Volume 17 , Issue 12

1912 - Al J. Jennings Oklahoma Attorney & Former Outlaw

It was 15 May 1912, in Chicago, Illinois The Day Book, that we found this article concerning former outlaw Al J. Jennings who was hanging his lawyer shingle in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma in 1912.

It begins: "It isn't what I was. It's what I am." It goes on to ask the question, How'd you like to have for prosecuting attorney a former bandit, outlaw, life termer and leader of bad men? Supposing he said he had reformed, would you vote for him? Well, there were lots of people in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, who were going to do it. It was their idea that Al Jennings' platform was alright.

Here was Jennings' platform: "It isn't what I used to be, but what I'm going to be in the future that'll help you folks catch the crooks and grafters in office."

Al Jennings, born in Virginia, was educated in the University of West Virginia, studied law and drifted westward. He thought there was more money and less work robbing trains than in practicing law in those days.

Jennings rounded up a bunch of train robbers and outlaws and made himself their leader. The preyed heavily upon railroads and banks.

The government finally caught Jennings and sent him to the prison at Columbus, Ohio, for life. After two years he was pardoned and returned to Oklahoma City to hang out his legal shingle.

He started his race by telling all about his outlaw life, and having deprived his opponents of that material, hopped on crooked records of official grafters who, he said hurt the common people a durned sight more than all the outlaws, from Jesse James down, did.
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