This notorious outlaw was born in Texas and grew up a cowboy. He later turned to a life of crime and moved to New Mexico in his 30s. There, he continued to run afoul of the law and was involved in numerous train robberies and murders.
By the late 1800s, he had joined the infamous Hole in the Wall Gang. His well-known nickname came about as a case of mistaken identity—another outlaw mistook him for someone else—but the moniker stuck and he became known by this nickname as well.
In 1899, attempting a single-handed train robbery, he was shot and wounded by the conductor. He later faced trial and was convicted of “felonious assault upon a railway train”—the punishment of which was death. After his hanging in Union County, N.M., the law was later changed.
Learn more about this bandit and this Colt revolver that he brandished here. His story is just one of many that are told daily at the the NRA National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Va.
