Wildcat: The Untold Story of Pearl Hart, the Wild West's Most Notorious Woman Bandit

by John Boessenecker Narrated by Courtney Patterson

Overview

The little-known story of Pearl Hart, the most famous female bandit in the American West.

On May 30, 1899, history was made when Pearl Hart, disguised as a man, held up a stagecoach in Arizona and robbed the passengers at gunpoint. A manhunt ensued as word of her heist spread, and Pearl Hart went on to become a media sensation and the most notorious female outlaw on the Western frontier. Her early life, family and fate after her later release from prison have long remained a mystery to scholars and historians-until now.

Drawing on groundbreaking research into territorial records and genealogical data, 's is the first book to uncover the enigma of Pearl Hart. Hailed by many as “The Bandit Queen,” her epic life of crime and legacy as a female trailblazer provide a crucial lens into the lives of the rare women who made their mark in the American West.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Compelling storytelling paired with extensive research bring together the myths and the truths that have surrounded Pearl Hart for generations." —Booklist

"Boessenecker continues to surprise us by pulling back the curtain on assumptions and legends about Western events and characters... The questions he asks are fresh and reveal new perspectives, and his prose is literary and highly readable." —True West Magazine

"John Boessenecker reveals just who the real Pearl Hart was — and it’s not who many historians believe her to be." —New York Post

“Mr. Boessenecker proves a tenacious researcher, with a particular knack for coaxing telling details from newspaper archives.” —Wall Street Journal

"A brisk rendering of an adventuresome life.” —Kirkus Reviews

“John Boessenecker’s writing style is compelling from the very beginning. His research is second to none, and his narrative is fascinating throughout. The book is entertaining, inspiring, alarming and touching in equal measure.” —Litercurious


Praise for John Boessenecker
“A comprehensive biography… Boessenecker has reaffirmed his place as one of the Best of the West." —True West Magazine on Bandido

"Fair-minded and thorough… ­Boesse­necker tells the gruesome story with power and force." —New York Times Book Review on Texas Ranger

"The author’s painstaking research…brings forth an astounding story…. A superb account." —Washington Times on Texas Ranger

"For serious readers of Western history…Ride the Devil’s Herd may well prove the gold standard." —Wall Street Journal on Ride the Devil’s Herd

"A rich and satisfying read…that unclouds the picture and shows us why these men became legends." —Los Angeles Review of Books on Ride the Devil’s Herd

Kirkus Reviews

2021-08-28
Daring gambits in the Wild West.

Boessenecker, a historian of the Western frontier who has written about a host of pioneer outlaws, cuts through myths and misinformation to offer a colorful, well-researched biography of Canadian-born Lillie Naomi Davy (1871-1935), who became legendary as the tough-talking, gender-defying bandit Pearl Hart. Escaping an abusive, drunken father, Lillie, age 13, and her 11-year-old sister, Katy, cut their hair, donned their brother’s clothes, and ran away from home—only to return to their violently dysfunctional family and run away time and again. In the next few years, the sisters became involved with men who turned out to be criminals and, not surprisingly, abused them. Throughout her teens, Lillie was in and out of reformatories and prisons, but she and Katy were incorrigible. In Buffalo, where a madam who called herself Pearl Hart had committed suicide, 16-year-old Katy established her own bordello, taking the name of Minnie Hart. Lillie became a prostitute, plying her trade in Buffalo; Toledo, Ohio; Trinidad, Colorado, “a hotbed of prostitution”; and Phoenix, Arizona, where she, too, took a new name: Pearl Hart. Boessenecker recounts in lively detail the sisters’ amorous entanglements—Lillie, at 15, got involved with a 36-year-old bigamist and later eloped with an opium-addicted piano player who, she claimed, introduced her to the habit—and their repeated arrests, as well as the crimes perpetrated by some of their many siblings. The centerpiece of the story, though, is the bold stagecoach robbery that Pearl pulled off with the help of a lover. Needing money to travel to see her mother—her “dearest, truest friend,” she said—whom she thought was dying, Pearl saw robbery as her only choice. Conviction, imprisonment, escape, and recapture ended in a five-year sentence in Yuma penitentiary. After release on early parole, the woman celebrated in newspapers and magazines as a glamorous outlaw, “uniformly noted [for] her physical attractiveness,” retreated into quiet comfort.

A brisk rendering of an adventuresome life.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176288629
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/02/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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