"Mysteries at the Museum" Wild West-Special

1 00:00:01,940 --> 00:00:05,710 On this special edition of "Mysteries at the Museum," 2 00:00:05,710 --> 00:00:06,910 a courteous crook 3 00:00:06,910 --> 00:00:09,340 and his unconventional heist... 4 00:00:09,340 --> 00:00:12,080 RICHARDSON: He was quite dapper. He was quite refined. 5 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:13,380 [ Gunshots ] 6 00:00:13,380 --> 00:00:14,380 But he was a criminal. 7 00:00:14,380 --> 00:00:15,680 [ Gunshot, bullet ricochets ] 8 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:16,850 ...a legendary lawman's 9 00:00:16,850 --> 00:00:19,850 controversial call in the ring... 10 00:00:19,860 --> 00:00:22,660 Everybody felt like the fix was in. 11 00:00:22,660 --> 00:00:26,690 ...and the worst train robbery of all time... 12 00:00:26,700 --> 00:00:28,960 JOHN: Bad things happen when you break the law. 13 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:30,630 This was no exception. 14 00:00:33,340 --> 00:00:35,670 ...on this special Wild West edition 15 00:00:35,670 --> 00:00:37,470 of "Mysteries at the Museum." 16 00:00:42,950 --> 00:00:44,540 Portland, Oregon. 17 00:00:44,550 --> 00:00:48,120 This city's Tilikum Crossing carries bicycles, 18 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:51,050 electric streetcars, and pedestrians 19 00:00:51,050 --> 00:00:52,920 but no automobiles, 20 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:57,320 making it the country's largest car-free bridge. 21 00:00:57,330 --> 00:01:00,160 And celebrating this region's transportation is 22 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:02,330 the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. 23 00:01:05,300 --> 00:01:09,870 Here, visitors can climb aboard a vintage caboose, 24 00:01:09,870 --> 00:01:12,410 a mid-century sleeper car, 25 00:01:12,410 --> 00:01:15,340 and a steam locomotive from the 1940s. 26 00:01:18,310 --> 00:01:20,580 But among these engineering marvels is 27 00:01:20,580 --> 00:01:24,790 one that really stands out for its power and size. 28 00:01:24,790 --> 00:01:28,050 JOHN: This is a massive, massive piece of steel. 29 00:01:28,060 --> 00:01:30,490 It's a black 80-foot-long cylinder, 30 00:01:30,490 --> 00:01:31,930 15 feet around 31 00:01:31,930 --> 00:01:34,460 with six-foot-high wheels underneath it. 32 00:01:34,460 --> 00:01:37,630 It's the classic childhood vision 33 00:01:37,630 --> 00:01:39,700 of a railroad train. 34 00:01:39,700 --> 00:01:43,140 WILDMAN: This is the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company's 35 00:01:43,140 --> 00:01:46,410 number 197 locomotive. 36 00:01:46,410 --> 00:01:49,610 According to writer Finn J.D. John, 37 00:01:49,610 --> 00:01:52,080 a train like this one was linked 38 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:53,980 to one of the most incredible robberies 39 00:01:53,980 --> 00:01:55,120 of the Wild West. 40 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:56,520 MAN: Turn around! Turn around! 41 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,050 Almost everything that could possibly go wrong with this 42 00:01:59,050 --> 00:02:00,520 did go wrong with it. 43 00:02:05,330 --> 00:02:09,130 WILDMAN: 1914 -- Kamela, Oregon. 44 00:02:09,130 --> 00:02:12,470 The Pacific Northwest is a dangerous place plagued 45 00:02:12,470 --> 00:02:14,200 with gunslinging desperados... [ Gunshot ] 46 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:16,500 and villainous thieves. 47 00:02:16,510 --> 00:02:19,310 And perhaps the most fearsome criminals of all is 48 00:02:19,310 --> 00:02:22,510 a gang led by Charles Manning. 49 00:02:22,510 --> 00:02:27,710 They were Wild West robbers, kind of outlaw royalty. 50 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:29,750 WILDMAN: Manning and his partners have pulled off 51 00:02:29,750 --> 00:02:32,450 a string of dastardly crimes. 52 00:02:32,450 --> 00:02:36,120 But now they are planning their biggest heist yet. 53 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:40,430 They were ready to do a classic train robbery. 54 00:02:40,430 --> 00:02:42,360 WILDMAN: The outlaws have set their sights 55 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,130 on a train traveling from Chicago to Portland. 56 00:02:45,130 --> 00:02:46,300 [ Train whistle blows ] 57 00:02:46,300 --> 00:02:49,040 Their plan is to break into the express car 58 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:52,510 where they've heard a large amount of gold is stored. 59 00:02:52,510 --> 00:02:54,810 JOHN: They were going to get into the safe, get the stuff, 60 00:02:54,810 --> 00:02:56,880 and then they would leave. 61 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:58,210 WILDMAN: On June 14th... [ Train whistle blows ] 62 00:02:58,210 --> 00:02:59,810 Manning and his men board 63 00:02:59,820 --> 00:03:02,220 the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company's 64 00:03:02,220 --> 00:03:04,180 number 197 train 65 00:03:04,190 --> 00:03:07,050 and set their plot into motion. 66 00:03:07,060 --> 00:03:09,090 As the locomotive departs the station, 67 00:03:09,090 --> 00:03:13,090 it seems that everything is going according to plan. 68 00:03:13,100 --> 00:03:15,330 When the train reaches the Blue Mountains, 69 00:03:15,330 --> 00:03:17,760 the gang pulls the emergency brake. 70 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:23,670 Manning and his men move through the compartment 71 00:03:23,670 --> 00:03:24,770 and round up the crew. 72 00:03:24,770 --> 00:03:26,340 MAN: Turn around! Turn around! 73 00:03:26,340 --> 00:03:29,780 Then the gang makes a break for the express car. 74 00:03:29,780 --> 00:03:33,410 JOHN: They knocked on the door and said, 75 00:03:33,420 --> 00:03:35,950 "Let us in, or we'll blow it up." 76 00:03:35,950 --> 00:03:37,650 WILDMAN: But when they open the safe, 77 00:03:37,650 --> 00:03:40,990 they get the shock of their lives. 78 00:03:40,990 --> 00:03:42,860 It's totally empty. 79 00:03:42,860 --> 00:03:44,720 JOHN: There was no gold in it. 80 00:03:47,130 --> 00:03:51,330 It turned out that they were robbing the wrong train. 81 00:03:51,330 --> 00:03:53,070 WILDMAN: With no gold on board, 82 00:03:53,070 --> 00:03:55,500 they gang scrambles to form plan "B." 83 00:03:55,500 --> 00:03:58,640 They decided, "Well, we've got to do something here. 84 00:04:00,780 --> 00:04:02,880 Let's rob the passengers." 85 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:03,940 WOMAN: Aah! 86 00:04:03,950 --> 00:04:06,150 WILDMAN: The outlaws take jewelry, cash, 87 00:04:06,150 --> 00:04:09,050 and anything of value from the terrified travelers. 88 00:04:09,050 --> 00:04:10,650 [ Indistinct shouting ] 89 00:04:10,650 --> 00:04:12,450 But as Manning and his posse make their way 90 00:04:12,450 --> 00:04:14,220 through the train, 91 00:04:14,220 --> 00:04:17,860 little do they know they're in for another big surprise. 92 00:04:20,730 --> 00:04:23,160 JOHN: Bad things happen when you break the law. 93 00:04:23,170 --> 00:04:24,560 This was no exception. 94 00:04:30,670 --> 00:04:33,610 WILDMAN: On board the train is a hotshot lawman, 95 00:04:33,610 --> 00:04:36,380 Deputy Sheriff George McDuffy. 96 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:39,810 JOHN: He's got a gun. 97 00:04:39,820 --> 00:04:43,750 And he was surreptitiously loading it 98 00:04:43,750 --> 00:04:47,750 while the bad guys were moving down the train toward him. 99 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:50,290 WILDMAN: McDuffy watches the robbery unfold, 100 00:04:50,290 --> 00:04:53,290 biding his time for the right moment to act. 101 00:04:55,830 --> 00:04:59,170 JOHN: He jumps up, pulls up his gun, 102 00:04:59,170 --> 00:05:02,000 and aims it at the robbers. 103 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:03,940 And he's got the drop on them. 104 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:10,740 McDuffy seems to have been some kind of a gunfighting ninja 105 00:05:10,750 --> 00:05:12,950 because, with a single-action pistol, 106 00:05:12,950 --> 00:05:14,550 he shot Manning... 107 00:05:14,550 --> 00:05:17,750 [ Gunshots ] 108 00:05:17,750 --> 00:05:21,590 three times before he could fall to the ground. 109 00:05:21,590 --> 00:05:23,090 WILDMAN: With the ringleader dead, 110 00:05:23,090 --> 00:05:26,360 the two other outlaws flee the train. 111 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:30,000 McDuffy gets the word out to local law enforcement, 112 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,070 and the rest of the gang is apprehended 113 00:05:32,070 --> 00:05:34,030 just 20 miles down the track. 114 00:05:36,410 --> 00:05:39,210 Sheriff McDuffy is hailed as a hero. 115 00:05:39,210 --> 00:05:42,480 JOHN: People saw Sheriff McDuffy as having saved everyone. 116 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:44,640 But he was very humble about it. 117 00:05:44,650 --> 00:05:47,250 He said that he was, "Just doing my job, ma'am." 118 00:05:52,150 --> 00:05:56,520 WILDMAN: Today, this Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company locomotive 119 00:05:56,530 --> 00:05:59,390 at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center recalls 120 00:05:59,390 --> 00:06:02,330 the brave sheriff who single-handedly stopped 121 00:06:02,330 --> 00:06:05,700 a brazen gang in their tracks. 122 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:10,440 Tucson, Arizona is famous 123 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:12,270 for its stunning desert landscapes 124 00:06:12,270 --> 00:06:14,970 and Southwestern-style architecture. 125 00:06:14,980 --> 00:06:19,980 It also boasts an average of 350 days of sunshine a year, 126 00:06:19,980 --> 00:06:24,420 making it officially the sunniest city in the nation. 127 00:06:24,420 --> 00:06:28,320 But those seeking respite from the rays can head indoors 128 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:31,120 to the Arizona History Museum. 129 00:06:31,130 --> 00:06:34,890 Its collection includes a wide array of relics affiliated 130 00:06:34,900 --> 00:06:37,930 with iconic figures of the West, 131 00:06:37,930 --> 00:06:43,000 such as a uniform worn by noted Mexican General Santa Anna 132 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:47,540 and a rifle once owned by Geronimo. 133 00:06:47,540 --> 00:06:51,080 But there is one artifact that is perhaps more prized 134 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:52,550 than any other. 135 00:06:52,550 --> 00:06:55,750 It's over 100 years old. It's nickel-plated. 136 00:06:55,750 --> 00:06:57,550 It's got ivory handles. 137 00:06:57,550 --> 00:07:00,290 It's rubbed almost raw on the blue plating 138 00:07:00,290 --> 00:07:02,820 on the barrel and on the side grips. 139 00:07:02,820 --> 00:07:06,790 It looks like whoever had it, they've used it a lot. 140 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:10,430 WILDMAN: According to historian Bob Boze Bell, 141 00:07:10,430 --> 00:07:14,300 this Colt .45 was wielded by the most famous lawman 142 00:07:14,300 --> 00:07:15,870 in American history. 143 00:07:15,870 --> 00:07:18,940 This gun belonged to one of the icons of the West. 144 00:07:18,940 --> 00:07:22,610 And he stewed a controversy that's still being argued 145 00:07:22,610 --> 00:07:23,640 to this day. 146 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:32,220 WILDMAN: December 2, 1896 -- San Francisco, California. 147 00:07:32,220 --> 00:07:34,550 With his crime-fighting days behind him, 148 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:39,130 retired lawman Wyatt Earp makes his living in a new arena, 149 00:07:39,130 --> 00:07:40,690 the boxing ring. 150 00:07:40,700 --> 00:07:42,100 [ Cheering ] 151 00:07:42,100 --> 00:07:45,000 Serving as a referee, he's able to combine 152 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:46,370 his love of the sport 153 00:07:46,370 --> 00:07:48,640 with his penchant for keeping the peace. 154 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:51,600 BELL: Boxing was ubiquitous on the frontier everywhere. 155 00:07:51,610 --> 00:07:54,970 In fact, Earp considered himself a pugilist in his younger days 156 00:07:54,980 --> 00:07:57,780 and refereed many fights. 157 00:07:57,780 --> 00:08:00,310 WILDMAN: On this night, Earp is overseeing a bout 158 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:02,480 of monumental importance 159 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:05,990 between two of the nation's top boxers. 160 00:08:05,990 --> 00:08:08,390 In one corner is the lanky veteran, 161 00:08:08,390 --> 00:08:10,660 Bob Fitzsimmons, 162 00:08:10,660 --> 00:08:14,790 and in the other is the stocky upstart, Tom Sharkey. 163 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,260 BELL: Well, Fitzsimmons was the heavily favored fighter 164 00:08:17,270 --> 00:08:18,360 in the match. 165 00:08:18,370 --> 00:08:21,770 Sharkey was an up-and-coming brawler. 166 00:08:21,770 --> 00:08:24,270 WILDMAN: At stake -- the championship title 167 00:08:24,270 --> 00:08:28,440 and a cash prize of $10,000. 168 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:30,680 BELL: This was being billed as a championship fight, 169 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:32,980 and the person that won was a big deal. 170 00:08:32,980 --> 00:08:34,450 And of course, there was a lot of money 171 00:08:34,450 --> 00:08:36,580 being bet on this fight. 172 00:08:36,590 --> 00:08:38,590 WILDMAN: In a sport rife with corruption, 173 00:08:38,590 --> 00:08:41,990 Earp is a welcome presence. 174 00:08:41,990 --> 00:08:45,560 BELL: But one of the problems with boxing in those days 175 00:08:45,560 --> 00:08:47,430 was that you had a lot of crooked fights. 176 00:08:47,430 --> 00:08:51,530 And so finding a referee that wasn't fixed, 177 00:08:51,530 --> 00:08:54,730 in the parlance of the day, was extremely difficult. 178 00:08:54,740 --> 00:08:57,340 WILDMAN: With his reputation as a former lawman, 179 00:08:57,340 --> 00:08:58,640 the fighters are confident 180 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:03,180 that he will call the contest fair and square. 181 00:09:03,180 --> 00:09:06,810 Everything is set for the epic showdown. 182 00:09:06,820 --> 00:09:08,510 Earp removes his coat 183 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:11,650 and prepares to start the match. 184 00:09:11,650 --> 00:09:13,190 But he's stopped in his tracks 185 00:09:13,190 --> 00:09:15,990 by the city's chief of police. 186 00:09:15,990 --> 00:09:18,090 He tells Earp that it's against the law 187 00:09:18,090 --> 00:09:19,790 to wear his pistol in the ring. 188 00:09:19,790 --> 00:09:21,430 BELL: The police chief is alarmed. 189 00:09:21,430 --> 00:09:23,130 He has to take the pistol away from him 190 00:09:23,130 --> 00:09:25,000 before the fight can begin. 191 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,000 Earp agrees to relinquish his firearm. 192 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,740 Then, he calls for the bell, and the fight is on. 193 00:09:31,740 --> 00:09:34,370 [ Bell dings ] 194 00:09:34,380 --> 00:09:36,880 BELL: We go through several rounds, and they're trading blows. 195 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:40,410 There's no clear winner. Nobody has an advantage. 196 00:09:40,420 --> 00:09:43,220 And Earp is doing everything by the book. 197 00:09:43,220 --> 00:09:45,690 He's doing it extremely well. 198 00:09:45,690 --> 00:09:47,020 ¶ 199 00:09:47,020 --> 00:09:48,720 WILDMAN: Then, in the eighth round, 200 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:51,120 the match takes a dramatic turn. 201 00:09:53,230 --> 00:09:55,430 BELL: All of a sudden, Fitzsimmons lands 202 00:09:55,430 --> 00:09:59,600 a heavy body blow to Sharkey's midsection. 203 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:02,640 Sharkey goes down. He's on the floor. 204 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:04,900 The crowd is going crazy. 205 00:10:04,910 --> 00:10:07,110 Earp calls for the bell. 206 00:10:07,110 --> 00:10:09,480 And everybody thinks that he's gonna call it for Fitzsimmons. 207 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:12,050 WILDMAN: But his decision stuns the crowd. 208 00:10:12,050 --> 00:10:13,080 [ Bell dings ] 209 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:16,950 He declares that Fitzsimmons cheated. 210 00:10:16,950 --> 00:10:20,490 BELL: Earp said that Fitzsimmons made a low blow. 211 00:10:20,490 --> 00:10:22,590 And that's immediately a disqualification. 212 00:10:22,590 --> 00:10:24,790 He calls a foul and gives 213 00:10:24,790 --> 00:10:28,860 the fight and the $10,000 purse to Sharkey. 214 00:10:28,860 --> 00:10:31,900 WILDMAN: The audience is outraged. 215 00:10:31,900 --> 00:10:33,770 They believe that Fitzsimmons won 216 00:10:33,770 --> 00:10:35,570 fair and square. 217 00:10:35,570 --> 00:10:39,370 To them, the reason for the dubious call is clear. 218 00:10:39,370 --> 00:10:43,710 Sharkey must've bribed Earp to call the fight in his favor. 219 00:10:43,710 --> 00:10:46,450 BELL: Well, now all hell broke loose in that place. 220 00:10:46,450 --> 00:10:48,720 Everybody felt like the fix was in 221 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,480 and Earp had thrown the fight. 222 00:10:51,490 --> 00:10:54,590 WILDMAN: Earp has no choice but to flee from the ring. 223 00:10:54,590 --> 00:10:58,890 He has to be escorted out of the arena for his own safety 224 00:10:58,890 --> 00:11:01,530 because everybody was so upset. 225 00:11:01,530 --> 00:11:04,060 You might even say that they had to get him out of Dodge. 226 00:11:04,070 --> 00:11:09,300 WILDMAN: So what's the truth behind Wyatt Earp's dubious decision? 227 00:11:12,270 --> 00:11:16,280 It's December 1896 in San Francisco, California. 228 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:19,080 Legendary lawman Wyatt Earp now makes his living 229 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:20,650 as a boxing referee. 230 00:11:20,650 --> 00:11:23,220 But while overseeing a championship bout, 231 00:11:23,220 --> 00:11:27,250 the retired marshal makes a controversial ruling. 232 00:11:27,260 --> 00:11:30,160 He cites the favorite for a foul blow 233 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:32,160 and declares the underdog the winner, 234 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:35,460 leading many to believe he's been paid off. 235 00:11:35,460 --> 00:11:38,460 So has Wyatt Earp fixed the fight? 236 00:11:40,900 --> 00:11:42,330 With rumors swirling, 237 00:11:42,340 --> 00:11:45,570 city officials launch an investigation. 238 00:11:45,570 --> 00:11:48,610 BELL: This was such a big deal that the city and the courts 239 00:11:48,610 --> 00:11:50,710 felt like they had to handle this case, 240 00:11:50,710 --> 00:11:54,250 to decide, "Was Wyatt Earp a crook, 241 00:11:54,250 --> 00:11:56,720 and did he fix this fight?" 242 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:58,980 WILDMAN: Earp is arrested, 243 00:11:58,990 --> 00:12:02,620 and the case is swiftly brought to trial. 244 00:12:02,620 --> 00:12:05,020 Earp proclaims his innocence. 245 00:12:05,030 --> 00:12:08,230 He says he called the bout fairly 246 00:12:08,230 --> 00:12:11,760 and that Fitzsimmons did indeed strike a low blow. 247 00:12:11,770 --> 00:12:13,430 BELL: He held firm. 248 00:12:13,430 --> 00:12:15,470 He was a man of conviction. 249 00:12:15,470 --> 00:12:18,670 He said, "I called the way I saw it." 250 00:12:18,670 --> 00:12:21,740 WILDMAN: But investigators claim there's a piece of evidence 251 00:12:21,740 --> 00:12:25,110 that proves that he did fix the fight -- 252 00:12:25,110 --> 00:12:28,710 the Colt .45 he wore into the ring. 253 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:31,420 They argue that Earp knew bringing a weapon 254 00:12:31,420 --> 00:12:33,050 into the ring was illegal, 255 00:12:33,050 --> 00:12:35,320 so the move is highly suspicious. 256 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:37,160 They allege that he must've worn it 257 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:39,690 in case the scheme went wrong. 258 00:12:39,690 --> 00:12:41,460 But Earp declares he has 259 00:12:41,460 --> 00:12:43,860 a perfectly reasonable explanation. 260 00:12:43,870 --> 00:12:46,070 BELL: He said that he had many enemies 261 00:12:46,070 --> 00:12:48,070 and many people that he had put in prison 262 00:12:48,070 --> 00:12:50,570 and he needed it to defend himself. 263 00:12:50,570 --> 00:12:54,670 There's a lot of people who wanted Wyatt Earp dead. 264 00:12:54,680 --> 00:12:58,540 After two weeks of testimony, the judge reaches his verdict. 265 00:12:58,550 --> 00:13:01,010 Ultimately, he finds there is not enough evidence 266 00:13:01,020 --> 00:13:04,550 to prove that Earp conspired to fix the fight. 267 00:13:04,550 --> 00:13:06,350 They said that, basically, it came down 268 00:13:06,350 --> 00:13:07,750 to "he said, she said." 269 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:11,360 There just wasn't any evidence of a fix or anything else. 270 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:14,190 WILDMAN: But the controversial court ruling continues 271 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:16,430 to hover over the former lawman. 272 00:13:16,430 --> 00:13:18,030 BELL: He was one of the most notorious men 273 00:13:18,030 --> 00:13:20,070 in all the Bay Area. 274 00:13:20,070 --> 00:13:23,470 He went to Alaska to get away from this. 275 00:13:23,470 --> 00:13:26,070 WILDMAN: To this day, whether Earp indeed fixed 276 00:13:26,070 --> 00:13:29,880 the fight remains a mystery. 277 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:32,850 And now this Colt .45 that once belonged 278 00:13:32,850 --> 00:13:36,020 to the famed lawman-turned-referee 279 00:13:36,020 --> 00:13:40,450 sits on display at the Arizona History Museum. 280 00:13:40,450 --> 00:13:43,620 It's a reminder of an iconic Wild West legend 281 00:13:43,620 --> 00:13:46,330 whose reputation for upholding the rules 282 00:13:46,330 --> 00:13:48,390 was nearly knocked out. 283 00:13:54,500 --> 00:13:56,440 Washington, D.C. 284 00:13:57,170 --> 00:14:00,010 Among the monuments that celebrate the nation's history 285 00:14:00,010 --> 00:14:03,940 is an institution dedicated to a sensational aspect 286 00:14:03,950 --> 00:14:05,410 of America's past. 287 00:14:05,410 --> 00:14:09,280 It is the Museum of Crime and Punishment. 288 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:12,520 Here, the country's most famous fugitives and their crimes 289 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:14,990 are immortalized. 290 00:14:14,990 --> 00:14:18,190 The collection includes Bonnie and Clyde's death car... 291 00:14:18,190 --> 00:14:21,190 Jeffrey Dahmer's handcuffs... 292 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,100 and mobster machine guns. 293 00:14:23,100 --> 00:14:28,030 But one artifact belongs in a category all its own. 294 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:30,400 It's made of hand-stitched leather 295 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:32,140 and hearkens back to a time 296 00:14:32,140 --> 00:14:36,640 when gunslingers and desperados ruled the Wild West. 297 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:38,210 It's a holster that once belonged 298 00:14:38,210 --> 00:14:41,550 to America's best-known outlaw -- 299 00:14:41,550 --> 00:14:43,520 Jesse James. 300 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:45,950 DR. JACKSON: The legends say that he was a Robin Hood -- 301 00:14:45,950 --> 00:14:48,990 this mythical outlaw hero 302 00:14:48,990 --> 00:14:53,590 who robbed from the rich to give to the poor. 303 00:14:53,590 --> 00:14:54,530 [ Gunshots ] 304 00:14:54,530 --> 00:14:57,160 WILDMAN: But is the legend true, 305 00:14:57,160 --> 00:14:59,830 or did this holster really belong 306 00:14:59,830 --> 00:15:03,670 to a cold-blooded criminal hell-bent on revenge? 307 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:11,280 May 25, 1863. 308 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:14,710 16-year-old Jesse Woodson James 309 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:17,750 is working on the quiet fields of his family farm 310 00:15:17,750 --> 00:15:19,080 in western Missouri. 311 00:15:20,990 --> 00:15:24,520 But behind this scene of rural tranquility 312 00:15:24,530 --> 00:15:28,530 lurks the specter of slavery and civil war. 313 00:15:28,530 --> 00:15:30,460 As slave-owning farmers, 314 00:15:30,460 --> 00:15:35,100 Jesse James' family strongly supports the Confederate cause. 315 00:15:35,100 --> 00:15:37,740 In fact, Jesse's older brother, Frank, 316 00:15:37,740 --> 00:15:40,070 has enlisted with a gang of guerilla fighters 317 00:15:40,070 --> 00:15:42,810 who are hiding out in the woods near the family farm. 318 00:15:42,810 --> 00:15:47,450 DR. JACKSON: Union soldiers always came to the James farm 319 00:15:47,450 --> 00:15:49,080 looking for Frank. 320 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:51,380 And on this day, they came to the farm, 321 00:15:51,390 --> 00:15:52,750 Jesse was in the field. 322 00:15:52,750 --> 00:15:55,120 WILDMAN: Before Jesse can run away, 323 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:56,790 the soldiers grab both him 324 00:15:56,790 --> 00:15:59,090 and his stepfather, Reuben Samuel, 325 00:15:59,090 --> 00:16:00,930 who they go on to interrogate. 326 00:16:00,930 --> 00:16:04,300 DR. JACKSON: They took him and hanged him on this tree 327 00:16:04,300 --> 00:16:05,660 about three or four times. 328 00:16:05,670 --> 00:16:08,170 Every time he would look like he's passing out, 329 00:16:08,170 --> 00:16:09,400 they'd let him down. 330 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:11,740 WILDMAN: As soon as Samuel catches his breath, 331 00:16:11,740 --> 00:16:13,140 the soldiers demand to know 332 00:16:13,140 --> 00:16:15,610 where Frank James and the guerillas are hiding. 333 00:16:15,610 --> 00:16:18,410 DR. JACKSON: And he wouldn't tell them where Frank was, 334 00:16:18,410 --> 00:16:20,180 so they would hang him again. 335 00:16:22,780 --> 00:16:25,950 WILDMAN: Though his stepfather survives the incident, 336 00:16:25,950 --> 00:16:30,990 the image is indelibly stamped on the young Jesse's mind. 337 00:16:30,990 --> 00:16:34,230 When he is old enough, Jesse also leaves home 338 00:16:34,230 --> 00:16:38,460 to join up with Frank and the guerilla soldiers in the forest. 339 00:16:38,470 --> 00:16:40,830 There, he begins an apprenticeship 340 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,340 with one of the most feared killers of the Civil War -- 341 00:16:44,340 --> 00:16:46,170 Bloody Bill Anderson. 342 00:16:46,170 --> 00:16:48,740 With a name like "Bloody Bill," 343 00:16:48,740 --> 00:16:51,610 you can almost see what he is known for. 344 00:16:51,610 --> 00:16:53,710 His real name is William Anderson. 345 00:16:53,710 --> 00:16:58,180 He was more of an outlaw than he was a soldier. 346 00:16:58,190 --> 00:17:00,820 WILDMAN: Bloody Bill schools the young Jesse James 347 00:17:00,820 --> 00:17:03,520 in the tactics of guerilla warfare. 348 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,230 They attacked in the most brutal way that they could. 349 00:17:06,230 --> 00:17:09,500 They would enter a town yelling the rebel yell, 350 00:17:09,500 --> 00:17:11,760 people would become paralyzed with fear, 351 00:17:11,770 --> 00:17:14,930 and they would take whatever valuable possessions they had. 352 00:17:14,940 --> 00:17:16,240 They would kill them, 353 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:18,440 and they would look them in the eye while they did it. 354 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,540 WILDMAN: But the violent excesses 355 00:17:20,540 --> 00:17:22,040 of the Missouri guerillas 356 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:25,940 do nothing to prevent the inevitable Confederate defeat. 357 00:17:25,950 --> 00:17:29,010 In 1865, the South surrenders, 358 00:17:29,020 --> 00:17:32,120 and thousands of embittered Confederate soldiers 359 00:17:32,120 --> 00:17:33,990 return home... 360 00:17:33,990 --> 00:17:36,720 but not Jesse James. 361 00:17:39,060 --> 00:17:42,260 The battle-hardened rebel recasts himself 362 00:17:42,260 --> 00:17:46,270 as a robber of banks and trains. 363 00:17:46,270 --> 00:17:47,670 DR. JACKSON: After the war, 364 00:17:47,670 --> 00:17:51,440 Jesse did not give up his hatred for the Union government. 365 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:54,010 Instead, he was even more resolved 366 00:17:54,010 --> 00:17:56,540 that what he was doing was right. 367 00:17:56,540 --> 00:17:59,710 Whenever he robbed a bank or robbed a train, 368 00:17:59,710 --> 00:18:03,950 he made it known that these were things that the Yankees own. 369 00:18:03,950 --> 00:18:07,190 WILDMAN: So, how does this vengeful ex-rebel turned robber 370 00:18:07,190 --> 00:18:10,690 become a beloved American icon? 371 00:18:14,510 --> 00:18:16,110 It's 1865. 372 00:18:16,110 --> 00:18:18,050 After the fall of the Confederacy, 373 00:18:18,050 --> 00:18:20,650 a hot-blooded soldier named Jesse James 374 00:18:20,650 --> 00:18:24,050 continues to pursue the rebel cause. 375 00:18:24,060 --> 00:18:26,960 He ruthlessly wages war on Union supporters, 376 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:30,960 plundering their businesses and destroying their property. 377 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:32,600 So, how did this vengeful rebel 378 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:35,030 become an iconic American outlaw? 379 00:18:36,230 --> 00:18:39,440 When newspapers sympathetic to the Confederate cause 380 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:41,370 report on James' robberies, 381 00:18:41,370 --> 00:18:44,740 they portray his exploits in a positive light. 382 00:18:44,740 --> 00:18:46,310 DR. JACKSON: The legend says 383 00:18:46,310 --> 00:18:48,610 he would not rob any Confederate people 384 00:18:48,610 --> 00:18:51,950 and nor would he rob any women, that he was robbing the rich, 385 00:18:51,950 --> 00:18:54,120 the people who were oppressing them, 386 00:18:54,120 --> 00:18:55,550 to give back to the poor. 387 00:18:55,550 --> 00:18:59,660 WILDMAN: Newspapers across the country pick up the stories, 388 00:18:59,660 --> 00:19:02,830 and soon, Jesse James becomes known to the nation -- 389 00:19:02,830 --> 00:19:04,530 not as a murderous criminal, 390 00:19:04,530 --> 00:19:08,500 but rather as a brave defender of Southern rights. 391 00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:10,170 Jesse loved his fame, 392 00:19:10,170 --> 00:19:14,140 and he loved reading about himself in the newspapers. 393 00:19:16,510 --> 00:19:18,610 WILDMAN: Then, in 1882, 394 00:19:18,610 --> 00:19:20,610 James is shot in the back and killed 395 00:19:20,610 --> 00:19:24,380 by a member of his own gang, Robert Ford. 396 00:19:24,380 --> 00:19:28,520 It seems a fitting end to a life marked by violence. 397 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:30,720 But far from putting the legend to rest, 398 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:33,060 James' murder has the opposite effect. 399 00:19:33,060 --> 00:19:34,960 DR. JACKSON: When Jesse died, 400 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:37,690 the newspapers covered him for almost a month. 401 00:19:37,700 --> 00:19:39,860 They told the story of his life -- 402 00:19:39,860 --> 00:19:44,070 how he was this native son beloved by all the people. 403 00:19:44,070 --> 00:19:46,640 WILDMAN: The murder of Jesse James 404 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:48,370 turns him into a martyr, 405 00:19:48,370 --> 00:19:51,770 cementing his position as an American icon. 406 00:19:51,780 --> 00:19:54,840 But the legend does not match the man. 407 00:19:54,850 --> 00:19:56,780 DR. JACKSON: He didn't care who he was robbing. 408 00:19:56,780 --> 00:19:58,450 He didn't care whose gold he was taking. 409 00:19:58,450 --> 00:20:01,150 WILDMAN: And there is little evidence to support the claim 410 00:20:01,150 --> 00:20:03,890 that Jesse James ever stole from the rich 411 00:20:03,890 --> 00:20:05,990 and gave to the poor. 412 00:20:05,990 --> 00:20:07,160 They would rather think 413 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:09,290 that he was stealing the money of the Yankees, 414 00:20:09,290 --> 00:20:12,390 but that is not held up against historical records. 415 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:14,200 WILDMAN: In the end, 416 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:17,100 the violence James witnessed as a young boy 417 00:20:17,100 --> 00:20:20,940 and the barbarous apprenticeship he served under Bloody Bill 418 00:20:20,940 --> 00:20:25,710 transformed him into a vengeful and violent criminal. 419 00:20:25,710 --> 00:20:28,910 He lived by the gun and died by the gun, 420 00:20:28,910 --> 00:20:31,750 so it is fitting that his exploits 421 00:20:31,750 --> 00:20:35,720 are commemorated by this brittle leather holster. 422 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:38,320 Here at the Museum of Crime and Punishment, 423 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:42,190 it serves as a stark reminder of the violence he perpetrated 424 00:20:42,190 --> 00:20:44,930 and the apocryphal legend he became. 425 00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:49,100 ¶ 426 00:20:49,100 --> 00:20:51,330 Laramie, Wyoming. 427 00:20:51,340 --> 00:20:55,140 Just a century ago, this was the Wild West. 428 00:20:57,580 --> 00:21:00,410 Today, the legends of that era are celebrated 429 00:21:00,410 --> 00:21:02,440 at the American Heritage Center 430 00:21:02,450 --> 00:21:06,120 at the University of Wyoming. 431 00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:07,920 And perhaps no artifact here 432 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:10,690 is more intriguing than this manuscript. 433 00:21:13,790 --> 00:21:18,090 It's almost 200 pages long and bears the title 434 00:21:18,100 --> 00:21:20,800 "The Bandit Invincible." 435 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,100 According to historian Larry Pointer, 436 00:21:23,100 --> 00:21:25,100 these pages may forever change 437 00:21:25,100 --> 00:21:27,900 what we believe about the life and death 438 00:21:27,910 --> 00:21:31,270 of the man known as the Robin Hood of the West. 439 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:34,240 "The Bandit Invincible" is the real story 440 00:21:34,250 --> 00:21:36,210 of Butch Cassidy. 441 00:21:36,210 --> 00:21:39,210 WILDMAN: The account was written in 1934, 442 00:21:39,220 --> 00:21:42,920 25 years after Butch Cassidy is said to have died 443 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,350 in a shoot-out in South America. 444 00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:48,490 But in its pages are intimate and emotional details 445 00:21:48,490 --> 00:21:51,560 about Cassidy's life and crimes, 446 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:53,800 details that Pointer is certain 447 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:56,700 have not appeared in any other written record. 448 00:21:56,700 --> 00:21:58,670 So how did its author, 449 00:21:58,670 --> 00:22:02,000 an unassuming businessman named William T. Phillips, 450 00:22:02,010 --> 00:22:06,110 come to know so much about Butch Cassidy? 451 00:22:06,110 --> 00:22:08,380 The thing that strikes you immediately is, 452 00:22:08,380 --> 00:22:10,980 "How could William T. Phillips 453 00:22:10,980 --> 00:22:14,120 have known Butch Cassidy so well?" 454 00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:16,820 WILDMAN: Who was William T. Phillips? 455 00:22:16,820 --> 00:22:20,390 And was he, in fact, Butch Cassidy himself? 456 00:22:22,930 --> 00:22:27,060 It's the 1890s -- the American West. 457 00:22:27,060 --> 00:22:30,470 Gangs of outlaws rule the open range. 458 00:22:30,470 --> 00:22:32,170 And one of the most intrepid is 459 00:22:32,170 --> 00:22:35,340 Butch Cassidy's notorious Wild Bunch. 460 00:22:35,340 --> 00:22:36,840 But they got into bank robberies, 461 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,510 payroll robberies, train robberies. 462 00:22:39,510 --> 00:22:43,310 WILDMAN: And the mastermind behind it all is Butch Cassidy. 463 00:22:43,310 --> 00:22:44,850 He was the field marshal. 464 00:22:44,850 --> 00:22:48,020 He orchestrated it all, all the logistics. 465 00:22:48,020 --> 00:22:50,050 WILDMAN: The gang's other infamous member is 466 00:22:50,050 --> 00:22:52,690 Cassidy's friend, Harry Longabaugh, 467 00:22:52,690 --> 00:22:56,660 alias "The Sundance Kid." 468 00:22:56,660 --> 00:22:59,390 But in 1900, a special posse is formed 469 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:02,360 to capture Cassidy and his gang. 470 00:23:02,370 --> 00:23:05,230 Feeling the heat, the criminals flee 471 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:08,200 only to resurface on a new frontier, 472 00:23:08,210 --> 00:23:09,910 Argentina. 473 00:23:09,910 --> 00:23:12,240 POINTER: Robberies began to occur in Argentina 474 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:15,780 that had all the hallmarks of Butch Cassidy's trademark, 475 00:23:15,780 --> 00:23:18,580 well-planned, well-executed. 476 00:23:18,580 --> 00:23:20,650 And then, at the end of 1905, 477 00:23:20,650 --> 00:23:24,550 the gang disappears from Argentina. 478 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:26,860 WILDMAN: But three years later, an incident 479 00:23:26,860 --> 00:23:30,290 in the South American country of Bolivia puts the outlaws 480 00:23:30,290 --> 00:23:33,660 back in the spotlight. 481 00:23:33,660 --> 00:23:38,030 November 4, 1908 -- San Vicente, Bolivia. 482 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:41,270 A courier is delivering a fortune in payroll cash 483 00:23:41,270 --> 00:23:43,940 to the remote Aramayo silver mine 484 00:23:43,940 --> 00:23:47,010 when he's ambushed by two American bandits 485 00:23:47,010 --> 00:23:48,340 who flee with the loot. 486 00:23:48,350 --> 00:23:51,180 [ Horse neighs ] 487 00:23:51,180 --> 00:23:53,920 Bolivian soldiers track the bandits to their hideout. 488 00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:55,620 [ Gunshots ] 489 00:23:55,620 --> 00:23:57,420 After a long standoff, 490 00:23:57,420 --> 00:24:00,290 two gunshots ring out inside the house... 491 00:24:00,290 --> 00:24:01,690 [ Gunshot ] 492 00:24:01,690 --> 00:24:03,730 [ Gunshot ] 493 00:24:03,730 --> 00:24:05,490 followed by silence. 494 00:24:09,870 --> 00:24:11,330 POINTER: One outlaw was shot in the head. 495 00:24:11,340 --> 00:24:12,630 The other one lying beside him 496 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:14,240 was shot in the side of the head. 497 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:17,670 It appeared the second had killed his partner 498 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:19,680 and then committed suicide. 499 00:24:22,750 --> 00:24:25,280 The bandits are labeled as John Does 500 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:28,080 or ningún nombres. 501 00:24:28,090 --> 00:24:31,090 But then, an American mine worker living nearby claims 502 00:24:31,090 --> 00:24:34,560 he knows who the dead men are -- 503 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:38,530 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 504 00:24:38,530 --> 00:24:43,000 But could this be a case of mistaken identity? 505 00:24:46,620 --> 00:24:49,560 It's the early 1900s -- Bolivia. 506 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:52,460 Two bandits fatally shot during a gunfight 507 00:24:52,460 --> 00:24:55,060 have been identified as the infamous outlaws 508 00:24:55,060 --> 00:24:57,730 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 509 00:24:57,730 --> 00:25:01,330 So is this really how the duo met their demise? 510 00:25:01,340 --> 00:25:04,900 Or did they actually escape? 511 00:25:04,910 --> 00:25:08,870 1934 -- Spokane, Washington. 512 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:13,280 Businessman William T. Phillips is writing a 200-page manuscript 513 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:15,910 called "The Bandit Invincible." 514 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:18,820 It's a biography of Butch Cassidy. 515 00:25:18,820 --> 00:25:20,120 But Phillips' dream 516 00:25:20,120 --> 00:25:23,220 of publishing the book is never realized. 517 00:25:23,220 --> 00:25:27,230 He died in 1937 of cancer. 518 00:25:27,230 --> 00:25:29,460 WILDMAN: It's almost 75 years later 519 00:25:29,460 --> 00:25:31,500 when the full manuscript is discovered 520 00:25:31,500 --> 00:25:34,030 by a rare-books dealer. 521 00:25:34,030 --> 00:25:37,470 In its pages is an extraordinary claim -- 522 00:25:37,470 --> 00:25:41,470 Butch Cassidy did not die in Bolivia. 523 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:43,840 According to Phillips, Cassidy escaped 524 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:46,950 from South America with an ingenious plan. 525 00:25:46,950 --> 00:25:48,650 He claims that Butch Cassidy 526 00:25:48,650 --> 00:25:51,120 went to Paris and had facial surgery. 527 00:25:51,120 --> 00:25:53,550 WILDMAN: After the procedure, the book states, 528 00:25:53,550 --> 00:25:57,390 Cassidy made a fresh start in the American West. 529 00:25:57,390 --> 00:25:59,930 It seems like an audacious claim. 530 00:25:59,930 --> 00:26:03,200 But could there be some truth to it? 531 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:04,600 And how did a law-abiding 532 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:10,600 businessman know so much about a notorious outlaw? 533 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:15,840 Was William T. Phillips actually Butch Cassidy himself? 534 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:17,980 In this manuscript are details 535 00:26:17,980 --> 00:26:20,280 that only one who had been involved 536 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:23,820 in each of those robberies in North and South America -- 537 00:26:23,820 --> 00:26:29,050 those places, those hideouts, those people -- would've known. 538 00:26:29,060 --> 00:26:31,420 WILDMAN: And Phillips owns an engraved ring 539 00:26:31,430 --> 00:26:33,930 that seems to be the one that Cassidy once gave 540 00:26:33,930 --> 00:26:36,430 to a sweetheart along with a pistol 541 00:26:36,430 --> 00:26:39,300 with the outlaw's brand carved onto the handle. 542 00:26:41,340 --> 00:26:45,140 Could Butch Cassidy's final work have been this manuscript 543 00:26:45,140 --> 00:26:49,570 written under this assumed name? 544 00:26:49,580 --> 00:26:52,940 It seems unlikely that anyone will ever know for sure 545 00:26:52,950 --> 00:26:54,610 whether Butch Cassidy 546 00:26:54,620 --> 00:26:57,480 and William T. Phillips were one and the same. 547 00:26:57,480 --> 00:26:59,990 But here at the American Heritage Center, 548 00:26:59,990 --> 00:27:04,460 this detailed manuscript helps keep his legend alive. 549 00:27:07,900 --> 00:27:09,430 Los Angeles, California, 550 00:27:09,430 --> 00:27:12,800 is known as a playground of the rich and famous, 551 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:14,900 but just a century and a half ago, 552 00:27:14,900 --> 00:27:17,970 it was regarded as the toughest and most lawless city 553 00:27:17,970 --> 00:27:19,740 west of Santa Fe. 554 00:27:19,740 --> 00:27:22,370 Overlooking this once-rough-and-tumble town 555 00:27:22,380 --> 00:27:25,280 stands The Autry. 556 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:30,020 Established by movie cowboy and music icon Gene Autry, 557 00:27:30,020 --> 00:27:31,250 the museum is dedicated 558 00:27:31,250 --> 00:27:33,820 to preserving the history of the American West. 559 00:27:33,820 --> 00:27:38,060 On display are a pair of antique bison chairs 560 00:27:38,060 --> 00:27:39,660 made from mahogany and rosewood, 561 00:27:39,660 --> 00:27:43,260 a cash register from a 19th-century saloon, 562 00:27:43,260 --> 00:27:46,130 and a sculpture of a Native American 563 00:27:46,130 --> 00:27:49,330 firing an arrow to the sky to bring rain. 564 00:27:49,340 --> 00:27:52,500 But according to curator Jeffrey Richardson, 565 00:27:52,510 --> 00:27:56,070 among these intricately crafted pieces is one object 566 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:58,040 that is comparatively plain. 567 00:27:58,050 --> 00:27:59,510 RICHARDSON: The artifact, 568 00:27:59,510 --> 00:28:01,850 it's made primarily of steel and wood. 569 00:28:01,850 --> 00:28:04,780 It has a nice, rich brown patina, 570 00:28:04,790 --> 00:28:07,350 and when it was originally produced 571 00:28:07,350 --> 00:28:09,150 was nothing spectacular. 572 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:12,490 WILDMAN: Despite its ordinary appearance, 573 00:28:12,490 --> 00:28:16,090 this shotgun belonged to a unique character. 574 00:28:16,100 --> 00:28:19,160 RICHARDSON: He was quite dapper. He was quite refined. 575 00:28:19,170 --> 00:28:22,300 But yet, he was an outlaw. He was a criminal. 576 00:28:22,300 --> 00:28:24,870 WILDMAN: Who wielded this weapon, 577 00:28:24,870 --> 00:28:28,270 and how did he earn one of the most unusual reputations 578 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:29,610 in the Wild West? 579 00:28:33,110 --> 00:28:36,250 July 26, 1875. 580 00:28:36,250 --> 00:28:39,080 80 miles south of Sacramento, California, 581 00:28:39,090 --> 00:28:41,620 a stagecoach operated by Wells Fargo 582 00:28:41,620 --> 00:28:43,660 transports a group of passengers 583 00:28:43,660 --> 00:28:46,660 and a lockbox containing bank notes and gold. 584 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:54,330 But unexpectedly, the stagecoach comes to a halt. 585 00:28:54,330 --> 00:28:57,840 And a man wearing a flour sack and wielding a shotgun 586 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:00,770 makes a very specific demand. 587 00:29:00,770 --> 00:29:04,640 He wanted all the gold and the money 588 00:29:04,650 --> 00:29:08,010 that was in the Wells Fargo lockbox. 589 00:29:08,020 --> 00:29:11,020 WILDMAN: The terrified passengers quickly surrender 590 00:29:11,020 --> 00:29:12,450 the contents of the box. 591 00:29:13,750 --> 00:29:16,090 One woman, fearing she'll be robbed next, 592 00:29:16,090 --> 00:29:19,360 offers her personal cash to the armed outlaw. 593 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:23,600 But the bandit's reaction leaves everyone baffled. 594 00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:25,530 RICHARDSON: The robber very graciously said, 595 00:29:25,530 --> 00:29:27,200 "Ma'am, I'm not here for your money. 596 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:28,570 I'm here for the money of Wells Fargo." 597 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:34,370 WILDMAN: The task of investigating 598 00:29:34,370 --> 00:29:36,140 the bizarrely chivalrous heist 599 00:29:36,140 --> 00:29:39,810 falls on Wells Fargo detective James Hume. 600 00:29:39,810 --> 00:29:44,320 But his examination of the crime is fruitless. 601 00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:46,850 RICHARDSON: What Hume ultimately came to find out 602 00:29:46,850 --> 00:29:49,050 was that there was very little to go on 603 00:29:49,060 --> 00:29:50,490 from this initial robbery. 604 00:29:50,490 --> 00:29:53,330 WILDMAN: Soon, there's news of another robbery 605 00:29:53,330 --> 00:29:55,590 about 100 miles north of the first, 606 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:59,460 and then a third by the Oregon border. 607 00:29:59,470 --> 00:30:03,540 With each heist, the story's the same. 608 00:30:03,540 --> 00:30:05,040 RICHARDSON: The same character, 609 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:07,870 the same flour mask with the eyes cut out. 610 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:11,340 And treated everyone that he dealt with with respect. 611 00:30:11,350 --> 00:30:13,580 Was very kind, was very gentle. 612 00:30:13,580 --> 00:30:15,680 WILDMAN: In robbery after robbery, 613 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:18,280 the masked man wields this shotgun, 614 00:30:18,290 --> 00:30:22,520 the same one on display at The Autry in Los Angeles. 615 00:30:24,220 --> 00:30:27,530 But when Hume gets called to the scene of the fourth holdup, 616 00:30:27,530 --> 00:30:29,860 he makes a strange discovery. 617 00:30:29,860 --> 00:30:34,670 On a nearby tree stump, he finds a note written in verse. 618 00:30:34,670 --> 00:30:36,670 RICHARDSON: It was actually a poem 619 00:30:36,670 --> 00:30:38,170 that somewhat was gloating, 620 00:30:38,170 --> 00:30:42,170 somewhat taking aim at Wells Fargo, 621 00:30:42,180 --> 00:30:45,140 to let them know that there was this individual 622 00:30:45,150 --> 00:30:46,410 who was doing this. 623 00:30:46,410 --> 00:30:49,950 WILDMAN: The poem is signed Black Bart. 624 00:30:51,250 --> 00:30:55,750 Over the next seven years, this brazen but polite criminal 625 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:58,560 robs 23 more stagecoaches, 626 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:02,530 never harming a soul and amassing a sizable fortune. 627 00:31:03,930 --> 00:31:06,500 So who is the gentleman bandit, 628 00:31:06,500 --> 00:31:09,030 and how will Wells Fargo manage to catch 629 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:13,070 this strangely gallant felon? 630 00:31:15,940 --> 00:31:19,110 It's the early 1880s in Northern California. 631 00:31:19,110 --> 00:31:21,910 Investigators are on the hunt 632 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:25,650 for an unconventional robber named Black Bart. 633 00:31:25,650 --> 00:31:29,090 During his heists, he is known for his impeccable manners 634 00:31:29,090 --> 00:31:31,360 and courtly ways. 635 00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:33,460 So who is this gentleman bandit, 636 00:31:33,460 --> 00:31:36,490 and will he ever be properly brought to justice? 637 00:31:36,500 --> 00:31:41,230 On November 3, 1883, 638 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:45,970 a masked man stops another stagecoach, 639 00:31:45,970 --> 00:31:49,110 and his polite manner leaves the driver with no doubt 640 00:31:49,110 --> 00:31:52,540 it is none other than the infamous Black Bart. 641 00:31:54,010 --> 00:31:56,950 But this time, a passenger decides to take a stand 642 00:31:56,950 --> 00:31:58,350 and opens fire. 643 00:31:58,350 --> 00:31:59,280 [ Gunshots ] 644 00:31:59,290 --> 00:32:02,520 [ Bullet ricochets ] 645 00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:07,460 Black Bart flees, but not before making a crucial mistake. 646 00:32:07,460 --> 00:32:10,800 In a moment of panic, he dropped his suitcase. 647 00:32:13,970 --> 00:32:16,300 WILDMAN: When Wells Fargo's James Hume 648 00:32:16,300 --> 00:32:19,000 gets his hands on the suitcase, he finds the key 649 00:32:19,010 --> 00:32:22,670 to unlocking the mystery of the gentleman bandit. 650 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:26,440 One of the pieces in his suitcase is a handkerchief 651 00:32:26,450 --> 00:32:29,150 that has a laundry stamping on it. 652 00:32:29,150 --> 00:32:31,480 WILDMAN: Hume tracks the stamp 653 00:32:31,490 --> 00:32:34,450 to a well-known laundry in San Francisco, 654 00:32:34,450 --> 00:32:38,960 where the proprietor says it belongs to a regular customer, 655 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:43,830 a successful mining executive by the name of Charles Bowles. 656 00:32:43,830 --> 00:32:48,570 Hume and his team use this information to set up a meeting 657 00:32:48,570 --> 00:32:52,240 with the man, albeit under false pretenses. 658 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:56,070 Hume and others, in effect, trick Black Bart 659 00:32:56,080 --> 00:33:01,850 into coming to their office to discuss some mining business. 660 00:33:01,850 --> 00:33:04,750 WILDMAN: But when the two sit down to talk, 661 00:33:04,750 --> 00:33:06,120 Hume wastes no time 662 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:09,320 in getting down to a different kind of business. 663 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:13,460 RICHARDSON: It soon becomes clear to Charles Bowles 664 00:33:13,460 --> 00:33:15,690 that they are there to ask many questions 665 00:33:15,700 --> 00:33:18,700 related to several stagecoach robberies 666 00:33:18,700 --> 00:33:22,070 that have taken place over the last few years. 667 00:33:22,070 --> 00:33:24,400 WILDMAN: Under intense pressure, 668 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:26,740 Bowles breaks down and confesses. 669 00:33:26,740 --> 00:33:29,210 He is Black Bart. 670 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:32,510 Bowles admits that 671 00:33:32,510 --> 00:33:35,450 despite his successes in the mining business, 672 00:33:35,450 --> 00:33:37,450 he often lived beyond his means. 673 00:33:37,450 --> 00:33:40,720 He liked fancy clothes. He liked nice restaurants. 674 00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:44,260 He liked being associated with the finer things in life. 675 00:33:44,260 --> 00:33:47,030 When he had enough money, he didn't commit crimes. 676 00:33:47,030 --> 00:33:48,930 But when that money started to run low, 677 00:33:48,930 --> 00:33:52,730 he would go out and commit another robbery. 678 00:33:52,730 --> 00:33:55,400 RICHARDSON: But the bandit explains 679 00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:58,770 he always followed a strict moral code. 680 00:33:58,770 --> 00:34:03,840 To protect those he robbed, he never even loaded his gun. 681 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:05,480 When his case goes to trial, 682 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:08,050 Boles is sentenced to six years in prison. 683 00:34:08,050 --> 00:34:12,280 And today, this shotgun sits at the Autry, 684 00:34:12,290 --> 00:34:14,890 once wielded by the gentleman bandit, 685 00:34:14,890 --> 00:34:17,860 one of the most famous and polite outlaws 686 00:34:17,860 --> 00:34:20,630 in California history. 687 00:34:23,900 --> 00:34:27,700 Tucked away in the rolling hills of South Central Wyoming lies 688 00:34:27,700 --> 00:34:32,500 the small and dusty town of Rawlins. 689 00:34:32,510 --> 00:34:35,970 At the Carbon County Museum, artifacts from the iconic days 690 00:34:35,980 --> 00:34:40,980 of the Wild West paint a picture of Wyoming's rich past. 691 00:34:40,980 --> 00:34:42,880 And among these bygone relics 692 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:46,850 sits a seemingly simple, everyday accessory, 693 00:34:46,850 --> 00:34:49,820 a pair of shoes. 694 00:34:49,820 --> 00:34:52,360 WILSON: They almost look like two-toned Oxford shoes. 695 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:54,460 There is dark leather at the top 696 00:34:54,460 --> 00:34:58,130 and lighter leather at the bottom. 697 00:34:58,130 --> 00:35:01,300 WILDMAN: But according to museum director Tiffany Wilson, 698 00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:04,670 the strange story behind this pair of shoes 699 00:35:04,670 --> 00:35:07,040 never ceases to fascinate visitors. 700 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:08,670 WILSON: When people come to see the exhibit, 701 00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:10,440 they have this morbid curiosity, 702 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:13,280 and they're immediately drawn to it. 703 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:15,710 WILDMAN: This aging pair of shoes is at the center 704 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:17,020 of a gruesome tale 705 00:35:17,020 --> 00:35:20,320 of strange science and macabre justice. 706 00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:22,550 What role did these shoes play 707 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:27,430 in one of the most twisted tales of the Wild West? 708 00:35:27,430 --> 00:35:31,400 1878 -- Medicine Bow, Wyoming. 709 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:32,960 [ Train whistle blows ] It's barely a decade 710 00:35:32,970 --> 00:35:35,500 since the railroad first came through town, 711 00:35:35,500 --> 00:35:38,800 bringing with it goods, supplies, cash, 712 00:35:38,810 --> 00:35:42,410 and robbers looking to pilfer it all. 713 00:35:42,410 --> 00:35:47,280 On August 19th, two outlaws are down at the tracks 714 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:50,280 trying to stop a train. 715 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:54,320 WILSON: So these two outlaws are trying to pull up railroad ties 716 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:56,960 in order to derail the train, which means that the train 717 00:35:56,960 --> 00:36:00,060 will actually fall off the tracks. 718 00:36:00,060 --> 00:36:02,830 WILDMAN: But things don't go as planned. 719 00:36:02,830 --> 00:36:05,160 WILSON: The Union Pacific patrolman comes along, 720 00:36:05,170 --> 00:36:06,100 and the jig is up. 721 00:36:06,100 --> 00:36:07,370 They've been caught. 722 00:36:07,370 --> 00:36:09,970 WILDMAN: The would-be robbers run for the hills. 723 00:36:09,970 --> 00:36:12,940 But two lawmen are hot on their trail. 724 00:36:12,940 --> 00:36:15,870 These outlaws are facing death by hanging 725 00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:17,740 because of their interference 726 00:36:17,740 --> 00:36:19,910 with the Union Pacific Railroad trains, 727 00:36:19,910 --> 00:36:22,480 so they're desperate. 728 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:24,380 WILDMAN: The fugitives hide in the bushes, 729 00:36:24,380 --> 00:36:26,380 their guns at the ready. 730 00:36:26,390 --> 00:36:30,320 When the lawmen approach, the criminals attack 731 00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:32,660 and shoot the two marshals dead. 732 00:36:32,660 --> 00:36:35,130 [ Gunshots ] 733 00:36:35,130 --> 00:36:38,100 The murderous outlaws steal their victims' horses 734 00:36:38,100 --> 00:36:39,630 and ride north, 735 00:36:39,630 --> 00:36:43,740 confident they've escaped the gallows. 736 00:36:43,740 --> 00:36:46,270 The people in Carbon County are outraged. 737 00:36:46,270 --> 00:36:48,410 These are two beloved lawmen. 738 00:36:48,410 --> 00:36:51,180 And they really redouble their efforts to find 739 00:36:51,180 --> 00:36:53,110 these outlaws. 740 00:36:53,110 --> 00:36:56,110 WILDMAN: Two years later, after an epic manhunt, 741 00:36:56,120 --> 00:37:00,150 one of the men is finally tracked down and hanged. 742 00:37:00,150 --> 00:37:04,690 Yet, the mastermind remains at large. 743 00:37:04,690 --> 00:37:06,290 1880. 744 00:37:06,290 --> 00:37:09,560 In a saloon in Montana, a man is boasting loudly 745 00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:13,000 of having killed two lawmen in Wyoming. 746 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:17,070 And getting away with it, as far as he's concerned. 747 00:37:17,070 --> 00:37:20,140 WILDMAN: His name is "Big Nose" George Parrott, 748 00:37:20,140 --> 00:37:22,410 the leader of a ruthless gang of outlaws 749 00:37:22,410 --> 00:37:25,380 that has evaded capture for years. 750 00:37:25,380 --> 00:37:28,750 But Parrott's luck is about to run out. 751 00:37:28,750 --> 00:37:30,550 As he regales the crowd, 752 00:37:30,550 --> 00:37:33,420 one eavesdropper doesn't like what he hears. 753 00:37:33,420 --> 00:37:35,090 WILSON: Someone hears him bragging. 754 00:37:35,090 --> 00:37:39,860 And they contact the authorities down in Carbon County. 755 00:37:39,860 --> 00:37:42,090 Before Parrott knows what's happening, 756 00:37:42,100 --> 00:37:44,930 lawmen arrive to arrest him. 757 00:37:44,930 --> 00:37:48,070 WILSON: And it's ironic that, in bragging about how successful 758 00:37:48,070 --> 00:37:52,100 he is in getting away, this is what gets him caught. 759 00:37:52,110 --> 00:37:54,170 WILDMAN: "Big Nose" George Parrott is returned 760 00:37:54,170 --> 00:37:56,440 to Wyoming, where he is sentenced 761 00:37:56,440 --> 00:38:00,350 to death by hanging. 762 00:38:00,350 --> 00:38:02,480 But impatient locals don't want to wait 763 00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:04,450 for his date with the gallows. 764 00:38:04,450 --> 00:38:06,420 WILSON: The people in Carbon County 765 00:38:06,420 --> 00:38:08,850 have remembered what "Big Nose" George did, 766 00:38:08,860 --> 00:38:11,260 so they want justice. 767 00:38:11,260 --> 00:38:13,830 WILDMAN: Taking the law into their own hands, 768 00:38:13,830 --> 00:38:16,730 an angry mob of vigilantes storms the jail 769 00:38:16,730 --> 00:38:19,360 and seizes Parrott. 770 00:38:19,370 --> 00:38:21,700 Then they string the murderous outlaw 771 00:38:21,700 --> 00:38:24,570 over a telegraph wire, where he is hanged. 772 00:38:28,140 --> 00:38:30,580 But the story of "Big Nose" George 773 00:38:30,580 --> 00:38:32,240 doesn't stop there. 774 00:38:32,250 --> 00:38:34,210 I think, if the story of "Big Nose" George ended 775 00:38:34,210 --> 00:38:36,150 at his death, he would just be 776 00:38:36,150 --> 00:38:39,320 another Western outlaw who was lynched. 777 00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:40,620 But the story of "Big Nose" George 778 00:38:40,620 --> 00:38:43,960 really begins at his death. 779 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:46,160 Narrator: What happens to "Big Nose" George 780 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:47,990 after he's lynched? 781 00:38:47,990 --> 00:38:50,030 And how does his legend live on? 782 00:38:54,350 --> 00:38:56,480 In the heyday of the Wild West, 783 00:38:56,490 --> 00:39:00,260 a notorious outlaw named "Big Nose" George is hanged 784 00:39:00,260 --> 00:39:02,520 for killing two lawmen. 785 00:39:02,530 --> 00:39:06,460 But the ruthless criminal's story doesn't end there. 786 00:39:06,460 --> 00:39:09,760 George's legacy would go on to become one of the strangest 787 00:39:09,770 --> 00:39:13,030 of the Old West. 788 00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:16,100 After the hanging, one local man is determined 789 00:39:16,110 --> 00:39:19,410 to make the most of Parrott's untimely demise, 790 00:39:19,410 --> 00:39:22,680 a physician named Dr. John Osborne. 791 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:25,680 And his latest fascination is the criminal mind. 792 00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:28,650 The theory was that the criminal brain was 793 00:39:28,650 --> 00:39:33,550 structurally different than the normal brain. 794 00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:35,720 WILDMAN: Looking to prove his theory, 795 00:39:35,730 --> 00:39:38,790 Osborne performs an autopsy of Parrott's brain, 796 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:40,960 searching for evidence 797 00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:43,930 that the criminal brain is different. 798 00:39:43,930 --> 00:39:48,640 But his hypothesis proves false. 799 00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:51,140 So in a final bizarre twist, 800 00:39:51,140 --> 00:39:53,110 before he closes the case, 801 00:39:53,110 --> 00:39:56,010 he decides to create a little memento. 802 00:39:56,010 --> 00:40:00,350 He had some pretty strange tastes in souvenirs. 803 00:40:00,350 --> 00:40:03,420 WILDMAN: Cutting ever so carefully into George's flesh, 804 00:40:03,420 --> 00:40:06,420 Osborne removes a piece of skin 805 00:40:06,420 --> 00:40:09,190 and brings the morbid sample to a tanner 806 00:40:09,190 --> 00:40:11,130 with a shocking request. 807 00:40:11,130 --> 00:40:15,160 Dr. John Osborne sends the skin with definite instructions 808 00:40:15,170 --> 00:40:18,070 to create a pair of shoes. 809 00:40:18,070 --> 00:40:20,840 WILDMAN: The very same shoes now on display 810 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:23,400 at the Carbon County Museum. 811 00:40:23,410 --> 00:40:27,680 The darker portion is from some kind of animal hide, 812 00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:29,410 most likely cattle. 813 00:40:29,410 --> 00:40:32,850 And the lighter portion is the unique part of the shoes, 814 00:40:32,850 --> 00:40:37,350 which is made out of the skin of "Big Nose" George Parrott. 815 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:40,290 And when you touch them, you kind of think, 816 00:40:40,290 --> 00:40:42,790 "What was he thinking when he made these?" 817 00:40:42,790 --> 00:40:47,260 Some people say he just had a morbid curiosity. 818 00:40:47,260 --> 00:40:51,730 WILDMAN: But Osborne was just as curious about wearing the shoes. 819 00:40:51,740 --> 00:40:55,970 As he enters politics and rises in Wyoming's political arena, 820 00:40:55,970 --> 00:40:58,640 the shoes remain a prized possession. 821 00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:00,880 And on the day he is inaugurated governor 822 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:05,250 of the state, he allegedly dons his favorite footwear. 823 00:41:05,250 --> 00:41:07,520 People like to say that that's the most prominent place 824 00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:09,120 he wore the shoes. 825 00:41:11,190 --> 00:41:15,790 So Dr. John Osborne obviously loves these shoes. 826 00:41:15,790 --> 00:41:17,630 They're well taken care of. 827 00:41:17,630 --> 00:41:19,130 And in his later years, 828 00:41:19,130 --> 00:41:21,530 he gives them to the Rawlins National Bank. 829 00:41:21,530 --> 00:41:25,600 And the Rawlins National Bank has them on display for years. 830 00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:27,600 WILDMAN: Today, this posthumous homage 831 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:32,440 to a one-time bandit lives on at the Carbon County Museum, 832 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:36,440 where an aging pair of shoes tells a skin-crawling tale 833 00:41:36,450 --> 00:41:39,280 of Wyoming's most macabre keepsake. 834 00:41:42,850 --> 00:41:44,390 From a bungled heist... 835 00:41:44,390 --> 00:41:47,020 [ Gunshots ] 836 00:41:47,020 --> 00:41:49,590 to a controversial call... 837 00:41:49,590 --> 00:41:52,860 [ Gunshot ] a cold-blooded outlaw 838 00:41:52,860 --> 00:41:55,530 to a gallant thief -- 839 00:41:55,530 --> 00:41:56,760 I'm Don Wildman, 840 00:41:56,770 --> 00:41:59,470 and these are the "Mysteries at the Museum."