Are Texas Seven the Stuff of Legend?

Jan. 24, 2001 -- Could the Texas Seven be remembered as modern-day heirs to Jesse James and Billy the Kid?

At least since the days of the Old West, the feats of outlaws, including some vicious killers, have captured the imagination of the popular culture.

"The outlaw figure has been very strong in our culture," says James Hoy, a professor at Emporia State University in Kansas and an expert on Western folklore.

But, Hoy notes, "It's hard to romanticize these guys."

Like other historians of the American West, Hoy says most legendary outlaws were associated with larger causes or issues with which the public had some sympathy — resisting corrupt or intrusive authorities, supporting the Confederacy, or displaying Robin Hood-style generosity.

Like Hoy, David Stanley, a professor at Westminster College in Utah and another Old West expert, doesn't see any larger, sympathetic cause associated with the recently recaptured Texas fugitives.

"I'll be rash enough to predict they won't become folk heros," says Stanley.

Still, neither will rule out the possibility of a few corridas — Mexican traditional ballads about bandits and outlaw — being sung about the Texas Seven, if they take hold as symbols of defiance toward the U.S. justice system.

Fear and Fascination in the Eyes of the Public

Whether they are remembered in the Western outlaw tradition or not, the Texas Seven's saga gripped the country for over a month.

It began Dec. 13 with a daring prison break, and soon their faces were on everything from the nightly news to T-shirts and pizza boxes as the nation followed their story with a mixture of fear and fascination.

Before authorities tracked down the last two members of the fugitive group today, they had been linked to a brazen robbery and brutal slaying on Christmas Eve and had generated possible sightings everywhere from New Mexico to New York.

Many elements helped bring the band of fugitives to national attention. First there was the concern for public safety — the group was made up of seven hardened criminals, including two convicted murderers and a pair of rapists.

"When you take all seven together, I think they are the most dangerous criminal enterprise that we've seen on the streets in decades," former FBI profiler Clinton Van Zandt told ABCNEWS' World News Tonight at the height of the manhunt.

A Stunning Escape

But many found the details of the Texas Seven even more captivating than their potential for violence.

One was described as a charismatic gang leader; a second looked innocuous but was actually a vicious serial rapist; and a third was a motel robber with a tattoo reading “LIZERD.”

They carried off a desperate and daring escape, in which they took over a prison maintenance shop, tied guards up one by one as the returned from lunch, then sauntered up to the prison tower claiming they were there to install a camera, according to the official investigation. They tied up the tower guard, stole a bunch of weapons and drove away in a prison pickup truck before trading their vehicle for another at a nearby Wal-Mart, then took off across Texas.

But not before they left a menacing note behind at the Connally prison in Kenedy, Texas. “You haven’t seen the last of us yet,” it read, sparking fears the fugitives planned a violent showdown.

After the jailbreak, authorities say the seven escapees stole police scanners from a Radio Shack, gunned down a young police officer on Christmas Eve and appeared everywhere and nowhere for nearly six weeks. They stumped state law enforcement and federal officials, despite the relentless — at times almost breathless — nationwide attention that followed their tracks.

100 Tips Per Day

Authorities put it out that the band was highly unusual in sticking together. They apparently were led by convicted kidnapper George Rivas. Rivas had been incarcerated after robbing the same sporting goods chain where Officer Aubrey Hawkins was killed Dec. 24 — an Oshman’s Supersports USA where he handcuffed five employees to a large piece of machinery in 1993.

A hundred tips per day poured in as authorities sought the escapees, and a $100,000 reward for their capture climbed to $500,000. Television shows like America's Most Wanted made the seven a regular feature. Domino’s pizza was moved to put the criminals’ faces across Texas on delivery boxes. Some more enterprising individuals printed up "Seven Deadly Sinners" T-shirts and souvenirs for the public.

Despite the attention, the men avoided capture for more than a month, adding to their reputation as canny and resourceful outlaws.

‘Made Out to Be Desperadoes’

"Why is there so much attention on this particular jailbreak?" asks Steve Green, an archivist with the Western Folklife Center, which studies the culture of the Old West, including its outlaws. "It seems like these guys were made out to be desperadoes" in the minds of the public and press, he says.

There are genuine parallels between the Texas Seven and the West's outlaws of 100 years ago, says James Nottage, chief curator of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles.

Contrary to popular sentiment, violence in the Old West was relatively uncommon, and an outlaw or band of outlaws could grab the attention of the nation, much as the Texas Seven has today.

"You could see them doing the same things," 100 years ago, when the nation was similarly fascinated by outlaws, jailbreaks and Texas Rangers manhunts, says Nottage.

Some things have changed for the better, Nottage says, citing the professionalization of law enforcement in modern times.

Nottage described Lone Wolf Gonzalez, a Texas Ranger of the early 20th century who reportedly killed 75 fugitives during his career.

"That couldn't happen today," Nottage said.

And it didn't. Finally, a phone tip led police to Woodland Park, Colo., where four were of the Texas Seven captured Tuesday. The only violence was the suicide of a fifth fugitive. The remaining two were arrested peacefully today.

The Texas Seven first stood out for the sophistication of their jailbreak. Unlike most criminals, officials say, these hatched a careful scheme.

“It appears this escape was well-planned,” Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Larry Todd said following the breakout.

What About Accomplices?

The Texas Seven may no longer be on the lose, but there are still questions police want answered: How were they able to evade such a massive manhunt so long? Did they have accomplices on the outside?

Someone must have helped them set up the various vehicles they used in their robberies and escape, Texas officials have said — and someone on the outside was probably hiding them during their stint underground.