During the early morning hours on January 26th, 1875, the Samuel family was again punished for the actions of Zeralda Samuel’s two sons, Frank and...
Sneak Attack on the James Farm
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True West Blog
Trouble for the Thompson Kin
Texas gunfighter Ben Thompson’s family were no strangers to violence. In July 1851, his uncle and aunt—who had emigrated to the US in 1834, were...
John Wesley Hardin: The Deadliest of ‘Em All
The greatest of all the storied Texas gunmen, John Wesley Hardin, has been called the "deadliest killer of ‘em all." It’s claimed he gunned down...
Prone to Violence
Gunfighter Ben Thompson got his start at a relatively young age. He was 14 when—at least according to some accounts—was bullied by another...
The Paris Punk
Did a 16-year-old Buffalo Bill wannabe shoot Vincent van Gogh? Believe it, or not, compelling new evidence has surfaced that points towards René...
The Killing of John Younger: Bad Day in Roscoe, Missouri
In 1873 Jim, John and Bob Younger joined their brother Cole, who along with Frank and Jesse, had formed the James-Younger gang. John was described...
The Youngers of Missouri: Part Two
In June 1862, while returning home from a business trip to Kansas City, Col. Henry Washington Younger was ambushed and murdered. He was carrying a...
The Man who Brought Down the High Fives
Fred Higgins was an unsung US deputy marshal who helped bring down the High Five Gang, which roamed the Southwest in the 1890s. In November 1896,...
The Youngers of Missouri: First Blood
The Younger brothers present a classic example of how the war destroyed families. If any family could be called "Rebels with a Cause," it would be...
Should Have Stucky to Cowboying
Code Young went to outlawry in the mid-1890s, joining up with the High Fives Gang that roamed the Southwest. The former cowboy was involved in a...
Starr of a Publicity Photo
Blue Duck is famous for two reasons—Larry McMurtry had a character by that name in Lonesome Dove, and the real man was photographed with Belle...
Tubac on the Spanish Colonial Frontier
The presidio at Tubac, founded in 1752, was the first European settlement in Arizona. The name came from a Pima Indian word meaning “Where something...