The Most Bizzare story of the Wild West: The American Outlaw who robbed and burned until he was turned into shoes

From his notorious train robbery to his gruesome execution and the macabre use of his remains, Parrott's life and death encapsulate the brutal justice and strange customs of the era.

His legacy, preserved in the form of shoes, a medical bag, and a skull used as a doorstop, continues to captivate and horrify, serving as a stark reminder of the lengths to which frontier justice could go.

Bandits and the Wild West go hand in hand. One such criminal, George Parrott, lived in Wyoming and gained notoriety after robbing a train full of thoroughbred horses.

Known as "Big Nose," he infuriated the citizens of Rawlins to such an extent that they did something incredibly bizarre and brutal.

During the train robbery on August 16, 1878, George Parrott and his gang killed two lawmen: Deputy Sheriff Robert Widdowfield and Detective Tip Vincent. The murder of the two officers was quickly discovered, and a bounty of $10,000 placed on Parrott's head, later doubled to $20,000.

The Great Robbery

In February 1879, “Big Nose” and his gang were in Miles Town (now Miles City, Montana). The gang learned that a prominent local merchant, Morris Kahn, would be traveling east with money to purchase large supplies of goods.

Parrott and his gang attacked the convoy in broad daylight. Despite traveling with a military escort transporting government money, Morris couldn't avoid the ruthless gang. A convoy of 15 soldiers and two officers wasn't enough to withstand "Big Nose."

The robbery took place in a narrow passage later named Kahn's Canyon. To pass through, the military had to split up, and Parrott's gang took advantage of the disrupted formation.

Armed and masked bandits awaited the soldiers at the bottom of the canyon. The robbery was swift and successful. The soldiers were quickly overwhelmed, and Kahn was robbed. According to contemporary reports, $14,000 was stolen, equivalent to about $320,000 today.

Brutal Punishment

George Parrott didn't enjoy his ill-gotten wealth for long. He was arrested in 1880 after boasting about the robbery in a saloon while visibly drunk. He was brought back to Wyoming and sentenced to hang on April 2, 1881. It's recorded that he attempted to escape from the local jail while awaiting execution.

When news of the escape attempt spread, 200 armed men stormed the jail. They took Parrott to a nearby telegraph pole and lynched him.

After his hanging, doctors Thomas Maghee and John Eugene Osborne insisted on taking his body for various examinations, particularly studying the brain of this notorious criminal.

Grim Revenge

Parrott’s skull was given to a fifteen-year-old girl named Lillian Heath, who later became Wyoming’s first female doctor. She initially used Parrott’s skull as a pen holder, then as an ashtray, and eventually as a doorstop, according to Vintagenews.com.

Adding to the macabre tale, Parrott’s skin from his thighs, chest, and face was sent to a tannery in Denver with a special purpose – it was made into a pair of shoes and a medical bag.

Dr. John Eugene Osborne wore these shoes to his inaugural ball after being elected as Wyoming's first Democratic governor.

But that's not all! Parrott's dismembered body was preserved in a barrel of whiskey because the experiments took a year.

The story of George "Big Nose" Parrott's death faded from memory until 1950, when construction workers unearthed his remains, rekindling the tale of the infamous criminal and his horrific punishment.

Parrott's story is not just a tale of crime and punishment but a window into the strange and often brutal world of the American West.

Today, his skull, along with the shoes, bag, and death mask, are kept in the Historical Museum in Rawlins, Wyoming.