Worst Outlaw in the History of the American West Inspired Others November 13, 2010

Al Jennings-Worst Outlaw in the West

On This Date in History: Al Jennings was born in 1863 Virginia. His father was a judge and Al began practicing law in the Oklahoma Territory in 1889. Al’s law-partner, brother Ed Jennings, was shot to death in October 1895 by another lawyer named Temple Houston, who was the son of famous Texan General Sam Houston. When Houston was acquitted, Al and another brother Frank vowed vengeance. They took off after Houston but never caught up to him. So, what does any good lawyer who fails at a vengeance killing do? Join a gang. He and Frank robbed a Santa Fe train with their new found friends in 1897. Well, they tried to rob a train. This may be where the scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid comes from because these guys tried to get the guy in charge of the mail car to open it up but he refused, just like Woodcock did with Butch. But, instead of blowing up the rail car, these desperados got chased away by the conductor.

Temple Houston

They tried again. This time they piled up railroad ties across the tracks. instead of stopping, the engineer opened up the locomotive at full throttle and simply plowed through the obstruction. They then tried to rob an express office but a simple phone call from the office brought the town sheriff and a bunch of armed men. The would be robbers fled with nothing. Then they tried a bank but someone must have blabbed because when they arrived, the bank was surrounded by numerous armed men. The bumbling robbers left empty handed. So, they gang decided to return to what they knew best…train robbing!

Cabinet Saloon Where Temple Shot Ed

In another probable Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid inspiration, they tried a 3rd time when they flagged down a Rock Island passenger train and tried to blow up the two safes on board in a box car. The safes did not open but they did manage to blow up the box car. They did get $300 from the passengers though. But, they got no more chances. They were caught and sentenced to 5 years in prison…except for Al, who got a life sentence for robbery with intent to kill.

Jennings Mugshot 1902

Al goes to prison and who does he share a cell with but a guy named William Sidney Porter. After spending time listening to the tales of Jennings, Porter was released and took up the profession of a scribe, taking the pen name, O. Henry. O. Henry is considered one of the finest American short story writers of his time. Through his short stories, Henry managed to rehabilitate the image of Jennings and, On This Date in 1902, Al Jennings was released from prison after his sentence was commuted to 5 years by none other than President William McKinley. Jennings returned to Oklahoma to practice law. So, what does a lawyer who was a terrible train robber do? Why run for office. Not just any office…why not county attorney! In 1912, he ran on the promise that “when was a train robber, I was a good train robber. And if you choose me, I will be a good prosecuting attorney.” Obviously, Al had developed a politicians ability to stretch the truth and it helped because he won the nomination but lost the election. He ran for Governor in 1914 but opposition by newspapers left his campaign in third place when the votes were counted. So, where does a failed train robber and failed politician go? Why to Hollywood!

Jennings with Fatty Arbuckle's Cousin Andrew

O. Henry had encouraged him to write so he went out west and ghost wrote several movies, several of which were supposedly based on his life. The westerns portrayed him as being more treacherous than Billy the Kid, robbed more men than Jesse James and was a participant in nearly 25 face to face shootouts. I would say that there wasn’t much mystery in who the ghost was behind those scripts. Al continued this sort of thing the rest of his life as he was behind many of the B-movie westerns through the 1950′s with the lame scripts that were as phony as the image Jennings created for himself. To perhaps illustrate the level of Al’s position in Hollywood, the photo to the left is not of Al with star Fatty Arbuckle, but instead Fatty’s cousin, Andrew. Nevertheless, it was an interesting and certainly long life for Al, who did not pass away, for real, until 1961. He lived through Reconstruction, the Indian Wars, the closing of the frontier, two world wars and the dawn of the space age. So much to write about yet he chose to write about…himself…and most of that was not true, except his name, Al Jennings. Here is a biography, which is really funny.

The Patriot Went to the Dogs October 6, 2010

The Ficticious Mars and Jupiter Showed Up with Gibson Probably Due to The Inspiration of a Real Life Story of General Washington and General Howe's Dog

Battle of Brandywine Sept 11, 1777

On This Date in History:  Following its victory at the Battle of Brandywine, the British Army captured Philadelphia and the troops camped in Germantown just north of the city.  American General George Washington decided a little counter-attack was in order as part of an attempt to surprise the British in their camp.  It seemed to be a grand opportunity since Washington was in the rather fortunate position of outnumbering his foe with about 11,000 men under his command while, his counterpart, General William Howe, commanded about 8,000 British and Hessian soldiers.  Thus, we have the outline for the Battle of Germantown which proved to be an engagement of note in the American Revolution.

Troop Movements Battle of Germantown

Now, Washington’s plan called for 4 columns to attack the British and “precisely 5 oclock with charged bayonets without firing.”   Basically, General Washington was trying to duplicate the surprise attack that he successfully initiated against the Hessians at Trenton on Dec. 25, 1776.  However, things didn’t work out so well because on the morning of October 3, 1777 the American columns were all well short of their respective planned starting positions.  The surprise element went by the wayside when a British piquet discovered one of the columns and fired some shots to warn of the impending attack.  That particular piquet was reinforced by a light infantry battalion that required great effort to push back.  Howe rode up to take a look for himself but his view was impeded by an early morning fog.  His initial notion was that his piquet had simply encountered an American raiding party. 

Chew House Fighting Was Fierce

British Colonel Musgrave was in charge of the light infantry battalion and had them fall back and establish a strong position at the home of Chief Justice Benjamin Chew.  The Americans made a strong assault on the stone home, complete with artillery support.  Well, American General Adam Stephen was supposed to follow orders and continue an attack on the British right wing.  Instead, he heard the commotion going on at the Chew House and ordered his men to turn and attack there.  That was not part of General Washington’s plan. 

Stephen's House May Be More Celebrated Than The Owner (Click For Details)

 In the Meantime, American General Nathanael (Nathaniel)  Greene had his men attack the British line as ordered and he broke through.  Stephen, for his part, went on beyond Chew House to continue the attack where, in the fog,  he ran into a brigade commanded by Brigadier General Wayne.  The two forces took up arms against one another.  The trouble was, General “Mad” Anthony Wayne’s Pennsylvania Brigade was on the same side as the men under Stephen.  I suppose the Americans must have put up a pretty good fight with one another because both forces withdrew and fled.  A result of the Battle of Germantown was that the Americans determined that General Stephen was incapacitated by drunkeness and he was drummed out of the service with his command given to the Marquis de Lafayette even though Lafayette had just had his 20th birthday!  That in itself holds some importance but there were more significant aspects to the outcome of the battle.   

Germantown Loss May Have Been Big Winner For Americans

In the end, the British suffered 500 casualties and the Americans lost 1000.  50 Americans were killed while assaulting the Chew House, which ultimately was a diversion from the original plan.  The Americans were forced to withdraw and most histories report the Battle of Germantown as a British victory since they held the field.  In fact, General Washington had to withdraw some 16 miles to escape the harrassment by British light dragoons.  However, sometimes a loss can be a victory.  In Vietnam, the TET Offensive was a total military disaster for the North Vietnamese but it was the turning point in the war as the American people withdrew their support for the war effort.  In the same way, while Washington’s effort was a big flub-a-dub at Germantown, the French were pretty impressed by the American’s ability to raise and army and mount an attack and were less concerned about the results.   Many historians point to the American failure at Germantown as providing profound influence on the French Court to support the American independence effort.   But, the British weren’t entirely successful either.  General Howe did not follow up and destroy Washington’s army.  Instead, he let General Washington flee to fight another day.  Maybe Howe was looking for his dog.

Note From General Washington to General Howe Concerning Dog

You see, General Howe had a dog that had wandered onto the battlefield and, as the Americans withdrew, the dog followed with them.  He ended up in the camp of General Washington.  Now, Washington was a lover of all dogs and when he saw that the dog’s collar had the name of his counterpart on it, on this date in 1777, he had a messenger ride all the way back to the British camp with the dog and a courteous note from General Washington related to the returning of the pooch.    Some say that its an indication of just how much Washington loved dogs and of the honorable and magnamimous nature of General Washington.  However, while it may have been all that, it was also a pretty shrewed move on the part of George Washington.  The note which was delivered to the British read, “General Washington’s compliments to General Howe. He does himself the pleasure to return him a dog, which accidentally fell into his hands, and by the inscription on the Collar appears to belong to General Howe.”  The story may have softened the view of British regulars toward General Washington but, no doubt, Washington’s courier most likely was able to report British and Hessian troop stregnth and positions back to headquarters.  Many of Washington’s men wanted to keep the dog in order to taunt the enemy but Washington knew that his act of kindness not only was a good bit of propaganda but also a great source of intelligence.

Gibson Probably Borrowed Dog Idea For The Patriot From Real Life Incident At Germantown

You see a seen similar to this true story in the fictionalized Mel Gibson movie called The Patriot.  In that film, the Gibson character of Benjamin Martin returned two Great Danes to British General Cornwallis.  I suspect  that Gibson took the real story and simply used it as a model for their story.  That is not unusual in “historical” movies.  They often borrow parts of other stories and then add them to their movie to make it more compelling for the audience.  The scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid where they use too much dynamite to rob a train car probably came from the real-life misadventure of Al Jennings who really did use too much dynamite when he blew up the entire mail car in his 1898 train robbery attempt.  The Patriot was not well receieved by my historical academic bretheren for many similar items.  The main character, Martin, was not a real person but instead was based on  different people, the principal being Francis Marion with other contributors being Thomas Sumter, Elijah Clarke, Andrew Pickens and Daniel Morgan.  The problem that I have with all of that is that all or any one of these men have true stories that could be extremely compelling. 

Tavington Portrayal Ruffled Some British Feathers

The bad guy in the movie was William Tavington who was based on the real life British Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton.  Apparently some in Britain were not too enthused with the way in which the Tavington/Tarleton character was portrayed.  The UK Ambassador to the US didn’t have kind words for the entire movie.  For some reason, Gibson even made General Charles Cornwallis 10-15 years older than he really was and I have yet to figure out the rationale for that except that actor Tom Wilkinson was available.  I liked the movie but I am always afraid that people will think that its all a true story and that is how come Americans become ignorant of their own history.  It is suprisingly full of technical mistakes as well as historical inaccuracies.   Just remember, when Hollywood makes a story based on “history” it is usually loosely based on fact and full of “artistic license.”

Weather Bottom Line:  Beautiful weather will continue.  I saw today at one point the dew point was running in the 30′s which is awfully dry.  That means the temperatures will drop at night nicely and warm up nicely in the afternoon.  Look for upper 70′s for Wednesday and Thursday and low 80′s into the weekend.  We’ll probably nudge into the mid 80′s by Sunday afternoon.  A cold front will slip through on Monday and take temperatures down a peg but its so dry I doubt that there will be much in the way of rain.   I had to remove my sunflowers which just killed me but they were done.  The squirrels have been enjoying their bounty.  It’s really amazing how strong those 13 foot sunflowers are and the breadth of their root systems.  Then again, its not really all that amazing when you consider that they have to be able to support themselves with the weight of a flower full of seeds thats over a foot across and the windy weather they have to put up with.  But…the stalks are still pretty formidable.  I raised them from babies, protected them from critters and watered them dutifully only to put them in their final resting place.  Always sad.

4th Coldest October In US History, Worst Outlaw in US History November 13, 2009

Biggest Denver October Snow in 12 years

Oct 2009 Avg Temp rank by State

While Global Warming cannot be determined by any one set of data from any one country, I’m sure Global Warming enthusiasts will find a tougher time in the states arguing their point. That is because October  2009 was the 4th coldest October in recorded US history, which dates back to 1895. It was also the absolute wettest October in US history. Only Florida was decidedly hotter than averge with its October 2009 coming in as the 105th coolest month, or the 11th hottest. Oklahoma checked in with the coldest October on record. As I mentioned, by itself this data is irrelevant to climate trends. But, if this had been the 4th hottest October on record, don’t you think that it would make headlines? I wonder if the media doesn’t think that cold temperatures are just as newsworthy as hot temperatures.

Al Jennings-Worst Outlaw in the West

Crime Pays Or the Worst Outlaw in the West? Al Jennings was born in 1863 Virginia. His father was a judge and Al began practicing law in the Oklahoma Territory in 1889. Al’s law-partner, brother Ed Jennings, was shot to death in October 1895 by another lawyer named Temple Houston, who was the son of famous Texan General Sam Houston. When Houston was acquitted, Al and another brother Frank vowed vengeance. They took off after Houston but never caught up to him. So, what does any good lawyer who fails at a vengeance killing do? Join a gang. He and Frank robbed a Santa Fe train with their new found friends in 1897. Well, they tried to rob a train. This may be where the scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid comes from because these guys tried to get the guy in charge of the mail car to open it up but he refused, just like Woodcock did with Butch. But, instead of blowing up the rail car, these desperados got chased away by the conductor.

Temple Houston

They tried again. This time they piled up railroad ties across the tracks. instead of stopping, the engineer opened up the locomotive at full throttle and simply plowed through the obstruction. They then tried to rob an express office but a simple phone call from the office brought the town sheriff and a bunch of armed men. The would be robbers fled with nothing. Then they tried a bank but someone must have blabbed because when they arrived, the bank was surrounded by numerous armed men. The bumbling robbers left empty handed. So, they gang decided to return to what they knew best…train robbing!

Cabinet Saloon Where Temple Shot Ed

In another probable Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid inspiration, they tried a 3rd time when they flagged down a Rock Island passenger train and tried to blow up the two safes on board in a box car. The safes did not open but they did manage to blow up the box car. They did get $300 from the passengers though. But, they got no more chances. They were caught and sentenced to 5 years in prison…except for Al, who got a life sentence for robbery with intent to kill.

Jennings Mugshot 1902

Al goes to prison and who does he share a cell with but a guy named William Sidney Porter. After spending time listening to the tales of Jennings, Porter was released and took up the profession of a scribe, taking the pen name, O. Henry. O. Henry is considered one of the finest American short story writers of his time. Through his short stories, Henry managed to rehabilitate the image of Jennings and, On This Date in 1902, Al Jennings was released from prison after his sentence was commuted to 5 years by none other than President William McKinley. Jennings returned to Oklahoma to practice law. So, what does a lawyer who was a terrible train robber do? Why run for office. Not just any office…why not county attorney! In 1912, he ran on the promise that “when was a train robber, I was a good train robber. And if you choose me, I will be a good prosecuting attorney.” Obviously, Al had developed a politicians ability to stretch the truth and it helped because he won the nomination but lost the election. He ran for Governor in 1914 but opposition by newspapers left his campaign in third place when the votes were counted. So, where does a failed train robber and failed politician go? Why to Hollywood!

Jennings with Fatty Arbuckle's Cousin Andrew

O. Henry had encouraged him to write so he went out west and ghost wrote several movies, several of which were supposedly based on his life. The westerns portrayed him as being more treacherous than Billy the Kid, robbed more men than Jesse James and was a participant in nearly 25 face to face shootouts. I would say that there wasn’t much mystery in who the ghost was behind those scripts. Al continued this sort of thing the rest of his life as he was behind many of the B-movie westerns through the 1950′s with the lame scripts that were as phony as the image Jennings created for himself. To perhaps illustrate the level of Al’s position in Hollywood, the photo to the left is not of Al with star Fatty Arbuckle, but instead Fatty’s cousin, Andrew. Nevertheless, it was an interesting and certainly long life for Al, who did not pass away, for real, until 1961. He lived through Reconstruction, the Indian Wars, the closing of the frontier, two world wars and the dawn of the space age. So much to write about yet he chose to write about…himself…and most of that was not true, except his name, Al Jennings. Here is a biography, which is really funny.

Weather Bottom Line:  Still looks good for the rest of the week and really, I think, the majority of the weekend.  Look for highs Friday with lots of sunshine creeping to the low to mid 60′s after a cool start.  Then Saturday we mayget to 70 or so ahead of a very deep low pressure area.  I don’t think that we get rain until Sunday evening but clouds will be increasing during the day on Sunday.  Now, this low tends to get cut off in the Southern Plains.  After several days in that region, it is progged to move north-northeast and stay to the west of our area.  I’m skeptical of this solution.  We’ll see.  Either way, we wil be in the 50′s for next week so get out and enjoy the next few days.

Worst Outlaw in the West and A Big Ozone Hole November 13, 2008

ECMWF Tues AM 540 Line (theorhetical freeze line) near Charlotte

Look for perhaps a few peeks of sunshine late Thursday with moderating temperatures, but it won’t last. Front comes through on Friday and the mercury tumbles over the weekend. Low 40′s for highs on Saturday with perhaps a worthless flurry or wet snowflake. Later in the season this wouldn’t cause a ruckus but since its the first flake or two, watch the folks on the tube go crazy…Steve Burgin will be giddy. Mid 40′s on Sunday with again a few peeks of sun. Low 50′s on Monday but a cold front comes in and we may not get out of the 30′s on Tuesday. Remember, NOAA says this will be a warmer than normal winter. Winter doesn’t start until December 21.

Ozone Hole over Antarctica

This has nothing to do with Global Warming: Members of the 4th Estate, the Press, often get confused. In environmental issues, it is not uncommon to find the purveyors of the pen to link Global Warming and the Ozone hole. I’ve been on numerous speaking engagements and the public is often led to believe they are somehow intertwined. They are not. But, we haven’t heard much about the Ozone hole for years. Why is this? Why the Congress and legal bodies all over the world claimed the problem was solved when they banned the use of fluorocarbons. What people don’t realize is that it takes about 15-20 years for fluorocarbons to reach the top of the atmosphere where the ozone layer resides. While you may have thought we were safe, the hole has still been there all this time…the press just chose not to report it. Consequently, we have yet to find out if, indeed, man was the cause of ozone depletion. From this report, it would seem that we need to wait a little longer. The ozone hole over Antarctica was the 5th largest on record this past year. Here’s the story, that 20 years ago would have been headline news, but today is only found in odd places, like this blog.

Ozone Hole is still there

Al Jennings-Worst Outlaw in the West

Crime Pays Or the Worst Outlaw in the West? Al Jennings was born in 1863 Virginia. His father was a judge and Al began practicing law in the Oklahoma Territory in 1889. Al’s law-partner, brother Ed Jennings, was shot to death in October 1895 by another lawyer named Temple Houston. When Houston was acquitted, Al and another brother Frank vowed vengeance. They took off after Houston but never caught up to him. So, what does any good lawyer who fails at a vengeance killing do? Join a gang. He and Frank robbed a Santa Fe train with their new found friends in 1897. Well, they tried to rob a train. This may be where the scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid comes from because these guys tried to get the guy in charge of the mail car to open it up but he refused, just like Woodcock did with Butch. But, instead of blowing up the rail car, these desperados got chased away by the conductor.

They tried again. This time they piled up railroad ties across the tracks. instead of stopping, the engineer opened up the locomotive at full throttle and simply plowed through the obstruction. They then tried to rob an express office but a simple phone call from the office brought the town sheriff and a bunch of armed men. The would be robbers fled with nothing. Then they tried a bank but someone must have blabbed because when they arrived, the bank was surrounded by numerous armed men. The bumbling robbers left empty handed. So, they gang decided to return to what they knew best…train robbing!

In another probable Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid inspiration, they tried a 3rd time when they flagged down a Rock Island passenger train and tried to blow up the two safes on board in a box car. The safes did not open but they did manage to blow up the box car. They did get $300 from the passengers though. But, they got no more chances. They were caught and sentenced to 5 years in prison…except for Al, who got a life sentence for robbery with intent to kill.

Jennings Mugshot 1902

Al goes to prison and who does he share a cell with but a guy named William Sidney Porter. After spending time listening to the tales of Jennings, Porter was released and took up the profession of a scribe, taking the pen name, O. Henry. O. Henry is considered one of the finest American short story writers of his time. Through his short stories, Henry managed to rehabilitate the image of Jennings and, On This Date in 1902, Al Jennings was released from prison after his sentence was commuted to 5 years by none other than President William McKinley. Jennings returned to Oklahoma to practice law. So, what does a lawyer who was a terrible train robber do? Why run for office. Not just any office…why not county attorney! In 1912, he ran on the promise that “when was a train robber, I was a good train robber. And if you choose me, I will be a good prosecuting attorney.” Obviously, Al had developed a politicians ability to stretch the truth and it helped because he won the nomination but lost the election. He ran for Governor in 1914 but opposition by newspapers left his campaign in third place when the votes were counted. So, where does a failed train robber and failed politician go? Why to Hollywood!

Jennings with Fatty Arbuckle's Cousin Andrew

O. Henry had encouraged him to write so he went out west and ghost wrote several movies, several of which were supposedly based on his life. The westerns portrayed him as being more treacherous than Billy the Kid, robbed more men than Jesse James and was a participant in nearly 25 face to face shootouts. I would say that there wasn’t much mystery in who the ghost was behind those scripts. Al continued this sort of thing the rest of his life as he was behind many of the B-movie westerns through the 1950′s with the lame scripts that were as phony as the image Jennings created for himself. To perhaps illustrate the level of Al’s position in Hollywood, the photo to the left is not of Al with star Fatty Arbuckle, but instead Fatty’s cousin, Andrew. Nevertheless, it was an interesting and certainly long life for Al, who did not pass away, for real, until 1961. He lived through Reconstruction, the Indian Wars, the closing of the frontier, two world wars and the dawn of the space age. So much to write about yet he chose to write about…himself…and most of that was not true, except his name, Al Jennings. Here is a biography, which is really funny.