Cowboys

Here is some history of famous outlaws and inlaws.

BILLY THE KID:
He was born Henry McCarty in 1859 in New York City then moved west with his widowed mother, ending up in New Mexico in 1873. When his mother remarried, he took his stepfather's name of Antrim, then later adopted the alias of William H. Bonney. He was usually known as just Billy of the Kid.

His life of crime began in Silver City, New Mexico when he was 15. He then fled to Arizona after a brush with the law over a petty theft. He shot and killed "Windy" Cahill in a saloon fight on August 17, 1877 and he ran off again, now back to New Mexico.

He soon became embroiled in the Lincoln County War which was a conflict between rival mercantile firms. He signed on with the Tunstall-McSween "Regulators" at the age of 17. In gunfights with Murphy-Dolan forces, he showed himself as a fearless fighter and crack shot.

He and five others participated in the ambush slaying of Sheriff William Brady in Lincoln on April 1, 1878. He went on to rustle cattle from stockmen in the Texas Panhandle between 1879-1880. He was arrested by Sheriff Pat Garrett following a shootout at Stinking Springs in December 1880. Billy was convicted of Sheriff's Brady's murder and was sentenced to hang. On April 28, 1881, he overpowered and killed a guard then killed another deputy before escaping.

Sheriff Pat Garrett tracked Billy, who was now 21 years old, to the old Fort Sumner. Then, on July 14, 1881, Garrett confronted Billy in a darkened bedroom of one of the old military houses. He fired twice and killed Billy instantly.

Billy's reputation grew over the years, sparked by dime novel stories of his exploits. In actuality, he killed four men on his own and participated in the killing of several more. He did some minor cattle rustling. But he never did rob a bank, store or stagecoach. He was generally a well liked young man but it had a deadly temper. His legend as a famous bandit is undeserved.

JAMES BUTLER HICKOK (WILD BILL HICKOK):
James Butler was born in Troy Grove, Illinois in 1837. That wouldn't be a big deal, except he grew up to be famous Wild West shootist Wild Bill Hickok. He left home in 1856 for the Kansas frontier and worked as a teamster, stagecoach driver and occasionally, as a lawman. During the Civil War, he was a civilian scout and wagonmaster.

After the war, he continued as scout for Generals Philip Sheridan and Winfield Scott Hancock as well as a guide for hunting parties. He scouted for Custer when Custer was a mere Lieutenant at Fort Riley, Kansas. In 1868, Hickok became sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; in 1971 he was city marshal of Abilene, Kansas. Up until this time, between scouting and being a lawman, Hickok had come to kill quite a few people. After he accidentally shot his own deputy while in a gunfight, it is said that Hickok never fired a shot on another human being.

After that incident he roamed the West and his reputation as a gunman grew despite his inactivity. In 1870 he supposedly married "Calamity Jane" (Martha Jane Canary) but there are no records of this. In 1876, while playing poker at the No. 10 Saloon in Deadwood Dakota Territory, he had been just dealt a queen and two pairs, aces and eights, when a drifter named Jack McCall walked up behind him and fired a shot from his .45 Colt into the back of Hickok's head.

The bullet exited Hickok's cheek and wounded another player as well. McCall, who had lost $110 in poker to Hickok the previous day, was tried and hanged for Hickok's murder. Hickok was buried at Ingleside, near Deadwood but his body was transferred to Deadwood's Mt. Moriah Cemetery in 1879. In 1903, according to her last wish, "Calamity Jane" was buried next to him.

TEXAS JOHN SLAUGHTER:
Born John Horton Slaughter in Louisiana in 1841, this was the exact type of individual that the wild west celebrated. He was at times, a cattleman, lawman, gunman, gambler, politician, and builder of empires. He was elected sheriff of Cochise County in 1886, and was a good and tough sheriff but he would rather arrest a man than kill him, nonetheless, he killed in the line of duty when necessary including the bandit Guadalupe Robes, and as late as 1900 he killed gambler Bob Stevens after he held up a gambling game and ran off with the money. He was appointed deputy sheriff again, and held the post until he died in 1921 at the age of 80, in his sleep in the town of Douglas, Arizona, that he helped found.

JESSE & FRANK JAMES:
These brothers were two of the most famous outlaws known to the American west. They hailed from Missouri. Frank lived from 1843-1915 and Jesse from 1847-1882. They had long careers as robbers and murderers. The boys were sympathetic to the Southern cause during the Civil War. Frank joined William Clarke Quantrill's band of guerrillas known as Quantrill's Raiders which operated on the Kansas-Missouri border. It was there that Frank befriended Cole Younger. Jesse, meanwhile, joined "Bloody Bill" Anderson's Rebels. Both groups made raids on anti-slavery towns and Union soldiers and the skills they learned during the war became their trademark tactics in banditry.

Jesse was seriously wounded by Union troops. Upon his recovery, he and Frank robbed the bank at Liberty, Missouri on February 13, 1866 and in the process, killed a bystander. Cole Younger, along with some of his brothers joined the James boys and they became the James Gang. They continued to rob banks from Iowa to Alabama and Texas then in 1873, they add train robberies. They had already been robbing stagecoaches, stores and even individuals.

Soon, the gang became the subject of vivid writers' imaginations and they were presented as folk heroes for readers of adventure stories. They gained public sympathy after some Pinkerton detectives, trying to capture them, threw a bomb into their mother's house. The blast severed her arm and killed Jesse's 8-year old half-brother.

They tried to rob the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota in September of 1876. It proved a disaster and Cole, Jim and Bob Younger were all captured and given life sentences. The James boys escaped.

They hit out in Nashville, Tennessee for three years then emerged with a new gang. Their first hit was in October 1879 when they robbed a train near Glendale, Missouri. After more murders and robberies, a $5,000 bounty was placed on each of the brothers' heads for their capture or conviction.

Gang member Robert Ford turned on Jesse and shot him in the head on April 3, 1882 while Jesse stood on a chair straightening a picture on the wall of his home. Months later, Frank surrendered to authorities. But in three separate trials for robbery and murder, they could not get a conviction and so Frank James went free. He lived on the family farm until 1915 and died in the same room in which he was born.

A list of Name to choose from, although you can create your own outlaw, lawman, or what ever, you can also be a famous outlaw as well.

CLAY ALLISON A list of Name to choose from, although you can create your own outlaw, lawman, or what ever, you can also be a famous outlaw as well.

CLAY ALLISON
WYATT EARP
SAM BASS
JOHN HENRY (DOC)HOLLIDAY
JUDGE ROY BEAN
BLACK BART
JOHN RINGO
SHERIFF FRANK M. CANTON
COLE YOUNGER
BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID
HOLE-IN-THE-WALL GANG

If you want the history on these and any others please let me know on the ooc boards.


				*Wild West RPG* *Cowboys*



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		Cowboys are a dangerous breed. When creating a cowboy for this RPG keep in mind, that if you have never seen Tomb Stone, Or Wyatt Erpp, then you are really missing out. If you get a chance to veiw these movies I would do so. You are able to choose a character from any western movie you have seen. Most western are depicted from history. Such movies are almost right on the money. Butch and Sundance are a perfect example to that. All characters showed be within the western era. As with any cowgirl character, this is implied. Weapons can not be modified with technology. They HAVE to be from the 1800's or earlier. As with most laws, horse theives are hung, cattle theives are also laid on the noose as well. Bad guys are the best cowboys, robbing the banks and stagecoaches, and whooping it at the local saloon, in this case, Miss Kitty's. Mind you if you are going to play a vampire/cowboy, abid by laws of the land, this also applies to werewolves. Char sheets are required for these kind of characters. It is up to you keep the story line going. I will inturn help with that as well. If I feel that a story line is fading I will add a kick to the story line to get it going. The first and foremost thing here is to enjoy and have fun.







		Here is some history of famous outlaws and inlaws. BILLY THE KID: He was born Henry McCarty in 1859 in New York City then moved west with his widowed mother, ending up in New Mexico in 1873. When his mother remarried, he took his stepfather's name of Antrim, then later adopted the alias of William H. Bonney. He was usually known as just Billy of the Kid. His life of crime began in Silver City, New Mexico when he was 15. He then fled to Arizona after a brush with the law over a petty theft. He shot and killed "Windy" Cahill in a saloon fight on August 17, 1877 and he ran off again, now back to New Mexico. He soon became embroiled in the Lincoln County War which was a conflict between rival mercantile firms. He signed on with the Tunstall-McSween "Regulators" at the age of 17. In gunfights with Murphy-Dolan forces, he showed himself as a fearless fighter and crack shot. He and five others participated in the ambush slaying of Sheriff William Brady in Lincoln on April 1, 1878. He went on to rustle cattle from stockmen in the Texas Panhandle between 1879-1880. He was arrested by Sheriff Pat Garrett following a shootout at Stinking Springs in December 1880. Billy was convicted of Sheriff's Brady's murder and was sentenced to hang. On April 28, 1881, he overpowered and killed a guard then killed another deputy before escaping. Sheriff Pat Garrett tracked Billy, who was now 21 years old, to the old Fort Sumner. Then, on July 14, 1881, Garrett confronted Billy in a darkened bedroom of one of the old military houses. He fired twice and killed Billy instantly. Billy's reputation grew over the years, sparked by dime novel stories of his exploits. In actuality, he killed four men on his own and participated in the killing of several more. He did some minor cattle rustling. But he never did rob a bank, store or stagecoach. He was generally a well liked young man but it had a deadly temper. His legend as a famous bandit is undeserved. JAMES BUTLER HICKOK (WILD BILL HICKOK): James Butler was born in Troy Grove, Illinois in 1837. That wouldn't be a big deal, except he grew up to be famous Wild West shootist Wild Bill Hickok. He left home in 1856 for the Kansas frontier and worked as a teamster, stagecoach driver and occasionally, as a lawman. During the Civil War, he was a civilian scout and wagonmaster. After the war, he continued as scout for Generals Philip Sheridan and Winfield Scott Hancock as well as a guide for hunting parties. He scouted for Custer when Custer was a mere Lieutenant at Fort Riley, Kansas. In 1868, Hickok became sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas; in 1971 he was city marshal of Abilene, Kansas. Up until this time, between scouting and being a lawman, Hickok had come to kill quite a few people. After he accidentally shot his own deputy while in a gunfight, it is said that Hickok never fired a shot on another human being. After that incident he roamed the West and his reputation as a gunman grew despite his inactivity. In 1870 he supposedly married "Calamity Jane" (Martha Jane Canary) but there are no records of this. In 1876, while playing poker at the No. 10 Saloon in Deadwood Dakota Territory, he had been just dealt a queen and two pairs, aces and eights, when a drifter named Jack McCall walked up behind him and fired a shot from his .45 Colt into the back of Hickok's head. The bullet exited Hickok's cheek and wounded another player as well. McCall, who had lost $110 in poker to Hickok the previous day, was tried and hanged for Hickok's murder. Hickok was buried at Ingleside, near Deadwood but his body was transferred to Deadwood's Mt. Moriah Cemetery in 1879. In 1903, according to her last wish, "Calamity Jane" was buried next to him. TEXAS JOHN SLAUGHTER: Born John Horton Slaughter in Louisiana in 1841, this was the exact type of individual that the wild west celebrated. He was at times, a cattleman, lawman, gunman, gambler, politician, and builder of empires. He was elected sheriff of Cochise County in 1886, and was a good and tough sheriff but he would rather arrest a man than kill him, nonetheless, he killed in the line of duty when necessary including the bandit Guadalupe Robes, and as late as 1900 he killed gambler Bob Stevens after he held up a gambling game and ran off with the money. He was appointed deputy sheriff again, and held the post until he died in 1921 at the age of 80, in his sleep in the town of Douglas, Arizona, that he helped found. JESSE & FRANK JAMES: These brothers were two of the most famous outlaws known to the American west. They hailed from Missouri. Frank lived from 1843-1915 and Jesse from 1847-1882. They had long careers as robbers and murderers. The boys were sympathetic to the Southern cause during the Civil War. Frank joined William Clarke Quantrill's band of guerrillas known as Quantrill's Raiders which operated on the Kansas-Missouri border. It was there that Frank befriended Cole Younger. Jesse, meanwhile, joined "Bloody Bill" Anderson's Rebels. Both groups made raids on anti-slavery towns and Union soldiers and the skills they learned during the war became their trademark tactics in banditry. Jesse was seriously wounded by Union troops. Upon his recovery, he and Frank robbed the bank at Liberty, Missouri on February 13, 1866 and in the process, killed a bystander. Cole Younger, along with some of his brothers joined the James boys and they became the James Gang. They continued to rob banks from Iowa to Alabama and Texas then in 1873, they add train robberies. They had already been robbing stagecoaches, stores and even individuals. Soon, the gang became the subject of vivid writers' imaginations and they were presented as folk heroes for readers of adventure stories. They gained public sympathy after some Pinkerton detectives, trying to capture them, threw a bomb into their mother's house. The blast severed her arm and killed Jesse's 8-year old half-brother. They tried to rob the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota in September of 1876. It proved a disaster and Cole, Jim and Bob Younger were all captured and given life sentences. The James boys escaped. They hit out in Nashville, Tennessee for three years then emerged with a new gang. Their first hit was in October 1879 when they robbed a train near Glendale, Missouri. After more murders and robberies, a $5,000 bounty was placed on each of the brothers' heads for their capture or conviction. Gang member Robert Ford turned on Jesse and shot him in the head on April 3, 1882 while Jesse stood on a chair straightening a picture on the wall of his home. Months later, Frank surrendered to authorities. But in three separate trials for robbery and murder, they could not get a conviction and so Frank James went free. He lived on the family farm until 1915 and died in the same room in which he was born. A list of Name to choose from, although you can create your own outlaw, lawman, or what ever, you can also be a famous outlaw as well. CLAY ALLISON A list of Name to choose from, although you can create your own outlaw, lawman, or what ever, you can also be a famous outlaw as well. CLAY ALLISON WYATT EARP SAM BASS JOHN HENRY (DOC)HOLLIDAY JUDGE ROY BEAN BLACK BART JOHN RINGO SHERIFF FRANK M. CANTON COLE YOUNGER BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID HOLE-IN-THE-WALL GANG If you want the history on these and any others please let me know on the ooc boards.