Lawman Bass Outlaw got into one fight too many. In 1894, Bass Outlaw was a deputy U.S. marshal—a former Texas Ranger, fired for habitual...
Death of an Outlaw
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Lane by a Foot
“Clubfoot” George Lane got the nickname because of a bone deformity. In the early 1860s, he allegedly rustled horses in California and Idaho before...
A Law Career Begins
Virgil Earp’s entry into law enforcement was unexpected. It was in Prescott, Arizona Territory on October 16, 1877; he was talking with two local...
A Short and Not-So-Sweet Career
Oliver Yantis was not the most successful outlaw. He was one of the first members of the Bill Doolin Gang. Just a week after Doolin’s former...
Friends unto Death
William Collins was an associate of Sam Bass, and a member of the Joel Collins (his brother) Gang (photo) that held up a Nebraska train of $60,000...
Revenge Begets Revenge
Ed Crawford was a policeman in Ellsworth, KS (photo) just after Billy Thompson accidentally killed Sheriff Chauncey Whitney in August 1877. ...
He Died with His Boots Off
The legend says that Billy Thompson—brother of gunfighter Ben Thompson—met his end in a shootout with Mexicans in Arizona. It seemed plausible....
Like Father, Like Son
Gunfighter Ben Thompson (photo) made his living as a sporting man, a fellow who played games of chance for fun and profit. But he was determined...
Hard Hearted
Adelbert Ames was a Union general and Civil War military governor of Mississippi. In 1876, he was also an investor in the First National Bank in...
‘Stone ‘Em!’
The James-Younger Gang was fighting for its life on September 7, 1876. The attempt to rob Northfield, MN’s First National Bank had gone awry and...
Rough Justice
The James-Younger Gang was on the run after the Northfield robbery debacle, and posses were on the hunt. One group led by Minneapolis Police...
Tombstone Tragedy
John Clum is best known for his time in Tombstone as mayor and founding editor of The Tombstone Epitaph. But that period was also one of personal...