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This podcast episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states Imagine being
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wrapped up in a freshly butchered cowhide and then tied to a tree and left out in the Texas sun. As the hide slowly dries in the heat, it begins to constrict, just squeezing tighter and tighter as you're slowly crushed and suffocated. Sounds pretty horrific, right? The old timers used to call it the death of Skins, and according to legend, that's exactly what a Texas cattleman by the name of Print Olive did to a pair of rustlers back in 1876. Of course, that's nothing compared to what he did just a few years later to earn himself the title of Man Burner. Print Olive was a veteran of the Civil War Texas cattleman, a vigilante, convicted murderer, and at one point, one of the largest ranchers in the entire state of Nebraska. He killed men face to face down in Texas, survived being shot all to hell up in Kansas, and eventually, after losing damn near everything, he died about the way you might expect bleeding out on the floor of a saloon in a town that barely existed, kilt over a debt that wasn't even worth the paperwork. But who was the real Print Olive? Is the story true about the death of Skins? Or is that just another tall tale from the Old West? What exactly did he do to earn the nickname Man Burner? And did Print Olive really help to inspire Lonesome Dove? Stick around and find out. My name's Josh, and this is the Wild west extravaganza. Ice and Princess Olive was born in Union Parish, Louisiana in 1840. Maybe there are sources claiming that he was born in Mississippi, but whichever the case, by June 1840, when print was still a newborn, the family was residing in Louisiana. And by the time Print was just three years old, they were on the move yet again, this time to what's now Williamson County, Texas, where Prince Father James established a ranch. That being the case, young Print Olive practically grew up in the saddle. Hell, by the time he was a teenager, he and his brothers were already trailing herds of cattle east to the Market. Of course, around that same time is when The Civil War was kicking off. So just like many other young men, Print went ahead and joined up with the Confederates Company h of the 2nd Texas Infantry. Now, this regiment would see some pretty heavy combat from Shiloh, where Print was wounded in the hip, to Farmington, Tallahatchie Bridge, Second Battle of Corinth, and finally the Siege of Vicksburg. In fact, it was at Vicksburg where Olive was taken prisoner. Yanks it hold on to him for a few days before sitting and packing back to Texas. And it's there in Galveston where he'd spend the remainder of the war just guarding the docks and fighting boredom. Now, something interesting happened down in Texas during Prince absence. You see, with most of the men back east fighting in the war, many of the ranches were left either understaffed or just completely abandoned. And as a result, the cattle were basically left to fend for themselves. No fences to hold them and no riders to work them. They turned feral and started breeding like rabbits. By the time Print and his fellow Confederates returned home, the state was already overran by millions of unbranded cattle, nor, as they were called back in those days, mavericks all free for the taking, with anyone with balls enough to go pulling them out of the brush. And Print Olive definitely took advantage of the opportunity. No sooner was he back home than he and his brothers began rounding up and branding all the mavericks they could get their hands on. Only problem is, at the same time, there was a whole lot of rustlers looking to cut in on the action. And trust me when I say, if there was one thing that Print Olive could not abide, it was cattle rustlers. Case in point, late 1865, print caught a guy by the name of Rod Murray driving some of his cattle, at which point he drew his pistol and blew Murray plumb out the saddle. Only thing is, Murray wasn't dead. He also wasn't aware that the cattle were stolen. So instead of finishing them off, Brandt just took him home and mended his wounds. And he also gave him a job. Another rustler named Dave Freem wouldn't be so lucky. Much like Murray, he too was caught driving steers belonging to the Olives. And per historian Leon Metz in his book the Shooters, Freeman Prince shot it out from horseback and Freem lost. Even though Olive was wounded in the fracas, he went to trial for murder. A jury scoffed at the charge and set him free, end of quote. That's going to be a theme going forward, by the way. Print Olive would be charged with murder on many different occasions, and he almost always Got off without so much as a slap on the wrist. Still, though, it wasn't all just gunfights and cattle. Brandon. See. In February of 1866, a then 25 year old print was joined in holy matrimony to a nice young lady by the name of Louisa. They were actually scheduled to be married a month prior, but home Olive was away at court fighting one of them shooting charges. Happy couple would go on to have a total of five children, one girl and four boys. But sadly, their firstborn Marianne would only make it to the age of three months. This tragedy notwithstanding, things were going pretty good. In addition to building a family, Olive also managed to build himself one hell of a ranch. I'm talking thousands upon thousands of head of cattle. In the years that followed, he also began trailing them north to the railheads. Most of the time these trips went off without a hitch. But every now and then Print would encounter the occasional difficulty. Like in 1872 when he was shot multiple times up in Kansas. Olive had just finished delivering a herd to Ellsworth when he got into an argument with a guy named Jim Kennedy. And yes, this is the same Jim Kennedy whose father, Mifflin Kennedy, helped to form the legendary King Ranch. You see, Kennedy had lost a few too many hands of poker and accused Olive of cheating, at which point Print advised him to get the hell out of the saloon while he still had the chance. Jim did as he was told, but I guess his pride got to gnawing at him, so he returned. Later on that evening. According to the August 1, 1872 edition of the Ellsworth Reporter, Kennedy came into the room, went behind the bar and taking a revolver, walked up in front of Olive and fired at him, telling him to pass in his checks. Olive threw his hands up, exclaiming, don't shoot. The second, third and fourth shot took effect. One entering the groin and making a bad wound, I bet. One in the thigh and the other in the hand, end of quote. Jim likely would have finished the job had it not been for Prince loyal friend, James Kelly. Fate would have it, Kelly was nearby and pulled out a gun of his own and returned fire, putting Kennedy out of commission long enough to get Olive to safety. Now this James Kelly guy is a very interesting character in his own right. His parents, Amos and Phoebe, were former slaves who had lived near the Olives. So he and Print had basically grown up together. Matter of fact, James was actually named after Prince father and according to most sources, Kelly, also known as N word Jim or Prince Bad N word was wholly devoted to the Olives. He was also pretty handy with a pistol, or as historian Leon Metz put it, as a gun hand. He had few peers and might have been as well known as Billy the Kid or John Ringo, had his skin been white. Just to give you an idea how intimidating Kelly was, whenever they were driving cattle and the sod busters or homesteaders tried to charge him a toll for passing over their land, Print would just send Kelly over to negotiate, according to one of Prince's own cowboys. Quote, that big black boy with his gun would sure tell them pumpkin rollers. He'd roll his eyes up like a duck in a thunderstorm and grit his teeth. Lord, he could play a tune with his teeth. When they saw Kelly, they would come down quick enough from $25 to $5 as the price for water in our herd. End of quote. Now, luckily for Print, he would survive that shooting up in Ellsworth. And then once he was done healing from his wounds down in Texas, that's when he and his brothers went on the war path. And when I say warpath, in just the next couple of years alone, they would kill at least half a dozen rustlers, possibly even more. I saw one article out of an Austin newspaper published on March 30, 1876, giving Print and his brothers credit for killing 12 people over the span of just three or four months. In one particularly gruesome killing, Print and his brother Jay caught a pair of thieves in the act of butchering their cattle. So they wrapped him in those fresh cowhides I mentioned earlier and tied them to a tree. Little something known as the death of skins. Those green hides dried out in the sun. They would constrict and eventually suffocate the men inside. Now, as to whether or not that really occurred, who knows? That's what the legend states. But the contemporary newspapers simply describe the rustlers as being shot to death and that one of them was found covered in a cowhide bearing the olive brand, not wrapped, just sort of covered with the brand facing out. Most likely, Prince way of sending a message. Now, he would be indicted for both of these killings, but just like before, he'd receive an acquittal, at least as far as the law is concerned. The local bandits, on the other hand, were getting a little tired of Prince vigilantism, so they went ahead and attacked his ranch. That's right. I said vigilantism as opposed to vigilantism. Why? Well, come to find out, vigilantism is not a word. I actually didn't find that out until recently, thanks to the great Dan Cummins over at the Time Suck podcast. Greatest podcast in the world. Anyway, when I say that the bandits attacked the Olive ranch, this really was a full blown battle. Not only was Print wounded and his ranch house burned to the ground, but they also managed to kill his little brother Thomas, as well as at least one of their hired hands. And of course, from there, the violence just continued. Print caught up with one of the attackers not long thereafter, a guy by the name of Fred Smith. Just as Smith was crossing a river, Olive waited till he was out of the water and told him to go ahead and throw down. Smith obliged, but Print was faster. He ended up putting a bullet in the bridge of Smith's nose. And that was that. A few weeks later, Print killed another man that showed up at his ranch asking for water. Not very neighborly of him, but apparently the guy seemed a little suspicious, or sus, as the kids like to say. And I guess Olive pegged him for an assassin. At one point, the guy got scared and lunched for his horse. And that's all it took for Print to cut him down. He was charged with murder yet again. But say it with me, class, Print Olive was acquitted. I'm starting to think if there's one word I say on this show more than allegedly, it's acquitted. Still, though, luck with these juries notwithstanding, things have gotten so bad with the rustlers. By the spring of 1877, print just went ahead and closed up shop, moved everyone north to Nebraska, and is there in Custer county where they started again, establishing a new ranch that would eventually become one of the largest spreads in the entire state. Now, one thing that I would like to point out is that Nebraska wasn't exactly a safe haven from rustlers. Matter of fact, one of the West's most notorious horse thieves, Doc Middleton, was operating out in Nebraska at the exact same time that Olives growing that new ranch of his. You'd think they'd be mortal enemies considering Olive's most recent trouble with rustlers down in Texas. But as it turns out, they actually got along pretty well. Or at the very least, they came to an understanding. In an old biography on Olive titled the Ladder of Rivers, author Harry Christman states that Print not only liked Middleton, but that he also struck a deal with him granting permission to use any of his camps whenever he wanted, as long as he didn't have any stolen stock with him. He also told Middleton, you can steal from me all you like, but if I catch you, which we will, I'll stretch your neck between two saddle horses, end of quote. And apparently hint taken. Middleton agreed. And so far as I'm aware, he never caused any problems. Homesteaders, on the other hand, were a completely different matter. You see, once Olive got situated up there in Nebraska, he was basically just another cattle baron. Might not have been as rich as some of those fancy investors up in Wyoming, but like I said earlier, he did have one of the largest ranches in all of Nebraska. Not the largest. And if there's one thing that large ranchers hated more than rustlers, it was having to share land and resources with a bunch of damn farmers. Remember, back in those days, they had something called the Homesteading Act. You could claim up to 160 acres open range, and so long as you lived on it for a certain amount of time and made improvements, it was yours, free and clear. But then you had guys like Print Olive who considered all that open range theirs and theirs alone. They didn't file on it and they didn't legally obtain it, but they did like using it to graze their cattle. And they damn sure didn't want any sod busters getting in their way. So naturally, when the homestanders started filing claims and putting up fences, that's when Print got aggressive, just throwing his weight around, trying to scare him off. There's even one story about him pistol whipping a farmer so hard that it broke the man's jaw, causing permanent damage. That said, not everyone was so easily intimidated. There were two small timers in particular. Luther Mitchell and Amy Ketchum didn't appear the least bit concerned about Print Olive or his threats. Now, full disclosure, Both of these guys, Ketchup and Mitchell, are oftentimes described as rustlers. As to whether or not that's actually the case, I'm not entirely certain. Once again, I'm reminded of the Johnson county war and how the cattle barons label anyone who defied him as rustlers. Hell, being called a rustler was so common up in Wyoming that it was considered a badge of honor. But then again, there are sources claiming that Ketchum and Mitchell were caught with close to a hundred head of olive cattle. So like I said, who knows? Maybe they were thieves. Or maybe Print was just trying to take their land. Or maybe it was both. Whatever the case, Prince, Little brother Bob, who by this point had somehow managed to get himself deputized despite having a murder charge down in Texas, saw to it that warrants were issued for both Mitchell and Ketchum. And when he rode out with the posse to serve said warrants, that's when all hell broke loose. I guess Ketchum didn't feel like surrendering, so he went for his gun. Bob Olive did the same and shot Ketchum in his left arm. That's when Mitchell got involved and put a round through Bob's lungs. He'd linger for a few days before eventually giving up the Ghost on November 27, 1878. Meanwhile, Mitchell and Ketchum hauled ass, and as I'm sure you can imagine, Print Olive went damn near blind with rage when he found out about his brother. He ended up offering a $700 bounty, which in those days amounted to a small fortune. And sure enough, just two weeks later, Mitchell and Ketchum were apprehended over in Loop City. A judge then ordered him to be transferred to Custer county for trial. But they never quite made it. Turns out the sheriff in charge of the escort, guy by the name of Barney Gillen, met up with Olive over at Plum Creek, handed over his prisoners. They were then taken by wagon to a place called devil's gap, some 50 or so miles west of Kearney. Strung up from an elm tree, per historian Leon Metz, quote, seating the two men in a wagon, Olive cowboys drove into the backcountry and paused under an elm tree with low hanging branches. Ropes went over the limbs, and nooses were roughly knotted around the trembling necks of Ketchum and Mitchell. Mitchell began to beg, and Prince shot him with a rifle, the slug knocking him backwards. His boots kept him in the wagon and the rope prevented him from falling to the ground. Olive turned to the driver and said, move it. And the wagon lurched forward. Except for the head and neck, the bodies hit the ground. But the vaqueros rectified this shortcoming by pulling the two men high into the air and snubbing the ropes off on the tree. And if that ain't bad enough, Olive then doused both their bodies with oil and set them on fire. Maybe Ketchum and Mitchell were definitely set on fire after they were strung up, but we just don't know for sure that it was Olive who lit the match. He'd later deny it, and according to Leon Metz, there is at least some evidence that it was two of Prince employees did the burning after Print had already left the scene. Either way, though, it was this lynching that earned him the nickname Man Burner. It also caused quite a bit of outrage there in Nebraska. So much so that Olive was eventually arrested and charged with murder. And this time he was not acquitted. Despite having top notch lawyers and rumors of jury tampering. Print not only was found guilty, but he was also sentenced to life over at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. In the end, though, he only served about two years. Guess it pays to have friends in high places. The Nebraska Supreme Court overturned the conviction on account of the trial not taking place in the same county where the lynchings occurred. The case was remanded for retrial in the proper jurisdiction. But surprise, surprise, the retrial never happened. I guess some of the witnesses who had previously testified were dead by that point. Others had already left the state, and the rest simply refused to appear. And without witnesses, charges were dropped. Now, despite Olive's relatively short stint behind bars, he would leave prison somewhat of a broken man. He lost half his cattle during a harsh winter, and what was left of his money was spent on lawyers. What's more, a lot of his neighbors there in Custer county weren't exactly rolling out the red carpet for him. They didn't mind the occasional lynching, but I guess they drew the line at burning the bodies. So that being the case, Print decided to once again close up shop and move his family over to Dodge City. There, reestablished a new ranch and got himself elected as director of the Western Kansas Stockman's Association. He also opened up a butcher shop and per some sources, even had his own saloon. Tragically, it was around this same period that he lost his oldest son, Billy. Billy had killed a man in a drunken brawl and fled to the territory, where, ironically, became a wrestler, or at least he did before being ambushed and killed over in Beaver City. Meanwhile, back in Dodge, Prince's latest ventures were proven a disaster. His partner in the butcher shop went AWOL, leaving print about 10 grand in the hole. And the winter of 1885 cost him around 40% of his remaining cattle. Yes, another harsh winter. And with no way to pay off his debts, Print went ahead and drifted west in hopes of finding a new fortune over in the now ghost town of Trail City, Colorado. Now, if you're not familiar with Trail City, it was initially founded in 1885 near present day Holly, Colorado. And it was founded as a direct response to the Kansas quarantine laws. I guess back in those days there was something known as the Texas fever, which was a tick borne illness carried by Texas longhorns. And while the fever didn't really affect the longhorn, it absolutely wreaked havoc on the local cattle there in Kansas, hence the quarantine. So with Texas longhorns no longer welcome in Kansas, the drovers instead began driving their herds through eastern Colorado. And as a result, Trail City was soon full of the usual assortment of saloons, soiled doves and gambling joints that catered to and preyed upon cowboys. It would all be over by 1890. But for five brief years, trail City produced enough violence and debauchery to shame towns twice its size. And like I said, it's there where our very own Print Olive was hoping to rebuild his fortune. And he almost made it work. By September of 85, he was already part owner of a saloon and running a livery stable. He was also traveling back and forth from Kansas, managing what was left of his herds. Now, it just so happened that Print, around this same period, also co signed a loan for an old boy by the name of Joe Sparrow, no relation to Jack. Originally from Texas, Sparrow had come north on a drive and just eventually opened up a dance hall there in Trail City. Why he took out a loan from Print, I really don't know. I guess he was struggling to make ends meet. But when he failed to pay back the last $10, that's when print began applying pressure to once again quote historian Leon Metz. Olive threatened Sparrow and received several promises to pay, but never any money. Instead, the young, deadbeat Sparrow brooded over the matter, then slipped into Trail City, where he waited for Print to make one of his periodic trips to town. And yeah, wasn't long after that, on August 16, 1886, as Prince stepped inside a Trail City saloon, the Sparrow began shooting. Olive fell to the ground, wounded, threw his hands up, pleading for his life. Sparrow paid no heed. Instead, he just slowly walked over and delivered a coup de grace to Prince forehead. At just 46 years of age, the man Burner was finally dead. Now, Joe Sparrow was eventually tried for murder, but after three trials, he was found innocent. He ended up drifting down to Mexico, where he died as an old man in 1924. As for James Kelly Prince, loyal friend, he died over in ansley, Nebraska, in 1912. As far as I'm aware, he never married or had any children. Remember James Kennedy, the son of Mifflin Kennedy who shot Print over in Kansas? Well, just six years later, he'd find himself in hot water yet again after killing a young lady in Dodge City named Dora Hand. He'd eventually be tracked down by some very famous lawmen, tossed in jail. Only thing is, his rich daddy came to his rescue and bailed him out. He'd live for another seven years before dying either of the consumption or typhoid. Dude was apparently a loose cannon his entire life, as at the time of his death, he was under indictment for air quotes, accidentally killing one of his own employees. Now, if you'd like to learn more about Kennedy's role in the death of Dora Hand or the identity of the very famous lawman who tracked him down, feel free to check out the most recent edition or one of the most recent editions of the Wild west newsletter over@wildwestnewsletter.com and yes, the newsletter is still 100% free. That's wildwestnewsletter.com or just click the link down below that says newsletter. By the way, just one more thing and we'll discuss Print Olive and his connection with Lonesome Dove. But I do have something I'd like to share with you. Hopefully you'll get as much of a kick out of it as I did. It's a free quiz I put together for listeners of the Wild west extravaganza because I love you called which Old West Gunfighter Are you? It's just 12 multiple choice questions, takes about two minutes and you have nine possible results. We got everyone from Billy the Kid to Jesse James, Bass Reeves, and maybe a couple others that you might not find quite as flattering. Now, you will get your result immediately just as soon as you're done taking the quiz. But if you want the full rundown, including the historical context, what it says about your personality, and what to look out for in yourself, all you gotta do is type in your email address at the very end and click the red button that says send me the full verdict. And that's it. Just wait a couple of minutes and it will arrive in the comfy confines of your inbox. And yes, the full rundown is also 100% free. So what are you waiting on? Head over to wildwestquiz.com and take your free quiz. That's wildwestquiz.com wild west quiz.com wildwestquiz.com or just click the link down below that says Wild West Quiz. Lots of links down below. And now back to Print Olive. Okay, so earlier I sort of teased the idea that print may have helped to inspire Lonesome Dove. And the more I looked into it, it's pretty much irrefutable. Now, as I'm sure many of you already know, a lot of the characters and events from Lonesome Dove were based on real life people and events. Everyone from Charlie Goodnight to the Kiowa Setanta, Bo Zacard, Oliver Loving. The list goes on and on. And I think we can also add Print Olive to the list. Matter of fact, I'm positive we can add Print Olive to the list. Remember the Suggs brothers? The guys that Jake Spoon fell in with when he was trying to cross the territory? While the Suggs brothers were a gang of outlaws, as opposed to actual cattlemen, they did shoot, hang, and then burn a couple of sod busters. And when Captain Call was through with them, he hung a sign on Dan Suggs that read Man Burner. And then there's the fact that the Suggs boys also had a black guy riding with them that sounded an awful lot like Prince Buddy, James Kelly, even down to the nicknames. But here's what really sealed the deal. While I was doing research on Print Olive, I found a book titled the Cattleman by Mary Sandoz. It's an old book. I think it was published back in the 1940s, and she writes quite a bit about Print Olive, as well as a black guy that had a run in with Print known as Deets, and another guy named PI. So, yeah, I'm pretty Sure old Larry McMurtry also had a copy of the Cattleman. One thing you got to keep in mind about Larry McMurtry, he was definitely a student of Texas history. And yeah, on that note, I guess that's about all I've got on Print Olive, thank you so much for joining me. Thank you for being patient. I know it's been a couple of weeks. I just had to play catch up and take care of some personal stuff. But we are definitely back, and I do hope you join me here next week as we take a look at one of the biggest myths of the Old West. Oh, what could it be? Stick around and find out till next week. Adios.
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Sam.
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