Blackwater in 1907.
The Blackwater Massacre was an infamous and violent gunfight involving the Van der Linde Gang, the Blackwater Police Department, the Pinkerton National Detective Agency and supposedly the famous gunslinger Landon Ricketts, which took place in the town of Blackwater in May 1899 during a robbery on a nearby ferry. By 1911, the massacre had gained wide publicity due to the number of men killed, the death of a young and defenseless Heidi McCourt, the fact that it took place in such a highly populated and modernized town, and that it was the largest heist in recent years.
Events[]
The ferry was carrying $150,000 of bank money. Dutch van der Linde saw an opportunity and decided to rob the boat. He was also encouraged to pursue it by Micah Bell. Despite the absence of two senior members of the gang, Arthur Morgan and Hosea Matthews, who had their own lead, the remainder of the outlaw gang proceeded with the robbery. The heist got off to a good start, with the gang accessing the money fairly easily. However, Pinkertons soon swarmed the area, along with the police, forcing the outlaws into an unwinnable gunfight. Dutch then shot a young woman named Heidi McCourt in the head.
The gunfight proved to be devastating for the Van der Linde gang. John Marston, Mac Callander, Davey Callander and Jenny Kirk were all shot, the latter two fatally. Sean MacGuire was knocked out in unknown circumstances and later taken captive by Ike Skelding's bounty hunters. With the situation becoming dire, the outlaws decided that they would have to flee. The gang could not escape with the stolen money and instead stashed it in an undisclosed location in the town.
Aftermath[]
Following the shootout, the area around Blackwater was put into lock down, with Pinkerton patrols positioned all over the town itself and the nearby Great Plains, which would remain in place for a significant portion of the year. While the Pinkertons and local law enforcement couldn't confirm if the gang got away with the money, it didn't stop local residents tearing apart gardens and backyards trying to find it. It's thought that the town took a long time to get over the incident.
The Van der Linde gang itself was hit hard, having to escape north into the mountains of Wyoming, eventually settling in an abandoned town called Colter. Morale among the members was extremely low following the massacre, with Arthur and Hosea in particular blaming Micah for persuading Dutch to go ahead with something so reckless. The massacre also resulted in a number of casualties:
- John Marston was shot in the arm during the massacre, although it appears to have been a fairly minor injury as he was sent out scouting shortly afterwards when the gang had reached Ambarino.
- Charles Smith burned his hand, and while unable to properly use a bow was still well enough to manage the gang's horses and otherwise help with camp work in Colter.
- Davey Callander sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the gut during the massacre, but still accompanied the rest of the gang in heading north. He passed away when the gang reached Colter, and was subsequently buried there.
- Mac Callander was also shot and was unable to leave with the escaping gang. He was founded by Agent Milton shortly afterwards, who described Mac as “pretty shot up."* Jenny Kirk was mortally wounded and died shortly after the gang’s escape, passing away some time before Davey. She was buried just north of Colter.
- Sean MacGuire wasn't injured, but was captured by bounty hunters led by Ike Skelding shortly after the events of the massacre, who intended to transfer him to a federal prison. Sean was also tortured at some point, but refused to reveal anything. He was later rescued by his fellow gang members.