The Old West, with its wide-open spaces, small remote towns, and settlers scattered across great distances, had a problem with lawlessness. Law enforcement officials were scarce or had to cover vast territories. As such, criminal activity and fugitives from the law found the West a great place to lay low and escape the long arm of the law. However, some such individuals sought out these evaders from justice. They took it upon themselves to bring these criminals back to the authorities in handcuffs or a wooden box. These men were bounty hunters of the old West, and they did everything they could to get their man.
A Look at Four Famous Bounty Hunters of the Old West
Although the actual bounty hunter of the day didn’t exactly match the more modern idea of a bounty hunter, numerous individuals embodied the take-no-nonsense persona and bagged many bloodthirsty outlaws. Below are four of the best bounty hunters who scanned the plains, the mountains, and every rickety old town across the West. All in search of those who thought themselves out of the reach of the law, and you know what? They were quite wrong!
Unlike what is portrayed in film, books, or comics over the years, Bounty Hunters of the Old West were not what you may think. Most men going after an outlaw and his bounty (aside from the rarest of circumstances) were not full-time occupations but rather pursuits performed by true law enforcement men who wanted to supplement their income. Additionally, detective agencies were set up by those with a law enforcement background. Members of these agencies could pursue local and federal rewards if both were up for grabs.
Evolution of the Term Bounty
Finally, the term itself, bounty hunter, was not one used back in the old West. While the word bounty has been around since the 1300s, it meant kindness or goodness, which then evolved into meaning generosity, specifically to a field of crops. In the 1700s, it developed further into the word reward, though, at the time, more along the lines of the word bonus, as in supplemental pay. So, the phrase bounty hunter evolved from the phrase, bonus hunter, and during that period, the reward (or bonus) was for the skins of predatory animals, not criminals fleeing from the law. However, with all that being said, the following four men were at the top of their hunting game, no matter what they were called one hundred and fifty years ago.
The Dunn Brothers
The Dunn Brothers – Bounty hunters didn’t always skirt on the side of good. They sometimes blurred the line between getting the bad guy and being a type of bad guy themselves. No greater example of this was with the Dunn brothers, a tight family group from Pawnee, Oklahoma. The brothers included their leader, Bill Dunn, the oldest of the siblings, along with Bee, Dal, Calvin, and George. Over the years, their reputation was questionable, as they were known to be involved in cattle rustling and robberies throughout the West. However, even with this questionable background, they did indeed bring in (the dead bodies, that is) some big-name gangsters, including George Newcomb and Charley Pierce, both members of the notorious Wild Bunch.
It was through a lucky turn of events that these kills were achieved. The brothers’ sister, Rose, was entangled in a romance with Newcomb, whom she met, coincidentally enough, through her bounty-hunter brothers. Newcomb and Pierre were visiting Rose, and just as they dismounted from their horses, they were both shot dead, with the brothers then collecting the bounty of five thousand dollars for each of their kills.
Old West Justice
They further added to their total body count by killing the outlaw, Bill Doolin. However, this kill came into question as many believed that Deputy Marshal Heck Thomas shot the outlaw. The Dunn’s run as fearless bounty hunters of the West ended when reports kept surfacing that the family was engaged in illegal activities and, more importantly, when Sheriff Frank Canton shot their leader, Bill Dunn, dead.
Pat Garrett
Like the Dunn Brothers, Pat Garrett continued the theme that bounty hunters were not the most law-abiding individuals, exemplified in Garrett’s first kill of his lifetime. In 1876, while hunting buffalo in Texas, Garrett shot dead another buffalo hunter named Joe Briscoe, though the reason behind the killing is unknown. Garrett, doing the right thing, surrendered to authorities for the murder, but luckily for him, they declined to pursue prosecution, and thus, he was a free man.
Four years later, and after moving to New Mexico territory, Garrett ran for Sheriff in Lincoln County, New Mexico. He won against George Kimball by nearly double the number of votes of the incumbent Sheriff. At the same time, Billy the Kid, also known as William Henry Bonney, was wanted for murder and had a substantial bounty on his head. Though not officially in the Sheriff’s position, Garrett was appointed deputy Sheriff immediately upon winning the position. He achieved a U.S. Marshal Commission, which allowed him to pursue outlaws across state lines.
Always Got His Man
The hunt was on, and Garrett was determined to get his man. After numerous incorrect leads and shootouts that ended in Kid escaping the scene, Kid was finally captured and sentenced to hang. However, the story didn’t end there. Billy the Kid escaped from jail after killing two deputies and was once again on the run. A few months later, Garrett tracked down Kid, who was staying at Pedro Maxwell’s home and was Billy’s friend. Awoken from sleep, Billy the Kid asked who the man was who was standing in front of him. But without a word, Garrett shot Kid twice, one missed, but the other went through Kid’s heart, fatally killing him. Garrett, after long pursuits and frustration, finally did get his man.
John Riley Duncan
John Riley Duncan was born into a small farming family. Duncan helped on the family farm for several years before venturing into various small businesses. Most didn’t work out well, so the family decided to make a fresh start by moving to Texas in 1875. He and his father became butchers, but after a short time, John turned his attention to law enforcement. Dallas, at the time, was home to around ten thousand people. However, its police force was extremely small, numbering fewer than a dozen officers. He proved quite competent, although most of his duties and arrests were for simple crimes..
Bounty Hunters of the Old West
This all changed with the pursuit of Wes Hardin. Hardin was an infamous outlaw who has eluded authorities through the help of his family and friends throughout the Texas area. Duncan was recruited into the Texas Rangers and assigned to uncover work to learn about the outlaw’s next move. Various sources led him to Pensacola, Florida, where he, along with numerous other law enforcement agencies, set up an ambush for Hardin. After a gunfight, Hardin was captured and taken in by Duncan and his associate, John Armstrong. Duncan received nearly four thousand dollars for Hardin’s capture. After that, and until the end of his bounty hunter lifestyle, Duncan assisted in capturing twenty-one men. He collected around twelve thousand dollars in reward money. This made him one of the most successful bounty hunters of the Old West.
Charlie Siringo
Charlie Siringo was a bounty hunter, a lawman, and a competent detective. Although his early years were unremarkable, he jumpstarted his career when he joined the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. He did this by using Pat Garrett’s name as a reference. Siringo knew Garrett when the two searched for Billy the Kid years earlier. He got the job and was assigned cases that took him from Mexico City up to Alaska. Charlie’s specialty was going undercover and infiltrating assassination cases. Such as when he joined a six-month investigation into the attempted murder of four members of the New Mexico political and business circles. He also posed as a minor to uncover wrongdoings for the Mine Owners’ Protective Association.
In 1899, Siringo began a four-year pursuit and ultimately infiltrated the Butch Cassidy gang. Siringo said he was “the shrewdest and most daring outlaw of the present age.” Siringo pursued the exploits of Butch Cassidy and his gang. He found them scattered across the West, with many put into prison or shot during raids or ambushes. Siringo traveled nearly 25,000 miles during his pursuit of Butch Cassidy and his gang. Shortly after that, Siringo left the Pinkerton’s Agency and joined William J. Burns Detective Agency, where he continued his law enforcement work. Charlie Siringo’s final job as a pursuer of justice was when he became a New Mexico Mounted Patrolman. He assisted in capturing rustlers running rampant in the area. Old age and poor health ended his bounty hunter lifestyle until his death in 1928.
Bounty Hunters of the Old West – Hot On The Trail
The idea of an Old West bounty hunter whose sole occupation was to hunt down on-the-run fugitives listed on “Wanted” posters is more suited to modern movies. However, some badass men did indeed bring in their targets, dead or alive. Some hovered between being a “good guy” and being one with run-ins with the law themselves. However they did put away or kill many outlaws that posed life and death concerns for people’s lives and people’s property. When local law enforcement couldn’t do it or needed extra firepower, the bounty hunters of the time took charge and were hot on the trail.
