Jack Taylor Gang
Encyclopedia
The Jack Taylor Gang was an outlaw
gang of the Old West which operated mostly in Arizona Territory
and Mexico
.
The gang was first organized by Jack Taylor, a minor outlaw with moderate skills in train robbery
. This brought the gang to the attention of later famed Railroad Detective Jeff Milton
, and Cochise County, Arizona
Sheriff
John Slaughter, under whom Milton was at that time working as a Deputy Sheriff. The gang built a reputation for being particularly cruel, and quick to shoot when confronted, and were wanted mainly for the murder
of a train engineer in Sonora
, and another train robbery in which they killed four passengers. In 1887, Sheriff Slaughter received information that several members of the gang were hiding out at the rural home of Flora Cardenas. However, by the time Slaughter and his posse
had reached her house, the gang members, identified as Geronimo Miranda, Manuel Robles, Nieves Deron and Fred Federico, had fled.
Sheriff Slaughter and Jeff Milton tracked them to Contention City, Arizona
, to the home of wood cutter Guadeloupe Robles, brother to Manuel Robles. Gang members Nieves Deron and Manuel Robles were hiding there, and without warning Sheriff Slaughter, Milton, and his deputies stormed the house. Guadeloupe Robles was shot dead by Slaughter, while Nieves Deron opened fire on Slaughter and his posse, with one bullet grazing Slaughter's ear lobe. The two gang members fled toward the rocks near the house, exchanging fire with the posse as they ran. Slaughter and two of his deputies shot and killed Deron, and shot and wounded Manuel Robles, who, though wounded, escaped into a thicket. During that same month, gang leader Jack Taylor was captured in Mexico by the Mexican Rurales
, and sentenced to life in prison.
The remaining members of the gang, Manuel Robles, Geronimo Miranda and Fred Federico, were still at large. Robles had yet to fully recover from his gunshot wounds suffered in Contention City, and this was being hindered by his having to remain constantly on the move. Robles and Miranda were shot and killed during a gunbattle with the Mexican Rurales in the Sierra Madre Occidental
mountains later in 1887. On August 12, 1888, gang member Fred Federico mistook Deputy Sheriff Cesario Lucero for Sheriff Slaughter, in a planned ambush
. Federico shot and killed Deputy Lucero, and was captured shortly thereafter. He was hanged, and was the last of the Jack Taylor Gang.
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...
gang of the Old West which operated mostly in Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
The gang was first organized by Jack Taylor, a minor outlaw with moderate skills in train robbery
Train robbery
Train robbery is a type of robbery, in which the goal is to steal money or other valuables being carried aboard trains.-History:Train robberies were more common in the past than today, and often occurred in the American Old West. Trains carrying payroll shipments were a major target...
. This brought the gang to the attention of later famed Railroad Detective Jeff Milton
Jeff Milton
Jeff Milton , born Jeff Davis Milton, was an Old West lawman, and the son of Confederate Florida governor John Milton.-Early life:...
, and Cochise County, Arizona
Cochise County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*78.5% White*4.2% Black*1.2% Native American*1.9% Asian*0.3% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*4.0% Two or more races*9.6% Other races*32.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
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....
John Slaughter, under whom Milton was at that time working as a Deputy Sheriff. The gang built a reputation for being particularly cruel, and quick to shoot when confronted, and were wanted mainly for the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of a train engineer in Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, and another train robbery in which they killed four passengers. In 1887, Sheriff Slaughter received information that several members of the gang were hiding out at the rural home of Flora Cardenas. However, by the time Slaughter and his posse
Posse comitatus (common law)
Posse comitatus or sheriff's posse is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff or other law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the "hue and cry"...
had reached her house, the gang members, identified as Geronimo Miranda, Manuel Robles, Nieves Deron and Fred Federico, had fled.
Sheriff Slaughter and Jeff Milton tracked them to Contention City, Arizona
Contention City, Arizona
Contention City or Contention is a ghost mining town in Cochise County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. It was occupied from the early-1880s through the late-1880s in what was then known as the Arizona Territory...
, to the home of wood cutter Guadeloupe Robles, brother to Manuel Robles. Gang members Nieves Deron and Manuel Robles were hiding there, and without warning Sheriff Slaughter, Milton, and his deputies stormed the house. Guadeloupe Robles was shot dead by Slaughter, while Nieves Deron opened fire on Slaughter and his posse, with one bullet grazing Slaughter's ear lobe. The two gang members fled toward the rocks near the house, exchanging fire with the posse as they ran. Slaughter and two of his deputies shot and killed Deron, and shot and wounded Manuel Robles, who, though wounded, escaped into a thicket. During that same month, gang leader Jack Taylor was captured in Mexico by the Mexican Rurales
Rurales
Rurales was the name commonly used to designate the Mexican Guardia Rural : a force of mounted police or gendarmerie that existed between 1861 and 1914...
, and sentenced to life in prison.
The remaining members of the gang, Manuel Robles, Geronimo Miranda and Fred Federico, were still at large. Robles had yet to fully recover from his gunshot wounds suffered in Contention City, and this was being hindered by his having to remain constantly on the move. Robles and Miranda were shot and killed during a gunbattle with the Mexican Rurales in the Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
mountains later in 1887. On August 12, 1888, gang member Fred Federico mistook Deputy Sheriff Cesario Lucero for Sheriff Slaughter, in a planned ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
. Federico shot and killed Deputy Lucero, and was captured shortly thereafter. He was hanged, and was the last of the Jack Taylor Gang.