As a freelance writer, Betty Wilson has written hundreds of articles for
newspapers, written and published a newsletter as secretary for Arizona Arms Association and recently True West Magazine as "Shotgun" Betty. Her articles are about Old West history, Arizona western history, and history of guns of the Old West. She also has written two columns, "Guns & Lace" and "Guns of the West" for newspapers in Apache Junction (The Pinal Visitor, and The Arizona Territorial).
Betty published a small book called The Best of Guns & Lace, now long out of print.
She and her late husband owned Wilson's Gun Shop in Apache Junction, Arizona. The shop is closed now.
At the Western Writers of America
Convention, held in Wichita, Kansas in June, 2002, Betty spoke about weapons, as well as how to research for weapons to be used in Literature.
Professional Memberships:
WWA-Western Writers of America
Author's Note: Records were not kept well about the guns of any of the lawmen or outlaws of the West. Even after a lot of research I always write that a particular weapon was 'allegedly' used by the person I am writing about.
While in prison, Pearl Hart was popular with newspaper reporters. They spent a lot of time hanging out around her cell and would often ask her to pose for pictures. In this famous picture taken outside the Yuma Territorial Prison, Pearl can be seen holding a Winchester Rifle Model 1873.
Tucked in her belt was a Colt Single Action Revolver, caliber unknown, and a Colt 1877 Lightning .38 Double Action.
Photo courtesy of OC Young
Antique Arms dealer www.ocyoung.com Colt 1877 Lightning .38 Double Action
Pearl was also known to have used a Merwin and Hulbert .44 Pocket Army Revolver.
Photo courtesy of OC Young
Antique Arms dealer www.ocyoung.com Merwin Hulbert & Co.
1st Model Pocket Army , SA 44/40 This powerhouse pocket revolver was an all time favorite on the frontier of the late 1800's; and remains so with collectors today.
The cartridges for the Merwin and Hulbert .44 Pocket Army revolver were slightly undersized .44s (more of a .42 cal.). The larger Merwin and Hulbert revolvers were chambered for the .44-40 WCF cartridges.
Pearl (Taylor) Hart was born in Canada around 1870 or 1871. She is said to have arrived in Phoenix around 1892. The story is that she married Frederick Hart when she was seventeen and was running away from him when he caught up with her in Phoenix, but she said he abandoned her twice. She hung around Phoenix but had no way to make a living and went to Mammoth, a mining town located around the Globe, Arizona area. She was said to have been hired as a cook, and lived in a tent on the bank of the Gila River with another prostitute. Joe Boot was supposed to be helping her with her endeavors as a prostitute. Pearl would lure the men to the tent and Joe would crack them over the head and steal their money.
Pearl and Joe decided this was not very lucrative, so they turned to robbing the stagecoach that ran from Florence to Globe, Arizona. And on the afternoon of May 30, 1899, in what is believed to be the last stagecoach robbery in history, the pair stopped the stage at Cane Springs near Riverside Station.
They had made no plans for their escape, and afterwards Joe even had to venture into Mammoth to buy food. They wandered about aimlessly hoping this would throw the posse off their tracks. They even came back past Riverside. They found the San Padre River and followed it hoping to find Benson and catch a train away from the area. They were actually quite lost and didn't know where they were. Exhausted, they fell asleep in the desert.
The Pinal County Sheriff William C. Truman and posse found them. Pearl and Joe awoke to find guns pointed at them. They were then taken back to Florence. They didn't know it, but they were only 20 miles from Benson.
The Pinal County Sheriff had no facilities for female prisoners and they took Pearl to Tucson, where she was locked in a bedroom for a cell. She cozied up to a deputy and he helped her escape by cutting a hole in the wall.
Pearl was recaptured in Deming, New Mexico, and was returned for trial. Pearl and Joe were found not guilty of the robbery, but upon their release from jail they were arrested on a separate charge of interfering with the U.S. Mail. Pearl got 5 years and Joe got 30 years. They were both then sent to the Yuma Territorial Prison.
After serving two years in the Yuma prison, Joe Boot escaped and was never heard of again.
In December 1902, Governor Alexander Brady bowed to the pressures of scandal and pardoned Pearl Hart on the condition she leave Arizona at once and never return. It was rumored that she had become pregnant while in prison and this was the reason for the pardon.
Pearl then went east and appeared on stage. Her sister was an actress and wrote a play for her about her outlaw days. The play finally just died away. It had never caught on.
In May 1904, Pearl was arrested in Kansas City. She was charged with stolen property but was acquitted and faded from view. Some believe Hart actually returned to Arizona and married a cowboy and lived out her life in the Globe, Arizona area; it is believed that Pearl Bywater was Pearl Hart.
Information for this article obtained from:
The Merwyn, Hulbert, & Co. Firearms, Art Phelps, 1992, Page 135.
Tales of Arizona Territory, Charles D. Lauer, Golden West Publishers, 1990
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