"Laughing" Sam Carey, possibly also Laughing Dick Carey, was one of the least known

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

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 In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...

s who was a member of the loosely knit Hole in the Wall Gang during the latter part of the 19th century. Both of the above names are listed in many outlaw accounts from the day.

Background

Although Sam Carey is mentioned often in recorded exploits of the gangs operating out of the

Hole-in-the-Wall Hole in the Wall may refer to: Colloquial use *In American English, an inconspicuous or unpretentious restaurant or retailer. *In British English, an automated teller machine. *''The Hole In The Wall'', a popular name for a public house. P ...

pass, located in Johnson County,

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the sou ...

, very little is known about him. Historian Roy O'Dell has done extended research into Carey's identity. In addition to his work,

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

s James D. Horan and Paul Sann mentioned Laughing Sam Carey in their book, ''Pictorial History of the Wild West''. In a ''

New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publ ...

'' article, dated March 15, 1903, Carey is mentioned as being one of the most celebrated inhabitants of the Hole-in-the-Wall hideout, and is described as Wyoming's most dangerous

desperado Desperado may refer to: * Outlaw, particularly in the American Old West Books * ''Desperadoes'' (comics), a comic book series * ''Desperadoes'' (novel), a 1979 novel by Ron Hansen * Desperado Publishing, an American independent comic book publi ...

. As a boy, it is believed that Carey acted as a messenger and camp servant to

Butch Cassidy Robert LeRoy Parker (April 13, 1866 – November 7, 1908), better known as Butch Cassidy, was an American train and bank robber and the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the " Wild Bunch" in the Old West. Parker engaged in crimin ...

and his gang. As a teenager he rode with a gang led by the little-known outlaw Otto Chenoworth. In the 1923 book ''History of Natrona County Wyoming'', the short-lived career of the Chenoworth Gang was documented. He and his gang were less than successful, with the gang breaking up and Chenoworth being committed to a sanitarium in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

, from which he was later released to his mother. Carey returned to the Hole-in-the-Wall after the gang's breakup. Carey then rode, off and on, with a number of the gangs considered part of the Hole in the Wall Gang, to include Cassidy's

Wild Bunch The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Terr ...

and

Black Jack Ketchum Thomas Edward Ketchum (known as Black Jack; October 31, 1863 – April 26, 1901) was an American cowboy who later became an outlaw. He was executed in 1901 for attempted train robbery. The execution by hanging was botched; he was decapitat ...

's gang.''thehistoryjunkie.com''
/ref> Carey was well known in his own time, and often associated with stories of the outlaw exploits originating from the Hole-in-the-Wall. However, by 1903, almost all of the gang members best known to operate from there were either dead or in prison, with Carey never being captured to anyone's knowledge. Eventually, beginning after 1903, he simply faded from history. His whereabouts after the downfall of the Hole in the Wall Gang are not known, nor is the date or year of his death.

References

External links

Hole in the Wall
*Boardman, Mark (2019-05-15)
The Mysterious “Laughing Sam”
. ''True West Magazine''. Retrieved 2020-02-01. *Markley, Bill (August 2011)

''Wild West Magazine''. Retrieved 2020-02-01. {{DEFAULTSORT:Carey, Sam American bank robbers Fugitives wanted by the United States Outlaws of the American Old West Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown

Background

See also

References

External links