High Fives Gang of the Southwest
The saga of the American West is replete with tales of daring outlaws, desperate deeds, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Among these narratives, the story of the "High Fives Gang of the Southwest" stands out as a testament to the volatile nature of the frontier, where opportunity and lawlessness often walked hand in hand. Operating primarily in the territories of New Mexico and Arizona during the late 1890s, this band of desperados left a trail of robberies, shootouts, and fleeting notoriety in their wake.
The genesis of the High Fives Gang of the Southwest can be traced back to Oklahoma, where the Christian brothers, Will, famously known as "Black Jack," and Bob, found themselves on the wrong side of the law. In 1895, after a violent encounter with law enforcement that resulted in the deaths of two officers, the brothers escaped from an Oklahoma jail. This escape marked the beginning of their outlaw journey and the eventual formation of the gang that would become known throughout the Southwest.
The initial members of the High Fives Gang of the Southwest comprised a colorful cast of characters, each with their own alias and a penchant for trouble. Besides the Christian brothers, the core group included Bob Hayes, a man known by various names such as John West and Sam Hassells; George Musgrave, who went by an astonishing array of aliases including Jeff Davis, Bill Johnson, and Jesse Miller; and Code (or Cole) Young, also known as Cole Estes and Bob Harris. These men, drawn together by a shared desire for wealth and a disregard for the law, would soon embark on a spree of criminal activity that would terrorize communities across the Southwest.
The years 1896 and 1897 marked the height of the High Fives Gang of the Southwest‘s operations. Their activities ranged from the mundane crime of cattle rustling to the more audacious robberies of stores, banks, trains, and stagecoaches. The vast and sparsely populated landscapes of New Mexico and Arizona provided ample opportunities for the gang to evade capture, and their knowledge of the terrain often gave them an advantage over pursuing lawmen.
Before their paths converged, several members of the gang were working as cowboys on ranches near Roswell, New Mexico. George Musgrave, Bob Hayes, and Code Young eventually drifted southward into the Arizona Territory, seeking new opportunities. It was here that they crossed paths with Black Jack Christian and his brother Bob. United by their shared outlaw inclinations, the men formed the High Fives Gang of the Southwest, named after a popular card game of the era, a fitting moniker for a group that seemed to be gambling with their lives at every turn.
While the gang operated as a collective, journalists often focused on the figure of "Black Jack" Christian, leading to the widespread assumption that he was the undisputed leader. However, historical accounts suggest that there was no single, dominant figure within the gang. Instead, the members frequently operated independently, splitting up before and after committing their crimes. Musgrave seems to have been the magnet that attracted all five men into the gang.
The gang’s first recorded joint crime occurred on July 20, 1896, in Separ, New Mexico, a small town that served as a cattle-loading station on the Southern Pacific Railroad line. Riding into town, they targeted John D. Weems’ general store, which also housed the post office. While Bob Christian and Bob Hayes stood guard outside with the horses, Black Jack, Musgrave, and Young entered the store, brandishing their revolvers and demanding money. They made off with a relatively small sum of $20.94 from the post office and $180 from the store, along with approximately $100 worth of supplies. With their loot in hand, the High Fives Gang of the Southwest fled south toward Hachita.
Just a few weeks later, on August 6, 1896, the gang attempted a more ambitious heist: the robbery of the International Bank in Nogales, Arizona. This time, Bob Christian and Code Young remained outside with the horses, while Black Jack, Musgrave, and Hayes entered the bank. However, the robbery quickly went awry. As Black Jack held the cashier at gunpoint and Musgrave circled the counter to control the bank president, the president made a daring escape attempt. In the ensuing confusion, the cashier managed to grab his own pistol and shot Musgrave in the knee. Black Jack, in his haste to retrieve the money bag, dropped it as he fled the bank. As the outlaws made their escape, a local newspaperman named Frank King opened fire with his .41 Colt, hitting two of their horses as they galloped out of town.
The failed bank robbery in Nogales attracted the attention of law enforcement, and a posse led by Deputy Sheriff Bob Leatherwood of Tucson was soon hot on their trail. On August 12, 1896, the posse caught up with Bob Christian, Code Young, and Bob Hayes near Skeleton Canyon, a notorious location that straddled the border between Arizona and New Mexico. A fierce gunfight erupted, resulting in the death of Deputy Frank Robson. The remaining gang members managed to escape, slipping across the border into Sonora, Mexico.
Meanwhile, Black Jack and George Musgrave, having avoided the confrontation at Skeleton Canyon, sought refuge in the San Simon Valley. However, their restless nature soon led them to commit another crime: the robbery of a store owner at Bowie Station, where they stole two brand-new pairs of boots. The High Fives Gang of the Southwest seemed unable to resist the allure of easy money, even when it meant risking capture.
Despite their constant movement, the long arm of the law was closing in. The U.S. District Court in Silver City, New Mexico, indicted the gang for the Separ robbery, specifically citing the robbery of the U.S. Postmaster as a federal violation. The High Fives Gang of the Southwest had now attracted the attention of both local and federal authorities.
The gang then set their sights on a more lucrative target: the eastbound Atlantic and Pacific train near Rio Puerco, New Mexico, about 30 miles southwest of Albuquerque. On the night of October 2, 1896, they lay in wait near a water tank, ambushing the train when it stopped to address an overheated crank pin. As the train began to move again, three of the outlaws emerged, brandishing their pistols and ordering the engineer and fireman to stop the train. In the ensuing chaos, a shot struck the brakeman’s lantern, plunging the area into darkness. Engineer Ross was forced to uncouple the Express Car. However, fate intervened in the form of U.S. Deputy Marshal Will Loomis, who happened to be a passenger on the train. Hearing the commotion, Loomis investigated and confronted the robbers.
As the engineer worked to uncouple the Express Car, Loomis approached from the rear and opened fire, killing Code Young. The remaining gang members immediately fled, leaving their fallen comrade behind. Ironically, Loomis had been pursuing the gang since mid-August, having followed their trail from Santa Fe to Skeleton Canyon and Mexico.
With lawmen closing in once again, the gang resorted to robbing stagecoaches. On October 7, they held up the San Antonio-to-White Oaks stage line near White Oaks, New Mexico, making off with $500 and exchanging their tired horses for those of the stagecoach. Emboldened by their success, they stopped the westbound stagecoach just six hours later, but this time their haul was a meager $32.60.
Not long after, Bob Hayes, Black Jack Christian, and George Musgrave sought out a former Texas Ranger named George Parker to settle a score. On October 19, they rode to the Circle Diamond roundup camp on the Rio Feliz, where Musgrave shot Parker dead.
Two days later, on October 21, the men robbed the White Oaks stage twice in one day. They first hit the westbound stagecoach from White Oaks to San Antonio near Cavanuagh’s Lake in the Oscura Mountains, taking about $160. Just two hours later, they robbed the eastbound stage.
For four months, the activities of the High Fives Gang of the Southwest confounded law enforcement. Their many chases only resulted in the capture of one outlaw – Code Young. In response, New Mexico’s Marshal Edward L. Hall announced rewards of $500 for the arrest and conviction of any of the robbers.
On November 18, 1896, a posse finally caught up with the men at the Diamond A Ranch in the San Simon Valley of southwest New Mexico. In the ensuing gunfight, Lawman Fred Higgins killed Bob Hayes.
Black Jack Christian and George Musgrave managed to escape, but the net was closing in.
On the night of March 22, 1897, Black Jack and George Musgrave appeared in Cliff, New Mexico, storming into the town’s general store and post office. They stole $201.70, the proprietor’s gold watch, clothing, boots, several knives, and a six-shooter.
Fugitives once more, they were tracked to a cave near Clifton, Arizona, where another gunfight erupted on April 27, 1897. Christian was killed, but two others managed to escape.
Bob Christian resurfaced in Mexico in the fall of 1897, but then vanished without a trace, his fate remaining a mystery.
George Musgrave was eventually captured years later and tried for the murder of George Parker, but he was acquitted. He then fled to Paraguay, where he became a leading cattle rustler. He lived to the age of 70, dying of natural causes.
The story of the High Fives Gang of the Southwest is a microcosm of the larger narrative of the Wild West: a tale of opportunity, lawlessness, and the inevitable clash between civilization and the frontier spirit. While their reign of terror was relatively short-lived, the High Fives Gang of the Southwest left an indelible mark on the history of the Southwest, becoming a cautionary tale of the consequences of a life lived outside the law.