The Legend And Mystery Of Belle Starr
She was a Wild West outlaw and icon, did it lead to her death?
Myra Maybelle (Belle) Shirley was born on her father’s farm in Missouri on February 5, 1848. While her father, John, was a successful farmer but the black sheep of his well-to-do family. He married and divorced several times. Her mother was Liza Hatfield Shirley, related to the family involved in the famous Hatfield-McCoy feud.
Belle received the best education. She eventually graduated from Missouri’s Carthage Female Academy, a school her father helped found.
In 1860, John sold the family farm and moved the clan to Carthage, Missouri. He bought a horse stable (livery stable in 1860, speak) and a blacksmith shop. Belle helped out in both, showing aptitude for the physical work in the stable.
Her brother, Bud, went to fight in the Civil War in 1862. It is believed that Belle also took part in the conflict; many indicate that she was a spy. Since the siblings were close, it is thought that she fed him information.
The Shirleys were against slavery. Something that caused some of their new neighbors to look down on them.
Federal troops killed Bud Shirley in June 1864. His death devastated John and Belle. Her father decided to sell everything and move the…
