Myra Maybelle Shirley, b.k.a. Belle Starr, grew up in rural Missouri during the Civil War. She was whitness to Confederate guerrillas, spies, raiders, and much lawlessness. Some of her brothers were killed in gang violence. Becoming ensconced in the Wild West, her family moved around the frontier in Texas, Comancheria, Osage, Cherokee, and other Indian lands in present-day Oklahoma. She married into a Cherokee family known for organized crime, where she became a central node in a large network of outlaw gangsters--including a connection with Jesse James and his associates. At some point, she was arrested and sent to prison in Detroit for a year. But law enforcement had a tough time trying her for her more serious infractions. At age 40, while riding her horse, an unknown assassin ended her life with a shotgun.