Ben Kilpatrick (AKA “The Tall Texan”) originally worked as a cowboy for a time in Texas and became acquainted with the Ketchum Gang. Born on January 5, 1874 Advanced in life in Coleman County, TX. After a failed train robbery in New Mexico he fled to Robber’s Roost where he joined Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch Gang.
Kilpatrick helped the Wild Bunch rob the Union Pacific Train at Tipton, Wyoming, First National Bank of Winnemucca, Nevada, and the Great Northern Train near Wagner, Montana.
On November 30, 1901, Out of the blue, he was arrested and sentenced to 15 years in Missouri for robbery. Kilpatrick was released after ten years of imprisonment.
A year after being released he died in an attempted train robbery in Sanderson, TX. While Kilpatrick looted the safe of any valuables he could find, the train attendant was able to hide a wooden ice mallet underneath the back of his jacket. The attendant told Kilpatrick that there was a valuable package lying on the ground. When Kilpatrick bent over to pick it up he was wacked in the head with the ice mallet three times. Kilpatrick died instantly of a broken neck and crushed skull.
History Moment 4 of 20
