The Complete List of Old West Outlaws - Last Name Begins with E-G

Old West Outlaws - Last Name Begins "E-G"

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Christopher Evans, aka: Bill Powers (1847-1917) - Born in Vermont in 1847, Evans moved to Canada as a child but moved back to the states in time to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, he served as a scout for the U.S. Cavalry. Later he moved to California with his brother Tom and after working as a prospector for a time, bought some land in Tulare County. Evans soon discovered his neighbors, George and John Sontag and when they turned to bank and train robberies, Chris joined them. In January, 1892, a posse tracked the trio down in a San Joaquin Valley barn. Following the inevitable gunfight, George Sontag was captured but Evans and John Sontag were able to get away. Law officers continued to pursue Evans and Sontag, finally catching up with them on September 13, 1893 at Sampson's Flat, California. Another gun battle took place, lasting some eight hours. When the dust had settled, John Sontag was dead, as well as two deputies. Evans was wounded several times and was dragged unconscious to jail. On December 13th, he was convicted of murder and robbery but was able to escape with another prisoner. Both were later recaptured. Evans was sent to Folsom Prison in February, 1894. After fifteen years, he was released in May, 1911 at the age of 64. He then moved to Oregon where he homesteaded until his death on February 9, 1917.

Highwaymen.

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Jesse Evans (1853-??) - Thought to have been born in either Missouri or Texas in 1853, Jessie had his first brush with the law when he was arrested along with his parents on June 26, 1871 in Elk City, Kansas for passing counterfeit money. In 1872 he drifted into New Mexico , where he worked on John Chisum's ranch. Evidently, he found cowhanding too hard, as he soon became an outlaw, committing cattle rustling and armed robbery with the likes of Billy the Kid, Frank Baker, and Tom Hill. Leading a gang of other outlaws, the men roamed throughout New Mexico, often working with other gangs in their quest for easy pickings. When the Lincoln County Warr erupted, the Murphy-Dolan faction hired the Evans Gang as enforcers; interestingly, on the opposing side that Billy the Kid was supporting. Later, when a price was placed on his head, Evans fled to Southwest Texas, where he and his cohorts resumed their cattle rustling activities. However, they were finally tracked down by Texas Rangers near Presidio on July 3, 1880. In the ultimate gunfight that occurred, Jessie Evans shot and killed Texas Ranger George Bingham, and gang member John Gross was killed by rangers. The members of the gang were finally forced to surrender. Evans was sentenced to prison in Huntsville but managed to escape from a work detail in May, 1882 and was never heard from again.

Farrington Brothers – Hilary and Levi Farrington were confederate guerillas under the command of William Quantrill when he burned and sacked Lawrence, Kansas on August 21, 1863. When the Civil War was over, the two became outlaws and robbed the Mobile and Ohio Railroad in Union City, Tennessee in 1870. With the Pinkertons hot on their trails, Hillary Farrington shot William Pinkerton in the side when the detective cornered him on a Kentucky farm.

Though wounded, Pinkerton still managed to subdue Hillary and cuffed his wrists. However while the pair were en route to Columbus, Kentucky the next day, Hillary broke loose and grabbed Pinkerton's shotgun. Struggling over the weapon in a death fight, the gun discharged, grazing Pinkerton's skull and Hilary wrenched it free. However, before the train robber could aim, Pinkerton delivered an angry upper-cut that sent his foe spinning backwards over the paddleboat, where he landed on the paddle wheel and was chopped to pieces. Levi was captured in Farmingdale, Illinois before being lynched by the people of Union City, Tennessee where the robbery took place.

John King Fisher (1854-1884) - Born northeast of Dallas, Texas, the family moved north of Austin around 1960. When Fisher borrowed a horse without telling the owner, he was soon arrested for horse theft. He soon escaped from the posse with the help of the horse's owner, who decided not to press charges. He then made his way to Goliad, Texas where he was soon arrested for breaking into a house. He was sent to prison but pardoned just four months later. Moving on to Dimmit County, he established a ranch in a area where cattle rustling was rampant. Before long, Fisher was right in the middle of it, with his ranch serving as a haven for drifters and outlaws. He was sometimes known to ride with Mexican rustlers, sometimes making off with as many as 100 head of cattle. His outlaw activities often led to violence and he quickly gained a reputation as a skilled gunfighter. He was arrested at various times by Texas Rangers Leander McNelly and Lee Hall but always managed to avoid conviction. Evidently by 1876, Fisher had his fill of the outlaw life, married and bought a ranch near Eagle Pass.

In 1881 he was appointed deputy sheriff of Uvalde County and two years later became the sheriff. He turned out to be an efficient and popular lawman and made plans to run for re-election in 1884. However, on the night of March 11, 1884, in the Vaudeville Variety Theater in San Antonio, Fisher and his companion, noted gunman Ben Thompson, were involved in a shootout brought on by a quarrel between Thompson and the theater's owners. Both Fisher and Thompson were killed.

Charlie Ford

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Charles “Charlie” Wilson Ford (1857-1884) – Born on July 9, 1857 in Ray County, Missouri, Charlie Ford was a member of the James Gang and participated in the Blue Cut, Missouri train robbery in September 1881. The older brother of Robert Ford, that “dirty little coward” who killed Jesse James on April 3, 1882, Charles was also involved in the conspiracy to kill James. Charged with first degree murder, Charlie was sentenced to hang but was quickly pardoned by the governor of Missouri. Afterwards, Charlie heard a rumor that Frank James was searching for both him and his brother, with plans of mortal revenge. For the next two years, Charlie moved from town to town, changing his name several times. No longer able to stand it, he committed suicide on May 4, 1884. Ironically, Frank James had surrendered to authorities and there is no indication that he actually ever pursued Charlie Ford.

Robert "Bob" Newton Ford (1861-1892) -- Born in 1861 in Ray County, Missouri, Bob joined the James Gang in 1879. Mostly a "hanger-on" he did odd jobs and held the horses for the gang during robberies. When an argument erupted between gang members Wood Hite and Dick Liddell in January, 1882, it quickly turned to gunplay with Hite shooting Liddell in the right thigh and Liddell striking Hite's arm. Calmly watching, Ford, a close friend of Liddell's, fired a single bullet at Hite, striking him in the head. But it would be the killing of Jesse James on April 3, 1882, that would gain him the most attention, though not the kind he wished for. At first, he was charged with murder of both Hite and James and sentenced to hang. However, he was quickly pardoned by the governor of Missouri.

Though Ford tried to profit from the killing of Jesse James by taking the stage, he was ostracized as a traitor and forever took on the moniker "dirty little coward." Just ten years later, Ford himself was shot and killed by Ed O. Kelly while running a tent saloon in Creede, Colorado on June 8, 1892. Ford’s body was returned to Richmond, Missouri where he is interred in the Richmond City Cemetery.

Robert Ford was the "dirty little coward" who shot

Jesse James in the back.

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"Bob Ford I don't trust; I think he is a sneak; but Charlie Ford is as true as steel."

--Jesse James

Crawford "Cherokee Bill" Goldsby (1876-1896) - Born As Crawford Goldsby in Fort Concho, Texas on February 8, 1876, the boy was a mixed breed, being part Cherokee, part white, part Mexican, and part black. At the age of 18, Cherokee Bill's crime spree began when he shot a man named Jake Lewis for beating up his younger brother. Sure he had killed the man, he quickly fled and soon hooked up with the Cook Gang, becoming involved with a number of serious of robberies and killings. However, early in 1895, Cherokee Bill was captured while visiting his sweetheart. Judge Isaac Parker sentenced him to be hanged, but his attorney cleverly delayed the execution. However, after Bill cold-bloodedly murdered a guard the hanging was moved up and carried out in front of over 100 onlookers on March 17, 1896. Bill quietly exchanged words with his mother, and when asked if he had any remarks, the twenty-year-old replied, "No. I came here to die, not to make a speech." More ...

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