Pearl Hart - 1871 - 1955
Born Pearl Taylor, this Canadian woman committed one of the last recorded stagecoach robberies in the US West on May 30, 1899 with a man known as Joe Boot. After the robbery, Sherriff Truman caught up with the pair while they slept. The local jail had no accomodations for a female outlaw, so she was sent to Tucson for holding where the media caught wind of a female outlaw. She plead to the jury that the robbery was to assist her ailing mother, and was found not guilty. After the acquittal, both she and Joe Boot were re-arrested for mail tampering. Both were sent to Yuma Territorial Prison where Joe Boot fashioned an escape. Pearl received ongoing attention in jail and was favored by the warden, allowing her to meet with reporters and guests. She was eventually pardoned by the Arizona governor under debated circumstances. Post-release, she fell from the media attention and worked a variety of jobs, including re-enacting her crime and speaking out about the conditions of the Yuma Territorial Prison.