Absolutely! Here’s a rewritten article based on the provided source, aiming for a more casual and engaging tone.
Jack Dunlap, aka Three-Fingered Jack – Southwest Robber – Legends of America
Alright, picture this: the Wild West, trains chugging along, and a whole lot of opportunity for guys looking to make a quick buck – the illegal way, of course. Enter Jack Dunlap, a name that might not be as famous as Billy the Kid, but trust me, he had his moments. Also known as Three-Fingered Jack, this dude was all about robbing banks and trains in Arizona back when the Old West was starting to fade.
Born in Texas around 1872, Jack went by a few aliases, like John Dunlap, Jess Dunlop, and even John Patterson. It’s like he was playing a real-life game of identity theft.
From Cowboy to Outlaw
Now, Jack didn’t start out as a hardened criminal. He actually spent his teenage years working as a cowboy, you know, herding cattle and living the ranch life. But somewhere along the line, he decided the cowboy life wasn’t cutting it. Maybe the pay was bad, or maybe he just had a knack for trouble. Whatever the reason, he turned to a life of crime.
In 1893, he got pinched after a string of bank robberies. But jail couldn’t hold him down for long. By 1895, he was back on the streets and joined up with Black Jack Christian’s gang, the High Fives. These guys were basically the OG bandits of the Southwest, rustling cattle, robbing stores, and holding up anything that moved, from banks to trains to stagecoaches. New Mexico and Arizona were their playground.
Rolling with the Big Boys
By 1898, Jack was hanging out with the Alvord-Stiles Gang. These guys were serious about their train heists. He rode with Burton Alvord, Billy Stiles, George and Louis Owens, Bravo Juan Yoas, and Bob Brown.
Picture this: September 9, 1899, midnight. These guys hit a Southern Pacific Express train and made off with over $10,000. They detached the money car, blew the safe open with dynamite (because subtlety was not their style), and then vanished into the Chiricahua Mountains. Sheriff Scott White and his posse, which included the legendary George Scarborough, tried to catch them, but no dice. The gang got away.
The Fairbank Showdown
A few months later, on February 15, 1900, the gang tried to rob a Wells Fargo Express car at the Southern Pacific Railroad depot in Fairbank. Fairbank was the closest train station to Tombstone, Arizona. But this time, they messed with the wrong train.
See, this train had a secret weapon: Jeff Davis Milton, a former Texas Ranger and all-around badass lawman. Milton was riding as a messenger for Wells Fargo, and he wasn’t about to let these bandits get away with anything.
The gang, trying to look like a bunch of drunk cowboys, started blasting at Milton as he stood in the doorway of the mail car. Milton got hit in the arm and fell back inside, but he wasn’t down for the count. The bandits thought he was dead and charged towards the open door. Big mistake.
Milton grabbed a Wells Fargo shotgun and let loose. Three-Fingered Jack was leading the charge and caught a full blast to the gut. Ouch. Bravo Juan was right behind him, but he managed to turn around just in time, taking a load of buckshot to the rear end. Double ouch. The gang scattered without even getting into the safe. Talk about a failed heist.
Jack’s Last Stand
Jack was badly wounded and fell off his horse just a few miles from the robbery. The rest of the gang left him there and split up, planning to meet later. Not exactly the most loyal bunch, huh?
Meanwhile, a posse was forming in Fairbank. After 14 hours of lying on the trail, Jack was found and dragged back to Tombstone. He gave up enough info to get the rest of the gang arrested, including the leader, Burt Alvord. He even gave an interview to the Tombstone newspaper, The Prospector, before kicking the bucket on February 24, 1900.
Rest in Peace, Jack (Maybe)
Jack Dunlap is buried in Tombstone’s Boot Hill cemetery, right near the graves of Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, and Billy Clanton. So, if you’re ever in Tombstone, you can pay your respects to the Three-Fingered bandit.
The Tombstone Prospector’s Take
Just to add a little flavor, here’s what The Tombstone Prospector had to say about Jack’s demise:
"Bandit Dies From the Effect of His Wounds. Yesterday morning, about 7 o’clock, Jesse Dunlap, known as Three-Fingered Jack, died at the hospital from the wounds he received while in the holdup at Fairbank last week from the gun in the hands of Messenger Milton."
So, there you have it: the story of Jack Dunlap, aka Three-Fingered Jack, the Southwest robber who met his end in a blaze of gunfire. He might not have been the smartest or most successful outlaw, but he definitely left his mark on the Wild West.