They all came from Vera Cruz, Mexico where they had witnessed the killings of six of their family members when their town was shelled during the Mexican-American War. He then shot dead two other Mexicans who had been sitting on a fence and simply watching. Unsettled frontiers tend to attract a disproportionate number of single young men, eager for adventure and new horizons, rowdy, rambunctious, restless, and in the absence of the social restraints typically imposed by families and neighbors in more established communities, frequently lawless. Wild West Outlaws And Lawmen - HistoryNet Died: April 3, 1882. Jesse was twice wounded during the war, the second occurring at wars end when he was shot in the chest by Union cavalry as he tried to surrender. Biography: A former confederate guerrilla during the US Civil war, Jesse James became a famous outlaw and bandit notorious for robbing banks and trains. Once a sidekick of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Kid Curry was, in the words of detective and bounty hunter William Pinkerton, the only criminal I know of who has not one single redeeming feature. According to Knoxville journalist Chuck Allen, the Kid earned his reputation as a gunslinger for killing nine law enforcement officers in five separate shootouts, not to mention two civilians in other circumstances. Known in his day as "Black Jack," John Anderson was a brutal yet often charismatic outlaw was African-American but became Australia's only known pirate. We have had a few horrific homicides over the years, and here are 10 of them: 7. Famous Wild West Outlaws William "Curly Bill" Brocius Sam Bass Belle Starr Thomas Coleman Younger James B. In 1906, they moved to Bolivia, and worked as guards for a mining company. Wyatt formed an escort to accompany Virgil, and on March 20, 1882, spotted Stillwell and two associates waiting in ambush near Tucsons train station. He was convicted for murder and after an unsuccessful jail break attempt; he fled to Texas and changed his name to Samuel King, where he died of smallpox in 1882. Frank Reno (1837 1868) was raised in Jackson County, Indiana, by strictly religious parents who saw to it that their children observed all the strictures, attended church regularly, and spent all day Sunday reading the Bible. The majority of outlaws in the Old West preyed on banks, trains, and stagecoaches. 3) Robert Clay Allison franksrealm.com Born in Texas and raised in Tennessee, this Waynesboro youth had intense mood swings that led to violence. A zealot with nebulous ideas of triggering a Native American uprising, Buck led his gang on a depraved rampage of robbery, rape, and murder, that terrorized white settlers, Indians, and African Americans alike. They also claimed their land grant was not being honored due to an increasing number of white settlers squatting in their property. He joined with outlaws Jim and Bill Cook and began terrorizing Oklahoma until his apprehension. List25 is a registered trademark. 10 Infamous Deadly Real-Life Gun Slingers of the Wild West John Johnny Ringo (1850 1882) was born in Indiana, and his family moved to Missouri in 1858, and thence to California. The Harpe Brothers from the book The World's Worst Psychopaths by Victor McQueen, Harpe Brothers - Nashville Tennessean 1938, Micajah Harpe execution - Nashville Tennessean 1963. He later served as a U.S . He joined several other outlaws of the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, which focused on robbing trains and ranches. It was a bad choice, as Robert Ford had been negotiating with Missouris governor to betray Jesse. Also known as William H. Bonney or Henry Antrim, Billy the Kid is a legendary outlaw of the American Old West whose life has become sensationalized in movies, songs, and books. After the Big Springs heist, Bass began spending lavishly, and when some of his Black Hills Bandits partners were tracked down and killed by law enforcement, he formed his own gang in Texas, which robbed four trains and two stagecoaches near Dallas in 1878, but netted little and triggered a manhunt led by Texas Rangers. In 1868, Jesse and Frank teamed up with Cole Younger to rob a bank in Kentucky, and with him formed what became the James-Younger Gang. Famous Outlaws | List of the Top Well-Known Outlaws - Ranker Ill pray til I die! On his body were discovered his trademark mask and some loot from previous robberies. In the 125-year plus years since his death, his legend lives on as debates continue about the exact crimes that John Henry Doc Holliday committed. After the Kid returned to Mexico, he decided to stay in Texas and took a job as a deputy sheriff in Oldham County. The myth of the Old West exerts a tremendous influence on the popular imagination. During a raid on the James household soon thereafter, a bomb was thrown that killed one of Jesses brothers and severed his mothers arm. In June 1899, the Wild Bunch robbed a Union Pacific passenger train in Wyoming, which led to a massive manhunt, during which a Sheriff was killed in a shootout. Harpe Brothers - In 1799, the Governor of Kentucky offered a reward for the capture of either or both of the Harpes - Micajah "Big" Harpe and Wiley "Little" Harpe, accused of killings in southern Illinois, East Tennessee, and Kentucky. He became notorious for supposedly killing 21 people for each year of his life, although factual evidence suggests he only killed 4 in his lifetime. List of Old West gunfighters - Wikipedia It backfired with Frank and his younger brother, John, who rebelled and turned bad early on. The area is mostly known as a pass. Billy is fourth from the left. An alleged cattle rustler, he was unjustly hanged along with Cattle Kate Wilson by a faction of cattle barons, which has become one of the many incidents that led to the Johnson County War. Outlaws in the United States are often associated with their firearms. 10 Famous Outlaws of The Wild West | History Hit Early in the war, Ferguson organized a guerilla unit and began to attack civilians whom he believed to be Union sympathizers. Trying to find women outlaws in 19th century Appalachia produced few results. He first garnered attention in 1870, when he led a mob that broke into a New Mexico jail, seized a deranged man suspected in the murder of a number of people, including his own daughter, and lynched him. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'list25_com-mobile-leaderboard-2','ezslot_16',185,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-list25_com-mobile-leaderboard-2-0');Born Robert Leroy Parker, Butch Cassidy was the leader of the Wild Bunch Gang who became notorious for robbing trains and banks in the American West. 13. In 1872, he bought a ranch on the Mexican border and used it as a base of operations for cattle rustling raids into Mexico. By the time he got back on his feet, Wyatt Earp was upon him. Outlaws MC Bluegrass Chapter (Lexington Area) Outlaws MC Bowlingreen Chapter; Outlaws MC Elizabethtown Chapter; . Western Figure. Together with their three female companions, they terrorizd an plundered whole counties in both Kentucky and Tennessee. Over the following years, he joined posses that chased cattle rustlers, and lynched those captured. After appeals were exhausted, Rufus Buck and his gang were hanged on July 1, 1896. In 1878, Ringo offered whiskey to a man seated next to him in a bar, but when the man declined, Ringo shot off his ear. During the next two decades he, his brother Jesse, and their sidekicks, the Younger brothers, became America's most famous outlaws. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. However, the territorial governor decreed that the justice of the peace who had commissioned the Regulators had been illegally appointed, and thus lacked the authority to issue the warrants enforced by the Regulators transforming them overnight from a legal posse to outlaws. In 1881, the brothers left Tennessee for safety reasons, and soon thereafter Frank moved to Virginia. His crime spree began when he was just 18 years old after shooting Jake Lewis for beating up his younger brother. Within months, Cassidy formed the Wild Bunch gang and robbed an Idaho bank. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in the 17th Illinois Infantry, Union Army and was badly wounded in a battle at Fredericktown, Missouri, After the war, he traveled through different states before. Parker participated in criminal activity for more than a decade at the end of the 19th century, but the . The gang then went on a spree, robbing stagecoaches, trains, banks, and county fairs, from Iowa to Texas, and from West Virginia to Kansas. B Jereboam O. Beauchamp Rodney Bixler Don Blandford Jason Bryant C James Ray Cable Michael Carneal Letalvis Cobbins Vanessa Coleman Natasha Cornett E Edward Edwards (serial killer) Lynndie England F August 8, 1985 and June 16, 1985 Murderpedia The Pinkerton Agency was hired to go after the James-Younger Gang, but when two of its agents were killed, the agencys founder, Allan Pinkerton, turned it into a vendetta. Marshal, the county sheriff, and the town marshal or constable. The life and crimes of Jesse James | | bgdailynews.com As always, we appreciate your support. Wife of Abe Lincoln and First Lady 18611865; subject of multiple psychiatric case studies. His fame grew in 1874, when a notorious gunman tried to kill him while the two were dining together in a saloon, but Allison drew faster and shot him dead. He and his brothers pleaded guilty to avoid the death sentence and were later paroled. He was later fired for picking fights with drunks and was hired as an assistant marshal in Caldwell. He first gained fame as a member of the Black Hills Bandits, a gang that staged the biggest train robbery in the history of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1878 near Big Springs, Nevada, netting $60,000 in newly minted $20 gold coins from the express car, plus $1300 and gold watches from passengers. Born Nathaniel Ellsworth Wyatt, Zip was also known for his other aliases, Wild Charlie and Dick Yeager. After recovering from his wound, Jesse and his brother Frank joined a gang led by one of their former guerrilla commanders, and in 1866 robbed a bank in Liberty, Missouri, during which robbery an innocent bystander was killed. In poor health, Black Bart did not return to his family, but he did write his wife that he was depressed and wanted to get away from everybody. 27, 2010", "Amazing Race Couple Get New Home and Car", "Duncan Hines: The Man Behind The Cake Mix", "Johnson County History and That's a Fact", "Thanks for visiting Anchorage, Kentucky! Born Crawford Goldsby, Cherokee Bill was a 19th century outlaw who was known to have a quick trigger finger. Stillwell and his friends ran for their lives when they spotted Wyatt, but Stillwell stumbled. At Appalachia Bare, we strive to be, hands-down, the regions best blog on Appalachian history, literature, and culture. These 5 Evil People From Tennessee Left A Dark Stain On History Kentucky outlaws - Blackfacts.com The proprietor was arrested, and offered to deliver the robber, disclosing that Brazelton intended to commit another robbery that night, and that a meeting had been prearranged for earlier that evening to deliver him supplies. Jesse James (Outlaw) - On This Day With three associates, Cassidy robbed his first bank, in Telluride, Colorado, in 1889, then fled to a remote Utah hideout known as Robbers Roost. In 1869, Jesse murdered a cashier during a robbery, after mistaking him for the man who had killed his former guerrilla commander, "Bloody Bill' Anderson. After a shootout and pursuit, only Jesse and his brother Frank escaped, with the rest of the gang killed or captured. The Murdered Girl Ballad originated in the British Isles with such traditional ballads as Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight and the Cruel Ships Carpenter. These ballads were brought overseas by the Scots-Irish who settled the Appalachian region in the 1700s and were gradually adapted to fit a more Americanized worldview and a uniquely Appalachian mode of experience. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some were simply men who took advantage of the wildness and lawlessness of the frontier to enrich themselves at the expense of others. In the aftermath of his last robbery, on August 15, 1878, Brazeltons horse threw a shoe, leaving a distinct print that allowed pursuers to follow the track to a horse corral. An outlaw had usually been convicted of a crime, such as Black Bart, but may have only gained a reputation as operating outside the law, such as Ike Clanton. Big Harpe was killed in 1799 and his head stuck Taken into Muskogee, the gang barely escaped lynching by a Creek mob, which dispersed only after a tribal chief pleaded with them, and the US Marshals vowed to shoot the first man who tried to seize their prisoners. Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla, and leader of the James-Younger Gang. A more certain circumstance is that mountain women were too often victims of violence, and worse, at the hands of their menfolk. Born Hyman G. Neil, the leader of the Dodge City Gang that terrorized Las Vegas, New Mexico from 1879 to early 1880 was considered to be the baddest cowboy of them all. His crime spree began when he was just 18 years old after shooting Jake Lewis for beating up his younger brother. Marshal Virgil Earp and Cochise County, Arizona Sheriff Johnny Behan. Born in Iowa, Frank Stillwell (1856 1882) ended up in Arizona in 1877, where he had his first recorded run in with the law: a new cook served him tea instead of coffee, and Stillwell shot him dead. History Collection The Notorious Men of the Wild West, Smithsonian Magazine Gun Control Is as Old as the Old West, University of Nebraska Finding Law & Order in The Wild West, The Independent The Culture of Violence in the American West: Myth versus Reality, Gold Bug Park Black Bart: The Gentleman Bandit, Herald Democrat Sam Bass Stood Out in the Wild West, History Collection Americas First Serial Killers and Many More Deadly Historic Figures, History Channel Vigilantes Yank Train Robbers from Jail and Hang Them, Smithsonian Magazine How the Reno Gang Launched the Era of American Train Robberies, Civil War on the Western Border Jesse James and Frank James, History of Yesterday The Robin Hood of America. The Bandit Queen was born Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr before becaming a notorious outlaw. Michael "Johnny Behind the Deuce" O'Rourke, Jos Doroteo "Pancho Villa" Arango Armbula, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Old_West_gunfighters&oldid=1147536748, This page was last edited on 31 March 2023, at 16:14. In 1878 Lincoln County erupted into violent civil strife between competing factions of cattle interests and merchants, which became known as the Lincoln County War. Named after the founder of the Methodist church, Hardin was just 14-year-old when he stabbed another boy who was taunting him. To escape a backlash, their father was forced to flee, taking Frank and John and two other sons, to live in Missouri for a few years. Born in Harford, Kentucky, he was the oldest brother of Virgil, Morgan, and Wyatt Earp. Whenever they encountered somebody riding a horse they liked, they offered to trade, and shot the rider if he declined. In the meantime, the region saw a boom in banditry as violent criminals, many of whom frequently transitioned from outlaws to lawmen and back again, crossing and recrossing that line multiple times during their lifetimes, gave in to the temptation of easy riches in a region abounding with readily portable wealth, be it cash, gold, cattle or horses. Over the following year, Brazelton committed at least another 8 stagecoach robberies in Arizona and New Mexico. Within weeks, many of Ringos friends had been killed or fled the area, and Although he denied any involvement in the shootings of Virgil and Morgan Earp, Ringo deemed it advisable to leave Tombstone until things calmed down. He gained widespread recognition in the 1930s and was at one point Public Enemy No. Haskay-bay-nay-ntayl or the tall man destined to come to a mysterious end, was better known as the Apache Kid who was said to have been the fiercest Apache next only to Geronimo. Allison was arrested for murder, but charges were dropped after an inquiry determined that he had acted in self-defense. Witnesses reported seeing Stillwell fleeing from the scene, and a Coroners jury listed Stillwell among the suspects in the assassination. After a brief failed marriage to a wealthy, older man, Zerelda returned for good to her first husband's farm with her children, married again in 1855, and proceeded to have four more children.. Harvard Magazine. More importantly, they could be halted in isolated locales, giving the robbers time to flee before law enforcement arrived and attempted to track down the culprits. The murderous outlaws were actually cousins whose criminal careers began with the American Revolution. Wikimedia Commons. The posse left as if riding back home, then doubled back to the meeting site to wait in ambush. Cassidy tried to negotiate an amnesty plea with Wyomings governor that would have entailed the Union Pacific Railroad dropping criminal charges. Required fields are marked *. On the evening of November 6, 1908, the boarding house was surrounded. At least two of their rape victims died of their injuries. A few days later, they robbed a salesman, stripped him naked, and offered him a chance to escape. In the 1870s a young Ringo moved to Texas, and by 1875 had joined a gang and participated in its depredations during a period of lawlessness and revenge killings between factions of German settlers and natural-born Americans in Mason County, Texas, that became known as the Mason County War. Geronimo was a prominent leader of the Bedonkohe Apache, who was also known for his Chiricahua name, Goyathlay or Goyahkla or one who yawns. Unbeknownst to them, they were tracked by a posse, which surrounded the hideout during the night. Robert James, Jesse . Jesse James (1847 1882) was born and raised in a part of Missouri that had strong Southern sympathies, and when the Civil War broke out, he joined pro-Confederacy guerrillas led by men such as Bloody Bill Anderson and William Quantrill, who committed sundry atrocities during the conflict in which Jesse and his elder brother Frank took part. Regardless of what you think of them though, no one can argue that these are definitely the 25 most notorious outlaws of the wild west. Some outlaws migrated to the frontier to escape prosecution for crimes elsewhere. A gang made up of cousins led by brothers Felipe and Jose, they were feared by the residents of the Colorado Territory in 1863. On August 4th, they raped a woman in front of her husband, whom they held at bay with rifles. He torpedoed his chances by robbing another Union Pacific in 1900, while the negotiations were ongoing and in breach of a promise he made the governor. Your email address will not be published. This 4-inch-by-5-inch tintype depicts Billy the Kid and several members of his gang, The Regulators, playing croquet in 1878. He is best known for his hostility to and adverse run ins with lawman Wyatt Earp and his associates, which eventually spelled Ringos doom. If there were outlaws that became legends for living fast and dying young, the duo of Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Champion Barrow takes the cake as shown in the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. They formed the band the Barrow Gang, along with Clydes brother and sister-in-law Buck and Blanche as they went on a robbing and killing spree across Texas, Missouri, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. After he left the gang, he became a prominent politician among the Chickasaw nation until his death at the age of 42, before he could start serving as their governor. Outlaws MC Kentucky Chapters. Wikimedia. As a gunfighter for the gang he killed a number of people including several sheriffs. They also got into stagecoach and train robberies where they netted $60,000 from the gold train, the largest robbery of the Union Pacific. This remote spot, known as Hole-in-the-Wall, is located in the Big Horn Mountains of Johnson County in northern Wyoming. Membership fluctuated from robbery to robbery, as the outlaws' raids were usually separated by many months. Jun 6, 2017 - Explore Janet Mackley's board "Outlaws & Other Old West Characters", followed by 2,081 people on Pinterest. Ferguson was hanged by military personnel on October 20, 1865, and is buried in White County, Tennessee, north of Sparta. Sometimes their jurisdictions overlapped which could lead to conflicts like those between Deputy U.S. In such a fluid and volatile environment, it took decades to establish effective law and order and finally tame the Wild West. With his brother Frank, he was leader of the James-Younger Gang, they formed with associates. Bucks gang started stockpiling weapons in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and on July 28, 1895, began their rampage by shooting and killing a deputy US Marshal. He never fired his weapon, and sometimes left behind handwritten poems, which further enhanced his notoriety and gained him the nickname Black Bart the Poet. If youve enjoyed this post, leave a comment. Jesse and Frank James, for example, took occasional sabbaticals from bank and train robbing, traveling to East Tennessee, and seeking refuge in the Old Washington community in Rhea County. To escape angry neighbors, Frank and John enlisted when the Civil War broke out, and became serial bounty jumpers, joining a regiment to collect enlistment bonuses, which steadily grew as the war progressed, deserting at the earliest opportunity, enlisting in another regiment elsewhere with fake names to collect more enlistment bonuses, and repeating the cycle. After the war, the duo used these hit-and-run ploys to further their careers as outlaws. I let go both barrels, and he tumbled down dead and mangled at my feet.. They returned to Argentina later that year and robbed a bank, then fled back to Chile. It was usually present on three levels: the Deputy U.S. A year later, he graduated from grifting to armed robbery, and held up his first stagecoach in September 1877. When Moses rode up, Squire McBee related the circumstances of the deaths of Stegalls wife and child. Grievously wounded, Cassidy shot Longabaugh dead to put him out of his misery, before turning his pistol on himself. Pressure mounted as posses tracked down and killed or arrested Wild Bunch members and associates, one by one. A gunfighter may or may not be an outlaw or a lawman. Outlaws & Other Old West Characters - Pinterest Stagecoaches became a primary target for outlaws before the arrival of the railroad, because they frequently transported valuables and payrolls in their strongboxes, and required relatively little effort to rob aside from the robbers audacity. Born in 1847 and raised in the "Little Dixie . He then tried his hand at legitimate cattle ranching, but ranch operations were frequently impeded by his violent temper. Black Pistons MC (Motorcycle Club) November 29, 2015 March 31, 2017 OnePercenterBikers . In fact, these guns are sometimes as legendary as the outlaw's wielding them. Today, a century after Jesse's murder and Frank's surrender in 1882, they still possess that distinction. Three of the shots hit Dillinger, and he fell face down on the pavement. Kentucky: Donald Harvey Kentucky is where Donald Harvey got his start in 1970 as a prolific "angel of death": During a ten-month period, he killed at least 12 patients while working as an. Numerous state and federal laws criminalized slave flight and prohibited people from aiding and concealing runaways. Nothing came of it, nor did anything come of other instances when Fisher was arrested for violent acts and attempted murders, only to be released when witnesses refused to come forward or disappeared.