Bill Cook grew up in the Indian Territory, where he also made a name for himself. Born in 1873, he was busted for whiskey peddling in 1893. After a brief jail stay, Cook formed a gang of up to 17 men, including the trigger-happy Cherokee Bill.
For about six months in late 1894, the outfit went on a crime spree of robbery and murder. Several members were captured or killed; Cook was caught in January 1895. “Hanging Judge” Isaac Parker sentenced him to 45 years behind bars. He died in a New York prison in 1900.
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