The Ketchum Gang pulls a train holdup. May 14, 1897. Tom Ketchum (photo)--already, mistakenly, being referred to as "Black Jack"--goes into the...
A Rousing Success
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Mark Boardman
The Last Straw
The final Reno Gang robbery leads to its demise. May 22, 1868. Outlaw Frank Reno leads a group of men to rob an Ohio & Mississippi train at...
To the Hilt
John Brown and company massacre settlers over slavery. May 24-25, 1856. Using swords, Brown and a band of abolitionist settlers killed five...
Switching Sides
Dave Rudabaugh—outlaw turned informant. Dave Rudabaugh's gang attempted their first train robbery, on January 22, 1878 near Kinsley, Kansas. The...
Trailing Dave Rudabaugh
Wyatt Earp hits the trail to track the outlaw. In October 1876, Dave Rudabaugh robbed a Santa Fe Railroad construction camp and fled south. Wyatt...
Get the Heck Into Dodge
Wyatt Earp puts on a badge in the cow-town. May 19, 1876 (or thereabouts). Wyatt Earp is appointed deputy marshal of Dodge City, Kansas. Over the...
The Corroded Badge
A crooked lawman in New Mexico. Eugenio Alarid was a lawman in Las Vegas, New Mexico in the 1890s. But hidden behind the badge was an outlaw; Alarid...
The Tragedy of Mussel Slough
Railroads versus settlers was a deadly combination. On May 11, 1880, a dispute between settlers and the railroads in central California turns...
The Payback
A robbery victim almost had to reimburse the stolen money. May 11, 1889. A contingent of Buffalo Soldiers, led by Major Joseph Wham, are attacked...
An Outrage Against the Apache
A white offer to trade was just a trap. In 1837, the American John Johnson invited Apaches in the Pinos Altos area of New Mexico to trade with his...
Captain of All Rangers for Life
Texas Ranger Jim Gillett writes himself into fame. Jim Gillett was just 20 years old when he decided to join the Texas Rangers in...
At the Peak of His Powers
Texas Ranger June Peak helped bring down Sam Bass. Relatively speaking, Junius “June” Peak spent few years in law enforcement. But he accomplished a...