Outlaws In The Frontier Horse thieves, cattle rustlers, bank robbers, train and stagecoach robbers, highwaymen, murderers these were but some of the criminals who infested the American frontier during the 19th century. The word outlaw is a translation of the Italian bandito, meaning "someone who has been banished because of lawless activity." In English legend Robin Hood can be considered a bandit, but the outlaws of the Old West were far more violent men and women without any scruples when it came to taking property or life. The careers of many outlaws have been glamorized through fictional accounts of their deeds and their exploits have been the basis for many mo