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See Also

See Also in
Notorious Lives

Apache Kid

Tom Bell

William H. Bonney

Curly Bill Brocius

Butch Cassidy

Bob Dalton

Emmett Dalton

John Wesley Hardin

Doc Holliday

Jesse James

Tom Ketchum

Harry Longabaugh

Bill Longley

Joaquín Murieta

Johnny Ringo

Belle Starr

Henry Starr

Hank Vaughan

Cole Younger.

Great Lives from History: Notorious Lives

Bill Doolin

by Sara Vidar

American bank robber and bandit

Cause of notoriety: Doolin committed his early bank and train robberies in the company of the Dalton brothers; he later headed his own gang, the Wild Bunch.

Active: 1891-1896

Locale: Indian Territory, Oklahoma, and Texas

Early Life

Bill Doolin (DEW-lihn) was born to Michael “Mack” Doolin and Artemina Beller in Johnson County, Arkansas, in 1858. His father had had four children from his first marriage and two children with his second wife. The Doolins acquired a small farm in Big Piney Creek, thirty miles northeast of Clarksville, Arkansas, which Doolin helped run after his father’s death.

Bill Doolin.

ph_0111226677-Doolin.jpg

Although illiterate, Doolin was a hard worker and was skilled with tools. He found employment with a ranch owner, Oscar D. Hasell, building corrals and other structures. Hassell also taught Doolin simple bookkeeping. Doolin worked for several ranchers and cattlemen until 1889, when the government vacated the Indian Territory of Oklahoma to make room for homesteaders. On March 14, 1893, Doolin married Edith Ellsworth, a preacher’s daughter. The two had one son, whom they named Jay.

Criminal Career

Doolin’s first brush with the law occurred on July 4, 1891, while he was working at the Bar X Bar Ranch. He and some friends had ridden into Coffeyville, Kansas, to celebrate Independence Day with a keg of beer. Kansas was a dry state, and authorities tried to confiscate the beer. A shoot-out ensued, wounding two police officers and forcing Doolin to flee the area.

Once on the run, Doolin met up with Bob and Emmett Dalton as well as other outlaws. His shooting skills, intelligence, and fairness made Doolin a natural leader among Western bandits. By September of 1891, he was riding with the Dalton gang and participated in train robberies in Leliaetta, Indian Territory; Red Rock, Oklahoma Territory; and Adair, Indian Territory. Doolin did not accompany the Daltons on their fatal attempt to rob two banks simultaneously in Coffeyville, Kansas, on October 5, 1892. On that day gang members, including two Daltons, were shot to death.

With the demise of the Dalton gang, Doolin recruited new men for his own gang, which became known as the Wild Bunch. The gang robbed a passenger train in Cimarron, Kansas, on June 11, 1893, but a posse of lawmen was ready for them and ambushed the gang as they were escaping. Doolin was shot in the left foot and limped for the rest of his life. Three months later, rumors of the Wild Bunch hiding in Ingalls, Oklahoma Territory, were circulating. On September 1, 1893, thirteen sheriffs entered the town and found the gang in a saloon. A shoot-out ensued, later dubbed the Battle of Ingalls, after which three marshals and two innocent bystanders were dead, and many were hurt. Members of the Wild Bunch escaped with minor wounds.

Over the next two years the gang continued its robbery spree. On April 3, 1895, the Wild Bunch ambushed and robbed a passenger train in Dover, Oklahoma Territory. Again, a posse was ready, and a shoot-out began which resulted in “Tulsa Jack” Blake’s death. Now infamous, the gang disbanded after the Dover heist. Over the next few months, former members of the Wild Bunch were killed by bounty hunters or in shoot-outs. A realist, Doolin contacted his attorney to arrange a plea bargain in which he would surrender in exchange for a guaranteed short sentence. The authorities would not agree to the terms, and Doolin went into hiding in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Legal Action and Outcome

Deputy Marshall Tilghman, who had long been tracking Doolin, learned of the outlaw’s location. There he surprised Doolin and brought him to Guthrie, Kansas, to stand trial for his crimes. While in prison awaiting trial, Doolin and “Dynamite Dick” Clifton, along with twelve other prisoners, escaped.

Missing his family and tired of running from the law, Doolin decided to return home, in order to take his wife and son to an undisclosed location. Deputy Marshall Heck Thomas heard of the plan. When Doolin was seen helping his wife, Edith, load a wagon, Deputy Thomas organized a stakeout. When Doolin later returned to his house he was met with gunfire. He died on August 24, 1896.

Impact

Although his crimes instilled fear in Western settlers, Bill Doolin enjoyed a reputation for being reasonable, sincere, and levelheaded. His intelligence and fairness gained him respect among fellow outlaws, members of the community, and—ironically—certain law officials.

When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, its government felt increased pressure to ensure the safety of its citizens. Several laws were passed spelling out police powers and instilling fear among local gangs. Amid rising instances of bank and train robberies, several states enacted rewards and bounties, ranging from one thousand to fifteen thousand dollars, for the capture of Doolin and other criminals, “dead or alive.” Civilian vigilantes and sheriffs’ posses legally pursued bandit gangs, armed with both muscle and authority. These raids and bounties resulted in the deaths of Doolin and other members of the Wild Bunch. They also served as warnings for other gangs and signified the end of the romantic Western shoot-outs.

Further Reading

1 

Drago, Harry S. Outlaws on Horseback. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998. Focuses on train and bank robbers and provides a riveting account of Bill Doolin’s life as a bandit and his associations with other Wild West outlaws.

2 

Lewis, Jon E. The Mammoth Book of the West: The Making of the American West. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2001. Lewis offers the reader a comprehensive account of life in the Wild West and mentions all of the key players who were involved. A good reference for Doolin and members of the Wild Bunch.

3 

O’Neal, Bill. Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991. A factual look at the outlaws who roamed the Old West.

4 

Reasoner, James. Draw: The Greatest Gunfights of the American West. New York: Berkley, 2003. Paints a historically accurate picture of the bandits and gunfighters. Reasoner does not romanticize bank robbers and bandits as some writings do but offers an objective look at the West.

5 

Wellman, Paul I. A Dynasty of Western Outlaws. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. Focusing on the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Wellman’s book provides a thorough examination of life in the Wild West and its outlaws. Also contains maps and family trees.

Citation Types

MLA 9th
Vidar, Sara. "Bill Doolin." Great Lives from History: Notorious Lives, edited by Carl L. Bankston III, Salem Press, 2007. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=GLN_1169.
APA 7th
Vidar, S. (2007). Bill Doolin. In C. L. Bankston III (Ed.), Great Lives from History: Notorious Lives. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Vidar, Sara. "Bill Doolin." Edited by Carl L. Bankston III. Great Lives from History: Notorious Lives. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2007. Accessed March 21, 2026. online.salempress.com.