Banditti of the Prairie

 The Banditti of the Prairie, also known as "The Banditti", "Prairie Pirates", "Prairie Bandits", and "Pirates of the Prairie", in the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and the territory of Iowa, are a group of loose-knit outlaw gangs, during the early-mid-nineteenth century.

Though bands of roving criminals are common in many parts of Illinois, the counties of Lee, DeKalb, Ogle, and Winnebago are especially plagued by them.

The new crime wave in the region of the frontier Middle West may have occurred following the crackdown on southern outlaws by the rising vigilante-regulator movement and the breakup of the criminal syndicate of John A. Murrell and his gang, the "Mystic Clan" in the Southern United States.

In the year 1841, the escalating pattern of house burglary, horse and cattle theft, stagecoach and highway robbery, counterfeiting, and murder associated with the Banditti had come to a head in Ogle County.

As the crimes continued, local citizens formed bands of vigilantes known as Regulators.

A clash between the Banditti and the Regulators in Ogle County near Oregon, Illinois, results in the outlaws' demise and decreased Banditti activity and violent crime within the county.

Banditti and Regulator activity continue well after the lynching that took place in 1841.

Crimes continue, committed by both sides, across northern/central Illinois.

The Banditti are involved in other notable events as well, including the 1845 torture-murder of merchant Colonel George Davenport, the namesake of Davenport, Iowa.

Edward Bonney, an amateur detective who hunts down and brings to justice the killers, writes of his exploits and alibi, which are recounted in his book, Banditti of the Prairies, or the Murderer's Doom!!: A Tale of the Mississippi Valley, published in Chicago in 1850.

The outlaw gangs also continues to be active in Lee and Winnebago counties following the events in Oregon.

No related events match the current filters.