Pearl Hart was a wildcat on and off the outlaw trail. Few Old West outlaws have had so many myths written about them as Pearl Hart, the Arizona...
A Real Woman Bandit
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Outlaw
Believing Ike Clanton
Will McLaury accepted the testimony at the OK Corral hearing. Ike Clanton’s testimony at the OK Corral hearing was dramatic. He accused the Earps...
Pearl Hart: “The Girl Bandit”
For most of her life Pearl Hart lived in dismal obscurity. She got her chance for fifteen minutes of fame following a bungled stagecoach robbery on...
Belle Starr’s First Husband
Jim Reed blazed his own criminal trail. Jim Reed is best known as Belle Starr’s first husband. But he had his own claim to infamy. After the pair...
Can you Legally Hang a Horse Thief?
That is a very good question because it brings up an important point. Contrary to popular myth, stealing a horse has never been a capital offense...
The Lincoln County War: Armistice Gone Bad
When Lew Wallace was appointed Territorial Governor of New Mexico in 1879 one of the first missions he hoped to accomplish was to stop the killings...
From Outlaw to Horseman
Dick Liddil found a new calling at the race track. Dick Liddil joined the James Gang in 1879, near the end of its run. He eventually was arrested,...
Burt Mossman and the Arizona Rangers Part 2
Read Part 1 HERE During that year the Rangers put 125 outlaws behind bars, killing only one in the process. They also lost one Ranger, Carlos...
The Pistoleer
Wild Bill Hickok's reputation as a gunfighter may be blown out of proportion but there's no doubt, he was an excellent shot. He put a bullet in the...
Wyatt Earp: Is He Still a Hero?
Historians and writers share their perspectives on the West’s most famous lawman. In honor of the 140th anniversary of the gunfight near the O.K....
Wider Herd
Long may our stories be told. When my Illustrated Life and Times of Wyatt Earp book was first published (1993), I did a book-signing at the...
If You Can’t Trust Family…
The Espinosa paid the price for letting their guards down. The Espinosa Gang ran roughshod over southern Colorado in the mid 1860s. They claimed...