And was there a 13th tribe?
Siringo worked on many high-profile cases, and at one point he even infiltrated the infamous Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch. "I closed the Union Pacific train robbery case after having traveled more than 25,000 miles by rail, vehicles, afoot, and on horseback, and after being on the operation constantly for about four years. The 'Wild Bunch' during these four years were pretty well scattered, many being put in their graves and others in prison," he wrote.
Dottie Thorson was married to the famous bounty hunter Ralph "Papa" Thorson. Dottie took over the job after her husband was killed by a car bomb in 1994.
Of the many jobs James Kirker had, the one that he's most famous for, was as a scalp hunter for the Mexican government.
Leonard Padilla is another famous bounty hunter. He opened a bail bonds company in Sacramento, California, in the '70s, and the rest is history.
David Schultz, also known as Dr. D, pursued a career as a professional bounty hunter after he retired from pro wrestling.
Felix Telles was kidnapped by Apaches as a child, and later went on to join the United States Army's Apache scouts. He earned the nickname of Mickey Free because of his skills as a scout.
He started his career in the family's bail bonds company, Da Kine Bail Bonds, and never looked back. He now also runs his own company, Kama'aina Bail Bonds.
Sources: (List25) (Ranker) (History)
See also: Prison break: insane inmate escapes
Domino Harvey (pictured as a child) decided to quit her life as a model in the UK and move across the Atlantic to become a bounty hunter. She was one of the few female bail recovery agents working at the time, and enjoyed a very successful career.
In the 1880s, New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace offered a US$500 reward for Billy, but Sheriff Garret never saw the money, as he didn't capture him. Instead, Garrett killed him.
You probably recognize Morgan Spurlock's face from documentaries such as 'Super Size Me' (2004). But there's more to him.
Perhaps his most famous case was the capture of Max Factor heir (and convicted sex offender) Andrew Luster in Mexico in 2003. Luster had fled the country in the middle of his trial, but Chapman managed to track him down and bring him to justice.
The movie 'Domino' (2005), starring Keira Knightly, was inspired by Domino Harvey's life. Unfortunately, she passed away just a couple of months before the movie came out.
Spurlock is more than just a filmmaker. He also showed off his bounty-hunting skills in 'Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?' (2008).
Thorson's son, Ken Barras, is also a bounty hunter. Her life inspired the 2000 TV show 'The Huntress.' Before that, her late husband was the inspiration for the 1980 movie 'The Hunter,' starring Steve McQueen.
In the early '80s, he opened the Lorenzo Patiño School of Law. Throughout his career, Leonard Padilla has run for public office several times.
Leland followed his father's footsteps and also became a bail bondsman and bounty hunter.
Beth Chapman sadly passed away on June 26, 2019, the victim of cancer. She was 51.
Duane Lee Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter, is probably the most well-known bounty hunter in the world, thanks to his reality TV show, which ran from 2003 to 2012.
Charlie Siringo was a bounty hunter and private detective for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in Chicago. He worked across the country and became known as the "Cowboy Detective."
Pat Garrett is an Old West legend. He is known for being the sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico. But he's even more famous for hunting down a very high-profile criminal: the one and only Billy the Kid.
Today they are private agents working for bail bonds. A bounty hunter's job is to capture fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. Now, let's look at some of the most famous bounty hunters in history.
Bounty hunters have been part of the US law enforcement system since 1873.
Before bounty hunters as we know them today, there used to be slave catchers, whose job it was to track down and return escaped slaves.
Mickey Free became a successful bounty hunter. He was responsible for tracking down the Apache Kid (pictured), earning him US$15,000.
Not only was Beth Chapman Dog's wife, but she was also his business partner. Indeed, she was a successful bounty hunter and TV personality.
The Mexican state of Chihuahua offered a bounty on Apache scalps, and Kirker took the job. That is until the Mexicans couldn't afford his services and he had to flee Mexico.
Rewards for capturing people are nothing new. Most of us are familiar with the "Most Wanted" posters of the Old West, and today it's not that different. Bounty hunters chase fugitives and/or criminals for a bounty. These men and women dedicate their lives to tracking down and capturing people who, for one reason or another, should be brought to justice.
Of course, some bounty hunters became more famous than others. Click through this gallery and find out more about history's most noteworthy bounty hunters.
Famous bounty hunters throughout history
Many came before Duane "Dog" Chapman
LIFESTYLE Law
Rewards for capturing people are nothing new. Most of us are familiar with the "Most Wanted" posters of the Old West, and today it's not that different. Bounty hunters chase fugitives and/or criminals for a bounty. These men and women dedicate their lives to tracking down and capturing people who, for one reason or another, should be brought to justice.
Of course, some bounty hunters became more famous than others. Click through this gallery and find out more about history's most noteworthy bounty hunters.