James Copeland: land pirate

James Copeland the outlaw was known as a "land pirate"
Led a gang in Mississippi that were mean and irate
Adding to the gravity
He was known for depravity
And he did to the law what ladies do while they gyrate

He had rich benefactors, the family Wages
With dealings more "heathen" than painted Osages
They paid him to kill
But he never would tell
So he finally got the noose after nine years in cages

Lovers of Myra Belle Shirley: aka Belle Starr

Cole Younger and Belle fill under a spell

that lasted many a day.

He was on the run for things he had done

so they shacked up in a cabin to play.

Soon time was at hand, he rejoined the band,

leaving Belle who started to show.

Soon out popped a girl, who she named Pearl,

and it's still thought her father was Cole.

The next man to feed, a man named Jim Reed,

a robber just like the last.

The pair up and looted, then quickly scooted,

only to find they spent it too fast.

But Reed's luck was raw, and he was slow on the draw,

and so he bit the dust.

Yet it was soon found that a new beau was around,

Blue Duck now gave Belle his trust.

Their new gang would hustle the livestock they rustle,

and some would actually say these two did care.

It was proven when Blue Duck ran out of luck

and Belle did more than her share.

He was sentenced to die, the ol' "hang 'um high,"

but Belle kept the legal fight going.

There would be no noose, he was eventually cut loose,

but for Belle there would be no knowing.

Not one to tarry, Belle would soon marry

her aka namesake Sam Starr.

But their wheelin' and dealin' got them six-months for stealin',

and their romance was now from afar.

When they left jail behind, right back to the grind,

they always sought a dishonest dollar.

But Sam would soon fall, killed in a brawl,

and Belle found another man to collar.

His name was Jim July, another on the sly,

it was obvious Belle had the itch.

She packed her own gun, joined in on the fun:

today they'd just call her a "bitch."

But a life of crime dunks a soul in slime,

and there's always victims who hurt.

So when one is despised, don't be surprised,

like Belle... to be shot and left in the dirt.

Abilene: wild beginnings

In the early days of Abilene
A wide open town in Kansas it would seem
They had a few who served the law
Those quick on the draw
But for the most part it was wicked and mean

You would see a gunfight pert near every day
Many came to the town honest then started to stray
Life was an oddity
And death was a commodity
For residents in Abilene in its heyday

Many a souls there quaked and quivered
Hoping by day-break they'd be delivered
The drunks had stopped drinkin'
By morning they're stinkin'
And shoot 'um ups slowed cuz' gun hands shivered

But mornings turned to noon and then to night
And hangovers gave way to the call of dance hall delight
Between dealings quite shady
They'd court a scarlet lady
And just for kicks they'd cause someone fright

Cowboys and floozies danced cheek-to-cheek
Then turned and switched partners for a whole new treat
Cowboys chose pokin'
Or opium smokin'
Yes, every known sin was on an Abilene street

Don't turn down a drink or you'll be called out
Don't be caught with a hole-card or you'll feel a clout
Keep your horse off the pool table
And your paws off Aunt Mable
And you might live to see what Abilene's all about

It was thick with thieves and moral disease
With most everybody doing just as they please
But all the disorder
Lost to law and order
But a good hoop and holler can still be heard on the breeze

Dayton Graham: Arizona Ranger

From Bisbee Sheriff to Arizona Ranger
Dayton Graham lived a life of danger
But his feud with Bill Smith
In truth not a myth
Proved that he and Stubbornness were no stranger

When Graham and Tom Vaughn first met the outlaw
They were in Douglas but their plan had a flaw
They gave Smith an inch
And he drew in a pinch
And shot down both men of the law

A bullet to the neck laid Vaughn low
To the arm and chest had Graham about to go
On Death's door he did hover
But soon did recover
And he swore to give Smith the final blow

He took to the trail and started trackin'
And found him in a saloon chip stackin'
It was hot bullet weather
As both men slapped leather
And filled the saloon with shots crackin'

At that moment he remembered some sound advice
"Don't let an outlaw ever best ya' twice"
So three shots, one to the head
Left Bill Smith lying dead
Showing if you shoot a lawman beware of the price

Bob Meldrum: a bloody-handed lawman

Legend has it Bob Meldrum worked with Tom Horn
Though his ethics were different and his morals were torn
But he got 'er done
A quick-triggered gun
Who then found himself the subject of scorn

The star that he wore was bought and paid for
By mine owners and ranchers with profits galore
So they turned a blind eye
When more men did die
Then those who were locked behind a cell door

When Meldrum killed Bowen they threw him in jail
But the Snake River Cattlemen raised his huge bail
He then chose to scram
Six-years on the lam
Justice sometimes clearly moves like a snail

He chose to surrender and go through a trial
Some think it was rigged but they did it with style
A manslaughter conviction
With prison restriction
For five to seven years, "you'll be gone for awhile"

Yet just three months later Meldrum was free
Paroled to a rancher who took custody
So his life killing men
While still wearing tin
Would fade making saddles anonymously

Robert Williamson: Three-Legged Willie

Judge Robert Williamson was known as "Three-Legged Willie"
On account of a peg-leg he had attached to the knee
It looked mighty weird
Though the man was revered
For upholding the law in Shelby County

He set-up court behind the general store
And let folks know it wouldn't be lawless no more
Some were glad
Yet some were mad
And tried their best to run him out the door

A local rowdy saw the judge and started to snicker
Then he drew and threw his pig-sticker
It impaled the bench
But the judge didn't flinch
He knew brains over braun was quicker

"This is the law in Shelby County," barked the fool
So the judge drew his pistol to over-rule
His superior show
Made the heckler eat crow
And stand with his mouth agape about to drool

William "Bill" Brazzleton: stage robber

Bill Brazzleton the outlaw was vicious and mean
He killed his first man by the age of fifteen
He was full of surprises
Wore many disguises
When robbing stagecoaches of gold, silver, and green

He went from a traveling show to taking the stages
Giving up honest work for other mens' wages
But with such a switch
There's always a hitch
The law wants to put them in cages

His criminal life turned out fairly brief
So the local stage lines breathed a sigh of relief
One of Brazzleton's men
Choose to betray him
And the loss of his life brought no sobs, pain, or grief