Harvey Logan
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Harvey Logan, (1867 - June 17, 1904) also known as Kid Curry, was a notorious outlaw and gunman who ran with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid's infamous Wild Bunch gang. Despite being less well known than his counterparts, he has since been referred to as "the wildest of the Wild Bunch". [1] He would eventually be responsible for the killing of at least nine law enforcement officers in five different shootings, and another two men in other instances, as well as several shootouts with posses and civilians during his outlaw days. Of all the Old West gunmen, Curry is believed by many to have been one of the most dangerous.
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[edit] Early life
Kid Curry was born Harvey Alexander Logan in Iowa. His mother died in 1876, and his brothers, Hank, Johnny and Lonny, moved to Dodson, Missouri to live with their aunt Lee Logan. Until at least 1883, Curry made his living breaking horses on the "Cross L" ranch, near Big Springs, Texas. While there he met and befriended a man named "Big Nose" George Curry, from whom he took his new last name. His brothers soon adapted the same last name.
He rode as a cowboy on a cattle drive to Pueblo, Colorado in 1883. While in Pueblo, he was involved in a saloon brawl. To avoid arrest, he fled, settling in southern Wyoming. In Wyoming, Curry worked for the "Circle C" and the "Circle Diamond" ranches, the latter under Robert Cogburn, a noted ramrod of the day. By all accounts, Curry was mild-mannered, likable, and loyal to both friends and his brothers.
[edit] Outlaw life
The events that changed the course of his life began when his brother Hank, and friend Jim Thornhill, bought a ranch at Rock Creek, in Chouteau County, Montana. The ranch was near the site of a mine strike made by local miner Powell "Pike" Landusky. Landusky, according to some reports of the day, confronted Curry and attacked him, believing Curry was involved romantically with Landusky's daughter, Elfie. The two men fought, and Curry beat Landusky fairly badly. Landusky then filed assault charges against Curry, who was arrested.
Two friends of Curry's, A.S. Lohman and Frank Plunkett paid a $500 bond for Curry's release. Landusky's daughter, Elfie, would later claim it was Curry's brother, Lonny, with whom she had been involved. However, this confession would come much too late to stop the events that would follow. On December 27, 1894, Curry caught Landusky at a local saloon, and a fight between the two men immediately followed. Landusky, again, was beaten badly, and barely able to stand. Curry, evidently believing his point had been made and the fight to be over, began walking away. Landusky pulled his pistol, and began threatening Curry, who was unarmed. Curry's friend and his brothers partner, Jim Thornhill, gave Curry his pistol. Landusky fired one shot, missing. Curry returned fire, killing him.
Curry was arrested, and at an inquest was released when it was judged that he acted in self defense. However, a formal trial was set. Curry believed he would not get a fair trial, due to the judge, a man named Dubois, being close friends with Landusky. For this reason, Curry left town.
[edit] Riding with the Black Jack Ketchum gang
He started riding with outlaw "Black Jack" Ketchum. Pinkerton detectives began trailing Curry shortly after his departure from Montana. In January 1896, Curry received word that an old friend of Landusky's, rancher James Winters, had been spying on him, for the reward offered in his arrest. Curry and two of his brothers, Johnny and Lonny, went to Winters ranch to confront him. However, a shootout erupted, resulting in Curry's brother Johnny being killed. Curry and Lonny escaped. Shortly after that incident, Curry and his brother Lonny argued with Black Jack Ketchum over the take in a train robbery. The two brothers left the gang.
[edit] Forming his own gang
They both received employment on a cattle ranch, arranged by their cousin, Bob Lee, near Sand Gulch, Colorado. Pinkerton agents trailing Curry gave up his trail briefly. Curry, his brother Lonny, Walt Putnam and George Curry formed their own gang around this time. He temporarily left Colorado, intending to scout good targets for potential robberies. In or around April, 1897, Curry was reportedly involved in the killing of Deputy Sheriff William Deane of Powder River, Wyoming, as he and his gang gathered fresh horses on a ranch in the Powder River country. After this, he returned to Colorado to the ranch where he was working.
By June 1897, the cowboy job had ended, and Curry ventured north with the rest of the gang. They robbed a bank in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, and met with resistance outside the bank from the townspeople. One of their friends, Tom O'Day, was captured when his horse spooked and ran away without him. The others escaped, but while planning a second robbery a posse from the town caught up with them in Fergus County, Montana. During a shootout, Curry was shot through the wrist, and his horse was shot from under him, resulting in his capture. George Curry and Walt Putnam were also captured. All three were held in the Deadwood, South Dakota jail, but only briefly as they took an opportunity and overpowered the jailer to escape. They headed back into Montana, and robbed two Post Offices. [2] [3]
[edit] Riding with Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch
It was during this time that he began riding with the Wild Bunch gang, under Butch Cassidy. Amazingly, he would not become as well known as the Sundance Kid, the latter being considered "the fastest gun in the West", despite not being known to have been in more than two shootings, without any confirmation of killing anyone. On June 2, 1899, the gang robbed a Union Pacific overland flyer near Wilcox, Wyoming, a robbery that became famous. Many notable lawmen of the day would take part in the hunt for the robbers, but without immediate positive results.
During one shootout with lawmen following that robbery, both Kid Curry and George Curry shot and killed Sheriff Joe Hazen. Noted killer for hire and contract employee of the Pinkerton Agency, Tom Horn, obtained information from explosives expert Bill Speck that revealed that George Curry and Kid Curry had shot Hazen, which Horn passed on to Pinkerton detective Charlie Siringo. The gang escaped into the Hole-In-The-Wall, an area that the gang used as it's hideout. By now Charlie Siringo was assigned the task of bringing the outlaw gang in. He became friends with Elfie Landusky, who was by then going by the last name Curry alleging that Lonny Curry had gotten her pregnant. Through her, Siringo intended on locating the gang.
Siringo changed his name to Charles L. Carter disguised as an on-the-run gunman, and began mingling with people that might know the Curry's, becoming friends with Jim Thornhill. However, Kid Curry was laying low at that time, in a place referred to as "Robbers Roost", in Utah. Curry then went to Alma, New Mexico with Cassidy and others, intending to avoid being high profile for a time. On July 11, 1899, while working at the "W.S. Ranch", Curry robbed a train near Folsom, New Mexico, with gang members Elzy Lay and Sam Ketchum. A posse led by Sheriff Ed Farr cornered the gang near an area called Turkey Creek, which resulted in two gun battles over a period of four days. Lay and Ketchum were both wounded and later captured, with Lay killing the Sheriff and wounding deputy Henry Love in the process, receiving a life sentence for the murders. Ketchum died days later while in custody, from his wounds, and deputy Love soon died from wounds he received. Curry escaped, but he, Cassidy, and other members of the gang were forced to leave New Mexico. Sam Ketchum was the brother of Tom Ketchum aka "Black Jack". Curry traveled to San Antonio, where he stayed briefly. While there he met prostitute Della Moore-aka Annie Rogers/Maude Williams, with whom he became romantically involved for the remainder of his lifetime. At the time of their meeting, she was working in Madame Fannie Porters brothel, which was a regular hideout for the Wild Bunch gang.
[edit] Moab revenge gunfight, other killings to avoid capture
On February 28, 1900, lawmen attempted to arrest Lonny Curry at his aunts home. Lonny was killed in the shootout that followed, and his cousin Bob Lee was arrested for rustling, and sent to prison in Wyoming. Kid Curry was now the last surviving brother. In March, 1900, Curry was identified in St. Johns, Arizona as passing notes suspected of being from the Wilcox Robbery. The local Sheriff, Edward Beeler, gathered a posse and began tracking Curry, who was accompanied by Bill Carver. The posse came into contact with Curry and Carver on March 28th, 1900, and during a shootout Curry and Carver killed Deputy Andrew Gibbons and Deputy Frank LeSeuer. On May 26, 1900, Kid Curry rode into Utah and killed Grand County, Utah Sheriff John Tyler and Deputy Sam Jenkins in a brazen shootout in Moab, both killings being in retaliation for them having killed outlaw George Curry on April 17, 1900, and for other lawmen having killed his brother Lonny.
Curry then returned with the Wild Bunch, and they robbed a train near Tipton, Wyoming. Newspaper stories claimed the gang took more than $55,000 in that robbery. However, in fact they received $55.40, total, as that was all that the safe contained. The gang again split up, with Kid Curry and Ben Kilpatrick heading south to Fort Worth, Texas, while Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and Bill Carver went back out and immediately pulled off another robbery in Winnemucca, Nevada.
Siringo, still working the case for the Pinkerton's, was by then in Circleville, Utah, where Butch Cassidy had been raised. Curry rejoined the gang, and they hit another Union Pacific train near Wagner, Montana. This time, they took over $60,000 in cash. Gang member Will Carver was killed by Sheriff Elijah Briant during the pursuit of the robbers following that robbery.
Again the gang split up. In October, 1901, Della Moore was arrested in Nashville, Tennessee for passing money tied to an earlier robbery involving Curry. On December 12, 1901, gang members Ben Kilpatrick and Laura Bullion were captured in Knoxville, Tennessee. On December 13, 1901, during a shootout with lawmen to avoid capture, Kid Curry killed Knoxville Policemen Willian Dinwiddle and Robert Saylor, and escaped. Curry, despite being pursued by Pinkerton agents and other law enforcement officials, returned to Montana, where he shot and killed rancher James Winters, responsible for the killing of his brother Johnny years before. [4]
[edit] Capture, escape, killed by posse
Curry then traveled back to Knoxville, an unusual move given the fact he only recently killed two policemen there. In a pool hall on November 30, 1902, Curry was captured after a lengthy physical fight with lawmen. He was convicted of robbery as facts in the murder of the two policemen were not definite and no witnesses would testify, and he received a 20 year hard labor sentence, and a $5,000 fine. However, on June 27, 1903, Curry escaped. Rumors that a deputy had received an $8,000 bribe to allow his escape were spread, but nothing could be proven.
On June 17, 1904, Logan/Curry was tracked down by a posse outside of Parachute, Colorado. A massive shootout ensued and it was claimed by some that Kid Curry had taken his own life during the hopeless battle, although it is more likely that he was killed by the posse. However, reports that Logan escaped persisted well into the 20th century, and his mysterious "death" has long been subject to controversy and debate, much like the rumors of Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. However, given his nature and history of violence, it is doubtful he would have escaped and not resurfaced.
[edit] Fiction
Kid Curry's character appeared as one of the co-stars in the 70's tv western series Alias Smith and Jones, but is not accurate.
