Outlaw History

The brother pictured above is Ned Huddleston (aka Isom Dart) with the Tip Gault Gang. Dart was an ex-slave, ran with Mexcian bandits, rustled cattle, and eventually tried to retire from a life of crime to start his own ranch. Didn’t work out, though:

The ranchers hired the notorious range detective, Tom Horn, to punish Dart.  Horn ambushed and killed Isom Dart on October 3, 1900 near Brown’s Hole.  Public opinion was (and continues to be) divided about Dart’s guilt.  Some Brown’s Hole residents mourned his death, claiming Dart was killed by cattleman who wanted his land and cattle.  They saw Dart as a good-hearted, talented horseman and a top bronc stomper.  Others believed he never completely relinquished his life of cattle rustling and thus remained a menace to the community. 

via Blackpast.org

I came across Isom Dart while researching a story I’m working on, and since it’s Black History Month (aka the shortest month of the year) I thought I’d share.

After years of writing stories mainly set in contemporary times, this year I find myself working on a couple different projects based on historic events and figures. Which is a little weird for me because — I gotta admit — I tend to avoid a whole lot of “historic” African American plays/films.

Yeah, black history is important. We’re not taught enough of it. I have stacks of black history on my shelf. Maybe that’s why I’m so picky about seeing a fictionalized account of the life of a historic figure - the tragic slave, civil rights martyr, barrier-breaking athlete, etc. Too often, it seems to me, when a project gets made that reflects black history the exceptional/positive is chosen instead of more provocative stories.

While I’m not writing about Mr. Dart, history like his is what gets me excited - the stories and people that are impossible to pigeonhole, simplify or delimit.