Oliver “Ol” Yantis should have stuck to farming. He ran a cotton operation near Orlando, Oklahoma when his sister started dating outlaw George “Bittercreek” Newcomb. Yantis must have decided that the dark side was easier than picking cotton, so he joined Newcomb in Bill Doolin’s Gang in mid 1892.
His career was short. Lawmen tracked him to his sister’s place on November 29. Ol acted like he was going to surrender, but then he pulled a gun. The officers returned fire, fatally wounding Yantis. He was the first member of the gang to die—but not the last.
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