The Detara Gang

The Henry Lee Williams Gang

In the spring of 1898, amid the wild lawlessness of the time, Henry Lee Williams, a man of ambition and ruthlessness, crafted his notorious gang. His team comprised an array of highway thieves, cattle rustlers, and petty criminals, each in pursuit of infamy and ill-gotten wealth. The fledgling gang launched into a series of daring escapades, from audacious bank heists in broad daylight to stealthy train robberies under the cover of darkness. Yet, their initial exploits, while bold, were marred by violence and poor planning. A particular caravan robbery went awry, resulting in three victims brutally slain and two of the gang members critically wounded. The gruesome affair left a distinct mark on the gang, and with their ranks depleted, fresh blood was needed.

Charles Floyd and Albert Earnest Heartfield, two small-time highway thieves, stepped into the void. Their introduction into the gang would be a turning point in the narrative of the Henry Lee Williams gang. The pair had a chance encounter with Williams in a dusty backwater saloon, a meeting that led to their recruitment. Driven by the allure of infamy and the promise of bountiful riches, they quickly became integral members of the outlaw outfit.

However, their life in the gang was far from what they had envisioned. Williams' increasing recklessness, coupled with a spiraling gambling addiction, started pushing the gang towards a dangerous precipice. More botched robberies followed, as well as brutal, rewardless killings. The dire state of affairs prompted Floyd and Heartfield to hatch a plot against their leader. Realizing that their survival was at stake, they conspired to overthrow Williams, devising a daring plan to assassinate him.

In a move as shocking as it was ruthless, the pair acted on their plot. Williams was shot multiple times in his sleep, marking the abrupt end of his reign over the gang. The violent overthrow was a clear display of the lengths the duo would go to protect their own interests, revealing a new level of ruthlessness within their ranks.

The grim events that transpired sent shockwaves through the remaining members of the gang. Many, fearing a similar fate, decided to abandon the outlaw life, leaving behind a skeleton crew of hardened criminals. Bereft of a leader and with nothing left to lose, these men represented the remnants of the ill-fated Henry Lee Williams gang. Their future, like their past, would undoubtedly be marked by chaos, violence, and a desperate struggle for survival.

The Floyd-Heartfield Gang

thumb|The early days of The Floyd-Heartfield Gang.

THE FLOYD-HEARTFIELD GANG would be established and the pair would move their small gang out east, robbing people in and around towns before finding themselves in the state of Monroe, more specifically New Austin. Seeing the county to be the shining image of the old west, the gang settled down and setup shop.

Having set up a camp just above Tumbleweed, the gang consisting off, Floyd, Heartfield, Marquez, Grover, Yates and Amir began establishing connections in New Austin, opting to take their 'business' to the neighboring county of West Elizabeth to avoid shitting where they ate. Floyd and Heartfield began leading highway robberies, typically in and around Big Valley teaching their newer members the in's and outs of it all before forcing them to lead their own robberies.

As they took more and more, the gang quickly moved into extortion, taking their victims telegrams and names so they could present them with the ability to buy their items back if they so wished. As their antics grew and grew, the gang began focused on extortion as a major way to make money, planning to find isolated businesses and homesteads to fleece of their goods and money on a weekly basis.

Alone, Albert Earnest Heartfield would be confronted by Red Water and a large group of natives at Wallace Station, accusing him of shooting a native lady and attempting to rob her. Red Water, sure of himself in his accusation, offered Albert a deal, his life for his honesty. Believing "honest men don't exist", he continued his lie, of which was partially true. As it would so happen, he had attempted to rob the native lady in question but he was not the man that had shot at her and as a consequence of this lesser wrong, Red Water severed his trigger finger seeing it as a fitting punishment. Being humiliated and having such a major thing taken, Albert would descend into a bitter and hateful man.

During this time, the gang met up with old friends of theirs. Two siblings by the names of Vall and Dash Detara, of which they had met when Henry Lee Williams ran the gang. The siblings would quickly join the small group in their antics from time to time, even hitting the McCoys as a series of revenge hits for the loss of Alberts finger.

TO BE CONTINUED

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