Western Magazine Digest: Wild West Chronicles

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Wild West Chronicles— The Bandit Queen

By Christopher Robinson, WMD Senior Editor

Who was Pearl Hart? INSP provides that entertaining answer in their latest installment which brings to life the “Bandit Queen” who history remembers as “one of the most infamous women of the west.”

Bat Masterson’s (Jack Elliott) scant research on the little-known Hart takes him to the home of Joe Boot who he tracks down to get the inside scoop that no one else could provide.

Boot relays to Bat the only side of Hart’s life he knows, detailing her failed marriage and subsequent job serving grub at a mining camp where Boot meets and falls in love with the spunky girl.

A series of disappointments including the closing of the mine and the death of her mother causes Hart to resort to drastic measures and she coaxes the reluctant Boot into planning a stagecoach robbery, the kind of which are rapidly becoming passé.

The headstrong but charismatic fledgling female outlaw makes an immediate impression on her targeted victims, first with her gender and then by returning to them small amounts of cash so they can survive the experience. However, a team of lawmen thwart Hart’s plans and she and Boot are soon captured and tried.

Despite an early prison escape, Boot still displays to Bat his bitterness stemming from Hart’s betrayal which enables her to receive a more lenient sentence than her partner.

A thrilling and enlightening portrayal of the first woman in history to rob a stage, this episode is yet one more in its series that provides western buffs with a heap of action, drama and informative facts.

The Bandit Queen will premiere this Sunday, July 4th at 5:30PM ET and re-air Friday, July 9th at 11PM ET. Find out where to watch. https://www.insp.com/

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