So he chose as undersheriff someone he could trust, young Martin Kempton, a Mormon from a good, long-established Graham County family. Realizing that Power's argument had made some sense, McBride offered the post of occasional deputy to Thomas “Kane” Wootan, who, like Power, knew the southern part of the state. There were rumors about Wootan as well. In fact, they were the same rumors that stuck to Power—rodeos and bootlegging. But Wootan lived in the north, and McBride could keep an eye on him. And Wootan had connections to US Marshal Frank Haynes, and it made sense to use those connections, though rumors put Haynes in the bootlegging business as well. All in all, McBride thought it better to be able to keep track of Wootan and Haynes than to have them operate behind his back. It was just smart law enforcement.

Mart Kempton got the responsibility for cutting down on the bootlegging. Young, energetic, and ambitious, Mart threw himself into the task. By the spring of 1917, it was impossible to pick up a copy of the Graham County Guardian without finding an article on the exploits of Undersheriff Martin Kempton. He was arresting one or two, sometimes four or more, bootleggers a week. He posted himself out on the Solomonville road and just waited for a car or truck he didn't recognize. He then simply pulled into the middle of the road and stopped the car for a friendly chat. The Guardian and the good people of Graham County loved the stories of his exploits.

On August 17, 1917, Kempton arrested four bootleggers, three men and a woman. The following Sunday, Kempton similarly took off after a man and woman riding in a Jeffery Six Roadster. Again he followed the car until it stopped and then arrested the couple and confiscated twenty-one cases of whiskey. The Graham County Guardian reported: “They were given apartments in Hotel McBride and were arraigned before Judge McAlister Tuesday afternoon.”

Not only was the jail filling up, but the evidence closet in the jail was filling with cases of whiskey confiscated from the arrests. Deputy Kempton was becoming a local hero for his efforts, which were frequent, and frequently successful. Kempton was getting more press than McBride was, and he was beginning to entertain ideas of turning his celebrity to his advantage in the next election by opposing McBride for sheriff. McBride was well liked and respected, but Kempton was a celebrity, young and ambitious. He had a presence that McBride lacked. It seemed to Kempton that in many significant ways, McBride was still a carpenter, always measuring twice before cutting. Kempton didn't need to measure twice. His gut instinct served him well. He acted, and acted quickly, and that was the key to his success.