The first known reference to the Lunsford Gang was in the Van Zandt Weekly of August 3rd 1886. The story was about a bank robbery in Dodson's Mill Arkansas. The Sheriff of Dodson's Mill identified the bank robbers as Wyatt, John, Levi and Dozier Lunsford. John R. Lunsford, Patriarch of the family and owner of the lazy L Ranch, stated his boys had been in Arkansas but they would no more rob a bank than they would rustle cattle.

Over the years, history has painted a dark picture of this East Texas gang, attributing many crimes to them that they did not commit and totally ignoring the obvious pattern to their crimes and the benevolence of the family. While it is true that they robbed a lot of banks and killed quiet a few people, the money they stole was always from banks owned by Carpet Baggers and more often than not it was given to the poor folks around East Texas.

It is true that Colonel John R. Lunsford did serve in the Confederate Army during the War of Northern Aggression, but he did exaggerate his importance, his rank and the circumstances of his injury. His actual rank was Private not Colonel or Major; he was assigned to the Infantry not the Calvary. Contrary to the popular legend that he was near fatally wounded saving the life of General Jeb Stuart from a sniper, he was in reality shot in the butt when he got cheating at cards in a unit poker game. He received the wound while running away from the 14-year-old drummer boy he had cheated.

While it is true that the Lunsfords were among the investors that built the first hotel and bank in Nomocotton Texas, there are a few facts that need to be brought to light. The first hotel in Nomocotton was Maudell Adam's "Boarding House". The seed money that the Lunsford's invested in Nomocotton's first bank had been "Liberated" from a bank in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Wyatt was the oldest of the four Lunsford sons. He was the fastest gun in the gang and had the worst temper. Legend has it that he killed 17 men in gunfights and another 33 during his various crimes. Exhaustive research of local records indicate he killed six men in gunfights and was implicated in the murder of a dozen more, including Texas Ranger Rufus Moore. He married Beatrice Titwiler, one of the "Soiled Doves" that worked at Maudel Adam's boarding house. Wyatt was wounded and captured in 1887 by Sheriff Ramsey of Nomocotton, Texas. He was hung on February 14th 1888 for the murder of Texas Ranger Rufus Moore.

Dozier was the second son of John R Lunsford and one of the meanest men to ever wear boots. There is documented proof that he killed 23 men, the majority of them in the five years after his brother Wyatt was hung. He reportedly once shot a waiter in El Paso for not bringing him Jalapeno Peppers with his breakfast. Dozier let the gang on its Ill-fated raid on the Bank of Minneola, Texas in 1891. Dozier was captured during the raid and convicted of murder and bank robbery. While enroute to the state prison in Huntsville, Texas, where he was scheduled to be hung for complicity in the murder of Texas Ranger Moore, he murdered the two deputies escorting him and escaped. He spent the next few years operating out of the Oklahoma territory. In 1898 he was shot to death in an Oklahoma brothel by the bounty hunter Laredo Grayeagle.

John Lunsford, the third son, was killed trying to rob German John's Mercantile in 1894 by Sheriff Ramsey of Nomocotton, Texas.

Levi Lunsford the youngest of the Lunsford boys was only 16 when he helped rob the bank at Dobson's Mill in 1886. Levi was captured during the ill-fated raid on the Bank of Minneola. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to 15 years hard labor in Huntsville State Prison. He got out of prison in 1906 a totally changed man. He became a traveling preacher of some notoriety in rural Arizona. Levi only returned to the East Texas area once, in 1946, for the annual Founders Day Parade. He passed away in his sleep at the age of 96 in Yuma Arizona where he was involved in a Prison Ministry.

At various times during the eight-year run of the Lunsford gang, many of their cousins and friends rode with the gang. The most notable of them was Dirty Dan Wesson. Dirty Dan Wesson took over the gang following the death of Dozier Lunsford. He led the gang for another two years until the entire gang (none of which at this point were actually Lunsfords) were gunned down attempting to rob a bank in Tijuana, Mexico. This closed the final chapter of the Lunsford Gang. One of the most inept but colorful gangs to roam the American west. Even though it was never proven, I feel I should remind you that the gang's first crime was committed because Wyatt Lunsford lost his temper while attempting to cash a bank draft given to him for cattle they had sold.