- WILD WEST GANG LEADER THAT INITIALLY KILLED DOC IN BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III (1990)? FULL
- WILD WEST GANG LEADER THAT INITIALLY KILLED DOC IN BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III (1990)? TRIAL
The Jennings Gang was proof that, even in the Wild West, not everyone was cut out for a life of crime. Photo credit: 2728, Virginia Sutton Collection, OHS The verdict split 6-6, ending in a mistrial.
WILD WEST GANG LEADER THAT INITIALLY KILLED DOC IN BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III (1990)? TRIAL
People’s opinions of the Innocents were exemplified perfectly by Sheriff Henry Plummer’s posthumous trial in 1993. This included Thomas Dimsdale, Montana’s first newspaper editor and the author of The Vigilantes of Montana. Many of the vigilantes became prominent figures of Montana’s early years as a state. The official story was believed for so long because it came from a reputable source. The dozens of alleged victims of the Innocents were cut into pieces and buried, burned, or dumped under ice, but none of them were found. There are records of multiple gold robberies and murders during that time, but little evidence connects them together, let alone implicates one single gang. That was the official story for over a century, but historians in recent decades began to question if the Innocents were such a prolific gang or, indeed, if they existed at all. Most of the Innocents, sheriff included, wound up hanging from trees following brief trials or, in some cases, no trials at all. They were led by a corrupt sheriff named Henry Plummer and had killed over 100 people before they were stopped by a vigilante group. It all depends on who you ask.įirst, the official version: The Innocents were a group of highwaymen active throughout the Montana Territory during the gold rush, preying on travelers carrying gold between cities.
The Innocents were either the most vicious, bloodthirsty gang in the history of the Old West or patsies who were used by an equally bloodthirsty group of vigilantes. The rest of the gang got the message-they left town and went their separate ways. One Bummer was killed during the fight, and a few more were promptly lynched. The townsfolk had finally had enough and gathered a vigilante posse.
WILD WEST GANG LEADER THAT INITIALLY KILLED DOC IN BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III (1990)? FULL
Over the Christmas holiday of 1859, the ne’er-do-wells stole a farmer’s wagon full of birds intended for Christmas dinners, triggering the colorfully named Turkey War. At night, they would get loud, drunk, and rambunctious, firing their guns in the air as a display of intimidation toward the law-abiding citizens of the town.Įventually, the Bummers went too far. The Bummers usually resorted to petty theft and vandalism, taking advantage of the fact that the territory had not been incorporated yet and lacked any official law enforcement. They mostly targeted a mining settlement called Auraria, today a part of Denver. They were a group of lowlifes, losers, and layabouts known as the Bummers, headed by Eddie “Shooter” Coleman.
While most of the West’s infamous groups made a name for themselves through cattle rustling, robberies, and gunfights, the Colorado Territory was plagued by a less ambitious bunch. Kinney avoided returning to a life of crime and instead joined the Army again during the Spanish-American War. By the time he was released, everyone else was either dead or in jail. The end of the posse came in 1883, when Kinney was arrested for cattle rustling. When the feud was over, some of the men stayed with Kinney, while others broke off and joined Evans’s new gang. According to legend, Kinney got part of his ear shot off by Billy during a gunfight. The Kinney Gang’s defining moment came in 1878, when it took part in the Lincoln County War, fighting against Billy the Kid and his Regulators. They included Jesse Evans, who went on to form his own gang, and Charles “Pony Diehl” Ray, who later joined Curly Bill Brocius during his famous fights against the Earp brothers. The gang contained members who would go on to become more prominent figures of the Wild West. Kinney, a military man, was discharged from the US Army in 1865 and started his gang, focusing primarily on cattle rustling and robbery. The Rio Grande Posse, active during the 1870s and 1880s, was also known as the John Kinney Gang after its founder and leader. These next entries are not well-remembered today, but their exploits formed a fascinating contribution to the lore of the Wild West. When some figures are pushed to the front, others are necessarily relegated to the background. Even today, people know gangs like the Wild Bunch, the Dalton Gang, or Billy the Kid and his Regulators, and their reputations are such that many would tremble at the thought of going back in time and meeting any of them in person.īut history doesn’t treat everyone equally. Thanks mostly to Hollywood, many Wild West outlaws have reached folk hero status.