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Outlaw Women: America's Most Notorious Daughters, Wives, and Mothers
This collection of short, action-filled stories of the Old West’s most egregiously badly behaved female outlaws is a great addition to Western author Robert Barr Smith’s books on the American frontier. Pulling together stories of ladies caught in the acts of mayhem, distraction, murder, and highway robbery, it includes famous names like Belle Starr and lesser known characters as well. The book also contains archival illustrations and photographs.
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 3, 2015
19 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Robert Barr Smith
26 books1 followerRobert Barr Smith, Colonel, USA (ret). senior parachutist; holds Bronze Star, Legion of Merit (x2), other decorations. Service in Vietnam and many years in Germany, where his fiction is laid. German speaker. Otherwise specializes in military and western history, plus several books on trial practice (under his attorney hat). Graduate of Stanford and Stanford Law; member, California Bar. Professor Emeritus, University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he also served as Associate Dean for Academics and Associate Director of the Law Center.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 8, 2016
Someday, when you have nothing to do and are lying on your couch eating bon bons, you may want to plow through this quick book just for diversion's sake. I bought this on BookBub for 99 cents, and it was worth all of that. It's very jocularly written, but the author repeats every (probably false) legend about these women outlaws and then tries to discern the thin line of truth. For example, when Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were gunned down in the end, they were each reputed to have fifty gunshot wounds--or maybe it was fifty between them. The coroner finally decided 17 on Barrow and 26 on Bonnie.
In every outlaw story, there's always the myth that encrusts the actual truth, but repeating all the myths makes for tedious reading. The author repeats all the legends and rhymes that have been created about Lizzie Borden, but includes such inaccuracies as Lizzie (or whoever) chopping up her father into pieces beyond recognition. I have previously seen the actual photo of him, however, and it's clear that only his face was chopped up. It looks like you could clean up his suit and use it again. Besides, Lizzie's trial resulted in a hung jury, so the repetition of the "Forty whacks" doggerel just perpetuates the sensationalized myths.
The women are usually described as gorgeous and promiscuous, but most of the photos reproduced look like Mary Todd Lincoln on a crabby day.
One item I found interesting was that Kathryn Kelly was the brains behind Machine Gun Kelly. Whoda thunk? In their courtroom photo, she looks like Ruth Snyder and he looks like Rodney Dangerfield, at last getting a little respect. The fact that she called him Pop Gun Kelly is just a scream.
But overall it's a pretty rollicking book, if casually researched.
In every outlaw story, there's always the myth that encrusts the actual truth, but repeating all the myths makes for tedious reading. The author repeats all the legends and rhymes that have been created about Lizzie Borden, but includes such inaccuracies as Lizzie (or whoever) chopping up her father into pieces beyond recognition. I have previously seen the actual photo of him, however, and it's clear that only his face was chopped up. It looks like you could clean up his suit and use it again. Besides, Lizzie's trial resulted in a hung jury, so the repetition of the "Forty whacks" doggerel just perpetuates the sensationalized myths.
The women are usually described as gorgeous and promiscuous, but most of the photos reproduced look like Mary Todd Lincoln on a crabby day.
One item I found interesting was that Kathryn Kelly was the brains behind Machine Gun Kelly. Whoda thunk? In their courtroom photo, she looks like Ruth Snyder and he looks like Rodney Dangerfield, at last getting a little respect. The fact that she called him Pop Gun Kelly is just a scream.
But overall it's a pretty rollicking book, if casually researched.
May 9, 2016
Add this to your "Women left out of the history books" bookshelf
I had heard of some of the women in this book; most I had not. Some were notorious because of the men they associated with. Some earned their reputation by themselves. Evidently there is isn't a lot of documented facts regarding the lives of some of them, so in addition to the few known facts, the author gives us stories handed down, rumors, and suppositions. I certainly give him credit for not making definitive statements when there isn't any hard evidence to support them. But I did get a little weary of "maybe" this, "possibly" that.
This isn't a bad book for as far as it goes. I now know a little about some notorious women who've been left out of the history books. But, because I prefer to read in depth character studies, I can only give this three stars.
I had heard of some of the women in this book; most I had not. Some were notorious because of the men they associated with. Some earned their reputation by themselves. Evidently there is isn't a lot of documented facts regarding the lives of some of them, so in addition to the few known facts, the author gives us stories handed down, rumors, and suppositions. I certainly give him credit for not making definitive statements when there isn't any hard evidence to support them. But I did get a little weary of "maybe" this, "possibly" that.
This isn't a bad book for as far as it goes. I now know a little about some notorious women who've been left out of the history books. But, because I prefer to read in depth character studies, I can only give this three stars.
September 13, 2016
This is fairly interesting. This book is chocked full of ladies who have committed all kinds of crimes Most of these ladies are born in the 1800s and a few in the early 1900s. They have made the news for being Outlaw women. they range from bank robbers, or stage coach robbers, Many have murdered along the way. They range from Belle Starr whose life of crime was mostly fiction but the stories are still around to Bonnie Parker the other half of Clyde Barrow. This book shows there were also a lot of bad gals in those days.
June 19, 2018
I couldn't keep reading. It was all too horrible. These women are just evil. Why am I reading about them? So, I decided not to. I also didn't like the writing style.
June 10, 2022
This book is so poorly written and sloppily researched that I would rather not finish it. I would quit if it weren't for it having taken up space in my house for years while paying no rent and my being halfway through to it counting as another book for my 2022 goal, which I am behind on. It has been a very long time since I've had to put reading on my to-do list because it isn't typically a chore; this book is the exception.
The author honestly has no business writing this specific book in the first place, and he doesn't do anything to compensate for his privileged male perspective, indicating he doesn't even realize the inappropriateness of his appropriation. I should have known as much from the very title's reference to women in relation to others. His tone throughout the book indicates he has no real respect for these women and is just exploiting their stories to make a buck, and I feel bad that I paid for the book and gave him any reinforcement for that WASP-y, cishet male behavior. He even brazenly states on page 101 that,
The writing in this book is bad. Robert Barr Smith uses the word cloptrop at least four times, and he sprinkles in excessive adjectives like so much salt on bland cafeteria food: it doesn't make it any better.
It doesn't appear that he has an editor, or if he does, said editor should be fired immediately. Here's a great example: "Such stories will not permit of debunking, even if it's possible" (p.91). WTF? The author also desperately needs a lesson in punctuation, making really basic errors such as splitting a subject from its verb with one comma or using a semicolon where a colon should go. He makes both of these errors in neighboring paragraphs on pages 90-91, thus demonstrating that these are not occasional little foibles, but ubiquitous gaffes. I have trained myself to stop editing as I read, but this prose is littered with such glaring errors that it is painful even to a less exacting eye.
Smith's research is also poorly done. He has many resources listed in the back, but he knowingly cites dubious or outright false information and just obfuscates it with phrases like "one version of the story is," "or so the story goes," or "outlaw legend says," several times in each story. He even includes photos with their labels underneath and then undermines the label within the story, or he includes a photo and then says in the accompanying story that specific details of her appearance are unclear, thus indicating he knows full well that the photo is not of the woman in question. If I'm reading non-fiction, I want non-fiction, and this author doesn't seem to have much regard for that appellation.
My reading the last few weeks has really diminished because I am not enjoying reading this book, and I resent him for it. This book would have been better reading if the author would have focused on fewer people and went into more depth to really develop our understanding of their context, their upbringing, their social position, and their motives for whatever misdeeds they committed. As it is, he has earned a single star from me, which is very difficult for me to do. I'd typically just DNF the book and move on, because my time is too valuable for lousy writing, but it's not a long book and I'm behind on my 2022 goal. Writing this review has been the only joy I've extracted from subjecting myself to these pages.
The author honestly has no business writing this specific book in the first place, and he doesn't do anything to compensate for his privileged male perspective, indicating he doesn't even realize the inappropriateness of his appropriation. I should have known as much from the very title's reference to women in relation to others. His tone throughout the book indicates he has no real respect for these women and is just exploiting their stories to make a buck, and I feel bad that I paid for the book and gave him any reinforcement for that WASP-y, cishet male behavior. He even brazenly states on page 101 that,
"The books and films are mostly about the women with colorful nicknames and sinful habits, as is this book. It is good to remember while we enjoy their deeds and legends, that it was their quiet, honest sisters who really built the United States."His judgement in this sentence is indicative of his wholesale acceptance of the Madonna/whore dichotomy, disregarding the fact that women are complicated, multifaceted people who in that time had to get by however they could in their sexist society. His sexism makes me want to stab him in the eyes with my knitting needles for my ancestral "sisters" whom he has misrepresented.
The writing in this book is bad. Robert Barr Smith uses the word cloptrop at least four times, and he sprinkles in excessive adjectives like so much salt on bland cafeteria food: it doesn't make it any better.
It doesn't appear that he has an editor, or if he does, said editor should be fired immediately. Here's a great example: "Such stories will not permit of debunking, even if it's possible" (p.91). WTF? The author also desperately needs a lesson in punctuation, making really basic errors such as splitting a subject from its verb with one comma or using a semicolon where a colon should go. He makes both of these errors in neighboring paragraphs on pages 90-91, thus demonstrating that these are not occasional little foibles, but ubiquitous gaffes. I have trained myself to stop editing as I read, but this prose is littered with such glaring errors that it is painful even to a less exacting eye.
Smith's research is also poorly done. He has many resources listed in the back, but he knowingly cites dubious or outright false information and just obfuscates it with phrases like "one version of the story is," "or so the story goes," or "outlaw legend says," several times in each story. He even includes photos with their labels underneath and then undermines the label within the story, or he includes a photo and then says in the accompanying story that specific details of her appearance are unclear, thus indicating he knows full well that the photo is not of the woman in question. If I'm reading non-fiction, I want non-fiction, and this author doesn't seem to have much regard for that appellation.
My reading the last few weeks has really diminished because I am not enjoying reading this book, and I resent him for it. This book would have been better reading if the author would have focused on fewer people and went into more depth to really develop our understanding of their context, their upbringing, their social position, and their motives for whatever misdeeds they committed. As it is, he has earned a single star from me, which is very difficult for me to do. I'd typically just DNF the book and move on, because my time is too valuable for lousy writing, but it's not a long book and I'm behind on my 2022 goal. Writing this review has been the only joy I've extracted from subjecting myself to these pages.
August 8, 2025
I was excited to read this book after visiting the Yuma Territorial Prison. Sadly, this book was incredibly underwhelming and lacking in factual details and I had to force myself to continue. So much time was put into writing about things these women "might or might not have done" or "they might or might not be known by this different alias." To make it worse, one chapter included Dr. Linda Hazzard, I had just read a different book about Seattle murderers that went way more in depth than this book did. It was frustrating to read a chapter where I knew that there were plenty of facts that could have been included and just weren't.
August 24, 2019
A very fast read that serves as a starting point for further reading. It's pretty light and feels barely researched (you can only say "facts are sparse and the mythology vast" so often before I start to wonder why you even bothered to write the book) but it gives a reader some good names to explore further.
August 3, 2018
A great intro to the wild women of the west.
I chose this book because of my interest in the "bad guys" of the west. This is a good introduction to some of the women who lived the exciting life. I am sure there a lot more! Quick read.
I chose this book because of my interest in the "bad guys" of the west. This is a good introduction to some of the women who lived the exciting life. I am sure there a lot more! Quick read.
December 29, 2023
For nonfiction there is a lot of opinions.
April 12, 2016
I wanted to like this book but found it was so poorly written that I got caught up on the phrasings rather than the content. In one sentence he says over 500 agents were looking for the desperados. In the next he wrote over half of 1000 were searching for them. My mind was working on the mental math gymnastics rather than the emphasis there were so many lawmen involved. There were frequent ramblings about other women but without clearly stating which "she" Smith is writing about, the subject of the chapter or her predecessors..
Although there was a Bibliography attached, this work would have benefited greatly with some footnotes for those of us who love history and would have like to delve more.
Although there was a Bibliography attached, this work would have benefited greatly with some footnotes for those of us who love history and would have like to delve more.
April 14, 2016
Great little piece of history.
It was an interesting stroll through the history of some of the "bad girls" of the United States. The author brought to life many previously unknown or little known female miscreants from our society. It gave me an enhanced perspective on the hoodlums, robbers and murderers in our history. Some of these women were worse then the men! I was fascinated with the stories and only wish there was more meat to some of them. I would wholeheartedly recommend this to any one interested in rounding out their knowledge of wild west history, or those who enjoy reading about women in crime. Easy read. Enjoyed it, hope the author writes another as he hinted he may.
It was an interesting stroll through the history of some of the "bad girls" of the United States. The author brought to life many previously unknown or little known female miscreants from our society. It gave me an enhanced perspective on the hoodlums, robbers and murderers in our history. Some of these women were worse then the men! I was fascinated with the stories and only wish there was more meat to some of them. I would wholeheartedly recommend this to any one interested in rounding out their knowledge of wild west history, or those who enjoy reading about women in crime. Easy read. Enjoyed it, hope the author writes another as he hinted he may.
April 9, 2016
The gentler sex?
Wonderful little volume; quite informative. It demystifies some of America's most notorious women, and does it in an entertaining, almost lighthearted way. The author's narrative style moves the stories along at a rapid, easy to read pace, and leaves the reader wanting more, as any good book should. In fact, the reason I gave it four stars rather than five, is that I wish there had been more. I look forward to further offerings from Col. Smith.
Wonderful little volume; quite informative. It demystifies some of America's most notorious women, and does it in an entertaining, almost lighthearted way. The author's narrative style moves the stories along at a rapid, easy to read pace, and leaves the reader wanting more, as any good book should. In fact, the reason I gave it four stars rather than five, is that I wish there had been more. I look forward to further offerings from Col. Smith.
May 30, 2016
Conjecture is not Research
Poorly researched, poorly written, poorly transcribed for Kindle, this book is not worth the $.99 I paid for it. Granted, truth may be difficult to come by for these tall tales, but following each legend with the editorial, "Or not," does not qualify as research--nor even as the tongue-in-cheek commentary the author seems to be attempting. Save money, time, and aggravation; look up these ladies on your preferred search engine, instead.
Poorly researched, poorly written, poorly transcribed for Kindle, this book is not worth the $.99 I paid for it. Granted, truth may be difficult to come by for these tall tales, but following each legend with the editorial, "Or not," does not qualify as research--nor even as the tongue-in-cheek commentary the author seems to be attempting. Save money, time, and aggravation; look up these ladies on your preferred search engine, instead.
July 13, 2016
Easy quick read
Easy to read but wish it had more detail about the less famous women. Thought chapters over the famous girls like Bonnie Parker were a waste. Their stories are already well known and nothing new was added
Easy to read but wish it had more detail about the less famous women. Thought chapters over the famous girls like Bonnie Parker were a waste. Their stories are already well known and nothing new was added
April 29, 2016
It was fun to read this conversational author write about these women who were serial killers, psychopaths, accomplices and otherwise deranged criminals. A quick and easy read.
September 10, 2016
Entertaining more than educational - Smith's writing style resulting in chuckles as well as raised eyebrows.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews