Death of a Hardcase

Cullen Baker dies the way he lived life—violently.

January 6, 1869. Hardcase Cullen Baker and a pal are killed in Cass County, TX. Either the two are shot multiple times, or they are poisoned before the shooters pumped several bullets into them. Baker was a violent man, with at least two killings to his name before the Civil War. He ran a murderous guerrilla outfit during the War, then continued the fight afterward–targeting blacks and Freedmen’s Bureau agents. It’s unclear how many deaths he was responsible for, but most experts say the body count was high.