Henry Starr (1873–1921) was an American criminal of the wild west and an American actor of the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

era.

Biography

Starr’s parents were Mary Scott Starr and George Starr. Distantly related to Sam Starr, husband of

Belle Starr Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr (February 5, 1848 – February 3, 1889), better known as Belle Starr, was an American outlaw who gained national notoriety after her violent death. She associated with the James–Younger Gang and other outlaw ...

, he was the last in a long line of Starr family criminals. During Starr’s childhood in Indian Territory, he spent his time around gangs in their hideouts. In 1886, Starr's father passed away. Starr’s widowed mother had to watch three children after that. Later on in life, she married a man named C.N. Walker. Starr disliked him, so he left to become a cowboy at a ranch. Starr was first arrested and fined for “Introducing spirits into the territory”. Starr was repeatedly arrested for crimes he did not commit. After a while, Starr thought that if he was going to be fined for those crimes, he should just commit a real crime while making a lot of money. That’s when he started to rob banks. Starr was tried for the murder of Deputy U.S. Marshal Floyd Wilson in 1893. Twice sentenced by Judge

Isaac Parker Isaac Charles Parker (October 15, 1838 – November 17, 1896), also known as “Hanging Judge” Parker, was an American politician and jurist. He served as a United States representative from Missouri and was appointed as the first United Stat ...

to hang for murder, following a series of appeals and Starr's confrontation with

Cherokee Bill Crawford Goldsby (February 8, 1876 – March 17, 1896) was a 19th-century American outlaw, known by the alias Cherokee Bill. Responsible for the murders of eight men (including his brother-in-law), he and his gang terrorized the Indian Territory f ...

, who was attempting a prison break, his sentence was reduced to a sentence of imprisonment for manslaughter. Starr was eventually granted a

Presidential pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

and released. Starr went on to form a notorious gang that terrorized and robbed throughout northwest

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

around the start of the 20th century. They were on a crime spree, and the reward if Starr was caught would be $5,000. He was imprisoned again in 1915 in Arizona, wrote his autobiography, ''Thrilling Events, Life of Henry Starr'' and, released on parole, even portrayed himself in the silent film, '' A Debtor to the Law'' (1919). While attempting to rob a bank in

Harrison, Arkansas Harrison is a city and the county seat of Boone County, Arkansas, United States. It is named after General Marcus LaRue Harrison, a surveyor who laid out the city along Crooked Creek at Stifler Springs. According to 2019 Census Bureau estima ...

, on February 18, 1921, he was shot by the bank president W. J. Myers with a .38 caliber rifle, and later died of his wounds.

References

Outlaws of the American Old West Cowboys 1873 births 1921 deaths American people convicted of murdering police officers Train robbers American prisoners sentenced to death Gunslingers of the American Old West Prisoners sentenced to death by the United States federal government People convicted of murder by the United States federal government American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors {{OldWest-bio-stub