16. Black Bart the Poet
Because of Black Bart’s politeness and air of sophistication, while plying his trade, he was viewed as a gentleman bandit. He robbed on foot, wielding a double-barreled shotgun and clad in a linen duster and bowler hat, his face concealed by a flour sack with eye holes cut into it. Halting the stagecoach, he would cover the driver with his shotgun while politely ordering him to throw down the strongbox.
He would then order the driver to move on, recover the strongbox, and flee. He never fired his weapon, and sometimes left behind handwritten poems, which further enhanced his notoriety and gained him the nickname “Black Bart the Poet“. All things come to an end, however, and the end for Black Bart’s highwayman career began in 1883, when a robbery went bad and he was shot in the hand. As he fled, he dropped some personal items.
