"town is named after General John Adair, a general in the War of 1812 who later became the 8th governor of Kentucky. Adair was the scene of the first successful train robbery in the American West when on July 21, 1873, the James-Younger Gang (led by Jesse James) took US $3,000 from the Rock Island Express after derailing it southwest of the town. The derailment killed the engineer. A rare F5 tornado occurred near this town on June 27, 1953. Adair is recognizable from Interstate 80 by its tall yellow ""smiley-face"" water tower. Humorously known as ""the happiest town on"
"in Illinois. Arthur McCoy had lived in this area and knew it quite well; he was likely involved and may have been the planner and leader. On July 21, 1873, the gang carried out what was arguably the first train robbery west of the Mississippi River, derailing a locomotive of the Rock Island Railroad near Adair, Iowa. Engineer John Rafferty died in the crash. The outlaws took $2,337 from the express safe in the baggage car, having narrowly missed a transcontinental express shipment of a large amount of cash. On November 24, John Newman Edwards published a lengthy glorification of"
"and from Kansas to West Virginia. They robbed banks, stagecoaches and a fair in Kansas City, often carrying out their crimes in front of crowds, and even hamming it up for the bystanders. On July 21, 1873, they turned to train robbery, derailing a Rock Island Line train west of Adair, Iowa and stealing approximately $3,000 (). For this, they wore Ku Klux Klan masks. By this time, the Klan had been suppressed in the South by President Grant's use of the Enforcement Acts. Former rebels attacked the railroads as symbols of threatening centralization. The gang's later train robberies had"
"William Blake (outlaw) William ""Tulsa Jack"" Blake (c. 1859 - April 4, 1895) was an American outlaw of the Old West, and member of the Wild Bunch gang. He had been a cowboy in Kansas through the 1880s, before drifting into Oklahoma Territory, where in 1892 he met outlaw Bill Doolin, and joined Doolin's Wild Bunch gang, sometimes called the Oklahombres, or the Doolin-Dalton Gang. On the night of April 3, 1895 this gang decided to rob a southbound Rock Island train. The five of them stormed the train and ordered it to be opened. When messenger J.W. Jones refused"
"Sam Bass (outlaw) Sam Bass (July 21, 1851 ‒ July 21, 1878) was a 19th-century American Old West train robber, American hero, and outlaw. He was part of a gang that robbed a train of $60,000 greenbacks. He died as a result of wounds received in a gun battle with Texas Rangers. Samuel Bass was born in Mitchell, Indiana, on July 21, 1851. After failing at a series of legitimate enterprises, Bass turned to crime. He joined a gang that robbed the Union Pacific Railroad gold train from San Francisco on September 18, 1877. The gang intercepted the train at"
"On March 20, 1889, four masked men robbed the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad passenger train in Diablo Canyon. A four-man posse, made up of O'Neill, Jim Black, Carl Holton, and Ed St. Clair, was soon formed and they took off after robbers. On March 21, O'Neill and his posse caught up with the robbers. After exchanging rifle shots, the posse captured the four men. During the fight, no men were injured, but O'Neill's horse was killed. The four men were William Sterin, John Halford, Daniel Harvick, and J. J. Smith. All four were sent to the Yuma Territorial Prison, but"
"Bill Doolin William ""Bill"" Doolin (1858 – August 24, 1896) was an American bandit outlaw and founder of the Wild Bunch, a gang that specialized in robbing banks, trains, and stagecoaches in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas during the 1890s. Doolin was born in 1858 in Johnson County, Arkansas to Michael Doolin and the former Artemina Beller. Doolin left home in 1881 to become a cowboy in Indian Territory, having been employed by cattleman Oscar Halsell, a Texas native. During this time, Doolin worked with other cowboy and outlaw names of the day, including George Newcomb (known as ""Bitter Creek""), Charley"
"single robbery in the history of the Union Pacific Railroad. Several of the gang members were killed in the days following the robbery, but Bass escaped. Late in the evening of Tuesday, September 18, 1877, Union Pacific express train No. 4, carrying passengers and cargo from San Francisco, stopped at a remote water station in what is now the village of Big Springs, in Deuel County, Nebraska. Under cover of night, an outlaw gang known as the ""Black Hills Bandits"" – including leader Sam Bass, Joel Collins, Jack Davis, Tom Nixon, Bill Heffridge, and Jim Berry – boarded the train"
"Rube Burrow Reuben Houston Burrow (December 11, 1855 – October 9, 1890), better known as Rube Burrow, was a nationally infamous train-robber and outlaw in the Southern and Southwestern United States. During the final years of the American frontier, he became one of the most hunted in the Old West since Jesse James. From 1886 to 1890, he and his gang robbed express trains in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, the Indian Territory and Texas while pursued by hundreds of lawmen throughout the southern half of the United States, including the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Born in Lamar County, Alabama on December"
"William L. Carlisle William L. ""Wild Bill"" Carlisle (May 4, 1890 – June 19, 1964) was one of the last train robbers of the American West known as the ""Robin Hood of the Rails"" and ""The White-Masked Bandit"". Bill Carlisle born in Chester County in Pennsylvania in 1890, the youngest of five children born to David Cottrell, a 60-year-old Civil War veteran and his 37-year-old wife Salome Lentz Cottrell. Some sources claim he was born as Walter Lawrence Cottrell. His mother died when he was nine months old and because of his father's ill-health he and his siblings were taken"
"age of 21, he moved to the American frontier. He worked at various jobs in Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas until he reached Oklahoma, where he became a ranch hand for the Tarry outfit. During the summer of 1885, his foreman recruited him to rob a train at La Junta, Colorado. In the course of the robbery, Reed entered the passenger car firing his pistol to keep the passengers under control. He later received $6,000 for his part in the hold up. Encouraged by this success, Reed gave up working as a cowboy and became an outlaw. During the next nine"
"they fled again to the Robbers Roost. On June 2, 1899, the gang robbed a Union Pacific ""Overland Flyer"" passenger train near Wilcox, Wyoming, a robbery which earned the Wild Bunch a great deal of notoriety and resulted in a massive manhunt. Many notable lawmen of the day took part in the hunt for the robbers, but they were not found. During a shootout with lawmen following the train robbery, both Kid Curry and George Curry shot and killed Sheriff Joe Hazen. Tom Horn, a killer-for-hire employed by the Pinkerton Agency, obtained information from explosives expert Bill Speck about the"
"or two. At 1:00 a.m on June 2, 1899, Cassidy, Sundance Kid, Harvey Logan and Lay robbed a Union Pacific train near Wilcox, Wyoming. They wore masks made from white napkins, possibly pilfered from a Harvey House restaurant. In the holdup, they stole between $30,000 and $60,000. The gang split up afterward, a common ploy to throw off pursuers, and several fled to New Mexico. On July 11, 1899, gang members robbed a train near Folsom, New Mexico, without Cassidy's presence. The pursuit by a posse led by Sheriff Ed Farr culminated in two gun battles, during which Sheriff Farr"
"on The molding clay of Limping John. Tread lightly, stranger, on this sod. For if he moves, you’re robbed, by God""</poem> Cornelius Donahue Cornelius Donahue alias ""Lame Johnny"" (c.1850 in Philadelphia – 1878), was an American cattle rustler, horse thief and general Wild West outlaw from the Black Hills of South Dakota. His gang's most notorious robbery was probably $3,500 in currency, $500 in diamonds, hundreds of dollars' worth of jewelry and 700 pounds of gold dust, nuggets and bullion from a special treasure coach called the ""Monitor"" belonging to the Homestake Mine in October 1878. Doug Engebretson in his"
"Marion Hedgepeth Marion Columbus Hedgepeth (April 14, 1856 – December 31, 1909) – also known as the Handsome Bandit, the Debonair Bandit, the Derby Kid and the Montana Bandit – was a famous Wild West outlaw. Hedgepeth was born in Prairie Home, Missouri, on April 14, 1856. He ran away from home at age 15, worked as a cowboy, and was an outlaw by the time he was 20, having killed in Colorado and Wyoming, as well as having robbed trains. In a 1996 ""American Cowboy"" article titled ""The Debonair Killer"", David P. Grady noted: ""Marion Hedgepeth looked like a"
"rewards of $3,800 for bringing down Cornett. Brack Cornett Braxton ""Brack"" Cornett (29 January 1860– 26 September 1888) was a prominent Texas outlaw from 1887 to 1888. He grew up in south Texas, in and around Goliad County. He is most well known as a member of the Bill Whitley gang (though it is today sometimes referred to as the Brack Cornett gang). The gang was formed in February 1887 to rob trains, but their first outing in early May 1887 was a bust. However, on 18 May, they robbed the Missouri-Pacific train while it was stopped at McNeill Junction,"
"in pursuit of the criminals. Doolin had been a member of the Dalton Gang, as well as 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 from the general public in eluding the law (see Ingalls, Oklahoma). The Wild Bunch was conceived following the Dalton Gang's botched train robbery in Adair, Oklahoma Territory, on July 15, 1892, during which two guards and two townspeople, both doctors, were wounded. One of the doctors died the next day. Bob Dalton told"
"Cornelius Donahue Cornelius Donahue alias ""Lame Johnny"" (c.1850 in Philadelphia – 1878), was an American cattle rustler, horse thief and general Wild West outlaw from the Black Hills of South Dakota. His gang's most notorious robbery was probably $3,500 in currency, $500 in diamonds, hundreds of dollars' worth of jewelry and 700 pounds of gold dust, nuggets and bullion from a special treasure coach called the ""Monitor"" belonging to the Homestake Mine in October 1878. Doug Engebretson in his book ""Empty saddles, forgotten names: Outlaws of the Black Hills and Wyoming"" has the following to say on the demise of"
"Nathaniel Reed (outlaw) Nathaniel ""Texas Jack"" Reed (March 23, 1862 – January 7, 1950) was a 19th-century American outlaw responsible for many stagecoach, bank, and train robberies throughout the American Southwest during the 1880s and '90s. He acted on his own and also led a bandit gang, operating particularly in the Rocky Mountains and Indian Territory. Reed is claimed to have been the last survivor of the """"47 most notorious outlaws"""" of Indian Territory. He became an evangelist in his later years, and could often be seen on the streets of Tulsa preaching against the dangers of following a ""life"
"Jack Dunlop Jack Dunlop, also known as John Dunlop, Jess Dunlop, John Patterson, and most commonly Three Fingered Jack (1872 – February 24, 1900) was an outlaw in the closing days of the Old West, best known for being a train robber. Whether he had just three fingers on one of his hands is not confirmed. Dunlop was born in Texas and spent most of his mid to late teens as a cowboy. Where he became an outlaw is unknown, but he was arrested after several bank robberies in 1893. Released from prison in 1895, Dunlop joined the ""Black Jack"""
"1894, outlaws Bill Doolin and Bill Dalton robbed the railroad station at Woodward, taking an undisclosed amount of money. Like Dodge City, Kansas, to the North, Woodward boasted a cattle town array of saloons, gambling halls, and brothels. Drovers widely knew the Equity, Midway, Shamrock, and Cabinet saloons of Woodward and the Dew Drop Inn as their watering holes at the end of a cattle drive. Dollie Kezer worked at some of most famous brothels of Denver, Colorado, and Horace Tabor threw lavish parties that she attended before coming to Woodward, where she owned and managed the Dew Drop Inn,"
"They started by robbing and murdering travelers in Jackson County and began to branch out to other counties, where they raided merchants and communities. They planned to rob their first train near Seymour; the town was an important rail hub at that time. On the evening of October 6, 1866, John Reno, Sim Reno, and Frank Sparkes boarded an Ohio and Mississippi Railway train as it started to leave the Seymour depot. They broke into the express car, restrained the guard, and broke open a safe containing approximately $16,000. From the moving train, the three men pushed a larger safe"
"Bill Raidler Bill Raidler, known as ""Little Bill"" Raidler (1870? - 1904) was an American outlaw of the Old West, and member of the Doolin-Dalton gang. Raidler was born William F. Raidler in Pennsylvania, and raised to be an educated man. However he had an adventurous side, and drifted down to Texas where he became a cowboy, then eventually ventured up to Oklahoma Territory, where he met Bill Doolin. He joined Doolin's gang around 1892. He was involved in numerous bank robberies and train robberies, as well as a number of shootouts with lawmen. On September 6, 1895, Raidler 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; they overpowered the jailer and escaped. They headed back into Montana and robbed two post offices. During this time Curry began riding with Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch gang. On June 2, 1899, the gang robbed the Union Pacific Railroad ""Overland Flyer"" passenger train near Wilcox, Wyoming, a robbery that became famous. Many notable lawmen of the day took part in the hunt for the robbers, but they were not captured. During"
"known as Frank Canton for the remainder of his lifetime. Canton died on September 27, 1927, in Edmond, Oklahoma. Frank M. Canton Josiah Horner (September 15, 1849 – September 27, 1927), better known as Frank M. Canton, was a famous American Old West lawman, gunslinger, cowboy and at one point in his life, an outlaw. Josiah Horner was born on September 15, 1849, in Harrison Township, Henry County, Indiana and drifted into Texas working as a cowboy. In 1871, he started robbing banks and rustling cattle, which at the time was a capital offense. On October 10, 1874, Horner got"
"the postcard descriptions sent out, the Stillwater, Oklahoma Territory city marshal recognized Ol' Yantis, the gang's newest member. Shortly, Yantis was cornered and killed in a shootout with the marshal's posse. On June 11, 1893, the Wild Bunch held up a Santa Fe train west of Cimarron, Kansas and took $1,000 in silver from the California-New Mexico Express. A sheriff's posse from old Beaver County, Oklahoma Territory, caught up with the gang north of Fort Supply. The gang got away, but, in the ensuing gunfight, Doolin received a bullet in his left foot. Doolin was to suffer with the pain"
"remains of the original stone is on display at the Round Rock Public Library. There is a Sam Bass Road in Round Rock, Texas. During Round Rock's ""Frontier Days"" celebration each year, performers re-enact the famous shootout in the old downtown. Bass has since been portrayed in several books, radio programs, television shows, and movies. Sam Bass (outlaw) Sam Bass (July 21, 1851 ‒ July 21, 1878) was a 19th-century American Old West train robber, American hero, and outlaw. He was part of a gang that robbed a train of $60,000 greenbacks. He died as a result of wounds received"
"Jack Kennedy (train robber) John F. ""Jack"" Kennedy (""ca."" 1870 – November 3, 1922) was an American outlaw, described as ""the West's last notorious train robber"". Kennedy, nicknamed ""the Quail Hunter"", was from Missouri. He had a record of seven train robberies within three years (1896–99), and served twelve years in the Missouri Penitentiary. He was at liberty from 1912 until his death. Several weeks prior to his last robbery, a railway inspector ran into Kennedy near Memphis and learned that he was making frequent short trips on the line from Memphis to points in northern Arkansas. The inspector became"
"starring and narrated by Jim Davis. Rube Burrow Reuben Houston Burrow (December 11, 1855 – October 9, 1890), better known as Rube Burrow, was a nationally infamous train-robber and outlaw in the Southern and Southwestern United States. During the final years of the American frontier, he became one of the most hunted in the Old West since Jesse James. From 1886 to 1890, he and his gang robbed express trains in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, the Indian Territory and Texas while pursued by hundreds of lawmen throughout the southern half of the United States, including the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Born"
"June 14, 1924, Rondout was the site of the largest train robbery in United States history. Several outlaws, including the ""Newton Gang"" and a corrupt postal inspector, successfully carried out a robbery of more than $2 million of cash, jewelry and securities. All of the conspirators were caught and prosecuted shortly afterwards, all but $100,000 of the stolen goods were recovered, and a historical marker was built to commemorate the event. Metra's Milwaukee District / North Line commuter trains, between Chicago and Fox Lake, Illinois, via Lake Forest and Libertyville, continue to pass through Rondout junction to the present day"
"most famous robbery on June 2, 1899, by robbing a Union Pacific train near Wilcox, Wyoming. Following the robbery, they fled to the Hole-in-the-Wall, successfully evading posses that were in pursuit. Kid Curry, who was by this time a member of the gang, killed Converse County Sheriff Josiah Hazen during that pursuit. The gang split up in different directions for a time, which was a common action following any of their robberies. Cassidy, Lay, Kid Curry, and other gang members Sam Ketchum and Bill Carver headed to New Mexico. On July 11, 1899, without Cassidy, Lay led Curry, Ketchum and"
"group of brothers from Seymour, who had served in the Civil War, formed the Reno Gang, the first outlaw gang in the United States. The Reno Gang, named for the brothers, terrorized Indiana and the region for several years. They were responsible for the first train robbery in the United States which occurred near Seymour in 1866. Their actions inspired a host of other outlaw gangs who copied their work, beginning several decades of high-profile train robberies. Pursued by detectives from the Pinkerton Detective Agency, most of the gang was captured in 1868 and lynched by vigilantes. Other notorious Hoosiers"
"who attempted to rob the J.R. Pearce store at Texana, Oklahoma; they were driven off with less than $20.00 in merchandise. On April 3, 1895, the Wild Bunch, without Doolin, held up a Rock Island train at Dover, Oklahoma but were unable to open the safe containing the $50,000 army payroll. So they robbed passengers of cash and jewelry. Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris Madsen and his posse took a special train to Dover and picked up the trail at daybreak, surprising the gang around noon. The marshals killed Blake and scattered the gang. This would be the last robbery by"