← The Wild West Extravaganza
Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:01]
A
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. On September 10, 1899, Constable Bert Alvord led a posse out of Wilcox, Arizona in pursuit of train robbers. Not really all that unheard of back in the Old west, right? Especially in a place like Arizona, where they had such a big problem with train holdups, they literally passed a law making it punishable by death. Now, what makes this particular robbery different is that the men who Alvord deputized for his posse were the exact same men who had just taken down that train. In fact, it was Constable Bert Alord who planned the entire heist, a rather bold endeavor that historian Marshall Trimble described as one of the most bizarre train robberies in the history of the American West. But trust me when I say that's not even close to being the strangest act ever committed by the notorious Bird Alvord. We're talking about a guy who managed to bust out of jail over in Tombstone not once, but twice. He then helped Arizona Rangers apprehend one of the most feared killers along the Mexican border, only to then rob a gold mine and disappear deep into the Amazon. So as a deputy, you gotta start riding with Sheriff John Slaughter, end up becoming an outlaw. How does said outlaw end up in the damn Amazon rainforest? And is it true that Alvord once killed a man over a practical joke? Stick around and find out. My name's Josh, and this is the Wild West Extravaganza. Albert W. Alvord was born on September 11, 1867, near Susanville, California. His father, Charles, was originally from New York and came west like many others, looking to strike it rich. Ended up moving his family from one boomtown to the next until finally putting down roots in Tombstone sometime around the year 1880. Matter of fact, young Bird even once had himself a job sweeping out horse stalls over at the OK Corral. That said, he never really got much of a formal education. What I can tell, most of his learning was just done on the streets. And by the time Burt was just 19 years old, he was already working as a deputy under Cochise County Sheriff John Slaughter. Now I have mentioned Slaughter on previous episodes, but just in case you're not familiar, he was a former Texas Ranger turned prominent Arizona cattleman. Although not large in stature, Slaughter had a reputation for being quick with a gun, slow to talk, and absolutely fearless. He had already killed several men by the time he was elected as sheriff in November of 1886. And then over the next four years, he'd run the rustlers out of the county with a cold efficiency that's still talked about to this very day. And apparently, he and Alvord made a pretty solid team. They even had him a special method dealing with outlaws. They track him down and wait for him to fall asleep before sneaking into camp quiet as church mice, and then waking him up at the point of a gun. Usually went off without a hitch. But there was at least one occasion where things did not go quite as planned. One night back on June 7, 1888, they had once again crept into an outlaw camp, only for the bandits to jump out of their bedrolls, guns ablazing. Still, though this momentary inconvenience notwithstanding, they did manage to kill two of the outlaws and wound a third. What's more, Albert had finally proven that he could handle himself in a fight, at least out in the desert. His battle with a bottle was an entirely different story. See, Albert had himself a little bit of a drinking problem, and by the late 1880s, he was spending more time bellied up to a bar than he was chasing outlaws. He also began making friends with the same type of criminals he was supposed to be apprehending. And when Sheriff Slaughter told him to straighten up, turn in his badge, Alvord chose the latter, quit his job as a deputy and began working on nearby ranches. He also got married to a young lady by the name of Dolores Ochoa. Eventually, the happy couple moved to the nearby town of Pierce, where they purchased a house on Main street as well as a ranch on the outskirts of town. Guess Bert was planning on raising horses. Things were going so good that Bird even went back to wearing a badge, this time as a deputy under Constable George Braven. For a minute there, it really did look as if Alvaren might actually settle down and make some of himself. Sadly, though, he was cut loose from Braven's employ after just a few short months. As to why, I'm not really sure, but I do know that less than a year later, Alvord was elected as constable down in Wilcox. Now, I know Tombstone gets a lot of attention for being wild and woolly, but there's a Pretty decent argument to be made that Wilcox was just as bad, if not worse. It was also a shipping hub for cattle and thus full of all manner of cowboys, drifters and gamblers, along with all the saloons, gambling joints and brothels that catered to him. And it's there in Wilcox where Alvord allegedly killed at least two men. Emphasis on allegedly. Juan was the guy whose only crime was locking Burt in a basement as a practical joke. Guess Oliver didn't find it funny as he shot the man to death just as soon as he got out. Second victim was a Hispanic gentleman who made the grave mistake of badmouthing the United States, which Byrd evidently also considered a killing offense. Now, as to whether or not these two shootings actually occurred, I'm not entirely certain, mostly due to a lack of evidence and corroboration. Either way though, By January of 1899, Albert had taken on the additional duties as a deputy under the new Cochise County Sheriff, Scott White. This was in conjunction to that constable's badge he was still wearing over in Wilcox. He also went ahead and deputized a few of his personal friends around the same period. Guys like Matt Burs, Bill Downing and Billy Styles. And it was with these friends that Alvarett hatched that plan I mentioned earlier to rob the train. And to be honest, it was a pretty simple plan in theory. Burt and the boys would be posted up in the back room of a Wilcox saloon playing poker. Just as soon as the train arrived, two of them would slip out of back window, gallop some 11 miles southwest Cochise station. Then when the same train pulled in, there at the station, is when they would spring into action. Meanwhile, Alvord had bribed one of the saloon employees to bring a fresh round of drinks every few minutes. The porter would then emerge with a tray of empty glasses, thus giving off the illusion that Alvin and his compadres were still fully immersed in their card game. As for the two ended up slipping out the window. Billy Styles and Matt Burt's. They were successful in taking the train down without so much as a hitch. They then stashed the loot and hauled ass back to Wilcox, climbed back in through the window, started playing poker like nothing had happened. Like I said in the intro, Alvar then organized the posse. The price of the man who had literally just robbed the train. And then they rode out in pursuit. And surprise, surprise, they were unable to find themselves. They rode back to town the next morning empty handed, saying they had lost the trail. And by all appearances, it did seem as if they got away with it. You know how that goes though, right? You can never stop with just one, especially when it comes to easy money. Sure enough, just five months later, boys decided to take down yet another train over at the little station at Fairbanks. And this time, things would not go as planned. Apparently, Burton Styles were the brains of the outfit. That was probably mistake number one. And they stayed behind as five others did the dirty work, including the notorious Three Finger Jack Dunlop. He and his accomplices were lounging around the station pretending to be drunken cowboys when they noticed a very capable Wells Fargo express agent by the name of Jeff Milton. I got to do an episode on Milton one of these days. But much like Sheriff Slaughter, he had also gotten his start riding with the Texas Rangers. Over time he'd do everything from working as a deputy U.S. marshal over in New Mexico, deputy sheriff in Arizona, and even Chief of Police of El Paso. In fact, so dangerous was Jeff Milton's reputation that when Dunlop and the others saw him standing in the open doorway of that express car, they initially thought about calling off the entire robbery. But then again, Milton did appear unarmed. So I guess they figured they'd take a chance. Big mistake. Without warning, they drew their guns, started shooting, striking Milton in the left arm and severing an artery. Nevertheless, the wounded Milton still managed to grab a 10 gauge from inside the car. He then tossed the keys of the strong box into the corner where nobody could find them. Dropped behind a trunk to conceal himself, per historian Blair Richmond, quote, thinking Milton was dead, the bandits rushed towards the open door. As they drew near, he arose from behind the trunk and opened up with both barrels. Three Finger Jack was in the lead and he caught a load of buckshot in the belly. Bravo wanted just enough time to turn around. He caught a load in the seat of his pants. It was not a good place to be shot when one was going to make his getaway on horseback. End of quote. Name into that. That point, the remaining outlaws decided they had enough and took off empty handed. I say empty handed, but I did find one source claiming they were able to escape with around $42. Either way, old Three Finger Jack would only make it a few miles before his so called buddies left him to die on the side of the trail. Guess Jack did much appreciate being abandoned. So when the posse arrived, he told him everything, including the fact that Bert Alvord was the ringleader. That being the case, Burton, the others soon rounded up, tossed in jail over in Tombstone. Then, to make matters worse, Bert's partner in crime, Billy Styles turned snitch and agreed to testify in exchange for his freedom. Now, as bad as that sounds, this actually turned out to be a ruse on Stiles part. He remained in town living the high life until the day of the trial. That's when he walked over to the jail with a pistol and demanded that the guard release Alvord. By the way, that guard in question, Constable George Bravin or Braven, is the same old boy who had cut Albert loose back in Pierce. And despite what you're about to hear, Braven definitely wasn't no punk. Actually wrote about him recently in the 100 free Wild west newsletter, and he really was a pretty fascinating guy in his own right. I know other figures like Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp get most of the attention when it comes to Tombstone, but Bravin most definitely had nerves to steal. He also spent over two decades working as a lawman down in Cochise county, and for whatever reason, he's mostly forgotten now. If you'd like to learn more. Like I said, I did recently publish a new edition of the newsletter all about Bravin or Braven or however you say his name, which you can read for free at Wild West Newsletter. Did I mention that it's free? That's wild west newsletter.com wild west newsletter.com wild west Newsletter.com or just click the link down below that says newsletter. Now, Bravin initially refused to turn over his prisoner, so Billy Styles went ahead and shot him in the foot. Taken off two of his toes in the process. At which point Stiles then grabbed the keys and opened up Bert's cell. Wasn't until about a week later that the sheriff received an envelope containing the keys, along with a message written by Alvord that read, quote, tell the boys we are all well and eating regular. End of quote. Now, Burton, Billy would spend the next couple of years just sort of roaming back and forth across the border with Mexico. One point, the Tombstone Epitaph reported that Alvord was seen at his old ranch near Pierce. Another reporter spotted him playing cards over at the Sonora Club, just sitting out there in the open like he didn't have a care in the world. Meanwhile, the newly formed Arizona Rangers had their hands full trying to capture a Mexican bandit by the name of Augustine Chacon, yet another figure from the Old west that definitely deserves his own episode. According to some, chacon had over 30 notches to his credit. That's almost certainly an exaggeration, but the point still stands, right? Dude was definitely not one to be trifled with. Lived down in Sonora, but did most of his mischief up in Arizona, leading his gang on far flung raids and then hightailing it back across the border to his fortress like ranch. Wasn't until 1896 that he was finally captured and sentenced to hang for killing a deputy sheriff. The only thing is, as fate would have it, Chacon was sharing the jail cell with a full mariachi band. Not making this up. Each night, as Chacon saw through the bars with a saw that a senorita had smuggled in for him, the band let loose with music loud enough to drown out the noise. Then, on the night of the actual jailbreak, that same senorita returned and began batting her pretty little eyelashes at the guard and managed to lure him outside for a midnight stroll with the jailer. Thus occupied, Chacon slipped through the severed bars to freedom, at which point he just went right back to stealing and killing. Needless to say, the Rangers wanted him badly. And their captain, guy by the name of Burt Mossman, came up with a plan to bring him to Hill. And yes, this is the same Burt Mossman I mentioned recently on the Climax Gym episode. He was familiar with both Albert and Styles, and he'd heard through the grapevine they were looking to come back home. Burt especially on account of his wife Lola threatening to divorce him. So Mossman offered up an olive branch. If the boys would help him capture Chacon, he'd not only put him on the Ranger payroll, but he'd also see what he could do in regards to clemency. And they agreed. The plan was to lure Chacon across the border with a scheme to steal thoroughbreds from a ranch over in the San Rafael Valley. Stiles would act as messenger, and it was Burt's job to cozy up to Chacon and deliver him to Mossman. All total. It took over three months. But eventually Alvord was able to locate Chacon. Hell even ran some stolen horses with him down to the Yiqui River. He then sent word to Stiles and Mossman to meet him at a certain spring some 16 miles south of the border. Keep in mind that Chacon had no idea that Mossman was an Arizona Ranger. As far as he knew, he was just another crooked gringo looking to make another easy score. Still, though, he was on edge. Not only was Chacon heavily armed, but he also just flat out refused to let his guard down. One until a couple of days later that Mossman was finally able to get the drop on him. On the morning of September 4, 1902, Albert had slipped over to the Ranger and quietly told him that he had done his part and was heading out. Oddly enough, he also told Mossman not to trust Billy Styles. He then approached Chacon and told him he was going out for water and he'd be back shortly to once again quote historian Blair Richmond. While the three men were eating, Chacon's eyes narrowed and he became suspicious, wondering what was taking Alfred so long to return. After breakfast, Chacone reached into his pocket, took out some corn husk cigarettes, and offered him to Styles and Mossman. As they hunkered down around the fire having a smoke, Mossman saw his chance. He let his cigarette go out. They reached into the fire with his right hand, picking up a burning stick and relit his cigarette. As he reached out and tossed the stick back into the fire, Mossman's hand slid past his holster. Quick as a flash, the Ranger pulled his revolver and got the drop on the Surprise Bandit. End of quote. And yeah, that was pretty much the end of it for old Chacon. He'd already been sentenced to hang back in 1897, so all they had to do now was set a new date and this time there would not be an escape. As for Albert, he turned himself in over in Tombstone just a few days later, much to his dismay. Things didn't go quite as smoothly as he had hoped, though. He ended up being moved around to various jail cells for months on end until July of 1903, when a grand jury indicted him on six counts of tampering with the US mail. What they did not indict him for, however, was robbing a train, which in Arizona at that time, like I said earlier, was actually punishable by death. Now, I found this interesting as there was a similar law on the books over in New Mexico, and they too seemed reluctant to hand down such harsh judgments. Matter of fact, there's only been one man in all of US history who was executed for robbing a train. Guy covered a few months ago, known as Blackjack Ketchum. And Ketchum's hanging was such a botched, gruesome affair that the law was repealed not long thereafter and deemed as unconstitutional. Now, that was in New Mexico. But Arizona's capital train robbery law had been on the books, if I'm not mistaken, ever since 1889. And although it remained on the books for over a quarter of a century, they never, not once, used it to send a man to the gallows. Part of this was due to prosecutors knowing that it was basically an all or nothing proposition. If the jury failed to convict the Defendant would just walk away entirely. And I know we like to think of the old west as being extremely hard on crime. Back in those days, the jurors were actually pretty reluctant to hang a man over something as trivial as robbing a corporate safe, especially if nobody got hurt. Wasn't so much they didn't want to punish him, they just didn't think the punishment fit the crime. So rather than indict Alvord with the train robbery and risk the jury letting him go, as they were inclined to do, he was instead indicted for tampering with the male. And not only was he found guilty, but he was also sentenced to two years at the Yuma Territorial Prison. But then again, I guess Oliver wasn't quite ready for incarceration. Just nine days later, he and Billy Stiles, who had also recently turned himself in, loosened a bar in their cell, dug through an adobe wall, and escaped back into Mexico. Get back to January of 04. And they then robbed a large amount of gold from a mine down in Sonora. They may have also possibly tried to fake their own deaths. This is kind of crazy, but legend has it that they sent a pair of dead Mexicans over to Tombstone with a note claiming it was them. But I guess the authorities weren't as gullible as Alvord was hoping. And sure enough, it wasn't long after that when the Arizona rangers came a call and they found the bandits at a Mexican village just across the border. And in the brief gunfight that ensued, Stiles escaped and Burt was wounded. He was then taken into custody and delivered to Yuma, where he began that two year sentence. And despite his criminal proclivities, Bert was said to have been a model prisoner. Served his time quietly, and even got released a full two weeks early. The only problem was the Mexicans wanted to extradite him over that mine robbery back in 1904. Bert had just enough sense to know that if he went back across the border, he was a dead man. So rather than surrender, he lit out for his sister's place over in Los Angeles, just not for very long. Changed his name to Tom Wright, then caught a ship down to Central America, where he spent the next few years helping to build the Panama Canal. He then drifted further south to Brazil, got a job building a railroad along the Amazon river, probably the hardest he had ever worked in his entire life. And ironically, it was this honest labor that would ultimately put him under. See, at some point down there in Brazil, Bert came down with a pretty severe case of yellow fever. He and several other Patients were sent to the island of Barbados, presumably to receive medical care. But I guess Burt was just too far gone. He ended up succumbing to the illness on November 24, 1909, at just 42 years of age. Maybe. There was an obituary of sorts printed in a couple of papers in Arizona in late July of 1910, and they claimed he had died around April of that same year as opposed to November of 1909. Either way, what everyone does seem to agree on is that Burt died down in Barbados under an assumed name and whatever money he had was sent to his sister. As for Billy Styles, his story ended damn near just as strangely. You see, after escaping that last gunfight in Mexico, Billy also disappeared. Rumors put him everywhere, from California to the Philippines and even China. Turns out, though, he had just traveled to Nevada, settled over in Winnemucca, and believe it or not, he became a deputy sheriff. Matter of fact, it was in said capacity on December 8, 1908, the Stiles was killed in the line of duty. Even has his own memorial page over on the officers down memorial website, which, oddly enough fails to mention his time as a criminal. Quote, Deputy Sheriff William Stiles was shot and killed while serving civil papers to the owner of a ranch 90 miles northwest of Winnemucca. The man opened fire on Deputy Styles, striking him three times as he walked from the ranch house to the barn. A suspect was charged with Deputy Styles murder but acquitted at trial. Deputy Stiles had been a former member of the Arizona Rangers and had been deputized by the sheriff to serve the court. Papers. Deputy Stiles is reportedly buried in an unmarked unknown grave in the old pioneer cemetery, Winnemucca, Humboldt county. End of quote. Remember Lola Ochoa or Dolores Ochoa, Alvord's wife, One that was threatened to divorce him? Well, she finally got her wish. She'd remarry at least twice more. Ended up passing away in Tucson in 1948. Crazy to think about, man. This lady went from being married to a legitimate Old west train robber to seeing the passing of both world wars and the invention of television. But then again, I guess the Old west really wasn't all that long ago. And I guess that's about all I've got on Bird Alvord. Thank you so much for joining me. Till next time, try not to shoot anybody over something as trivial as a practical joke, okay? If you absolutely have to go to jail, make sure you pick one with a full mariachi band. And whatever you do, don't go sharing your smokes with a damn Arizona Ranger. Alright, till next week. Adios, Sam. Have no fear. Chosen Foods is here to defend your favorite foods from the forces of seedy oils and sketchy ingredients. With cooking oils, salad dressings and mayo, all powered by the good fats from 100% pure avocado oil and simple, delicious ingredients. Chosen Foods.