Bill Walters was born in Oklahoma Territory's Fort Sill. He spent the majority of his adolescence working as a cowboy before starting as a section hand for the Santa Fe Railroad.
Walters got involved in train robberies and stagecoach robberies soon after starting his job with the railroad. Around 1893, he joined the Black Jack Ketchum Gang and is thought to have participated in at least two murders there. He quickly persuaded a few of the gang members to depart with him and start their own group that would focus on robbing Wells Fargo shipments. He would achieve his greatest success in this quest.
Walters committed multiple murders while robbing unspecified sums of money from shipments between 1894 and 1897. It's highly unlikely that he actually stole the quantities claimed in folklore. But according to tradition, Walters started stashing his booty close to the hideout he and his group were using in Solomonville. Lawmen Jeff Milton and George Scarborough tracked down, shot, and captured Walters in July 1898 after a failed robbery attempt in Grants, New Mexico, during which the gang was chased away by guards using heavy gunfire. This scattered the gang from their hiding place, killing another gang member. John Selman, an outlaw and former lawman, was killed by George Scarborough, who is well known for this.
After being found guilty of his crimes, Walters was given a life sentence. The stolen goods were never found by Wells Fargo, which gave rise to the myth. Walters was freed from prison in 1917, and while it is unknown for sure, it is assumed that he never went back to Solomonville. This is possibly because there was no "lost treasure" to be found in actuality. He made his home in the little ranching town of Hachita, New Mexico, where he worked as a wrangler.
Walters passed away on June 16, 1921, after falling from a windmill while performing maintenance.
If you want the best possible review of Bill Walters escapades and whether there was or wasn't a treasure.
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/bronco-bill-walters/
No comments:
Post a Comment