Timeline of Outlaw Activity in American History Search the archive for more information on outlaws in American history
1866: February 13 The James Gang robs the Clay County Savings Bank in Liberty, Missouri, killing a 17-year-old boy in the process. The robbery is the first daylight bank robbery in U.S. history. Read Article Missouri The New York Times, February 16, 1866 1876: September 7 The James/Younger Gang is broken up after an unsuccessful attempt at robbing the First National Bank in Northfield, Minnesota. Frank and Jesse James escape to Missouri, but three other members of the gang are captured. Read Article Western Banditti The Cambridge Jeffersonian, November 9, 1876 1878: February 18 The murder of John Tunstall in New Mexico signals the beginning of the "Lincoln County War" and the birth of the legend of "Billy the Kid." Read Article (pictured on the right) The Story of Billy The Kid The Oakland Tribune, February 11, 1923 1881: July 14 William H. Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid, is killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett at the home of Pete Maxwell in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Read Article Champion Murderer The Fort Wayne Daily Gazette, July 26, 1881 1881: October 27 Billy Clanton, Frank and Tom McLaury are killed during a gunfight with the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday near the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Read Article (pictured on the right) A Fierce Fight The Marion Daily Star, December 21, 1881 1882: April 3 Jesse James is shot and killed in his home in St. Joseph, Missouri. The killer, Bob Ford, is a member of his gang who was intent on collecting the price on Jesse's head. Read Article (pictured on the right) Jesse James The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, April 4, 1882 1900: August 29, 1900 Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and two other members of the Wild Bunch, hold up a Union Pacific Train near Tipton, Wyoming, dynamiting the express car and making off with an undisclosed sum of money. Read Article Robbers Hold Up Overland Flyer The Lincoln Evening News, August 30, 1900 1901: December 15 Wild Bunch member Harvey Logan, a.k.a Kid Curry, is arrested near Jefferson City, Tennessee for shooting two policemen in a saloon in Knoxville. Read Article He Is a Tough One The Anaconda Standard, December 22, 1901 1933: January 6 Deputy Sheriff Malcolm Davis is killed in a gun battle with Clyde Barrow and Odell Chambless near Dallas. Read Article Young Mother Held In Deputy's Death The Galveston Daily News, January 9, 1933 1933: June 10 John Dillinger is freed from the jail in Lima, Ohio where he is being held. The local sheriff, Jesse Sarber, is killed during the escape. His murder sparks a nationwide manhunt for Dillinger. Read Article $5,000 Offered By County For Arrest Of Sarber Slayers The Lima News, October 13, 1933 1933: June 17 Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd is one of the gunmen in the "Kansas City Massacre," killing one federal agent, two Kansas City detectives and the Chief of Police. Read Article (pictured on the right) Slay And Vanish The Kansas City Star, June 18, 1933 1933: September 26 Federal agents apprehend George "Machine Gun" Kelly and his wife in Memphis, Tennessee. The couple was wanted for the kidnapping of Charles Urschel in Oklahoma City. Read Article U.S. Moves to Stamp Out Bailey-Kelly Gang The Daily Times-News, September 27, 1933 1934: March 3 John Dillinger moves to the head of the most wanted list with his second prison escape. Read Article Dillinger U.S. Enemy Number One The Oakland Tribune, March 3, 1934 1934: April 22 John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and other members of the Dillinger gang escape an FBI raid while vacationing at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Wisconsin. Read Article (pictured on the right) Dillinger Escapes From Upstate Trap The Oshkosh Northwestern, April 23, 1934 1934: May 23 Law enforcement officers ambush Bonnie & Clyde near Gibsland, Louisiana, killing both in a hail of bullets. Read Article (pictured on the right) The Killing of Clyde Barrow Ends a Mad Career of Crime The Kansas City Star, May 23, 1934 1934: July 22 John Dillinger is killed in an ambush by FBI agents outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago. Dillinger's death promotes 'Pretty Boy' Floyd to Public Enemy Number One. Read Article (pictured on the right) Dillinger Trapped And Slain On Tip Of Mystery Woman The Syracuse Herald, July 23, 1934 1934: October 22 Two federal agents gun down 'Pretty Boy' Floyd while he is hiding out on the Conkle Farm in East Liverpool, Ohio. Read Article 'Pretty Boy' Floyd Shot to Death Fleeing Federal Man on Ohio Farm The Salamanca Republican Press, October 23, 1934 1934: November 28 Baby Face Nelson is shot several times during a gunfight with two federal agents, whom he eventually killed. His body is found near Niles Center, Illinois. Read Article Baby Face Nelson Found Dead… The Reno Evening Gazette, November 29, 1934		Newspaper Articles (click to view readable full images) The Oakland Tribune February 11, 1923 The Marion Daily Star December 21, 1881 The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern April 4, 1882 The Kansas City Star June 18, 1933 The Oshkosh Northwestern April 23, 1934 The Kansas City Star May 23, 1934 The Syracuse Herald July 23, 1934