Who was your favorite outlaw in the late 1800s
- Thread starter dingus
- Start date
The "Bloody Benders" deserve it as much as anyone - hard-working and creative, but terribly misunderstood folks.
JohnC
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
The Younger (Cole, Jim, John, Bob) brothers; Wes Hardin;
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Hard to tell who was an outlaw in those days- it would depend on who was in power. you could go from being a good guy to an outlaw as a result of an election. Also, "lawmen" might be pirvately hired.
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Hard to tell who was an outlaw in those days- it would depend on who was in power. you could go from being a good guy to an outlaw as a result of an election. Also, "lawmen" might be pirvately hired.
Although not an individual, the Pinkerton Men should be up here. Guns for hire. Some of the best & well organized. Something I just found out: Allan Pinkerton in late June 1884 slipped on pavement in Chicago, biting his tongue as he did so. He didn't seek treatment and the tongue became infected, leading to his death on 1 July 1884. At the time of his death, he was working on a system that would centralize all criminal identification records, a database now maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
What a stupid way to go! You'd think it might have been old age or a shoot out for these guy's, but an infected tongue! I can't remember but I think another outlaw died from an infected tooth?
What a stupid way to go! You'd think it might have been old age or a shoot out for these guy's, but an infected tongue! I can't remember but I think another outlaw died from an infected tooth?
I love the Lawmens and Texas Rangers that ran after those outlaws and bandits. Guys like Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Samuel Walker, William "Bat" Masterson ( Born in Henryville, Quebec ). Sometimes, the difference between Lawmens and Outlaws was pretty thin!
I Also enjoy reading Texas Rangers Tales from the early 20th century. Those who stopped guys like Wes Hardin, Bonnie&Clyde, and other so called public ennemies. Manuel "Lonewolf" Gonzaullas, John B. Armstrong and Frank Hamer are my favorites but my all time favorite was Charlie Edward Miller
Extracted from Shooting Times Magazine;
Miller was one of the first Texas Rangers to start carrying a Colt 1911 .45 semiautomatic pistol and may have begun to do so as early as 1920. His first .45s were the 1911 Commercial Models that were made from 1911 to 1925. The Colt 1911 differed from the later 1911A1 in that it had a flat mainspring housing, a long trigger, and no relief cut on the frame behind the trigger. Throughout his career Miller's everyday working pistol was a standard, blued gun with plain walnut grips. However, Charlie also owned at least one Colt 1911 that had been gussied up with engraving and a silver overlay that was quite attractive. It was what the Rangers called their "barbeque gun," a fancy pistol for wearing to parties, parades, and other festive occasions.
And Charlie's carry technique was just as unique as the man himself. He would chamber a round of .45 hardball, lower the hammer to the halfcock notch, and shove the pistol into the front of his pants in a sort of appendix carry without bothering with a holster. To make matters worse, Miller had once been attacked from behind by a knife-wielding felon and could not get the grip safety depressed to shoot him off of his back so from then on Charlie always wrapped a piece of rawhide around the pistol's grip safety to deactivate it completely. As you might imagine, neither I nor the editors of Shooting Times recommend such a carry technique for obvious safety reasons.
I was with Captain Allee when they put one of Miller's pistols into the Texas Ranger Museum at Waco. Allee always spoke very highly of Miller, and I remember him telling me that he suspected that Miller had probably killed seven or eight men during his career and, according to Allee, had been well justified in every case. However, when our friend Ben Choate said he wished that Miller's old 1911 could talk, Allee turned a little pale, shook his head, and said, "Oh no, boys, oh no!"
One time, probably back in the '50s, Miller and a bunch of other Rangers got called into the main DPS headquarters for some firearms training. Now you can imagine Miller walking around in his white shirt and khaki britches with his rather pronounced belly sticking out over the grip of his 1911 on halfcock with the safety tied down and all. One of the young firearms instructors finally just couldn't stand it any longer and walked up to Miller and asked, "Mr. Miller, isn't that thing dangerous?" Charlie just glanced up at the boy, the way your banker does when you're trying to borrow money and said, "Son, if the damned old thing wasn't dangerous, I wouldn't be wearing it!"
I wish they'd be more cops like that nowadays, guys who spend more time chasing bad guys than enforcing useless laws!!
I Also enjoy reading Texas Rangers Tales from the early 20th century. Those who stopped guys like Wes Hardin, Bonnie&Clyde, and other so called public ennemies. Manuel "Lonewolf" Gonzaullas, John B. Armstrong and Frank Hamer are my favorites but my all time favorite was Charlie Edward Miller
Extracted from Shooting Times Magazine;
Miller was one of the first Texas Rangers to start carrying a Colt 1911 .45 semiautomatic pistol and may have begun to do so as early as 1920. His first .45s were the 1911 Commercial Models that were made from 1911 to 1925. The Colt 1911 differed from the later 1911A1 in that it had a flat mainspring housing, a long trigger, and no relief cut on the frame behind the trigger. Throughout his career Miller's everyday working pistol was a standard, blued gun with plain walnut grips. However, Charlie also owned at least one Colt 1911 that had been gussied up with engraving and a silver overlay that was quite attractive. It was what the Rangers called their "barbeque gun," a fancy pistol for wearing to parties, parades, and other festive occasions.
And Charlie's carry technique was just as unique as the man himself. He would chamber a round of .45 hardball, lower the hammer to the halfcock notch, and shove the pistol into the front of his pants in a sort of appendix carry without bothering with a holster. To make matters worse, Miller had once been attacked from behind by a knife-wielding felon and could not get the grip safety depressed to shoot him off of his back so from then on Charlie always wrapped a piece of rawhide around the pistol's grip safety to deactivate it completely. As you might imagine, neither I nor the editors of Shooting Times recommend such a carry technique for obvious safety reasons.
I was with Captain Allee when they put one of Miller's pistols into the Texas Ranger Museum at Waco. Allee always spoke very highly of Miller, and I remember him telling me that he suspected that Miller had probably killed seven or eight men during his career and, according to Allee, had been well justified in every case. However, when our friend Ben Choate said he wished that Miller's old 1911 could talk, Allee turned a little pale, shook his head, and said, "Oh no, boys, oh no!"
One time, probably back in the '50s, Miller and a bunch of other Rangers got called into the main DPS headquarters for some firearms training. Now you can imagine Miller walking around in his white shirt and khaki britches with his rather pronounced belly sticking out over the grip of his 1911 on halfcock with the safety tied down and all. One of the young firearms instructors finally just couldn't stand it any longer and walked up to Miller and asked, "Mr. Miller, isn't that thing dangerous?" Charlie just glanced up at the boy, the way your banker does when you're trying to borrow money and said, "Son, if the damned old thing wasn't dangerous, I wouldn't be wearing it!"
I wish they'd be more cops like that nowadays, guys who spend more time chasing bad guys than enforcing useless laws!!
- Location
- St. Paul AB
I remember reading that article in a different form. It was penned by Sherriff Jim Wilson of Alpine Texas. Everytime I see a 1911 style pistol, I think of that anecdote. These fellows were real men. Fair and honourable. They should be the standard all L.E.O.s aspire to.
I think that Riel was extremely naive when dealing with the eastern politicians and I often wonder just how things would have turned out if he had plotted some general principles of strategy and turned everything completely over to Dumount. I don't think the Metis could have conquered the Canadian army but they could easily have captured several hundred of the soldiers early in the rebellion and then ransomed them for the granting of the rights that they were fighting for
cheers mooncoon
Gunanot should have a book written about him before all memory of him is completely lost.
Interesting fellow.
They make for great western movies when they have an historical origin.
I like Butch Cassidy . He knew how to turn out for a photograph...unlike that scruffy billy the kid
Butch Cassidy spent a while working in Southern Alberta as a cow puncher before he became notorious in the U.S. and moved on to Bolivia.
- Location
- Smithers, B.C.
My vote is in for Newman "Old Man" Clanton, head Grand Poobah of the Clanton Gang, aka "The Cowboys". They outlawed and ranched the area around Tombstone AZ before the Earps came along. Neat, look them up.
cant_rope_the_wind01
CGN Regular
- Location
- West central Alberta
tom horn
Tom Horn: ( 21 November 1860 - November 1903)
He was hung in Cheyenne, Wyoming for a murder. His guilt/innocence is still controversial. Buried in Boulder, Colorado - in the old Olympia Pioneer Cemetery.
Tom Horn: ( 21 November 1860 - November 1903)
He was hung in Cheyenne, Wyoming for a murder. His guilt/innocence is still controversial. Buried in Boulder, Colorado - in the old Olympia Pioneer Cemetery.
stevejones
Regular
- Location
- Courtenay, BC
Sorry, I could not resist...
Sorry, I've been fighting off the temptation since this thread started...
Sorry, I've been fighting off the temptation since this thread started...
