Famous Western Outlaws

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One of the most intriguing part of our history, the American Wild West refers to the lawlessness that a certain part of the country experienced, from mid-1800s to early 1900s. During this time, many interesting characters came to prominence, who exploited the lawlessness that surround the Old West and led illegal lives. There was no shortage, no scarcity of heavy drinking, gambling, shootouts, and robberies. It was a part of the culture, something that people living there adapted to. They accepted it and lived through it. This article explorers some of the most interesting and famous characters that emerged from the land with no rules, the land beyond the reach of authorities of the time. These characters later became the life of western cinema and dime novels.

1. Big Nose George

Big Nose George
Big Nose George

The closets George came to legal activities was his job as a cattle rustler, in the late 19th century. George and his gang started out committing robberies and swindled people of large amounts of money. During one robbery, he and his gang killed two law enforcement officials, one of whom was deputy sheriff. This put them on the very top of the wanted lists. After many successful robberies, George and his were at their pinnacle, committing daylight robberies without any fear of getting caught. However, 2 years after killing the officials, George and his second, Dutch Charlie got drunk and bragged about killing the two officials. As a result, the news spread like fire, and in no time they found themselves arrested. One day, a mob entered his prison cell and dragged him out. They strung him from a pole. What makes George more memorable is what happened to him after he died: his head was chopped-off, his face was turned into a death mask and the skin from the rest of his body was used in making shoes and a hand bag. Whatever remained was stored in a barrel, for experimental purposes.

2. Harry Longabaugh

Harry Longabaugh
Harry Longabaugh

Famously known as ‘The Sundance Kid,’ after getting caught stealing horse in Sundance, Wyoming, he was a member of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch. Longabaugh, along with the whole bunch, carried out all types of robberies, which considered by many as the longest series of successful robberies in history. He was considered relatively non-violent and is many believe he never killed anyone. He usually relied on fear and negotiation. After increasing pressure from Pinkerton Detective Agency, Longabaugh and Cassidy, along with their gang, fled to Argentina. What happened to Sundance Kid is a matter of dispute, where some think he was killed in Bolivia, others claim that he came back and changed his name. Robert Redford played his character, in the 1969 movie ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.’

3. Sam Bass

Sam Bass
Sam Bass

Unlike others, Bass started out as an honest, hardworking man. He ran from home due to being abused by his uncle, on a daily basis. Dreaming of being a cowboy, he came to Texas, where things were not as he expected. Struck with disappointment, he took up a job of droving herds of longhorns. After he once drove herds up north, greed got the best of him. This was his first felony. He did not go back to Texas to pay the owner of the herd and wasted the money on drinking and gambling. Broke and needy, he and his partner Joel Collins, started robbing stagecoaches. This was never going to be enough, eventually leading to promotion to robbing trains. One lucky day, he and his gang robbed Union Pacific gold train. The worth of the robbery was $60,000, making it the greatest single robbery of the Union Pacific. He died on his 27th birthday, after being wounded in a bank robbery.

4. Belle Starr

Belle Starr
Belle Starr

Like Sam Bass, Belle Starr could have gotten a completely different life than a life of lawlessness. However, fate had other plans. A young lady who excelled at studies and was an adept pianist, grew up with Cole Younger. She was later introduced to the James brothers. Such a company meant it was about time that Belle herself came in the crime scene and it happened, making her ‘The Bandit Queen.’ She, her husband, Jameses, Youngers and the family of her future husband, Sam Starr, carried out many heists. After her first husband was killed during an escape from custody, she married Sam. She got deeper and deeper into crime scenes and would have her way, even if it meant seducing people. She was shot one day, while she was coming come from a grocery store. The killer escaped unidentified.

5. Cole Younger

Cole Younger
Cole Younger

A childhood friend of Belle Starr, Younger started out with Quantrill’s Raiders. After his father was killed, enraged and frustrated, he joined the Confederate Army. When he transitioned into robbery is not certain, however, after he did so, he and his brother ganged up with the James brothers. Together, there was not a type of robbery that they did not commit. However, after they were caught during a bank robbery. They pleaded guilty and were released on parole, in 1901. Cole teamed up with Frank James and travelled across the country, giving speeches and spreading awareness about the Wild West. He later converted to Christianity and forsook his tainted past. He died 4 years later, of natural causes.

6. Butch Cassidy

Butch Cassidy
Butch Cassidy

Born Robert Parker, he changed his name in tribute to his mentor Mike Cassidy. In his early teenage years, he worked on a family ranch, where he met Mike. His first law-breaking incident came when he let himself in a departmental store to get some stuff, while it was closed. However, he intended on paying and even left a note for the shopkeeper. However, the shopkeeper contacted the authorities and Cassidy was convicted. Years later, he was actually breaking serious law. He and his gang, which he named the Wild Bunch, would carry out robberies on a regular basis. He was associated with many notable outlaws of the time and was one of the most respected and feared ones. He had a ranch business, as a cover up for his illegal activities. He too, ran with Sundance Kid, to Argentina, due to pressures from Pinkerton Detective Agency.

7. John Wesley Hardin

John Wesley Hardin
John Wesley Hardin

Coming from a very religious family, named after the founder of the Methodist faith, Hardin was no saint. Even from his early age, he showed rebellious signs. At age 14, he killed a boy who taunted him. Not learning from this accident, he was further encouraged. A year later, after an argument with a slave, over some play-fighting, he fired three shots on him and he died on the scene. He fled from the scene in fear of being persecuted for the crime. When the police came to know about his hideout, he decided to engage in combat, killing 3 policemen in the process and evading the law. He was known for using residences of relatives, as hideouts. While he was staying in a hotel, he killed a man next door, for snoring. Later, he went to Texas, where he enjoyed his last freedom. After being caught, he was given 17 years of prison, which he decided to spend productively. He finished his law degree from the prison and wrote an autobiography. While playing dice, one day, he was shot dead. The killer was an El Paso lawman.

8. Killer Miller/Deacon Jim

Killer Miller/Deacon Jim
Killer Miller/Deacon Jim

James B. Miller had many nicknames and was famous for sacrilegious following of religion. Although he did not drink or smoke and was a regular visitor of the church, he did not mind killing for a living. A public killer and one of the deadliest gunslingers in the Wild West, Miller was known for his love for his occupation. He openly admitted to killing anyone, if the right rate was provided to him. He would blend in the darkness, by wearing dark clothes, and kill people, using a shotgun. He wore what was a preliminary sort of bullet-proof vest. His murder count is believed to be in the range of 12 to 50. After he murdered Deputy U.S. Marshal Allen Augustus “Gus” Bobbitt of Ada, he was incarcerated. While in prison, a mob broke into his cell and lynched him. Before dying, he was calm and not wavered, at all. He asked to be allowed to wear his hat and that a ring must be given to his wife, after his death. Then, he jumped off the box and shouted ‘let ‘er rip.’ After his death, photographs of him hanging were given to tourists, who came to Ada. What a way to make an example.

9. Billy the Kid

Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid

Billy the Kid goes down as one of the most legendary and memorable outlaws. There was something about him that stood out. He was seen as a ladies man, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was known for his clean and neat dressing and a charming personality. How did he then become an outlaw, and not a model or an actor? Out of necessity. Yes, Billy the Kid was not one of those malicious outlaws who wanted such a life. His friends and family remembered him as a brave, well-behaved person. His initial criminal life comprised of stealing horses and other small thieveries. He worked as a cattle guard, for rancher John Turnstall. Trunstall was killed during a small argument with the local merchants, who killed Turnstall, while he was unarmed and herding his cattle. Kid wanted revenge and set out, with a few lawmen and his group, which he called ‘The Regulators,’ to seek justice for Turnstalls. However, it was not meant to be. Murphy, who was the merchant whose men killed Turnstall, used his influence, turning The Regulators into public enemies. They did not see it coming. After this, they went on a killing streak, which is said to have killed 21 people. Once, while he was on the run, Billy the Kid was shot dead by Sheriff Pat Garett.

10. Jesse James

Jesse James
Jesse James

One of the most recognized outlaws to have lived, Jesse James is not just famous for his portrayal by Brad Pitt, in the 2007 movie ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.’ Jesse and his brother, Frank were part Confederate guerilla fighters, during the Civil War. After the war, they ganged up with Younger brothers, and formed what was called the ‘James-Younger Gang.’ With the gang, he robbed numerous banks, stagecoaches and trains. One day, he killed a clerk of the local savings association. It was not deliberate, as Jesse mistook him for someone else. He used his sources in media to get this message to the public, which made him a folk hero of a sort. After many successful robberies, collecting a fortune in the process, his gang started to reduce in size, after a robbery in a bank near Northfield, Minnesota. Some were killed, others saw themselves behind bars. The gang was famous and so, the authorities wanted them. This caused immense pressure on everyone involved. Eventually his gang broke and he started moving from place to place, not staying at one place for a long time. He was shot in the back of the head and killed by a loyal friend Robert Ford, who wanted to claim the prize on Jesse’s head. Many people believe that James used the proceeds from the robberies to help those in need, portraying him as Robin Hood. On the other hand, there are those who accuse the brothers of committing carnages against Union soldiers. During his lifetime, he was a legend, a celebrity figure. However, this only increased after his death. His mother publicly stated that she was proud of who her son was and his killer was a treacherous coward.

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