Lincoln, NM deserved its reputation as a deadly town. Example: February 21, 1878. Private Edward Brooks is carrying mess…
A Deadly Card Game Doc Scurlock turned to violence at an early age.
Josiah Gordon “Doc” Scurlock is best known as a compatriot of Billy the Kid during the troubles in New Mexico. But Doc w…
The Education of a Killer Harry Orchard—from thief to assassin.
Harry Orchard is best known as an assassin for the Western Federation of Miners; his bombs killed more than two dozen pe…
Different Accomodations A robber goes from swank hotel to solitary cell.
John Reno’s love for luxury put him in a prison cell. Reno and associates burglarized the Daviess County, MO treasury in…
The Other Assassin The sad case of Charlie Ford.
Charlie Ford is the lesser known of the brothers who killed Jesse James—sibling Robert actually pulled the trigger. Char…
The Fruits of their Labors The Ford brothers didn’t get what they expected for killing Jesse James.
Robert Ford hoped that killing Jesse James would bring fame and fortune. But Ford and brother Charlie were convicted of …
The Missouri Smokescreen The Jesse James killing hid a huge robbery.
St. Joseph, MO was in turmoil in the days after Jesse James was killed on April 3, 1882. Townspeople were shocked that t…
Going for the Gold A Confederate unit went outlaw in northern California.
In 1864 and ’65, a Confederate-sympathizer group called Ingram’s Partisan Rangers pulled a series of stage robberies in …
Prescription for a Lawbreaker Doc Middleton’s horse thieving led to a racing opportunity.
Doc Middleton (real name: James Riley) was one of the greatest horse thieves of the Old West era. Some estimates say he …
Start of a Lawman Dave Cook had a personal reason for becoming an officer.
Dave Cook was one of the top lawmen in the Rocky Mountains, breaking up several outlaw gangs from his Denver base during…