Reproduction of a US Marshal plate in metal, with a needle for its attachment.

The US Marshals Service is an agency that is part of the Department of Justice. They are responsible for the protection of court officials, court buildings and the proper functioning of the court system. The service also helps transport prisoners, serves arrest warrants and searches for fugitives.

The US Marshal is the oldest federal agency and its origin dates back to a law of George Washington of September 24, 1789 (Judiciary Act), which provided for the creation of other judicial authorities. Two years later, the first 16 bailiffs were chosen for each of the judicial districts of the young nation. Over the years, officers have been tasked with running federal courts properly: from attending witnesses to carrying out death sentences.

The US Marshal has been involved in most major historical episodes in America's past. Before the American Civil War (1861-1865), their function was to catch runaway slaves and return them to their owners. During this conflict, they confiscated property used to support the cause of the Confederate States of America. And in the following years, they played an important role in the expansion of the American West.

Among the representative names of the time is Wyatt Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929), a marshal well known in the American West for his extreme toughness against those who broke the law, incorruptible and daring. in their procedures. His fame was achieved in Tombstone (Arizona), where he was one of the protagonists of the shooting in the United Kingdom. Corral, with Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp and Morgan Earp. He is one of the legendary figures of the American West who inspired many westerns.

Relive the exciting filming of OK Corral with the historic reproduction of this Marshal DENIX painting