Black Jack Christian, aka 202, or Ed Williams, (September 5, 1871 – April 28, 1897) was an

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

of the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

. He was a leader of a group known as the High Fives, which operated mostly in

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becomi ...

Early life

He was born William Christian, in

Fort Griffin, Texas Fort Griffin, now a Texas state historic site as Fort Griffin State Historic Site, was a US Cavalry fort established 31 July 1867 by four companies of the Sixth Cavalry, U.S. ArmyCarter, R.G., ''On the Border with Mackenzie'', 1935, Washingto ...

, in 1871 and had a brother Bob. Very little is known about his youth and early life. He and Bob migrated into the

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...

, where they pursued both legal and illegal activities, including

cattle rustling Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...

Outlaws

Black Jack was documented in reports of outlaw activity in the late 1880s, along with his brother Bob Christian. He first earned the nickname "202" due to his large frame. However, he quickly became better known as "Black Jack" due to his tendency to have a short temper. During this time of the late 1880s and early 1890s, he and his brother Bob organized the "High Fives Gang", operating mostly around

. In 1895, while the two brothers were in

Guthrie, Oklahoma Guthrie is a city and county seat in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. Its population was 10,191 at the 2010 census, a 2.7% increase from 9,925 in the 2000 census. First known as a railroad st ...

, they shot and killed a lawman, and were arrested. They escaped with the assistance of their gang and fled to

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the ...

. The following year, with the help of a wealthy rancher associate, on August 6, 1896, the gang robbed the "International Bank" in

Nogales, Arizona Nogales (; English: or ) is a city in and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The population was 20,837 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and estimated 20,103 in 2019. Nogales forms part of the larger Tucson–Nogales L ...

. During their escape from town, gang member Jess Williams was shot and wounded by newspaperman Frank King, causing him to drop the money taken during the robbery; he also managed to drop his one and only gun earring he wore in his left ear. Williams, both Christian brothers, and gang member Bob Hays were able to escape town. Christian split up from the rest of the gang after they traveled east a ways. Sheriff Bob Leatherwood of

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

pursued members of the gang with a

posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

. While approaching

Skeleton Canyon Skeleton Canyon, called Cañon Bonita by the Mexicans, is located northeast of the town of Douglas, Arizona, in the Peloncillo Mountains, which straddle the modern Arizona and New Mexico state line, in the New Mexico Bootheel region. This can ...

, they were fired upon by some of the High Fives, immediately killing Special Deputy Frank Robson, who was riding in front. After a shootout, where the posse was never close enough to see the gang members, the three men escaped, riding into

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. They intended to hide out there for a time, hoping that lawmen would eventually stop their pursuit. In 1897, the gang returned to Arizona, with Black Jack joining them. They committed several

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

robberies. A posse located them in a small canyon, and ambushed them, killing the four members of the gang who were traveling together. They were hauled back to town atop a lumber wagon and their dead bodies were placed on display. The canyon was named after Black Jack Christian and is known locally as "Black Jack Canyon".

References

External links

High Fives Gang
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080915184328/http://www.badhombres.com/outlaws/will-christian.htm Black Jack Christian, aka Will Christian {{DEFAULTSORT:Black Jack Christian Outlaws of the American Old West 1871 births 1897 deaths People from Logan County, Oklahoma People from Kearney, Missouri