![]() ![]() It got to the point where a new vigilante group emerged, the Anti-Bald Knobbers, who responded to violence with violence. As their strength grew, so did the violence, and the Bald Knobbers were believed to be responsible for a few dozen killings and hundreds of beatdowns. Founded by a man named Nat Kinney, they originally numbered only a dozen or so, but their numbers swelled to hundreds in just a few years, and were recognizable by the dark hoods with horns that they wore.Īt first, the Bald Knobbers engaged in vigilantism against outlaws and criminals that prowled Missouri, but they eventually became just as bad, if not worse than the men they once hunted. Ok, so they definitely take the prize for “silliest name for a vigilante group,” especially if you’re British and the word “knob” means something else entirely. The people needed someone to stand up to these bushwhackers, and that led to the appearance of… the Bald Knobbers. Famously, Jesse James and his gang used to be bushwhackers who carried on as if nothing changed and simply became outlaws, but they were far from the only ones. As a border state during the Civil War, Missouri saw a lot of bushwhacker activity that didn’t really end with the war. The Bald Knobbersĭuring the 1880s, the Ozark region in southwest Missouri was a dangerous place to be. As is often the case with acts of vigilantism, his arrest prompted debates on whether or not there is any merit to this kind of street justice, and fans of the “Alaskan Avenger,” as he became known, still campaign on his behalf for a more lenient sentence. ![]() Vukovich was arrested soon after and sentenced to 28 years in prison on various counts of assault and robbery. Vukovich felt that the man had not paid enough for his crimes, so he beat the guy into unconsciousness with a hammer, all the while proclaiming himself to be an “ avenging angel ” there to mete out justice. He beat up and robbed the first two, but he seriously escalated the violence with his third victim. He had three names and paid them all a visit in late June of that year. He got onto Alaska’s Sex Offender Registry and created a list of men who had been convicted of sex crimes against children. In 2016, Vukovich decided that he might as well target people like his stepfather. At some point, Vukovich moved back to Alaska as an adult, but his run-ins with the law continued. As often happens in such tragic cases, he ran away from home as a teenager and wandered the country, amassing quite an extensive rap sheet of petty crimes and misdemeanors. Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, he fell victim to both physical and sexual abuse at the hands of his stepfather. Jason Vukovich did not have a pleasant childhood. He was even detained by the police a few times for being a little too “enthusiastic” in his use of pepper spray on suspected criminals.įodor retired from the crime-fighting game a few years ago and, most recently, he was in the news for different reasons after being arrested on drug charges for allegedly selling MDMA to an undercover cop. They mostly patrolled the streets of Seattle, trying to deter crime, although Jones himself was usually more proactive in his approach to crimefighting. It wasn’t long until Jones had his own little Justice League, the Rain City Superhero Movement. From then on, the costume steadily got more and more intricate until his new persona, Phoenix Jones, had a full-on superhero outfit, although Fodor wisely substituted the traditional spandex and underwear on the outside for a bulletproof vest and stab plating. Possibly, the most famous one of all is Phoenix Jones, the now-retired alter-ego of MMA fighter Ben Fodor who used to prowl the streets of Seattle, Washington, looking for lawbreakers.įor Fodor, it all started in 2011 when he put on a ski mask to stop a public assault. Given how hugely popular superhero movies are in today’s society, it is hardly surprising that some people have decided to put on a mask and suit and become crime fighters. These people are known as vigilantes and these are some of their stories: 10. Most modern societies rely on a police force to enact law and order, but sometimes people feel like the wheels of justice turn too slowly so they decide to take matters into their own hands.
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