Belle Starr

Her tombstone reads ..........

"Shed not for her the bitter tear,

Nor give the heart to vain regret,

'Tis but the casket that lies here,

The gem that fills it sparkles yet."

American Outlaw Belle Starr was born Myra Belle Shirley February 5, 1848 around Carthage Missouri. At 18 years of age, near the end of the civil war, she was seduced by Cole Younger, when he was riding with the Quantrill Raiders. In Sept 1868 she had a baby girl, thought to be his. Her upset parents locked her in her room. She referred to Rosie Lee as her "Pearl", which became her daughter's nickname. Belle's family lost their son in the war and she ran off with another Quantrill Raider, Jim Reed, who staged a makeshift wedding after the getaway. They ran into old friends including the James and the Youngers. She lived with Jim and they had a son James Edwin Reed who was born in California February 22, 1871, before they went back to Texas. She and Reed led an outlaw life. Jim Reed was killed in August of 1874 by Deputy Sheriff John T. Morris of Collin County, Texas. Belle operated a livery stable in Dallas and dealt in stolen horses. In 1880, she married Sam Starr, a Cherokee Indian, and settled near Eufala, Oklahoma. Together they started a cattle rustling ring. They were jailed in 1882 for a short while. Their cabin became a favorite hideout for the James brothers and other outlaws. Sam Starr was shot and killed in a barroom brawl by Frank West in December 1886. Frank West was shot by Sam and also died. Belle married a Creek Indian outlaw named Jim July in 1887. The same year, Belle became a grandmother, by her daughter, Pearl. Riding home on February 3, 1889 Belle was shot by a double barreled shotgun blast and left to die. They say she was killed by a man wanted for murder, who was afraid she might turn him in. Jim July thought a neighbor, Edgar Watson, had killed Belle but he was let go for lack of evidence. Return to American History Selection Page