Terror in the West: The 20 Most Fearsome Outlaws History Has Never Forgotten

In 1863, Felipe Espinosa struck terror into the hearts of the people of Colorado; together with his relatives, he committed a series of murders in isolated hamlets. Even today, the Espinosas remain Colorado’s most feared monsters, their story intertwined with the loss of land, revenge, and the panic that reigned on the frontier.

Levi Boone Helm, better known as Boone Helm, was a mountain pioneer with a sinister reputation. He was convicted of murder—a fairly common charge at the time—but he also traveled through several territories in the West and later became infamous under the nickname “The Kentucky Cannibal.” 

Cullen Baker was active amid the climate of violence that followed the Civil War, at a time when certain regions of Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana were already tense enough without an outlaw coming along to stir up trouble. His gang was nevertheless accused of terrorizing Union soldiers, civilians, and freedmen, and later accounts link him to a wave of violence that occurred during the Reconstruction era.

You may have heard of Cherokee Bill, but his real name was Crawford Goldsby. Whatever name he is known by, he is often remembered as a member of the Cook Gang, which became one of the most feared groups of young outlaws in the Indian Territory. Records indicate that he shot and killed a barber during the 1894 Lincoln County bank robbery and later killed a guard while incarcerated at Fort Smith. He was only in his early twenties when justice caught up with him.

Jim Miller looked perfectly respectable, and that is precisely how he fooled everyone. In reality, behind that unassuming appearance lay a man involved in murders and contract killings, a reputation that later earned him nicknames such as “Killer Miller.” 

In 1895, Rufus Buck led a short-lived but formidable gang that terrorized the Indian Territory. Don’t be fooled, however, by the brevity of their reign. This gang was guilty of theft, murder, and assault, and their actions were so brutal that they ultimately led to an execution at Fort Smith. 

It certainly can’t be said that Stephen Dee Richards didn’t make history—but it’s not a very glorious chapter. A native of Nebraska, his crimes regularly made headlines, and if you dig a little deeper, you can even find an account dating back to 1879 that describes him as the “murderer of nine people.” Later accounts describe him as Nebraska’s first recorded serial killer, and he was given terrifying nicknames such as the “Demon of Nebraska” and the “Monster of Ohio.”

If you know Cormac McCarthy, you know John Joel Glanton—even if you don’t think so! He wasn’t some armchair outlaw; he was a scalp hunter involved in mass violence on the frontier. He led a gang in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, and his reputation was sinister enough to find its way into some of the finest works of Western literature.

Charles Kennedy preyed on travelers near the Taos Trail, on the outskirts of Elizabethtown, New Mexico, but his crimes went far beyond simply stealing men’s watches. Eyewitness accounts describe him as a serial killer who took advantage of a remote stagecoach stop to rob and murder passing travelers.

William Preston Longley, also known as Wild Bill Longley, had a hot temper and a criminal past—two traits that earned him a notorious reputation in Texas. He was eventually convicted of murder, but historical accounts list a long series of aliases and crimes committed long before his execution in 1878. 

Henry Plummer is one of the most troubling figures of the West, but not for the reason one might think. He was corrupt, to be sure, but he also wore a badge even as accusations rained down on him, accusing him of leading a gang of highwaymen in Montana Territory. The alleged gang known as “The Innocents” preyed on travelers and gold convoys between Bannack and Virginia City, and Plummer was hanged by vigilantes in 1864. 

It certainly isn’t the nickname anyone would dream of, but “Big Nose George” (George Parrott) was a highwayman and cattle rustler involved in the murder of two Wyoming law enforcement officers following a train robbery that had gone wrong. He attempted to escape from prison but failed, which led to his lynching in Rawlins in 1881. His story, however, did not end there. His remains gave rise to one of the strangest postmortem stories in history: a pair of shoes was made from the skin taken from his body, and these shoes later became a museum exhibit. 

Nathaniel “Zip” Wyatt had several aliases, the most common being Dick Yeager and Wild Charlie. In any case, he became one of the most feared outlaws in the Oklahoma Territory in the 1890s. Newspapers described him as the leader of a murderous gang—which was an understatement—and he was captured following a violent shootout near Sheridan, Oklahoma.

George “Bitter Creek” Newcomb started out as a cowboy, moved back and forth between various itinerant gangs, and eventually joined forces with the Dalton and Doolin gangs. But that doesn’t mean he got along perfectly with his fellow outlaws; even Bob Dalton considered him too unruly, with a past marked by bank robberies, periods in hiding, and a long string of violent acts.

John King Fisher led an eventful life in Texas, taking on the roles of rancher, gunfighter, outlaw, and then law enforcement officer in turn. One might think that this last role would have set him on the straight and narrow, but some sources report his forays across the Mexican border and his tumultuous rise in the Nueces region before he attempted to lead a more respectable life. 

Aside from his long name, Joseph Alfred “Jack” Slade was involved in managing stagecoach services and the Pony Express, becoming known for his violence and his penchant for alcohol. It didn’t take long for the law to catch up with him, and he was hanged in Virginia City, Montana, in 1864—the same year that saw the demise of several other Montana outlaws. 

Harvey Logan, better known as Kid Curry, was a member of Butch Cassidy’s gang, but he never achieved the same level of fame. This is strange, considering that he has been described as “the wildest member of the gang” and that some accounts link him to the deaths of several law enforcement officers and other victims. 

James Kirker was a pioneer of Irish descent, a mercenary, and a scalp hunter—he could be seen as a sort of infernal trinity roaming the borderlands between the United States and Mexico. He built a solid reputation for himself, with recent historical studies linking his missions to acts of violence committed against the Apache people.

There’s one thing you should know about Clay Allison: he loved the word “gunslinger,” which says a lot about his personality. He was associated with all the clichés of the genre: shootouts, vigilante justice, and several deadly confrontations in New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. 

William “Curly Bill” Brocius was a member of the Cowboys gang in the Arizona Territory, becoming part of the violent underworld that surrounded Tombstone. The darkest chapter of his past was his involvement in the shooting death of Tombstone Sheriff Fred White—although accounts have long differed as to whether the shot was intentional or not.