Dunn Brothers (bounty hunters)
Encyclopedia
The Dunn Brothers were a group of brothers from Pawnee, Oklahoma
who worked as Old West bounty hunter
s. They are best known for having killed George "Bittercreek" Newcomb and Charley Pierce
, members of the Wild Bunch
.
The brothers - Bee, Calvin, Dal, George and Bill Dunn - ran a boarding house
near Ingalls
and a meat market in Pawnee. Bill Dunn was the leader, and the oldest of the brothers. By the 1890s the Dunn brothers were working as bounty hunters, although they had been involved in cattle rustling and robbery
. Their teenage sister Rose
became romantically involved with "Bittercreek" Newcomb, having met him through her brothers. On May 2, 1895, when Newcomb and Charley Pierce rode up to the Dunn house to visit with Rose, the brothers shot and killed both outlaw
s as they dismounted. They then collected the bounty on both, believed to have been $5,000 each, mostly due to the notoriety of the gang by that time.
It is believed that on August 25, 1896, Bill Dunn led Deputy US Marshal Heck Thomas
to the hideout of Bill Doolin
. Some have speculated that Dunn murdered Doolin; however, official reports from the time discount this, indicating that Thomas actually killed him. By late that year, people around Pawnee had started complaining that the Dunn brothers were involved in rustling and robbery. Sheriff
Frank Canton - a gunman with a substantial reputation who had previously arrested Bill Dunn for rustling - began investigating the claims.
On November 6, 1896, Bill Dunn rode into Pawnee intent on killing Sheriff Canton. As Canton walked out of a restaurant after having dinner, Bill Dunn fired two shots at him with a revolver
, missing with both. Canton drew and quickly fired two shots, killing Dunn. The shooting was ruled self defense. Bill Dunn's death effectively ended the bounty hunting for the Dunn brothers, as their already questionable reputations suffered greatly.
Pawnee, Oklahoma
Pawnee is a city in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,230 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pawnee County.-Geography:Pawnee is located at...
who worked as Old West bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
s. They are best known for having killed George "Bittercreek" Newcomb and Charley Pierce
Charley Pierce
Charley Pierce was an American outlaw in the American Old West who rode with both the Dalton Gang and the Doolin Dalton Gang during the 1890s. He and "Bittercreek" Newcomb were killed by friends, the Dunn brothers, for bounty money....
, members of the Wild Bunch
Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang or the Oklahombres, was a gang of outlaws based in the Indian Territory that terrorized Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Territory during the 1890s—robbing banks and stores, holding up trains, and killing lawmen. They were...
.
The brothers - Bee, Calvin, Dal, George and Bill Dunn - ran a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
near Ingalls
Ingalls, Oklahoma
Ingalls is a small community in Payne County, Oklahoma, about 10 miles east of Stillwater. The town was settled out of the "Unassigned Lands" in 1889, and had a post office from January 22, 1890, until October 31, 1907. It was named for Senator John J. Ingalls of Kansas.Ingalls was the site of a...
and a meat market in Pawnee. Bill Dunn was the leader, and the oldest of the brothers. By the 1890s the Dunn brothers were working as bounty hunters, although they had been involved in cattle rustling and robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
. Their teenage sister Rose
Rose Dunn
Rose Dunn , also known as Rose of the Cimarron, was best known for her good looks and for her romantic involvement with outlaw George "Bittercreek" Newcomb when she was a teenager during the closing years of the Old West....
became romantically involved with "Bittercreek" Newcomb, having met him through her brothers. On May 2, 1895, when Newcomb and Charley Pierce rode up to the Dunn house to visit with Rose, the brothers shot and killed both outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
s as they dismounted. They then collected the bounty on both, believed to have been $5,000 each, mostly due to the notoriety of the gang by that time.
It is believed that on August 25, 1896, Bill Dunn led Deputy US Marshal Heck Thomas
Heck Thomas
Henry Andrew "Heck" Thomas was a lawman on theAmerican frontier, most notably in Oklahoma.-Biography:Thomas was born in 1850 in Athens, Georgia, the youngest of five children of Lovick Pierce Thomas, I and Martha Fulwood Bedell.At the beginning of the American Civil War, at age 12, he accompanied...
to the hideout of Bill Doolin
Bill Doolin
William "Bill" Doolin was an American bandit and founder of the Wild Bunch, an outlaw gang that specialized in robbing banks, trains and stagecoaches in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas during the 1890s.- Early life :...
. Some have speculated that Dunn murdered Doolin; however, official reports from the time discount this, indicating that Thomas actually killed him. By late that year, people around Pawnee had started complaining that the Dunn brothers were involved in rustling and robbery. Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Frank Canton - a gunman with a substantial reputation who had previously arrested Bill Dunn for rustling - began investigating the claims.
On November 6, 1896, Bill Dunn rode into Pawnee intent on killing Sheriff Canton. As Canton walked out of a restaurant after having dinner, Bill Dunn fired two shots at him with a revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
, missing with both. Canton drew and quickly fired two shots, killing Dunn. The shooting was ruled self defense. Bill Dunn's death effectively ended the bounty hunting for the Dunn brothers, as their already questionable reputations suffered greatly.