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Caricature Phildelphia Enquirer 1901
"Joe Boot"
Joe Boot
was an outlaw from Arizona. A farmer and
a miner by profession, he lived in
Globe, east of Phoenix He was born .
In Mammoth, Arizona, he met Pearl Hart,
whose real name is sometimes listed as
Caroline Hartwell and other sources,
given as Pearl Taylor, who
worked for the miners there. She was the
instigator of Boot's downfall. On May
30, 1899, they held up a stagecoach at
Cane Springs, on the Globe to Florence
stagecoach route, near the present day
town of Kearny, AZ. It was the last
known stagecoach robbery in Arizona.
Boot and Hart managed to take only about
400 dollars and a revolver from three
train passengers. They escaped, but five
days later, they were found in Benson,
Arizona. Shortly thereafter Pearl and
Joe were caught by Pinal County Sheriff
W. E. Truman. They were placed in the
Florence Jail on June 4. The fact that
Pearl was a woman bandit immediately
caused a great public sensation. The
sheriff found the publicity extremely
annoying and therefore decided to send
Pearl to the Pima County Jail in
Tucson. Joe remained in
Florence.
Boot was sentenced to thirty years in
the notorious Yuma Territorial Prison.
Hart, who had pleaded her case to the
all-male jury , was acquitted of the
stage-coach robbery, but retried
immediately and found guilty of theft of
the stage driver's handgun. She got 5
years and was released after on serving
three years. . Joe Boot escaped after
two years. He was said to have
been an exemplary prisoner and
soon was made a trustee. He was never
recaptured. Pearl on the other hand was
pardoned by the governor of
Arizona, on the condition that she
had to leave the territory. No
more is to learn of Joe Boot....