George Campbell had built up a solid reputation as a lawman in Texas and New Mexico during the late 1870s and early 1880s. For a couple of...
Don’t Shoot! A former lawman failed in his attempt to surrender.
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True West Blog
The Springfield Trapdoor vs The Spencer Carbine
The Spencer rifle fired seven rounds in about 12 seconds. Army Chief of Ordinance, James Wolf Ripley, rejected saying Spencer saying it was an...
Was Bill Tilghman a Good Guy or Not?
Bill Tilghman has two diametrically opposed versions of his death. He was either trying to restore law & order against a crooked government...
Why Didn’t the Earp Brothers Have Any Children?
Why Didn't the Earp Brothers Have Any Children? It’s a bit of an anomaly because they came from a family of seven children and one half-brother,...
Counselor for the Defense Douglas Preston will always be connected to Butch Cassidy.
An obituary said that lawyer Douglas Preston was “ranked as the first criminal attorney of Wyoming.” And he certainly gained notoriety as the man...
Constant Communications The Sundance Kid’s correspondence kept him tied to the U.S.
The Sundance Kid—Harry Longabaugh—was a man who liked to stay in touch with people. He frequently wrote to his family in Pennsylvania, sometimes...
A Visit to Tiffany’s Butch and Sundance looked for the best in jewelry.
When they had the cash (like after a robbery), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid liked to live in style. Records from New York’s Tiffany &...
The Cross Draw
The cross draw, worn on the left or “weak side” was popular with men who spent a lot of time sitting at a poker table or on horseback because for...
The Sherman Silver Purchase Act 1873 and the Cross of Gold
It was a national policy, the Gold Standard vs The Silver and it was/is complicated. Historically the U.S had used both gold and silver as a basis...
Relay Horses
I've always heard that Butch was the first to have used relays of horses in 1889 to escape pursuing posses. I had a question today from a...
Trigger-Happy Billy Brooks brought the law and then some to Dodge.
Billy Brooks was a shootist and enforcer in Kansas in the 1870s. In early 1873, businessmen in Dodge City hired him as an unofficial...
The Coup De Grace Tom Sherman: saloon keeper and brutal killer.
Tom Sherman’s Saloon was a hot spot in early Dodge City, Kansas—sometimes for the wrong reasons. The owner himself was not averse to picking...