He was one of the most notorious bank robbers of the old west. He glorified himself in his autobiography, and at least didn’t blame outside influences, but called it his chosen path. Starr served a total of 18 years in jail, and was generally a model prisoner.
Starr robbed his first bank in 1893, and in all the time he only killed one man, and even that’s not for sure. Starr was sentenced to hang by “hanging judge” Parker, but a couple of appeals and he was sentenced to just three years, but his mother appealed that to President Teddy Roosevelt, because one of Starr’s relatives was with the Rough Riders in Cuba.
Starr then went straight, and got married, however, the state of Arkansas wanted him extradited for an old bank robbery, Starr teamed up with Kid Wilson and robbed more banks. He was caught served four years in prison, but robbed 14 more banks after he was released.
In 1915 tried to rob a bank in Stroud, Oklahoma, and Starr was wounded by a teenager, and captured. He went to prison again, and after his release, reenacted his role in a movie, however, in 1920, Starr went back to robbing banks. In Arkansas at the People’s National Bank, W.J. Myers had a hidden shotgun in the bank vault, and while Starr was getting the money, Myers shot him with the shotgun and Starr died four days later on February 22, 1921.