Pearl Hart the Bandit Queen
by johnataylor · 20 things on NewTwos
- Pearl Hart (born Pearl Taylor on June 15, 1876 – December 28, 1955) was a Canadian-born outlaw of the American Old West. She committed one of the last recorded stagecoach robberies in the United States, and her crime gained notoriety primarily because of her gender. Many details of Hart's life are uncertain, with available reports being varied and often contradictory.
- Resources on Pearl Hart the Lady Bandit
- Pearl Hart was born on June 15, 1876 (some sources say 1871), in Ontario, Canada.
- She is best known for her involvement in a stagecoach robbery in 1899.
- Along with a male accomplice named Joe Boot, she held up a stagecoach in Arizona.
- The the pair stole about $431 equivalent to about $16,226 in today's dollars.
- Pearl Hart's crime gained widespread media attention due to her gender.
- She was nicknamed the "Bandit Queen" and became somewhat of a celebrity.
- Pearl Hart was captured shortly after the robbery and housed at the Globe jail, while there, Hart played up her part as a lady bandit, giving autographs and entertaining those who just wanted to get a glimpse of the "Bandit Queen."
- A few weeks after her capture, Pearl escaped from the jail on October 12, 1899, with another prisoner by the name of Ed Hogan. As the posse quickly pursued the pair, Pearl's legend began to grow throughout the west. But her freedom would be short as the law soon found her and returned her to the jail.
- Soon after, Pearl Hart and Joe Boot stood trial and were acquitted. They were immediately arrested and retried on federal charges for tampering with the U.S. mail.
- Pearl was sentenced to five years in prison but was pardoned on on December 19, 1902, after serving just 18 months in prison, and she was given a one-way ticket to Kansas City.
- She had a short-lived show where she re-enacted her crime and then spoke about the horrors of Yuma Territorial Prison. Later, she briefly worked, under an alias, as part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.
- In 1904 she was arrested in Kansas City for receiving stolen goods, but was later declared innocent. Sometime later, she moved away from Kansas City, and eventually made her way back to Arizona.
- She married George Calvin "Cal" Bywater and lived a relatively quiet life with him for 50 years as her exploits faded into obscurity.
- She passed away on December 28, 1955, in Globe, Arizona, at the age of 79 (or 84 if the earlier birth year is correct).
- Part of my fun with AI series of Twos lists. Shared for your enjoyment.