Bio

Marion Columbus Hedgepeth was born in October 1864 in Prairie Home, Missouri. At the age of 15, he ran away from home and ventured westward, working as a cowboy in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. By his early twenties, Hedgepeth had embraced a life of crime, engaging in train robberies and reportedly committing murders in the American West.

Known for his dapper appearance, Hedgepeth earned nicknames such as "The Handsome Bandit" and "The Debonair Bandit." He was often seen wearing a bowler hat, diamond stickpin, and polished shoes, presenting a gentlemanly facade that belied his criminal activities. His reputation as a fast and deadly gunslinger was well-known, with accounts of him outdrawing opponents who had already unholstered their weapons.

Murder Story

Marion Hedgepeth’s criminal history is difficult to separate from legend because many accounts were written long after his crimes and include conflicting dates. He was widely described as a robber, gunman, and killer, but the exact names and dates of the people he allegedly killed are not clearly confirmed in the accessible sources reviewed.

Historical summaries report that Hedgepeth had killed men in Colorado and Wyoming before becoming widely known for robberies. However, his most clearly documented crimes involve theft, jailbreaking, armed robbery, train robbery, and later attempted robbery.

One of the major crimes connected to Hedgepeth was the Glendale train robbery near St. Louis, Missouri. On November 30, 1891, members of the Slye-Wilson gang robbed a St. Louis & San Francisco Express train near Glendale. The robbers used weapons and dynamite during the robbery and took a large amount of money from the express car. Some older newspaper summaries later described the amount as more than $40,000, while other accounts give a lower figure.

After the robbery, the gang fled and separated. Detectives traced the suspects across several states. Hedgepeth was eventually located in San Francisco, California. On February 10, 1892, he was arrested at the San Francisco post office after detectives used a decoy letter to bring him there. He was armed at the time but was overpowered and arrested.

Hedgepeth was returned to Missouri and convicted for his role in the Glendale robbery. In 1893, he was sentenced to 25 years in the Missouri State Penitentiary.

While in jail, Hedgepeth became connected to another major American criminal case. He had known H. H. Holmes under the alias “H. M. Howard.” Hedgepeth later gave information that helped authorities identify Holmes and connect him to crimes that eventually led to Holmes’s conviction and execution in 1896. Because of his assistance in the Holmes case, and other considerations, Hedgepeth was later pardoned by Missouri Governor Joseph W. Folk after serving part of his 25-year sentence.

After his release, Hedgepeth did not permanently leave crime. In 1907, he was arrested in Omaha, Nebraska, in connection with the burglary of a storage house at Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was convicted and sent to the Iowa State Penitentiary in March 1908. He was released after serving about one year.

On December 31, 1909, Hedgepeth attempted to rob a saloon in Chicago, Illinois, near 18th and Avers Avenue. During the robbery, he was shot by Chicago police officer Edward Jaburek. Hedgepeth was taken to St. Anthony’s Hospital, where he died from his gunshot wound.