I was thinking about all the old western movies where everyone and their grandmother is ‘wanted dead or alive.’ It got me to wondering about who was the last person a ‘dead or alive’ reward was offered for, what did that person do, and when was the reward offered. I’ve been unable to come up with anything yet so I thought I’d ask to see if anyone here knew.
I don’t know if “Wanted Dead or Alive” is strictly a Hollywood dramatization or not. If it ever was really used, it would have to have been back when the legal system still recognized “outlawry”- the idea that someone had forfeited their rights and could be shot on sight.
I would guess at a minimum that it would apply only to people who were wanted for murder, or were convicted fugitives.
Finally, I am given to understand that many of the “Wanted” bounties were not legally sanctioned; they were simply open hit contracts like in the movie “Unforgiven”.
The last known person “wanted: dead or alive” was Jon Bon Jovi, in 1987. He was a well-known cowboy who rode a “steel horse” and traveled around the world. Mr. Bon Jovi declared at the time, “I’ve seen a million faces, and I’ve rocked them all,” which is most likely the crime for which he is wanted. The cowboy reputedly wanted to be called, “young gun” and said he was the devil’s son. He also made the claim of never drawing first when drawing first blood, but this has not been proven.
Despite Mr. Bon Jovi’s professed desire to die heroically, shot down in a blaze of glory, he has seemed to escape from those who sought his death. Last reports of him were that he was masquerading as a British man in a submarine.
panama jack
"We’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got
'Cause it doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not
We’ve got each other and that’s a lot for love - we’ll give it a shot "
Easy to explain…a few years before he prayed for a glorious death, he vowed to “Never Say Goodbye”.