A 19th century US poster sold at Forum for £6500.
Joaquin Murrieta Carrillo (1829-53), also known as ‘The Bandit’ or ‘Robin Hood of the West’, was notorious during the California Gold Rush, and a figure whose tale was one of heartbreak and revenge, but “questionable historicity”, said Forum.
His supposed death at the hands of the California Rangers, it seems, was so disputed that they decided to preserve his head in alcohol, along with the hand of his most famous associate, Manuel Garcia, known as ‘Three Fingered Jack’, and toured California with grisly proof of his demise.
Estimated at £200-300, the poster sold at a rather more substantial £6500.
