Cullen Baker
Cullen Montgomery Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 23, 1835 Weakley County, Tennessee |
| Died | Bloomburg, Texas January of 1869 |
| Cause of death | either drank poisoned whiskey or was killed by a mob led by Thomas Orr |
| Resting place | Oakwood Cemetery, Jefferson, Texas. |
| Criminal charge | murder, assault, theft, |
Time at large | May 24, 1857 - January of 1869 |
Cullen Montgomery Baker (June 23, 1835 – January 1869) was a Tennessee-born desperado whose gang terrorized Union soldiers and civilians in Northeast Texas, Southwest Arkansas, and Northwest Louisiana during the early days of the American Old West. His gang is alleged to have killed hundreds of people in the years following the American Civil War, though these numbers are probably inaccurate, and the actual number is between fifty and sixty.
Baker was notorious for his fiery temper and for fighting in saloon brawls. During one fight, he was knocked unconscious by a man named Morgan Culp, who hit him in the head with a tomahawk. This seemed to have shocked him into behaving, and it calmed his temper at least for a while. Baker has also been described as a gunfighter, though his preferred weapon was a double-barreled shotgun.