| William Franklin | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Portrayed By | Hugh Jackman |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of Birth | Unknown |
| Age | Unknown |
| Zodiac Sign | Ares |
| Aliases | Will, Franklin, Avinash |
| Place of Birth | Unknown |
| Occupation | Gang Leader |
| Known Relatives | Unknown Daughter |
| Significant Other | None |
History
Not much is known about William before the cavalry came for him. It's said that he killed his own parents and left the house at fifteen. Another story relates the young man riding with the likes of the James-Younger gang. One thing is certain, however. The Franklin Gang was one of the most terrible plagues this country had ever known. Countless military bases, banks, store fronts, and homes were taken by the massive group of men and women. Only one thing in those early robberies was commonplace. No one was left alive. No witnesses. And absolutely everything of value was stripped.
Seeing the Franklin Gang's assaults on federal targets as a figurative act of war, President Grant took action. Two entire cavalry brigades were sent to bring the gang to justice. They opened fire without a single shout of warning. The entire campsite was strewn with Gatling fire, killing and maiming anything that moved. William took six bullets to the chest and two to the leg, instantly losing consciousness and quickly bleeding out on the forest floor.
How he survived is a speculated mystery. The Cherokee claim they stumbled upon the bloodbath and found the main fingering at the last vestiges of life. The area protestants claim they heard the ground split that day. It is their belief that the body vacated by the man's soul provided a solid vessel for the devil to walk the earth.
Reports of Franklin Gang activity decreased and the President believed the war had been won.
Murmurs of the man persisted in the small mining towns of the west. The criminal evidence spoke a much different story then it had before. Nothing on the scale of the gang's former activity was reported. Small robberies, horse thefts, and wagon jobs were blamed on the outlaw, but until the rise of the Merrick Gang, the area saw little to no gang activity.
The Merrick Gang was one of few whose destruction rivaled that of Franklin's men. Silver Creek was a town regularly turned inside out by the gang's lawlessness. Silver Creek was also the town where the infamous Merrick Gang hit a brick wall. That was the town where a world-weary man had made his home, and the town where Russell Merrick looked into the eyes of the devil himself.
Quote
- "Let's see who's worth the bounty, hm?"
- "I can't tell if you're ugly or if you just make a habit of talking out your ass."
Trivia
- William holds a degree from King's College's campus in Maryland.
- Franklin once held the rank of Captain in the Union cavalry.
- William was, once, trained as a teacher.
- His most prized possession is a daughter hidden from the world. And what's more? He is very good at spoiling her.
- He -loves- brandy. Especially apricot.
- Legendary horseman, though prefers to travel through town on foot.
