Charley Pierce (c. 1866 – May 2, 1895) was an American

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 In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

in the

American 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 ...

who rode with both the

Dalton Gang The Dalton Gang was a group of outlaws in the American Old West during 1890–1892. It was also known as The Dalton Brothers because three of its members were brothers. The gang specialized in bank and train robberies. During an attempted doub ...

and the Doolin Dalton Gang during the 1890s. He and "Bittercreek" Newcomb were killed by friends, the Dunn brothers, for bounty money.

Early life and career

The younger life of Pierce is little known. He is known to have been born in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

but raised in

Sullivan, Indiana Sullivan is a city in Hamilton Township and the county seat of Sullivan County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,249 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The Sullivan post offic ...

, and was a

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

at one time, as well as having ridden in

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

s for money. His father, William Pierce, was an attorney, and Charley had three brothers, the oldest James, and his younger brother Joe. Joe Pierce was killed in a tragic

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

accident while still a youth, and Willis who was learning the trade with Charley and was part of the Dalton gang for a time. He was not with his brother when he was killed, but came later when he heard of his demise. He was killed on a bridge going toward Pawnee, Oklahoma to identify his brother. He was running from the Texas Rangers on a warrant for his arrest and had a bounty on his head. He was killed by Texas Rangers that knew Charley had been killed. Around early 1892 he joined the Dalton Gang, but after almost the entire gang was wiped out during the failed

bank robbery Bank robbery is the criminal act of stealing from a bank, specifically while bank employees and customers are subjected to force, violence, or a threat of violence. This refers to robbery of a bank Branch (banking), branch or Bank teller, tel ...

attempts in

Coffeyville, Kansas Coffeyville is a city in southeastern Montgomery County, Kansas, United States, located along the Verdigris River in the state's southeastern region. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,826. Coffeyville is the most pop ...

, he joined the Doolin-Dalton Gang, which was co-led by

Bill Doolin William Doolin (1858–August 24, 1896) was an American bandit outlaw and founder of the Wild Bunch, sometimes known as the Doolin-Dalton Gang. Like the earlier Dalton Gang alone, it specialized in robbing banks, trains, and stagecoaches in ...

and Bill Dalton. Pierce is known to have taken part in numerous bank and

train robberies A train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by l ...

, and was present at the

Battle of Ingalls The Battle of Ingalls was a gunfight on September 1, 1893 between United States Marshals and the Doolin-Dalton Gang, during the closing years of the Old West era, in Ingalls, Oklahoma. The Doolin-Dalton Gang had been involved in a number of trai ...

, a gunfight between the gang and

US Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the U.S. federal judiciary. It is an agency of the U.S. Department of Jus ...

s which left three Deputy Marshals dead, two civilians dead, one gang member captured and two (including Pierce) wounded. During the Ingalls gunfight, "Bittercreek" Newcomb and Charley Pierce were wounded, and "Arkansas Tom" Jones was captured. However, Newcomb and Pierce did escape, for a time hiding out to allow themselves to heal. Pierce had known Newcomb longer than any other member of the gang, having met him while working as a ranch hand on the ''Tulsa Stockyard Railhead''. Once healed, the two rode to

Pawnee, Oklahoma Pawnee (Pawnee language, Pawnee: Paári, ) is a city and county seat of Pawnee County, Oklahoma, Pawnee County, Oklahoma, United States. The town is northeast of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stillwater at the junction of U.S. Route 64 in Oklahoma, U.S. ...

, to the house of

Rose Dunn Rose Elizabeth Dunn (September 5, 1878 – June 11, 1955) also known as Rose of Cimarron and later 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 t ...

, a girlfriend of Newcomb's. Dunn's brothers, known as the Dunn Brothers, were

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for a bail bondsman who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as a bail enforcement agent or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated ...

s, and by this time there was a significant bounty on both outlaws, believed to have been $5,000 for each. As Newcomb and Pierce dismounted, they were shot and killed by the Dunns. Pierce is buried 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 ...

, where his body was taken by the Dunns to collect the bounty on him. Many years after his death, someone, though it was never known who, began placing flowers on his grave on the anniversary of his death, and threw hog guts on the grave of the Dunn Brothers who killed him.

References

External links

Charley Pierce
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Charley Outlaws of the American Old West People from Indian Territory 1860s births 1895 deaths American bank robbers People from Sullivan, Indiana Cowboys Dalton Gang