Who Really Killed This Legendary Outlaw Queen Of Texas?
I have a soft spot for history, legend, and lore. Especially when it comes to the wild characters that called Texas home while the west was still wild. One of those people was a legendary outlaw queen. Her name? Belle Starr.
Who really killed Belle Starr, the legendary outlaw queen of Texas?
Who Was Bawdy Belle Starr?
Belle Starr was the very definition of an outlaw queen. She did it all. Sold supposedly stolen horses from her stable. Ran brothels. Ran with outlaw gangs.
Bawdy Belle Starr was more than just some rough and tumble outlaw, though.
She was also educated. Her ability to read and write put her in positions of power with some outlaw gangs she ran with, according to the legends. She was also skilled when it came to tickling the ivories, or playing the piano.
She married several times throughout her life. More than one husband of Belle Starr fell in a hail of bullets.
The Mystery Surrounding Bawdy Belle's Death
As you might imagine, someone like Belle probably had no trouble racking up enemies. Being an outlaw queen definitely isn't going to get you nominated to be the most loved woman in town.
There are many theories regarding Belle's death. Most are just as legendary as the stories regarding her exploits while living.
What we know is that she was supposedly killed while riding home when she was shot, fell off her horse, then shot again.
Supposedly, she was shot with her own double-barrel shotgun. She died from shotgun wounds to her back, neck, and face. The question is, who did it?
Multiple Theories, Legends, Surrounding Belle Starr's Death
One story involves a jealous sharecropper. He had asked Belle for a dance at a local soiree, and she refused. He didn't take kindly to being told no, and followed Belle to get revenge. I think you can see where this is going.
Yet another legend is that her own son had done it after she beat him for mistreating a horse. Still another legend says she was killed by a man who was wanted for murder, and she knew too much.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. There are more theories out there.
Either way, the truth has never been formally discovered and the death of the outlaw queen of Texas is still ruled as a mystery.