Edward "Big Ed" Burns was an American 19th century confidence man and crime boss.
At trial the charge was dismissed because he could show plenty of money, a profession as a peddler of soap, and a saloon in a building he had rented from a city alderman.
He managed to escape several police raids by jumping overboard, thus gaining the moniker "Elephantine Edward of the Floating Palace.
[6] Taking his repertoire of con games to the frontier, the commonly known "Big Ed Burns" became boss of a gang in Leadville, Colorado.
Fleeing from the vigilantes there, he took his gang on the railroads, hitting the towns from Buena Vista, Colorado, on through Kansas, New Mexico, and finally to Benson, in the Arizona Territory.
After the turn of the century, "Big Ed Burns" was still being arrested in many places from Florida, his home turf of Illinois, California and up to Washington State.