Wild Bunch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the gang. For the 1969 movie, see The Wild Bunch.
The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, was a group of outlaws based in Indian Territory, that terrorized Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Territory during the 1890s—robbing banks and stores, holding up trains, and killing lawmen.
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[edit] Activities of the gang
William "Bill" Doolin, in addition to having been a member of the Dalton Gang, had been a cowboy in Kansas and the Cherokee Outlet and held something of a "Robin Hood" image. He was well liked by many, and he and his gang received considerable aid in eluding the law (see Ingalls, Oklahoma). The gang consisted at various times of Bill Doolin, George "Bittercreek" Newcomb (aka "Slaughter Kid"), Charlie Pierce, Oliver "Ol" Yantis, William Marion "Bill" Dalton, William "Tulsa Jack" Blake, Dan "Dynamite Dick" Clifton, "Arkansas Tom" Jones ( born Roy Daugherty), George "Red Buck" Waightman, Richard "Little Dick" West, and William F. "Little Bill" Raidler.
[edit] The passing of the Wild Bunch
- Ol Yantis — killed November 29, 1891 at Orlando, Oklahoma Territory by a sheriff's posse.
- Arkansas Tom Jones — captured September 1, 1893, in Ingalls, Oklahoma Territory; pardoned in 1910; killed August 16, 1924, in Joplin, Missouri, by Joplin police detectives.
- Bill Dalton — killed June 8, 1894, near Elk, Oklahoma Territory, by an Anadarko posse.
- Tulsa Jack Blake — killed April 4, 1895, in Major County, Oklahoma Territory, by Deputy U.S. Marshals Will Banks and Isaac Prater.
- Bitter Creek Newcomb — killed May 2, 1895, in Payne County, Oklahoma Territory, by the Dunn brothers, who were Bounty Hunters.
- Charley Pierce — killed May 2, 1895, in Payne County, Oklahoma Territory, by the Dunn brothers.
- Little Bill Raidler — shot and captured September 6, 1895, by Deputy U.S. Marshal Bill Tilghman; paroled in 1903 because of complication from wounds received when he was captured; died 1904.
- Bill Doolin — captured January 15, 1896, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas by Deputy U.S. Marshal Bill Tilghman; escaped with Dynamite Dick Clifton; killed August 24, 1896, in Lawson, Oklahoma Territory, by a posse under Deputy U.S. Marshal Heck Thomas.
- Red Buck Waightman — killed March 4, 1896, near Arapaho, Oklahoma Territory, by a Custer County posse.
- Dynamite Dick Clifton — captured June, 1896, by Deputy U.S. Marshals from Texas; escaped with Bill Doolin; killed November 7, 1897, near Checotah, Indian Territory, by Deputy U.S. Marshals under Deputy Marshal Chris Madsen.
- Little Dick West — killed April 8, 1898, in Logan County, Oklahoma Territory, by Deputy U.S. Marshals under Deputy Marshal Chris Madsen.
[edit] A later "Wild Bunch"
A later and better-known gang, also called the "Wild Bunch", was an outlaw gang in the American Wild West. It was led by Butch Cassidy, and it included his closest friend Elzy Lay, the Sundance Kid, Tall Texan, News Carver, Camila Hanks, Laura Bullion, Flat-Nose Curry, Kid Curry and Bob Meeks. They would become the most successful train robbing gang in history.
This Wild Bunch gang claimed to make every attempt to abstain from killing people, and Cassidy boasted of having never killed a man. The non-violent claims about the gang were false, however. Kid Curry, George Curry, Will Carver and other members of the gang killed numerous people during law enforcements pursuit of them. Kid Curry alone killed nine lawmen while with the gang, and another two civilians during shootouts, becoming the gangs most feared member. Elzy Lay killed another two lawmen following a robbery, for which he was wounded, arrested and sentenced to life in prison. "Flat-Nose" George Curry killed at least two lawmen, before being killed himself by Grand County, Utah lawmen.
The gang was also closely associated with female outlaws Ann Bassett and Josie Bassett, whose ranch near Browns Park supplied the gang often with fresh horses and beef. Both Bassett girls would become romantically involved with several members of the gang, and both would occasionally accompany the gang to one of their hideouts, called "Robbers Roost". It was through associations with ranchers like this in the area that allowed the gang considerable mobility, giving them an easy resupply of fresh horses and supplies, and a place to hole up for a night or two.
At 1:00 a.m on June 2, 1899, Cassidy, Kid Curry, Logan and Lay took part in the highly successful Union Pacific train holdup at Wilcox, Wyoming, stealing at least $30,000, with some reports saying around $60,000. Afterwards, the gang split up, a common ploy after a robbery, and several fled to New Mexico. When they committed the robbery, the men were wearing masks made from white napkins possibly stolen from a Harvey House restaurant. On July 11th, 1899, gang members robbed a train near Folsom, New Mexico, without Cassidy's presence. The pursuit by a well led posse, led by Sheriff Ed Farr culminated in two gun battles, which resulted in Sheriff Farr and two deputies being killed, the eventual death of gang member Sam Ketchum while in custody due to wounds he received, and the wounding and capture of gang member Elzy Lay, with whom Cassidy had first formed the Wild Bunch gang, and who was Cassidy's closest friend.
Cassidy and the other members regrouped in Wyoming. On August 29, 1900, Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Kid Curry and another unidentified gang member believed to have been Will Carver held up another Union Pacific train at Tipton, Wyoming. Less than a month later, on September 19, 1900, they raided the First National Bank of Winnemucca, Nevada, stealing $32,640. These, and other robberies, led to much notoriety and fame, and financially the robberies were enormously successful.
[edit] The end of the Wild Bunch
In early 1901, Cassidy along with the Sundance Kid and his girlfriend Etta Place relocated to South America, due to constantly having to remain on the move because of Pinkerton detectives and other lawmen. That same year, on April 1st, Will Carver was killed by lawmen. Ben Kilpatrick was captured in Tennessee in December, 1901, along with Laura Bullion, and received a 20 year prison sentence, with her receiving a five year sentence. Kid Curry killed two lawmen in Knoxville, Tennessee, escaping capture, then traveled to Montana where he killed a rancher that had killed his brother Johnny years before. He then returned to Tennessee, was captured, only to escape once again. Kid Curry was killed in Colorado in 1904, during a shootout with lawmen. In 1908, Cassidy and Sundance were allegedly killed in a shootout with Bolivian cavalry.
Stories persist to present day that Cassidy and the Sundance Kid survived and lived for many years inside the United States, but that is unlikely. Etta Place disappeared completely, with her last known sighting being in 1909 in San Francisco. It is believed that she reinvented herself, becoming a brothel and hotel owner named Eunice Gray, in Fort Worth, Texas, dying in 1962. Elzy Lay was released from prison in 1906, and after a brief visit at the Bassett ranch in Utah, he relocated to California where he became a respected businessman, dying there in 1934. Ben Kilpatrick was released from prison in 1911, and was killed during a train robbery in Texas in 1912. Laura Bullion was released from prison in 1905, living the remainder of her life as a housewife, dying in Memphis, Tennessee in 1961, the last of the Wild Bunch.
