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.

After Hedgepeth's release, he settled in a lawless area of Kansas City known as "Seldom Seen." There, he joined the Slye-Wilson gang, a group of safe blowers and highwaymen. On November 30, 1891, the gang, later dubbed the "Hedgepeth Four," executed a train robbery near Glendale, Missouri, stealing $20,000. The gang fled to Salt Lake City and disbanded.

Hedgepeth was eventually arrested on February 10, 1892, in San Francisco and brought back to Missouri for trial. Convicted in 1893, he was sentenced to 25 years in the Missouri State Penitentiary. While incarcerated, Hedgepeth informed authorities about his former cellmate, H.H. Holmes, a notorious serial killer. This information led to Holmes's arrest and execution in 1896. In recognition, Missouri Governor Joseph W. Folk pardoned Hedgepeth after 14 years of his sentence.

Despite his release, Hedgepeth returned to crime. In 1907, he was arrested in Omaha for burglarizing a storage house in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and served a year in the Iowa State Penitentiary. On December 31, 1909, during a botched saloon robbery in Chicago, Hedgepeth was shot by police officer Edward Jaburek. He died at St. Anthony's Hospital and was buried in the Cook County Cemetery.