Rascals, Rogues & Scalawags of the Old West - Robert F Turpin

All of the bad men in this book did terrible damage to other people. Some were sneaking, low-life cowards. Most of them had nerve to spare. And what did they get out of this behavior? Constant fear, never-ending suspicion, prison, and in many cases death by a bullet or at the end of a hangman's rope. None of them died rich no matter how much property they stole. None of them were heroes, although romantic legends sprung up about some of them. Such was the case with Cockeyed Frank Loving. He would have been forgotten to western history if it had not been for Bat Masterson who did a series of stories about Loving that were published in 1907. Masterson stated that to be an excellent gunfighter you had to have three important qualities, outstanding courage, skill with firearms, and above all, cold, unflinching nerve. Frank Loving had more than enough of all three. About some of the characters in this book: Prairie Dog Dave Morrow made it big selling prairie dogs. He carried a couple of the furry little creatures in his pockets. After a run in with a couple of bandits and from the results of a sharp Bowie knife, many folks swore Dave looked like one of his little friends. Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce Michael O'Rourke felt if he had some deuces showing in his hand he would be a sure winner. A party of angry miners, a rope, and a tree put an end to his rise to fame. Montana Bill's real name was never known but how he loved to con the best of con men. His stringer was always filled with sucker-fish from all avenues of the trade. Custer City, South Dakota, and the Nebraska territory in 1880 breathed a sigh of relief over the grave of Fly Specked Billy Fowler, stagecoach bandit and all around hard case. Leadville, Colorado, had never seen the likes of William Lovell alias Chicken Bill. He was a miner and prospector and above all a great opportunist. He gave his utmost attention to every sucker that stepped off the stagecoach or train. His only problem was his own bad luck. Folks around Elizabeth Town and Cimarron, New Mexico, referred to James Buckley as "Coal Oil Jimmy." He was a stagecoach bandit and cold-blooded killer. His luck ran out when a couple of Texas bounty hunters decided that he was worth more dead than alive. As for Persimmon Bill Chambers and Hurricane Bill Martin, they were a combination of all the above--heartless, wild, mean, and cold-blooded human beings. I would venture to say there were very few fellows who came close to being true heroes: Sam Owls, Pistol Pete, Montana Bill, Bronco Charlie, and a few more. The rest walked with the devil in death and tragedy, and in most cases, it was of their own choosing. As a result of their blood-thirsty and cruel deeds, most ended up in a lost and forgotten grave somewhere on the lonely plains with only the wind to moan them.