William Larkin Stiles

William Larkin Stiles

William Larkin Stiles (1874? - November 8, 1908), also known as Billy Stiles or William Larkin, was an outlaw of the American Old West who, with partner Burt Alvord, led a small gang of train robbers while an acting deputy sheriff in the Arizona Territory during the 1890s.

Biography

Born in Casa Grande, Arizona, Stiles worked as a prospector and ranch hand in the Superstition Mountains as well as working occasionally with lawman Jeff Milton and other law enforcement officials having a reputation as an expert tracker. Eventually meeting Wilcox marshal Burt Alvord, the two formed a partnership and were very successful robbing trains in southern Arizona with "Three Fingered" Jack Dunlop, Bravo Juan Yolas, Bob Brown and brothers George and Louis Owens. Under the guise of deputy sheriffs, they were able to interfere with investigations by local authorities.

In 1899, they were apprehended attempting to rob the Southern Pacific Railroad. The two had a minor falling out over the incident with each blaming the other and Stiles wife also testified against him in court. Alvord soon broke him out of jail however, tying up the jailer and freeing Stiles from his cell with the keys, and the two disappeared from the area. The gang went in different directions following the February 15, 1900 shootout between five members of the gang, and lawman Jeff Davis Milton, which resulted in Dunlop being killed, and both gang member Bravo Juan Yaos and Milton being wounded. Stiles, however, is alleged to have not been present during that robbery attempt. Later reaching Mexico, they reportedly assisted in the capture of the Mexican bandit Augustin Chacon. Shortly after this, they attempted to fake their own deaths sending two coffins with their supposed bodies to Tombstone, Arizona but this ruse was quickly uncovered by authorities.

A group of Arizona Rangers then, in 1903, entered Mexico in pursuit of the fugitives. While successfully capturing Alvord, Stiles was able to escape the country making his way to the Orient, spending considerable time in China and the Philippines. Stiles eventually returned, and became a deputy sheriff in Humboldt County, Nevada under the name [http://www.odmp.org/officer/12828-deputy-sheriff-william-larkin-stiles William Larkin] . On November 8th, 1908, he was killed when trying to deliver a court summons. The suspect had opened fire on Stiles as he approached the suspects barn, hitting him three times. The suspect was arrested, but for unknown reasons was acquitted during the trial.

References

*Breakenridge, William M. "Helldorado: Bringing the Law to the Mesquite". Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1992. ISBN 0-8032-6100-4
*Eppinga, Jane. "Apache Junction And the Superstition Mountains". Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2006. ISBN 0-7385-3040-9
*Prassel, Frank Richard. "The Great American Outlaw: A Legacy of Fact and Fiction". Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993. ISBN 0-8061-2842-9

External links

* [http://www.jcs-group.com/oldwest/gunfighters/stiles.html The Spell of the West: Gunfighters - William Larkin Stiles]
* [http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-OutlawList-S-U.html Billy Stiles]


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