The Eccentric Outlaw
<p>Charles E. Boles, otherwise known as ‘Black Bart’, was one of the Wild West’s most unlikely stagecoach robbers; being as he was a spiffy and quietly-spoken former teacher from Norfolk. But on 26th July, 1875 he made his name by robbing his first coach - without a gun.</p><br><p>He targeted only Wells Fargo coaches, and never killed a passenger. As his crime career progressed, he made a habit of leaving behind little poems, signed ‘PO8’.&nbsp;</p><br><p>In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly unpick the private investigation that led to his downfall; explain why he always *walked* away from the scene of the crime; and reveal why Boles was ‘the Forrest Gump of the 1800s’...</p><br><p><strong>Further Reading:</strong></p><p>• ‘The Poetic Tale of Literary Outlaw Black Bart’ (Smithsonian Magazine): <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/poetic-tale-literary-outlaw-black-bart-180965356/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/poetic-tale-literary-outlaw-black-bart-180965356/</a></p><p>• ‘Norfolk origins of US outlaw Black Bart 'revealed'’ (BBC News, 2018):</p><p><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-45786271" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-45786271</a></p><p>• ‘Stories of the Century - BLACK BART (Republic Pictures, 1954): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMwaX3hjQFU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMwaX3hjQFU</a></p><br><p><strong>For bonus material and to support the show, visit</strong><a href="https://create.acast.com/episodes/ca1f94a1-0921-446a-ae00-4d4bfd2ba3ef/Patreon.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></a><a href="http://patreon.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Patreon.com/Retrospectors</strong></a></p><p><strong>We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:</strong><a href="https://create.acast.com/episodes/ca1f94a1-0921-446a-ae00-4d4bfd2ba3ef/podfollow.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></a><a href="http://podfollow.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>podfollow.com/Retrospectors</strong></a></p><br><p><em>The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.</em></p><p><em>Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.</em></p><p><em>Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.</em></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Today In History with The Retrospectors
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Show Notes
Charles E. Boles, otherwise known as ‘Black Bart’, was one of the Wild West’s most unlikely stagecoach robbers; being as he was a spiffy and quietly-spoken former teacher from Norfolk. But on 26th July, 1875 he made his name by robbing his first coach - without a gun.
He targeted only Wells Fargo coaches, and never killed a passenger. As his crime career progressed, he made a habit of leaving behind little poems, signed ‘PO8’.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly unpick the private investigation that led to his downfall; explain why he always *walked* away from the scene of the crime; and reveal why Boles was ‘the Forrest Gump of the 1800s’...
Further Reading:
• ‘The Poetic Tale of Literary Outlaw Black Bart’ (Smithsonian Magazine): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/poetic-tale-literary-outlaw-black-bart-180965356/
• ‘Norfolk origins of US outlaw Black Bart 'revealed'’ (BBC News, 2018):
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-45786271
• ‘Stories of the Century - BLACK BART (Republic Pictures, 1954): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMwaX3hjQFU
For bonus material and to support the show, visit Patreon.com/Retrospectors
We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/Retrospectors
The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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