Friday, August 31, 2012

Thomas Thompson and James O'Holeran: whiskey runners

O'Holeran and Thompson sold whiskey to the Chickasaw
For gold dust and pelts and a romp with a squaw
Then Thompson did kill
And throw down a well
His partner for saying he wanted it all

Now Thompson was jailed on account of the grudge
And given his turn before the Hanging Judge
He told all his lies
Then said his good-byes
Til the noose round his neck left a thick bloody smudge

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Noratto Ponce vs Sheriff Harry Morse

Noratto Ponce killed a man in a poker feud
Then he left before being arrested, how rude
So Sheriff Harry Morse
And a deputy of course
Chose to ride after the despicable dude

When they found him they all started shootin'
They fired while cussin' and hootin'
Well the outlaw was shot
And his horse... dead on the spot
But Ponce slipped away and kept lootin'

Weeks passed before Morse got a tip
To the Rojos home Ponce did slip
He tried once more to flee
But got hot lead for free
And blood from his carcass did drip

Saturday, August 25, 2012

John Stephens: ax murderer

John Stephens left the Delaware reservation
He sought witnesses with the intent of retaliation
Annie Kerr and Dr. Pyle
Had testified at his trial
So he upped his larceny to mutilation

Into the first house Stephens did creep
He found Kerr and her son sound asleep
With an ax he did culp
Leaving both a bloody pulp
Forgetting "what you sow you shall reap."

He went on to the home of Dr. Pyle
They say what he did there took awhile
He caved in two heads
Then beat their child until dead
And when he left they say he did smile

Judge Isaac Parker handled the case
That publicized John Stephens disgrace
The testimony revived
Cause Dr. Pyle's wife survived
And a noose was quickly fastened in place

Seaborn Kalijah: whiskey runner to merciless killer

Seaborn Kalijah sold whiskey to the Creek
Til he was arrested with a future now bleak
But in his bid to be free
He mutilated three
Til they caught him again and hung the merciless freak

Kid Wade: horse thief

Kid Wade was a horse thief of some renown
He took over the Middleton gang after Doc went down
But he made such a ruckus
And then escaped justice
Til and angry mob lynched him in town

Sunday, August 19, 2012

A Steer Branded "Murder"

Gilliland feuded with Henry Harrison Powe
And one day they decided to go toe-to-toe
Powe went to Boot Hill
Cowboys say, "A clean kill"
And the steer with the brand tells the law what they know

A steer with the "Murder" brand
For years did wander the land
An odd Texas mystery
But true to its history
When a posse of Rangers killed Fine Gilliland

Laura Bullion AKA Della Rose: outlaw

Laura Bullion had an alias -- Della Rose
With famous outlaws she did more than just pose
With outlaws she laid
Til they taught her their trade
Until her wardrobe became prison clothes

Eugene Bunch: unlikely outlaw

Eugene Bunch was a well-educated teacher
He spoke soft and polite like a preacher
But he side-stepped his brains
And took up robbing trains
Til the law killed him in the swamp like a creature

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Jim Clark: unreformed outlaw

Jim Clark was an ex-Quantril rider
Who once tried to be a lawful gunfighter
But the Council he stoked
At his anger filled joke
"I'll kill two for two bits. Pass the cider."

Black Face Charlie: outlaw

Charlie Bryant was a recognized outlaw
Because of a physical flaw
Cuz' a fight while still young
Sent black powder from the gun
Into his face and made it quite raw

Bill Brown: outlaw

Gunmen like Bill Brown are a pity
Especially with eyesight so shitty
He sought to shoot Moore
But Ralph Tate hit the floor
So they hung him and it wasn't pretty

Charles E. Boles: Black Bart

Charles Boles was the famous Black Bart
Who uplifted stage-robbing to an art
With a hood and a duster
He proved he could muster
Enough money to bed down a tart

Friday, August 17, 2012

Death of Sam Brown

A gunman named Long-Haired Sam Brown
Put fifteen men down with a frown
Til he met his Grim Reaper
A simple innkeeper
Who left him face-up on the ground

Billy the Kid Escapes

Once when Billy the Kid was in jail
Bob Ollinger crowed without fail
Until Billy broke free
And with both barrels did he
Plug Bob like a quivering quail

Billy Breckenridge vs Curly Bill Brocius

Billy Breckenridge carried a star
They say he was fearless by far
So when Curly Bill Brocius
Began acting atrocious
Billy's bullet carved out a face scar

Leonard Brock: trainrobber

Train robber Leonard Calvert Brock
Was part of the Burrow Brothers flock
He was caught and convicted
For the things he did wicked
Then jumped to his death in the cell block

Monday, August 13, 2012

William Cowper Brann: gun toting journalist

William Cowper Brann
was a newspaper man
who seemed ta' dip his pen in acid.
His acidic editorials
caused many men ta' broil:
an' they'd swear he talked hard
cuz' his manhood was flaccid.
He ticked-off town folk
all over Texas,
first at the Tribune,
then at the Post.
But when he published his own rag,
the Iconoclast,
that's when ol' Brann
ticked-off the most.
His scathing claims
behind folks names
nearly got him roasted.
The rag was sold,
but then he got bold,
it was restarted with topics well-toasted.
Subscribers did flock
ta' the editorial shock,
they scoured it like a dime novel.
But T.E. Davis
took personal offense,
an' he swore that he would make Brann grovel.
With emotions igniting
cuz' of his type of writing,
Brann always carried a gun.
So Davis an' Brann
did an' Old West man-ta'-man:
both figured ta' see this thing done.
They drew the line
an' spoke their mind
as they stood on the streets of Waco.
Davis drew faster,
shot a round from his blaster,
an' swore that he killed the "A" hole.
The bullet drew blood,
it gushed like a flood,
it hit hard in the side an' he whirled.
Brann drew his own piece
an' four shots did release,
until Davis dropped an' curled.
Four-fer'-four with the gun
an' Davis was done:
from fair weather ta' hotter than Hell.
Brann equally died
from the wound in his side:
one acid pen caused two men ta' kill.
They say that the pen
is mightier than a sword;
but if it's ta' be wielded,
make sure you are shielded,
or you may soon spill forth your own gourd.


Saturday, August 11, 2012

Gus Bogles: an onery cuss

Outlaws aren't outlaws
fer' havin' much smarts,
most are meaner than polecats
or dumber than dirt.
If they had ta' make a livin'
by honest means,
most law-breakers
would be in a world of hurt.
One such rogue named Bogles,
his first name Gus,
had a sole claim ta' fame
of bein' an onery cuss.
On June twenty-seventh,
in eighteen-eighty an' seven,
Gus killed a gent named J.D.
A railroad official
just doin' his job,
tellin' Gus he couldn't ride fer' free.
Gus wrapped a strap
around J.D.'s neck,
an' pistol-whipped the life out of him.
He stripped him near bare
of shoes, trousers, an' coat,
an' even his hat with wide brim.
They say he got on that train
without ticket ta' ride,
an' never a moments hesitation.
Leavin' behind
the corpse of J.D.
beside the rail-house station.
The law was sent forth
ta' follow the course
an' put ol' Gus in custody.
They nabbed him right quick,
an' jailed him at Fort Smith,
where Judge Isaac Parker said,
"What is yer' plea?"
They say in his cell
like a demon he'd yell:
he agitated all an' never cared.
But before the hanging judge
he plead "innocent" cuz'
down deep he really was scared.
Before a conviction
he never would say,
"I done what I done
an' would do it again."
Nor would he say,
"I done it...
an' that's a fact,
but now I'm sorry fer' my sin."
Cuz' Gus was unrepentant
throughout the ordeal,
even after he chose ta' confess.
He cared not a wit
fer' the good life he took,
just fer' his own
that he made such a mess.
Judge Parker could see
the fear in ol' Gus,
now that the tables did turn.
He chose ta' not man-up,
the choice of a coward:
now guilty an' his stomach did churn.
On July the sixth,
Gus would see his last sun:
he'd dangle at the end of a rope.
With no one ta' blame
fer' his death but himself:
he earned Hell's dunce cap as a dope.


Saturday, August 4, 2012

Benjamin Bickerstaff: rebel soldier, rebel rouser

Benjamin F. Bickerstaff,
better known as "Ben,"
got his start in Sulphur Springs in the Lone Star State.
When the Civil War commenced,
Ben's kind were incensed
ta' find out killin' was their fate.
With well-trained guerrillas
Ben killed the blue-coat fella's,
an' found he didn't mind at all.
So come the end of the war,
with a chance ta' be poor,
he chose instead ta' be an outlaw.
He went back ta' Sulphur Springs
ta' do his dirty things,
cuz' he reckoned local folk would protect him.
They were rebel sympathizers,
blue-belly despisers,
an' would never back a Yankee on a whim.
When Ben met a freed slave
he sent him ta' the grave,
an' cared not a wit who knew the fact.
He rounded up near twenty men
ta' raid supply depots of the Union:
no wish ta' defend... he chose ta' attack.
In fair weather or muck an' mud
they'd steal the wares an' spill the blood:
they were an itch the Yankees couldn't scratch.
Losses put the Yanks out of sorts,
so they built-up several forts,
with three full companies ta' help with the catch.
The local folk stayed mum,
or simply acted dumb,
many were convinced Ben was a hero.
They thought he fought a cause,
an' gave him their applause,
until they found out Ben was just a zero.
When Yankee pickin's got harder
he considered himself smarter,
an' took his gang ta' the town of Alvarado.
He figured that the bounty
taken from a different county
would not cause local favortism ta' go.
He didn't take into account
when they charged in on their mounts
that the folks in Alvarado had a say.
The citizens were warned,
an' they came out fully armed,
an' several rebels bit the dust that day.
He had conned the local folk,
since his "cause" was just a joke,
he had always been in it strictly for the money.
But the locals came out smilin'
when Bickerstaff's riff raff were dyin':
somethin' they were told sounded funny.
Ben's criminal prank
was met point-blank,
the blast nearly took off his head.
Double-ought buck ta' the face
ended Ben's life in disgrace,
an' the locals were glad he was dead.