Buck English - Early Life

Early Life

Born Lawrence Buchanen English, he soon received the nickname "Buck." The English family feuded with the Durbin family for years, which led to three of Buck's brothers dying. When Buck was thirteen he became obligated to take revenge on the Durbin family. Unlike Black Bart, Lake County’s other notorious thief, Buck was rash and openly flaunted his overconfident capacity. He was only 22 years old when he and a companion held up the Lower Lake stage coach and took the Wells Fargo strongbox from the driver. Instead of the usual gold or silver for the miners, the box yielded only two brass castings. The local newspaper later said, "Shortly before this robbery, he and his companion met four Chinese miners coming down from the Great Western Mine (near Middletown), and robbed them of their watches and money." The infamous life of the criminal, known as "Buck English", had begun.