Usually, outlaws were ex cowboys in need of money
Most outlaws carried some sort of weapon with them. They usually carried a gun with them or a knife. The Colt .45 was the most famous revolver. It could be bought by mail for only $17.00! But all types of guns were used by outlaws.
Outlaws committed a lot of different crimes. The most popular crimes were bank robberies and holding up trains. They also stole horses and cows a lot. If outlaws weren't committing crimes they were usually planning them. Each crime was thought out, especially bank holdups.
Stealing anything could put you in jail. If you were a notorious outlaw you could be sentenced to death! Nobody really tried to catch outlaws, if they came into your town you'd turn them in but nobody really went after them. The only people who went after them was the Pinkerton Detective Agency. They were the first big detective agency and they were good. Depending on how many crimes an outlaw committed they would either be put in jail for a long time or get shot. It's a lot different today because there are more types of punishments.
Probably the most famous outlaws were: Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, and the Sundance Kid. Outlaws weren't always by themselves, some joined gangs. Gangs were like music groups, they're together for a while then they break up and go solo. Gangs were very violent and they usually fought each other.
Most western movies put outlaws on the side of the poor. Those movies were wrong. When outlaws got a lot of money they kept it for themselves or spent it. Also, not every outlaw always rode horses. Horses were used a lot though, especially in quick getaways.
Most outlaws changed their real name to something different. They probably did that so no one who they grew up with would know them. There were a lot of outlaws with “kid” in their name. Some outlaws got their name from doing something in that part of the country. The Sundance Kid got his name by stealing a horse in Sundance, Missouri.
