Law-Breakers of the Wild- West Who was the Baddest in the West?

Billy the Kid Born Henry McCarty in the slums of New York in 1859, the Kid alias William Bonney is a legend of the West. He was an orphan by 14 and turned to petty crime in Kansas. His first robbery was a bundle of washing from a Chinese laundry! Later he stole cattle and horses, including the horse of a cavalry sergeant. The Kid killed Frank Cahill, a blacksmith, after a game of cards turned into a cussing. He escaped from jail for the second time in his life aged 17. His mentor, John Tunstall, was killed by rival ranchers, and the Kid was gutted. The Kid and the ‘ Regulators ’, Tunstall ’ s mens ’ posse, killed many foes in ‘ The Lincoln County War ’. Afterwards, the Kid kept on killing until his own shooting by Pat Garrett in He claimed to have killed 21 men, but historians say he killed only four! Billy the Kid remains one of the heroes of The West.

Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang In 1866 the first peacetime armed bank raid took place in Liberty, Missouri. A teenage eye-witness, George Wymore, was shot dead. Jesse and his brother Frank were Confederate ‘ soldiers ’ in the Civil War. They were part of Bill Quantrill ’ s band of raiders and notorious for brutality. With ‘ Cole ’ Younger, the gang robbed banks across America with much support from the people in the South. In 1874 at the peak of their career they even robbed a steamboat. The Youngers were jailed in 1876, but the Jameses continued, until two of their gang, Bob and Charlie Ford betrayed them for the $10,000 reward. Bob shot Jesse dead aged 35 in After release from jail Frank entered show business.

John Wesley Hardin The ‘ Terror from Texas ’ is reputed to have killed between 11 and 44 men. No- one really knows! The Civil War made Hardin, the son of a preacher, bitter, and he wreaked vengeance on black men, starting at the age of 15. He later became a cowboy and gunslinger, and shot a man for snoring loudly! He was jailed and released in 1892 having studied law. In 1895 aged 42 he was shot in the back of the head by John Selman, a local policeman and gunslinger.

The Clanton Gang aka The Cowboys The Cowboys numbered up to 300 members. They were rustlers and outlaws around Tombstone, Arizona. The local mining companies wanted The Cowboys out of town as they thought them ‘ bad for business ’ and hired the Earp brothers to enforce the law. After 2 years of tension it boiled over at the O.K. Corral in The Earps ’ friend Doc Holliday fired the first shot, and the most famous 30 seconds in the history of the West began. The McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton were shot dead. The killing continued with Morgan Earp ’ s shooting in This fuelled a rampage of revenge by the Earps against The Cowboys. Much of what we know is disputed by both sides to this day. Wyatt Earp wrote the story behind the films and many feel the Clantons ’ story has been ignored.

Butch Cassidy, The Sundance Kid and the Wild Bunch In the mid-1890s an out-of-reach valley in Wyoming known as the Hole in the Wall was becoming a haven for outlaws and rustlers. From here the second ‘ Wild Bunch ’ (no link to Doolin) began their careers. Between 1897 and 1902 the flamboyant gang robbed banks and trains without much brutality. Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker) and Sundance (Harry Longbaugh) fled to South America to live in In 1907 the Bolivian army caught up with them. After a shootout, Parker shot his badly wounded friend, and escaped, dying 30 years later. An ending not like the film, which has both men dying together in a blaze of glory!

Bill Doolin and the Doolin- Dalton Gang aka The Wild Bunch Bill Doolin met his future gang as cowboys aged 23 in After a rowdy drunken party two lawmen were injured in gunfire. Doolin and the Daltons robbed trains but in 1891 three of the Daltons were shot during a bank raid in Coffeyville, Kansas. The gang recruited more outlaws and in 1893 a huge shoot-out killed 3 marshals and 2 innocent bystanders. For the next two years the Wild Bunch were picked off. Doolin was arrested and jailed for 50 years. He escaped after 2 months but was shot to death soon after. The rest of the gang were killed one by one. The Wild Bunch ’ s demise signalled the end of ‘ The Wild West ’.

Cherokee Bill He was known as the Black Billy the Kid. Born Cranford Goldsby to a member of the Buffalo Soldiers, Cherokee had a troubled life. His parents split and he joined the outlaw gang of Jim and Bill Cook, robbing stores and railroads. Cherokee could evade his pursuers by fitting in with Indian tribes. He was caught at the age of 20 and sentenced to hang for the murder of 13 men. In 1896 he was taken to the gallows and remarked, “ This is about as good a day as any to die ”. Asked if he had any last words, Cherokee said, “ I came here to die, not make a speech. ” He was 21 years young.

Black Bart Black Bart, alias stagecoach robber Charles Bole/Bolton, liked to leave poems at the scenes of his crimes! “ I ’ ve laboured long and hard for bread For honour and for riches But on my corns too long you ’ ve tread You fine-haired sons of bitches ” When caught he was given a light sentence as he had used an empty gun. He disappeared in 1888.