![Cornett-Brack-from-Univ-Okla-Libraries](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Cornett-Brack-from-Univ-Okla-Libraries.png)
Braxton "Brack" Cornett (22 May 1841 – 22 January 1888) was a prominent
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
outlaw
An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...
from 1887 to 1888. He grew up in south Texas, in and around
Goliad County.
Life
He is most well known as a member of the
Bill Whitley gang
A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...
(though it is today sometimes referred to as the Brack Cornett gang). The gang was formed in February 1887 to rob trains, but their first outing in early May 1887 was a bust.
However, on 18 May, they robbed the
Missouri-Pacific train while it was stopped at McNeill Junction, thirteen miles outside of
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
, getting away with about $4,000.
The next month they robbed the east bound train from San Antonio near
Flatonia, in
Fayette County, getting away with over $7,000.
In 1888, Whitley, Cornett, and the gang robbed the bank in
Cisco
Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, ...
, Texas, escaping with $25,000. Several days later they stopped an
I&GN train and stole $20,000. On June 18, 1888, Cornett, using the alias "Captain Dick" led the band that robbed the
Southern Pacific
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
near
Schulenburg, Texas
Schulenburg is a city in Fayette County, Texas, Fayette County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,633 at the 2020 census. Known for its German Texan, German culture, Schulenburg is home of the Texas Polka Music Museum. It is in a rural ...
. It was "the most daring train robbery that ever occurred in Texas", according to ''The New York Times.
Later that same year Cornett and the gang planned to rob a Southern Pacific train out of Harwood, Texas, on September 22.
U.S. Marshal
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...
John Rankin somehow received advance notice of the robbers' plans and hid himself, Deputy Duval West, and a number of
Texas Rangers on board the train. Just three miles outside of town, the gang stopped the train and attempted to rob it but were driven off by the lawmen. However, the gang then went on to successful rob another train near
Flatonia, Texas.
On September 25, 1888, in
Floresville,
Wilson County Wilson County is the name of four counties in the United States:
*Wilson County, Kansas
*Wilson County, North Carolina
*Wilson County, Tennessee
*Wilson County, Texas
Wilson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 202 ...
, Texas, the gang was run to ground by a contingent of
U.S. Marshals
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforceme ...
There was a massive shootout in which
Bill Whitley was killed and one other gang member taken prisoner. Cornett himself fled alone on horseback. There are two stories about how Cornett met his death at the hands of Texas lawman
Alfred Allee near the town of
Frio, Texas. In one version, Cornett was tracked down and shot dead in a gun battle; in the other, Cornett,
on the lam
A fugitive (or runaway) is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also known ...
, sought out his childhood friend Allee on his
La Salle County ranch just south of Frio; Allee welcomed him with a six-shooter instead of breakfast.
Regardless, Allee collected various express company rewards of $3,800 for bringing down Cornett.
Aliases
* Harrington
* Jones
* George Lacy
* James W. Johnson
* McGinty
Notes
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornett, Brack
1860 births
1888 deaths
Fugitives
Outlaws of the American Old West
People from Goliad County, Texas