, and Benton Hall were also involved in the recruitment."Recruiting Colored Company. Forty-Five Men Sign the Roll at the First Meeting", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). May 30, 1898. Volume: XXXIII Issue: 242 Page: 5 The company was not accepted as the Third Nebraska Volunteer Infantry was not enlisted until July 1899. While some of the men recruited served in other companies, Walker remained in Omaha.
He was involved in the Negro Press Association and when the group met in Omaha during the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in August 1898, he gave a talk about the relationship between press and the law."Close with Lunch and Ball. Lively Social Event Concludes Meeting of Colored Editors", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). August 24, 1898. Volume: XXXIII Issue: 328 Page: 2 In November and December 1898, Omaha blacks gathered to call for federal intervention against the lynchings and violence in the south, such as the Wilmington massacre. Millard F. Singleton, John Albert Williams, E. H. Hall, Walker and others were important leaders in those efforts."Protest Against Outrages. Prominent Colored Speakers Address a Mass Meeting-a Race Question", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). December 7, 1898. Volume: XXXIV Issue: 68 Page: 8
Relationship with Tom Dennison Tom Dennison arrived in Omaha in the 1880s and set about creating a criminal and political alliance which would come to influence Omaha politics until his death in 1934. Walker's connections with the African-American community, with houses of gambling and prostitution, and with the legal system were useful to Dennison, and in 1898 Dennison financed Walker's purchase of a salon, "The Midway", at 12th and Capitol Ave, from Oscar Picketts, with whom Dennison had a dispute.Menard, Orville D. Political bossism in mid-America: Tom Dennison's Omaha, 1900-1933. University Press of America, 1989 At this time, Walker was considered Denisson's black lieutenantLandmarks Heritage Preservation Commission, A Comprehensive Program for Historic Preservation in Omaha, 1980 and called "King of the Midway"."Vic Walker's Complaint Two Policemen Tried on Charge of Beating Ex-King of the "Midway"", Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). April 11, 1902. Volume: XXXVII Issue: 193 Page: 4 It was claimed that the services Walker provided Dennison's political machine included ballot stuffing and registration falsification. It was also suggested that Walker installed an opium den in the basement of the Midland"Speer Dives Raided in Fight on Denver Registration Steal", Denver Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Colorado). April 15, 1910. Page: 3