Belle Starr – The Bandit Queen
"I regard myself as a woman who has seen much of life."
– Belle Starr stated to The Fort Smith Elevator about one year before her death.
Belle Starr, a figure shrouded in both fact and myth, remains an enduring symbol of the American West. Often dubbed the "Bandit Queen," her life was a tapestry woven with threads of privilege, violence, and a defiant spirit that challenged the constraints of her time. Myra Belle Shirley, the woman who would become the legend, was born on February 5, 1848, in a humble log cabin near Carthage, Missouri. Her parents were John Shirley, a man of some standing referred to as "Judge," and his third wife, Elizabeth Pennington, who hailed from the infamous Hatfield family.
John Shirley’s background was a study in contrasts. He was the black sheep of a prosperous Virginia family, a man who sought his fortune westward, marrying and divorcing twice before settling with Elizabeth. Following their marriage in 1839, the Shirleys established themselves in Jasper County, Missouri, where John thrived as a farmer, cultivating wheat, corn, and raising livestock, including hogs and horses. The family grew with the addition of Myra’s older brother, John Allison "Bud," born in 1842, and a younger son, Edwin, in 1850. The subsequent decade proved financially rewarding for the Shirleys, who welcomed two more sons into their growing household.
In 1856, the family made a significant move, selling their land and relocating to Carthage, Missouri. There, they embarked on an ambitious entrepreneurial venture, constructing an inn, a tavern, a livery stable, and a blacksmith shop – a collection of businesses that occupied nearly an entire city block. John Shirley had successfully integrated himself into the burgeoning county seat of Carthage, earning respect and recognition within the community. It was during this time that Myra Belle experienced a life of relative affluence and privilege.
The young Myra Belle initially enjoyed the advantages of her family’s wealth. She attended the Carthage Female Academy, where she received a well-rounded education, studying music, classical languages, and the fundamental academic subjects. She proved to be a bright and capable student, displaying polite manners and a natural talent for playing the piano. However, beneath the veneer of a refined young lady lay a streak of rebelliousness. Myra Belle enjoyed flaunting her status as a "rich girl" and relished having an audience. She also harbored a deep love for the outdoors, spending countless days exploring the countryside with her older brother, Bud, who taught her the skills of horsemanship and marksmanship. These formative experiences would later prove invaluable in shaping the woman she would become. However, the tranquility of her privileged existence was soon to be shattered by the looming storm of civil war.
The outbreak of the Kansas-Missouri Border War dramatically altered the course of Myra Belle’s life. Jasper County found itself caught in the crossfire, as both Union and Confederate armies repeatedly traversed the region, forcing residents to choose sides and transforming neighbors into bitter enemies. Irregular bands of "Jayhawkers" and "Red Legs," pro-Union guerilla fighters, wreaked havoc on Missouri communities, leaving a trail of destruction and resentment in their wake. It was during this turbulent period that the seeds of rebellion and defiance were sown in the young Myra Belle.
The war further impacted the Shirley family when Bud, Myra’s beloved older brother, joined Quantrill’s Raiders, a notorious Confederate guerilla group. John Shirley, despite the inherent dangers, felt a sense of pride in his son’s commitment to the Southern cause. Bud, possessing intimate knowledge of the area and its inhabitants, served as a valuable scout for the Raiders, quickly rising to the rank of captain. His service was unfortunately short-lived.
In June 1864, tragedy struck the Shirley family when Bud was killed in Sarcoxie, Missouri. His death was a devastating blow to Myra Belle, solidifying her resentment towards the Union cause and fueling her rebellious spirit. The war had also taken a heavy toll on the Shirley’s businesses. Following Bud’s death, "Judge" John Shirley, disheartened and weary, made the decision to sell his property in Missouri and relocate his family to a farm near Scyene, Texas, a small settlement located southeast of Dallas. This move marked a significant turning point in Myra Belle’s life, setting her on a path that would ultimately lead to her legendary status as Belle Starr, the Bandit Queen.
Texas in the post-Civil War era was a haven for outlaws and desperados, a lawless frontier where fortunes were made and lost with alarming speed. It was here that Myra Belle Shirley would encounter figures who would further shape her destiny. In 1866, the James-Younger Gang, fresh from their first bank robbery in Liberty, Missouri, sought refuge in Texas. Jesse and Frank James, along with the Younger brothers, crossed paths with Myra Shirley, and a connection was quickly formed. Myra, drawn to the charismatic Cole Younger, was soon swept into their world of crime and adventure.
Around this time, one of these outlaw bands, seeking shelter, stayed at the Shirley residence one night. Belle Starr later recounted that it was there that she reconnected with Jim Reed, a man she had known and admired in Missouri, where their families had been friends. Their romance blossomed amidst the chaos and uncertainty of the times, culminating in their marriage on November 1, 1866.
The Shirleys, perhaps sensing a kindred spirit in the adventurous Jim Reed, offered no objection to the marriage. Jim moved into the Shirley household near Scyene, sharing the farm chores and later working as a salesman for a Dallas saddle and bridle maker. By late 1867, Jim and Belle Starr had established their own home on the Reed homestead in Missouri. Early in September 1868, Belle Starr gave birth to her first child, Rosie Lee, whom she affectionately nicknamed "Pearl."
The presence of Cole Younger at the Shirley residence has fueled speculation and rumors, with some accounts suggesting that he seduced Belle Starr and fathered her illegitimate daughter. However, Younger himself denied these claims, stating that he visited the Shirleys in Texas in 1864, not 1866, and that he did not see Belle Starr again until 1868, when she was already six months pregnant with her first child. While some dismiss Younger’s denial as the chivalrous act of a "Southern gentleman," a manuscript compiled by Richard Reed, the younger brother of Belle’s husband, supports Younger’s version of events.
Upon their return to Missouri, Jim Reed found himself a wanted man, accused of murdering a man named Shannon. Fearing for their safety, the couple fled to California with their young daughter, Pearl. It was in California that they welcomed their second child, a son named Edward. However, the allure of the outlaw life proved too strong to resist.
In 1869, Belle Starr, Reed, and two other outlaws ventured into the North Canadian River country, where they allegedly tortured an elderly Creek Indian until he revealed the location of $30,000 in hidden gold. With their share of the loot, Jim and Belle Starr returned to Texas, where she embraced the persona of the "Bandit Queen" to the fullest extent.
However, the outlaw life is fleeting. In August 1874, Jim Reed met his demise in a gunfight with a member of his own gang. Following her husband’s death, Belle Starr left her children in the care of her mother and returned to the outlaw trail. She eventually found herself in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), where she became involved with a Native American outlaw known as "Blue Duck."
That relationship was short-lived. A tall, slim Cherokee named Sam Starr entered her life. The couple settled on Sam’s sixty-two acres of land on the north side of the Canadian River, near Briartown. Belle Starr, in a gesture of solidarity with her past, named the place Younger’s Bend, reportedly in honor of Cole Younger.
The bandit couple formed a gang, using their hideaway on the Canadian River as a base of operations for rustling, horse stealing, and bootlegging whiskey to Native Americans. The brains behind these illicit activities, the one carefully planning each move, was Belle Starr.
Belle Starr herself recounted an incident in which a slender man with blinking eyes visited her and Sam at Younger’s Bend. Sam was suspicious of the cold and silent visitor, but Belle Starr assured him that he was an "old friend from Missouri." Sam Starr remained unaware that the blue-eyed man was Jesse James.
Sam and Belle Starr found the bandit life to be lucrative. She used her ill-gotten gains to bribe officials and secure the release of captured gang members. When bribery failed, she employed her feminine charms to sway lawmen, often succeeding in securing the freedom of her comrades.
The nearest settlement to the Starr gang’s operation was Fort Smith, Arkansas, where the famed Judge Isaac Parker, known as the "Hanging Judge," presided over the court. Parker became determined to bring Belle Starr to justice. On several occasions, his deputies arrested Belle Starr on charges such as rustling and bootlegging, but each time she was released due to a lack of evidence. However, in the fall of 1882, Parker finally caught a break when Belle Starr was caught red-handed attempting to steal a neighbor’s horse. After a trial, he sentenced her to two consecutive six-month prison terms and Sam to one year in the Federal Prison in Detroit.
Their time behind bars did nothing to deter their lawless ways. Upon their release, they immediately returned to their life of rustling and bootlegging. In 1886, Belle Starr and Sam were once again arrested by United States marshals and brought to Fort Smith on charges of robbery and horse stealing. However, Judge Parker was forced to dismiss the charges due to insufficient evidence.
By this time, Belle Starr had become a celebrity. Richard Fox’s Police Gazette had transformed her into a western folk hero, portraying her as a female Robin Hood and a Jesse James. She was dubbed the "Bandit Queen," a title that solidified her place in American folklore. After her release from prison, Belle Starr briefly worked in a Wild West show, playing the part of an outlaw bandit holding up a stagecoach.
On December 17, 1886, Sam Starr was killed in a gunfight with Frank West during a friend’s Christmas party. Both men died of their wounds. Belle Starr did not remain alone for long. In 1889, she entered into her third marriage with a much younger bandit named Jim July. The relationship was stormy. July allegedly offered an accomplice $200 to kill his wife. When the offer was rejected, July reportedly said, "Hell – I’ll kill the old hag myself and spend the money for whiskey!"
On February 3, 1889, Belle Starr was shot to death in an ambush on a lonely country road. She was 41 years old. An investigation was launched, and several suspects were questioned, including a neighbor she had quarreled with, her husband July, her son Ed, and even her daughter Pearl. The motive behind her death remains shrouded in mystery.
A few weeks after Belle Starr‘s death, a deputy on July’s trail mortally wounded him. Belle Starr was buried in the cabin’s front yard at Younger’s Bend. Pearl hired a stonecutter to erect a monument over her mother’s grave months later. On top of the stone was carved an image of her favorite mare, "Venus." The inscription read:
"Shed not for her the bitter tear
Nor give the heart to vain regret,
‘Tis but the casket that lies here,
The gem that fills it sparkles yet."
From 1875 to 1880, Belle Starr was the leader of a band of cattle and horse thieves who made their headquarters in the Oklahoma Territory.