21. The Often Blurry Line Between Lawmen and Outlaws
Because of the fluid situation, with a steady stream of newcomers pouring into a region with little established law enforcement, the Old West saw a boom in banditry. Many gave in to the temptation of easy riches in a region that abounded with readily portable wealth, be it cash, gold, cattle or horses. Violent criminals, many of whom frequently transitioned from outlaws to lawmen and back again, crossed and re-crossed the sometimes blurry line between criminals and crime stoppers multiple times during their lifetimes.
Stagecoaches were a primary target for outlaws because they frequently transported valuables and payrolls in their strongboxes, and required relatively little to rob aside from the robber’s audacity. More importantly, they could be halted in isolated locales, and that gave robbers time to flee before law enforcement arrived and attempted to track down the culprits. The arrival of the railroads added another lucrative target, albeit a more labor-intensive one, that required teamwork from a sizeable outlaw gang to subdue an entire train in order to rob its hold and passengers. And throughout, banks were a standby target of choice.
