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Outlaws
In the old Oklahoma Territory, civilization hit some men head on. The Oklahoma cowboy found his old way of life gone overnight. The big ranches were taken over by the railroads or by homesteaders, and there were no more jobs for cowmen.
Although Doolin has been offered a job in a grocery story with his former boss, he decides to stick with his now out of work ranch hand buddies. What he would really like to do is find his old friend, Sam Evans, and begin their own ranch, but Sam left the Territory a year earlier with railroad detectives on his trail, one of them being Mr. Jones. It seems that Mr. Jones has already killed two of Sam's brothers by shooting them in the back. Two more were captured and hanged. Jones offers a $6,000 reward to Bill Doolin and his boys if they will find Sam Evans for him. The men all refuse.
This is the turning point for Bill Doolin. He steps in and takes Sam's place in the gang, and they rob the next train of $36,000. Once he has pulled the train robbery, he regrets it. He decides to head to California to begin the ranch he has always wanted and he gets Edith to agree to meet in Sulphur springs. Unknown to Bill, one of his gang members has been shot and killed in Guthrie, and Mr. Jones now knows where Bill is planning on being. The climax occurs at the Sulphur Springs spa, where Mr. Jones manages to kill another gang member before Bill Doolin can kill Mr. Jones. Frank Caine and Will Foreman then arrive and place Bill under arrest, but Edith tells Bill that she will wait for him. Historical note: the real Bill Doolin lies buried in the Boot Hill part of the City Cemetery in Guthrie, Oklahoma. You can read more about this famous outlaw by clicking on the link below.
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Bill Doolin: Joe Maross
Bill
Doolin is the foreman of a ranch which has been bought out by the
railroad. In the opening scene, he is in a shootout with a railroad
detective known as Mr. Jones. Into the fracas rides Will Foreman.
At
a poker game in the back of the saloon, Sam Evans turns up. He is no
longer interested in starting his own ranch with Doolin; all he wants to do is
rob trains. This is a warning bell for Bill, and he quits the group.
He goes to his girlfriend and they get married. Sam Evans is the best man,
but when Mr. Jones learns of the wedding, he enters the church and shoots Sam
dead. Will Foreman arrives at this time, and he is outraged, but Jones has
the law on his side, so there is nothing Will can do.