Some crimes were carried out by Mexicans and Native Americans against white citizens who were targets of opportunity along the U.S.Mexico border, particularly in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. He used his high ranking political position to cover up most of the gangs crimes, but the citizens of Las Vegas had enough of his corruption and they organized vigilantes to overthrow him in the summer of 1880. Although a notorious troublemaker, Fisher was liked in the community, and by the 1880s had transitioned from bandit to lawman, serving briefly as acting sheriff of Uvalde County in 1883, during which service he tracked down a stagecoach robbing duo, shooting one dead and bringing in the other. Immortalized in a number of films, songs, folklore, and even video games, the American Wild West has become famous for its cowboys, gunslingers, and outlaws. The witness was shot dead soon thereafter, at which point the other passengers refused to testify and the charges were dropped. 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. Robert LeRoy Parker (April 13, 1866 - November 7, 1908), better known as Butch Cassidy, was a U.S. train robber and bank robber, and the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the "Wild Bunch" in the U.S. Old West. Pages in category "Criminals from Kentucky" The following 36 pages are in this category, out of 36 total. 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. Frank returned home in 1864, and with his brother John formed the Reno Gang, and was joined by horse thieves, safecrackers, counterfeiters, gamblers and other neer do wells, and began robbing Post Offices and stores in southern Indiana. He joined the Confederate Army after the murder of his father, but became one of the suspects in the 1868 robbery of Nimrod Long & Co. in Kentucky. He was wounded by a Texas Ranger during one of their heists and died two days later on his 27th birthday. Your email address will not be published. Some say he even had a confrontation with the famous Wyatt Earp. In 1868, Jesse and Frank James teamed up with Cole Younger to rob a bank in Kentucky, and formed with him the James-Younger Gang. He was said to murder elderly and bedridden men, too. Rewards were posted for outlaws which encouraged citizens to capture or kill them for the reward, leading to the profession of bounty hunter people who would find and capture/kill those with a bounty placed on their head by the law. Marshal Virgil Earp and Cochise County, Arizona Sheriff Johnny Behan. Early in the war, Ferguson organized a guerilla unit and began to attack civilians whom he believed to be Union sympathizers. Short on provisions, the men killed their horses, ate the meat, and made snowshoes out of the hides. In May 1900, Wild Bunch members rode into Moab, Utah, and killed the Sheriff and a deputy as payback for the earlier killing of two gang members. The couple lived in Jackson County, Missouri, and . "The Outlaw Doc") (1825-1856) John Henry "Doc" Holliday (1851-1887) Tom Horn (1860-1903) Jesse Lee Hall (1849-1911) John Reynolds Hughes (1855-1947) J document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Designed using Nevark Premium. "The Kentucky Cannibal") (1828-1864) James "Wild Bill" Hickok (1837-1876) John "Pink" Higgins (1848-1914) Robert Woodson "Wood" Hite (1850-1881) Thomas J. They were killed in Louisiana by police rangers while attempting to evade arrest. A more certain circumstance is that mountain women were too often victims of violence, and worse, at the hands of their menfolk. They aroused the proprietors suspicions, and he notified a nearby Bolivian army unit. True West Magazine How was Morgan Earp killed? Grievously wounded, Cassidy shot Longabaugh dead to put him out of his misery, before turning his pistol on himself. Ryan Alessi, "Republican Suzanne Miles wins House seat from Democrats in another 7th District squeaker". 3) Robert Clay Allison franksrealm.com Born in Texas and raised in Tennessee, this Waynesboro youth had intense mood swings that led to violence. They were arrested, but broke out of jail and escaped to Indiana, where they resumed train robberies, one of which netted them $96,000, a princely sum that gained the Reno Gang worldwide fame. 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. A firefight erupted, and the noise attracted the recently arrived Texas Rangers, who joined the shootout. Under the direction of their leader, William Clarke Quantrill, the ragtag raiders perfected military tactics, including disguises, coordinated and synchronized attacks, planned dispersal after an attack that used preplanned routes and relays of horses, and use of multiple .36-cal. His last name, Cassidy, was a tribute to his friend and mentor Mike Cassidy who taught him how to shoot. Aged 15, he was sentenced to two years imprisonment for horse theft but won early release because of his youth. Explorers, pioneers, and military personnel, Film, radio, and television personalities. 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. He was tried, but acquitted. It was he who killed my brother. At Appalachia Bare, we strive to be, hands-down, the regions best blog on Appalachian history, literature, and culture. 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. Some outlaws migrated to the frontier to escape prosecution for crimes elsewhere. Jesse James summary: Jesse Woodson James was born into a hardworking family. Following are 12 notorious outlaws who operated in the heyday of the Wild West. Law was present, if spread thin, in the American Old West. Numerous state and federal laws criminalized slave flight and prohibited people from aiding and concealing runaways. He moved to the southwest when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis at age 15, which is where he took up gambling and acquired a reputation as a deadly gunman. Allison sided with the settlers, and took part in the lynching of a pro-landowner gunslinger. Cassidy tried to negotiate an amnesty plea with Wyomings governor that would have entailed the Union Pacific Railroad dropping criminal charges. The James-Younger Gang. His crime spree began when he was just 18 years old after shooting Jake Lewis for beating up his younger brother. During the Civil War, he enlisted in an Illinois regiment and proved a good soldier, getting promoted to Company First Sergeant within a year, and was brevetted as a lieutenant before his discharge in 1865. Though the most notorious outlaws of the Wild West were considered enemies of the state, today they are often spoken of as heroes and trailblazers. While in Buffalo, he shot and killed a man, but was never convicted. This remote spot, known as Hole-in-the-Wall, is located in the Big Horn Mountains of Johnson County in northern Wyoming. Black Barts highwayman career came to an end in 1883 when a robbery went bad and he was shot in the hand. Some of those listed may have also served in law enforcement, like Marshal Burt Alvord who subsequently became an outlaw, and some outlaws like Johnny Ringo were deputized at one time or another. What a coward he was. Marshal, the county sheriff, and the town marshal or constable. A few months later, they killed a jailer while freeing imprisoned fellow gang members. He then tried his hand at legitimate cattle ranching, but ranch operations were frequently impeded by his violent temper. She lived a spoiled, rich girl life, having been brought up from a well-to-do family. He got his moniker when he was caught and convicted for horse thievery in Sundance, Wyoming. The United States relentlessly pushed its frontier westward during the 19th century in pursuit of Manifest Destiny, steadily populating vast swathes with a relentless stream of new arrivals who upped stakes and abandoned their homes in pursuit of dreams of greener pastures and a fresh start in the American West. He and three others robbed $21,000 from the San Miguel Valley Bank in Telluride in 1889, where he used his share to buy the infamous Hole-in-the-Wall ranch, which was believed to be a cover for his illegal activities. Charles Allen, aka Big Time Charlie - After the turn of the century, Big Time Charlie ran one of the most illicit prostitution rings in Denver, Colorado. While evading arrests, he became involved in a life of crimes including a number of robberies and other crimes. After a furious firefight, they were forced to surrender when they ran out of ammunition. Wonderful pictures and history well writte in another of your masterpieces, Professor! Charles Allen - An outlaw, Allen robbed and killed a group of people in Virginia City, Montana, and was hanged by vigilantes. He moved to the southwest when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis at age 15, which is where he took up gambling and acquired a reputation as a deadly gunman.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'list25_com-leader-1','ezslot_3',198,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-list25_com-leader-1-0'); Black Jack was a cowboy who later turned to a life of crime after leaving Texas in 1890. Born Crawford Goldsby, Cherokee Bill was a 19th century outlaw who was known to have a quick trigger finger. The American myth would be incomplete without these antiheroes of the nineteenth century frontier. Currys plan blew up on the evening of December 13, 1901, when the Knoxville Police Department responded to a call at Ikes Knoxville Saloon at the corner of Central Avenue and Commerce Street. 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. 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. Jesse James. This American outlaw and gunfighter claimed to have killed 42 men, though the newspapers attributed only 27 killings. Possibly the most famous outlaw of the Wild West is Billy the Kid. Frank Reno was then dragged from his cell in the early hours and lynched, followed soon thereafter by the remaining gang members. I ran straight for Stilwell, he later recounted. The following dawn, Bowdre emerged from the house to feed the horses, and was immediately shot multiple times and fell back into the house, mortally wounded. The next morning, they spotted the Harpes after riding only a few miles. Frank Stillwell. Some individuals, like Jesse James, became outlaws after serving in the Civil War. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Sentenced to two years, he was released and pardoned after a year and a half by Wyomings governor. He later became a homestead owner who defied large cattle baron, Albert J. Bothwell. Outlaws - Produced by Dave Alexander, music by Scott Buckley Outlaw Gang List: Burton Alvord - Lawman and Outlaw Alvord-Stiles Gang (1899-1904) - Led by two ex-lawmen, Burton Alvord and Billy Stiles, this gang of train robbers operated in Arizona Territory at the turn of the century. Wikimedia Commons. Vandaveer - "Pretty Polly" (Official Video), Scruffy City All-Stars - "Knoxville Girl", Tim O'Brien - "Down in the Willow Garden", Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Clay Allison (1841 1887) was born and raised in Tennessee, and fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Fugitive slaves were a particular concern in Kentucky, bordered to the north by the free states of Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. Who of us doesnt admire, if begrudgingly, the swagger of Billy the Kid, the daring of the James brothers, Frank and Jesse, the cagey resourcefulness of Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and the Hole in the Wall Gang? 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. In such a fluid and volatile environment, it took decades to establish effective law and order and finally tame the Wild West. Armed with warrants for the apprehension of accused murderers and factional opponents, Bowdre assisted the Regulators in tracking down and killing a number of men for resisting arrest. Butch Cassidy, far right, The Sundance Kid, far left, and other members of the Wild Bunch gang. As I rushed upon him he put out his hands and clutched at my shotgun. Most of the gang escaped, but a captured member identified two others, who were arrested the following day. Ferguson was hanged by military personnel on October 20, 1865, and is buried in White County, Tennessee, north of Sparta. Witnesses reported seeing Stillwell fleeing from the scene, and a Coroners jury listed Stillwell among the suspects in the assassination. John Johnny Ringo (1850 1882) was born in Indiana, and his family moved to Missouri in 1858, and thence to California. Born in the Indian Territory in todays Oklahoma to a Creek Indian father and an African American mother, Rufus Buck (1877 1896) formed a multi-ethnic gang of teenagers all Indians, African Americans, or mixed race. Western Figure. So common were these occurrences that there arose a genre of songs known as Appalachian Murdered Girl Ballads. According to Ariadne Blayde, . A Chickasaw cowboy, he joined Billy the Kids gang, the Regulators, but later quitted to return to his people. Known as Deacon Jim because he regularly attended the Methodist church and did not smoke or drink, he was also a paid assassin with a going rate of $150 to $2000. Today, a century after Jesse's murder and Frank's surrender in 1882, they still possess that distinction. Manage Settings Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Stories circulated about Fergusons sadism, alleging tales that he sometimes decapitated his prisoners, rolling their heads down hills. Member of Kentucky House of Representatives from District 7, Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from District 52, Member of the Kentucky State Senate from 1987 to 2012, president of the state Senate from 2000 to 2012; Republican U.S. Senate nominee in 1992, gubernatorial nominee in 2011; current 40th District circuit judge, Member of the Kentucky State Senate from District 16 in south central Kentucky, former FBI agent, Born, reared, and resides in Campbellsville in Taylor County, Country and comedy musician, member of the, "Old time" country and gospel music singer, member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and, Singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, actress, and model, Soul jazz piano player and vocalist; crossover artist into R&B and soul, Former guitarist for hard rock groups Kingdom Come, Wild Horses and Warrant, Princeton University astrophysical sciences professor and Doomsday argument theory, NASA scientist, associate director of NASA's Ames Research Center, "Mars czar", 1993 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Olympic and professional boxing champion and activist, Virginia Tech Defensive Coordinator 19952019, First woman to make solo crossing of Atlantic Ocean by rowboat or ski to geographic South Pole, Professional basketball player in NBA and for, C.A.R.T. His reputation was further enhanced during a range war in New Mexico between established settlers and new titleholders who accused the settlers of squatting, known as the Colfax County War. 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. Champ Ferguson after he was captured by Union soldiers/ Source: Harper's Weekly, 1865, Champ Ferguson, 1865. 7 New York Yankees GM", "Kentucky's Historian Laureate: Thomas D. Clark", "Dannah Prather, Happy Trails Pardner: Kentuckian hands reins to Christ, now shares gospel on horseback, April. Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla, and leader of the James-Younger Gang. With three associates, Cassidy robbed his first bank, in Telluride, Colorado, in 1889, then fled to a remote Utah hideout known as Robbers Roost. He then left town to bring the rest of the shows crew and stagehands, and never returned. Philippe P tain (CC BY 2.0) by Cassowary Colorizations Philippe Ptain (1856-1951) Philippe Ptain went from being one of France's greatest heroes from World War I to a vilified figure . The American Cowboy Chronicles. Born: September 5, 1847. After a shootout and pursuit, only Jesse and his brother Frank escaped, with the rest of the gang killed or captured. Born and raised in Texas, John King Fisher (1853 1884) turned bad at an early age. Jesse Woodson James was already a celebrity when he was alive, and has became even more legendary after his death. He was also credited for killing 12 people during gunfights, but was eventually lynched by angry mobs for killing a former Deputy US Marshal. When an outlaw committed a crime, the local sheriff or marshal would usually form a posse to attempt to capture them. 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. Senator 19741999, member of Democratic Party, veteran of Army and Kentucky National Guard, serving 19441946 and 19491962, 54th Governor of Kentucky; 46th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky; member of the Kentucky State Senate, member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, Current member of the Kentucky State Senate, former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, businessman. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Pressure mounted as posses tracked down and killed or arrested Wild Bunch members and associates, one by one. He and his gang terrorized the Indian Territory for over two years before he was hanged on March 17, 1896 at the age of 20. Colt revolvers for increased firepower and improved accuracy of the .44-cal. In 1906, they moved to Bolivia, and worked as guards for a mining company. 25 Most Notorious Outlaws Of The Wild West. In 1867, the gang killed the mayor of Richmond, Missouri, along with two others, during a bank robbery. 1Authors and journalists 2Explorers, pioneers, and military personnel 3Film, radio, and television personalities 4Government and political leaders 5Infamous persons 6Musicians 7Scientists and inventors 8Sports figures 9Visual artists 10Other notable persons 11See also 12References Toggle the table of contents Toggle the table of contents He was taken back to Round Rock, but died the following day, June 21, on his 27th birthday. Big Harpe was killed in 1799 and his head stuck Here are 10 of the most famous and notorious of these outlaws of the Wild West. On the outskirts of Eufala, they came across a black child, and just to see him twitch as he expired, shot him dead. Texas State Historical Association. He styled himself a gunslinger, and proved himself one when a dispute over sharing the loot triggered a shootout during which a teenage Fisher killed three fellow bandits. On the evening of November 6, 1908, the boarding house was surrounded. Black Pistons MC (Motorcycle Club) November 29, 2015 March 31, 2017 OnePercenterBikers . Besides banks, they also robbed stage coaches and trains but their luck ran out in a botched bank robbery on September 7, 1876. Spouse: Zerelda Mimms. The lynched mans family vowed revenge, but when an uncle of the victim cornered Allison, the latter proved quicker on the draw and shot him dead. That done, he would order the driver to move on, then recover the strongbox and abscond. 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. The myth of the Old West exerts a tremendous influence on the popular imagination. He ambushed his victims at night wearing a black frock coat, so as not to be easily detected. In 1894, he was arrested and convicted of horse stealing and extortion. Labeled the nation's first serial killers, Micajah "Big" Harpe and Wiley "Little" Harpe wreaked havoc in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Mississippi in the late 1700s. . The term gunslinger is a modern, 20th-century invention, often used in cinema or other media to refer to men in the American Old West who had gained a reputation as being dangerous with a gun. In Kentucky, pro-Union soldiers and hired killers tracked Quantrill and his men. Trying to find women outlaws in 19th century Appalachia produced few results. Image taken after he was captured by the Union/ Source: Wikimedia. Sam Bass (1851 - 1878) tried his hand at a succession of legal professions, and worked as a farmer, miner, cowboy, teamster, and saloon owner, but he was a degenerate gambler, and his persistent losses in gambling dens and the race track eventually led him to try his hand at robbery. In Knoxville, Logan changed his name to William Wilson and began to court a woman named Laura Cross whom he intended to marry. He cleaned the tough town quickly, which gave him the title, one of the quickest men on the trigger in the Southwest. However, he reverted back to his old outlaw ways and was involved in a shootout during a bank robbery. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Another three gang members were captured soon thereafter, and the train taking them to the Seymour jail was again stopped by masked vigilantes, who hung the prisoners from the same tree. Soon thereafter, he recruited Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, AKA The Sundance Kid. Under mounting pressure, however, the gang broke up, and Cassidy and Longabaugh fled to New York City in 1901, and from there sailed to Argentina, where they purchased and settled in a 15,000-acre ranch. During a raid on the James household soon thereafter, a bomb was thrown that killed one of Jesses brothers and severed his mothers arm. Woman loves man and man loves (or pretends to love) woman. It ended with a dead outlaw, and a mortally wounded Bass jumping on his horse and fleeing town. They also claimed their land grant was not being honored due to an increasing number of white settlers squatting in their property. He and Robert LeRoy Parker formed a gang after he was released from prison in 1896 and it was believed that he was killed in a shootout in Bolivia, though his family members refuted it. The brothers then went to ground in Tennessee, where Frank settled down to an honest living, but Jesse returned to crime, forming a new gang in 1879. 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. During this time of expansion from coast to coast, many people rose to fame through their exciting (and often illegal) lives. 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. Three of the shots hit Dillinger, and he fell face down on the pavement. Allison was arrested for murder, but charges were dropped after an inquiry determined that he had acted in self-defense. Arrested, Ringo escaped from jail and fled to Arizona. Chas Harper - An outlaw and member of the Plummer gang, was hanged at Florence, Idaho, in 1891. A month later, his body was discovered beneath a tree with a bullet hole in the head. This macabre and colorful piece was a hoot and a history lesson nice work! A posse of seven men found their trail and followed it until night. He was mentored by a cattle rustler named Mike Cassidy, whose surname he adopted, and a subsequent job as a butcher earned him the nickname Butch. Soon thereafter, Wyatt Earp, a deputy US Marshall, formed a federal posse to hunt down those deemed responsible for shooting his brothers.